Quarantine day 27

Wow, day 27. Quick update on how things are going here . . . boring. It's okay, it's all a matter of not allowing the boredom to overtake the main purpose of the quarantine. It is sad to see Michigan and other states protesting about the stay-at-home orders. It will only prolong this for those of us who are listening to and obeying the rules like mature adults.

Anyway, today's book is extremely near and dear to my heart. So dear that we named our first golden retriever after the main character:

Luthor

I believe I first began writing Luthor in 1991. Steve and I were in our first apartment. This was one of the books that changed from what it was initially intended. This one changed in a big way.

You see, when I started the book, Luthor was supposed to be this horribly deformed, inbred monster that went around killing everyone. "Aaaahhhh! Run for your lives! Grab your children!" All of that.

When I began writing I had to answer my main question regarding any story:

Why? Why is he doing this and how did he become so horrible?

I knew I needed a horrible backstory to add to Luthor's creation.

Enter Joshua and Amanda, a brother and sister who are tormented and abused by their father. The family is well off, so the patriarch is free to do as he pleases.

Eventually, the siblings find the only solace than can-within one another's arms. Their relationship eventually produces a child. A child born with extreme deformities.

I did all of these things with the idea that Luthor would be born bad. But when I began writing the character something happened that had never happened so dramatically with my writing, and hasn't happened again.

Luthor changed the entire storyline. It was as if this fictional character, who had I had created, wasn't going to be born bad. He refused. He was a victim of the horrible situations he was born into, and all he wanted was to be normal.

It was almost as if the character was ghost writing through me. Suddenly this monster/slasher book was becoming a dark, but heartwarming, novel.

How much had it changed?

The original tagline was going to be:

"Dracula-Frankenstein-the Wolfman, that was then. Luthor, this is now."

But what it ended up being was:

"Within the eyes of darkness, there hides a child."

It's funny, the fond memories I have when I think back at the time when I wrote Luthor. I was still in my 20's and smoking. I would go on writing binges, even taking caffeine pills to stay up. There would be an ashtray on my desk that was usually full because I would smoke like a train.

I also had found this cool wrought iron lantern that hung from a chain above my desk. It was a candle holder, and for whatever reason, I felt it appropriate to light it whenever I was working on Luthor. I don't know what happened to that, I but wish I had kept it.

Luthor is a dark story, with parts that have been difficult for some to read. But hopefully you'll see what most do, and the light will over-shine the darkness of Luthor's story.

I hope you enjoy reading Luthor as much as I enjoyed writing it.

Click HERE to see the new trailer for the book.

           or

HERE to get paperback or eBook copies.

Thank you!

Stay Safe. Stay inside. Every day is one day closer. 💓