Halloween & Welcome To My Dark Side Back to Blog
You know those crazy moments where the light comes on and you learn something new about yourself? A few years back a person asked me (nicely), how I could write some of my darker tales and still remain in the light myself. We had a good discussion, and the question evolved of how I can pen darker emotions, darker beings, things that are scary.
That made me really, really think. After all, if I’m a good person, how can I write about horrible things? How come some of my very best stories (in my humble opinion) are the ones where I conveyed the most wretched of emotions? Where I showed readers my nastiest serial killer ever (the dude in TREACHEROUS WISHES Ellora’s Cave www.ellorascave.com) from inside that serial killer’s point of view. Yeah, this guy rivaled even Jack The Ripper, who is in DARK, DEADLY LOVE (Samhain Publishing www.samhainpublishing.com).
After a little bit of thinking, the light bulb came on.
With a flash bang I suddenly understood why I write about that shadowy side. I know that without the dark there is no light. I also know that I love showing how good overcomes evil, and how true love honestly exists.
I explained that if I tried to write stories that were straight traditional romances, romances that sometimes didn’t deal with things as twisted and dastardly, that I couldn’t hook into the story as readily. This isn’t to say that I’ve never written lighter stories. Case in point, my contemporary romance MEANT TO BE (Cerridwen Press www.cerridwenpress.com). But there had to be something utterly compelling to me about writing that story.
Still, to stop writing about the paranormal, the serial killer, the danger that can be out there…well, that would just about kill me. It’s in my blood. Writing paranormal and suspense elements is part of who I am, built into the fiber of my being. I love to read it and I must write it. Dang it, I like a good scare and while I’m dipping the reader in hot romance, I want to sometimes scare the dickens out of them, too.
I believe that when an author is hooked in to their story and there’s something in the tale they’re trying to convey that matters to them, it shows. When an author is into what is called “deep point of view,” the author is into the head of that character, feeling what that character feels. Those are my very best writing moments.
So what does that say about me when I’m relishing writing from the bad guy’s point of view? Not sure. Perhaps I’m like the actors who cherish that juicy part of playing the evil person. I’m exploring a side we all have, whether we want to acknowledge it or not. I definitely enjoyed writing the evil vampire who is featured in my vampire trilogy, DEEP IS THE NIGHT (DARK FIRE, NIGHT WATCH, HAUNTED SOULS at Ellora’s Cave.)
In the near future but possibly not until late 2011, I’m going to write another set of stories that lean toward a horror/gothic romance sensibility. They call to me in the night. Write me! Write me! 🙂 Wait, I have that other twisted, weird trilogy to finish first. Ah, so many ideas.
It wasn’t until I had this more recent conversation with my friends that I understood that the dark side has always been with me. Since the time I was a little kid I’ve always liked watching the spooky stuff, and I still do. My mother didn’t restrict what types of programs I could watch when I was a child, nor did she restrict what I could read. In my case, I think that was a good thing, because I already had a huge imagination and loved reading so much. For that I’ll always be thankful to Mom.
There are just as many people who don’t enjoy reading about the dark side as there are people who do. Do you enjoy reading about the dark side? And if you do, what do you like about it? Give it some thought. Wait…what was that? Was that a creepy, creaky door opening in the dark places of your mind? I’ll pick a winner at the end of the day to receive a trade paperback from my backlist.
Suspenseful, erotic, edgy, thrilling, romantic, adventurous. All these words describe Denise A. Agnew’s award-winning novels. Romantic Times Book Review Magazine called her romantic suspense novels “top-notch” and she’s received a TOP PICK from Romantic Times Book Review Magazine in erotic romance. Denise’s record proves that with paranormal, time travel, romantic comedy, contemporary, historical, erotic romance, and romantic suspense novels under her belt, she enjoys writing about a diverse range of subjects. The fact she has lived in Colorado, Hawaii, and the United Kingdom has given her a lifetime of ideas. Her experiences with archaeology and archery have crept into her work, as well as numerous travels through the UK and Ireland. Denise lives in Arizona with her real life hero, her husband. Visit Denise’s website at www.deniseagnew.com to read excerpts, enter contests and find links to her on Facebook, Twitter and My Space.
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Hi, Denise! What a great post! Like you, I also like to write on the darker side. Going into a killer’s mind is one of my best writing moments.
Hey Cynthia! And thank you so much for having me here today. I’ll be popping in and out to say howdy as the day goes by. Great minds think alike in writing, yes? LOL.
Excellent post. I’ve often wondered how you great writers can write such dark creatures. I’m glad that you do because I’ve found some real sickos that really make a great story. I guess it makes the heroes stronger. Thank you.
Hi Viki! I’m glad we can entertain you with our bad guys. I think it runs in our blood, eh Cynthia? LOL.
Hi Denise,
I do like reading about the dark side. I like the gritty and authentic feel of stories that take us to the dark places of our mind.
I think writing about the dark side has always been a part of me. From the time I was a little kid I wanted to write spooky stuff. 🙂 Gritty is definitely something I like.
I’m not so much into the darker side but I get past that
to the adventurous, suspenseful, and romantic parts of the
stories.
Pat Cochran
Pat,
For me personally I like to mix it all together. Adventure, romance, suspense and spooky. My favorite thing to write and read! 🙂
I enjoy visiting the dark side through the pages of a book… seeing how characters overcome their battles with darkness, whether battling internal demons or outside ones… adds a bit of adventure to everyday life…
A good description for what I like Colleen. In the end it’s about seeing those characters progress and battle and come out at the end with a happy ending. 🙂
And where would we be if you didn’t access your darker side?
These stories are full of suspense, adventure and in the end love.
Diane,
I think I’d be less of a writer if I couldn’t access that dark side, unfortunately. 🙂
I love reading darker stories, especially paranormal, futuristic, or fantasy – even as a kid. It’s always allowed me to challenge some of my own ideas of what is right or wrong, loyalty and trust, good versus evil. The darker stuff lets me know that no matter how bad things get, they could always be worse 🙂
A good take on the whole subject. It definitely helps us to see that things could be worse and that we really are doing well considering.
I love walking on the dark side. I tend to gravitate towards the books with the sadistic serial killer. Give me a evil guy that won’t back down, keeps coming after you think he will stop, is blatant in his attempts, won’t hesitate to torture someone…yeah, I’m down. I think everyone has that dark part of their mind where they think…”hmmm what if I just did this…*enter horrific moment here* instead of being human” Maybe everyones isn’t as dark as mine…maybe other people simply have Ally McBeal moments..lol. Ive been called twisted before 🙂
Nikki,
Hi there! I think most people don’t spend a lot of time thinking about their dark side or even believe they have one. You sound like many of the writers I know. 🙂 Writers can illuminate things that are out there that most don’t want to think about. What I love is being able to give the happy ending, no matter how grim the situation at the beginning. 🙂
Hi Denise 🙂
I enjoy a little dark in the books I read. Enjoy the realism it brings to the book.
Thanks for stopping by Cynthia’s blog, really enjoyed your post 🙂
Hi Michele! Glad I could give some shiver to you guys on the blog. 🙂 Thanks much for stopping by. 🙂
The winner of a backlist book is Cybercliper! Congratulations. Please email me at danovelist@cox.net.
Thanks everyone for stopping by and spending time with me. Here’s to a wonderful week to you all and a fabulous Halloween. Bwhwhawhahahah!!!!!
Thanks again, Cynthia, for having me on your blog. I really appreciate it.:)
Hi Denise. I haven’t read your books yet. They sound really good. I love to also read books that also have a dark side to them. Love your book covers. Congrats to the winner.
“Suspenseful, erotic, edgy, thrilling, romantic, adventurous. All these words describe Denise A. Agnew’s award-winning novels.” These all describe my faves. I’m putting you on my “to buy” list. Thanks
Whoo hooo!! Thank you so much Denise and Cynthia! E-mail’s on the way…