Starting a NEW novel!

The beginning of the year brought with it my first attempt at a novel. I must say, the whole experience associated with it was nothing less than positive. That being said, I'm going to attempt to have lightning strike twice and start working on a new one. This particular story is going to include themes once foreign to yours truly. I'm actually going to use the concept of love as it has been used before in several Gothic tales. Elements of pain, loss, and deals with supernatural beings are but a taste of the story line that I'm currently developing. With any luck, this novel should be completed within the same time frame as my first one was.

 

Excerpt from 'Virtue's Villainy: The Flaccid Depths of Decay'

The following is an excerpt from my most recently completed short story 'Virtue's Villainy: The Flaccid Depths of Decay'.

'The fanciful wooden door creaked as it opened. Sticking her scarf draped head around the corner from it, a mocha-colored woman looked in and saw an older, distinguished gentleman holding a small glass of bourbon. "You called, Mr. Wellis, sir?" Standing in his study among a large expensive desk and tall shelves full of books on law and history, he motioned with his hand for her to come inside the room. "Close the door, please." Slowly closing the door, she was hesitant to walk towards the man, as she knew what it would entail. Walking behind her, he removed her dress of tattered cloth and as he proceeded to force himself upon her, she did her best to put the terrible scenario out of her mind....'

Imagery versus Reality

A large part of being a writer is the understanding of the power of imagery. Imagery can inspire and incite and no matter the subject involved, it always has the ability to stay both beautiful and interesting. Reality on the other hand is a completely different animal altogether. Reality usually becomes both tedious and ugly very quickly. Think of the classical depiction of the Sorcerer. In terms of Imagery, they are powerful, wise, in full control of themselves and of their surroundings and possessing knowledge and abilities the rest of the world could only imagine having. In reality, most modern day sorcerers live obscure and mostly impoverished lives. Many of the rituals they perform have very little, if any, effect on the world around them and many of them do what they do either for family tradition, or a desperate act of gaining attention or financial reward. The same things can be said in regards to satanists and witches. I, myself, never forget the need of imagery to separate the exorbitant from the mediocre. It, in and of itself, is the ultimate tool to forge what is most important in literature, and everything else in between: Interest.

31st Short Story Completed!

Just completed my 31st short story 'Virtue's Villainy: The Flaccid Depths of Decay'. Just like every one of the others before this one, I put every ounce of my very being into it. And just like most of my other ones as well, this one was essentially based on previous myth. I feel that myths, american or otherwise, that are not developed into a full fledged story almost erode with the coming of future generations because each generation has a different version of them to a degree. So, by expanding on them to meet my own creative needs its almost like I'm keeping the purer version of them alive. For what is story telling without proper appreciation of myth?

Forward from 'The Road to Nowhere'

'Sometimes it isn't the best and brightest among us who can inspire a story worthy of mention. Sometimes it is those who dwell in the subterfuges of society and are hardly noticed by the general population who can, from their own terrible experiences, beckon the imagination. That can especially be true with regards to Horror. This story was much different than my previous works not only in terms of length, but also of content. Never before was I evoked to craft a tale inspired by someone whom society had no knowledge at all. When one considers that, It's difficult to fathom how many untold stories from unsung lives there must be. As a story teller, I believe it is a trait of our craft to be able to take the most overlooked and mundane aspects of life and add certain twists, if you will, to cause new perspective. For each life, no matter how it is perceived, truly is a story....'

End the Cliche!

Lately I have seen a sort of pattern in regards to film making, and Hollywood in general. There is nothing original being bestowed upon the public. It is all regurgitated ideas from cliched formulas that are so antiquated as far as modern story-telling methods go. And the reason for all of this mediocrity is simple: belief in profit. Because many film makers have become so obsessed with profits, they have flat out refused to take any chances at all on material that may be considered original. This narrow view point brings me to ask a simple question: Would any of the great classics exist if the same people who run the entertainment industry today(movies, music and literature specifically)called the proverbial shots back then? I think the answer is beyond obvious. I may not know for sure, but my observations have concluded that the public has grown rather weary of the same old, same old. You can only show something, anything for so long before something original must take its place and that is where the major dilemma begins. I can't tell you the last time I read a truly inspiring ghost story from a modern author and all of the decent horror films I have seen recently I could count on my fingers. Ironically, I believe that if profit is all that these control mongers are interested in, they could definitely increase their chances of making more of it if they gave the public more originality on a frequent basis and put to rest the same tired, cliche-style entertainment.

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...'