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

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

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

Esme writes...

My name is Esme and I am 11 years old.
I am writing to you to ask if you could please 🙏🏼 write more wolf 🐺 brother books because i love them too much!
I have never in my whole entire life loved a series more than this one. I can’t even say how much I love it 🥰
I have already read all of them including skin taker and wolf bane. I would do anything so i could read more wolf brother.
Also i read the whole entire series 3 times! I guess it wouldn’t hurt to read it again! Again i can’t explain to anyone how much I adore them. I also have a few questions for you.

1. How do you make your books so so good and descriptive and heartwarming and frightening all at the same time?
2. How do the clans brush their teeth and stuff like that?
3. Do you enjoy any specific snacks while you are writing your books?
4. Do you have any favorite characters? Mine are Sheshru Renn Pebble Rip and Rek and basically all of them!
5. What was your favorite wolf brother book that you ever wrote?
6. Sorry if I’m bugging you a bit but-lease can you make more wolf brother books?????
7. I love how you make it so that everyone has a clan ( except Torak ) and there are spirits in everything. How do you do think of it?

Your number #1# fan Esme!!#!!
PS: i hope i didn’t put any spoilers in there!
Please again could you make more wolf brother books i badly need them for reading!

Michelle Replies...

Hello, Esme.  Thank you for your three messages, and I'm really pleased that you love my stories so much!  I'm also grateful to you for avoiding spoilers. I'm afraid that despite your heartfelt pleas, I've no plans to write another wolf brother book.  I've explained why in answers to other readers, but in essence, I just feel that I've given Torak, Renn and Wolf a good send-off, and I want to end on a high note, with a book (Wolfbane) I can be proud of.  I'm sorry to disappoint you.

Moving on to your questions, some of yours were the same as Chris', so you can see what I've told him; as regards what's left: (1) Thank for saying such nice things about my writing.  The answer is: it involves a great deal of hard work and masses of re-writing;  I re-write each book dozens of times, to get it right.  (2) I think in one of the books I mention Renn cleaning her teeth by chewing a twig, or a strawberry root; and generally Torak's people had fairly good teeth, as they didn't have sugar or sweets; but if they got toothache, they chewed pine resin, which is a natural antiseptic, and/or willow bark, a pain-killer.  (3) Of course I love Torak and Renn, and Fin-Kedinn and Dark, and I also enjoyed creating the Soul-Eaters!  But if you told me to pick one favourite, it would have to Wolf.  I found it oddly easy to write from his point of view, and he never failed to surprise me. (7) As for thinking up the different clans and the spirits which inhabit Torak's world, I based many of my ideas on the ways of life of more recent hunter-gatherers, such as the Inuit and certain Native American peoples.  There's lots on this in each of the Author's Notes at the end of each book, so you might like to take a look there.

I'll have to leave it there, Esme, as I must go and do some writing.  Thanks again for getting in touch, and I hope you continue to enjoy spending time with Torak, Renn and Wolf in the Forest!  With very best wishes, Michelle

Emily writes...

Hello!

I just wanted to say that this series, even as a 24 year old, holds the biggest place in my heart. I have never felt so immersed into a world before. I read these when I was very young, and have re-read them so, so many times since. Young me always dreamt of living in the woods, exploring, gathering and obviously having a friend Wolf to be with. These books made me feel at home, as unusual at that may sound.

In the last year or so, I have recently thought about attempting to write a book. I have been an avid reader my entire life. I want to thank you for kickstarting my reading passion with your Wolf Brother book. I don't think I will ever find the magic again as I did reading them. I wanted to ask, what inspired you to write this series? And what made you decide to set it around 4000BC? I find the age absolutely fascinating, and I've never seen it done anywhere else in a book I've come across so far.

Thank you so much for inspiring me to push myself to give something new a go. I may ask you a few questions in the future about how you helped gather the information and culture inspiration for these books, as I saw you took several trips throughout Europe to explore these cultures, which is absolutely amazing.

Michelle Replies...

Dear Emily, what a delightful message.  I'm so glad that you continue to enjoy my books - and particularly that they've inspired you to think about writing yourself. Your question about inspiration is tricky to answer, because usually I can only work that out long after I've written a story, by trying to see what in the past may have fed into it.  If you go to the wolfbrother.com website and into the Cave, there's a section called Why I Wrote Wolf Brother in which I give more details; but the bottom line is that most stories come from the unconscious, so their origins are always a bit mysterious!

Choosing the period in which to set the story is easier.  My original idea was simply for a story about a boy, a wolf, a girl and a bear, set in a huge forest.  As for when to set it, I considered three options: the near future, after some sort of global catastrophe had destroyed civilisation; the present; or the distant past. It took about five minutes to ditch the first two and go for the distant past, and another two minutes to go for the Stone Age - probably because as a child I'd been entranced by a wonderful book on the archaeology of Stone Age hunter-gatherers in my father's study (although I didn't remember it at the time).  An afternoon's research suggested the Mesolithic, and to begin with I set Wolf Brother seven thousand years ago; but more research revealed that at that time the Scandinavian coast had been inundated by a sort of tsunami - so I swiftly moved things along a thousand years, and the tsunami became the Great Wave, a distant memory of the clans!  Also, six thousand years ago worked well, because the people of my chosen area were still living as hunter-gatherers, and the neolithic way of life, ie farming, hadn't yet reached them, unlike in most other parts of northern Europe.  So this kept things simple.

Thank you so much for getting in touch.  I hope you continue to enjoy Torak's world, and good luck with your own writing!  With best wishes, Michelle