1. Q - Are you from the area?
A - Yes, I was born and raised in Washington County, MD. It is a wonderful place to grow up. The town I grew up in had less then 3,000 people and everyone knew what was going on in everybody's lives.
2. Q - How many chapters is the story going to be?
A - I'm not sure, but it will follow The Clan through college and the arrival of their little ones. I already know how it's going to end, now we have to finish the journey to get there.
3. Q - Are you going to have a second part?
A - Yes, I plan to continue a second storyline, focusing on The Crew. It will be titled SMP - The Crew.
4. Q - Are you Italian?
A - Yes, I am. My grandparents spoke fluent Italian, but unfortunately the only Italian I understand is curse words.
5. Q - In Chapter 13, why didn't you have Sophia spar with Victoria and whip her ass?
A - I wanted to have Sophia spar with Beatrice because having her spar with Victoria would have been too obvious and having her go up against somebody three years older and bigger in size showed her 'mad fighting skills'.
6. Q - How do you come up with the taglines?
A - I think of something important or a defining moment in the Chapter and use that. When the Italians arrived, I used their creed because that is what Dante and Carlo said to each other to reaffirm their loyalty to each other and to their Packs.
7. Q - How did the creed begin?
A - "Dobbiamo proteggere la confezione e la famiglia sopra ogni cosa" - We protect the Pack and family above all else. It has been the Rossi Pack creed since their beginning over 2,000 years ago. When the second son came to America, they adopted the same creed because it forever linked the two Packs together. The creed is simple but explains EVERYTHING about them, their Pack and their family mean everything to them and they will stop at nothing to protect them. Look at what The Elders did after their Alpha's were killed.
I have just been wondering... why pocketbooklover? Seriously, I don't know why I want to know that but I do.
ReplyDeleteBecause I love pocketbooks. Specifically Etienne Aigner pocketbooks, I have over 100 of them, with matching accessories (wallets, coin purses, eye glass cases). I even collect the vintage ones, from back in the '40's, '50's and '60's. I can't get enough of them and I admit my serious addiction problem.
DeleteWell the first step is admitting you have a problem! :-) Thanks for the reply.
DeletePersonally, I always preferred Gucci, but to each "her" own, my addiction is shoes.
Deleteis there any way to get an alert so we know when you have posted new chapters or new information. I am following you on facebook so I get some alerts there but not always
ReplyDeleteWe will add a 'follow' subscriber button, and also a link to Facebook so you will get emails when new items are posted. We wanted to wait because we are still tweaking each page and didn't want to overload people with emails every time we added a pic or a description.
Deletethank you. so much
DeleteI am curious about the word count of your longest chapter. I know you give us the number of pages in MS Word. But my brain can't really estimate in terms of pages. OTL. Does the length of a chapter determine where you'll end it? Do you end it because 'ah, this is long already' or 'because that cliffhanger was necessary'? XD
ReplyDeleteIt's almost a tie between chapters 10 and 11. Chapter 10 - 30, 804 and chapter 11 - 31, 357.
DeleteI have an outline that I follow so my story doesn't go off the rails somewhere but it isn't really broken down into chapters. I end each chapter when it feels right, when what I want is done, At the end of Chapter 11, I wanted Dante to realize the significance of their eyes and thats how it ended. The 'cliff-hangers' aren't intentional but seem to be a good 'grab your attention and make you talk' point so you can see what is coming up next. Chapter 10 ended with Lorenzo banging his head on the table after his Dad told him Brooke got new dance shoes. I thought that was a good stopping point because it was funny and the chapter was full of emotion.
Oh, cool. Those two are super long. And yeah, that pretty much makes sense.
ReplyDeleteI was wondering if it is possible for the werewolves to have humans as mates in the story's universe.
ReplyDeleteYes it is, though of course they would have to go through "The Change' after mating. New blood, not to mention DNA, is needed for any Pack to survive. If you look at some of the other surnames, you see Whitmer (English), Poffenberger (German), Dawson (English/Irish), Hammond (English), Webber (German).
DeleteI am curious, will you ever put pictures up of the chars' wolf forms? And what made you get into writing about wolves? This is by far the most interesting wolf story yet that I've read.
ReplyDeleteI have planned to put up pics of their wolf form, but between writing and other things, I just haven't had time to do it yet. I got into writing because I was bored, I had read a number of were stories and decided to try and do it, the first chapter took me almost a month to write, I kept going back and changing things as I went on and finally I was happy with it.
DeleteThank you for your comment about the story, I think a lot of people like it because of the strong family dynamics, their love for each other and the romance. Even at the end of Chapter 12, knowing they could possibly die all Frank and Carlo wanted to make sure was their youngsters were safe. Vin, Dom, Lorenzo, Damian, Gianni, Marcus and Anthony would be 18, so they would be adults and could therefore choose to fight without their parents approval. The men knew this and had to let them make that choice on their own, but they could still protect their younger children. There is no greater love then a parent for a child.
Will we ever know why Morgan is more timid when it comes to mating then the others? I think in the story you mentioned that the alpha was going to ask or something like that but we never did find out why.
ReplyDeleteYes, that happens in Chapter 13 when Maeve finally takes her long anticipated trip to Rossi's grocery store. You have to pay attention to the dialogue, Maeve is only 13 and the baby of the family and has always been treated as such, but what she says is extremely telling.
DeleteWhen you say you're taking a break from writing chapter 13 to focas on the music for the festival does that mean it's going to be a longer wait for the next chapter?
ReplyDeleteEvery writer needs a break, and mine was an afternoon listening to music on YouTube. It always amazes me when I'm on YouTube how you can start listening to Guns 'n Roses and ten clicks later be listening to Barry Manilow. Where do they come up with these suggestions anyway? I'm losing my train of thought here, anyway I'm back to writing Chapter 13 after stepping away from it for a day.
DeleteIf you like music, check out https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZsNlcr4frs4 , Jonathan is absolutely AMAZING!
DeleteAre you going to write the story until Sophia turns eighteen and mates with Anthony?
ReplyDeleteAs I mentioned in my answer to Question 2 above, the story will end after they graduate from college and have little ones.
ReplyDeleteYay! Thank you! I love your story.
DeleteIs the Winter Festival in the next chapter?
ReplyDeleteChapter 13 deals with first dates, the girls assessments, the football game, official receptions, the boys assessments, and their weekend at the lake. Whew even writing that it sounds like a lot.
ReplyDeleteChapter 14 will concentrate on the Halloween Dance and its aftermath.
Chapter 15 will hopefully be The Winter Festival.
all of this depends on my ability to get done what I need to so after the groundwork is done, we can move forward. In the story arc, we're at the end of August.
Can you give us an update on where you are in the chapter?
ReplyDeleteI am about 2/3 of the way done Chapter 13. I hope to get it finished in the next two weeks and it should probably be around 80 pages of Microsoft Word when it's done.
DeleteThroughout the story are all the boys going to get mates?
ReplyDeleteI cannot promise everyone a Happily Ever After. They are facing a life and death battle...and it would be totally unrealistic for everyone in SMP to make it through.
DeleteI admit, the story is so riveting, that I insert myself into the story in my fantasies. I wish I was as good of a writer as you.
DeleteI just read your latest comment about being unrealistic for everyone in SMP to make it through...sigh. Is there a chance that the men and boys from the main families will not make it? It might seem unfair to ask you but I can't get attached knowing those characters will die. These families have become our Family and real life is quite frankly "realistic" enough for me. You have to follow your muse, your choice but I need to decide if I can go along on the journey, my choice. Either way, you are an amazing artist and I thank you for story.
ReplyDeleteThis is a tough question for me to answer for many reasons. I am only certain at this point that one character will not make it, but he's not a main character, has only been mentioned briefly and in future chapters he will make an appearance that will surprise everyone at SMP. These characters that I write are a part of me, every one of them is representative of somebody in my life and I take the story and plot lines very seriously. I hope you continue reading, and I feel you will find it worthwhile in the end.
DeleteI believe in your talent and you must always stay true to yourself and your muse. As a fan, I just needed to share my conflict pertaining to characters I care about and the possibility of them dying. You have to stay on your path and I know you will have continued success. I just saw an update about introducing another gay couple...that is great. Love comes in different shapes and forms and I'm happy you can represent that in your story. Remember this is your tale to tell regardless of how others may feel...including me. Have a wonderful day and take care of you!
DeleteChelle
sitting here looking at these comments its kinda like you want the suspense taken out of the story now granted I am very much like you in it would hurt me badly if someone i came to care about in a story dies but that is part of the story line. How can you sit here and ask PBL will the main people all get a pass when that is not fair to her as she has said everyone in this series is part of her life and in life some people must exit your life. In a world such as this where conflict is part of life well you can have everyone live it takes the drama out of a story now i hope very much that the members of the clan make it to the end but that may not happen i will have to just carry on as PBL has hooked me as well as other readers just as 3 other writers have and she is a cherised friend.
DeleteIf you have time after you've uploaded this chapter can you make a page about the rules the youngsters have to follow at each age before they turn 18?
ReplyDeleteI'll do that, I'll post it under the "Odds and Ends" page. Somehow during the power outages of the last few days, I lost the last three pages of Chapter 13 that I had written. We've searched the entire computer for it, but can't find it.....So upset, I can't believe you all can't hear me screaming.
DeleteDoes that mean you have to start the chapter over
DeleteSo THAT'S what that noise was! :P
DeleteJust wondering, Carlo expressed that his gut told him that Jessica Anders would be important to the pack. Are you adding her to the 'Those important to the pack' page?
ReplyDeleteHi Curtiesha, sorry it took me so long to answer, somehow I didn't see the comment/question until I posted some other questions on here. Yes I will post a pic of her, I just need to find what I'm looking for.
DeleteIts fine. Great choice on Jessica Anders!
DeleteI love this story. I also love the fact that while you are putting it on lit, I wouldn't have a problem letting my 16 year read it if it was elsewhere.
ReplyDeleteThank you very much for that lovely comment. What I want everyone to get from my stories is the love they feel for each other and the bond they feel as Pack mates. I also want to show the love that develops between Sophia/Anthony, Maria/Alberto, Brianna/Vin, Morgan/Dom and eventually Erin/Lorenzo, Caitlin/Damian even without the physical aspects of love. They will have a true love in addition to the mate bond and I think it will make them even stronger.
Deleteokay PBL so two prophacies and they are both involving the clan this will be interesting
ReplyDeleteHave you ever considered publishing the story else where so that it would be possible for young adults and teenagers to read it?
ReplyDeleteI'd love to get it published and sell the movie rights for a kajillion dollars, know anybody? Somebody had stolen the story and put it on Wattpad and it really wasn't getting a good reception because there wasn't any underage sex, and they were commenting that Anthony should be an Alpha...basically a lot of nonsense. I've read some stories on there, some are good, but the majority of Were stories have 17 or 18 year old boys who are 'The most powerful Alpha' in the world, tons of underage sex including pregnancy as young as 15, abuse both physical and verbal, all the youngsters drive Maybachs, Porsche's, Bugatti's, Lamborghini's and the girls fall into two categories - the abused virgin who was ignored by her family or the Pack slut. If I had a teenage daughter I would not let her read those stories. It might sound prudish and judgemental but what exactly are they learning from those stories? Okay, I'm done my rant for the evening, and if you are a reader of Wattpad and enjoy the stories I'm sorry, but thats my opinion of what I have seen on there. I won't even go into the grammar and punctuation.
DeleteNow that I read what I wrote, let me clarify it a little. Wattpad does have some really good writers on there, but what I was commenting on is what I found when I glanced at some of the Were stories. One thing I noticed is they always talk about 'rouge attacks' and I imagine a bunch of people who work at a cosmetic store running around slapping makeup on people. Also, you can tell they are written by young teenage girls by the grammar and punctuation and I have a clear problem with children, yes I said children, talking about grinding against each other and treating matters such as sex and killing people with such a cavalier attitude. And yes I do go there, but it is to make sure my story isn't stolen and posted there again.
DeleteYour reply is exactly why I would love to have this story somewhere that my girls could read it . The way the pack not only protects the little ones but also the young ladies. The way the rules are set out for different ages is great (yes I had my 14 year old as well as my sixteen year old read them). The both do a lot of reading on quotev.com
DeleteI have to ask, why can't they read it on here? Under your supervision of course. You could read the chapter first and if there's anything objectionable on there, you can email me and I can send you the chapter and you can edit out the parts and print it out for them to read.
DeleteIs. Chapter 14 almost finished?
ReplyDeleteHow is Victoria resisting the mate pull and disgusted by her mate? Shouldn't mate's be attracted to their mates?
ReplyDeleteVictoria is only interested in Victoria basically. It's not that she's not attracted to her mate, but she is disgusted by the fact that she, the daughter of Senator Clay Martin, was not meant to be mated to an Alpha. She wants the Madame Alpha position not for the caring, nurturing nature of that position but for the power an d money that position wields. If you go back and read her dialog she says how could Sophia, the daughter of a cabinet maker, have that instead of a daughter of a Senator.
DeleteHey PBL,
ReplyDeleteI can't help but notice that your set-up seems to have your weres as quite "de-powered" in comparison to weres in other stories.
i.e.: Maria's injury and the time needed to heal being longer than a day or two
-The lifespan of the characters seeming more in line with humans as opposed to hundreds or thousands of years in other stories
-Peak-human conditioning and skills (comparable to Captain America or your generic Super-Soldier character) instead of One Man Wrecking Crew
-Lack of Hybrid forms
Am I noticing this correctly or am I missing the mark? If so, was was the reasoning to making your weres like this and will the Secret of the Prophesy mean that "The Warrior" will be the One Were that'll have access to the over-the-top skills that are so ingrained in were stories?
As an aside - Love the story & the characters, keep it up. You've cost me a few sleepless nights in feeding the compunction to read a new chapter when I find them up instead of saving to read another night, but they're well worth it.
They're not 'de-powered' at all.
Delete1. Maria's injury was extremely serious and required surgery. More will be explained on that later, and at the end of Chapter 11 Carlo mentioned it should have healed already. Damian was injured at the same time and he healed within the normal time period. The boys when injured by Gabby healed within an hour.
2. Never stated their life expectancy, but they can't live with the Pack beyond their expected life span. One of the drawbacks of living 'openly' among humans. Where they go will be explained in more detail later. The Elders are just that, the oldest living among the Pack.
3. When they play football against humans, they have to cut back on their power to appear human. If you notice the times when Frank and Joe do their morning job, they run 10 miles in 60 minutes. The morning of the football games, they run the 10 miles in 45 minutes. We're not talking a nice level surface either, we're talking up a mountain and over rough terrain. While I haven't played up their strength, it's pretty obvious if you look. Ant at the football games knocks the receiver back 15 yards before he skids to a stop.
4. Hybrid form - if you notice in Chapter 6 when Ant and Scott are sparring, Scott shifts into his hybrid form.
My apologies. After marathon-ing chapters 1-12 and waiting for 13 & 14, I seem to have forgotten or overlooked the clues. Probably doesn't help that I haven't re-read any of the previous chapters when there was an updated chapter and having to keep track of many other on-going stories in my queue. Trying to keep track of all the characters and their interactions took the majority of my focus so the noticing of these cues turned into an exercise of missing the forest for the trees. Thanks for setting me straight.
DeleteThis, of course throws my thoughts about "The Warrior" prophesy out the window. Will be looking forward to the later explanations of Maria's healing factor, the Elders among other things.
No apologies needed. When I'm writing, I often have to go back and re-read certain things or ask Tammy, my Beta reader. She's read and re-read the stories so many times, I often feel she knows them better than I do. Am busy writing Chapter 15, hopefully it won't take nearly as long as Chapter 14.
DeleteI just wanted to express my love for your story. Waiting for updates is agony, but well worth the wait once each chapter is released. I'm glad that I looked at this section because like the person above, I wondered about the lifespan of the Weres in your story. If I'm to understand your response correctly...they do have longer than human lifespans, but have to move around to cover it up?
DeleteYes, living openly among humans has many drawbacks. When SMP first came to this country in 1778, they were at the edge of the Western Frontier and fell in love with the area around South Mountain and as the area and population grew, they acquired more and more land to maintain their privacy. To cover their longer than 'human' life span, they live the expected amount of time at SMP, then have to move to maintain appearances. More of that will be brought up in further chapters.
Deletejust curious but would if there was an orphaned child that showed up or found in the story would you give it to Matt and Phil? Of course it might be a problem with their cooking skills but I think it would be cool to see them raise a kid.
ReplyDeleteJen
The upcoming battle will pit family against family, friend against friend, allies will become enemies, and enemies will become allies. In other words everything will change. Matt and Phil are two of my favorite characters and the battle will change their way of life in ways they couldn't even comprehend.
DeleteI was wondering if i could chart the family tree? I see how the characters interconnect while i sleep after i ead your chapters ...especially if i am having insomnia...
DeleteKeep up the awesomeness, as my 12year old nephew tells me.
Oh, forgot to tell you. I have mmy sister, mom and five friends hooked. Also I keep bugging the cousins in Sicily to read your story as well.
Chio
I'm not sure if you know this, but I have the Pack list on an excel spread sheet that can be added to as details are revealed. It contains their rank, name, age, business, mates, scent, and nicknames. It was first started by a reader, mrtdust, for me and I absolutely could not get along with it. If you'd like a copy, send me an email at - pocketbooklover1@aol.com
DeleteAnd thank you for 'hooking' your friends up.
Are you close to finishing chapter 15?
ReplyDeleteYou r doing a brilliant job with the story & i am completely addicted to your story. I can't wait to read about Damian with a microphone at the winter festival, that should be fun.... I was the one who wrote he didn't suited to the character. Greg Plitt's smile has won me over, i find his smile very sexy now. Thank u for sticking with him (the pics i mean).
ReplyDeleteBy the way, in which chapter will Damian make declaration for Caitlin as his mate ?
This comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteAre you ever going to make known who Victoria's mate is? Maybe he can reign her in a bit. Your stories have become my new addiction next to purses and chocolate. You're such a great writer!
ReplyDeleteThe issue of Victoria's mate will be addressed in upcoming chapters. I doubt it will improve anyone's opinion of her.
DeleteCan you make a link of chapters on your blog?
ReplyDeleteNot sure what you mean by that. They are on the sidebar.
DeleteI mean put them all on one area under a search bar CHAPTERS. When I read your stories on my phone I have to scroll down so far to start at a certain chapter. Just a thought. If not then I can continue to scroll. Either way I'm still gonna read your chapters. :-)
DeleteFirst let me say....I LOOOOOVVVVVEEEEE this story. The long wait for the updates is worth it. Some people take that long for one or two pages and you give so much more. And I hope you are well.
ReplyDeleteMy question is....what would happen if their mate is human? Or is that even possible in your universe? I asked because of Paulo going to college and being unmated. He is my favorite besides Damien. I have so many ideas on how it could happen. Like a few generations back someone went rogue married a human and then for a long time passed for human and maybe that family has anger issues but no one ever shifted. This is my main problem with reading I want to know so much more.
Thank you very much. As far as a human becoming a mate, Carlo hinted at that in Chapter 15 when he was reminding everyone about the history of the Were. There was also another hint given about a human they met at the reception...
DeleteCarlo nodded to Paulo and the Greek Prophecy was displayed on the screen. Carlo explained how it was discovered and that Dante was going to contact the Alpha of Lykaion Pack. “To remind everyone, the Lykaion Pack is the original Werewolf Pack. Many different versions exist as to their origin… a man cursed by Zeus for feeding him human flesh; a man punished by Hera for refusing her advances and the one we are taught involves Selene or Luna. She had fallen in love with a mortal and spurned Zeus. In his anger he changed the man into a wolf, ‘He would roam the nights in beast form for the rest of his unnatural life.’ Selene gave her love the ability to change into a man during the day but he reverted to a wolf at dusk, when Zeus found out he stripped her powers so she could no longer take human form. Her love would bay at the moon to let her know how he was doing since they could never be together again. Many years down the road, Luna fell in love with another and she created a female Were so her first love would no longer be lonely and they gave birth to the lycanthrope. Through thousands of years, genetics, mutations, and the ever vigilant presence of Luna to look after the offspring of her first love we have evolved into what we are today. We can shift whenever we want, we appear human all the time but our wolves are always present. We honor Luna and worship her on the Full Moon to give thanks for all she has given us.”
Reading what you put above PBL I think i know who the mate is wont say who due to A) embarrassment if I'm incorrect and B) Don't want to spoil it for people if they like me love your story can't wait for the Next chapter i keep re-reading the last 15 and love every moment I still laugh at the right points mainly with and at Damian he is awesome. Keep up the Good work and hope you feel better soon
DeleteI was wondering when you cane up with the nameds for your characters, did you consult a name book? Reason I ask, is because I have a copy of a book called "The hidden truth of your name", and could not help and see as a recomended job for Salvatore was electrician. Which i recall was a job you said he might want to do when he was older.
ReplyDeletelol. Didn't know that about Salvatore. Most of the first names are from family, friends and names that I just like. I also use a site for common names for each nationality. There are some names that have special meaning like Savannah.
DeleteOkay, I was just curious. Couldn't help lol myself when i read that. Seem spot on about him on some other stuff too. So might want to check the book out. See how anyone else holds up.
DeleteHow did Maria hurt her arm? I don't know if you never tell us, or it was in one of the earlier chapters, and I've just forgotten about it. Either way, it's something that I've been wondering about, and I was hoping you could clear that up for me. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteMaria first broke her arm in Chapter 7 during the training session when she fell down the dry well. After it healed she re-broke it in Chapter 11 when they were playing tag with the little ones.
DeleteOh, ok. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteHave u started writing next chapter
ReplyDeleteYes I have, no estimate on when it will be done.
DeleteDo you prefer the long chapters you have been producing or have you thought about posting shorter chapters at shorter intervals? Either way, I think I'm addicted to the story.
ReplyDeleteI have a set guideline for the chapters, basically what I want to happen in them. I could post shorter chapters but I feel they would be disjointed because what happens in the beginning of the chapter often affects what happens during the chapter and the end of it. What I'm trying to say is... the chapters have a cohesive bond for what is included and breaking them up would make them harder to follow.
DeleteJust out of curiosity since I dont think it has appeared yet but how do the dating rules work for Gay Weres? Since the men have different rules when it comes to sex than the girls do
ReplyDeleteAlso who declared for who in the Matt/Phil relationship?
PBL this wait is starting to get a bit frustrating......when can we expect the next chapter?
ReplyDeletePBL do most of the girls know who their mate will be or is that something they over time? Does the guy know first? The way you it have written it seems like most of the millers know who their mates are before the guys did and some of the other older girls did too, like Victoria and Jade Mendez.
ReplyDeletePBL why do you even keep this section of question and answer in your blog if you don't want to answer anything here
ReplyDeleteMy question is: are you still among the living? The was only one chapter in all of 2015 and now it's the end of March 2016 and...nothing.
ReplyDeleteAre you okay?
My question is: are you still among the living? The was only one chapter in all of 2015 and now it's the end of March 2016 and...nothing.
ReplyDeleteAre you okay?
Sadly, according to her FB page, she is not well, and cannot post for a while.
ReplyDeletePS Get well soon.
I noticed a discrepancy when I first started reading the series that I have always wondered about that maybe you can explain. The women know who their mates are but have to wait until the males are ready to claim them. However, both Sophia and Maria were shocked at who their mates were. Why is that?
ReplyDeleteI don't know if this has been addressed yet but will the story continue?
ReplyDeleteHi PBL, I hope all is well with you. Are you going to be continuing on with the story. An update would be awesome.
ReplyDelete