Welcome To The Dark Side
Recently at a discussion group I belong to, where we talk about things that go bump in the night and other matters new age and metaphysical, we talked about the dark side. It wasn’t as though we’d never talked about it before, but this time I had a bit of a revelation. You know those crazy moments where the light comes on and you learn something new about yourself? Several months ago another 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 my now out of print historical romance, MIDNIGHT ROSE.
After a little bit of thinking, the light bulb came on.
With a flash bang I 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 is 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, 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 in 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.
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?
I’ll pick a random winner to get a free download of Treacherous Wishes.
Hi there Vivi! You know someone I’ve never read? John Saul. Do you have an recommendations from his backlist for a newbie to his writing? As for meeting you, are you going to RT this year? I will have to stop by your table at the book signing if you’re going to be there and say howdy! I’m all for meeting light and frothy people who love good horror. :grin: 
