Another installment of the ‘Countdown to Hero‘ blogpost series (Part 3):

The thing I was always most looking forward to in one of my favorite author’s books, was turning the last page in a chapter in Aaron Dembski-Bowden’s Night Lords trilogy, see the dreaded horned skull with bat wings symbol that starts a new chapter and lay my eyes on the few lines in italics that lie beyond, before the story went back to where it left – a quote, a proverb, or an abstract from some historical or pseudo-historical text.

To instill that exact same feeling of anticipation and as a hommage to Aaron Dembski-Bowden, I used that same method in Love Is For Tomorrow. Here are some of the best beginning chapter texts, their explanations and hidden meanings related to the story.

“And you shall know the truth and the truth shall make you free.”

Right at the beginning, at a chapter named Fallen Heroes, this quote is taken right out of the Bible (John 8:32) and at the same time used as the US intelligence service, the CIA’s main motto. It is used in an ironic way in this story, as the truth is kept from even the closest partners within the agency and only the fallen heroes seem to have taken it with them into their graves.

“They tried to bury us, they didn’t know we were seeds.”

A beautiful Mexican proverb in the Noir chapter, showing beautifully, that a buried cause or person, can evolve from a dark path and come back to haunt you. Exactly what the main character Antoine is doing. In addition, Antoine was buried in Mexico and believed to be dead. 

“There is no hunting like the hunting of man, and those who have hunted armed men long enough and liked it, never care for anything else thereafter.” 

Wise words from Ernest Hemingway that show the complete dissociation from the real world one will experience, when once at war or in fighting situations. Used, when Antoine takes on his mission as a spy in the chapter Back to Black.

“When you set out to take Vienna, take Vienna.”

From Napoleon Bonaparte. Do what you intended to do and don’t let anything dissuade or stop you. Go relentlessly after your goal. Used in the chapter Capital of Spies, which is Vienna. 

“Know yourself. Know your enemy. Know no fear.” 

Own creation. Take Sun Tzu’s two-thousand year old wisdom of The Art of War (“If you know yourself and your enemy, you won’t have to fear the outcome of a thousand battles.”). Mixed with the unrelenting Science-Fiction world of Warhammer 40,000, where genetically enhanced superhumans protect humanity against the horrors of the universe (“And they shall know no fear.”). Taken from the chapter Ghosthunting.

Stay tuned for more motivational quotes or read them in the thriller Love Is For Tomorrow.