On the 5th Day of Christmas…
ON THE FIFTH DAY OF CHRISTMAS MY TRUE LOVE SENT TO ME… 5 DEMON SPAWNS!
Okay, so Christmas is not about demons at all, but my novel DEVIL’S DESSERT or its spinoff short DEMONIC ENTITIES make for great gifts. This was perhaps the most extensive research I’ve had to do for any of my books because I wanted to respect all faiths. I spent months reading the various main texts and made notes comparing them. There were so many similarities among them that I even went back further into polytheism and saw a common origin point. It is quite intriguing to say the least. Depicted on the left is Anneliese Michel. She died at the age of 23 with the causes believed to have been demonic possession. Look up her story as it is too much to post here. Do you think she was possessed or had some sort of mental disease?
Order a copy of my novel or short for yourself or a friend. If you want personalized copies then shoot me an email (Rickpipito@hotmail.com), otherwise they can be purchased in print or digital at Lulu.com or on Amazon.
Day 22 – Pandora’s Chaos Trilogy
Day 22 of #scrypthalloween shows my PANDORA’S CHAOS TRILOGY. @dpipito did the cover, which shows a statue with mechanical parts, angel feathers and demon wings, and my version of Pandora’s Box in the center of its chest with an escaping vapor of a soul. The #book includes the #novels: SOULS 4 SUPPER, DEVIL’S DESSERT, and TECHNO FEAST as well as the spinoff short stories: GHOSTLY HAUNTINGS, DEMONIC ENTITIES, and VIRAL UPGRADES plus a teaser for the follow up novel.
It is available in print and digital at Lulu, Amazon and Barnes and Noble sites…
official description: Three novels from one of the most fascinating horror series are now together for the first time in one collection. In SOULS 4 SUPPER Gordon Lightcap, Moira Donatelli, & their team of specialists race to prevent the opening of Pandora’s Box. With the #ghosts of thousands #haunting their way into the afterlife, the team must make
sacrifices while attempting to not lose their own lives in the process. DEVIL’S DESSERT takes the team on a new mission to save humanity. They must seek out the truth in order to survive. Where will the human race stand when the ancient battle between #Heaven & #Hell comes to a front on earth itself? TECHNO FEAST takes the threat to a whole new level. A super computer has upgraded itself & taken control of every networked system on earth. Friends must unite with enemies to win back their own creations. The only team capable of destroying the Network Entity are separated and targeted for eradication. They must find a way to victory in this final battle.
short story -Demonic Entities
You pray, but something within you screams out. Your conscience flees, leaving you alone with your vices. No longer can you control your actions as the evil emerges. The demon has arrived, and none are safe.
Although it’s available in my Pandora’s Chaos Trilogy, the spinoff of my novel DEVIL’S DESSERT is now released separately. You can get a copy of DEMONIC ENTITIES here: http://www.lulu.com/shop/rick-pipito/demonic-entities-a-devils-dessert-accessory/paperback/product-22861924.html
in print, or on Amazon with the Pandora’s Chaos Trilogy extras.
The cover was designed by myself with the help of Roberta Pipito of http://www.homemadedelish.com. If you look in the flames there are specific shapes and outlines that resemble faces and dancing fiery figures. This was a combination of multiple pictures I took of my fire pit that melted together quite well.
Day 13 – Devil’s Dessert
What can be more frightening than demons? For this installment in #scrypthalloween I decided to focus on my novel DEVIL’S DESSERT.
The cover done by Dan Pipito depicts three artifacts crucial to the novel’s plot. The Crown of Thorns, The Sword of Eden, and the Spear of Destiny. When the ancient battle between Heaven and Hell comes to Earth, humanity is disposable at best. The forces of Light and Darkness prepare for their final battle here, but for humanity to survive they must open their eyes to the truth.
Individual religions must sift through the teachings that are wrong, and find a common ground in all faiths. Only then will the people of Earth know what it will take to survive this godly war, and drive the demons back to their own realms.
While all of this is happening one lost soul will journey into the depths of the afterlife to exact his own revenge.
This was one of my favorite novels to write, and took countless hours of research to do so. If you like Dan Brown’s novels, then I highly recommend this one. It’s got the mystery and history with lots of action and a frightening look at reality.
What are some of your favorite demon or angel stories? Make sure to #scrypthalloween if you post on it, and you may win a free copy of the book!
Pandora’s Chaos trilogy trailer
On this past Friday the 13th I released a trailer for the Pandora’s Chaos trilogy. It was a fitting date to do so, and here it is.
Pandora’s Chaos is a collection that includes the novels: SOULS 4 SUPPER, DEVIL’S DESSERT, & TECHNO FEAST.
Also included are the novelized versions of the spinoff stories: GHOSTLY HAUNTINGS, DEMONIC ENTITIES, & FINAL UPGRADE.
Bonus content includes 3 new short stories that exist in the same world & a look at what’s to come.
Devil’s Dessert trailer
Here’s the trailer for my novel DEVIL’S DESSERT. Give a like and a share if you like it. Thank you.
Interview: PANDORA’S CHAOS TRILOGY
The following is a compilation of some of the most frequently asked questions I’ve received from people in reference to my PANDORA’S CHAOS TRILOGY. I figured it was time to post them up as the next book will be ready soon. Enjoy and feel free to ask any additional questions in the comments below. 🙂
Q: How does this trilogy stand out from the last?
Rick: Like the Star Wars saga, I tend to think of this as a starting point for newcomers to my work. Books 4-6 are really well written in comparison to the original three because of what there was to work with. It is a lot easier to be more creative with ghosts, demons and technology (the focuses of the novels in Pandora’s Chaos), than it is with zombies, vampires and werewolves (books 1-3 in the Eden’s order trilogy). I wrote it in a way that anyone can jump in from this as a starting point and when it grabs their attention there would be two reactions. If the reader enjoys what they see here, then it will not only compel them to want to see what happens in the next trilogy, but also what happened before book 4 that established this world.
Q: Are you always writing in trilogies?
Rick: I think that is the most logical approach, yes. I’ve always loved a good series. The problem is finding a part for people to start. Someone might get turned off if they find out there are multiple books and they’re already 6 novels behind. The purpose of trilogy writing is multiple… I can focus on a new antagonist throughout, and have separate threats that are secondary antagonists in each novel. Sure you can read just any individual novel of it, but it really feels fuller with all three. I won’t always write in trilogies, but for this it seems fair.
Q: Where will the next trilogy take us then?
Rick: Into the future. There is a twenty five year gap between books 6 and 7 in order to introduce a mostly new cast. The past novels have happened and there will be references, but only when necessary. GENETIC MORSELS is going to enable me to do more creatively while building on an already existing world, and yet keeping it fresh and new.
Q: What is your take on Pandora’s Box and the whole Atlantis angle you’ve included?
Rick: Without giving too much away Atlantis has always been fascinating to me. There is so much that we don’t know about the history of mankind and I wanted to touch on that. I believe that every legend begins with a certain truth. My own ideas for stories are based on realistic things that have occurred in my own lifetimes, so incorporating that with the past really gives me a lot of working room. There had to be something opposite to the order established with the Garden of Eden in the first three novels, so when I wanted a source for chaos I immediately knew Pandora’s Box would be the thing to do just that. My take on it is completely unique to those prior, but still keeping true to what the original idea was.
Q: With your next trilogy taking place in the near future, what will you call it? What will it focus upon?
Rick: I have a few ideas about what to call the trilogy as a whole, but nothing definitive at the moment. I currently have the rights to my ideas in book 7 and book 8 which will focus on the next step in human evolution and aliens respectively.
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Q: Is it impossible to tie up every loose end? There are a few characters who I wonder about their fates.
Rick: Nothing is impossible, but in order to keep new novels fresh I don’t like to include every little thing that may have gone untouched. Take the fate of Cain. I like to leave that open to the reader to have their own thoughts. It isn’t necessary for me to go back to a place I’ve already been without having really good reason. I try to eliminate the reader question of “what if?” as often as I can. Mostly there are no loose ends. Each trilogy ties it up fairly well. For those things I left open, well I reserve them for the comic book spinoffs.
Q: In the Eden’s Order Trilogy there was a timeline and the graphic novel spinoff stories as bonus content. What are the extras included in this trilogy?
Rick: As I did in EDEN, I included the novelized stories that are and will be in the comic book spinoffs, plus three new additional stories. They are all short and are just meant to be supplemental material. Instead of a timeline with this one, I included a “document” that drops a hint as to what the main antagonist (I won’t say who here) is trying to do in book 7.
Q: I understand that you won some awards for this trilogy. What was that like?
Rick: I was blown away. I received extremely positive reviews on SOULS 4 SUPPER and it took the trilogy to new heights. It moved me from non placement on the independent author chart into the top 100… then two weeks later I had been moved into the top 25 of authors. I’m still on an adrenaline rush and am so thankful for all of the feedback and people who made this possible through support and word of mouth.
Q: What is the symbolism behind the cover art?
Rick: When I approached my brother (Dan Pipito) to do the cover art, we discussed how we could represent all three book themes as well as the underlying plot of it all. The look of an ancient sculpture came to mind, with modifications. In its chest you can see what is my version of Pandora’s Box. Emanating from that is a greenish mist that represents the souls within it. If you look at the wings behind the statue one is feathered and one more like a dragonfly. This is to represent the angels and demons. Finally, the sculpture itself is very mechanical looking with seams and rivets in places, which is where the technology is represented. It is a simple piece with many complexities hidden within (much like the mysteries revealed within the books).
Q: Where can we get PANDORA’S CHAOS TRILOGY?
Rick: The trilogy as a whole can be found in print at www.lulu.com, as well as the three novels that are included in the trilogy as separate entities. You can download SOULS 4 SUPPER, DEVIL’S DESSERT, and TECHNO FEAST for the Kindle on www.amazon.com
Day 6: Depiction of Religious Entities in DEVIL’S DESSERT
31 Days of Halloween continues, and here’s a post about my 5th novel, DEVIL’S DESSERT. Different religions have different depictions of God, the Devil and the countless angels and demons. Trying to take them all into account can be a tedious task, but it was well worth it in the end. So just how does a book about demons respect each faith?
In truth, it probably doesn’t. It’s too controversial of a topic to delve deep into it, but I can say I tried to make them all the “real” faith. Though I was raised Catholic, I’ve learned to respect everyone’s beliefs or disbelief. Luckily for me, there is a lot of common ground with which to work here.
This book’s version of “God” and the “Devil” are unique. Instead of calling them those nouns, I described them as the yin and yang of sorts. It is about the eternal war between light and darkness (good and evil). After reading DEVIL’S DESSERT you could come to the conclusion that these entities are not the true God and devil or that they are. It is up to the reader to decide at this point.
Lux Lucis was the name I gave to the embodiment of Light (God). The name is derived from Latin meaning “The One Light”. Tehum, on the other hand, means Darkness, and is the name I gave the dark entity (the Devil). Their goals differ from one another, so they aren’t necessarily good or evil because they must co-exist in order for the universe to continue forward. It would be oblivion without the other, yet only the Light seems to know this.
From Light was created darkness, and from them the angels and demons. For the main angels I took common archangel type characters (Michael, Raphael, Metatron, etc) and had them each as representatives for a heavenly virtue. The same goes for the demons representing vices, only with the demons, common names for the devil were used. In other words, I chose to use the name Satan as the demon of wrath, while Lucifer is an entirely different darkness, both of which are separate from the actual “devil”.
There are other minor angels and demons on each side, but those are not the focus of the story. The war between heaven and hell finally has a grand battle on earth with humanity stuck in between, searching for a way to remain a separate side. While some have chosen a side, our main characters have preservation of the human race in mind. In other words, they are saying “Take your war somewhere else.”
When it came to my depiction of Hell, I relied heavily on Dante’s Inferno for ideas. I always loved the painting and felt that it was as true a representation as could be. I took those ideas and tied them in with the descriptions of hell from the Bible, the Torah, the Koran, and others texts. Then I created the place with my own additional thoughts. We see a moment where Cain is seeking revenge and wants to kill “God”. In order to do so, he must trek through each of the levels of Hell and then Heaven (which quite literally are both embodiments of the individuals fears or bliss).
Purgatory and Limbo are also domains bridging the gaps between those realms and Earth, and they are touched upon as well. Although some extreme believers or non believers would take issue with the way I portrayed certain things, I stand firmly by the proof that you can’t make everyone happy. There were weeks of research into the many religions out there and I really tried to understand the individual perspectives. My respect for them all is my way of delivering my own type of message and that is that we should all be able to coexist peacefully.
This by far was my most difficult book to write because I wanted it to be something special and inclusive for everyone. The novel DEVIL’S DESSERT is available for kindle and in print, via links on the right side of the page. Coming soon will be the graphic comic spinoff DEMONIC ENTITIES.
Writing and Learning from your mistakes
Cover art for “Flesh And Leftovers” The novel – Art by Dan Pipito
I’ll be the first to admit, that while I’m extremely proud of the things I’ve done, I always look back and say, “Wow, I’m a better writer than I used to be.” That’s because I try to learn from my mistakes. I started off on this journey with writing, as a fan. I was a fan of other people’s works. I knew how good it felt to read stories, and I loved when people would enjoy my music. It made me want to transition from music and expand to fiction. If others enjoyed my songs, then why not let them enjoy the multitude of ideas I have in my head?
So my journey began. I looked into independent publishing for my first project FLESH AND LEFTOVERS and have stayed with it ever since. Would I like a major publishing deal? Of course. What passionate author wouldn’t, but I believe that things happen for a reason. The aforementioned novel began as a joke of sorts. I love zombies. I love the many takes on zombie lore. What I wanted to do was to combine them all, and that is why I went with multiple stories tying into one overall plot.
Cover art for “Blood The Second Helping” The novel
It wasn’t until halfway through the book that I decided to go on with vampires for the following novel. I decided right away that I didn’t want to be stereotyped into writing one thing. I didn’t want to be the “zombie guy”. It’s been done too many times. I knew that I could write sequels and make each one focus on something different, while continuing with the characters I love and keeping it something fresh and new.
Upon finishing the first novel, I began immediately writing BLOOD, THE SECOND HELPING, and mapping out more in the series. My mind was set. Then the reviews started coming in… There were an unbelieveable amount of outstanding reviews and feedback. It became overwhelming to the point of people wanting more zombie stories. I was adamant (still am) about doing more of the same in book form. This is where sCrypt comics came in with my brother. I could do spinoffs and appease that audience, while not
Cover art for “Bones At Breakfast” The novel
placing myself in a repetetive place.
Of course this is where my learning came in as well. I wrote book one hastily, and while it is certainly one of the best zombie novels out there (yes I’m biased haha), it has its flaws. Storywise it is fine, but I had no editor, so there are mistakes I made in writing. Plus, there is only so much that can be done creatively with a zombie story. I had a few messages telling me they found typos or that they didn’t like what I did in certain parts. The cool thing about the latter is that as you write a series, you can correct or attone for certain things. (I do want the audience to be happy too). The down side is that I now have six novels completed in the series, and while each one works as a stand alone device, my weakest book is the one that 
starts it all.
So what is a writer to do? Well, I realized this by the time I was finished writing BONES AT BREAKFAST (my werewolf novel). Then I decided, that if I write the series in trilogy format, I could have people really start with book 4 and then maybe want to go back and read the earlier novels.
Is this a good strategy? Part of me believes so. It makes marketing both easier and more complicated. As a series it becomes easier to sell the installments, but as a whole, the impression of amateur writing in my earlier installments compared to that of what I’d consider professional writing now can be difficult.
While writing novels has taken up much of my free time I have become limited to the amount of time I have to actually read. Now I’m hooked on books on tape of unabridged works. I tend to lean towards my influences on how to properly execute delivery of a concept. Anyone who has read my books can see the historical and mythical influences. I’m fascinated with legends and the unexplained. Writing allows me to curb this need to know by explaining it fictitiously. Point in case… the author, Bob Mayer, takes an amazing approach to explaining where things such as the Pyramids of Egypt came from and so much more. He’s been one of my influences who I feel has taught me (just through reading) what it truly takes to be a successful author.
Everyone mentions Dean Koontz or Stephen King, and while they are also major influences of mine, I tend to think they are oft referenced by too many authors. It is almost Cliche’. While I learn from these great people, I also learn from writers who I find are downright appaling. I could say names, but I won’t because I don’t condone trash talking, but there are 
writers who have had their books made into films, and honestly it seems as if a ninth grader has written their stories. I don’t care if a novel is geared towards a younger audience, literature shouldn’t be “dumbed down.”
In the end I strive for a few things. 1) I want to constantly evolve, and for my audience to see that. It’s not a pride thing. I do it for me sure, but I want to have people come back for more. If I don’t write on a level that I’m proud with, then how could the audience be entertained? 2) Helping others achieve their goals is important as well. Look, I may not be a NY Times bestseller (here’s to hoping one day), but I can guide others who are starting out or looking to learn. Artists, musicians, writers… I’ve been all three, and want to share my mistakes as to help others get past them. 3) I have a desire to entertain. While music will always do it for me, I don’t think it works on the same level. I have what I like to call “voices” in my head. These are my ideas. I literally have a dozen more books mapped out in my head. I just need the time to write, while juggling a full time job. 4) and finally, what this article is all about…. Learning. As much as my “pride” may be hurt by negative comments or reviews, I realize that there is no such thing as negative feedback. I’m a person who likes to take the negativity and turn it into something positive. So criticism is a wonderful thing, and having positive feedback with it is equal. They are the yin and yang of writing.
What are your thoughts? Are you a writer? If so, how do you approach your ideas? Please comment below. I’d love to hear how you work and learn. As always, I’d also like to throw a thank you out to my brother, Dan Pipito, for the artwork on the covers, as well as my wife, Roberta, who not only feeds my mind with amazing food, but also tells me when my ideas are good or bad.
sCrypt Publishing 