The Stonehurst Saga

Here's another book I'm working on. The title of my shifters novel is The Stonehurst Saga. The main character Nick Cavenaugh is a werepanther and everyone knows it. He and his wife have no children. He is fiercely protective of his friends and family. He is a police officer who has gained a modicum of fame for his bravery. In this world, weres are known as shifters. They are a protected class of people who live among humans as their own race.They are accepted into society, but as you can imagine there is prejudice and distrust surrounding them. Holly Cavanaugh is Nick’s wife. She is not a shifter, but her sister was. Shifters can come in any family at any time even if the people in the family have no history of being shifters. Wendy Lindenmuth was Holly’s sister. She was a werepanther who ran away ten years ago. She lived on an island off the coast of where Holly’s parents lived. Stanley Stonehurst is a weresnake. He and Holly have been friends since they were kids. She trusts him but Nick hates him. He thinks he’s abusive and a liar. Stanley used to date Wendy, and he kept her from her family and wouldn't let her see them. They didn’t know the truth of what Stanley was like. Ten years ago when Wendy ran away, there was a big fight and Stanley told Wendy she could never see her family again and she would have to live on the island with him and only him. He gave her an ultimatum that if she didn’t listen to him he would leave her, and she loved him, so she agreed to sever ties with her family and live on the island with Stanley. Holly and her parents don’t know about the ultimatum, they just know that Wendy said she was severing ties with them and moving to the island and she never wanted to see them again. She disappeared that night and no one has seen her since. Holly’s family are very hurt by her betrayal, and they no longer visit the island where Wendy lived. Wendy’s father told her she was disowned on the night she severed ties with her family. Again, they don’t know that Stanley is responsible for Wendy’s betrayal, so they tolerate him as an old friend of Holly’s, but they don’t really trust him. Sarah is an empath. She is 23, which is ten years younger than Nick and Holly. She was friends with Wendy and is the only other one who knew about Stanley’s ultimatum the night Wendy disappeared. Sarah has never trusted Stanley’s version of events on the night Wendy disappeared. She doesn’t like Stanley either, and wants Holly to stop seeing him, but Holly still sees Stanley as an old friend who has always been there for her and wants to stay friends with him. She feels like he is the last connection she has left with her sister Wendy. She doesn’t know that Stanley is responsible for Wendy’s betrayal of her family, and Sarah is afraid Holly won’t believe her if she tries to tell her, because she was so young when Wendy disappeared. When the story opens, filmmakers are doing a documentary about shifters in society, and Nick is one of the stars, so Holly is there as his wife to provide background story, and she starts talking about her sister Wendy and how she disappeared, and the filmmakers start asking questions, and that's how the story comes out. Holly's parents don't like to talk aboiut it, so she's got all these pent-up feelings about missing her sister and she's not allowed to talk about it, so she kind of explodes and overshares when she's finally able to start talking about it, and the filmmakers think it's crazy - your daughter disappears and you just stop talking about it? Nick chalks it up to rich people being weird and mysterious, and Holly's parents have always been really private so they're just like "we keep these things in the family" type of people. My family is like that too, though we're not rich, lol. But once the story starts to come out that's when we meet Stanley Stonehurst, and he's the antagonist (or he becomes one, at first he's just a guy who's friends with Holly's family, but when the whole story about Wendy's disappearance comes out, all the animosity Nick feels toward Stanley comes out too, and that's when we meet Sarah, who was a friend of Wendy's and knew the whole story about how Stanley was pressuring her to cut ties with her family, and she didn't want to do it because she loved her family but she loved Stanley too so she basically chose him and it led to her disappearance. The Stonehurst Saga – Novel Framework Worldbuilding Shifters (aka weres) are a protected class. Think of them like a recognized minority — legally protected, but socially distrusted. Some humans see them as dangerous, others exotic. There are laws regulating transformations (especially in public), and shifters are subject to stricter scrutiny in law enforcement, media, and politics. Public awareness: Shifters aren’t hiding in this world. Everyone knows they exist. A shifter cop like Nick becomes a symbol of “integration” — respected, but also controversial. Cultural Tension: Humans whisper about whether shifters are “safe.” Shifters argue about assimilation vs. independence (stay in human society, or create isolated communities). --- Main Characters Nick Cavenaugh (MC) A werepanther, police officer, protective, courageous, carries quiet rage. Conflict: Resents Stanley, but his wife’s loyalty to her “friend” forces him into uncomfortable proximity. He wants justice and truth, but must tread carefully as Stanley is powerful and manipulative. Theme: How far will he go to protect family? Holly Cavenaugh Human, loyal wife. Torn between past (sister Wendy) and present (husband Nick). Conflict: Wants to remember her sister with love, but feels betrayal. Keeps Stanley around as a “connection to Wendy,” blind to his toxicity. Theme: The lies we tell ourselves to hold onto the people we’ve lost. Wendy Lindenmuth (missing sister) Werepanther. “Vanished” 10 years ago after breaking family ties. Conflict: In memory, she’s both traitor and victim. The truth of what happened to her (and whether she’s dead, alive, or something worse) drives the suspense. Stanley Stonehurst (Antagonist) Weresnake. Charismatic, manipulative, controlling. Keeps Holly close as leverage. Conflict: Hides his abuse and coercion under the guise of friendship. His history with Wendy is dark and twisted. Theme: Control vs. freedom — he believes love means ownership. Sarah (the empath) Youngest, idealistic, emotionally perceptive. Knew Wendy’s truth, but silenced by fear. Conflict: Wants to tell Holly what she knows, but fears not being believed. Her gift makes her both powerful and vulnerable. Theme: The burden of truth — and the courage to speak it. --- Plot Structure (Book One) Act I – The Documentary Sparks Old Wounds Filmmakers interview Nick, positioning him as the heroic face of shifters in society. Holly is interviewed too — cracks under pressure, overshares about Wendy’s disappearance. Family tensions flare. Holly’s parents are furious she spoke about it publicly. The filmmakers want more: Wendy’s story is compelling. Act II – The Past Returns Stanley reenters the story, drawn by the renewed attention. He pretends to be supportive but subtly manipulates Holly. Nick and Stanley clash, tension boiling over. Sarah appears, nervous but determined. She hints to Holly that Wendy didn’t leave by choice. Strange occurrences suggest Wendy’s fate isn’t what everyone thinks (sightings, rumors, perhaps supernatural signs). Act III – Secrets and Threats Sarah confesses the truth: Stanley coerced Wendy into cutting ties. Holly is torn — loyalty to an old friend vs. the possibility of betrayal. Nick investigates Stanley, but Stanley has allies, influence, and a carefully constructed image. Sarah becomes a target — Stanley tries to silence her. Act IV – Revelation Evidence of Wendy’s fate comes to light. (Alive but captive? Dead but haunting? Transformed into something darker?) Stanley’s control unravels. Holly finally sees his true nature. Nick must choose between justice (law) and vengeance (shifter instinct). Climax Confrontation on the island where Wendy lived with Stanley. Truth revealed — Stanley’s abuse, Wendy’s suffering, and the full weight of Holly’s loss. Sarah plays a key role (her empathy senses Wendy’s lingering presence/trauma). Nick and Stanley’s final clash — panther vs. snake — primal, brutal, symbolic. Resolution Holly mourns her sister, but with truth instead of betrayal. Nick’s reputation as both shifter and cop is tested — did he follow the law or his instincts? Sarah finds her voice, becoming a bridge between past and future. Stanley’s downfall is sealed, but the scars remain. --- Themes Family & loyalty — What do we owe those we love? Truth vs. silence — The damage secrets cause over time. Control vs. freedom — Stanley embodies toxic control; Wendy’s tragedy is about losing her voice. Acceptance & prejudice — Shifters as a metaphor for otherness.