I hadn't written a book for a while. A long while. About 10 years, actually. Until I stopped drinking, I was extremely anxious and found that I would find any excuse to hide my work, be it writing or artistic. They were the only things I felt I was good at. They were my hobbies, and they were personal, so I didn't want to hear any critical opinions on what I'd done by anyone as I found it too hurtful. So, after lots of soul searching, I decided drink was going to have to go. I'd quit smoking nearly 20 years ago, with the exception of the very occasional cigar; the last one in fact making me vomit 🤢
So, what was I going to write about? Well, I'd had this idea buzzing around me for years. This, paranoid and almost supernatural feeling that what if our dreams weren't quite what they seem. I'd been listening to a lot of H. P. Lovecraft and just re-watched Re-Animator. I love the single-minded focus and blatant selfishness of Herbert West, coupled with his pursuit of his dark vision, no matter what the cost.
I find, sometimes, that writing from the point of view of an asshole, you can really explore things in a relentless and sometimes funny way. You can do anything to them, because they deserve it. They're horrible people and, mainly, they're what mad scientists are made of.
With all this in mind I decided not to name my main character, or as I sometimes do, not even allude to their gender. I want that part to be owned by the reader. So, in the case of this story, it's actually possible to allow yourself to pretend you're Herbert West.
The idea of entering dreams, like many ideas these days, is not unique, I know. But I do feel that you can take an existing idea and improve on it. That's what I wanted to do. I wanted to have a means to enter the dream realm and create a feeling that this is possible; like the technology is just around the corner. As a little aside, I've been following the evolution of VR for years and I’ve enjoyed cyberpunk ever since Bladerunner, so with this in mind, I wanted the universe of ‘Beyond the Fall’ to feel clunky and grimy, like it was more of an eighty’s futuristic interpretation of the 21st century. I wanted, character, thick cables, cruel experiments, glowing fog and body horror to play a large part. Growing up I always found these elements in sci-fi horror films so striking and sometimes horrifying. For context, I grew up watching Jeff Goldblum in the Fly, as well as watching The Blob, Rabid, Re-Animator, Hellraiser, The Thing, Evil Dead and Nightmare on Elm Street. The list goes on, but you get the picture. Wild stories and gore are something I'm used to 😂
When writing this story, I decided that to enter someone’s dream by falling was my way of bringing the reader into this world. I wanted something familiar, something we can all relate to. But, with this fictional technology capable of recording dreams, it's now possible (in the context of the story) to see 'under the hood', so to speak. This is where I hoped to captivate the reader. To hit them with an idea that they will never know is true or not; like, could there actually be a tangible realm beyond the waking world? I wanted to develop a mystery for my main character to explore with selfish determination and to do what normal, rational people wouldn't. Because only a person like that, an asshole, would take the unnecessary risks for knowledge and glory.
Anyway, I love that I wrote this book. I may even revisit the world again. I like the idea of having a universal connection through my stories. My book, Beyond the Fall, is available on Amazon in paperback or Kindle. If you like it, please let me know as well as leave a kind review to entice others into my stories.
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