Ask Michelle
Here are Michelle’s most recent answers to the questions and messages readers have submitted.
Thank you
Sofia writes...
Dear Michelle, I have been a fan of Chronicles of Ancient Darkness since I was a child (I even have a little shelf dedicated to it!) so you can imagine my excitement when three sequels were announced a few years back. I am now 28 years old and still as enchanted with your books as ever. The reason I’m writing to you is because I want to thank you for Dark’s story in particular. I always saw a bit of myself in him—timid but also curious, loyal, and deeply protective. In Wolfbane, I saw yet another vital piece of myself represented so beautifully. Thank you for showing that even thousands of years ago there were people like him, like me, like many of us, and that they were good and brave and loved. It means more than I could ever express.
Michelle Replies...
Dear Sofia, that is such a beautiful and heartfelt message. I'm absolutely delighted that you had such a strong and empathetic response to the stories, particularly to Dark. I'd had him in mind from the very beginning of the series, but as things turned out, he only found his place in Ghost Hunter - so there wasn't space to do as much with him as I'd wanted to. Getting the idea for the further three books gave me a chance to do his character justice. Your message, like many I've received, shows that it was worth the effort. (I might add that I also appreciate the graceful way in which you avoided spoilers!) Thank you for getting in touch. And may you share many more happy hours with Torak, Renn, Wolf and of course Dark, in the Forest. With very best wishes, Michelle
Any more horror on the way?
Simon writes...
Hi Michelle
I love Dark Matter, Thin Air and Wakenhryst - 3 of my favourite horror novels. Are you planning any more novels in this genre?
Michelle Replies...
Hello, Simon. It's great to hear that you've enjoyed my three previous Gothic/ghost novels - and I'm happy to be able to tell you that the answer is yes, I've written another one! It's called RAINFOREST, and it'll be out in about September 2025. Over the next few months I should be able to share the design, once it's finalised. Thanks for getting in touch. With best wishes, Michelle
Gods and Warriors
Jacob writes...
Dear Michelle,
Thank you for you kind reply to my wolf brother questions!
I finished the gods and warriors series recently and I cant believe I’m saying this but i think I prefer that series, and I can’t believe that it hasn’t got as much attention! It is such a compelling series, like wolf brother.
I have a question or two:
1. Do you plan on writing any more series set in other times - I will sure be there to read them
2. How do you come up with the plots and ideas and of what happens? I really love when you add a small detail that foreshadows an event that happens later in book. Your character writing is so good that it makes the reader want to be part of the world.
3. Thank you for writing these books, I now take much more interest in animals and the wild Forrests. Because of both the series, I now want to immerse myself in the natural world away from technology, like I’m sure you did when you were researching your book.
Once again,
Thank you very much.
Michelle Replies...
Dear Jacob, I'm so pleased that you liked Gods and Warriors! And I'm even more delighted that my stories have increased your interest in animals and the wild. Immersing yourself in the natural world - even if it's just a short walk in a park - will also do wonders for how you feel, and it's generally much better for you than technology.
But enough preaching, you asked a couple of questions. 1) I'm afraid I've no plans to write another series, as I'm very much enjoying writing adult Gothic novels; of course that may change at some stage in the future, but I wouldn't hold your breath. 2) I get a lot of ideas for the stories from my research, particularly when I travel to remote places. Also, I'm the sort of writer who likes to have a rough plan of what's going to happen in the story, so I spend weeks and months working that out, and getting to know my characters in depth, which is crucial. Having a rough plan means that I can plant things early on which I know will be important later; I call this "seeding". An example is Fa's knife, which we first encounter in Chapter One of Wolf Brother, although its true significance is only revealed in the fourth Book, Outcast. I should add, though, that my plan is only a plan, it's not a blue-print; and I'm always having to change it, often because a character does something unexpected. An example of this is in Spirit Walker, when I'd planned for Renn to stay with the Raven Clan while Torak is off in the Seal Islands. When I came to write the story, however, I soon realised that Renn wasn't having any of that, she was determined to go and find Torak. This meant re-doing my plan (thanks, Renn) - but I didn't mind. It's what makes writing fun. Of course all this plan-making takes ages, but I really enjoy it - mostly because it's a lot easier than actually writing the story! Thanks for getting in touch, Jacob. And may the guardian run with you! With very best wishes, Michelle
Question
Jill writes...
I have read "Wakenhyrst", "Thin Air" and "Dark Matter". I love them. I have a question about "Dark Matter". The main character can't afford to take a bath. I am curious about this. Did that mean he did not have running water in his flat? Or was soap too expensive for him? Thanks for your time.
Michelle Replies...
I'm so glad you like the books, Jill. This is a great question. Jack only rents a room and it doesn't have running water, so to keep clean he has to go to a public bath-house, which he can only afford once a week. (In between he probably relies on a jug and basin in his room, if his landlady allows him to fill it in her kitchen.) Other tenants of furnished rooms at that time might have had landladies who did provided a communal bathroom for all their tenants, but in the interests of economy, landladies generally limited them to one or two baths per week, and often imposed rules, such as only two inches of water per bath. It makes one realise how lucky most of us are to have access to hot water, and increases our sympathy for those who still don't. Thanks for your question - and I hope you enjoy Rainforest when it comes out next year. With best wishes, Michelle
potential hope
Davo writes...
Is there a reason these aren't movies yet?
Michelle Replies...
Hi, Davo. In essence, it's because although I've done several film and/or tv deals for the series over the years, they haven't resulted in being made (which, as it happens, is the fate of the greater proportion of film deals). Although I'm no film-maker and the decision is of course up to the studio involved, I think it may have something to do with the fact that the films would be very expensive to make, given that everything happens outdoors; and of course Wolf would have to be computer-generated, as wolves can't be trained, and are therefore not good actors. So I'm afraid you'd better not hold your breath! With best wishes, Michelle
Wolf Brother Board Game
Andrea writes...
Hello Michelle, We are a group of Year 3 students at Wesley College in Melbourne. We love your Wolf Brother Series!!
As soon as Zoe picked up the first book she knew she was going to read the whole series!
We are in a small "Enrichment" group and we are making board games, a song and a Wolf Brother Club in the playground. Some of us are also writing the 10th book, we are calling it Viper's Fire!
We would love to email you some photos of our games when we have finished them. We hope that you will look at them.
We hope that you will continue writing more great books for us to read!!
Best Wishes from Australia!!
Christopher, Mia, Sebastian, Will and Zoe
(and Mrs Machin)
Michelle Replies...
Dear Mrs Machin - and Christopher, Mia, Sebastian, Will and Zoe: I'm truly delighted that you're all enjoying my Wolf Brother stories, and I think the activities you're doing sound marvellous! (You're very lucky to have such an imaginative and inspirational teacher as Mrs Machin.) I particularly like the sound of the Wolf Brother Club; and what a great title for the tenth book which some of you are writing. I would love to see photos of your games, as and when you've finished them; perhaps you could upload them to the Clans' Museum on my wolf brother website at https://wolfbrother.com/museum/. Thank so much for getting in touch - and may the Wolf Brother Club go from strength to strength! With very best wishes, Michelle
re-reading wolf brother
Cat writes...
Dear Michelle,
I read wolf brother for the first time as a 9 year old (quite feral) girl living in the Welsh countryside, playing with my dog, rabbits, voles, moles, robins, any British wildlife that would wander into our garden (and house!)
Wolf brother and the chronicles of ancient darkness shaped our play- we’d be running through the woods pretending to be Torak, Wolf and Renn. Daydreaming about talking to wolves. My father is the closest human I know to St Francis of Assisis (wild birds in hand, hanging out with foxes..) so we did the same.
Thank you for sharing your wolf brother world - I’m so happy your books exist, it’s hard to explain but reading the books and thinking about reading them as a child brings such a wonderful nostalgia (and “Hiraeth”- a Welsh word with the meaning ‘A blend of homesickness, nostalgia and longing; a pull on the heart that conveys a distinct feeling of missing something irretrievably lost.’)
I think I feel this way because your stories possibly ignite inherited genetic memory? (A theory….)
I’m now thirty, have had a painful three years leaving a difficult domestic situation and I look forward to re-reading your books in peace, to itch at the hiraeth feeling again,
Thank you!
Catherine x
Michelle Replies...
Dear Catherine, thank you for conjuring such an evocative picture of that feral girl in the Welsh countryside! And thank you too for introducing me to a new word. English is a rich language, but I don't think we have anything like "hiraeth". You explain it so well, and I feel the better for knowing it. I'm sorry that the past few years have been so difficult for you, but whatever the situation you found yourself in, I applaud the fact that you've had the strength to leave it behind. That must have taken courage. I hope that making the break brings you peace and a sense of well-being, and that at some time in the future, re-reading the stories can help with that. Thank you so much for getting in touch. With very best wishes, Michelle
Chronicles of Ancient Darkness
Kathy writes...
I have just finished Wolfbane, book nine of Chronicles of Ancient Darkness series. What a roller coaster of events and emotions throughout the whole nine books, which I have just about managed to survive. I think part of my enthralment of the books comes from the tribes belief that literally everything has a spirit, to be revered and respected. I like to believe this too. I also particularly loved the way everyday things were given such common-sense and descriptive names, like the sky being described as the Up and water described as the Wet. Having finished the books I shall miss my old friends whom I have grown to love and admire. Thank you for keeping me enthralled and I wish you much power to your imagination and future writing. Kind regards.
Michelle Replies...
Dear Kathy, That's such a beautiful message, and it made me chuckle too, when you mentioned just about managing to survive the books! At times during the writing, I've felt twinges of guilt about what I've put Torak, Renn and Wolf through during their adventures (not to mention Dark and Fin-Kedinn); so I can understand that you felt a bit wrung out by the time you'd finished Wolfbane. I'm also delighted that you like the spiritual aspects of the stories. As you'll have gathered from the Author's Notes, the clans' beliefs are based on those of more recent hunter-gatherers all over the world. During my researches I was struck again and again by their variety, wisdom and inventiveness. Thanks again for getting in touch - and may the guardian run with you! Michelle
Inspirational!
Charlie writes...
When I was around 10 or 11, my best friend introduced me to a book. It would go on to change the trajectory of my life - no exaggeration!
The book was, of course, Wolf Brother. Before long, our entire Primary 6/7 class was obsessed - one girl decided that she would marry Torak. By the time I went to secondary school, I had read the entire COAD series over the course of a year. By then it was just me and my best friend still on the hype train, but we didn't care!
I had long fallen head over heels in love with Michelle's writing style - the story grips you from the very first sentence - and, having been a lover of books and writing for years at that point, wondered about being an author myself some day. Of course I thought about other things too - hairdressing, primary teaching, singing - but it was always in the back of my mind.
One of the most memorable and special days in my entire time at secondary school was when Michelle came to visit in 2012. It was only supposed to be the S1 kids meeting her - and I was in S2 by that point - but the school librarian pulled some strings and I got to meet Michelle before the other kids even arrived (thanks Mrs Sinclair!). I still have the books she signed - in one of them, she wrote "Best of luck with your writing!"
Honestly - best day in the entirety of secondary school. Except of course, the day I left!
After I left, I struggled to find a job that brought me any kind of fulfilment, or at least, didn't affect my mental health too badly. It took eight years after leaving school, a serious re-evaluation of what I really wanted to do, for me to finally decide what I'd known all along - I wanted to be an author, just like Michelle. (I know, it's cheesy.)
So, here I am twelve years after meeting Michelle in person. In three days time, I go back to school - this time, to study Literature & Creative Writing BA(Hons).
In the hopes that Michelle does read this - I wanted to thank you, deeply, for the encouragement and inspiration you gave me all those years ago, both in person and through your books. I genuinely feel I wouldn't be in the position I am now if I hadn't read COAD as a kid (and I still love the books at 25). Your style of writing and vivid descriptions will continue to inspire me throughout my own journey as an author, and I can only hope I can write as beautifully as you do some day!
Thank you for everything,
Charlie
Michelle Replies...
Dear Charlie, What a marvellous message, thank you so much! It's wonderful to know that my books have had such a positive impact, and I'm really glad that my school visit all those years ago was part of that (school visits can be a bit of a whirl of activity, so it's always interesting to hear how it was perceived). It can certainly be a struggle to find a fulfilling job, and I applaud your decision to sign up for a Literature and Creative Writing degree. I really hope you enjoy it, and that it gives you what you're looking for. May your writing go from strength to strength! With very best wishes, Michelle
Edited version! Compliments to Wolf brother
Amy writes...
Hi Michelle Paver, I starting middle school and my librarian recommended the first book of the series, Wolf brother! He read the first chapter to us and from then on, I become completely enthralled in this world of nature, survival and action 🐺. The first chapter gripped everybody in our class, and I must say, you sure know how to capture attention!! The action and blood led me completely into the book, while startling me with the creepy atmosphere of knowing a killer demon bear is gonna sneak up on you. After arriving home from school, I immediately asked my mom to order the entire series (and I didn't know it was called the chronicles of ancient darkness so i got confused 🤔).
My favorite would be Spirit Walker, because of the even more gripping atmosphere and those creepy descriptions of people infected with the disease! I LOVEEEE your style of writing, not wasting a word (sometimes I write too much description) and always straight-on action, bloody and thrilling. Spirit walker is ur ideal horror story (I must say.. it was horrifying reading it in bed at midnight). I even brought it to a sleepover so I wouldn't become too sleepy and it rly does clear my mind up lol 💦.
Also I knew from the start, as the complete mastermind who pleasures herself upon conjuring up insane love connections and twists in the storyline, that the relationships would turn out as they would become!! ITS LIKE WATCHING A MOVIEE!!! I WISH YOU COULD ADD MORE 😭
Something interesting to think about: Nine out of ten adventure books with a hero as its main character always makes the hero fight the ultimate villain that will destroy the world in five days if you don't stop him, acquires amazing, super rare abilities, has one to two close friends and is born with a destiny and always singled out as special. Isn't that true with Torak, Harry Potter and lots more heroes we need in real life but can only find in books? 🥺 But of course we would always want a talented, charming hero, or who could defeat the villian? However, we don't rly notice this with Harry Potter because the storyline kinda just slides, adding some side stories, and challenges until the main battle with Lord Voldemort! And that's the magic of JK Rowling, and you have always accomplished that as well!
HII I got the email telling me about how u saw my original post, and I understand it had too much spoilers, because honestly, all I wanted to talk about was the books!! The fact that u knew there were spoilers meant that u read it and I am sooo happy!!!!! I sent it because it had all I rly wanted to say and well what can i talk about besides the book!!? It would be rly nice to have a section for people who have already read the series so we can talk openly! U could say, "bewarned, there ARE SPOILERS IN HERE. DO not click enter if u have not read the book". However, I am still really really glad that u read my first post because it had, again, everything I wanted to say to u!! and it didn't rly need any response, as long as u saw it!!!
I want to ask u something as well because well, I'm "asking Michelle Paver anything"!! I'm going into my teenager era and all that oil and acne is popping up. I've been rly insecure these days about some freckles and acne on my forehead. Also am I the only person who has black stuff going into my pores? I've been trying skincare, washing my face daily and putting on masks, but I've never seem to come across some rly useful products? Do you recommend anything to help ? I know this is a really weird question but we can all agree that most girls in my age now need this advice! Any brands u recommend? Nothing too dry tho
Thank u so much for seeing this 🙂 hope u reply!!
---- AMY sending lots of love to the wolf cubs!!
Michelle Replies...
Hello, Amy. I'm glad you're glad that I do indeed read all my messages - including yours! And it's brilliant that you're so enthusiastic about my stories. Insightful, too, about the structure of adventure stories. Someone once said that there are in fact only a very few original story lines in literature (the number is popularly believed to be seven) - and that all stories are variations on these. Maybe that's something to ponder as you read - or not. As for skincare, hmm, it's a long time since I had spots, although when I was your age I did, as well as those pesky blackheads. I'm sorry I can't recommend anything, except the usual advice about eating plenty of fruit and vegetables and avoiding fatty foods and too much chocolate. Boring advice, I'm afraid, but it helps. Also, these things usually clear up after a few years - which isn't much help to you now, but is something to bear in mind. In the meantime, enjoy being with Wolf et al in the Forest - where skincare means a quick wash in a nearby stream! With best wishes, Michelle