By Erin Howard
Books: The Kalila Chronicles: The Seer, The Soul Searcher, The Silencer
Genre: Christian YA Fantasy
Erin Writes…
I’ve been asked several times why I chose to write a series that involves angels and demons operating in the spiritual realm and our everyday world. As someone who has spent over ten years in youth ministry, I’m a firm believer in the spiritual realm. I’ve always been fascinated with angels, and I’ve had a desire to write a series about the supernatural from the very beginning of my writing journey. However, it was something I pushed aside. I can’t give you a firm answer on why, but I can tell you when it was I finally decided to take the plunge and write what I felt I was being led to write.
In 2012, I went back to school to pursue a degree in Creative Writing/English and a minor in Psychology. Before my writing workshops, I’d always considered myself a contemporary/chick lit writer. After all, it was a novel in that genre which got me into the program (it’s still not all the way finished). However, in my Intermediate writing workshop, something began to change. We had to write a short story of an unlikely hero, someone who wasn’t always the hero, or maybe who was the villain. My mind instantly went to the idea of a supernatural series. I love reading YA fantasy, supernatural, and dystopian novels and I knew this was my chance to try out my story idea.
What if two brothers, a demon and an angel, who were separated when Lucifer was kicked out of Heaven, had to work together to save a human girl’s life? What would that story look like? How could the demon be the unlikely hero, especially when we know demons can’t be redeemed (or can they)? I took those key questions and started writing the short story. I never expected that once it was finished, I would turn the idea into three novels, a complete series, with a spin off series in the works.
The basis for the story all stems from when Lucifer was kicked out of Heaven and some of the angels fell with him. I’ve studied the Bible for stories on angels, their interaction with humans, and the different types of angels, such as those who are messengers, warriors, and protectors. I’ve also read and studied the passages about a battle which is going on in the spiritual realm between angels and demons. One story in particular is in Daniel 10, where the angel tells Daniel that he was sent as soon as God heard his prayers but was held up by the prince of the kingdom of Persia for twenty-one days. This angel was stuck there for twenty-one days and had to wait for Michael to come and help him. Another story I’ve learned from and referenced is that of the little boy in the New Testament who was demon possessed. This became the basis for how demons seek to destroy humans in my story.
Of course, I’ve taken plenty of liberties with my series for the sake of fiction. We only know so much about angels and demons from the Bible, so I took those foundations and used my imagination to create this massive fantasy world. For example, there’s Viktor with his supernatural abilities whose mission has been to hunt down and destroy a bloodline of Seers. These Seers are people who can see into the spiritual realm, so they can see angels and demons operating within it. In addition, I’ve taken the liberty of creating a hierarchy of demons and their positions.
Even with the many fantasy elements, nestled within the story you will find truths and struggles which everyone goes through at some point in their lives. And yes, while it’s hard to imagine a demon becoming tired of the choice he’s made, there’s a battle that wages inside of Viktor, and his character has become one that readers love because he shows these struggles we all face at some point. I hope readers will see themselves in these characters. I pray my stories not only entertain and give readers a moment of escape, but will also help them realize they aren’t alone, and there’s hope for a brand new day.
Back cover blurb for The Silencer
Sam’s parents asked him to do the unthinkable:
And it cost him everything.
When Sam Hart was forced to walk away from everything and everyone he knew, The Kalila became his new home. He thought he could keep the past buried but after an unexpected visit from his brother, a family secret is revealed.
Already reeling from a murder of one of their own, an unimaginable chain of events leaves everyone questioning each other’s loyalty. Will Sam, Viktor, and Matthias be able to stop this newest threat before they lose another?
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This post fell in line with Jenelle Schmitt’s February is Fantasy Month. Check out her blog and read more fantasy-themed posts at http://jenelleschmidt.com/
Heart Soul Mind 