Think “Avatar”, but steeped in the occult and with a killer soundtrack.

In my previous blog entry I mentioned the dinner where I discussed the concept of “Red Goddess” with Donald. It took place late in 2010, more-or-less as a seasonal Christmas shindig.

 It wasn’t until a month or so later, in the winter of 2011, that Donald and I met at the bookstore, Chapters, to revisit the project. The location had been chosen so that Donald could give me a cursory introduction to the world of graphic novels, which, I have to concede, I was not as brushed up on as I should have been considering that I was about to undertake writing one. Lack of foreknowledge, incidentally, has never held me back on anything previously. Take parenting for example or that fun preamble that can result in being a parent.

After meeting up Donald, led me to the graphic novel section and in a manner clearly relaying his love for the art form, informed me that it was the fastest growing section in the bookstore – which was quite possible as it was also the smallest section in the bookstore. It’s not that I was being cynical in this observation, quite the opposite. There was a welcoming energy in the possibility; something that I found the stogy gate-keeper bloated world of publishing lacked.

Generally I associate the real cool graphic novels with the specialty shops. Where, in the past, as part my research for “Pairs” I had purchased a few looking specifically for either female writers or female lead characters. Nevertheless, as a result of this crash course in the genre, I ended up purchasing a few at Chapters of Donald’s choosing.

Subsequent to this tutorial-slash-shopping-spree, we had a chat at the Starbucks inside the bookstore. Over a couple of rounds coffee, during which his wife, Karen, briefly joined us while en route to some final destination that I don’t recall, I outlined the big sweep of my thoughts and the relationship between my novel, “Pairs”, and the impending graphic novel, “Red Goddess”.

Though he liked the broader concept of the protagonist from “Pairs”, Kayley, writing the graphic novel in which she was unwittingly predicting the future of the “Pairs” story arc, Donald has a polite way of letting one know that they are rambling, which I was, so I changed my tact. I reeled in the conversation to focus on the graphic novel itself and turned it into an ‘elevator’ pitch. By that I mean a single sentence. “Red Goddess is a full-throttle blending of sci-fi and the occult where one woman is protecting a coven spread across space and time from an ancient demon named Leviathan.” Sold!

I may not know graphic novels but I do love sci-fi and occult movies and television. What I was really on track to write was a movie script. In the back of my mind I had visions of the “Red Goddess” becoming an animated motion picture like “Heavy Metal”, only with a better and more consistent animation style, a more cohesive storyline and cooler music. Not that the music was awful. In retrospect I guess what mean by like “Heavy Metal” is conceptually inspired by. Think “Avatar”, but steeped in the occult (as opposed to spirituality) and with a killer soundtrack.