I hope you've enjoyed my little short story Val's Blog. I wanna give credit for the character of Val to the same person that made that lovely bit of fan art in my first post, AphroditesChild. This story was actually a commission from her. She had a character and I built a story around it, folding it into the universe of The Paladin. (Oh, and please forgive the formatting in the last two posts. I just noticed how badly my website translates the text. I fixed it up for this post and I'll go back and fix it up for the other two soon!) Moments later the pair of vampires pushed through the backdoor, stepping out to the rear parking lot of Alu. With firm, purposeful strides, Valerie approached the concrete wall. Without pausing, the vampire leapt twelve feet up and over. She waited for several seconds, staring at the top of the wall before leaping back to the top. Looking down, she watched Sarah claw at the wall, trying to scurry up it.
"What are you doing? Get over here!" she said in a hushed shout. "I can't! I can't jump that high!" "Oh, for fuck's sake," she sighed, dropping down next to the girl. "You have got to be the saddest vampire I've ever seen." "Hey! Hold it!" cried a voice from the back of the bar. The two vampires turned to see a pair of men in cassocks approaching fast. "Hold it right there!" "Fuck!" Val groaned, grabbing Sarah by her belt. With a heave, she hefted the girl up and over the wall. The girl shrieked in surprise as she hurled through air, crashing into a pile of palettes on the other side with a hard thud. She rolled to her knees as Valerie landed beside her, grabbing the new vampire's hand and hoisting her up. "Move it kid!" The pair rushed between buildings, weaving through dark alleys, the cries of the paladins ever behind them. Valerie's hand drifted to her pistol, dreading the possibility that she might have to use it. She did not need a kill record with the Paladin Order on top of everything else. Rounding a corner, she kicked in plywood plank that was boarding up an abandoned building, tugging her new companion inside with her. The rotting smell of human waste and burned clothing assaulted the pair as they moved through the den of homeless drifters. An old man rushed at the pair with a broken scissor, but Valerie caught his wrist and jerked him to the side. "Fuck off, junkie, we're just passing through." This was the wrong thing to say as the group of people began to swear and yell. Shit, she thought, this isn't helping! Sarah covered her head as the group roared and screamed and pushed toward them, but Valerie didn't flinch. She calmed herself and threw her hands out. Her eyes turned a bright red and the encroaching mob froze in their steps. Mouths silenced and arms lowered, Valerie began to speak. "Sit." The room fell to the ground in unison. "You don't see us. We aren't here." Soon the room returned to it's former state, the various vagrants focused on attempting to get shaky needles into their withered arms. "What was that?" Sarah asked as she was dragged up a set of stairs. "The basics. Look, we don't have time for a lesson. Why do you have paladins chasing you?" "I don't know what that is," Sarah replied. "The guys chasing us! Why are they after you?" "I don't know!" "Come on, kid. Paladins are a bitch to deal with. You had to do something to get their attention. Who did you eat?" "No one! I... oh... " "Oh?" Valerie asked. "Oh, what?" "Well... there was this lady. It was my first night. I didn't know what I was doing." "Oh fuck, you ate a woman?" Valerie asked. "No! No! I... her... her dog." Valerie's shoulders sank. "You're kidding me." "It was my first night. I was so hungry." "Well... at least it wasn't a person. Still, I'm guessing you hurt the woman before you dined on Fido." "I... I don't remember," Sarah answered. "I'm sure you did. Otherwise the priests wouldn't be after us. Look, you gotta get out of town." "But... I don't know anyone out of town." "Of course you don't," Valerie replied, "that'd be too easy." She gripped the girl by the shoulder and directed her toward a window. The pair peered out, Valerie scanning for signs of the paladins. "Okay, I normally don't do this," she began, moving back inside and pulling a wad of bills from her back pocket. "You need to get to the bus station and go." "Go where?" Sarah asked, following her. "Pick a direction. Go as far as this will get you," Valerie said, stuffing the bills into the girl's hand. "Won't they follow me?" "No, paladins work locally. Move out of their jurisdiction and they have to hand it over to a new group. They're terrible at communicating with themselves. Keep moving and they can't keep a bead on you." Valerie poked her head back out, her keen eyes catching sight of an approaching Corolla. "When you get someplace safe, DM me," she added, watching two paladins step out of the car. "I'll see if I can't get you a list of safe places there." Valerie turned around to find herself wrapped in the girl's arms, tears streaming down her pale face. "Thank you so much!" she cried. "Yeah, that's great kid," Val replied, prying the girl off her, "but we've got two priests waiting downstairs for us." "Oh god," the girl said, scanning the room around her. "Don't freak out, okay? I'm going to get their attention. You need to run to the nearest bus station. Think you can do that? Think you can run?" "I.. I ran track in high school." "That's wonderful," Val replied, trying not to sigh audibly. "Okay, when I go out there, you start running, okay? Run and don't look back!" The girl nodded and Val moved to the window, watching as the paladins held a device up. "That's a long drop," she muttered. At ground level, Curtis stared into the screen of his cell phone, watching the scanned image of the building shift as he moved it. Chris stared over his shoulder, pointing at the second floor and stopping him. "That's gotta be her. Dark energy on the second story." "Dude, this is a squatter building..." Curtis whined, lowering the phone to look at the tagged up edifice of the building. "Druggies are God's children, too," Chris chided him, pulling back his cassock to reveal his pistol. "I know, but the smell..." "DIE PRIESTS!" The pair looked up as glass shattered and a screaming figure crashed into the ground before them. With eyes glowing red and a mouth filled with rows of fangs, the vampire creature roared in an unholy tone. "I will bathe in your blood, priests!" BANG! Valerie collapsed to the ground, clutching her knee and rolling back and forth, her form back to normal. "Fuck! Fuck, fuck, fuck that hurts!" "Don't move!" Chris warned, his gun drawn. "Whoa, whoa! Truce! Truce! You win! Don't shoot!" Val shouted, hands waving in front of her. Curtis drew his firearm and circled around beside her, inspecting the vampire. "This isn't the one." "Where's your friend?" Chris asked, moving in. "What friend?" BANG! Val clutched her other leg, cursing loudly. "God damn it!" "I know this isn't damaging you," Chris said. "It still fucking hurts!" Val cried, cradling both knees. "You regenerate fast, so really it's up to you how long we do this," Chris said. "Fine!" she cried. "She's going to the pharmacy." "What the hell does that mean?" Curtis asked "The pharmacy! You know what a damned pharmacy is, right?" "Yeah. What the hell is she doing at a pharmacy?" "She's grabbing you two some Viagra so you can go fuck yourselves." The paladins groaned in frustration, leveling their weapons at her once more. "No, no! Don't shoot!" she pleaded, scurrying to her knees and crawling to Curtis' feet. She wrapped her arms around his waist, pleading with him. "Please, no! Please, no! Don't shoot!" "We don't have time for this!" Chris cried, turning back to the building. "Put her in the car. I'll check for the other one." "You're not going to find her," Val said as Curtis seized her by her blond hair, dragging her up to her feet. "I doubt either of us will ever see that girl again." Val winced and stuttered as Curtis tugged her over to the Corolla, opening the door and tossing her into the back seat. She frowned and rubbed the back of her head, as he slammed the door behind her. Curtis turned back to the building, holstering his gun and producing his cell phone once more. "I'm not getting any traces of her," he shouted to his partner. The Corolla's engine roared. Curtis turned around to see Val in the driver's seat, blowing a kiss. The car sped away as Curtis lunged for it, cursing as he hit the pavement. Scrambling to his feet, he patted down his cassock as Chris rushed back to his side. "She took the fucking keys!" *** Sarah's hands trembled as she took hold of the ticket, stepping out of line and moving toward the waiting bus. Her eyes kept scanning the same line over and over: New York. She didn't know anyone there, but it was supposed to be a haven for vampires. More importantly, though, it wasn't here. Taking a deep breath, she held the ticket out to the uniformed man at the entrance to the bus. He punched a hole in it before handing it back and ushering her on. A faint smile managed to crack her lips as she found her seat. She reached into her pocket, pulling out what remained of the money Val had given her. She had to have known it was more than bus fare. With tears welling in her eyes, she leaned her tired head back into the plush headrest. The bus let out a hiss as the door closed and it lurched forward, the chassis rumbling as it eased onto the road. She dreamed of what it would be like when she stepped off the bus, of the new life that would await her in her strange new home. As long as she could get online, she had Val, and that was enough to get her through now. She opened her eyes, turned, and gave a high pitched yelp. Trembling she stared at the man now seated beside her. He was tall, in a black suit with an American flag pin on his lapel. "Sarah Mezkowski?" he asked without even looking at her. The young vampire froze. "W-what do you want with me?" "I'm Agent Crockett with the Bureau of Demonic Affairs. It's time to serve your country."
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Hope you enjoyed yesterday's installment of Val's Blog. Here's part 2! Val's thigh-high boots clacked against the concrete as she rounded the corner, pulling a black leather jacket up around her neck. She wasn't cold by any means, if such a thing was even possible anymore, but if someone was following this girl, she didn't need them getting a good look at her, too. The moon shined as she approached the park, a cheap, insulated lunch bag in one hand and a pistol on the opposite hip. She pulled her burner phone from the pocket of the jacket and flipped it open to check the directions her contact had given her. She knew why he preferred to do it someplace public, but it was still a pain in the ass for her.
Why did she have to be such a softie? Her mind drifted back to the days she spent after her coven turned her. Those dark days, alone, lost, trying to understand who and what she was. She never once regretted the benefits of her decision: a slim, gorgeous body that would last for eternity, senses that rivaled nature's best creatures, and strength beyond human capability. Still, stepping out during the day even once more might be nice. Feeling completely in control of her baser urges for sex and blood would be convenient, too. Seeing her contact flanked by a young woman, she cast aside her thoughts and slid her phone back into her pocket. "Took your time," the man said. He was tall, with well defined muscles and a strong, musky scent that she had picked up some time ago. "She's your problem now." "Hey," Val said, stopping him as he tried to leave. "I got questions for you." The man's eyes flashed with a gold tint, hints of elongated canines showing as he growled at her touch. "I said, she's your problem." Valerie's eyes narrowed as she watched him move off into the darkness. "Fucking wolves," she said, turning her attention to the girl. She sized her up, feeling a pang of pity. Even for a vampire, the girl was pale. She had to be freshly turned and it looked like she hadn't had a real meal since. "You look awful," she said. "I..." "Don't worry about it," Val said, opening her lunch bag. She slipped a blood bag from inside and handed it to the girl who only took a moment to inspect it before tearing into it. "Jesus, have some control!" The girl's lips and cheeks were stained with blood as she squeezed the last drops from the bag, casting it aside to lick her fingers. Val watched for several seconds as the girl scraped the spilled blood from her face and shirt, lapping at every drop. Had Val been this bad when she was hungry? She tried not to dwell on it, waiting for the girl to finish. "Feel better?" "God, yes," the girl replied, blood still streaked across her cheeks. Valeria sighed and reached out a hand to rub some of the blood off her cheek. "So what's your name, kid?" "Sarah," she replied. "Okay, Sarah. So what was so important I had to come out here?" "I'm being followed." "By who?" Valerie asked. "I don't know. Some guy in a black suit." Valerie looked around the park. The wolf's lingering scent was still in the air, overpowering most anything else. She scanned the trees and the bushes, seeing nothing but the typical wildlife. Still, it wasn't good to loiter here. Nodding her head, she led the girl down the park path. "Come on. Let's go someplace a little friendlier to our kind." *** Two men leaned against a beige Corolla, staring across the street. They wore long cassocks, split at the hip and flared out, white clerical collars peeking out around their necks. They had been watching the door for several minutes, exhausted looks on their faces. "Dude, I do not want to do this." "I gathered that during the car ride over," the other replied. "Take it up with Father Jones." "I'll take up his death wishes for us." "Curt..." "No, this is fuckin' insane, Chris. Why are we walking into a vamp bar in full uniform?" "Because," Chris replied, "they already know we're here. Trying to go in incognito would only stir things up more. Better to be upfront with them." Chris scratched his head, hand running through a shaggy mane of auburn hair. He patted himself down, checking for his basic tools; cross, holy water, pistol. All there. Curtis rolled his eyes and pushed away from the car, crossing the street. "Let's just get this over with." Moments later, the two paladins stood inside the door to the bar. The house lights were low, but neon signs and spotlights flashed, casting a rainbow of colors around the place. The bar looked packed, the hum of conversation barely audible over the loud, droning music that floated through the air. "This isn't as bad as I thought," Curtis said, moving toward the bar. "I figured we'd get a lot more stares." "I'm anti-freak, dude," Chris replied. "Trust me. They don't have to look your way to stare at you." The pair stepped up to the bar, catching the bartender's attention. He wore a denim vest, torn and adorned with pentagrams and band patches from the '90s, with black hair that shrouded one side of his face. He slithered their way, smirking as he approached. "Don't see a lot of priests getting drinks here." "You know what this is," Chris replied. "We're looking for someone." "Big doesn't rat out his children," the bartender replied. "This isn't one of Big's." "Maybe not yet," the bartender answered. "Either way, it's probably best you go about your business, priests." "Look," Curtis chimed in, "we just need to make contact. She's not in trouble, we just need to give her the talk." "I'm sure." "Can you give Big a call? Tell him Chris is just looking for someone," the paladin asked. His eyes never leaving the pair, the bartender reached out for a phone behind the bar, pulling it to his ear. He dialed a number and waited as it rang. "Big? Yeah, I got a couple of priests asking questions. Want me to send them packing?" "Tell him it's Chris!" the paladin repeated. "He says his name's Chris. Yeah? Uh huh? Okay, you're the boss." Chris smirked, quirking a single eyebrow as the bartender hung up the phone and turned to him. "So?" "Big says do what you got to do and leave." He leaned over the bar, his eyes flashing red and his fang protruding from his mouth. "Cause any trouble and we dine on holy blood tonight." "You're a mensch," the paladin replied. Across the bar, Valerie sat at a booth, her face aglow with the light of Sarah's cell phone. The newbie vampire watched over her shoulder as Val marked locations on her GPS. "Okay, so on this guy, make sure you don't stare, okay? He's a good vamp, but they hit him with something messed up. His face won't heal right. Still, he's a good guy, he can get you sorted out with a starter kit." "What's a starter kit?" Sarah asked. "Little bit of blood, some coconut water, sewing kit, first aid kit, and a few other sundries. Now, he's good, but he's not free, okay?" "I don't... I don't have any money," the girl replied. "Jesus, kid... the guy who turned you, what happened?" Sarah turned away and wrapped her arms around her chest. An annoying motherly instinct washed over Val, both disgusting and persistent. Hesitating, she reached out a hand to stroke the girl's hair. "Hey... I get it. You got ditched, right? Probably a boyfriend or something?" The girl sniffled and nodded. "Look, a lot of us don't come into this life for the right reasons. Still, we gotta live with the choices we made." She looked back at the phone, tapping the screen and dropping another pin onto the map. "If... If you haven't got any money, you can try this guy. He won't charge you, but... you will pay." "I don't know-" "Shh!" Val slapped a hand over the girls mouth, her eyes locked on the bar. Two men in black cassocks were chatting with the bartender: her suspicions were right. "We got priests, kid. Time to go." "What-?" "Just follow me," Val said, tugging the girl out of the booth and into the back of the bar. So far I've talked about The Paladin, gone into some of the lore and explained some of my process, but I haven't given you guys anything to sink your teeth into. Yet. Today I want to give you a taste of my novel's world with a short story I wrote called "Val's Blog." Val is a vampire who (shocker) runs a blog. She isn't a character in The Paladin, nor is she even in the same state the book takes place in, but it still happens in that world. She deals with her own problems existing as a vampire loner who feels compelled to help out new blood suckers. This means that on occasion, she has to deal with Paladins. I'll be breaking this into multiple parts, so look forward to part two tomorrow. Hey my little blood suckers! I hope you've all been eating well! --
So I got a message from a newcomer to the darkside just the other day. She was, shock of shocks, having trouble adjusting to, shall we say, the graveyard shift. Now, of course my initial response was to point her toward the back log of entries I have on just this topic... but I decided to be nice and address her issue. Apparently this is an issue a lot of you little rookie devils are having and I decided it's time to update the list. Here's a list of my top ten questions I keep getting asked even though I've answered them before. And, yes, for my own sanity, I've included links to the individual articles at the end of the post. 1. I got cut up but I'm not healing? WTF? I get about a dozen DM's like this a month, no joke. Someone gets gashed up flaunting their new lifestyle and suddenly realize band-aids aren't cutting it. It's always the same. I'm immortal now, so I think I'll jump off this building or fight that incredibly large pit bull that's always giving me the stink eye. Oh noes! I have a six inch gash running down my arm! What do? Okay children, gather 'round. If you're new to this game, you need to know that your powers suck. Accept this. Step one, get the wound sterilized and sewn up. If you can stitch, fabulous, if not, learn. You need to keep that thing from getting infected until your powers get strong enough to fix it, otherwise you're walking around with necrotic flesh drip everywhere you go. Not sexy. Next step: blood. And before you flood my inbox, no, I'm still not advocating munching on people. Even that asshole that steals your lunch at work. You know the one. Fuck that guy. Don't drink his blood, though. You need to get into a network. I have a list of reputable "donors" at the end of the article, see if there's one near you. If you live out in the boonies, things might be a little tougher (and how the hell did you find a vampire out there anyway?) Livestock isn't a terrible option if you can find it; something big that isn't going to miss the blood. It's not perfect, but it's a short term solution. What you really need to do is (and I loathe to suggest it) find a coven. You obviously know someone in the inner workings or you wouldn't be coming to my blog for answers. Exploit those connections where possible. Your last option, if you absolutely have no other leads, is to find a church. ... Valerie quirked her lips to one side, staring at her laptop screen. Her finger moved to tap delete, removing the last sentence. No, she thought, fuck those guys. With a long sigh, she pushed her chair away from the spartan desk and stood up. Wearing little more than her underwear, she moved through her studio apartment into the kitchen. She opened the fridge and revealed a shelf filled with blood bags, her "Capri Suns" as she referred to them. Snagging one, she bit the top off and took a quick sip before grabbing a bottle of French vanilla coffee creamer. She turned and moved toward her cupboard, the bag hanging from her now protruding fangs, and grabbed a plastic cup. She squirted the rest of the bag into the cup and added a healthy amount of creamer, taking a taste. Shrugging, she replaced the creamer strode back to her "office." She sat down as her phone buzzed and vibrated along the table. She picked up the old, clam-shell style phone, reading the number across the tiny exterior screen to see if she recognized it. She hesitated, running a hand through her platinum blond hair as the phone rang. Running her thumb along the edge, she finally flipped the phone open and hit the green button. "Yes?" she said. "This Val?" replied a deep, masculine voice. "Depends on who's asking," she replied. "Cut the bullshit. I got a baby bloodsucker." "What's it to me?" Val replied. "She's a fan of your blog or some shit. Look, she's been pestering me all week. Do you help people or not?" "I run a blog. Everything she needs to know is online." Val could hear the man on the other end pull away from the phone to talk to someone else. "She says she ain't got time for you, okay?" The vampire frowned as she listened to an exasperated voice argue with him in the background, pleading. "Just put her on the line," Val relented. "Fine, but this is prepaid, alright? Don't go eating up my minutes," he replied. "Here... talk to your friend." The phone crackled with the sounds of transfer, rubbing against clothing and hands before a faint voice came over. "Hello?" Valeria groaned silently. The girl's voice was so tiny, so fragile. "Kid, I don't really have time for this. What do you want?" Val asked. "I need help! Please, I don't know what to do." "You read the blog right?" "Yes! Every day!" the girl replied. "Good, it's all in there kid," Valerie responded. "There's even a search bar." "No, please, I need your help!" the girl pleaded. "I think I'm being followed." Val lowered her head, eyes shutting. Part of the reason the blog was so perfect was that it was impersonal. She didn't have to put herself in danger to help others and in a world of vampires, hunters, and everything in between, meeting strangers was definitely a vulnerable position. The girl peeped up again, asking if Valerie was still there. "Yeah, I'm here, kid," she replied, her thoughts drifting back to the days after her turning. "These people that are following you, what did they look like?" The vampire was answered by a faint shriek of surprise followed by the sounds of the phone shifting once more. "Eh? Val? Look, I ain't got all day, you coming to help her or not?" Valerie shook her head, eyes drifting up to the ceiling. A thousand silent profanities sailed through her mind as she stared at the pattern of foam cardboard above her. "Where are you?" Yesterday I mentioned the first two of the Paladin disciplines explored in my novel, The Paladin. Anti-Freak and Anti-Heretic are looked at as the physical disciplines within the Order, as Paladins specializing in these disciplines tend to focus on combat, both armed and unarmed. Today I'm looking at the last two disciplines, Anti-Specter and Anti-Demon, the spiritual disciplines.
The group of priests and monks that formed the early Order dedicated to fighting demons has been around nearly as long as the Church itself. Paladins in this specialty are skilled at detecting, assessing, and exorcising demons. While exorcism can take many forms in the world of The Paladin, the Order itself focuses on modern takes of traditional methods. Hell exists as a separate plane from Earth, one that demons can traverse, but only with extreme difficulty. Taking a host on Earth allows them to remain here indefinitely, so a Paladin's job is to sever the connection a demon has with their host and with this plane. This can be done a number of ways, and it's arguable about which ones are the most effective, but the Vatican sanctioned method of the Paladins is to utilize the spiritual energy within oneself and use it to sever a demon's connection, to their host if they have one, and to this plane of existence. There are lots of tools and tricks that can make this easier for any would-be exorcist, but you'll have to read the novel to learn more about those! The last arm of the Paladin Order is the Anti-Specters. Within the world of the novel, they were the most recently added discipline, Anti-Demon paladins having taken on this role previously. Around the time of Vatican II (an ecumenical council held by the Vatican in 1959) the Church's clandestine arm decided there was a significant difference between helping the souls of deceased humans (specters) move on and dislodging the denizens of hell. While both specters and demons can possess people, the process in moving them out is different. Paladins skilled in this discipline tend to be the most spiritually inclined, usually able to not only sense the presence of ghosts, but of certain people, too! While the process of exorcising a demon is akin to ripping a parasite from it's host, Anti-Specters tend to take a much softer approach, reasoning, coaxing, and easing a spirit into compliance. In much the same way that Anti-Freaks deal with a myriad of different monsters, Anti-Specters have several types of spirits they deal with, ranging from manifestations of emotional distress and to fully formed and sentient beings. Well, I hope you enjoyed this look into The Paladin. What class of Paladin is your favorite? Let me know down in the comments below! I mentioned before what the story of the paladins was trying to do, so I thought it might be worth the time to describe some of the in-world lore of The Paladin. So, without giving away any real spoilers, today I want to talk about the four Paladin disciplines.
Within my novel the Paladin Order acts as a sort of supernatural police force. Formed by the Catholic Church over centuries, the Paladin Order combines four distinct and unique groups into one. First up, the monster hunters. Referred to in the novel as Anti-Freak, Anti-Abomination, and Anti-Midionite, these paladins are specialists in fighting creatures of the night that are physical beings. This discipline was originally formed by faithful monster hunters that bowed to the wishes of the Vatican when it needed an army against the creatures of darkness. These are your classic monsters: zombies, vampires, werewolves, etc. Within the lore of my story, these monsters make up the bulk of threats against humanity, therefore the bulk of paladins within the story have taken this as their specialty. The next specialty are the Anti-Heretics. Originally formed from Crusaders, these paladins specialize in tackling human threats. This often comes in the form of witchcraft, but any human threat to the safety of the faithful is addressed by these people. That's all for today, but tomorrow I'll give you a brief look into the last two disciplines: Anti-Specter and Anti-Demon. I've been talking with a few people about my upcoming book and it's occurred to me that, beyond the brief explanation on this site's front page, I haven't really delved deeply into what The Paladin is. I've been hesitant to talk too much about the themes and elements in it because I don't want to give away any spoilers. That said, I know I really need to explain at least some things or potential readers may pass it by.
The Paladin follows the journey of Jonathan Sutter, a young man who is working through the Seminary (a school to become a priest.) Through a series of events, he learns about the world of the supernatural, a world of vampires, werewolves, witches, ghost, and demons, that has been right in front of him his whole life. His guides through this crazy world come in the form of the Paladin Order. Since I don't want to give away too much about the story itself, I'll talk about one of the biggest elements to it: The Paladin Order. Summed up, they are a clandestine order ordained by the Catholic Church to protect the faithful from the minions of hell, whatever form they make take. Over the centuries, the Order has grown, spread, and evolved. This means that the Order, while operating world wide, looks very different from country to country, or even just from state to state! There is an entire string of scenes that I had to unfortunately cut from the novel that illustrated this. The main group of Paladins in the story were supposed to be chasing a fugitive across the border into Canada. This meant that the American operatives, while technically being part of the same organization as their Canadian counterparts, had to request permission to cross the border and request the extradition of their target. The Order in the US works as a sort of contractor service under the US government, while the Canadian branch is closer to an actual office of the Canadian government. One of our protagonists is bogged down with the bureaucracy involved in crossing the border and ends up throwing protocol to the wind in order to catch their prey. I loved this section because it highlighted, not only how the US branch (where our protagonists work) operates, but how different sections across the world function. While referred to as The Paladin Order in the US, their compatriots across the border answered the call as Les Chevaliers. I regret that Paladin Ledux was cut from the story and her greeting, "Bonjour, le diocèse de Montréal de chevaliers. Je suis Chevalier Ledux, comment puis-je vous aider?" had to go, too. In a more general sense, this book is about people dealing with the strange world around them. About being desensitized to violence and suffering. About trying to understand threats on a grander scale than they ever have. About how they react when their logic, their faith, and their trust is strained by this world. I'll be exploring what it means to belong. What faith is. What people do when everything they thought they knew is a lie. I hope that helps explain things a little and I hope you're as excited as I am about the release of The Paladin. As always, leave me questions or comments down below. I'd love to hear what you guys are thinking. DFTBA. So I thought today I would let you know a little bit more about what I did before I started on the paladin. I have had a lot of interest over the years, and those have ranged from writing (of course!) to pro wrestling. Now at first he may wonder how in the heck these two things are connected, but give me just a moment and I’ll explain.
I would like to think that first and foremost I am a storyteller. Now, how those stories are expressed can vary. Of course when I write The Paladin, It’s easy to see what I’m doing. When I ventured into the world of professional wrestling I learned a completely new way of telling stories. For those that don’t watch professional wrestling may look like a bunch of lunkheads beating each other over the head with stool chairs and grunting on microphones. Well, it kind of is dad. But it’s also so much more. It tells a story. Every match outlines the good guy, the bad guy, and the struggle. And when you get to guys who know each other well, and work together well, you can have some of the most amazing stories ever told. Now, I’m not going to say that I’ve told the most amazing stories in the ring, but I’d like to think that the tales of El Zitro will be remembered by those who watch them. I learned a lot from my time in the ring. I even traveled all the way to the Netherlands to learn from two of the best I could find on how to refine the craft of telling a story in the rain. What I learned was that it’s not all that different from what I do on the page. First, I have to hook my audience. Do you need to have characters that are memorable, there are a little larger than life, but there are also relatable. You need to have a clear motive and clear obstacle in the form of a villain. Your characters need to know what there after, and I need to know what standing in the way of getting that. And finally, you need to have the struggle. As the Macho Man once put it, the divine contest. The art of pro wrestling has evolved with storytelling as well. Much like the best stories today, the good guys don’t always win. Sometimes, the best characters out there are the bad guys. They have the best motivations, the best looks to them, and honestly, they usually have the coolest moves. But, even if they plow through all the good guys, the sun eventually rises. For every dark, evil character, there is always a hero to Thort them in the end. But, like real life, the story and pro wrestling never really ends. The good guy will eventually come out on top, yes, but it’s just until the next story begins. And that is when this lovely cycle starts all over again. So, I hope this gives you a little insight into me. I would like to think that I learned a lot from my time in the rain, and maybe when I get around to it, I’ll put up a couple pictures of my wrestling days. For now though, I just hope that everything I learned in the rain, will come in handy on the page. Today I figured I'd give everyone an update on where I am with the story.
If you haven't seen my Instagram pic, I've basically managed to shave off a little over 1,000 words so far. It's good, but I still have a long way to go, and this ties back to my previous post about killing your darlings. Today I lamented over a paragraph that I really liked, that I thought was funny and showed some good character interaction, but in the end, added nothing to the plot. Removing made the chapter flow a lot smoother and I know that the novel is better for it. Still... I liked that silly little paragraph. I'm also building a list of publishing agents within my genre (Urban Fantasy) for my first round of submissions. I know I'm unlikely to get an agent during my first round of submissions, but if I'm lucky enough to have them explain why they reject me, I can use that info to improve the novel and submit to other agents in my second round. I'm also working with a few of my beta readers to make sure the overall plot works out. So far I've gotten general positive reviews with a few minor critiques that I've taken to heart. My goal is to finish up this edit by the end of the month, begin sending out the first round of query letters, and put up the first three chapters for you guys to enjoy. On that note, would anyone be interested in me posting some character profiles here on the blog? I think I can profile most of my characters without revealing spoilers about the novel (other than the fact that the main character meets them.) Let me know how you feel down in the comment section below. Thanks for reading and don't forget to be awesome. DFTBA! This week I wanted to share one of my lighter songs. There's a lot of dark scenes, a lot of tragedy and hardship explored in The Paladin, but I don't want that to detract from the fact that even in the worst of times, there are moments of peace and even happiness to be found. This week I want to share The Girl from Ipanema performed by Bebel Gilberto. I understand this is a stark contrast from last weeks Rob Zombie piece, but as a writer I need to be able to swing from mood to mood on a dime. I need to be able to writer a tragic death scene today and an intimate love scene tomorrow. The Girl from Ipanema, specifically Bebel Gilberto's performance, is calming, relaxing, and delicious to my soul. It brings more than a calm, it brings a sweet ease, something actively non-active. It's been valuable during my brainstorming sessions and will get a lot more play in the follow up story to The Paladin. (No spoilers, but I do name drop this character in this novel!) So especially with the events that have occurred recently, I invite you to join me today in melting away into the sweet serenade of Bebel Gilberto. Let your soul relax and see what inspiration flows for you. Is there a song or artist that you go to for inspiration? To calm down? To get jazzed or psyched? Tell me in the comments below! Thanks guys! I'm not really sure how to process what happened in Las Vegas last night. For those of you who don't know, up until a couple months ago I was a news photographer in Las Vegas. That means if I hadn't made the decision to focus on my novel, I'd've been at Mandalay Bay with my comrades covering the whole event.
I've covered bad stuff before, but never anything of the magnitude and enormity of this shooting. I've been to Mandalay Bay countless time. I've seen the Route 91 festival before. I've covered that area of the Strip so often, I can't help but wonder if I would've been there when this happened. I watched KTNV's coverage of the event and it brought tears to my eyes as the death toll rose. I just can't imagine what would go through a man's mind to make him want to commit such a random act of incredible violence against completely innocent bystanders. It's unfathomable. I really don't even know what to say about. I don't have a way to tie this into my book. Sorry about that. Hopefully tomorrow will be more light hearted post. For all my comrades in the media that spent the night covering the event, uncertain of your own safety, thank you. |
Matias TautimezKeep your eyes open for my debut novel, The Paladin. Archives
January 2023
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