Toneye Eyenot is a musician and author residing in New South Wales, Australia. He has numerous writing credits in anthologies from JEA Press and James Ward Kirk Fiction. He recently edited an anthology of Werewolf horror in the form of ‘Full Moon Slaughter’ which was released by JEA Press and ‘Blood Moon Big Top’ is his latest release, a novella featuring clowns and Werewolves!
As well as writing in the dark fiction genre, Toneye is also lead singer of extreme metal outfit Chaotic Impurity and plays in the punk band Rock n Roll Detectives. Toneye is one of the most supportive people I have come across. Not only with my blog but also sharing and promoting other writers in the genre.
Today, Toneye talks about his book ‘The Scarlett Curse: Book 1 in the Sacred Blade of Profanity series’, a book that walks the line between horror and dark fantasy. It is a passionate piece and I hope you dig it. Book 2, ‘Joshua’s Folly’, was released earlier this year and the third book in the series is well under way, promising another dark journey. Thanks to Toneye for all the support he has shown my blog and I hope you check out his work, both written and musical. Links are at the bottom of the page. Thanks for reading.
THE SCARLETT CURSE – Origins and developement of ‘The Sacred Blade Of Profanity’
By
TONEYE EYENOT
The idea for The Sacred Blade Of Profanity series came about in 2011, spawned from a conversation on Facebook. The concept however, dates back to 2005; the series title being the title of a song eye wrote for my Death Metal band, Chaotic Impurity. The title is where the similarities between song and series end. The song is about summoning the “Bloody Guardians – Defenders of Death and Fear” to compel a Blade Of Power across Time and Space and be used in ritual sacrifice; quite removed from the concepts found within The Scarlett Curse. Eye have been told by several friends familiar with my lyric writing, “You should write a book”. While the idea always appealed to me, eye honestly never thought eye had it in me, until eye met Scarlett. We’d been Facebook “friends” for maybe two years at that time, yet had never spoken until one day eye saw a poem she’d posted. It struck a chord so eye liked her post and let her know what eye thought. We got talking and Scarlett read all my lyrics in my Facebook notes, after which the timeless question was once again asked.
“Have you written a book?”
“No.”
“Well, why the hell not? You should!”
Being asked this several times in the past, eye had always dismissed the idea after a brief consideration of the possibility, but Scarlett was insistent. Not only did she push me, Scarlett would message me every day with ideas and little tidbits of inspiration. She basically planted the seed and kept watering it until eye couldn’t ignore the fact that this idea was growing into something tangible, something eye might actually be able to achieve. Eye began to share her enthusiasm and then we started on a journey together which grew into the foundations of a story. It was Scarlett’s idea when eye wondered what the book could be about, to perhaps base it on one of my songs. Eye decided on The Sacred Blade Of Profanity. A story of a possessed dagger of immeasurable Power with vampiric needs to spill the blood of the profane sounded like the perfect concept. Eye told Scarlett eye would try to come up with a plot outline. The Blade would need a host, and eye decided it would be a woman, 300 years old yet under the influence of The Blade Of Power, unaffected by the cruelty of Time. The woman would need a name and eye thought it fitting to name the main character after my “muse” at that time. Eye asked Scarlett and she excitedly agreed.
Originally, the entire book was written on paper, as eye had no idea how to use a computer to write with. Eye shared each chunk of writing with Scarlett as eye went, typing it out in messages to her on Facebook. About six moons along, eye began to develop a relationship online with a woman eye had known since the Myspace days who lived over in the U.S. We had been online friends for many years and one day it became something more. Eye found myself falling in love with someone who had five million different insecurities, the biggest one being that of me “talking to other women”. This put a massive strain on things between Scarlett and eye unfortunately, even though our relationship was purely “writer and muse”. Still, we were close in that respect and Kim didn’t like that at all. As a result, Scarlett faded from the picture and eye continued with the doomed relationship, oblivious to what lay ahead.
We stayed together two years. Two hellish years where eye tried everything in my power to make things work. Eye was stupid and blind with love…my biggest life mistake to date. Eye travelled overseas to be with her and things got worse. The Scarlett Curse took a back seat and eye spent three moons in Pittsburgh with a psychotic bitch before returning home when my visa expired. We stayed together however and about six moons later, she came here for three moons, then eye went back with her for another three moon stint. The book was not getting written and my sanity was being sorely tested. Turned out she was addicted to pain meds and had been for over a decade. Basically, she was pill fukked and delusional. Apparently, eye was having affairs with women in several U.S. states as well as back home, but stupid me tried to stick it out in the hope of convincing her she was the only woman for me. Then eye fukked up royally…We went to Vegas and got married.
We both returned to Australia and set about trying to get her residency here. All the while, eye was still “cheating on her” in wildly imaginative ways, such as using hand signals (actually, my nose itched which eye later found to be skin cancer) to my secret lover(s) when there was nobody in the house but me and her, or hiding some sort of speaking device in my dreadlock even. The woman was off her head and had me questioning my own sanity. Needless to say, The Scarlett Curse lay dormant for most of those two years until she borrowed several thousand dollars from my parents to pay for a permanent residency here, took the money and fukked off back to Pittsburgh. Never saw the bitch again so eye guess we’re still married. Anyhoo… Now she was gone and out of my life, eye dove back in. Eye finished The Scarlett Curse and gave it to my old friend and Metal Legend from the premier 80’s Aussie Thrash/Death band Slaughter Lord, Tony Noel to read. He taught me how to use Microsoft Word and practically rewrote the entire book for me as a tense adjustment. My original plan was to write the book in a mixed tense, in keeping with the concept that The Sacred Blade Of Profanity was immune to the confines of Time and Space. Eye had attempted to jump forward and backward in time throughout the whole book and it basically resulted in a jumbled, confusing mess. Tony brought it all into line for me and gave it back. Eye was so glad he did. Honestly, the way eye had originally written it, any publisher would’ve tossed it after the first paragraph hahaha!
Another old friend and Metal brother, Jim Goforth had work published with J. Ellington Ashton Press and was about to release his debut novel, PLEBS. Eye went to him for advice on how to get The Scarlett Curse published and he brought me into the JEA family. This was in 2014. CEO Catt Dahman saw my lyrics which Jim had encouraged me to submit to the first ‘REJECTED For Content’ anthology. Jim told Catt eye had written a book and she was keen to see it. The rest, as they say, is history.
THE SACRED BLADE OF PROFANITY
Chaotic Impurity lyrics by Toneye Eyenot
Burn the candle, black. Lulling the mind, a blade of Power to find.
Summon the Bloody Guardians, defenders of Death & Fear.
“O, Sacred Blade Of Profanity, find your way into my hand.
Come to me from distant land, that I may find my peace“.
Five naked female sorcerers, balanced on their heads.
Candles aflame protruding from their hairy, waxen cunts.
Form the grid of power to draw the Sacred Blade within.
Compel the Blade through time, draw the Sacred Blade through space.
“All space is here, all time is now. The Blade Of Profanity, here, now in my hand“.
Burn the candle, red. Blood, semen, bleed, summon.
Hail the Bloody Guardians, defenders of Death and Fear.
Approach the flesh altar. Her blood is willingly given.
Raise the Blade Of Profanity. Plunge it deep into her chest.
Free her power. Drink it in. Dislodge the knife, now imbued with her sin.
“O, Sacred Blade Of Profanity, of an angels scorn & a serpents breath.
Give to me the power of the Bloody Guardians, the defenders of Fear & Death“.
Eyenot..’05
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