A few years back I worked as a screenwriter in Hollywood. Nowadays I'm plying my trade as a novelist. But before I ever saw a dime from my writing I was like most people reading these lines a fan of the genre. I love horror and still to this day devour movies, books and graphic novels in the genre. One subgenre I've always had a soft spot for were occult detective stories; that fine blend of mystery and thriller with a dose of the supernatural.
About a year ago, it struck me that no one had tried to really combine the action/adventure novel with the world of the occult and the idea for Occult Assassin was born. My hope is to create something new and different that will appeal to both action and horror fans, a tortured warrior waging a dangerous battle against the forces of darkness. This isn't a government-sponsored action hero but more of a vigilante who is he is fighting a secret shadow war. Mark Talon is a trained killer defined by the tragic death of his fiancé at the hands of a murderous cult. But he doesn't work alone. His missions are being sponsored and guided by another victim of the occult - Simon Casca. Simon was born into great wealth and marked by the tragic loss of his family at the hands of a satanic cult when he was only twelve. In the wake of this devastating loss, Simon dedicated himself to becoming an expert in the esoteric so that he could monitor the world for supernatural threats. When Talon and Casca meet, a dynamic team is born - assassin and occult expert, warrior and mentor, both men united under a common purpose and driven by shared tragedy.
The adventures of the occult assassin will be grounded in the real world to a degree, a dark, gothic and twisted place where evil men are trying to tap into ancient powers and unlock long forgotten mysteries. This isn't an urban fantasy populated by traditional monsters such as vampires and werewolves. As much as I love those creatures, Occult Assassin explores a different form of horror. I hope you take as much pleasure from reading Ice Shadows, the first Occult Assassin story as I did writing it.