God Himself Could Not Sink These Beasts
[image error]April, 1912
After nine long years of training as a freshly turned werewolf, and five more years of searching Europe, Logan Elster has finally come face-to-face with the man from whom he inherited his supernatural gifts. But, he is just as surprised as his mentor, Darren Dubose to find a very altered version of Dustin Keith. After learning of some unfinished business the Irish werewolf had left behind in America, both Logan and Darren know they have to take the werewolf beta back across the ocean with them. The safety of a future pack mate depends on it.
Express tickets are booked for each of them aboard the newest steamer, the queen of the Atlantic, the Titanic. The marvel of the age, the biggest moving vessel crafted by the hands of man, it is everything they expect it to be and more. Even when they hold third class tickets, the accommodations are incredible. But more trouble awaits on the spacious decks and each werewolf is confronted with harsh truths about themselves, their relations to one another, and their future together. It doesn’t help that three ladies have set their eyes on the newly formed pack. They believe these complications couldn’t get much worse until the night of April 14th, when they’ll have to worry about more than just keeping their preternatural identities a secret from the other passengers.
Story Behind the Story
I’ve wanted to write a Titanic story for years, ever since I first became fascinated by the disaster. I remember the first clips I watched by accident that made me hesitant to even touch the subject. I was five years old and my mom had bought the newly released movie by James Cameron. I remember the duo-VHS case clear as day. I’m sure she still has it. I came into the living room for something and watched the sinking scene. The screaming people, the dramatic music, all of it terrified me. When I was thirteen and going to take a cruise with my mom to the Bahamas, I remembered those scenes and didn’t want to leave shore. I wanted nothing to do with big ships like that.
Then, when I was fifteen, I watched the movie again. This time, from start to finish. I was entranced. From there, I bought books and studied the deck plans. I used some allowance money to buy the anniversary edition of the Titanic movie on DVD, complete with all the bonus features I could ever want.
Over the years, I watched documentaries when I came across them, but I never dived headlong into studying the disaster until now.
My writing can never do justice to the ship. Nor could it impart the true magnitude of the disaster. I wish I could, but Titanic is more majestic than words could ever describe. Her luxurious accommodations, the size and grandeur of her structure, and the pure terror that gripped the passengers who were left onboard after the last of the lifeboats were gone.
I’m confident that I could walk the whole ship in my sleep, but what’s more disturbing than this was the extent that I could place myself in the passengers’ shoes during the sinking. Each time I read a testimony that told how they didn’t think the ship would sink and gave some evidence to that belief, I found myself transported. I began to think the same. I thought to myself, “No, she can’t sink. Look at all these modern advances! They even said she stopped sinking for a bit. Maybe she’ll make it. She was designed to be her own lifeboat. Maybe she will be. Maybe that ship will come to their rescue. Maybe the damage wasn’t that bad.” All along, I knew how the story would end, but I actually perceived this false hope that so many clung to in those final moments. It was a strange illusion to fall under. Even more heartbreaking when the illusion was finally broken.
I encourage you, if you have any inclination into learning more, seek out books and documentaries about the famous ship. Read the survivor testimonies, learn the names of the victims. Visit one of the museums in Pigeon Forge, Tennessee or Branson, Missouri. There’s plenty of artifact exhibits that travel the country, and countless more places abroad that pay tribute to the ocean liner. It’s so much more than a ship, an iceberg, and lack of lifeboats. The disaster represents a focal point in history. Class distinction, immigration, and innovation. There are plenty of myths around the disaster, and I hope you learn to distinguish what is true from what is Hollywood hype.
