The ghostly glow of an evening mist dragging like a dying thing across the barren street that echoes with the lonely fallen steps of a solitary morsel. The melodic clacks give away a rising tension as their tempo increases; the urgency in the stride reflecting the racing of their pulse. A hushed murmur drifts by like a lingering thought—the already phantom memory of its call burning into every crevice of their terror-soaked mind—and a shadow washes over the towering and foreboding walls of the nearby building; the series of structures lining the night-bathed city quickly becoming a cage of iron and stone that closes in with every panicked breath. From behind: a chuckle—-the unmistakable tune of a predator's victory made all the more dreadful coming from an all-too-human mouth. Overcome with fear, the once-lone wanderer makes a mad-dash away from the voice, ignoring the ache of exertion and the burning of oxygen-starved lungs as they whimper and fight to form the words to call for help. Despite the effort, the futility of the attempt is made evident as the shadow falls upon them—consuming them in a whirlwind of darkness and enveloping them in a hungry abyss—and they finally find voice enough to shriek as the glow of inhuman eyes narrow on their own and a pair of glistening and dripping gore-stained fangs break past the veil.
Though the legends and myths that have existed since the dawning of human civilization always point towards the certain suffering and death of their victims, the popularity of vampires and creatures tied to their tales have flourished. Beyond that, the legends have warped and evolved to take monstrous and demonic beings that were in no way human and (more to the point) attractive in ANY way, shape, or form and turning them into a being of sensuality and beauty that has only served to take an already-compelling icon and add the element of sex and attraction to the mix. Despite the terror associated with the legends and the obvious dangers that such a being could present to our kind, the world's collective obsession with vampiric beings has escalated to points that define genres of media entertainment, motivate fashion and lifestyles, and even shape entire groups and communities. But none of this actually boils down to the "WHY" of the phenomenon. What is it about these beings that so aggressively draws us in and sinks its metaphorical fangs into our jugulars and refuses to release. Why are we so inclined to be fans of the fangs?
Past the inherent and two-dimensional fascination with the powerful and lustful creatures dwells a truth that, ironically enough, defines humanity. We, as people—as weak, soft, terrified, and mortal beings—will forever be compelled to idolize and focus on figures and symbols that our ever-growing minds hope will reveal some secret to their success in living, loving, and liberating themselves from the mundane and redundant. When we're young, we look up to parents, older siblings, fascinating members of the local community, and, of course, the characters we grow up loving that perpetually illustrate strength and integrity in television, movies, books, and comics. We dream and strive for the day when we'll find ourselves free of our youthful weaknesses and be free of doubt and confusion… but that day never comes. Months turn to years and then decades and, as we fall into the ever-famed adulthood that we've dreamt so long would mystically provide us with clarity and understanding of life, the universe and everything we discover we're just as frail and just as oblivious, but now cursed with the capacity to UNDERSTAND just how oblivious. And so, with no magical age dawning upon us with rays of god-like understanding, we forever leap-frog from idol and icon in an ever-constant-yet-insatiable hope to finally feel that we're greater than we are. Because, in the end, we're still only human. Only human! Our subconscious minds see the futility in the search for that one man or woman who can be a guru to cure us of our limitations, and they turn to the beyond; turn to that which transcends humanity; turn to mythology. An obsession with our limited longevity and a fear of what lies beyond this life has been a motivator for theory-upon-theory-upon-theory. Death represents an inescapable oblivion—an eternal NOTHING—that eats away at our cores because, when all is said-and-done, "nothing" means EXACTLY that to us: nothing. How does one define something if there's nothing to define? We experience a cornucopia of REAL and TANGIBLE that to imagine nothing—no sight, no sound, no smells or tastes, nothing to feel, and no mind to recognize the void—is an incomprehensible notion. And if the history of mankind has taught us nothing else, it's that we HATE that which we cannot comprehend. We assign titles to everything to convince us we hold power over it and try to define the inner workings of this, that, and everything with a limited knowledge of what it is we're trying to define. And so, in an effort to combat the confusion and fear associated with death, we fabricate alternate realities that exist for us beyond this lifetime; theories of heavens or hells or limbos or hauntings or, rather than living an eternity elsewhere, being born as a new person and starting the cycle anew.
All because death and our impending nothing TERRIFIES us. Enter the vampire. A being whose existence is defined almost unanimously with immortality; a being that represents no need for fear of what lies beyond. And though this eternity relies on a willingness to destroy the lives of others, the natural need to survive motivates us to take that step. If a building is on fire, the occupants' need to survive outweighs the sympathy of others' needs, and it's an all-too-common event that situations like that find people trampled and trapped so that others have the leverage to survive. Is it really such a stretch to see us as so monstrous as to literally steal the lives of strangers to sustain our own? And what of those who find themselves at the bottom of the stampede? What of those who find themselves trapped within the inferno because somebody wanted to survive enough to lock away the threat of death with them still at risk? What do you think they would give for a body that doesn't break underfoot or the strength to take down any obstacle?
Enter the vampire. A being whose supernatural abilities make even the most able-bodied star athletes look like a joke incomparison. A being who exists in legends as capable of easily holding their own against armies and able to tear down buildings with their unbreakable claws. A being whose speed and reflexes make them a nearly uncatchable and un-killable force for any who stand in their way. A being who sees the threat of those who intimidate them in their everyday life as nothing more than an insignificant creature; no more dangerous or threatening than a newborn puppy—blind and defenseless and oblivious. A being greater than man or beast but, at the same time, a enigmatic hybrid of the two. A being capable of communicating and controlling and even BECOMING the animals that we eagerly and desperately struggle to understand. A being that is not only unafraid of the darkness, but REVEL in it! All the limitations and shortcomings of man encompass the strengths and traits of the creatures we idolize, because, at the root of it all, we crave a life that's free of fear and uncertainty.
And so we eagerly consume movies and literature and music and any-and-all forms of media and society that pertains to vampires so that we can lose ourselves in that tranquility. Men bellow and cheer as Blade and Selena take on hordes of the undead using vampire strength and cunning and women melt into the steely grip of Lothaire and Edward and Lestat in their paranormal romance novels because they represent total freedom from the normal and a sense of security (as well as cheering on Blade and Selena as they take on hordes of the undead; sorry, guys, but you gotta share the badass whether-or-not you're willing to dive into the romance). Vampires are, body and mind and drive, what we can NEVER be, and that limitation—that hunger for a taste of what we'll never have—keeps us coming back for more of the fan(g)tastic creatures.
26 years ago, The Literary Dark Prince emerged onto this realm, and since Earth and its occupants have yet to rid themselves of this menace, his dark and insane poison continues to spread. In no way trying to protect the myriad of innocents and pure souls, Crushing Hearts and Black Butterfly Publishing has joined with the infernal author and, in an effort to tarnish as many human souls as possible, have put book #1, "Noir", of this sadistic monster's psycho-goth vampire series on Amazon Kindle for FREE on the anniversary of his materialization on this earthly plane. Click HERE to claim yours NOW!!
Because your curiosity feeds the all-too-powerful drive to destroy everything, you owe it to yourself and all those who you hold near and dear to see their purity turned oily and wicked by getting your copy TODAY (June 15th) without sacrificing a single unit of Earth currency.
However, if your hard-earned wealth screams to gain you more possessions, The Literary Dark Prince can still satisfy you (for he, though born of darkness, loves The Legion and is kind and merciful). Starting today, for less than a filthy fast-food discount cheeseburger, you can add the Crimson Shadow short story, "Just Another Night" to your Kindle collection for only $0.99 simply by clicking HERE!!
"A graveyard in the dead of night. While most would avoid such an eerie setting, for three friends looking for a safe place to toke up, it is the perfect place to get high without getting caught. Unfortunately, for these stoners, fate has given them more to worry about than nosey cops. In the blink of a bloodshot eye, all hell breaks loose... literally. As forces beyond the friends' perception and control turn a calm night in a marijuana-haze into a terror-filled bloodbath all hope seems lost. But there's far deadlier beings roaming through the headstones, and a Crimson Shadow soon eclipses the carnage. Talk about the ultimate buzz-kill!"
With nothing to lose and everything to gain, why not give in to temptation? If nothing else it may appease The Literary Dark Prince for another year to come.
With the release of "Crimson Shadow: Noir", book
#1 in my vamp-goth psycho-thriller series, and several short stories that tie
into the series ("Wicked Paints, "Magic Murderer", and the
soon-to-debut "Just Another Night" [June 15th]), I thought
I'd take the time to better acquaint everybody with the series as well as give
a "behind-the-scenes" look at what's gone into creating the Crimson
Shadow world.
But
first, for those who aren't already familiar with the premise of the book:
"Xander
Stryker wants to die.
Ever since
witnessing his mother's murder at the hands of his abusive stepfather when he
was a boy, he has spent every day trying to reach that goal. But every night he's
denied the death he craves.
Book #1, "Noir"
(cover by Para Graphic)
When his
eighteenth birthday approaches, an unforeseen chance for change is offered when
his life is plunged into chaos and he's dragged into a supernatural world of
vampires and other creatures of darkness. Caught in the depths of this new
reality, mysteries of his supernatural lineage begin to unravel and Xander is
given the ultimate choice:
Continue on with
his wretched life or begin a new one as the vampire he was always meant to be.
Unfortunately,
the supernatural world can be just as unforgiving and brutal as any other and
Xander's choice is met with disastrous consequences. Now, with the chaos of the
new world pressing down on him, his past reemerges and once again threatens to
crush him. Will Xander be able to use his new strength to conquer his fears, or
will he succumb to his own bloody darkness...
In the beginning (nearly 10 years ago),
Crimson Shadow started as a means for me to vent; a personal outlet to let some
inner demons wreak the havoc they so desperately wanted to while, at the same
time, keeping the public and its many innocents safe. At that time, an
obsession with death and darkness motivated me to research all of the many
creatures of mythology and lore that thrive off of both--especially vampires.
Since the beginning of human society, vampires have, in one way or another,
existed in the minds of the masses and haunted their nightmares with the threat
of robbing them of their life to sustain their own. Throughout history,
creatures like this have plagued the minds of humanity and, for me especially,
represented an escape from reality; allowing for the fantasy of transcending
the mundane and limited life of a human to become something powerful and
eternal. And this escape--this means of vanquishing weakness and overcoming
abuse in a way that not only brought one above their tormenters, but into a
whole new plane of existence--was what I craved at that time.
It was then that Xander
Stryker--a boy who, like me, was self-destructive and tortured, but found a way
above it all and into something so much greater than he could've ever
imagined--was created.
At that time, there was no plan
for the project outside of "traveling" with Xander and his journey
into a world of vampires and finding the strength to fight not only those that
would try to do him harm, but his own desires to harm himself. For me, there was
no plan--no future--outside of telling Xander's story, and I was certain that
the moment I finished the piece that I would leave it as my last effort before
ending my life.
Learn more about To Write Love On Her Arms
(the suicide & self-harm prevention movement
that sees a donation for every copy of "Noir" sold)
But then Xander did something I'd
never expected him to do…
He saved my life.
Somehow,
in writing a story of a character who was supposed to encompass everything I
could never be, I discovered strength and purpose. To add to my surprise,
others--who had begun to notice a dramatic change in my mood and behavior and
demanded to see what was bringing about that change--found Xander's tale (the
tale that would later become the first book in the Crimson Shadow series,
"Noir") worked just as well to give them strength and hope; encouraging
others who had been suicidal to find their own means of overcoming their
personal breeds of darkness. Seeing that this character's growth had such potential,
I focused less on what the stories could do for me and more about what they
could do for others. Over the years (five in total to polish the first book) I
decided that I had found my calling and set my dreams on becoming an author so
that I could entertain and enlighten the world (effectively deciding to shift
from a nobody who wanted to die to somebody who wanted to provide the world
with an enthusiastic storyteller).
As Xander grew more-and-more
aware of the world of vampires--a world that I wanted to be laced throughout
modern-day human society so tightly that readers would genuinely believe that
they, too, could experience it if they turned down the right (or wrong) dark
alley. My obsessive research, as it turned out, allowed for me to build and
modify on a myriad of legends to create something that mirrored the classic lore
while, at the same time, shining the light on the many myths in a way that
readers had never before seen them.
The process of creating/modifying
legendary "monsters" to create fresh and compelling creatures for my
writing proved to be one of the most challenging and time-consuming tasks I
could take on. So that others have an understanding of just how broad and
complex the paranormal world stretches: I have studied global and cultural
mythology for two years before starting to write Xander's story and, since
then, have continued my studies (that's 12 years' worth of research--nearly
half my entire life).
So
far, for the universe that all of my writing has taken place in, there are more
than four species of vampires (one of which has three different types) and a
breed of shape-shifter that encompasses werewolves, werebears, werecats (any
anthropomorphic "were"-creature you can imagine) called
"theriomorphs" ("therio-"
being a Latin root for "beast") or "therions", for short.
Other creatures (like the elf/fairy-like "anaprieks", the bat-like
"Gerlins", and many more) were included, as well, so that the world
of non-humans--known as "mythos"--would be just as diverse and broad
as the one we already know and see every day.
Being a fan of action/adventure
films, comics, and Japanese anime/manga, I'd always seen the superhuman
abilities of vampires, werewolves, and other such beings as a means of creating
truly epic and (often literally) ground-breaking encounters and, of course,
battles. If a being is strong enough to leap 30 feet into the air, punch
through walls, move faster than bullets, or move anything and everything with
their minds, then it stood to reason that a fight between such beings would be
a true visual marvel. Now, because I've always had a cinematic mind (I'd
dreamed of being a filmmaker at one time in my life), I've always written in a
manner that I hoped would instill an image in the reader's mind that was not
unlike the fluid visuals of watching a movie (and, with such elaborate visuals
to work with, I had my work cut out for me).
"Magic Murderer" CS short
(cover by EmJayArt.com)
Despite all the challenges
associated with it, however, I found that building a whole new world to house
my creations proved to be more fun than I'd ever expected. Because of the
"rules" that I'd set in Xander's world, I had to research outside of
what I was used to (psychology, philosophy, religion, biology, etc…) in order
to make the creatures and their abilities believable. For the blood-drinking
vampires, for example, I had the pleasure of interviewing a dentist to learn
more about how the classic fangs that we all know and love would work in the
real world and any biological traits that would come along with them. Magical
practices and paralleling beliefs from different views were taken into
consideration in order to fabricate a breed of spellcasting that ultimately
defined every creature I'd created. More than anything else, though, was the
realm of physics and how these glorious creatures would be capable of achieving
their extraordinary abilities.
Though a lot of that effort may
not be blatantly obvious in the writings, all of that time and research was not
spent in vain. For a writer to be confident in their work, and, as a result,
have their readers believe and accept what's being "fed" to them,
there has to be a sense of continuity and believability (so that they can fully
immerse themselves in their entertainment, audiences rely on a concrete
understanding of what is "fact" when approaching a book, movie,
comic, etc…). Research and development is, in many ways, one of the most
important things for a writer to do when creating a new world (second only to
following through with a project and seeing it to the end).
In preparing this blog post, I
decided to open the floor (so to speak) to a few readers who had questions that
I felt were worth publically answering. If you have any questions that aren't
answered here, feel free to post them and I'll do my best to answer without
spoiling any future elements in the series:
1)Xander
Stryker has a lot of challenges in his life, while you were writing his story
did you have a hard time writing certain parts?
~One
of the reasons book #1 took five years to complete (at least three years longer
than ANY other piece I've written since) was because a great deal of scenes and
emotions that I depicted were dangerously close to personal events that I was
forced to step away from the project time-and-time-again to avoid slipping into
depression (on several occasions, however, stepping back didn't help and, more
than once, I suffered from minor breakdowns).
2)Being
this story from a personal perspective, were there certain characters who you
found had a lot of traits from special/important people in your life?
3)We
are briefly introduced to the character Estella; will she play a more important
role in future books perhaps?
~Yes.
At risk of going into too much detail and spoiling future books I can assure
you that Estella's character will become VERY relevant/integral to the series.
Look for the next CS Kindle short,
"Just Another Night" on June 15th
(art by EmJayArt.com)
4)From
his suicidal tendencies and depression and rage issues, do you think Xander
will fully be able to control his emotions and become the legend he was
destined for?
~One
of Xander's greatest strengths (as well as one of his greatest weaknesses) IS
his self-destructive tendencies and his anger. It's said that the worst kind of
opponent is one who doesn't fear death, and it's the truth; if somebody doesn't
care about protecting themselves and is focused SOLELY on destroying their enemy,
then being shot or stabbed isn't a concern so long as they can eradicate them
before bleeding to death
However,
while Xander's emotions--like anybody else's--have a tendency to become their
own hurdles, he's never beyond a point of seeing that his perception/approach
needs to change for both his and his loved ones' benefit. For this reason,
while he'll probably never be a Buddhist master of all things Zen, Xander will
inevitably rise to meet the challenges he's faced with.
5)Xander
is both a sang AND an auric from what we’ve gathered; does he prefer blood
drinking or psychic energy for feeding? If sang, does he have limits to which
he feeds from with blood and if auric, do certain “emotions” taste better than
others?
~Xander,
as a human, grew up with a lot of darkness and suffering in his mind and, as a
result, is somewhat reluctant to enter the minds of others (after all, why
invite somebody else's emotional baggage into your life if you've already got
too much of your own?) and typically prefers to drink blood if given the
option. However, this reluctance doesn't keep him from doing what has to be done,
and if he needs to unveil a hidden thought to solve a mystery or psychically
drain somebody to get the strength he needs, he will do so in the blink of an
eye.
As
for limitations on whose neck he tears into: like any law-abiding mythos in the
series, he makes a conscious effort not to feed on humans to avoid the
complications that missing persons and piled corpses tend to arise. For the
most part, sang vampires can sustain themselves on any sort of blood, and it's
usually easier and safer to get this from animals and sources that store animal
blood from slaughterhouses. However, the bagged stuff is to a vampire what
freeze-dried rations are to a human; while it serves the intended purpose, it's
rarely satisfying and never enjoyable. Like anything else, though, if he gets
hungry enough, then ANYTHING with blood in it is an appetizing morsel.
In
the end, any sort of feeding (blood or psychic) is a means of keeping up his
strength and/or healing from any injuries he's sustained. For this reason, he
doesn't "prefer" any blood-type or emotion over another, as long as
it does what it's supposed to do.
6)Xander
meets a lot of characters in book 1; out of all the characters you’ve
introduced (Marcus, Stan, Estella, and The Gamer) which was your favorite to
write about and which was your least?
~All
of the characters I made are enjoyable in their own right, but, in the end, it
was how those characters interacted with Xander--the way dialogue flows between
them or how they behave around one-another--that defined my enjoyment of
depicting them. With dialogue, I'm a big fan of the abrasive back-and-forths
(they have a more natural feel and also allow for both tension and humor
depending on the situation). With Marcus, I wanted a character who would become
something like a big brother to Xander--knowledgeable and accommodating, but
sarcastic and condescending at the same time--and, because of Xander's tendency
to react quickly to his emotions, I loved having Marcus tease and poke at
Xander. Because Stan was always somebody Xander got along with and respected
there was always a sense of admiration and a drive to impress for Xander, and I
liked how naturally he and Stan "meshed" on that level (to compare
how Xander interacts with Stan-versus-Marcus would be comparing two cars
driving headlong into one another-versus-driving side-by-side on a clear
street). Amongst all the characters, however, Estella is the only one that
genuinely calms and relaxes Xander and the only one you noticeably see him
working to impress/make happy (in many ways I wanted to make Xander an abrasive
jerk to just about anybody he encountered EXCEPT Estella). As for The Gamer…
well, he's The Gamer; he's a fat, obnoxious, disgusting slob that everyone
(including Xander) hates to admit is charming in his own rights (in large part
because, despite knowing so much about magic and the world of mythos, he's
NEVER bored with it, and it's very hard to genuinely hate somebody who's so
damn excited about everything).
If
I have to choose a favorite, I'd have to say that Estella's charms on Xander
have always been the most peaceful and heart-warming for me to write while he
and Marcus have actually succeeded in making me laugh WHILE writing them (so
Estella wins, but Marcus is a very close second). For my LEAST favorite… well,
I never enjoyed writing scenes with Kyle (but, then again, I was never supposed
to).
7)Marcus
is hilarious! Xander and him seem to click easily. Will we get to see more of
Xander and him in action?
~Absolutely!
Readers
who like Marcus will be glad to see him in several of the short stories that
are being released over the next couple of months; the two doing what they do
best: killing things. In many ways Xander is still in training, and Marcus is
never above using a job as a means of instilling a vampiric lesson (think
Obi-Wan Kenobi and Luke Skywalker from Star Wars).
8)You
introduce The Gamer and he shows Xander a replica pair of pistols that are
similar to the bad-ass Yin & Yang revolvers…Xander doesn’t seem too happy
about it. Do you think he’ll ever be able to cope and possibly use that set in
the future?
~If
Xander has taught us nothing else, it's that EVERYTHING exists for some reason
;-)
9)So,
we know you have a book 2 coming out soon…what can we look for in that release?
~Book
#2 will answer some open-ended questions from book #1 and provide some
unsettling closure therein. Readers can also look forward to a FAR more
confident Xander who's more excited about killing others than himself and a
great deal more (*ahem*) growth between him and Estella. Book #2 will also
bring readers deeper into the Crimson Shadow universe and introduce a great
many more creatures as well as spotlighting the therions, which were never
touched-down upon in very much detail in "Noir". There will be
gnarliness--supernatural & acrobatic fight-sequences that will make fans of
action flicks, video games, and Japanese anime squirm with excitement--and
plot-twists and romance and heartbreak and blood.
Oh
yes, there WILL be blood!
10) Finally, how many books do you plan for the
Crimson Shadow series? Do you have them all planned out?
~So
far, as I have it planned, there will be seven books in total for the Crimson
Shadow series (all of them planned out in some form or another) that center on
Xander Stryker and his legacy (there's no exact number on how many short
stories will coincide with the series, but there will certainly be more than a
dozen). Past that, however, there is ANOTHER series that will spin-off from the
CS series and feature a character with close ties to Xander (that series is
estimated at about five books).
There you have it! Book #1
of the Crimson Shadow series and the chaos and insanity behind it's literary
conception in a nutshell. I hope that this has helped to provide some illumination (partial as it may be) to
the series and the character of Xander Stryker as well as enticing you to learn
more. The journey in creating and following in Xander Stryker's growing vampire
legacy is far from finished for me, and for all you wonderful readers it has
only just begun.
I hope that you'll join both
myself, The Literary Dark Prince, and the ever-growing group of fellow readers
known as The Legion in exploring the depths of the world of Crimson Shadow and
all the other stories that have come into being from it. You can find
"Crimson Shadow: Noir" (available in both paperback and Kindle
formats) and all of the available CS-themed Kindle shorts on Amazon HERE!
