Tears of a Lion: Book One

General
Tears of a Lion is a fantasy novel based in the year 2012. The story follows several point-of-view characters as they journey to meet the others, each of them posessing the ability to morph or 'transform' into one of two animals: A lion or a polar bear. The novel was originally written in 2006, but re-written 2010-12 by the same author, Jessica Long. Tears of a Lion is the first in a series, but accompanied by many pre-stories about the characters.

Conception
The idea of Tears of a Lion first came to me from the point-of-view of the animals. I was only ten years old, but I adored carnivores like African lions and polar bears. I wondered what they would say, if given a chance. Over the years, the story was molded into my mind and re-written too many times to count, but the base characters have remained. The themes of forbidden love, friendship, war, and faith (not only in religion, but in each other) were too much for me to resist. I also incorporated the harsh climates of both African and Canada/Antarctica as a way to signify the differences between these two species. I wanted a story that was as epic as I could imagine, and I won't settle until it's a reality.

Characters
The characters make the story. Tears of a lion follows quite a lot of characters, who all have their own stories, personalities, and opinions. The first character introduced is Roger Shariah, the older brother of another character, Walker Shariah. Roger is one of my favorite characters just because of his looks and his personality. He's the burly lumberjack type, full of muscles and scowls, but he's actually one of the kindest and most nurturing characters. From his introduction comes a slew of other main voices: Walker, Jamie Fault, Jonathan, Cole, Johan, Lacey. The list goes on and on. I've made sure that each character holds their own standing; they won't just be cardboard cut-outs in the background.