Cookin' with Miss Havana

The talented Erika Linsden is visiting today. She is a young and rising author and, following her blog below, I have posted a four-star review of her short story, "Soul." Please welcome Erika Linsden.

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 Thanks James. I appreciate the opportunity to stop by.

As I’m sure James can relate, I tend to have a reoccurring theme in my novellas: death. To quote James, “My own drive to continue breathing is powerful, so I’ve always wondered how anyone can overcome that drive to self-terminate.” What does it take for someone to overcome such a deep hatred and low self-esteem to fight their death at their own hands and come out on the other side? Will and faith. One has to know that no matter what, things will get better. This is only a dark moment. You have to tell yourself that every minute if you have to, but in the end those words are what help pull you through it.

I’ve never hidden the fact that I have a mental illness. And yes, I have a history with suicide attempts. In Soul I explore the argument I was raised to believe being Catholic that the devil and/or demons are the ones that cause suicide. Exploring that wasn’t enough for me. I needed a view of the other side. It’s easy to point the finger at another source. How does the demon feel about what he’s doing? Meet my Taker Drebin. Through a series of events, Drebin becomes a demon. His mission: to entice humans into committing suicide so their souls can feed Lucifer.

I don’t want to spoil the story as I hope you pick it up, but Drebin isn’t the evil that history and even he has made himself out to be. Which brings up the age old question:  do bad things happen to good people? I think so. I do believe that there are bad people. But not all bad people are evil. They may be doing something in the name of love. Soul is a romance, so I’m sure you can guess what happens. Drebin’s point of view is only my interpretation of what may be happening on the other side.

One reader told me that she thought “Drebin was a dick.” But by the end she was rooting for him. With the release of the second Takers book coming in early July, more of the dark side is explored. Oh yeah, and some more death. But like I said, it’s a theme of mine.

Now if I can stray away from the apocalypse… (See Tyran’s Thirst)

Thank you, Mr. Hatch, for allowing me to cook with Miss Havana today.