Introduction to Michael Loring

                                             The Lycanthropist

Hey y’all! I’m the newest member of The Writer’s Voice, and from what I can see…so far the only MALE. That’s pretty cool, but I’m not going to capitalize on it because it doesn't really matter. Doesn’t matter if you’re a guy or girl, because everyone shares the passion for writing here. There's no stereotypes when it comes to writing, and that's one of the reasons I love it so much.

Well, let me give a proper introduction for myself. My name is Michael Loring, I am at the moment 18 years old – though in a week I’ll be 19, so let’s just say I’m 19 now – and I recently debuted my very first novel titled Dehumanized! I’m really excited about this, and I’ve been working my butt off ever since the release date. I’ve found though in my pursuit of more readers that I really enjoy blogging. I enjoy being connected with readers and other authors a lot, and I am seriously looking forward to being a part of this amazing blog!

Now, if you want to really know me, there is one thing you should know: I have an obsession with werewolves! Now, when I say obsession I don’t mean my room is covered with posters or that I have a shrine to them or that it’s the only thing I talk about. I have a wide array of things I love; it just so happens werewolves are at the top of the list next to writing and reading.

For as long as I can remember I’ve loved werewolves. It’s always been one of my guilty pleasures, just without the guilt. My love started when I was eight years old and I first saw An American Werewolf In London. I’m man enough to admit when I was little I was terrified of nearly EVERYTHING, but there was something about that movie that just captivated me. The idea that an average, everyday guy could become such a creature was so fascinating to me. I had already been an avid animal lover, and seeing someone turn into one really got to me. It was the first movie where I actually cheered for the monster!

I started looking more into the genre of werewolves. Most of the movies and stories were scary, so I was apprehensive. Being a young boy who was too scared to sleep without Scooby Doo or Gilligan’s Island playing in the background hindered my research quite a bit. Not to mention the media wasn’t as abundant as it is today thanks to the Twilight fad. This was the early 2000’s, so my research didn’t take me far. I read all about werewolves and the early incarnations of the legend, sitting in awe in front of my PC as I read all about these man-creatures that were affected by the full moon. I read the story of Lycaon and his testing of Zeus, cringed at the horrible deal Peter Stumpp made with the Devil, and stayed up all night because of the tale of The Beast of Gévaudan. I was hooked, and slowly my unnatural fear of all things horror-related faded and I became a dedicated “Horrorist” as I like to call it.

I grew to have many passions; karate, boxing, video gaming, comic books, music; but none even came close to my passion for werewolves. Only one thing ever surpassed that passion: writing. So, it was only natural to combine the two things, right? Of course! I attempted hundreds of stories, more than half involving werewolves, the others involving superheroes and vampires and zombies and such. But even with all of these failed projects I never gave up. I continued my study of all things Lycanthrope by watching the movies that have come out during these first years of the 21st century and reading all the books that I deemed “worthy” of my tastes. Even though I love them so much, I don’t just read any werewolf novel that comes out. I’m pretty picky. My guidelines for a werewolf novel have always been strict, and more than once I’ve ignored a New York Times bestseller because it didn’t fit my criteria.

There came a day when my mother, one of the few people who grit their teeth and pretended to be listening politely while I rambled on and on about the full moon beasts, said to me, “If you can’t find any werewolf books that interest you, then why don’t you just write them yourself?”

I remember just staring at her for a second; dumbfounded that such a simple, obvious answer had escaped my grasp. I gave some excuse involving something along the lines of already having tried, and then ran off to my room to think of an idea. After nearly two years of thinking and planning and writing, Dehumanized is now available for all to read! And I’m happy to say it fits my criteria perfectly.

So, that’s me. I hope you guys will accept me as a TWV member and I look forward to hanging with you guys again!

You can check me out here:

Twitter: @MichaelLoring
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/pages/Dehumanized/273293846073390
Goodreads: http://www.goodreads.com/user/show/10641453-michael-loring
Website: MichaelLoring.com