Debora Hill

When Sandra and I began writing The Lost Myths Saga, we had only a nominal idea of what the series would entail. We started with four characters who don't know one another, and the concept of transportation to another dimension. The rest came later, and I can't remember, all these years later, which of us came up with the concept of the Lost Myths.

Many people have asked us whether it was our intention to insult the patriarchal religions of our world by satirizing them in the other. Well, yes...in a way. You see, as Neo-Pagans we have put up with ridicule and much worse in our time, and have become accustomed to being called Satanists and `agents of the devil'. Accustomed doesn't mean we appreciate it, however, and we decided it was time everyone else got a pie in the face. Because our satire is in fun...except for one point. Fundamentalism of any kind is destructive, and soul-destroying. So while our satires are meant in the spirit of entertainment, some of the more gruesome aspects of the Daemona holy wars were written to remind our readers and ourselves that evil exists, and even though we don't believe in Satan as an entity, we sure as Hades know the spirit of Satan is alive and well in our world. We just might not agree on who exactly is harboring it.

We had originally planned on only four volumes, one for each of the suits of the Tarot. But we love our characters so much that we are considering another series, using as the main characters our teenagers, in a few years, when Abaddon, Delilah and Vashi are old enough to get into some really important trouble on their own. The first volume has a working title of Path of the Fool, but don't look for it yet, gentle readers -- we have lots of other surprises coming up for you, first.

Sandra Brandenburg

I seem to recall a sunny afternoon while we walked through a Flea Market in Marin. I bought a huge, navy blue, straw hat. Debora was looking for a wicker headboard for her bedroom. It was a pleasant day with a valued friend and when we started talking about a plot for a fantasy novel, I didn't take it too seriously. My surface mind was on hats, you see. But the idea grew, and it was so much fun that we were off and running before I knew it.

Debora is, perhaps, minimizing the amount of nonsense we have put up with because of our satire. I am not certain why fundamentalists have no sense of humor, with a few notable exceptions, but we have certainly heard enough of their opinions to lead us to a very gentle yawn. Doesn't anyone else ever tire of listening to tirades about evil, when the foremost definition seems to equate evil with dispute?

Neither Debora nor I agree with every opinion spouted by our characters, although we try to let them sort it all out in their own way. However, many of the more violent actions in the book are supported by true life events found in the newspapers. Some of the harsher opinions are simple paraphrases of what we read.

It is not our responsibility to fairly represent all sides of an issue. Why should it be? Those who attack us don't shoulder any such responsibility. Witness that we are frequently called Satanists. Satan is a figure normally referred to only in certain religious texts. We do not ascribe to any of these religions. Certainly, evil exists, and if it is useful to some people to embody that in a figure they call Satan, well and good. But Satan is a ridiculous legend in my opinion, and I can't help but poke fun at him.

Now book three, The Sword and the Scabbard, will probably annoy many of my sister feminists. Yes, I know that is a forbidden word now, and that it is more acceptable to use scatological terms to describe human waste in public than to admit to being a feminist. I may like to wear high heels on occasion, and to flutter my eyelashes at the man in my life, but I am a feminist. It's just that I'm willing to laugh at some of my more radical feelings. I don't really want to escape from men. We must all learn to live together, even if I refuse to be referred to as `the little woman'. (Debora adds: must be especially galling when you are one; nobody's ever called me that, being Amazonian in stature!)

So, in book four, we poke a little fun at Satanists, the dark side of many Christian belief systems. We invite you to laugh with us. And as for our upcoming book... If one sets out to laugh at fools it must be remembered that no group has a corner on the market when it comes to that failing.