Shadows of Conviction = A new song has been uploaded! - #Music #Popular #Pop #Rock #Music #Song #MinneapolisCityscape #DarkShadow #EmotionalStorm #InternalConflict #FierySkyline #IntrospectiveJourney #GuitarRiffs #QuietReflection #LoneFigureWalking #UrbanNightLights #PowerAndStruggle #SocietalPressure #PensiveLook #HauntedEyes #CrumblingWalls #SteelAndConcrete #CryForHelp - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y-SxNersW4E

#WordWeavers July 26 Do you have any fight scenes in your work? What are they like?

Oh yes, and they range from realistic (a tussle with would-be robbers in Shadowed Memories Part 1) to crazy (like...in SM part 2 which I'm putting out in the coming months, where a more supernatural character faces off against a SWAT team being manipulated from the shadows). I really tried to capture the tension in the hoodlum scene, while also breaking down the quick movements of the combatants. In Part 2, there is some "bullet-time" action meant to show how fast and other-worldly a character can be, as he takes out his gun wielding does with his bare hands and objects in the book-store that he tosses with such force it knocks people out despite their protective gear.

#Amwriting #DarkShadow #ShadowedMemories

#writerscoffeeclub June 12: How much of your ideals are imbued in your work? Give an example

Well, seeing as the lead character in my wip is an alternate universe, way more badass, version of myself... 🤣 Kurai Kage works to find the fiends plotting the enslavement of mankind as a way to make up for what he's done in the past, and the darkness in his heart. He does have this internal struggle about it all, because of seeing all of the flaws in humanity and the vile things people can do, while trying to maintain hope because of the capacity for kindness and good that still exists.

#DarkShadow #Horror #ScifiFantasy #GothicHorror

#WordWeavers 11. What color do you associate with your current story?

Ummm. 😬 Maybe a goldish-brown, I guess, or a sandy color with a tint of red...? So far much of what goes on in #DarkShadow book 1 has been happening in a vast desert.

#writerscoffeeclub 30 May. Who do you write for?

Myself, and my characters.The handful of people who read my work. Whatever other big Vampire Hunter D fans there are out there who'd like something to read set in a similar world, but with a protagonist that doesn't start out in god mode, and has an internal struggle against darkness that continues through the series.

#VampireHunterD #VHD #DarkShadow #Author #Writer #IndieWriter #HorrorBooks #DarkFantasy

I usually do some writing on my breaks at work, but with all my stress and tiredness I decided to just read some more Vampire Hunter D instead. I've read all of the books translated to English, and love how they get better with each one, as well as how they get crazier with the challenges D must face. It's a big inspiration to my own work, more specifically my current project, the series #DarkShadow. Unlike D who is god-like right off the bat though, my fiend hunter starts off in a more feeble state. I hope those who end up reading enjoy his transformation throughout my books. My novel Shadowed Memories (prt 2) gives a decent glimpse into his future.

#Writer #Author #Tired #Exhausted #Drained #Life #DailyLife #HorrorWriter #VampireHunter #VHD #VampireHunterD #Inspiration

Hurray for getting some writing done before work! (WOOOH!) Enjoyed playing some new singles from upcoming albums I'm excited about, while working on this chapter where my mercs are trying to get to this treasure in a tomb guarded by a fire spewing mechanical eye. Wondering if I'm putting enough tension into it, or if I'll have to fight to push more in on the second draft. We'll see.

Happy imaginings,
E.L.F.

#DarkShadow #AmWriting #WritersLife #IndieAuthor #IndieWriter #Writer #Author #Horror #GothicHorror #DarkFantasy

Got some decent writing in before work, ready to get more words down on my next couple of breaks. 🤘🏾👁️ Happy to jump back into the world of #DarkShadow and enjoy the crazy things unfolding.
#writer #amwriting #author

#WritersCoffeeClub 4/20 What role does religion play in your writing?

It hasn't really played a role in anything I've published so far, partially because it's not something I think about or care for, BUT in the #DarkShadow series I will be exploring religion a bit. The Emperor in this post-apocalyptic world is a Jesus equivalent, said to have been put through a trial by temptation in this desert, before being granted the strength to overtake their machine oppressors by this "great" god. There are people who follow this religion and believe wholeheartedly that the emperor was blessed, some believe but are skeptical about the emperor (he's supposedly been alive for over a thousand years, people think he is just an image for the actual rulers to use), and then there are also other groups who follow another god(s). The main character doesn't believe in one all powerful god, and thinks any gods that exist or have existed are really just very powerful fiends/monsters using people.
#writer

"Whatever happens next, it’s your funeral,’ the daemon said.

‘My funeral? As if the universe would just let me die. It’s having too much fun fucking with me.’ Kurai walked into the building and closed the door behind him.

-From Shadowed Memories part 2. While I'm editing, I have to say I'm enjoying the big horror parts and Kurai parts the most. I'm wanting to work on a set of short stories after all this editing is done, but I can't wait to get back to Kurai's world, even if I am starting at book one which takes place way before Kurai jumps into this world while chasing down Argyle, The Bandaged Man.

#writer #author #amwriting #amediting #horror #ShadowedMemories #DarkShadow

#PennedPossibilities Does your MC have any nicknames?

The voice in the back of Kurai Kage's head that he refers to as his daemon sometimes calls him Darky or Prince of Darkness (his first name comes from a Japanese work meaning dark/gloomy). He's a half-fiend, and the daemon likes to goad him into embracing some of his less-human traits, while also poking fun at him.

#DarkShadow

#wordweavers 9 Mar: Could you survive a day in your MC's shoes?

😬 The world of #DarkShadow is full of bandits and monsters. The very presence of some friends is enough to freeze people in place while those of weak compositions could have a heart attack and die from their ghastly auras. Other fiends move so fast that the human eye has trouble keeping track of them. If you're not a half-fiend like Kurai Kage, or some other type of super human, depending on where you are in the world it'll be very difficult to survive. I'd say if I had to replace Kurai Kage I'd be toast, despite his character being another world's version of myself. He is beyond human, and that's part of why he is able to do the things that he must.

#AmWriting a short story set in my #DarkShadow world, to give my brain a little breather after finishing the first draft of my latest project. Having fun so far. I think I'll do a few of these little horror stories to further work on that universe before diving into Kurai's story.

#Writer #Author #StoryTelling #ShortStory #Fun

#WritersCoffeeClub #Writing 05 Would any of your stories make good TV shows or movies?

Yes. I think of them all as various forms of media as I write them. #DarkShadow especially, with its inter-dimensionality.

#AmWriting #IndieAuthor #Creative

How do I get to the point where I make decent money a year with my writing? Even just making as much as someone would make with a part-time job would be amazing, and help out so much. Of course the dream is to make an actual living with my craft, to do what I enjoy and not have to deal with dimwits who don't see a problem with everything happening right now here in the U.S. I would love to be able to enter different media with my big story; I have visions of movies, video games, even anime around #DarkShadow. Just bringing in enough from my work to have a little more financial security would be great though. I'll keep on writing. Working on the end of my current book, while looking forward, but I'm not going to pretend that it isn't all disheartening.

#AmWriting #IndieAuthor #IndieWriter #Writerslife

#WordWeavers 01/28: Did any specific world history inspire parts of your story?

Eh...my current wip #ShadowedMemories follows a writer struggling against supernatural forces in the present day. There isn't much of a historical inspiration there. My bigger world, #DarkShadow isn't much for historical inspiration either, it's biggest source of inspiration comes from the #VampireHunterD series. There is room for stories that take from life, like an idea I have for a city run by a totally incompetent wannabe king, and I could see myself expanding on a Plague short I've written with influence from the COVID pandemic.

#WordWeavers Day 27: Is your MC usually hot or freezing?

Kurai starts out in #DarkShadow on the cold side. He was in a sort of inter-dimensional stasis, and when he is awakened he's in a much worse state than prior. The poor guy is looked at as a handsome skeleton, frail and thin (although he is stronger than he appears). As the story progresses, he builds back up to some of his former muscle mass, and then is more on the warm side.

#wordweavers Jan 25th When shopping, what do your MCs look for? (Prices, brands, ethical sourcing, quality?)

Kurai Kage of #DarkShadow looks for durability. He's used to getting by with what he can find while on the field during his fiend hunts, but appreciates firearms and blades built to last. Most of his money actually goes into food, housing (inns along the frontier) and mounts. A good cyborg horse is worth twice its weight in gold.

I guess I should add that I like not having a rigid magic system in place because of how it opens up the possibilities (which could be important going forward with stories in #DarkShadow where Kurai Kage ends up traversing through alternate dimensions where his own abilities are limited, altered, or totally different because of the rules of these other worlds), but I understand how great having a tightly organized system can also be. Reading #Spellbreaker I love how there are these two groups of magic users, those who can weave spells and those who can unthread them, and the way the magicians work is very interesting, having leanings towards one range of spells or another while also having limits to how many they can contain within their own bodies. I'd highly recommend checking it out for a nicely fleshed out magical system.

#WritersCoffeeClub 25 Jan - Do you have a worked-out magical system (or advanced technology in sci-fi)? Or do you make it up as you go?

In #DarkShadow I'm pretty loose with the magic, coming up with new things as I go. There are a few different magical systems in play though, depending on the type of fiend, it's origin, and how the influence of the Shentahn has boosted or changed what they can do. There are vampires and werewolves, halfbreeds, mutants, gods and those blessed by them.

On top of all the monster stuff, there's a sci-fi element to the story. Along with conventional weaponry, there are guns utilizing laser technology, various degrees of mechanical suits, cyborg-horses, and the rare flying weapon platform.

This world is very inspired by the Vampire Hunter D series and its wild world of possibilities. While D is a half vampire, my Kurai Kage is partly a different kind of monstrosity, and his companion is a voice in his head that tries to get him to embrace his dark side.