Behind the Book: The Forest Exiles Saga by Mark J. Engels

Some characters quietly wait for their authors to discover them. Pawly was not one of those characters.

In this installment of Behind the Book, urban fantasy author Mark J. Engels shares how a remote engineering assignment, a lifelong love of anime and anthropomorphic storytelling, and one persistent werecat became the foundation of his Forest Exiles Saga.

Mark also reveals how pieces of his own life found their way into Pawly's world-from Great Lakes settings and family traditions to tugboats, hockey, martial arts, and military service-creating a saga grounded in genuine experience as well as imagination.

The Story Behind the Forest Exiles Saga

Guest article by Mark J. Engels

Originally written for GinaRaeMitchell.com's Behind the Book series.

"These are the books I had in my heart to write, the books I wanted to read and couldn't find."

Where the Forest Exiles Began

My urban fantasy thrillers featuring the modern-day remnant of an ancient clan of werecats are the books I had in my heart to write, the books I wanted to read and couldn't find, each strongly inspired by my favorite anime, manga, and anthropomorphic fandoms.

I first hit upon the idea for them while on a months-long remote assignment, living in a hotel room far from home when not conducting automatic train control equipment testing and commissioning for a line extension of a large metropolitan area's rapid transit system.

It is work I'm glad to do because it affords me and my family a decent living, and for which I'm grateful, having been a train buff and an electronics geek since boyhood.

Rather than spend my off hours engaged in pursuits likely to leave me broke, passed out, or in jail, I durdled around in various fandom sites and forums. In one such forum, I came to geek out over an artist whose characters included anthropomorphic cats in a contemporary spy thriller setting.

One such character suffered from a debilitating neurological condition, causing her to exhibit an unpredictable - and oftentimes deadly - feral persona.

As time went on, I began to jot down ideas, fleshing out a storyline that would become my series outline. I was also beginning to engage in what I've come to term a "ridicustupid" amount of research into topics as varied as covert operations, espionage tactics, ethnic Chicago neighborhoods, and Cold War-era Poland.

"I began to engage in what I've come to term a 'ridicustupid' amount of research."

Pawly Refused to Wait

Pawly, my series' main character, showed up in my subconscious not long afterward. Though I didn't yet know her name, she came to me day after day while I was trying to sleep following yet another night shift, insisting I write her stories and those of her family.

I tried putting her off, but my efforts were in vain. She made a good argument, as she does for writing, what with claws and fangs.

I came to envision her entire extended, blended human-and-werecat family, itself a long-thought-lost offshoot of a larger werecat clan. All were part of a remnant of a once sizable and secretive population, struggling now in our present age to survive.

Considering media portrayals featuring the uncontrollable killer instincts of shapeshifters, werewolves especially, I had in mind my characters coming to grips with their feral natures rather than succumbing to them.

They would do so, as their ancestors had centuries before, so they might live their lives while still fitting into society well enough to avoid attracting attention to themselves.

Suffice it to say, my characters didn't quite succeed in that endeavor, but not for lack of effort.

Writing From Life and Longing

"Like many writers past and present, I write both out of the abundance of my heart and out of the deep, aching longings within it."

Similarly, I drew inspiration from both the life I've lived and the life I wish I had.

These manifested in numerous ways as I plotted and drafted stories about Pawly and her family, such as their living and working ashore in - and afloat near - various Great Lakes locales.

Case in point: the Katczynski family cabin where several key scenes unfold is a portmanteau fashioned from childhood memories of my own family's lakeshore lodge and a neighboring cottage fashioned from a decommissioned lighthouse.

This includes a custom-built futon fashioned from rough-hewn cedar with red vinyl cushions, situated beside the old stone fireplace.

Another example is their marine towing and salvage business, which operates a tugboat based on a vessel I worked aboard during a college internship with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers at the Soo Locks.

The Family Behind the Fantasy

Other inspirations helped form Pawly and her twin brother Tommy's individual personalities and experiences.

Both are high school ice hockey phenoms, born into a family of hockey fans. Both are practitioners of traditional Korean martial arts, growing up in a family of practitioners.

Both come to enter Navy service, hailing from a family of Navy and Coast Guard veterans.

Doing the Thing

Now I have Done The Thing.

My books exist. People can find them to read from a number of sources worldwide. The stories I had in my heart to tell have been told, and I have done what I set out to do.

The narrative arc over the three books has a beginning, a middle, and an end. I am well pleased with that, and Pawly seems to be also.

She's left me alone for some while now, but she is quick to remind me of the several-years-long gap between Werecats Emergent and Werecats Convergent.

My series outline still contains events from that time period that could well be worked up into a "Book 1.5."

Pawly also notes that I ended the series finale, Werecats Resurgent, by intimating that she, her lover, and her family would soon embark on a big new adventure.

It's one I have no plans to write at this moment, but never say never.

- Mark J. Engels

Continue the Journey

Website | Amazon | Goodreads

Read the Forest Exiles Saga

The complete Forest Exiles Saga tells one sweeping story across three books. If Mark's behind-the-scenes journey has piqued your curiosity, click any title below to read my full review.

Ready to begin the saga?

You can browse all three books in one place on
Bookshop.org.

Read More About Mark J. Engels

Browse all of my reviews and features for Mark J. Engels