Magic Really Sucks… Started out from a VERY WEIRD and vivid dream about an environment (very much like our own Earth) which had magic. I saw some students who were discussing magic and bloodlines. The strength of the blood defined the type of magic the caster was good at. For example, if you were Japanese you were stronger at Martial Magic and Healing spells. Martial Magic was basically a type of magic which augmented physical strikes and defenses. I saw these students discussing religion and how motions during prayers are like physical glyphs which block a person’s innate ability to harness magic.
As the dreams unfolded I learned a lot about the magic world which was like our own with subtle differences.
I told a close friend about the dreams and he was like “Write the story already!”
I discussed it with my wife and she added a twist for me. She agreed I should write it but challenged me to make it PG13. Really watch the language and see if I could do it. I’m a pretty foul-mouthed individual and writing something without my normal spices to kick it up a notch was a challenging thought. I nodded. What the hell right?
So I sat down and started writing. There was no place where I had any doubts, any reservations about pacing or direction. I went where the story wanted to go and prayed the entire time it would pass the continuity test at the end.
I had a few close friends and family who were interested in ready the story as it progressed in real-time.
One issue I wanted to address from the outset was the way the story was crafted. I realized with Convergence 2012 that I was losing readers around Chapter 5. Chapter 6 and 7 was where the story really started going and I told myself I needed to find a way to grab readers and keep holding on. So I went more dialog heavy. I kept my exterior descriptions vague and short so as not to lose the readers. The vast majority of my feedback has been VERY positive in this regards. I set out to make the story read like it was a movie. And from the feedback, I succeeded. Of course, the flip side to that is the reader who really REALLY loved the writing style of Steve King with deep rich descriptions commented about the heavy use of dialog to push the story and said he didn’t care for the style.
I fell in love with the characters and really enjoyed writing Magic Really Sucks.
I designed the story also to allow for a second Trilogy which takes place in the Mystical Monastery that Ethan, Kat, and Mordecai spent 10 years…
There will also be three one-shot stories. One for Sparkles and Pinoke. One for Valk. And one for Ethan, Valk and Melissa.
Here’s the Intro Piece for Book 1, “Revelations”
“Ethan Higashi, a software developer at a B-level gaming studio is about to turn 45. He is unaware that he’s a powerful Nephilim who is about to discover a world of magic that he didn’t know existed. Thrust into a wild world full of intrigue and sinister machinations, Ethan quickly learns as a Nephilim there is no limit to the power that he can wield and there are powerful forces that want to leverage that potential to reshape the world to their vision. From the lowest regions of Hell to the highest reaches of Heaven there are many who wish to convert the young Nephilim to their purpose. Ethan has to learn quickly who and what to trust as his world is turned upside down and undertakes the journey that will define him as Earth’s greatest hero or its greatest villain… With unlimited power comes many temptations. Will it corrupt him to the core?”
Here’s the base teaser for Book 2, "Liberation"
“Ethan finds himself trapped in a magical prison which was designed to be impossible to escape from. His friends Valk, Melissa and Sparkles recruit help and leverage all the resources of Heaven and Hell to try and free him.
Meanwhile, powerful forces come to play and a new Nephilim has her sights set high and has possession of the powerful Trumps cards that Ethan and his team worked hard to remove from the world of man.”
The second book of the Trilogy… Ahh the joy. This book progressed pretty easily and I was like, “Oh man. Ethan’s in prison… And other things happened and I was like where the hell is this story gonna go?…”
The Final Book for Magic Really Sucks:
The teaser text for Book 3, "Redemption"
Ethan’s freedom from Gabriel’s prison comes at a surprising cost and with his new role as King of Hell, Ethan is tasked with repairing the damage to the Earth and fighting back the Darkness which threatens everything and everyone from Heaven to Hell. He rallies his friends as they confront a vast and seemingly indestructible enemy. Mistakes of the past have taken a heavy toll and what will be the ultimate price for Redemption? The final book of the Magic Really Sucks Trilogy will reveal what that cost is.
Things started to get stressful on this one. Lots of moving pieces. Lots of strands to tie together. I think overall all the pieces were addressed and a few were left out which will be resolved in the second trilogy. So you’ll see what I mean when we roll into the next trilogy.
This had some really epic moments and introduction to some really cool concepts. I hate being vague but at the same time need to make sure I don’t let the cat out of the bag.
There are some deeper meaning and things I do in these stories on purpose and one point I think is imperative for folks to understand is this: This is an alternate version of our Earth. Some things are going to be very different than ours even if you remove the concept of people being able to use magic.
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