Torrent Tragedy follows a prodigious teenager whose involvement in e-book piracy leads to a chilling curse as he seeks to uncover the truth behind a mysterious author and navigate supernatural consequences. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

My inspiration for writing Torrent Tragedy was being a victim of piracy, not just once. Back in the late 80’s, I had a cosmetics company named, Colecciones de Raquel. In search of investors, I had written a business plan. In that plan were photos of me as a model. One person somehow took my plan and put it into action without me. Except, they named their line Raquelle. Unfortunately for them, they also used one of my photos.

In 2016, I learned that all of my books had been pirated and placed on different sites around the internet. Needless to say, I was furious. After reporting them and taking their pages down, I started writing Torrent Tragedy. When you want to punish someone and you’re not a violent person, it’s much better to have a supernatural entity do your dirty work. That’s when I created Alexa and her Bloody Urn Curse. Yes, this story is bloody; and that’s what I wanted to do: send these pirates to bloody hell.

How did you approach writing the character of Serge Michaels to reflect both his youthful missteps and his growth throughout the story?

How did Serge become a monstrous cyber pirate? I had to paint a picture of his walk onto the dark side. When you see a child abusing an animal, that is significant. This child has lost its innocence. Thus, the description about his abuse of animals. Whether it’s nature or nurture, it is there; the bad seed. He was talented and intelligent, but lazy. Just like any bad seed, Serge continued on his path toward criminality. Like any clever criminal, he morphs into a new identity: Frederick Woodley. Now I had a profile of the villain in Torrent Tragedy. People around Freddie (Serge) suffered because he had Anti Social Personality Disorder. Now, it was time for Freddie to suffer.

What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?

When I added the vampire character to the story, I started to think, why not create a good vampire? A vampire is someone who is forced to commit crimes in order to survive. Then of course, there’s the obstacle of “the blood thing.” That lead me to create the Nocturnals, vampires who no longer drink blood. This is the contrast of someone who is forced to do bad things to survive versus someone who chooses to do so.

The theme of Torrent Tragedy is the never-ending battle between good and evil in this 21st century. Some people are under the mistaken impression that if a crime does not involve violence, it is not a crime. Stealing is a crime no matter the means.

I am a strong believer in karma. In my work as a paralegal, I learned just how hard it is to get justice in this world. My stories are about people who do get justice, even if it is only fictional, poetic justice. I find it very satisfying to create an entertaining tale that amuses and revives a touch of hope into someone’s mind.

What is the next book that you are working on, and when will it be available?

Torrent Tragedy was the first in the Nocturnals series. Bloody Urn is the second installment. New characters enter the story in this sequel: A group of people who work at The Underground Telegraph, a news magazine that delves into the supernatural. Then there’s Lieutenant Loya who is investigating the strange “vampire murders” in Los Angeles. Benedictus, the founder of Nocturnals also enters the picture. Then, Freddie Woodley re- emerges (Serge Michaels).

The third sequel is Nocturnals. In this installment, wealthy individuals are being murdered by vampires then disappearing from the morgue. Some of these victims are later captured on surveillance cameras leaving the country – alive and well. There is a war brewing among the vampires: Bloodsuckers v. Herbivores. (Dark Dynasty v. Nocturnals). The spree of sensational and ghastly vampire murders ontinue, as the Lieutenant and members of the Underground Telegraph try to solve them.

I am now working on the final sequel, Moon Garden. In this final chapter of the series, much will be resolved. Such as:

a. Is Alexa the reincarnated soul of Calista?
b. When will Benedictus tell Alexa that he is a Nocturnal Vampire?
c. Can you incarcerate a blood sucking vampire?
d. Will the Nocturnals make it to Primavera Island in time?

Moon Garden will be available sometime before summer. That is, prior to the end of spring or “primavera.”

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Original source: https://literarytitan.com/2024/05/05/fictional-poetic-justice/