Since childhood, I dreamed of traveling the world. Little did I know that my journey wouldn’t just take me to distant lands, but also into realms of mystery and the supernatural. My upcoming novel, Demons Are Forever: A Novel Based on Real Events, weaves together these two aspects of my life—worldly adventure and the dark, elusive presence of demons. Though the character Charlotte Chandler is fictional, her encounters with the demonic are grounded in actual experiences.
My Journey from Louisiana to Singapore and Beyond
I grew up in New Orleans, Louisiana, and after graduating from LSU, my husband, our toddler son, and I embarked on what we thought was a two-year adventure to Singapore for my husband’s job. That two years evolved into 27 years of living in seven different countries. We had another son, and my childhood dream of traveling the world became a reality. Those years allowed me to experience different cultures, landscapes, and environments, which profoundly influenced my writing.
Singapore was the beginning, a bustling, vibrant city that introduced me to Asia’s unique mix of modernity and tradition. From there, our lives unfolded across various continents. Living abroad provided not just incredible experiences but also moments of deep reflection, where I realized that despite all the beauty of the world, there are also shadows—unseen forces lurking beneath the surface.
Encountering the Supernatural in Real Life
The encounters in Demons Are Forever aren’t just the product of an overactive imagination. Over the years, I’ve heard many stories and even experienced some inexplicable events myself. Living in foreign countries, where superstitions often mingle with reality, opened my eyes to the world of the unseen. These were not just ghost stories, but real, frightening confrontations with forces that defy explanation.
One of the most chilling experiences occurred when we were living in a small city in Scotland. There, an old house we rented seemed to come alive at night, and strange, unexplainable things began happening. This was my first personal brush with something that felt dark, malevolent, and beyond human comprehension. It is from these moments that the heart of Demons Are Forever was born.
The Creation of Charlotte Chandler
Charlotte Chandler, the protagonist of Demons Are Forever, is not me, but her story is heavily inspired by real-life events. From the moment of her birth, Charlotte is marked by something beyond this world. Her journey through life, marked by recurring encounters with demons, mirrors my own fascination and fear of the unknown. As she grows older, her ability to recognize and confront these forces develops, much like my own understanding of the supernatural evolved over years of living internationally.
Her story is one of survival, resilience, and coming to terms with the darkness that surrounds her. Charlotte is not just fighting external demons but grappling with the internal ones that threaten to consume her. In many ways, she represents anyone who has ever faced their fears head-on, whether literal or metaphorical.
Weaving Travel and the Supernatural into the Novel
My years of international living also brought a rich tapestry of cultural beliefs, legends, and experiences into the narrative of Demons Are Forever. Every country we lived in, from the bustling streets of Singapore to the quiet corners of European villages, had its own stories about the supernatural. These legends and encounters helped shape the world in which Charlotte lives, creating a complex, multi-layered narrative that crosses borders—both physical and spiritual.
Traveling through different countries opened my eyes to how universal, yet varied, the concept of the supernatural is. Whether it was Asian beliefs in spirits or European tales of haunted places, I realized that demons, in some form or another, are part of every culture’s mythology.
Conclusion: A Journey Through Worlds
Writing Demons Are Forever allowed me to bring together two of the most important parts of my life—my love for travel and my fascination with the supernatural. It’s a novel that explores not only different cultures but the universal fear of what lies beyond the veil of the known. As I weave Charlotte Chandler’s story, I’m reminded of how much of it is inspired by my own journey—both through the physical world and the world of the unseen.