Interview with author of "The Chronicles of Good & Evil - Dracula's Lair/the Darkest Tower"
Built on a firm foundation of Christianity, the fantasy read “The Chronicles of Good & Evil - Dracula's Lair / the Darkest Tower”? by C. David Murphy is an apocalyptic adventure traveling from one imaginative world to another. The novel centers on an a hero who is part angel part warrior, attempting to defeat Satan before it's too late. In my interview with Murphy he describes the "The Chronicles of Good & Evil" and what went into its making.
Q: What was the most challenging thing about writing “The Chronicles of Good and Evil - Dracula's Lair / the Darkest Tower”?
A: First of all the book (both volumes) was written in 14 weeks - from initial idea to final script. For this duration the book consumed nearly every waking hour, six days a week, sometimes 12-14 hour days. Unlike my first two novels (A Diary’s House / In Winter’s Moment) I felt propelled forward by this engrossing idea and notion. The entire process was extraordinarily fluid. No writer’s block or times where I didn’t foresee how the story would go. I am a passionate writer; all-consuming. That’s how I write. I write as much for the transient drifter traveling the streets of a major city as I would for the elite executive running the most powerful corporation in the world. We are human, and I write from a humanistic standpoint. This streams out within my characters, the scenarios they are faced with, and the eventual outcome the novel plays to. A writer has to be honest with themselves and the reader. If you don’t, the intuitive reader will quickly pick up on this. You also have to trust your instincts as a writer. The story is the most important factor, not you as the writer. The challenges are the same with every work I perform – you make it the very best it can be. And in the end, you hope that you can affect change in the lives of those who read your work – and perhaps, in some small way, you can affect change in our general and specific communities. Words are a timeless performance of communication – and novels, stories are a timeless antidote to the world we live in and the lives we live.
Q: If you were going to recommend “The Chronicles of Good & Evil - Dracula's Lair / the Darkest Tower” to the fans of any other novel what novel would it be?
A: Certainly it goes without saying – the traditional manuscripts for which many formats of ‘The Chronicles of Good and Evil’ holds a slight foundation with. From the biblical storyboard element – Milton’s ‘Paradise Lost’; thematic backdrops – Tolkien’s ‘Lord of the Rings’; prose and language inscription (since this is a period piece from the 1400’s) - a montage of Shakespeare’s more popular plays; character development and abridged writing styles – Charles Dickens ‘Great Expectations’. And of course C.S. Lewis’ series ‘The Chronicles of Narnia’. All these interwoven into a collective hue for the reader to enjoy…In the end I would have to say those who read traditional works such as Tolkien’s, Dickens, Lewis, and even Milton’s would find enjoyment with this novel.
Q: Obviously, you have a very vivid imagination. Did you ever struggle in the creation of the fanciful world depicted in this novel, or did it come to you easily?
A: There are a myriad of worlds within this novel & series. Obviously the historical world in Eastern Europe during the time of Dracula plays out the central stage to the book, but also the lands and world of Heaven. We often perceive Heaven as an ethereal, other world, perhaps mundane place/cities of gold and mirth. Yet I have envisioned a much more complex, unbelievable place that defies the rules of our own imagination. A place of labyrinth halls and avenues that extends far beyond what we could ever know. Much more is to be revealed as we go forward in this series. A much more complex realm of Heaven is in sketch now for the third book as well as the darkest tombs of hell itself.
Q: Which character from “The Chronicles of Good & Evil - Dracula's Lair / the Darkest Tower” do you identify with the most?
A: Oh with out a doubt – the main character – Daniel. He is truly the lifeblood of this series. I have secret elements which very few people know of built into this series. There are many hidden meanings in this novel series – some, most intimate; others embroider the whole ‘quilt’ to this story. Daniel is a mirror; a complex, mysterious element of ‘things that could have been’, ‘things that are’, and ‘things that will be’. Where time is more of an illusion, and what may be considered fantasy, perhaps, in the end, will be proven most real. ‘Time’ does not tell all - it doesn’t speak, but it evolves the world of ‘The Chronicles of Good and Evil’ into the very special series that it will become. Daniel is the centerboard. He becomes the eyes, the visual imagination, and the vicarious emotions for the readers. The journey is yours as much as it is his. In another one of my books I begin a chapter “Time has its own memory, and they call it history…” But history, as in the ‘The Lord of the Rings’, becomes legend; legend becomes myth – things that were not to be forgotten, are lost… this storyline will hold to this aspect throughout, but it creates the cataclysmic diversity of two very paradox worlds – Heaven and hell…with the world always sitting on the edge and stuck in the middle… at last, the allure of that mystery will keep your attention…
Q: What is your main source of inspiration as a writer?
A: My personal beliefs put aside, I would have to say my mother. She lived her life without heirs, self-promotion, & grievances against others. Her father was a very strong influence in her life – he being a man who commanded many in business, but held steadfast to his Christian faith. She emulated him, reading the Bible everyday, studying the word, living by example, never promoting herself. At the end of her life when her understanding was great, her faith led her through the most incredible, most challenging physical journey I’ve ever witnessed. She was a testament to her faith, her beliefs never wavered; she never flinched, even in her greatest trials. To this day I am still in awe of what she went through (as I wrote the novel ‘In Winter’s Moment’ about her journey). In the end she still proclaimed ‘God is great’. Such an experience has propelled me to influence how I write, what I write. That in someway I honor her by doing this, and the things she taught me still live on beyond her life…
Q: What can you tell us about the next installment in the series?
A: The second book is actually the second half to part one of the series - this is complete. I am relatively deep into the sketching stage for book three. It will infuse more elements which were not exposed in book one or two. There will be further intrigue, further staging on the characters in book one and two, and more characters brought into the fray, so to speak going forward. There will be a richer context to Heaven, an introduction to the depths of hell - but delving too deep into the subject matters will only give away the plotlines… I suspect there will be a minimum of 10 -12 books all together…
Q: What was the most challenging thing about writing “The Chronicles of Good and Evil - Dracula's Lair / the Darkest Tower”?
A: First of all the book (both volumes) was written in 14 weeks - from initial idea to final script. For this duration the book consumed nearly every waking hour, six days a week, sometimes 12-14 hour days. Unlike my first two novels (A Diary’s House / In Winter’s Moment) I felt propelled forward by this engrossing idea and notion. The entire process was extraordinarily fluid. No writer’s block or times where I didn’t foresee how the story would go. I am a passionate writer; all-consuming. That’s how I write. I write as much for the transient drifter traveling the streets of a major city as I would for the elite executive running the most powerful corporation in the world. We are human, and I write from a humanistic standpoint. This streams out within my characters, the scenarios they are faced with, and the eventual outcome the novel plays to. A writer has to be honest with themselves and the reader. If you don’t, the intuitive reader will quickly pick up on this. You also have to trust your instincts as a writer. The story is the most important factor, not you as the writer. The challenges are the same with every work I perform – you make it the very best it can be. And in the end, you hope that you can affect change in the lives of those who read your work – and perhaps, in some small way, you can affect change in our general and specific communities. Words are a timeless performance of communication – and novels, stories are a timeless antidote to the world we live in and the lives we live.
Q: If you were going to recommend “The Chronicles of Good & Evil - Dracula's Lair / the Darkest Tower” to the fans of any other novel what novel would it be?
A: Certainly it goes without saying – the traditional manuscripts for which many formats of ‘The Chronicles of Good and Evil’ holds a slight foundation with. From the biblical storyboard element – Milton’s ‘Paradise Lost’; thematic backdrops – Tolkien’s ‘Lord of the Rings’; prose and language inscription (since this is a period piece from the 1400’s) - a montage of Shakespeare’s more popular plays; character development and abridged writing styles – Charles Dickens ‘Great Expectations’. And of course C.S. Lewis’ series ‘The Chronicles of Narnia’. All these interwoven into a collective hue for the reader to enjoy…In the end I would have to say those who read traditional works such as Tolkien’s, Dickens, Lewis, and even Milton’s would find enjoyment with this novel.
Q: Obviously, you have a very vivid imagination. Did you ever struggle in the creation of the fanciful world depicted in this novel, or did it come to you easily?
A: There are a myriad of worlds within this novel & series. Obviously the historical world in Eastern Europe during the time of Dracula plays out the central stage to the book, but also the lands and world of Heaven. We often perceive Heaven as an ethereal, other world, perhaps mundane place/cities of gold and mirth. Yet I have envisioned a much more complex, unbelievable place that defies the rules of our own imagination. A place of labyrinth halls and avenues that extends far beyond what we could ever know. Much more is to be revealed as we go forward in this series. A much more complex realm of Heaven is in sketch now for the third book as well as the darkest tombs of hell itself.
Q: Which character from “The Chronicles of Good & Evil - Dracula's Lair / the Darkest Tower” do you identify with the most?
A: Oh with out a doubt – the main character – Daniel. He is truly the lifeblood of this series. I have secret elements which very few people know of built into this series. There are many hidden meanings in this novel series – some, most intimate; others embroider the whole ‘quilt’ to this story. Daniel is a mirror; a complex, mysterious element of ‘things that could have been’, ‘things that are’, and ‘things that will be’. Where time is more of an illusion, and what may be considered fantasy, perhaps, in the end, will be proven most real. ‘Time’ does not tell all - it doesn’t speak, but it evolves the world of ‘The Chronicles of Good and Evil’ into the very special series that it will become. Daniel is the centerboard. He becomes the eyes, the visual imagination, and the vicarious emotions for the readers. The journey is yours as much as it is his. In another one of my books I begin a chapter “Time has its own memory, and they call it history…” But history, as in the ‘The Lord of the Rings’, becomes legend; legend becomes myth – things that were not to be forgotten, are lost… this storyline will hold to this aspect throughout, but it creates the cataclysmic diversity of two very paradox worlds – Heaven and hell…with the world always sitting on the edge and stuck in the middle… at last, the allure of that mystery will keep your attention…
Q: What is your main source of inspiration as a writer?
A: My personal beliefs put aside, I would have to say my mother. She lived her life without heirs, self-promotion, & grievances against others. Her father was a very strong influence in her life – he being a man who commanded many in business, but held steadfast to his Christian faith. She emulated him, reading the Bible everyday, studying the word, living by example, never promoting herself. At the end of her life when her understanding was great, her faith led her through the most incredible, most challenging physical journey I’ve ever witnessed. She was a testament to her faith, her beliefs never wavered; she never flinched, even in her greatest trials. To this day I am still in awe of what she went through (as I wrote the novel ‘In Winter’s Moment’ about her journey). In the end she still proclaimed ‘God is great’. Such an experience has propelled me to influence how I write, what I write. That in someway I honor her by doing this, and the things she taught me still live on beyond her life…
Q: What can you tell us about the next installment in the series?
A: The second book is actually the second half to part one of the series - this is complete. I am relatively deep into the sketching stage for book three. It will infuse more elements which were not exposed in book one or two. There will be further intrigue, further staging on the characters in book one and two, and more characters brought into the fray, so to speak going forward. There will be a richer context to Heaven, an introduction to the depths of hell - but delving too deep into the subject matters will only give away the plotlines… I suspect there will be a minimum of 10 -12 books all together…
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Authors' Musings
Jennifer K. Lafferty, author of Movie Dynasty Princesses, reviews a wide range of books and discusses various aspects of contemporary and classic literature.
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