Ok, so this is the part that kept me awake at night! Demonology is a very real, widely researched subject. I hope to have done the lore justice in my novels, but can honestly say I have used the demons I researched in a completely fictitious way. I've never practised Satanism, or participated in demonic rituals of any kind, even just the research was a little too intense for me at times. Yes, I'm a wuss!
I did want to add depth to my storyline, though. So, I decided to use the names of demons many of us might've already heard of, be it on TV shows or in other novels. They each have their roles and responsibilities, as well as their contributions to my series as a whole.
Demons such as Lilith, Leviathan, Beelzebub, and importantly, Lucifer, were of course my main focus. Cate and her other family members were created wholly by me for the storyline, but what I wrote about the goddess Hecate, is based on real mythology. You can read here if you'd like to find out more about her:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hecate
The story most people have heard of is that Lucifer was cast out of Heaven and he took control of Hell. I too have used that lore, along with the premise of him later being joined by the other fallen angels Leviathan and Beelzebub. Those two are Lucifer's best friends, and I love the way they became layered, interesting sub-characters of my series. I developed them to be funny, sexy, good and evil all wrapped into one. I wanted proper characters with both flaws and perfections, as well as their sinful existence and clear evil doings. In book5 of the series, I developed Leviathan's lore and used it to give him his moment in the spotlight. He is the fabled sea monster, the cruel master of the oceans and I wanted to take that myth and twist it around (as I like to do.) He became a creature of the seas, yet not necessarily evil. His love interest helps him to conquer that overwhelming power he feels when immersed, and she teaches him to love that beast he'd hidden away for so very long.
Lilith has had many different tales told about her, but I decided to make her a powerful, vicious demon worthy of being Lucifer's second in command. She sometimes shows her softer side, especially towards the end of the final book, but I hope to have done her justice as a strong female demonic presence. I wanted there to be a balanced set of powerful male and female characters in these books, and hope I've done just that!
And now to Leviathan's love interest - Keeva, the Banshee. I decided to steer clear of werewolves or vampires when it came to adding other dark creatures. Not because I don't enjoy those types of books, but because there are so many out there that I simply fancied something different. I developed the banshee of my story using the fabled stories of women of reportedly Irish descent that somehow sensed death. We've all heard the phrase 'scream like a banshee,' but instead I decided to do it differently. She sings when death is close, and what starts as a hum becomes more powerful and hard to control. She sings louder and more violently until her voice gives out, and that is when the person she's singing for dies. Keeva is damaged, abused and technically beholden to neither sides of the Heaven/Hell divide, but she pledges her allegiance to the Crimson Brotherhood after asking for their help.
I hint here and there at other dark creatures, but I guess the only other ones I go into greater detail with are the Incubus/Succubus demons. They are singularly minded, powerful demons who follow their instincts to seduce and reproduce. We have Meri (based on the fabled Succubus Meridiana who reportedly seduced Pope Sylvester II) and her incubus brother Malik who preys on women at night in order to try and procreate. I've taken the lore and adapted it to add more depth to Meri as a supporting character. She's stepped away from a life of mindless adultery and need, focusing instead on using her power to serve the Crimson Brotherhood. She becomes Melody's assistant, and uses her gifts to make her look beautiful, such a simple task, and yet its adds to her as a friend and loyal companion to the poor, imprisoned woman.
I guess that's it for this instalment. Thanks for reading, and I hope you've enjoyed getting to know me and my writing process a little better :-) Hope you like me new logo as well? x
