The Dark-Hunters (877 page)

I have a couple of helpers who tweak it for me, but I play on the site every day, and much like a museum, you only see a percentage of what’s there. We have many more pages that are under development at all times.

The Dark-Hunter presence in the chats and on the bulletin board is one of my favorite aspects of the Web site. How does that work?

The “live” Dark-Hunters are friends and family who have graciously volunteered their time to role-play. The only thing they have in common with the characters are their names, and maybe a few of the more annoying personality traits. They know basic Dark-Hunter information, but not all details of their characters have been revealed to them.

Is Sanctuary a real place?

Oh, how I wish. Believe me, if Sanctuary were real, I’d be parked on a bar stool ogling Dev and the guys in New Orleans and not in my little room writing the books.

The only place Sanctuary exists is in my mind. And no, it’s not based on any real bar in New Orleans. Sorry. If you look up the address 688 Ursulines, you’ll find a convent there. That address was chosen for two reasons. One, it pays tribute to my favorite punk bar in the 1980s: 688, which was on Spring Street in Atlanta. And two, I wanted an address that didn’t exist so that people wouldn’t show up at someone’s house in the French Quarter looking for the Peltiers.

The Dungeon, however, is real and on Toulouse Street (and if you’re over twenty-five, wear ear plugs—it’s really loud there).

If you had one piece of advice for aspiring writers, what would it be?

Never give up, never surrender. This is a hard business, but it’s so worthwhile. There’s nothing better than doing what you love. So don’t ever let anyone tell you that you don’t deserve your dream. You do. You just have to make sure that you don’t give up too soon.

If you could be any superhero, who would it be?

Super Peanut. It’s the superhero my son created for his own comic strip. I love Super Peanut. He has the power to clone himself at will (boy, what I wouldn’t pay for that ability!). He’s always taking down the evil Robot Monsters to save the world and he hangs with the coolest friends, Super Egg and his sidekick the Amazing Yolk.

The best part about being Super Peanut is I would then get to spend all my time making my son laugh. He has a beautiful laugh.

How did the term “Author Goddess” originate?

Author Goddess, or AG for short, came from the original members who played on the Dark-Hunter site. Hellion, aka Helly, was the one who coined both that and “Kenyon Minion.” Thank you, Helly. You’ve always been the best. And thank you to the original members who helped make the Dark-Hunter message boards a true fan sanctuary. To everyone, past and present, who come and play, thank you from the bottom of my heart.

Goody-Goody Gumdrops

Bonus Material

An Interview with Acheron

If you could shrug off all your duties and responsibilities for one evening and break out your guitar, who would you, Acheron Parthenopaeus, jam with?

That’s hard to say. I have extremely eclectic tastes, but it would probably be a toss-up between Bo Diddley, Black Eyed Peas, or Papa Roach. The where wouldn’t matter really. It’s all about the music. It really does soothe the savage beast within.

Ash, what’s the one thing you want most out of life?

Peace. It’s strange how the simplest of things is often the most difficult to obtain. I guess that’s why it’s so valuable.

What effects do microgravity and high g-forces have on the physiology of Dark-Hunters, Arcadians, Katagaria, Apollites, Daimons, Charontes, and you?

Hard to say on the Dark-Hunters, Daimons, and Apollites, since they’ve never been exposed. The Were-Hunters who fly deal with it constantly, so no real effect there, but the Charontes have a game where they see how fast they can reach escape velocity. They love the rush of it. But once they are in microgravity, it’s a bit tricky to get back—oh, the fun with Simi here. The first time she did it and realized that she couldn’t belch fire in space was not fun. She pouted for a month. As for myself, I like cruising space. It’s entertaining.

You have lived longer than any human on the planet, seen more, heard more, than anyone else can ever dream of. In all those years and all the knowledge that you’ve learned, what does it mean to be human?

It means letting the sun shine on your skin. Braving the possibility of bad to have the good. But most of all, it means seizing the moment because it may never come this way again. By the way, that’s something I once read on a Bazooka bubble gum wrapper. The true answer is I have no freaking clue since I’m not now, nor have I ever really been, human.

What was your favorite pastime before you became a Dark-Hunter?

Going to the theater. It was particularly entertaining in the past when men played the parts of women. And one time in Rome, the stage fell apart. They fed the stage director to the lions afterward. Ancient man wasn’t particularly forgiving. Makes you wonder how much more challenging baseball would be if you upped the stakes for errors.

What will you do when Simi finds her mate?

See above about being fed to lions. Or maybe cannibals. Yeah, definitely one of those two things.

So who and/or what is Savitar?

A big pain in my ass.

What is in that backpack you guard so zealously?

Simi snacks. Trust me, a demon without snacks is a scary thing. Global warming takes on a whole new meaning.

While I understand and appreciate the comfort of leather … umh … doesn’t it get kinda hot during the summer? Do you have stock in baby powder?

The beauty of not being human: I don’t sweat. But you’re right. On some it can get a little gamy.

What is your favorite comic?

Neil Gaiman’s “Sandman.”

Do you play video games? If so what’s your favorite kind?

I certainly do. Dead to Rights or Resident Evil. I also have a strange fixation with Destroy All Humans. Not sure why. But I think you humans should be afraid.

How are you coping with the two new female additions to your household?

I now understand why the Chinese symbol for war is two women under one roof. I don’t know how humans suffer this. It’s almost enough to make me want to go live with Artemis.

Why do you like Goth so much?

I look good in black. Seriously though, the Goth community is more accepting. They like my fangs and don’t think twice about my eyes, height, or Simi’s horns. Plus, most of them have read Kierkegaard, Kant, and Sartre. And they love to debate the Hobbesian State of Nature with me.

What’s the most annoying, frustrating, or irritating thing that you’ve come across?

Computers. Are they not the bane of all humanity? And spam. I’d like to feed spammers to Simi.

An Interview with Simi

Simi, what have you learned about Charonte demons since your sister has moved in?

That we don’t like to share. Not that the Simi didn’t know that before Xirena came in and started hogging my things, but since she’s been here … let’s just say the Simi has set up a lot of boundaries and barriers to keep her from touching my stuff. By the way, it’s all
my
stuff. I don’t know why she wants to touch it. But I won’t let her. It’s mine.

When did you first come to Ash?

Whach you mean by that? You mean when was the Simi given to akri or when was the first time he called for me and I obeyed? I don’t really remember either one. Probably because I have never willingly done the second one. Well, that’s not true. The Simi has come when akri called her to eat, ’cause it’s never good to miss a meal—that’s how people and demons go hungry. Hunger isn’t good. It’s bad. Very bad. What was the question again?

What is it like to live with Ash?

Live with or live on ’cause again they are very separate things. Live with is easy ’cause akri does mostly what I say. He’s very kind to his Simi that’s why the Simi loves her akri. He my daddy, you know? As for on him … well that leaves a lot to be desired ’cause akri has a hard body. He just not soft. I remember once, being on this … oh never mind. Akri don’t like me talking about that. Suffice it to say, he’s wonderful, but a little belly pooch wouldn’t hurt him any from my perspective. You ever tried to lay down on a hard man? It’s just not fun.

Besides BBQ sauce, what else is your favorite food?

Hmmm, the Simi like it all. BBQ isn’t really a food, it’s an enhancer and it make everything taste better. Even ice cream. Don’t believe me? Try it. It good, especially on that coffee-flavored ice cream. Oooo the Simi gotta go eat. I be right back.

Is Ash ever going to let you fry the heifer goddess?

(Licking lips) Ummm no. I keep trying, but akri keep telling me, “No, Simi, no.” I don’t like no. It’s an ugly word. No. See. It don’t even roll off your tongue. It just sits there looking all small and … ugly We need to expand akri’s vocabulary. “Why yes, Simi, you may eat the heifer. Have some sauce for her.” See how much nicer that sounds?

Why does Ash always change his hair color?

Akri does that to match my outfits ’cause the Simi has to match. You don’t want your hair to clash with your hornays now, do you?

What happened to Atlantis?

It got eaten. Trust me. I saw it. But the Simi didn’t do it.

If given a chocolate Easter bunny would you eat the tail first … or the ears?

I’d put my best sauce on it, then eat it whole, ’cause that’s how you gots to do it. Trust me, I know.

What is the most amazing thing you’ve seen or done in all your long years?

That would be watching the old, and I do mean old, heifer goddess choking on a chicken bone. Not that she’s ever done it. But the Simi keeps dreaming that maybe one day she will and akri won’t be there to save her. Wouldn’t that be nice? I told that once to them Santas in the mall and they called security on the Simi. What were they thinking? Can’t the Simi have a little dream? The heifer may not like it, but it sure makes my night.

Why?

Well, why not?