by Charles Colyott
The old priest arose to do his duty to the Great Mother. He would not neglect her. The villagers demanded a sacrifice. No matter how much he tried to teach them of The Great Mother’s love, they would not give up their barbaric practices. When he reached the temple, he thought vandals had desecrated it, only to find it was worse than that – a sacrifice, it was his granddaughter. The Mother anointed him with his granddaughters ashes and told him it was time and proceeded to destroy the temple.

When he awoke, it was to find the villagers gone, only blood left behind. It was a new day, a prophet was born he thought as he walked away from the village.

Tommy’s girlfriend had dumped him and hooked up with Eric, a ghoul with ragged hair, greasy skin and clothes that looked like they were from Goodwill. Tommy and Eric had a couple of run-ins, but Tommy told him he really didn’t want Alyson back so he didn’t need to be jealous. Eric wouldn’t let it go.

Tommy and his friends went to the movies and when they came out, Eric and some skin head friends of his were waiting for them. As Bruce and Tommy managed to overpower the skinheads, Eric just stood and watched. When he heard the police sirens coming, he took off.

Tommy had taken the brunt of the fight. He had grabbed the knife being held on Coda with his bare hand. As the doctor was stitching it up, Coda had come in asked why he would do something like that for someone he didn’t even know. His response had been, there wasn’t anything else he could do. Tommy told Coda about his grandfather, a Taoist monk, who taught him martial arts and how he taught Bruce and some others and she was more than welcome to join them.

Alyson came to Tommy after Eric had given her a box to keep for him. She had opened it and what she had seen inside frightened her. She told them about Eric’s dark side and how he was into magic. She thought the book was a grimoire and it gave her the creeps. Tommy thought they should go see an old friend of theirs, Mike Ferguson, who might be able to help them figure out what the book was all about. They warned him not to let Eric find out he had it.

When Tommy and Alyson went back to Mike to see what he found out, Mike had a crazy look on his face. Mike was asking Alyson if Eric had any odd cuts or wounds, when they heard pounding at the doors. They exploded inward. The group was around the table which was surrounded by a blue line, a ward of protection. Eric appeared looking like a monster, with shapes carved all over his face,  even his teeth. He broke through the barrier and grabbed Mike demanding the book. When Eric grabbed Tommy, it was all he could do to remain conscious until something hit Eric and dropped him to the floor. Bruce stood there with a piece of railing in his hand. Alyson threw the book to Eric. As Eric said to tell them he was coming, he slit his own throat.

Mike, along with his goth girls were at Eric’s grave. When Tommy saw Mike, he told him to  enjoy what time he had left. What did he mean by that? The book Eric had was the worst, it dealt with calling the Nephilim. The prophecies had said Eric would return as the Prince of Nephilim. One of the rituals involved eating a fetus cut from the womb.

As Mike began telling them about his delve into magic, he had to show them examples and do a lot of explaining. Will Eric return as the Prince of Nephilim? What will he do it he does return? Would he destroy them or the whole world?

As the Peris, Mike’s goth girls, told the history of the First of the Host and the Great Creation, it made me think of the Charmed Ones, a TV program currently in re-runs. They mention the grimoire, the hollow, demons, vampires, ghouls………..

The characters:

Bruce and Tommy were good fighters, but they only used violence when necessary. Bruce was more of a goof off and Tommy was more serious, mystical even. Tommy was such a good guy. He knew he could take violence to a new level, but he tried really hard to control it. Bruce could go from a foul-mouthed, trash talking screw up to a sweet big-hearted teddy bear with Kung-fu. He did a great job of hiding his most intimate feelings.

Coda was a beautiful, loving, “good girl”. It was hard for her to go after what was right for her because she was always trying to do the right thing by others.

Eric was a rotten person even before he turned himself evil. He thought all humanity was shit.

Alyson didn’t care about anyone but herself. She had given Tommy his first kiss, she was Tommy’s first sexual experience, his first love and she betrayed him.

Dan was a spineless, rich boy who didn’t have many deep feelings. He had that rich way of assuming certain things would happen.

    5 STARS – Would Buy it for Them (lol)

Dude – I am speechless – WOW – awesome. Amazing doesn’t even cover it. Knocked my f___ing socks off. I’m pissed at having to wait for the next one. I gotta have it and I want it now. I wrote those words as soon as I passed the last period of the book. I was very surprised that I liked it so much. I like reading this type of book, but I’m not usually so engrossed and excited by the story. After I was about halfway through I began to eat it up, as if I had been starving and the food was the words. Ate the words like M & M’s, my favorite candy. Even when the book was at it’s darkest, it could raise a chuckle out of me. The writing was great and it was hard for me to put it down. It surpassed a five-star review. I thought the cover was very interesting and the color combination caught my eye. The cover and title are things that influence me and I like when they pertain to the story. The story was definitely black and dark. The blood and gore I like usually comes in the form of a murder mystery, but the carnage in this book had me unable to put it down until I found a spot in the story where the action slowed down a little bit and I could take a breath. This is a must read on your list.

Interview – I am very excited to have Charles Black here as my first interview.

1.  Where did the idea for Black come from?

I wrote and drew a goofy comic book (featuring some of the characters) as an assignment for an art class in high school. I was a pretty weird kid, and I wanted to do something that would incorporate all of my geeky interests in comics, horror, music, martial arts, girls (heh) … at the same time, I’d heard the old adage ‘write what you know,’ so I started to sort of draw on my own limited experiences to flesh out certain aspects of the story. While none of the characters are based on real people, an awful lot of the story (minus the horror and kung fu, maybe) is based on actual stuff that happened to me or my friends.

2.  Who is your favorite character in Black and why?

I love them all, really. They’ve been with me for so long now that they’re like family. Most readers really love Bruce, and I do to… but I guess if I had to just pick one character I’d pick Tommy. He’s just stuck in a really crappy situation and does his best to do the right thing, whatever that is. There’s a very old fashioned sort of chivalry thing going on with him. And, c’mon, he’s a badass. He’s the guy I wish I’d been friends with in high school.

3.  How did you choose the cover and title? I personally feel these are key elements to making me pause when I see them and further checking out the book.

It wasn’t easy.

Early on, I tried to plot out how the whole series would work. I kept coming back to Black because there’s so much in the first book – whether it’s goth music, black magic, Alyson’s hair, etc. – that has that black-ish connotation to it. Ultimately, I settled on it when I realized that the final book could be White – which could be a kind of purity… or the Chinese color of mourning… – and make a Yin/Yang sort of thing.

The first printing of the book had a photo of an enormous sculpture that a friend of mine made specifically for the book. The sculpture was awesome… but it didn’t translate well as a cover image. For the ebook release I contacted Kealan Patrick Burke, an awesome writer who just happens to also be a great cover artist. It was tough… I mean, how exactly do you even begin to market an epic dark fantasy/martial arts/horror/romance/comedy without making it seem goofy?

4.  From idea to publication, how long did it take you to write it?

Phew… Well… Starting with the idea, in high school… I guess something like 14 years. There were several bumps in the road, though. For a short-ish time, I dated a girl who was totally not supportive of my writing. Then I had a roommate who accidentally deleted my original manuscript (that was probably a blessing, though it sure didn’t feel like it at the time). Then it was going to be a comic, but that sort of fell through. By the time I decided to just sit down and write it, it only took about nine months. I actually wrote the first draft on lunch breaks from a hellish cubicle job that I hated.

5.  What are you working on now? Would you like to share anything with us?

Lots of stuff!

I’m finishing up the final touches on Pressure Point, which is the second book in my Randall Lee Mysteries series. If you like the humor and martial arts stuff in Black, I think you’ll like Randall. He’s an American acupuncturist and Tai Chi practitioner who gets caught up in bizarre mysteries.

I’m also working on finishing up a book called I’m The One, which is an homage to teen romantic comedies, John Hughes, and alternative music.

Then I’ll be working on Down, which is the second book in the Nephilim Codex series.

All three of those should be available before the end of the year.

I’m also working on Attrition, a horror collaboration with Glen Krisch. If you haven’t read any of his books, I highly recommend checking him out.
6.  Do you have a favorite place to write or any ritual you go through in preparation for writing? Do you listen to music, use the computer or pen and paper?

In terms of place? Not really. I used to be fairly particular, but I got over it. I think a lot of writers tend to ritualize things. That’s not necessarily bad, but it can be if you use it as an excuse not to write!

I do need music, though. I tend to plot out little “soundtracks” to my projects as I’m writing, for inspiration (many of these are actually on Spotify, if anybody cares to hear them).

7. Who is your favorite author? What is you favorite book? What are you reading now?

That’s tough. I have too many to name, probably. Stephen King, of course. Neil Gaiman is a huge inspiration to me.

Right now I am juggling Super Gods by Grant Morrison and Draculas by Blake Crouch, Jack Kilborn, Jeff Strand, and F. Paul Wilson.

8.  What do you like to do in your free time?

I don’t have a whole lot of free time. I write, work in a book store, teach English, and raise alpacas (and now, apparently, sheep… which was news to me).

When I’m NOT doing those things, I like spending time with my wife and two daughters. I like watching movies (especially – shocker – horror and Hong Kong action movies), being an obsessive music snob, and practicing a little Tai Chi.

9.  Can you tell us something personal about you, the person?

I actually like lima beans…

10. Is there anything else you would like to share with your fans?

Having fans is a little strange. I prefer to have friends, so feel free to look me up on twitter or facebook. I love hearing from my readers.

Fun Facts:

Margarita or martini – Throw in a mojito, and it’s a deal. 😉

M & Ms or Skittles – Depends on my mood, I think.

Dog or cat – I like both, but I’ve never NOT had a cat.

Football or Baseball – Soccer?

Rock and Roll or Country – Rock and Roll

Summer or Winter – I live in Southern Illinois, so either one is miserable. You either get hot and crappy or cold and crappy. If we were talking San Diego or something, I’d pick summer.
About the author

Charles Colyott lives on a farm in the middle of nowhere (Illinois) with his wife, 2 daughters, cats, and a herd of llamas and alpacas. He is surrounded by so much cuteness it’s very difficult for him to develop any street cred as a dark and gritty writer. Nevertheless, he has appeared in Read by Dawn II, Dark Recesses Press, Withersin magazine, Horror Library Volumes III & IV, Terrible Beauty, Fearful Symmetry, and Zippered Flesh, among other places. He also teaches a beginner level Tai Chi Ch’uan class in which no one has died (yet) of the death touch.

You can get in touch with him on Facebook, or email him at charlescolyott@gmail.com.
Unlike his llamas, he does not spit.

@charlescolyott
https://www.facebook.com/pages/Charle…
http://charlescolyott.wordpress.com/
charlescolyott@gmail.com

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