Melissa Lopez - Featured Author

Behind the creation of Netherworld.

I’m still stoked over the release of my first novel titled Dark Sentinel a paranormal romance. And the launch of my series site Netherworld.
http://nether-world.net/ the back drop for Dark Sentinel. While Netherworld offers a new romance with every installment it’s a dark, foreboding world. I mixed a little horror and urban fantasy elements into the series.

Sometimes authors have real clear ideas of what’s in store for their characters and worlds. Other times details come more slowly.

Netherworld sparked to life with a whispered word. Redemption. What’s necessary in the process of redeeming? What kind of act would redemption take? This led to my central concept. The forsaken. The forgotten. And with that concept I just knew I wanted a world with multi dimensional layers like that of the Dark-Hunter world of Sherrilyn Kenyon. I wanted a world I could build on and expand as the series unfolded.

For a more in-depth inspiration, I was struck by one of my early college classes and one of my very favorite pieces of literature. Dante’s Inferno. This story is truly a masterpiece! I read it three times before the semester was up. The premise of Dante’s Inferno stuck with me from the first reading. Truly fascinating! Imagine circles in Hell. As I was toying with Dark Sentinel’s premise another story came to mind. One written by Kate Hill centered on a demon. Demons! Yes! I needed demons! I wanted lots and lots of demons. I nearly flipped my computer chair over when Pinhead from Cliver Barker’s Hellraiser popped into my head for a visit. Truly, this is not a character you want to know intimately. And neither is my Dark Prince. Seriously a purely evil being. My muse was in Heaven as the bits and pieces of Netherworld started falling into order.

Once I had a partial done for Dark Sentinel Netherworld literally spilt wide opened while I was in an Ohio hotel in June of 06. Working with pen in paper story plots poured out. I honestly didn’t see the dark world coming until it was there. The next day, I had an impulsive pitch to Samhain Publishing. I still remember my Netherworld unfolding during my live pitch to Christina Brashear nearly two years ago. Christina was absolutely fabulous while I was absolutely nervous!
Now thanks to Samhain Netherworld has come alive. So do you believe in redemption?

Dark Sentinel excerpt link below.
http://samhainpublishing.com/romance/dark-sentinel

Thanks so much for having me, Tracey!
Melissa Lopez
http://melissa-lopez.com/
JOURNEYS OF LOVE every woman needs to take.