Black mambas...crossbows...syringes filled with snake venom - several people have asked me after reading some of my writing, "Where do you come up with this stuff, Jason? You aren't really the violent type." I have had to ask myself that question, especially with my upbringing in the church. I can tell you, I have always had a strange fascination with all the different types of violence in the books I read AND the movies and TV shows I watch. I mean let's face it - nobody wants to suffer from a violent attack of any sort. But you can't help but wonder: what could I do to someone if they try to hurt me? If you see enough movies over the years, and read enough books, you can mix tricks used by their creators to come up with totally new ways to inflict harm upon imaginary characters. I know this sounds a bit sadistic, but there is just something challenging about writing a story about some way a villain or hero might try to harm some opposing force, and be unique in doing it. So whether it be getting beat by a baseball bat, or killed by some neuro-toxin injected with a hypodermic needle or snake fangs - you can get the same result by all sorts of means. Ironically it is almost the opposite of the definition of insanity. It is a strange twisted thing to even consider writing about for most Christians, but if you think about it, don't we live in just the sort of world where we have to overcome such things...and sometimes the only way to overcome them - why, turn to God, of course! But hey, that's another story.
Jason E. Fort