Excerpt from 'The Loss of Heaven'

This is an excerpt from my most recently completed story, 'The Loss of Heaven'. Again this story has the Wicked angel E'ferries as the main protagonist.

'For times unknown, they had been ignored. Waiting and preparing themselves for the precise moment. The fallen cherub E'ferries and his legion of demons had obsessively observed their celestial overlords every move. Channeling their rage and feelings of oppression, the darkened angel meticulously waited for the time when the defenders of the Heavens were at their weakest point...'

Excerpt from 'Innocence Lost'

The following is an excerpt from a story I completed last year entitled 'Innocence Lost'.

'....Opening the chest, she was surprised to see that it was almost bare except for a few contents on the bottom. A small portrait of a beautiful girl in a nuns' habit, a mummified rose, and a leather-bound book, the kind most people wrote their memoirs on. Being that Francesca was a well-read child for her age, seeing the book infatuated her in much the same way toddlers are excited when seeing toys.Taking the book, she then duly cleaned the dust covered rocking chair. Making herself comfortable, she opened the book and lightly blew the dust off the pages...'

Write what you feel

When it comes to revising your work, all I can say is to never let others influence what you are creating. Many times I have seen people get rejected from big publishing firms for whatever reasons and then they wind up believing that if they alter their work, then they'll finally be accepted. That shouldn't be the case. A true writer writes because it is what they feel, not to have everyone love their work. The black magician Aleister Crowley did not believe in revising his writings in the slightest as he thought they represented the holiness of what is the humanistic creative process. I follow a similar belief simply because I have a tremendous amount of faith in my abilities. People either accept you, or they don't. One thing I definitely have noticed about most of them is that they are extremely fickle about what exactly they 'like' and what they don't.

Love of Forests

I love walking through forests. When I lived briefly in both Washington state and Idaho, the forests there were simply serene. When I visited Europe all those years ago, the forests there definitely had a certain feel to them. In the ancient days, people believed that a spirit of the forest existed. I really don't know if I disagree with them. Modern day druids and pagans love to conduct their rituals in forests. To me, they are a major source of inspiration, especially when they have a haunted history. The Carpathian forests, for example, are said to be very haunted and I really hope that one day I'm able to go there.

Cost of perfection

Doing a little research the other day, I learned that a lot of famous writers from the past suffered from depression and many, in fact, wound up committing suicide or destroying their lives via alcohol or drugs. Some of the writers that actually did that were involved in the same genre that I have been with a good majority of my life. It's one thing to look at that, but then again if they hadn't had such inner conflict perhaps they would have never created the masterpieces that they did. I know from my own personal experience, that, even though I would say I'm in no way thankful for it by any means, pain always drove me to excel. And then maybe there is another perspective that maybe there is such a thing as a curse for dark writers. Poe and Lovecraft both died miserable and broke. Plath committed suicide by way of putting her head in an oven. Stoker never lived to see any of his works garner any sort of appreciation at all. It definitely makes you wonder.

Continual search for inspiration

Lately, I have been continuing my everlasting search for inspiration. As a writer, I guess its useful to have the ability to find it just about anywhere. From day to day life experiences, to movies, music, books, and everything in between. I'm going to be starting a new story soon. This one has many connotations to the Louisiana area so, of course, I'm studying up on haunted plantations, psychotic plantation owners, voodoo, etc. As with every story I write, I try to put every ounce of my being in my work. To be inspired on a continual basis, and to inspire others as well is, I feel, one of the more challenging things about being a writer.

Confidence

If you're a writer, I feel the most important thing one can have in regards to their work is confidence in their abilities. You see, we all live in a world where there are far more critics than there are creators. The actions, attitudes, or words of those critics can be damaging to those who do not have a strong sense of worth. I, myself, have been told several things that I felt were less than kind. Of course, several reasons were given to justify those who said those things to me, from 'it's constructive criticism' to 'Yes your work is original and eccentric, but....' Truth is, ridicule is ridicule. If you have the ability to consistently ignore it and not let it change the person you are, that might be a good thing. So, in that regard, confidence is priceless.