Behind the scenes: The origin of “The Prince of Hellscape Series”

The concept for The Prince of Hellscape Series formed after I watched the movie Meet Joe Black as a teenager. While the movie’s premise of Death living on Earth fascinated me, I envisioned something grittier, and darker.

The popularity of shows such as Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Charmed in those days meant I had a diverse selection of supernatural creatures. I started a few drafts, but, like most of my teenage projects, I gave up on them. I’d sometimes review my notes, particularly after watching Joe Black, Buffy, or Charmed. But the project didn’t go anywhere—until 2014.

A fresh take on a familiar archetype

Positive feedback on my fanfiction encouraged me to try writing web fiction. After binge-watching Buffy and Supernatural, my creativity surged. So, I dug out my old notes for my supernatural thriller and thought about characters and settings. My mind kept returning to one entity: the devil. He’s a symbol of power and corruption, but also potential redemption. Regardless of religious differences, everyone recognizes the persona. In short: the perfect main character.

From the start, I planned for him to have a strong female companion and sidestep the familiar trope of a mortal woman falling for a supernatural being. Although I had intended to incorporate some intimate themes, the series was never meant to be a romantic urban fantasy.

Twists of fate in writing

Soon, the idea took shape: the devil leading a criminal empire while also solving crimes or fighting for justice in a major U.S. city. Instead of setting it in New York, where Meet Joe Black took place, I set it in Los Angeles, the City of Angels. Then I started thinking about how Lucifer would fit into the story. Where would he live? What would he do? Someone like him couldn’t teach or bake (no offense to those jobs). He would aim to own a business. The idea of the devil running a nightclub as a front for his criminal empire felt like a perfect fit.

The pieces of the story clicked in my mind. But everything fell apart when I found out about an upcoming TV show. In Lucifer, the devil leaves Hell to run a nightclub in LA. The trailers were great, but the similarity to my premise killed my inspiration. I shelved the project indefinitely and went back to writing fanfiction.

Resurrecting the devil’s tale

Fast forward to 2021 when I started my author journey. As I wrote The Empath Series, I started brainstorming my next series. It came down to either a supernatural thriller or a sci-fi fantasy action-adventure series. I leaned toward the latter, but bad luck struck again when I heard about Red One. That book series and the Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson movie have similar themes. Despite outlining the series and writing a draft of the initial short story, I shelved the project. I’m not sure I’ll ever follow through with it. I’ll wait until after the movie to decide.

Having shelved my planned project, I needed a new one, so I reviewed my notes on the supernatural series. Although I couldn’t use the original characters or setting, the premise still intrigued me. At first, I considered creating an original city, like Metropolis or Gotham City. The latter’s dark, gritty vibe would have matched my tone. My goal was to ground the supernatural thriller in as much reality as possible. Miami and Las Vegas fit a tale of darkness and temptation. In the end, Sin City, with its glitz, glamor, desires, and underlying darkness, won out.

Forging the prince and his ally

For the male protagonist, I considered using an incarnation of Death, but it no longer fit my vision. I wanted a character associated with Lucifer, the Prince of Darkness, the Father of Lies, the Deceiver. Ultimately, I kept it in the family, and thus, Luminael Morningstar, the Prince of Hellscape, was born.

Next, I created Luminael’s strong and independent female companion. Despite being beholden to him, she should have her own rank in the infernal hierarchy. Someone akin to, yet distinct from, Lucifer’s Mazikeen. Because the Catholic Bible associates Eve with the devil, she was a natural choice, but I passed on her.

The crossroads demon mythology has always fascinated me. Moreover, when looking up the devil or the occult, Aleister Crowley’s name always pops up. Eventually, I merged them to match my story (and totally disregarded that the TV show Supernatural, did something similar). Since the character would be a daemona, I shortened it to Crowley.

Bringing the vision to life

Having settled on the characters and setting, I mapped out the entire supernatural suspense thriller series. I’ve plotted out the key events for six books, focusing especially on Luminael and Crowley’s fates. I’m sure I’ll adjust my plans as needed. It would match the entire development process of the series.

Despite all the setbacks and revisions, the heart of the story remained unchanged: it’s always been about a supernatural being moving to Earth.

In “The Prince of Hellscape series”, supernatural intrigue, organized crime, and otherworldly forces collide. The series follows Luminael Morningstar and Crowley, as they carve out a new life among mortals in Sin City.