AUTHORS: Richard Finney & D.L. Snell
FICTION: Thriller/Suspense/Action/ Supernatural
PUBLICATION DATE: December 1, 2011
Print and Digital
BOOK STATS:
Approximately 220,000 words
937 Pages
Also available is another print edition of 803 pages (which contains the full text, but the layout is "tighter" and therefore, less pages)
STORY SUMMARY:
RANDOM EVENTS…
A tragic train collision in America kills hundreds of innocent people.
A series of grisly and ritualistic murders baffle authorities in Europe.
A natural disaster in the Middle East annihilates thousands.
A global rise of accidents trigger Near Death Experiences in the victims.
...OR A CONSPIRACY TO DESTROY HUMANITY?
Jenna Grant agrees to help her brother authenticate an artifact known as the Black Pages. But when she decodes a prophecy kept hidden for hundreds of years, the revelation plunges her into a world of deadly intrigue. Now she must embark on a perilous journey across three continents in a relentless pursuit to defeat the source of all evil.
Set in a world altogether too real, with a pulse-pounding storyline and unforgettable characters, this shocking novel is a roller-coaster ride of plot twists and hairpin turns. Readers will feel compelled to endure a sleepless night until the last breathtaking page is turned. Gripping and thought-provoking, this terrifying thriller will linger in the mind long after the last staggering secret is... unveiled.
STORY BACKGROUND: The “MacGuffin” of the novel, the Black Pages, is HISTORICALLY REAL. And these missing pages referred to in the novel are from a REAL ARTIFACT known as the DEVIL’S BIBLE. This is the link to the the Codex Gigas on wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Codex_Gigas
INTERVIEW with Richard Finney
Author of “DEMON DAYS – Angel of Light”
TWO YEARS SPENT WRITING THE BOOK
Q: What was the hardest aspect of writing the book?
A: The self-imposed demand to keep up the quality of the writing throughout a long novel. When I had gotten past the half way mark, of what ended up being a 1300 page manuscript, I became obsessed about ending better and bolder than I had started. But that very thought could end up hurting a writer’s creative sensibilities, making you more creatively self-conscious about the process yet to come. It’s an artistic Catch-22 situation.
Q: You originally planned on writing a follow up to “Demon Days” (published in 2009) and the plan was to come up with a sequel that would be published in 2010 and be about 400 pages. But you ended up publishing the book at the very end of 211 and the book was over 900 pages. What happened?
A: At a certain point, around the 200 page mark of the manuscript, I started to get more ambitious about what the novel could be. There’s a great quote from Norman Mailer, included in a biography on Herman Melville, written by Andrew Delbanco, on the process of writing -- “A good half of writing consists of being sufficiently sensitive to the moment to reach for the next promise which is usually hidden in some word or phrase just a shift to the side of one’s conscious intent.”
At a certain point… I saw “the next promise” and allowed that to guide me toward areas of the book I was planning on exploring, but just didn’t know exactly how I was going to do it. And getting through it took longer than I first imagined.
Q: Did working on just one novel for two years cause you any anxiety?
A: I tried to pretend that I wasn’t concerned, but I can now admit that I ended up very concerned. And I became paranoid. At a certain point I become obsessed that I would run out of steam… energy, creative drive… and not be able to finish. Two years of my life… a total waste because I couldn’t finish the book! To be specific – not finishing the book wasn’t the question, but finishing with the quality of writing that I felt I had achieved over the previous 18 months was the problem. The fear became so real that at a certain point I jumped to the end of the book, wrote out the last two chapters while I still felt in the groove… and set it aside.
Q: What specific fear dictated that you write the final two chapters, six months before they eventually would have been written?
A: I was terrified that readers would take the trouble of digesting what turns out to be a 220,000 word book… only to get to the end chapters, expecting a BIG FINISH, and instead… getting something that didn’t more than satisfy and reward their effort of going on this long journey!
As it turned out, I ended up being more creatively productive at the end of two years of writing on the book than I was when we first started. And I will point out that both of the final chapters (which were written out of sequence) finally ended up only being changed for grammar and spelling issues… not content. That’s how completely worked out the book was from beginning to the end.
Q: Can you name a few of the creative works in your past that had an influence on the writing?
A: I dare say only a few who might be reading this interview have ever heard of a movie called “The Wisdom of Crocodiles.” Years ago, I sat down with the director of the movie and (as a film producer) I tried to finance another film with him directing. I thought “Wisdom” was an amazing take on vampires and it felt fresh when I first saw it years ago. When I was almost done writing the book, I watched it again with one of my daughters. She loved it and I thought it was still original and fresh, more than a decade after first seeing it. Definitely I can say that movie had an impact on my creative sensibility when I wrote “DEMON DAYS – Angel of Light.”
Another movie I have to cite as an influence was the 1976 film “Don’t Look Now.” I was 75% finished with the manuscript when I got a chance to watch the movie (after not seeing it for 20 years) with my other daughter. There is an intentional homage to the film in a chapter of “DEMON DAYS – Angel of Light” that takes place in Aleppo, Syria. So on one level I was very conscious of how much the film meant to me. But when I saw the film again recently, I was stunned by how much the movie clearly informed my thought processes during some key points in the novel. Clearly the film pointed the way for me to realize the fears I have whenever I visit a foreign country. Also, the storyline of “Don’t Look Now” explores the concept of how a protagonist who doesn’t believe in the supernatural may be paying a price for that denial. That was an essential part of the construct of the main character in both “Demon Days” as well as “DEMON DAYS – Angel of Light.”
Q: So after such a long time spent writing, how are you different than when you first began writing the novel?
A: After two years of working on something non-stop… I’m weaker. I didn’t realize that fact until after I had finished. If writing the book had taken much longer, I might not have been able to finish. The Book would have finished me.
WRITING FOR A MODERN READER
Q: You started as a screenwriter, and eventually became also a film and TV producer. Recently, you’ve been writing novels. I believe there’s been a “cross-connection” between the three mediums – Film, TV, and Books – that ended up influencing the writing of your novel, “DEMON DAYS – Angel of Light.”
A: I’ve always loved books… way before I fell in love with movies and TV. But any creative artist in this age who does not pay attention to the fact that all three are important elements of popular culture ignores a simple fact – readers, movie goers, and TV watchers are usually absorbing all three mediums. And in enjoying all three, it has changed the way we all process each medium separately.
Q: But “DEMON DAYS – Angel of Light” is not your first novel. So have you had this philosophy for a while?
A: I certainly had that philosophy on my mind while writing the book “Demon Days,” (which proceeded “DEMON DAYS – Angel of Light”). It’s wonderful that the book has been generally well received, but I believe I fell short with what I wanted to accomplish. I wrote a book that was fast paced and had the visceral thrills of a movie, but ultimately it lacked the character depth of a good novel or a well written dramatic TV series where you get to fully understand the characters.
So, my goal was to completely rectify the situation when I wrote “DEMON DAYS – Angel of Light.” Whether I achieved that goal is now up to readers to decide.
Q: Okay, then let’s talk about a “film” term that some readers will know about, but others may not – a “MacGuffin.”
(Wikipedia defines the term as: "a plot element that catches the viewers' attention or drives the plot of a work of fiction". The defining aspect of a MacGuffin is that the major players in the story are (at least initially) willing to do and sacrifice almost anything to obtain it, regardless of what the MacGuffin actually is. In fact, the specific nature of the MacGuffin may be ambiguous, undefined, generic, left open to interpretation or otherwise completely unimportant to the plot. Common examples are money, victory, glory, survival, a source of power, a potential threat, or it may simply be something entirely unexplained").
A: Alfred Hitchcock popularized the term to refer to an object – for him it was something tangible – that, within the framework of all the mystery/thriller movies he was making, would kick start the plot. In “North by Northwest” it’s a roll of microfilm. In “Psycho” it’s money that the main character has stolen. Now eventually in a Hitchcock film, the MacGuffin is tossed aside… discarded… no longer of any interest to the rest of the plot or story as the characters either die or their quest allows them to achieve something… more important. By repeatedly insisting his screenwriters use the same technique, Hitchcock was at least creatively consistent… but it also became a way for a thriller story to be told where the main character often times discovered that not only was the MacGuffin a throwaway, but something in their life was as well.
Somehow the plot device of a MacGuffin always made me think of John Lennon’s Beatle song, “A day in the life” and the line about counting “Four thousand holes in Blackburn, Lancashire.” I believe Lennon meant it as a commentary on the shallowness or rote nature of many human endeavors that can’t possibly lead to spiritual transcendence. But I used to think of it because I know Hitchcock could have used the line as a plot for a movie – “While counting all the holes in Blackburn, Lancashire, Tippi Hedren’s character discovers a dead body. Eventually, she discards her counting of the holes and learns a few things about truth and happiness.”
Q: I brought up the MacGuffin because the plot of your book has everyone trying to get a hold of what is called “the Black pages” -- a medieval document that might reveal the key to a deadly plot to trigger the Apocalypse. The Black Pages are your MacGuffin, and yet you don’t play it in the way a MacGuffin often functions in a thriller plot, right?
A: I’m not going to spoil the surprises of “DEMON DAYS – Angel of Light,” but in an attempt to answer your question, I will confirm that the “Black Pages” function within the plot of the book as the artifact that the main and minor characters are trying to possess. And, you are correct, unlike a Hitchcock movie, these Black Pages are not a “throwaway.” Indeed my goal was to embody the Black Pages with more significance than just being a kick starter to the plot.
Q: Another cross-connection between the three mediums is how you handle your narrative. The way you unfold your plot sometimes feels like it has the energy of a movie or TV series rather than the normal narrative language often done in thriller books.
A: A few years ago, I read a very popular thriller novel, by a very well-known author. I’m not going to name names here because that’s not important. The novel’s premise was said to play out within 48 hours or something like that. Now that is exciting if you’re a reader because it promises a fast paced plot. The reality though was that often times chapters would begin with the characters moving into a room with a “sense of urgency” only to have the author than write something like, “they had met before… many years before … under completely different circumstances…” And then the narrative flow would switch… actually beginning all over again, as the chapter would then depict the prior meeting, in every detail, as if it was happening in the “present.” After that past “scene” was finished, the author then jumped back to the present, played out the scene we had originally begun with, and then the chapter would conclude.
On the most obviously level, that kind of storytelling hurts the pace of a thriller book. And rather than a sense of “urgency,” there was none, which means that “suspense” is going to be a narrative victim as well.
But on another level, that type of storytelling completely ignores this cross connection of the three mediums we’ve been talking about. Not only has the author failed to keep up with the possibilities of techniques to reveal his plot and characters, he’s ignored his audience, who have gotten way more sophisticated about receiving a novel’s narrative flow.
Movies started with non-linear story-telling, and when it was done right, it could enhance the suspense and thrills of the plot. TV series, like “Lost” and “Breaking Bad” have gone even a step farther. They have taken the non-linear storytelling to another level where they are not only dealing with a single episode but they are running a whole season of shows underneath a non-linear umbrella.
Now, “DEMON DAYS – Angel of Light,” is, for the most part, told in a straight forward linear plot. There are “diversions” and what I call “plot hiccups” that allowed me as a writer to increase the suspense, character richness, and thrills. And I was able to attempt this only because I know readers have gotten very sophisticated with the way they absorb their entertainment and I was able to use that sophistication to be very aggressive in my story telling.
So, yes, I grabbed the strengths from all three mediums in writing “DEMON DAYS – Angel of Light.” I would be completely disengaged with my potential audience if I didn’t attempt it.
WRITING WITH A SPECIFIC NARRATIVE P.O.V.
Q: Even while writing in the genre of a modern commercial Thriller you attempted to embody the work with literary ambitions. The most daring creative choice was your decision regarding the narrative point of view throughout the novel.
A: During the process of conceiving of “DEMON DAYS – Angel of Light,” I had wanted to experiment with POV. When I was very young, I read many of the works of Agatha Christie, including a very famous novel she wrote (which I will not identify because it would be a SPOILER) that had the narrator of the story ending up being… the killer. It was my first introduction to the “unreliable narrator” concept, but it also showed me the power behind whoever is telling the story can also be in charge of shaping the story for the reader.
Now let me clear, my ambition was not to have the narrator be the killer. “DEMON DAYS-ANGEL OF LIGHT” is not a murder-mystery. But what I did have in mind was to play around with the point-of-view of each chapter and how it affects the way the novel’s narrative would unfold.
Q: Why attempt such a feat? Why not just tell the story from the point-of-view of a “neutral narrator?”
A: I still wanted the resources that come with having a “neutral narrator,” but I also wanted each chapter to have a more personal view point. My goal was to give insight to the reader about the story that was unfolding, but make it even more intimate because they would be seeing it from the purview of a character they were following. And my agenda included not only the protagonists in the story, but other characters as well, including what some would call the… “Villains.” Though I would claim that they are “antagonists,” if any label has to be applied at all. And I would further claim that perhaps a few “antagonists” in the novel are also… “Protagonists.” Very early on in my training as a writer, I learned that the most effective and convincing way to write about a “villain” or an “antagonist” is to remember that in their head, they sincerely believe they are the hero of the story.
Q: So you moved forward with the intention that each chapter would have a different POV?
A: Yes, but still each POV would fall underneath a “style” umbrella. Almost as if we were getting a few different “voices” but they were… part of the same “context.”
I also had a few rules. The first rule was that none of the chapters would ever showcase the POV of Satan himself. Whatever “The Angel of Light” was thinking was his business, and his thoughts (or “spin”) would come out the way he chose to communicate. And anything he had to say would be revealed through the point of view of the narrating character. I wanted to keep the essential motivation, thinking, and agenda of Satan (along with “God”) out of the reach of the reader.
Also, since there is the concept of “demonic possession” in the book, there had to be another rule -- I would never adopt the POV of a possessed person.
Lastly, as a concession to achieve maximum impact in telling a story that would keep the reader on edge, I always made sure that if a chapter featured any of the main protagonists sharing time with an antagonist, the POV of that chapter would by default fall to the protagonist. These are the choices you must make in writing a commercial thriller. You always want your reader to feel the protagonist is in jeopardy, which would be lost, or at least compromised, if I adopted the POV from an antagonist in the same chapter that featured a main protagonist. Now the interesting thing became when I had a chapter with one or more “antagonists” and no “protagonists.” That’s when readers should probably realize that perhaps someone they think is an “antagonist” is perhaps being restrictively labeled.
Q: But you did retain the “neutral narrator?”
A: Yes. Throughout the novel, I have a “neutral narrator” who relates what is happening in a “neutral” way. This neutral narrator ends up sharing equal time with the character who is guiding the direction of that particular chapter. Now I want to make it clear that this entire discussion is on a level of “sub textual.” When you are reading the book, the story should unfold in a way that everything I’m describing is, for the most part, seamless.
Q: We've been calling him a “neutral narrator,” but already some advance readers believe that this “neutral narrator” is God.
A: The beauty about novels is that the reader gets to sit in the jury box and come up with their own verdict.
Q: So you decided that writing a 900 page book was not difficult enough – you needed this extra burden?
A: Actually, there were aspects to this device which were not restrictive at all. For instance, at times the chapter’s POV is shared between two characters. However, I will acknowledge that adhering to a very strict POV within each chapter pushed me to become more thoughtful about how the narrative would unfold, which I believe ended up being one of the novel’s strongest points. It allows the reader an intimacy with several of the main characters, and allows a different POV on events as they unfold that would otherwise be restrictive with just one narrator or a limited POV.
INFO ON THE FIRST NOVEL
.jpg)
“Demon Days” Story Summary:
While on vacation, Sandy Travis and her fiancé, Tom, are in a horrendous helicopter accident. Tom is seriously injured and has an N.D.E. – a Near Death Experience, where he sees a bright light and a figure who tells him that he must go back to the living because there’s still more he must accomplish with his life. After Tom is revived, he tells Sandy that he believes he’s spoken to God. As it turns out…Tom is wrong. Horribly wrong.
The episode plunges Sandy into a dangerous race against malevolent forces who want to trigger Armageddon. She must save her husband from the dark forces that suddenly control his life by following a bloody trail of coded secrets and targeted assassinations. Sandy’s plight will pit her against an otherworldly cabal who use the process of N.D.E. as a way of orchestrating events that will usher in the… DEMON DAYS.
[Note that “Demon Days” is the first book in the DEMON DAYS franchise, but DEMON DAYS – Angel of Light is a “stand alone” book. Reading the first book is not necessary to read enjoy DEMON DAYS – Angel of Light]
Praise for “Demon Days”
"Demon Days by Richard Finney and D.L. Snell is a fresh and rich approach to the age-old battle between good and evil. It's a gripping, visual, pulse-racing read."
--Andrew Neiderman, Author of The Devil's Advocate
“In Demon Days, Snell and Finney weave an intriguing, fast-moving story where nothing’s as you’d expect. Well-drawn characters, a breakneck plot, horrific imagery and clever twists combine as storm clouds gather over the world. Demonic possession, international diplomacy and the ruthless world of corporate business collide and intertwine to destroy the lives of the helpless, innocent cast as the two authors drag you relentlessly towards the ‘End of Days’. With barely a moment to catch your breath, Snell and Finney take you to the end of the world and leave you peering over the abyss. You’ll feel like you’re in a car without brakes heading down the steepest of hills towards Armageddon. You see it coming from way back, but there’s nothing you can do to avoid it…"
--David Moody, Author of Hater
"Demon Days is, by far and away, the best damned horror novel I've read in ages. It's been awhile since anyone has written compelling religious horror, the kind that harks back to The Exorcist and The Omen. Demon Days brings back elements that, for the most part, have been missing from horror novels for awhile--compelling characters, and a sense of mystery and suspense. I hope to read anything Finney and Snell write in the future, whether individually or together. Their arrival in the genre is a welcome event!"
--Ray Garton, Author of Live Girls and Bestial
"Demon Days delivers suspense and pacing that rivals a James Rollins thriller, with stabs of visceral horror worthy of Douglas Clegg and Brian Keene."
--John Kirk, Author of The Talion Moth
"Anyone who enjoyed The Omen will love this. It's been too long since we've had a credible and exciting 'End of Days' interpretation."
--Derek Gunn, Author of Vampire Apocalypse
"Inevitably, somebody will try to tell you this book is part The Da Vinci Code, part The Exorcist, but they will be doing Demon Days a grave disservice. Yes, it's a high octane Church-centered conspiracy thriller. Yes, it's a terrifying account of demonic possession. But Finney and Snell have reached beyond those beginnings and given us a truly important modern horror story. Like the best of T.E.D. Klein, Demon Days builds to an awe-inspiring confrontation between our thoroughly modern sensibilities and the supernatural. Finney and Snell will have your full attention right up to the last word."
--Joe McKinney, Author of Dead City
Reviews for “Demon Days”
Reader responses on Amazon.com
Demon Days offers up a hearty serving of end-of-the-world conspiracies, Biblical prophecy to the End Times, a clever spin on near death experiences and plenty of political intrigue. And after reading Demon Days cover-to-cover in one sitting, I was asking for seconds. The end boasts a mind-numbing twist that I did not see coming and sets up for the sequel, Demon Days: Angel of Light, which I eagerly await! I wholeheartedly recommend Demon Days!
- Sarah Jahier (FatallyYours.com)
Demon Days is one of the best books of its kind to come along in quite some time. Demon Days was something fresh and entirely different. Finney and Snell took a chance and tried something a little different and it works. The idea of Satan using near death experiences as a way to take control of people is a great idea. I think readers will agree after giving this book the chance that it deserves. The writers are working on a sequel and I know I will be the first in line to pick up a copy.
- Todd Martin (Horror News.net)
Demon Days delivers paranoid thrills into an end-of the-world scenario. This is a race against time for a young woman who must prevent the apocalyptic prophecy from coming true. Authors Richard Finney and D.L. Snell crafted a spell-binding tale… a nail-biting page turner… with a plot twist I was not expecting. Demon Days is a good, fast read.
- Jorge Solis (Fangoria)
Demon Days is an easy recommend. The Book is near flawless. Prepare for many sleepless nights!
- Michael Allen (28dayslateranalysis.com)
4.3 out of 5 Stars! (Amazon.com)
“If you like thrillers, mysteries, told at a fast-pace but not so fast you're left behind, check it out. The characters (and locations, wow) are well drawn, and the plot is very suspenseful. I really liked the surprises, which were delivered like these writers had an excellent command of the craft. I couldn't put it down. Bravo to the publishers for recognizing a new voice.”
“And just when you think you know what's going on in Demon Days, the writers' throw in a new twist. And these twists come hard and fast.”
“The book just sucks you in and doesn't let you come back up for air!
The big twist to the book was something that I NEVER saw coming. It was masterfully executed.”
“At times, Finney and Snell, present the story straight forward, yet other times, with descriptive complexity to further crescendo their crisp, chilling writing style. Demon Days captures your imagination... It is a wicked good read!”
“I felt like I was on a fast-paced ride wanting to know what was going to happen at the next curve. I now patiently wait for the next edition because I find myself wanting to know where the next curve will be taking me.”
- Reader Reviews (Amazon.com)
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
RICHARD FINNEY is a Los Angeles based producer and screenwriter who has worked for such movie studios as Walt Disney Pictures; Sony Pictures; Warner Brothers and Dreamworks. He has been cited in such books as Screenwriting on the Internet by Christopher Wehner and The Ultimate Writer’s Guide to Hollywood by Skip Press. He has also produced several award winning independent movies. He is the author of the graphic novel The Wind Raider published by Ape Entertainment.
Check out the author blog at: http://richardfinney.blogspot.com/
D.L. SNELL is a novelist, a member of the Horror Writers Association,
and a freelance editor for Permuted Press. He has sold short stories to
anthologies such as Pocket Books’ Blood Lite series, and his first novel
Roses of Blood on Barbwire Vines pits zombies against vampires.
Check out the author blog at: http://www.dlsnell.com/
