Aaaand done!

Yup, I’ve finished the aforementioned gargoyle story entitled; Thane the Monster.

It actually took me so much longer than I anticipated! I had planned to do this one, then several others to compile for another Halloween collection, but as they say, life got in the way.

I was going to spend much of the summer writing, lounging in the sun, generally feeling like a very glamorous author and lady of leisure.

The mistake I made was forgetting that I am now a mother of a three-year-old. Who is on Summer holidays. Any free time I imagined I had has been completely absorbed by day trips, paddling pools, play-dates and the like.

I should be clear, I have loved every minute of it, and having so much time for my son has been so wonderful. And many of my friends have teens that they never see anymore, which makes me all the more grateful for the time I have.

That been said, it has meant that I’ve actually gone through one of my slowest writing periods ever. I was actually having to read back through the beginning several times to make sure I was keeping the details consistent.

Anyway, it’s done and I’m actually pretty proud of the result. I did quite a bit of research into the Gothic genre and I made a point of trying to include some of the traditional style while also remembering that I’m writing smut and no one is going to notice my efforts. There’s a creepy setting, bad weather, confusing explanations, even a very on the nose title! What more could you want?

Ah yea, we’ll there’s even some of that thrown in too, for good measure.

I honestly did not intend this, I swear it! But I ended up putting a bit of a nefarious mystery element in there too. I couldn’t help it! It made the whole backstory so much more tragic and beautiful.

So, there you have it folks. Thane the Monster is now available on Amazon. Hope you enjoy!

Mary Shelley said, ‘Beware, for I am fearless, and therefore powerful.’

Well, Miss Shelley, you beware. For I am reckless, and therefore, unreliable.

Take care,

Strange

Getting Stoned

And by that, of course, I mean I’m writing a story about a mythological creature made of stone. Yup, Strange is writing about gargoyles!

Why? What did you think I meant?

Yes, readers, I’m really delving into some very niche tropes here, but hear me out! It seems that monsters and demons are the new vampires- people are really into it.

And here’s the other thing, they’re not alone. I’ve always found mythological monsters sexy too, but I figured I was the only one, isn’t that always the way with kink?

Funnily enough, I recently downloaded the Disney+ app for my son, and one of the recommendations was a show from the 90’s called ‘Gargoyles.’ I was so excited! I’m like, ‘I remember watching that show, I loved it as a kid/preteen. Come on, nostalgia!’

Anyway, ten minutes into watching it I suddenly realise that I wasn’t actually as invested in the storylines as I had thought. But I was completely captivated by ridiculously ripped, long-haired lead gargoyle, Goliath. Funny how you don’t realise what shapes your indulgences as you grow up, huh?

I’m also using this as an opportunity to get my teeth into a new style of writing; gothic. I’m having a lot of fun playing with imagery and personification to set the scene. Check this out:

The moon was waxing, almost full, but hidden behind a thick blanket of dark, angry clouds. The rain beat down upon the earth like stones, spiteful and sharp. The lightening was the only source of brightness, and it seemed to cackle madly at the irony of it’s fleetingness. No, it had no comfort to offer the humans it illuminated.

See that? Am I gothic AF or what? #sodark #strangeandelvira4eva

That’s one of the opening paragraphs; Mr Strange was very specific on what he wanted to see in this one, ‘Give me dark, brooding, storms, all that good stuff.’ And when I read him what I had written so far, his answer was, ‘Well, it’s good…But where’s the humour?’

Needless to say, I had an answer for him, but it’s not appropriate for this platform.

In other news, my straight novel is also coming along nicely, if veeeeery slowly. The main characters are literally just about to start their journey. It’s been hard trying to manage my pacing appropriately to such an epic word count, but I’m getting there. It’s weird having so much time to develop and get to know my characters, usually I’ve seen their best side, worst side and backside by now.

At this point, even I don’t know exactly how my characters are going to respond or how things are going to play out. My main concern is, how much do I like the characters? Usually I’m in love with them by now, but because I’m having to flesh the story out so much more than usual, I’m genuinely a little unsure. I like how I picture them in my head, but is that coming across yet in the story? Will people be invested in their development, rather than the face value? I guess time will tell.

For now, dear readers, I leave you with this quote from the aforementioned Disney series;

Goliath: Courage. Virtue. Struggling to do what is right. Gargoyles and humans want to believe that we are always in control. That we can aide our loved ones in any crisis. But there are times when life mocks our ride. That is when we learn humility, and that the greatest of our strengths is to persevere.

…fuck, that cartoon was hot.

Run away with me, Strange.