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Here at THE DARK SIRE, we not only publish works in Gothic, Horror, and Fantasy genres, but we also publish works of Psychological Realism. You might say that it helps assuage our literary voyeurism. Psychological Realism does more than just tell a story; it takes us into the minds of the main characters to explore their thoughts and motivations. It begs the question, “Why?” Think of the opening of Moby Dick: “Whenever I find myself growing grim about the mouth; whenever it is a damp, drizzly November in my soul; whenever I find myself involuntarily pausing before coffin warehouses, and brining up the rear of every funeral I meet... then, I account it high time to get to sea as soon as I can.” On the surface this tells us why Ishmael went to sea to eventually encounter the White Whale, however, in the context of Psychological Realism, we would want to know why he was grim about the mouth, what made it a damp, drizzly November in his soul, and what his fascination was with death that made him stop before coffin warehouses and bring up the rear of every funeral procession he met. At TDS, we look to Fydor Dostoevsky. His writings focused on the inner lives of his characters and what made them tick. What was the motivation for their actions? How did they rationalize distasteful and criminal acts to make those unacceptable crimes acceptable? He explored themes of suicide, murder, morality, and human manipulation. It is this latter part that TDS loves the most. Being a dark-themed publication, we want the twisted sense of mind and the decay of the human psyche. Dostoevsky delivers the subject matter we look for in our stories while our authors, poets, and artists take his cue and amp up the twistedness to create truly darker sentiments of the founding father. Psychological Realism also includes the element of “polyphony,” or the simultaneous presence of multiple voices and perspectives which may or may not gel with each other giving us unreliable narrators, forcing the reader to choose which reality to accept. Writers in this genre take us into the chaos of the human mind as it struggles with nature vs. nurture and reaches a conclusion that may be more surrealistic than real. Morticia from The Addams Family outlined this perfectly when stating, “What is order to the spider is chaos to the fly.” This leads us to an interesting point. In Psychological Realism, there is no such thing as “the final word.” With each individual narrator expressing THEIR particular point of view, which one is right, and which one is wrong? Film director Akira Kurosawa used this element to perfection in his film, Rashamon, in which the murder of a samurai and the rape of his wife is examined from four different points of view. Each character reveals their ideal self through the dishonest retelling of the events. Some superb examples of Psychological Fiction, well worth your time include: Crime and Punishment by Fydor Dostoevxky Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold Lord of the Flies by William Golding SUBSCRIBE to TDS for the best psychological realism fiction, poetry, and art.
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With our first anniversary quickly approaching, THE DARK SIRE would like to commend the fantasy authors who we have published over the year. Fantasy is not an easy genre in which to write. You know the old adage: If it were easy then everyone would be doing it. It takes skill, perseverance, and a willingness to take the time to create not just a storyline for your characters but also a world in which characters must perform. That world can be as far out as the imagination will take it, but it must adhere to its own set of immutable rules. In Shroud of Darkness by Gregory J. Glanz (Issue 3), the author takes readers into a world much like J.R.R. Tolkien. His protagonist is a half-breed Orc/human who lives in caves ruled by a sadistic Orc chieftain. Glanz creates a world by immersing the reader's senses into a realm in which they would never venture on their own. “The myriad smells of shit, blood, tears, urine, sweat and other hints of olfactory disgust that he could only guess at, nudged at this flat nose and narrow nostrils, mere aromatic wraiths of their real strength in his half-breed nose...” Glanz not only creates as sense of place, he makes the reader experience it with all five senses. In The Heart of Living Flame (Issue 4), author Anthony Santiago skillfully blends fantasy with noir as he introduces his readers to a realm that exists with more than just a little touch of magic. His world is not real, yet we recognize it immediately as a mirror of our own. “The man who exited the squat concrete building moments later looked like no one in particular. Dressed as he was in drab olive khaki, it would have been tough to guess that the unassuming person and the hero known as Phoenix were one in the same...” Only moments before, we had experienced his grandiose flaming entrance into the kind of park that most of us have seen at one time or another. This is truly a hero story that takes a turn from the norm, and then twists expectation into non-existence. Gregory J. Glanz returned to our pages with his story, Descent into Darkness (Issue 4), a continuation of the adventures of Wank, the half-human/half-orc creature he introduced us to in Shroud of Darkness (Issue 3). Although dealing with a dark underworld, both stories represent the epitome of the kind of High Fantasy that TDS seeks to publish. Mr. Glanz has created a fictional setting that is totally independent of the real world. His dark, underground world is extensively detailed with extravagant characters. A cavern may be shaped like an arrowhead; the underworld moss torches burn blue; reflections of light and shadow flicker from some unknown power. It's a story that impacts the reader long after the ride stops, keeping everyone hungry for more. Over the past year, THE DARK SIRE has sought out fantasy stories that embody magic systems that are completely unique and imaginative. Those that draw you in with their well-developed settings filled with unparalleled depth and detail of sights, sounds and even smells, engaging the five senses. The kind that have characters who most of us can identify with, encouraging our empathy with the hero or heroine in their struggle on their quest. In the coming year, THE DARK SIRE is committed to bringing our readers more of these engaging stories. We want to take our readers on the magic carpet ride of excellence with the kinds of stories that they can’t get enough of, stories filled with intricate, complex worlds. The next issue of TDS will be available on October 31st. Feel the anticipation and get ready to escape reality. Subscribe to THE DARK SIRE literary lagazine for the best in fiction, poetry, and art.
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THE DARK SIRE Literary Magazine is about to celebrate its first anniversary. Over that year, here at TDS, our goal was, and is, to publish the best in Gothic literature. Our authors have taken their readers through gruesome narratives, supernatural terrors, and dark, picturesque scenery. When you pick up a copy of THE DARK SIRE, you can be sure that you will find stories that will evoke feelings of suspense and fear and a myriad of frightful concepts.
W. C. Mallory crafted his short story, Grave, to be a dark tale inspired by the Hammer horror films of the 1960s. It is easy to imagine Christopher Lee as the sinister Dr. Wertenberg standing behind the massive oak door that opened “with the weariness that the groans of a hundred tormented souls could not have produced...” Mallory teased our senses by placing us in a room “heavy with the scent of ash and charred oak.” We hear, we feel and eventually we become the unnamed narrator as he is manipulated towards his doom.
A recipient of the 2015 Oscar Wilde Award from Grival Press, Mike Zimmerman pushed the envelope with his short story, Chambers, as he, with Poe-like precision, takes his hero, the new butler to a great lord, through the dark and heavily draped interior of the lord’s mansion only to discover mysteries of a locked room and portraits of women wearing the same ruby necklace. And as with any great Gothic story, we discover the lord’s mansion to have rooms “as cold as the coldest chambers of his heart.”
John Kiste is an Edgar Allen Poe impersonator and the winner of the 2019 Camden Press Predators and Editors readers’ poll. His short story, Kettering Hall, melds the supernatural and metaphysical worlds into a harrowing story of imagined (or is it) pain and retribution and leaves us wondering who haunts whom? Look for an interview with him in an upcoming blog.
Maureen Mancini Amaturo in Once Bitten: A Vampire’s Lament, took us deep into the mind of a vampire who still remembers who he once was. “A night animal, fanged and winged and crouching from all that is good and light. Starved for love. A monster in other’s eyes, others who did not know me before, never knew me as a man...”
At TDS, it has been our sincere hope that our stories have made you, our reader, feel more alive by taking your imagination through realms of terror, torment, and madness with macabre tales from the finest writers currently creating in the Gothic field. As we get ready to celebrate our first anniversary, we hope that you will be looking forward to what’s coming in the new issues by remembering what we have read in the old. To paraphrase Edgar Allen Poe, we want you to peer into that deep darkness with us and dream the dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before.
W. C. Mallory crafted his short story, Grave, to be a dark tale inspired by the Hammer horror films of the 1960s. It is easy to imagine Christopher Lee as the sinister Dr. Wertenberg standing behind the massive oak door that opened “with the weariness that the groans of a hundred tormented souls could not have produced...” Mallory teased our senses by placing us in a room “heavy with the scent of ash and charred oak.” We hear, we feel and eventually we become the unnamed narrator as he is manipulated towards his doom.
A recipient of the 2015 Oscar Wilde Award from Grival Press, Mike Zimmerman pushed the envelope with his short story, Chambers, as he, with Poe-like precision, takes his hero, the new butler to a great lord, through the dark and heavily draped interior of the lord’s mansion only to discover mysteries of a locked room and portraits of women wearing the same ruby necklace. And as with any great Gothic story, we discover the lord’s mansion to have rooms “as cold as the coldest chambers of his heart.”
John Kiste is an Edgar Allen Poe impersonator and the winner of the 2019 Camden Press Predators and Editors readers’ poll. His short story, Kettering Hall, melds the supernatural and metaphysical worlds into a harrowing story of imagined (or is it) pain and retribution and leaves us wondering who haunts whom? Look for an interview with him in an upcoming blog.
Maureen Mancini Amaturo in Once Bitten: A Vampire’s Lament, took us deep into the mind of a vampire who still remembers who he once was. “A night animal, fanged and winged and crouching from all that is good and light. Starved for love. A monster in other’s eyes, others who did not know me before, never knew me as a man...”
At TDS, it has been our sincere hope that our stories have made you, our reader, feel more alive by taking your imagination through realms of terror, torment, and madness with macabre tales from the finest writers currently creating in the Gothic field. As we get ready to celebrate our first anniversary, we hope that you will be looking forward to what’s coming in the new issues by remembering what we have read in the old. To paraphrase Edgar Allen Poe, we want you to peer into that deep darkness with us and dream the dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before.
Subscribe to The Dark Sire for the finest in Gothic literature.
Great stories are rooted in the characters inhabiting them. S. M. Cook has given us a treasure trove of characters in her novel, Kyuuketsuki, in which she has fused vampires with her love of the Japanese culture.
During the first year of publication, THE DARK SIRE has been privileged to present to its readers the first two chapters (printed as four parts) of S. M. Cook’s novel. Here at TDS, we thought that you, the reader, might like to hear from the author herself. Therefore, we prepared some questions and S. M. Cook was gracious enough to answer them.
So here, launching The Creative Nook (a new series, released every Monday at 11am, that features author, poet, and artist interviews) for the first time is our interview with S. M. Cook.
TDS: Thank you for taking the time to answer our questions. I can’t tell you how fascinated we are by your creative choices. What drew you to the Japanese culture and why did you fuse it to vampires?
S. M. Cook: I first became interested in the Japanese culture back in high school during a Russian History class, of all things. It was when we were studying about a war between Japan and Russia. I found the Japanese way of life interesting because it was unlike any cultures I had learned about before that point in time. I think it was that even during war with another country, the Japanese had a sense of honor about them. They fought with it, died with it, and lived their lives adhering to it. I also first learned about the samurai and their bushido during this time. The samurai were my inspiration for the Senshin Warriors, the group that the protagonist, Shizuka, is a part of.
As for fusing the Japanese culture with the vampire one, that’s simple. I’m an avid anime watcher and manga reader, so I have encountered various Japanese vampire stories in this way. Also, in college, my degree field was Asian Studies with a focus on Japan, which allowed me to learn even more about the Japanese culture, as well as their history and folklore. I grew up with the more European idea of “vampire” but have always been fascinated by what “vampire” was in other cultures. So in my story of Kyuuketsuki, I wanted a different vampire that most English readers have not encountered. As the story progresses, I bring in various vampire cultures from all over the world. But of course, since my heart is in Japan, I chose to make my main character Japanese.
TDS: While reading Kyuuketsuki, I was reminded of Vampire Hunter D by Hidehuki Kikuchi and wondered who your biggest influence has been.
S. M. Cook: I know of Vampire Hunter D, but it’s not a story I’ve pursued to be honest. I think in Kyuuketsuki I have had several big influences. First would be the manga/anime Vampire Knight because of their take on Vampires having a progenitor, as well as having a vampire council that determines the rules and laws for the vampire race. I know the idea of a progenitor is also in Anne Rice’s Queen of the Damned, but the Japanese lore drew me in more deeply with their portrayal and story.
A second influence would be the manga Vampire Game, another story of vampires and the Japanese idea of the vampire. This time, the vampire is charming, cunning, but in some way likable although the villain. That’s part of the inspiration behind Lazarius.
Thirdly would be Selena from the film series Underworld. She is such a strong yet vulnerable character, and I wanted Shizuka to be both. I also wanted her to be good but flawed and with her own agenda. There are obviously various other influences, but those are the main ones, I think.
Also, as I mentioned briefly above, samurai were a big influence on the team that Shizuka works with -- the Senshin Warriors. The bushido code that samurai followed was their way of life. It meant that they lived frugally, with loyalty, honor, and martial arts mastery. The Senshin are vampires who hunt down and capture, preferably rather than kill, other vampires who are causing hell and havoc or involved in activities the vampire council would disapprove of. The Senshin Warriors live by a similar code of honor and loyalty as the samurai, although few of its members are Japanese.
TDS: It has been said that people are drawn to questions of wrongdoing and injustice. How do you see your main character, Shizuka, mirroring the lives of your readers?
S. M. Cook: I’m not sure how much Shizuka mirrors my readers lives because I write to bring a world to life; I don’t really worry about the readers, so to speak. Like any author, I want people to enjoy what I have written, but I don’t go into it for the readers, I go into my story with a desire to tell something different.
However, that said, I think Shizuka, like many people, has lived through difficult and painful times. Shizuka has the same struggles of right and wrong like most of us do. She may be a vampire, but her Japanese sense of honor is something she can never fully ignore, and thus, sometimes her choices are harder than needs be. She has lost the people she has loved; she is not the same person she once was because fate has interfered, if you will. I don’t want to give away too many details, but I will say that Shizuka’s world was changed due to a yet unknown (to her) person.
TDS: Shizuka and Lazarius are both portrayed as perpetrators and victims. How do you achieve the balance that will hopefully engage your readers?
S. M. Cook: When I started writing Kyuuketsuki, I wanted a main character that the reader had just a tiny bit of dislike or even hatred for. You want to root for her, but you don’t always like her choices, because I think a lot of people can relate to that mind set: You want something so bad, you are willing to do almost anything to achieve it. But the opposite is true of Lazarius. He is the direct cause for Shizuka being a vampire, and he revels in his control over her. But it’s because he knows, deep down, that Shizuka could destroy him if he were not her master. But I didn’t want him fully hated. Sometimes we don’t have a choice in how our lives turn out, and while I wanted people to dislike or even hate Lazarius, I don’t want it that cut and dry.
Some of the greatest villains are the ones you can connect with, can understand their reasons and motives. While on the reverse, some of the best heroic characters are the ones that leave just the slightest bitter taste in your mouth, if you will.
TDS: What particular themes and/or motifs do you enjoy exploring in your writing?
S. M. Cook: I’ve always been a huge fantasy reader more than anything else. Stories like The Dark Tower series, or Lord of the Rings, or even The Discworld series have always given me a passion to want to write. The theme of good over evil but with a character’s own internal conflict continue to draw me in. For me, I wanted to use a traditional theme but achieve it in untraditional ways. The idea of how much a person can change after a heart wrenching traumatic incident, lose themselves, but also reach their goal while coming out stronger - finding something else to live for rather than just feeding on the hatred in one’s heart - is always fascinating.
TDS: What observations do you have about the Gothic/Horror community?
S. M. Cook: To be honest, I’m not much of a horror person. I only like a few horror films and I don’t read much in the way of horror stories. Gothic, however, I’m more old school. I enjoy Poe’s stories and poems the most. I think true gothic literature seems to have fallen by the wayside, and people now lump it in with horror. I find this disheartening because gothic literature is vastly different than horror, and especially gothic-horror. I must admit, until I became part of THE DARK SIRE, I didn’t really think there were many gothic/horror readers any longer. I was pleasantly surprised to find out there are still a large number of readers who enjoy such works.
TDS: What is the "Blood Ruby" and what is its significance to the story?
S. M. Cook: The Blood Ruby is an ancient medallion created centuries ago for a powerful vampire to use as a means to control other vampires who were out of sorts -- killing recklessly, losing control of their vampire nature, etc., so that humans would not learn of their existence. Through the passage of time, the medallion has changed hands, been lost, been found, and been used for both good and evil. In the wrong hands it could be used to control the human race (and thus control vampires!), because they need human blood to survive.
However, Shizuka also wants the Blood Ruby. It is the only way she can destroy her master: the man who made her a vampire -- Lazarius! So while she is trying to locate the medallion for the council, she has her own ulterior motives, too.
TDS: While Kyuuketsuki was being serialized in THE DARK SIRE, you also had a poem, Hell's Love of Heaven's Hatred, published in the first issue. So which are you first, a poet or a writer? Also, what themes do you explore in your poetry?
S. M. Cook: I have always been a poet first. I began writing poetry back in middle school, usually for my own benefit. Poetry helped me get ideas and thoughts out on paper and explore different themes. My poems vary in their meter, rhythm, and content. Some are fun, light and fluffy while others are darker, talking of loss and death. So in this case, I don’t stick to any one particular theme or group of themes.
Although I am a poet first, I’ve also written short series scripts, as well. I enjoy writing because it lets me create other worlds that I can share with people who enjoy reading. I can get lost in my work, even for just a little while and thus allow others to get lost, too.
TDS: Your poem, Hell's Love of Heaven's Hatred, was later composed by Fernando Fidanza as a folk song. What did you think when you first heard your poem as a folk song?
S. M. Cook: I was greatly surprised and a little emotional when I first heard it. When it was first played for me, I wasn’t even told that it was my poem. I kept listening, thinking I knew this piece but couldn’t place it. Then, one of the lines popped out at me. I knew the line because it was one of my favorites in the poem -- Saints of hell are traveling near. To say I was floored would be an understatement. I absolutely loved how Fernando created the song. He gave it such a gritty dark tone, capturing the poem perfectly. I was so grateful he chose to do my poem.
You can hear Fernando Fidanza's rendition of S. M. Cook's poem, Hell's Love of Heaven's Hatred, on our YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/KyGhy4sKIao.
During the first year of publication, THE DARK SIRE has been privileged to present to its readers the first two chapters (printed as four parts) of S. M. Cook’s novel. Here at TDS, we thought that you, the reader, might like to hear from the author herself. Therefore, we prepared some questions and S. M. Cook was gracious enough to answer them.
So here, launching The Creative Nook (a new series, released every Monday at 11am, that features author, poet, and artist interviews) for the first time is our interview with S. M. Cook.
TDS: Thank you for taking the time to answer our questions. I can’t tell you how fascinated we are by your creative choices. What drew you to the Japanese culture and why did you fuse it to vampires?
S. M. Cook: I first became interested in the Japanese culture back in high school during a Russian History class, of all things. It was when we were studying about a war between Japan and Russia. I found the Japanese way of life interesting because it was unlike any cultures I had learned about before that point in time. I think it was that even during war with another country, the Japanese had a sense of honor about them. They fought with it, died with it, and lived their lives adhering to it. I also first learned about the samurai and their bushido during this time. The samurai were my inspiration for the Senshin Warriors, the group that the protagonist, Shizuka, is a part of.
As for fusing the Japanese culture with the vampire one, that’s simple. I’m an avid anime watcher and manga reader, so I have encountered various Japanese vampire stories in this way. Also, in college, my degree field was Asian Studies with a focus on Japan, which allowed me to learn even more about the Japanese culture, as well as their history and folklore. I grew up with the more European idea of “vampire” but have always been fascinated by what “vampire” was in other cultures. So in my story of Kyuuketsuki, I wanted a different vampire that most English readers have not encountered. As the story progresses, I bring in various vampire cultures from all over the world. But of course, since my heart is in Japan, I chose to make my main character Japanese.
TDS: While reading Kyuuketsuki, I was reminded of Vampire Hunter D by Hidehuki Kikuchi and wondered who your biggest influence has been.
S. M. Cook: I know of Vampire Hunter D, but it’s not a story I’ve pursued to be honest. I think in Kyuuketsuki I have had several big influences. First would be the manga/anime Vampire Knight because of their take on Vampires having a progenitor, as well as having a vampire council that determines the rules and laws for the vampire race. I know the idea of a progenitor is also in Anne Rice’s Queen of the Damned, but the Japanese lore drew me in more deeply with their portrayal and story.
A second influence would be the manga Vampire Game, another story of vampires and the Japanese idea of the vampire. This time, the vampire is charming, cunning, but in some way likable although the villain. That’s part of the inspiration behind Lazarius.
Thirdly would be Selena from the film series Underworld. She is such a strong yet vulnerable character, and I wanted Shizuka to be both. I also wanted her to be good but flawed and with her own agenda. There are obviously various other influences, but those are the main ones, I think.
Also, as I mentioned briefly above, samurai were a big influence on the team that Shizuka works with -- the Senshin Warriors. The bushido code that samurai followed was their way of life. It meant that they lived frugally, with loyalty, honor, and martial arts mastery. The Senshin are vampires who hunt down and capture, preferably rather than kill, other vampires who are causing hell and havoc or involved in activities the vampire council would disapprove of. The Senshin Warriors live by a similar code of honor and loyalty as the samurai, although few of its members are Japanese.
TDS: It has been said that people are drawn to questions of wrongdoing and injustice. How do you see your main character, Shizuka, mirroring the lives of your readers?
S. M. Cook: I’m not sure how much Shizuka mirrors my readers lives because I write to bring a world to life; I don’t really worry about the readers, so to speak. Like any author, I want people to enjoy what I have written, but I don’t go into it for the readers, I go into my story with a desire to tell something different.
However, that said, I think Shizuka, like many people, has lived through difficult and painful times. Shizuka has the same struggles of right and wrong like most of us do. She may be a vampire, but her Japanese sense of honor is something she can never fully ignore, and thus, sometimes her choices are harder than needs be. She has lost the people she has loved; she is not the same person she once was because fate has interfered, if you will. I don’t want to give away too many details, but I will say that Shizuka’s world was changed due to a yet unknown (to her) person.
TDS: Shizuka and Lazarius are both portrayed as perpetrators and victims. How do you achieve the balance that will hopefully engage your readers?
S. M. Cook: When I started writing Kyuuketsuki, I wanted a main character that the reader had just a tiny bit of dislike or even hatred for. You want to root for her, but you don’t always like her choices, because I think a lot of people can relate to that mind set: You want something so bad, you are willing to do almost anything to achieve it. But the opposite is true of Lazarius. He is the direct cause for Shizuka being a vampire, and he revels in his control over her. But it’s because he knows, deep down, that Shizuka could destroy him if he were not her master. But I didn’t want him fully hated. Sometimes we don’t have a choice in how our lives turn out, and while I wanted people to dislike or even hate Lazarius, I don’t want it that cut and dry.
Some of the greatest villains are the ones you can connect with, can understand their reasons and motives. While on the reverse, some of the best heroic characters are the ones that leave just the slightest bitter taste in your mouth, if you will.
TDS: What particular themes and/or motifs do you enjoy exploring in your writing?
S. M. Cook: I’ve always been a huge fantasy reader more than anything else. Stories like The Dark Tower series, or Lord of the Rings, or even The Discworld series have always given me a passion to want to write. The theme of good over evil but with a character’s own internal conflict continue to draw me in. For me, I wanted to use a traditional theme but achieve it in untraditional ways. The idea of how much a person can change after a heart wrenching traumatic incident, lose themselves, but also reach their goal while coming out stronger - finding something else to live for rather than just feeding on the hatred in one’s heart - is always fascinating.
TDS: What observations do you have about the Gothic/Horror community?
S. M. Cook: To be honest, I’m not much of a horror person. I only like a few horror films and I don’t read much in the way of horror stories. Gothic, however, I’m more old school. I enjoy Poe’s stories and poems the most. I think true gothic literature seems to have fallen by the wayside, and people now lump it in with horror. I find this disheartening because gothic literature is vastly different than horror, and especially gothic-horror. I must admit, until I became part of THE DARK SIRE, I didn’t really think there were many gothic/horror readers any longer. I was pleasantly surprised to find out there are still a large number of readers who enjoy such works.
TDS: What is the "Blood Ruby" and what is its significance to the story?
S. M. Cook: The Blood Ruby is an ancient medallion created centuries ago for a powerful vampire to use as a means to control other vampires who were out of sorts -- killing recklessly, losing control of their vampire nature, etc., so that humans would not learn of their existence. Through the passage of time, the medallion has changed hands, been lost, been found, and been used for both good and evil. In the wrong hands it could be used to control the human race (and thus control vampires!), because they need human blood to survive.
However, Shizuka also wants the Blood Ruby. It is the only way she can destroy her master: the man who made her a vampire -- Lazarius! So while she is trying to locate the medallion for the council, she has her own ulterior motives, too.
TDS: While Kyuuketsuki was being serialized in THE DARK SIRE, you also had a poem, Hell's Love of Heaven's Hatred, published in the first issue. So which are you first, a poet or a writer? Also, what themes do you explore in your poetry?
S. M. Cook: I have always been a poet first. I began writing poetry back in middle school, usually for my own benefit. Poetry helped me get ideas and thoughts out on paper and explore different themes. My poems vary in their meter, rhythm, and content. Some are fun, light and fluffy while others are darker, talking of loss and death. So in this case, I don’t stick to any one particular theme or group of themes.
Although I am a poet first, I’ve also written short series scripts, as well. I enjoy writing because it lets me create other worlds that I can share with people who enjoy reading. I can get lost in my work, even for just a little while and thus allow others to get lost, too.
TDS: Your poem, Hell's Love of Heaven's Hatred, was later composed by Fernando Fidanza as a folk song. What did you think when you first heard your poem as a folk song?
S. M. Cook: I was greatly surprised and a little emotional when I first heard it. When it was first played for me, I wasn’t even told that it was my poem. I kept listening, thinking I knew this piece but couldn’t place it. Then, one of the lines popped out at me. I knew the line because it was one of my favorites in the poem -- Saints of hell are traveling near. To say I was floored would be an understatement. I absolutely loved how Fernando created the song. He gave it such a gritty dark tone, capturing the poem perfectly. I was so grateful he chose to do my poem.
You can hear Fernando Fidanza's rendition of S. M. Cook's poem, Hell's Love of Heaven's Hatred, on our YouTube channel: https://youtu.be/KyGhy4sKIao.
Have a question for S. M. Cook? Post it in the comments and TDS will get the answer for you.
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Don't miss the next Creative Nook, coming Monday at 11am, when we interview David Crerand, author of The Village series.
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Gothic, Horror, Fantasy and Psychological Realism.
Gothic, Horror, Fantasy and Psychological Realism.
Here at The Dark Sire we LOVE Gothic fiction. That’s why we publish it. There is something grand about it. As we read it, it arouses our deepest passions or fills us with the deepest dread. It sends chills up and down our spines. Gothic stories are filled with revenge, hope, disappointment, otherworldly terrors, evil villains, and the occasional damsel in distress. The author may take us through a decaying mansion with a labyrinth of secret passageways or a gloomy forest, we are all enthralled by those things that go bump in the night.
Gothic fiction may have had its beginnings in England in the latter half of the 18th century, but it fell out of favor only to be re-imagined by the gifted pen of Edgar Allen Poe. Stories such as The Fall of the House of Usher, The Tell-Tale Heart, The Premature Burial innovatively reinterpreted the Gothic genre for his American audience, by adding the psychology of this characters as they descended into the madness that consumed them. Poe, himself, called it “the terror of the soul”. He believed that terror was a legitimate literary subject. And, at TDS, we do, too.
Gothic literature often juxtapose wonder and terror in an effort to encourage the reader to suspend their disbeliefs, to fire their imaginations, to accept the macabre and morbid as normal. Castles or mansions are not just neglected buildings. They have secrets of their own which affect those who live there. It mirrors the internal struggle of living, juxtaposing their hopes and dreams with the reality of the decay that surrounds them.
The Gothic allows the reader to confront his or her own fears. Fear is a driving force. It can lead the characters to commit uncharacteristic crimes or to overcome whatever obstacle is before them.
Here at TDS we strive to publish the best in Gothic literature. We look for stories that embrace the marriage of the supernatural and metaphysical worlds, stories such as Bram Stoker’s Dracula, or even Gaston Leroux’s The Phantom of the Opera.
But there are many great Gothic novels. Some of our favorites include:
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
The Strange Case of Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
The Turn of the Screw by Henry James
The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
The Gormanghast Novels by Mervyn Peake
Subscribe to THE DARK SIRE for the best in Gothic Literature.
Gothic fiction may have had its beginnings in England in the latter half of the 18th century, but it fell out of favor only to be re-imagined by the gifted pen of Edgar Allen Poe. Stories such as The Fall of the House of Usher, The Tell-Tale Heart, The Premature Burial innovatively reinterpreted the Gothic genre for his American audience, by adding the psychology of this characters as they descended into the madness that consumed them. Poe, himself, called it “the terror of the soul”. He believed that terror was a legitimate literary subject. And, at TDS, we do, too.
Gothic literature often juxtapose wonder and terror in an effort to encourage the reader to suspend their disbeliefs, to fire their imaginations, to accept the macabre and morbid as normal. Castles or mansions are not just neglected buildings. They have secrets of their own which affect those who live there. It mirrors the internal struggle of living, juxtaposing their hopes and dreams with the reality of the decay that surrounds them.
The Gothic allows the reader to confront his or her own fears. Fear is a driving force. It can lead the characters to commit uncharacteristic crimes or to overcome whatever obstacle is before them.
Here at TDS we strive to publish the best in Gothic literature. We look for stories that embrace the marriage of the supernatural and metaphysical worlds, stories such as Bram Stoker’s Dracula, or even Gaston Leroux’s The Phantom of the Opera.
But there are many great Gothic novels. Some of our favorites include:
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
The Strange Case of Dr. Jeckyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
The Turn of the Screw by Henry James
The Hound of the Baskervilles by Arthur Conan Doyle
The Legend of Sleepy Hollow by Washington Irving
The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde
The Gormanghast Novels by Mervyn Peake
Subscribe to THE DARK SIRE for the best in Gothic Literature.
A blog for The Dark Sire, written by Eric Ruark. Look for interviews, genre-related articles, book reviews, writing tips, and much more every Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 11am (EST).
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