Casting Call: Death Is A Bitch

Oo, I've been waiting a long time to share this cast!

This was such a fun story to write, and as usual, played like a movie in my head as I wrote.

And as usual, the characters came through very clearly.

Death. The word conjures quite a few negative images, doesn't it? Well, why? Why shouldn't Death be a gorgeous babe in gold stilettos? Intelligent and sensitive, she has a work ethic to match the relentless task of harvesting souls. Trouble is, it wreaks havoc on her personal existence.

Since I began writing this story, Claudia Black was always Death. She can portray a strong and strong-willed female, a warrior-goddess who, if crossed, will yes - become a bitch. One you don't want to cross.

Azrael, Patron Angel of the Dying and the Dead, oversees all those associated with the process of dying, from funeral home workers to grief counselors to pallbearers and yes, the grieving people left behind.

I imagined him as somewhat shy, adorable but awkward with females. Especially Death, on whom he's had an eternal crush. :)

Paul Walker makes a wonderful Azrael.

As you might imagine, Death has an interesting family. Not one you'd probably want to share a holiday dinner with, though.

Her twin sister, Hypnos, bestows sleep on humans. She's every bit as busy as Death, but instead of gold stilettos, she wears raggedy bunny slippers. Hypnos is much more laid back.

Cute, wide-eyed Zooey Deschanel was always Hypnos. I love that she might be about to yawn in this pic.

Death's parents are likewise, um, interesting. Her mother is Nyx, otherwise known as Night. As beautiful as her daughters, she's also intelligent and exciting.

Anjelica Houston is perfect as Nyx. She has the goddess thing down.

Her hubby, Death and Hypnos' father, is Erebos, otherwise known as Darkness. He's well acquainted with Earth, but also with the Underworld, and he often tries to get into the Prince of Darkness' good graces (someone should tell him, good luck with that). He also has a penchant for too much hair product.

Classically handsome, he can sometimes be shallow, but beneath it all, loves his family and would do anything for them.

George Clooney was Erebox from the start.

Aside from Death, Damien the demon might be my favorite character in this story. Too handsome for his own good, he's also witty and clever, and underhanded (as demons are). Not one to be trusted for an instant. Humans sometimes call him into service unwittingly at the moment of their passing, a last desperate attempt to cling to life. This brings Damien into frequent contact with Death. Not that he minds. He loves it, in fact, and wants a lot more contact than Death is willing to give. Her reluctance pisses him off. And a pissed-off demon is a vengeful demon.

Bad boy Collin Farrell made writing Damien's character so much fun.

As myth has it, King Sisyphus is the only human who ever escaped Death's clutches. Twice, in fact. Zeus sentenced him to forever push a boulder up a hill in Tartarus, and he's damn tired of it. So tired, he'll listen to any scheming demon.

Harvey Keitel would make a wonderful Sisyphus.

I took some liberty with Acragas. Son of Zeus and the Oceanid Asterope, Acragas was a silver smith. My research revealed that items made from silver often possess some sort of magical power. What fun! Of course, I had to give Death a charm bracelet of magical silver, and each charm has a specific function.

I imagined Acragas, the master silversmith, as lanky and tall, with wiry red hair, and prone to wearing funky clothes. Maybe I had T.C. Boyle in my head all along, but he was Acragas while I wrote. No, he's not an actor, but a writer I idolize. And the movie's in my head, but he'd be very cool as Acragas on the big screen too.

Another master at his craft, Malean is the tattoo artist who inked Death's butterfly tattoo. Yep, the one that shows each human's face as they're dying.

A small but important part, Jack Black's great as Malean.


You can find out more about Death Is A Bitch here.

Or purchase an ebook from Smashwords.

Death will appreciate you reading her story. ;)

Freebie

Here’s a free PDF download of Bob Mayer’s 70 Solutions to Common Writing Mistakes. (Just click on the two links – apparently you don’t need to sign up for the e-newsletter as it says.)
Bob covers a lot of territory in this two-parter, everything from amorphous Not Learning Patience to Letting Your Ego Run Amok to more technical aspects such as Overediting and Not Setting Your Scenes.
To his chapter on Misusing Writer’s Groups, I would add: don’t use them as a forum to air your dirty laundry. I’ve been to too many sessions advertised as critique groups where authors spoke about their personal problems rather than their writing. It’s just not the time or place, and talking about your divorce or operation instead of POV or character arc won’t be well received. It’s also why you shouldn’t Play[ing] Out Your Personal Demons On the Page. You want to cut to the bone of your story, but don’t injure anyone else in the process.
I love the chapter Not Breaking Rules. Yes, it’s important to learn the rules of writing. Then experiment with breaking them. It’s how you’ll find your true voice.
I’d also supplement his Not Having an Idea That’s Different Enough with a bit of advice from contest editors: Write down your story idea. Throw it away. Write down your next story idea. Throw that away, too. Write down the next ten story ideas. Throw all of them away – because if you thought of it, many other writers have, too. We’re never as original as we think we are – I’m as guilty as anyone. I sometimes think I’ve hit upon something really edgy and cool only to find it’s already been done and I’m way behind the curve. However – keep in mind that while there are no original story premises, your presentation of the premise makes all the difference. As T.C. Boyle said: "But then, that’s the beauty of writing stories—each one is an exploratory journey in search of a reason and a shape. And when you find that reason and that shape, there’s no feeling like it."

My Short Story's Online!

The Battered Suitcase published my short, All is Calm, All is Bright today!
I actually wrote this years ago, and submitted it to the Pennwriters 2005 annual contest. It was awarded second place.
T.C. Boyle, one of my favorite authors, said: Each of us must create art in order to address the central questions of human existence—for our own sanity, and, we hope, for the sanity of our readers.
'Nuff said.