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Showing posts from June, 2018

Quality and Realism When Writing Action Sequences

I anticipate that, for those who watch a lot of martial arts movies, the fight scenes in Bridge of Souls may be a disappointment. They will probably only appeal to those who really know about close quarter combat or who demand an intelligent and accurate portrayal of their fights and action sequences. The fights in Bridge of Souls are unplanned, dirty and over very quickly. Everyone in the fight gets hurt, ribs get smashed, eyes get black, teeth get knocked out, noses get broken and injuries remain sore, long after the fight is over. I also deliberately made each fight a clash of styles as this makes the choreographic movements more demanding and interesting. This is not at all like the movies, where the hero fights numerous armed and unarmed opponents, who all very conveniently wait their turn to attack. Every person who is hit by a "telling blow" is soon back up and fighting again. The real world is not like that, at all. Examples from Striking Arts

The Most Dangerous Place on Earth : The Sanatorium of St. Michael

When I was writing the exorcism sections for   Bridge of Souls ,  I wanted to make the presentation of the material feel as realistic as possible.  So, given my background in education, I set myself the task of designing the academic curriculum for a course that would equip Thomas O'Neill (and my readers) for the supernatural elements that were to come later in the story.   So was born the  post-doctoral seminar programme titled, “ Discarnate Intelligence: Theological and Historical Perspectives ”.  I located my fictional course at the  Pontificia Università Gregoriana , or PUG in Rome.  The highest seat of theological learning in the Roman Catholic Church.  But, once I had O'Neill attending the course,  I was suddenly struck with a question.   What happens to the Exorcists who, in dealing with  extraordinary influence of Evil ( the theological definition of demonic possession ), become themselves victims?  I decided there should be a sanctuary that would tend to

Forbidden Knowledge: Eastern Esoteric Traditions of Reincarnation, Consciousness and Death

Citipati, Lords of the Cemetery. Bardo Thödol. Tibetan Book of the Dead. If you have been following my posts you will already know that in writing Bridge of Souls I wanted to include, not just classic action and adventure, but also elements of the supernatural. And, when I say supernatural, I do not mean just made up hokum, as is so often the modern trend in supernatural fiction, but story elements that reflect genuine esoteric traditions and techniques. As you have gathered, mysteries have had a life long fascination for me. I have been fortunate enough in my working life to visit some of the most remote places on earth and meet some extraordinary people. During these travels I frequently came across reports of reincarnation and, when talking with advanced practitioners of esoteric paths, such as Raja Yoga , of specific techniques which manipulated the life force and consciousness. In researching these techniques I came across accounts of how advanced mysti