From the Desk of Cyd Cassone

Imagining this Gangrel Universe and putting thought into words has transported me to a place which has become a reality where I live as I write it into existence. I can see the faces of the characters we have created and hear their voices. They all have their own, distinct identity. I've heard someone say that, when you write characters, you may be simply writing aspects of yourself. I find that to not be necessarily true. These personalities are born on my pages and they evolve into people who tell me what they want. Sometimes, I am surprised by the unexpected as the journey takes a turn I didn't see coming.

Decades of writing songs, poetry and some short stories and newspaper journalism taught me that, when you are moved to write, you have to go with it. Don't let it get away from you. I've awoken from a dead sleep with something I have to put down fast before it vanishes like the smoke of an extinguished fire. I deeply regret some of the callings I failed to answer because I was just too sleepy to get my butt out of bed. By the time the alarm went off, I had no recollection or only a vague notion of what had come to me in the night.

This new adventure of writing books is something I've always thought I would do someday. The most delightful aspect of it is that my partner in crime is my best friend of 49 years, Craig Bell. Our collaboration has been rich with shared visions as well as contrast of writing styles and concepts. The outcome has been a story that we've only begun to tell.

Welcome to our universe.

Cyd