Guest Post - Ethan Cross - The Prophet

Consumed by Dark Thoughts

According to legend, Bret Easton Ellis became so consumed by dark thoughts when writing American Psycho that he began to lose his sense of compassion.  Considering the dark subject matter and ruthless nature of certain characters within my novels, people often ask me how I can come up with such things and if it affects me.

The answer is...no, it doesn't affect me.  It's a lot of fun to get into the head of a killer and imagine the world through a different set of eyes, but it's like an actor playing a role.  I don't become a killer or let dark thoughts consume me.  I think that we all have a darker side (myself apparently more than others), and I just tap into that part of my brain.  But that's the cool (and therapeutic) thing about writing…I get to be all of the characters, good and bad, hero and villain.

In fact, I'd go as far as to say that my sense of compassion for both the killers and victims has grown since writing this type of book.  A lot of situations within my books stem from imagining the scariest possible scenarios for me on a personal level, from both an internal and external viewpoint.  It's not what I'd like to do to someone else; it's what I would never want to happen to me.  And I think that's why it resonates.

OLD ENEMIES...
Francis Ackerman Jr. is one of America's most prolific serial killers. Having kept a low profile for the past year, he is ready to return to work � and he's more brutal, cunning, and dangerous than ever.

NEW THREATS...
Scarred from their past battles, Special Agent Marcus Williams cannot shake Ackerman from his mind. But now Marcus must focus on catching the Anarchist, a new killer who drugs and kidnaps women before burning them alive.

HIDDEN TERRORS...
Marcus knows the Anarchist will strike again soon. And Ackerman is still free. But worse than this is a mysterious figure, unknown to the authorities, who controls the actions of the Anarchist and many like him. He is the Prophet � and his plans are more terrible than even his own disciples can imagine.

With attacks coming from every side, Marcus faces a race against time to save the lives of a group of innocent people chosen as sacrifices in the Prophet's final dark ritual.