Stephen Blackmoore > Quotes

“A group of ghosts is a fraid. No, really. I don’t know what jackass came up with that one, but it’s a real thing. A fraid of ghosts. Clearly, they’ve never seen a group of ghosts. Otherwise it’d be a “Pants-Shitting Terror” of ghosts.”
― Stephen Blackmoore, Broken Souls

“The thing I hate most about skeletons is you can never tell when they're smiling.”
― Stephen Blackmoore, Dead Things

“There are other kinds of ghosts. Torn-down landmarks, faded histories, memories of things you’ll never get back.”
― Stephen Blackmoore, Broken Souls

“The higher up the food chain you go, the less the people care. It’s not a mage thing, it’s a human thing.”
― Stephen Blackmoore, Bottle Demon

“It’s good to want things. You get important life lessons in cynicism and disappointment when you don’t get them.”
― Stephen Blackmoore, Ghost Money

“At the cardinal points I place a bowl filled with dirt, another with water, a dish with a lit candle, and a blown-up balloon. Hey, fuck you. If you can think of a better way to represent air, I'm all ears.”
― Stephen Blackmoore, Fire Season

“Yes. My soul is shitty whisky, my body is a shot glass. Do you mind?”
― Stephen Blackmoore, Bottle Demon

“We round the corner. I see Sergei down the hall sitting on the floor, head in his hands. Weeping. Seriously, he's crying like somebody just shot his dog. Big, wracking sobs.

"I've heard of this," Gabriela says. "After a while the skins become a part of you. Pretty traumatic when they go. Lose a big part of yourself. Kinda tragic when you think about it."

"We're still gonna kill him, right?"

"Oh, fuck yes.”
― Stephen Blackmoore, Broken Souls

“I'm a free agent. I don't like anybody. And nobody likes me. Half the mages out there are convinced I'm some sort of demon and the other half think I have an undead army waiting to march down Wilshire."
"Are you listening to yourself? People are fucking terrified of you?"
"Which is exactly what keeps me out of this shit."
"No. It is exactly what pulls you in. WHen you were twenty you created a huge power vacuum by murdering, the fuck was his name?"
"Jean Boudreau," I say.
"Right. A man who had been untouchable until you-What did you do anyway?"
"Packed a car with a bunch of propane canisters and a brick on the accelerator. Ran it into him and set off the propane. Then I dragged him to the dead side and fed him to ghosts."
Amanda stares at me and then finally remembers to blink. "My dad's right about you. You're fucking psychotic.”
― Stephen Blackmoore, Suicide Kings

“It just feels important to remember that no matter what monsters are out there, there’s nothing more dangerous than just plain people.”
― Stephen Blackmoore, Fire Season

“Who are you? Not your name, not your title, not your gender. All those are things about you, no matter how you identify with them. But what makes you you?

Your memories everything you remember is a building block of your identity. They're what sets you apart from everyone else. You can witness the same event with a thousand other people, but your experience of it isn't going to be like anyone else's.

Memory gives us context, meaning. Yesterday builds the foundation for today, which builds the foundation for tomorrow.”
― Stephen Blackmoore, Suicide Kings

“There’s that annoying cognitive dissonance again.”
― Stephen Blackmoore, Fire Season

“You can only hide from your memories and hold off grieving for so long before so much of your soul gets chipped away that you either deal with it or turn into a monster.”
― Stephen Blackmoore, Ghost Money

“I’ve wondered since if that was maybe not the best decision I could have made, and boy howdy have I made some bad decisions.”
― Stephen Blackmoore, Hungry Ghosts

“A Devil’s Flask is a bottle that’s been heated and the outside rapidly cooled. The inside, however, cools slowly. The difference between the two makes the outside very strong, but the inside—”
― Stephen Blackmoore, Bottle Demon

“I think she’s batshit to try, but hey, not my pig, not my farm.”
― Stephen Blackmoore, Fire Season

“Easier to not fight at all.”
― Stephen Blackmoore, Ghost Money

“The cognitive dissonance is something that tweaks a lot of people.”
― Stephen Blackmoore, Hungry Ghosts

“This is probably a monumentally bad decision, but I’ve never been accused of making smart ones.”
― Stephen Blackmoore, Fire Season

“Who are you? Not your name, not your title, not your gender. All those are things about you, no matter how you identify with them. But what makes you you?

Your memories. Everything you remember is a building block of your identity. They're what sets you apart from everyone else. You can witness the same event with a thousand other people, but your experience of it isn't going to be like anyone else's.

Memory gives us context, meaning. Yesterday builds the foundation for today, which builds the foundation for tomorrow”
― Stephen Blackmoore, Suicide Kings

“There’s a difference. Like I’m complex, you’re complicated.”
― Stephen Blackmoore, Dead Things

“Not my pig, not my farm.”
― Stephen Blackmoore, Bottle Demon

“Simple plans have the best success rate. You can improvise your way around them when things go to hell. You don’t get caught up in complex bullshit that’ll break down if you look at it funny. But even simple plans can be stupid plans.”
― Stephen Blackmoore, Ghost Money

“I ain’t scared of you,” one of them says, clearly feeling the need to reassert the size of his penis. “Then you’re an idiot,” I say.”
― Stephen Blackmoore, Broken Souls

“I feel a little sorry for him. He doesn’t know what’s happened. Sure as hell didn’t ask for it. Stuck in his own little hell with no idea how he got in there or how to get out. Just like the rest of us.”
― Stephen Blackmoore, Dead Things

“It’s not just the hair and the outfit that makes her look professional and respectable. It’s not wrinkles or any shit like that. It’s years, wisdom, bad ideas and worse solutions.”
― Stephen Blackmoore, Bottle Demon

“I wonder who I’ve pissed off this time.”
― Stephen Blackmoore, Fire Season

“Most people hate silence. They’ll say all kinds of shit just to fill the hole.”
― Stephen Blackmoore, Fire Season

“I’ve never understood naming streets after people. Wood was some big-time L.A. union leader in the seventies nobody remembers. You’re dead now, congratulations. Have a street.”
― Stephen Blackmoore, Fire Season

“Got it. You cast a spell. What happened?"
"I-I blew up the building."
"Whole thing?" I say.
She looks at me like she's expecting me to be shocked or horrified or something. Around these parts we call that Tuesday.”
― Stephen Blackmoore, Cult Classic