~~ I hope it's ok if I discuss a story I actually started writing years ago, but have posted an excerpt of here ~~

What to say about a Dope-Dealin' Grandma?

Well, she came about from a discussion with my children, who were teenagers at that time. I was reiterating my stance that drugs=bad, bad bad! And this led us to discussing how addicts 9x/10 end up dead or in jail, which is why you don't see many really old old junkies. This whole discussion got me to thinking about the sellers -- what about THEM? Do THEY live to be old? Or do they die or give it up first? So I thought it might be amusing to write about an old lady who was dealin' dope (weed, specifically) and all the things she'd do to hide it. I haven't gotten to it yet, but she'll eventually be hiding joints in candy dishes and I was actually writing about her dosing the brownies she made for church when I was last working on it.

I'm not sure how, but when I got the idea, it came to me that I'd write it in poem form, kind of like The Iliad or The Odyssey or something; a full story done all in verse. Since then, I've also started working on a "fleshed-out" version, wherein I stop after every few stanzas and elaborate on the previous shenanigans, like a greek chorus kind of thing, similar to Antigone or Oedipus the King*.

I also thought it would be best to write it in first person, as it would "play" better to have others discover Grandma's carryings-on than to do it from her P.O.V, thereby making the discoveries and our narrator's reactions to it all-the-funnier. I also thought the imagery of taking an innocent, sweet grandmother like the ones we've all read about in children's stories and making her curse like a sailor and fight and otherwise behave very unsweetly when she's discovered would be rioutous.

As far as writing it itself, it has been such a joy and I've had to take many breaks to catch my breath, as I have a tendency to tickle myself and need a time-out...Unfortunately, though, I've been focusing more on my Cat Autobiography, but I may have to bring her out again, now that she's back on my mind.

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Since it's not included in my previous post, here's a little bit of the back-and-forth action I was describing:

Grandma had been dealin' drugs,

To young and old, the same.

From the north and south, east and west,

To Grandma's house, they came.

So we gathered up the money we needed,

And bailed poor Granny out.

Then on the way home, we asked her,

Just what that was all about…

     "Well, honey," she said, as she cleaned her glasses, "That was some bullshit. And what I really need to do is ream their asses!”

     “Grandmother! Please. Watch your language. What has gotten into you?! First you’re arrested for selling WEED, of all things, and now you’re cursing like a sailor!” I couldn’t believe what I was hearing and vaguely wondered if I’d really awakened that morning or if I was caught in a nightmare. I pinched myself and silently counted to 12. Nothing changed.

     “Sorry, Stanley…Hey, that was a Stop Sign, you know! Means for you to stop.”

     “I did…kind of.”

     “What kind of ‘kind of’? Didn’t seem you even slowed, to me.”

     “Yes, I– Wait! I see what you’re doing here! Focusing on what I am or am not doing is not going to get you out of the fire, grandmama.” I took a chance and glimpsed her in the rearview mirror. She had put her bifocals back on and was now purposefully avoiding my gaze, as well as her brother Herbert’s - who was sitting beside her - look. Her silver blue hair, which she liked to wear in Shirley Temple style ringlets, caught a glint of sunlight streaming through the back seat and I had to look away. “What would grandfather say if he were still alive?!”

What is Sins of the Father?

Sins of the Father is a series of short stories that I've written on Prose. It's about a small suburban family (the Gravelys) living in a suburban town/city. The family consists of a mother, two daughters, and the new husband/stepfather, the devil in the flesh. Lots of drama, scares, and definitely plenty of laughs.

What inspired you?

There have been a couple of inspirations. One of them is the weird and bizarre cartoons I used to watch as a kid. But what really got me to flesh it out was the challenges generated on Prose that helped pave the way for my imagination to craft these stories. The first story, "A Dark Request", was written for some Flash Fiction challenge, and apparently that got a lot of hits. Then things took off from there with more stories set in this universe and more characters added with each new story.

What helped influence these pieces?

The show Lucifer has been the biggest influence to me. I love how the devil is portrayed in that show, and in a way I transpired that into my devil in the stories. Better yet, they are more like parodies of Lucifer the show, kinda like how the ninja turtles were a parody of the Daredevil comics. Other influences include the Grim Adventures of Billy and Mandy and the Beetlejuice cartoon in just how this world works when regular people come face to face with the supernatural.

Some names are obviously taken from other media, scriptures, and mythologies as a callback to them. Rosemary is a play on the character from Rosemary's baby, Regan is a callback to the possessed girl from the Exorcist, even the street they live on is called 999 Milton Avenue. 999 upside down is the number of the beast, and Milton is a reference to John Milton, writer of Paradise Lost.

Characters like Lilith, Moloch, Mike, Gabi, and Legion are based on the ones from angel/demon theology. But to make them all stand out from what they are described in other media, I had to generate all new personalities that no one would ever think of for these characters. For example, I had the archangel Gabriel and crafted her as a woman with a wild side, and she is also a lesbian. Two things that will definitely piss off the fundamentalist readers (lol). 

What was the process like?

The process has been all over the place. Sometimes I'm have a 150-300 very short flash fiction story, or sometimes I will have a whole short story divided into parts because it's a lot easier for me to write that way. Heck, I'm working on Season Two stories right now with the "God's Little Princess" arc, which is probably going to be the longest arc yet with how much content I want to do.

What are you most pleased with about it?

I'm pleased with the positive feedback I'm getting. Even some prosers, who've are devoutly religious, have admitted that they greatly enjoyed these stories. Either I'm doing something right, or people are just as crazy as I am (lol). 

Which story has been your favorite so far?

Oh dang that's a tough one. I really liked writing "The Serpent" because a lot of people associate the devil with snakes, but in this story he freaks when he meets the new family pet python Slinky.

"The Babysitter" is another one I like. With that one I had the perfect set up that starts off very creepy, but by the end there's a great comedic payoff. Plus I got to use Lilith in the best way possible.

I enjoyed writing the story arcs "Brothers", "When a Demon Met An Angel", and "Keep to the Road". With "Brothers" I got to do something that no one ever thought of; have Michael and Lucifer reconcile. In the Bible it just states that they fought and that's it. What was the cause? What's the emotion? How did they feel about this? So I gave them a chance to talk things over and they became brothers again. 

"When a Demon Met An Angel" is a cute story arc. Basically it introduces one of the recurring characters Dominic, who befriends Rosemary and develops a boyhood crush on her; and who knows maybe Rosemary has the same feelings for him but I won't say (lol).

And oh boy, "Keep to the Road" is the darkest story I ever wrote. This introduces the readers and the characters (Rosemary and Regan) to the recurring antagonists of the series, the scavengers. The scavengers were kind of what I always imagined demons were when I was a kid. They're just these disgusting, deformed, feral creatures that all they do is kill and eat, and their hunger is just never satisfied. They're the lowest of the low, and they are most dangerous when they're hunger, which they always are. 

It also got me a chance to introduce what the devil actually looks like, what his demonic form looks like. This was also how I imagined the devil as a kid. Just this giant dragon/godzilla monster that breathes fire and acts like the apex predator. Everyone and everything is afraid of this beast with good reason.

But if I have to go with a favorite in all of Season 1 it would have to be "Sympathy from the Devil". This story is so down to earth, sort of speak. It's just a moment where Lu is not portrayed like the typical devil, but more like an actual parent. He's just there comforting his sadden stepdaughter who deeply misses her real dad. Out of all the stories, this one received the most likes out of all of them.

Do you have a favorite character?

Yes. I think it would have to be Lilith. She's just a very fun and sexy character. Or maybe my favorite is Legion. He's kind of the Yoda/Gul'dan of the series, very old and very powerful. But he's also very mysterious, you just don't know much about him or where his allegiances lie. 

What could you have done differently?

I wish I couldn't be so repetitive at times with my writing. I also wish I could be more descriptive when it comes to emotions or actions. Also I wish I could add illustrations to these stories just to bring more life into them, but sadly I'm not much of an artist or illustrator. Hopeful I can learn how to do so.

What do you hope will transpire from this?

I hope more and more folks read these stories because they are a lot of fun. I hope people with check out the complete first season, available in the Prose Bookstore. Heck, one day I hope that some agency picks up on it and we can add more stuff to the stories; maybe even turn it into an animated series. 

From the smell of petrol in my dad's garage, to the mess of a painter's workshop as some  gigantic oil portrait is being created – I’ve always been a lover of creation processes. I am the sort of person who doesn't like TV or movies very much, but I will watch any amount of behind the scenes and making-of footage. I just find it endlessly fascinating.

That’s why I want to share some of the “background material” of some of the things I write, and why I'd love to read background material of your writings too: because I enjoy the process as much (despite the blood, sweat and tears), and sometimes more, than the finished product. In the case of my short story “The Nalmachan King” I enjoyed the process immensely, and I’m quite fond of the story as it turned out.

“The Nalmachan King” was written in response to the prompt “write a story about a tyrannical king who threatens the entire realm”.

As is always the case, it was inspired by a number of different things. For starters, I decided it would be a good idea to jump straight into the story, having heard that when you have a lot to say in a short amount of time, it’s a good idea to have each element you introduce do more than just one thing. That’s what I tried to do with the line about the grandmother stating: “Her hair was white, and she happily exaggerated her age.” My intent is that these words not only convey something of the grandmother’s character, but that they also function as world building, since this very positive view of old age is something quite uncommon in the 21st century western world, and therefore naturally paints a picture of someplace that is somehow different.

I have a bachelor’s degree in theology, and have spent time studying ancient societies and kingdoms, as well as how the majority of people then lived their lives (that is, as farmers) and how knowledge was passed on in a time when most people could not read and never went to school. I've also studied legends and how illiterate people who were alive thousands of years ago approached the task of understanding the world and their lives within it. One major way they passed on their learning, was through sayings and stories, often connected to things in their everyday lives, so that they would be reminded of them. This is an element that seemed to tie itself naturally into the story, as my narrator talked.

The idea of the giant trees, the Nalmachans, came from the fact that I had just read a wonderful book by Tracy Chevalier called “At the Edge of the Orchard”, which features some enormous trees called Giant Sequoias. It occurred to me that in an illiterate time, trees like that would probably have myths and legends to explain them. (Oh and the word is simply made up; I am a great supporter of conlangs.)

Lastly, I want to mention a piece of dialogue Chevalier’s book which inspired me further. I don’t remember it word for word and I don’t have the book with me here – I borrowed it from the library when I read it – but it was about that trees are greedy and thirsty, and that once the Sequoias reached a certain height, no more new trees (not of the same species, either) could grow as large; there wasn’t enough water and nourishment in the ground. And so I thought; a very large tree that is so thirsty it kills all the little trees around it – that would be fitting metaphor for a tyrant king taxing his people so heavily he takes away their ability to provide for themselves.

And that’s it, really. If you read this text through till the end, I salute you.