My new novel is called DEVOURED is coming August 18 from Wicked House Publishing. If you want to pre-order your copy, you can click on the cover photo to your left or visit the publisher website for it or one of the many other amazing books WHP has published.
However, I have had a few questions wondering what the heck this novel is about? Well, I thought I would sort of interview myself and answer some of those questions.
What is DEVOURED about?
Devoured is about an ancient creature that once terrorized the skies of North America when the continent was dominated by Native tribes. It has been asleep within a mountain for centuries, but recently an earthquake has caused it to awaken. And now it is awake, and very hungry. The city of St. Louis is right in its cross-hairs, but the mayor wants to change the city's image and go through with a 4th of July festival. City safety manager, Logan, and two others are the only ones who might be able to stop this creature's rampage.
So is it just Jaws?
Well, I did not set out to make a novel that was a nod to my favorite movie of all time, but as I started to write it, I realized I was crafting my homage to Jaws. Both the movie and book inspired me to consider writing as a career and gave me my first interest in horror. Without Jaws, there would be no me today and I would not be creating horror stories. So, yes, this is my homage to the thing that inspired me and I am very proud of it.
Is it just Reign of Fire?
Technically the creature is NOT a dragon. That being said, it is based on the legend of The Piasa Bird, which you can see below. It is from the Native American legend of the Thunderbirds, which were creatures that ruled the air. Technically the tribes did not call it The Piasa Bird and the legend you read about it was made up by white explorers who saw the painting of the creature on the side of a limestone cliff near the Mississippi River on the Illinois side.
It turns out, however, that almost every culture around the world has some version of a dragon-type legend. There are dragons in China, throughout Asia, within Great Britain, South America and, yes, even in North America.
This is a creature that, within the Native American legend, was a combination of various animals. It had elements of fish, a bird, elk and even a human-like face. I simply wondered - what if it looked a little more like a prehistoric flying creature, or a dragon. However, the creature in Native legend did not breathe fire, but it was very hard to kill and had a voracious appetite.
There is just one creature. It is set in modern times. It is not a post-apocalyptic story. There is no fire-breathing. So, while I happen to like the movie Reign of Fire, this is not that.
Is it a Kaiju story?
Basically...yes. When I was a kid, growing up here in Chicago, my dad loved Godzilla and Gamera and those kinds of movies. I guess even before I discovered Jaws, I was watching what we now call kaiju movies. I love them and have always wanted to write one. I also was fascinated by The Piasa Bird and always wanted to write a novel that imagined what it would be like for that creature to live in modern times. I mean, when you live in St. Louis for a time, how can you not want to see a giant flying creature perched on top of the Arch?
Well, this was it. This was my kaiju story. I got to destroy a huge portion of St. Louis and do my Arch scene. I was also able to tip my hat at Jaws and had a blast writing it.
Where Can I Get DEVOURED?
So, that is where the inspiration came from. I took elements from the kaiju movies, a Native American legend I heard about, and Jaws, but them into the speed blender in my brain and out came DEVOURED. A book I had such a blast writing and now, thanks to Wicked House Publishing it is coming to you August 18.
You can pre-order my latest at Amazon. Just follow all of the links within this article, and right HERE. Get it for Kindle and in paperback. Eventually we hope there will be an audiobook version. I cannot wait for you to read it.
Comments