SK Gregory’s Top 10 TV Shows
When writing I tend to think visually and let a story unfold in my head as if I am watching it on TV. This is a list of the top ten supernatural based TV shows that have influenced my writing.
10. Buffy the Vampire Slayer- I was eleven when Buffy first came on TV and I loved the show from the start. The idea that one girl could take down vampires, demons and even Gods, was amazing. Too many TV shows and films featured the men as the heroes and this was something different. There were so many themes and messages running through the show. I love Joss Whedon and I think he is a great storyteller. Snappy dialogue was what I took from this show.
9. Marvel’s Agents of Shield- another Joss Whedon show. Some great twists throughout the show and the sense that it is always changing. Coulson is a great character and I'm glad they resurrected him for the series. I think sometimes you have to turn things on their head and do something really unexpected.
8. The X Files- a show I started watching at about eight years old. Weirdly my mother saw it in the TV guide and pointed it out to me, saying it looked like something I would watch. I cannot wait for the revival. I preferred the monster of the week to the alien conspiracy storyline. Eugene Victor Tombs is one of the stand out characters and I think the episode Bad Blood was really good.
7. The Vampire Diaries- After losing the main character in the show, Elena, this show has kept going strong. I think Caroline is my favorite character, I understand her control freak nature and it would have been easy to make her into a two dimensional character but they didn't. All characters should be real, have their own backstory and personality and a life of their own. They are not just there to play off the main character.
6. Supernatural- I am definitely a Dean girl. I think this is a unique show in that it is possible to go from being terrified, to crying to laughing your head off all within a single episode. The two leads have real chemistry that shows. Castile was a welcome edition to the show and I wish he had more to do. Just don't mention Charlie. Or Bobby. Or Jo. Ellen. Kevin. And too many others to count. (Sob) But you can’t be afraid to kill off your main characters.
5. Bitten- From author Kelley Armstrong, I started reading her books back in 2001. The Women of the Otherworld series is my favorite book series and again features a strong female lead. The show has gone in a slightly different direction, but it is a good show. Not everything is as it seems in the supernatural world and the weak looking blonde could probably tear you apart.
4. Witches of East End- I was devastated when this show ended. Even though it only lasted two seasons, I loved it. My favorite character was Freya. There are very few witch based TV shows. I loved the main story arc and the mythology for this show. The idea of the two sisters living all these different lives, then dying and coming back again.
3. Charmed- the Halliwell sisters stayed on the air for eight years. The idea of having magical powers always appealed to me although I always wanted Phoebe’s powers over everyone else's. It was about the importance of family, even if you didn’t grow up with that person.
2. Teen Wolf- a show that had a shaky first season, but just got better and better. Season three is when it really hit its mark. The way they have expanded the mythology and the fact that they have kept going strong even after losing main cast members is impressive. My favorite character though is Stiles, with Lydia as a close second. I think the character is the heart of the show, the human surrounded by all the supernatural creatures. Dylan O’Brien is a great actor and really sells his performance.
1. Haven- I watched the first episode of Haven when it originally aired and I didn't actually like it. Pilots are sometimes hit and miss. A couple of years later I watched it again and this time stuck with it. I binge watched four seasons over several days. The show is unique in its ‘monster’ of the week story. I am a big Audrey and Nathan fan.
These shows have all had an influenced on how I write and have taught me about what is needed to tell a story and how you have to keep moving the story forward and let it evolve to keep the reader or watcher’s interest.
Daemon Madness
Daemon Series
Book 2
S. K. Gregory
Genre: Fantasy/Supernatural
Publisher: Mockingbird Lane Press
Date of Publication: Oct 26th 2015
ISBN: 978-1944169220
Number of pages: 206
Word Count: 46,000
Cover Artist: Jamie Johnson
Book Description:
Mackenzie Murphy thought her demon troubles were behind her, but with Taryn as her new roommate and his father still out to kill him, it seems there's no getting away from them.
When Taryn begins to act erratically, Mackenzie discovers that he has to face the consequences for saving her life. Deadly consequences.
So it's up to Mackenzie to save him, while avoiding the attention of a local cop and her homicidal boss.
Maybe demons are the least of her worries.
Available at Amazon
Excerpt:
England 1887
Drawing his
cloak around him tightly, Jeremiah Fleming walked along the dirt road at dusk
as he had been instructed to do. The map he had been given was old and the
markings on it were faded, making it almost impossible to know if he was
heading in the right direction. He had been told to go alone and he had agreed
at the time but now he wondered if he was walking into a trap. He was after
all, a prominent figure, making him a good target for kidnapping.
The demon he was
being sent to find, the Traveler wasn’t recorded in the journals. He was
elusive and did not always reside in this plane. Tonight was one of the rare
nights that he could be summoned and a deal could be struck.
Since being
initiated the year before, Jeremiah had been pushing for this to happen. The
old order had all died out and as the new leader he had complete control. There
were always going to be naysayer’s but he would deal with them in time.
He came to the
crossroads by the old oak and stopped. This was the spot.
Making sure he
had his knife within reach, he settled under the tree to wait. It grew dark
before long, the silence was interrupted occasionally by the call of an owl but
otherwise all remained still. The long walk had tired him, the quiet night
lulled him and he dozed.
A shrill scream
jerked him awake. It didn’t sound human, more the primal screech of an animal.
He quickly climbed to his feet, knife at the ready. A thin mist curled around
his ankles and he squinted in the darkness to see what had awakened him.
“That knife
won’t harm me,” a voice said.
Jeremiah turned
to find to see a dark shape behind him. The dark cloaked figure moved and a
cold chill ran along his spine. He knew he was in the presence of real evil.
“I’ve come to
make a deal,” he said.
The Traveler
gave a low chuckle, “Such a righteous man wants to make a deal with me? What
could you possibly want?”
“Power. The kind
only you can provide.”
“Many humans
have come before, asking for the same thing. Why should I grant it to you?”
“The others
weren’t worthy. I am,” he said with more confidence than he felt. He held
himself still. To show fear would be his death.
The Traveler
moved closer, almost gliding across the ground. Jeremiah stood firm, although
the thought of this thing touching him made him nauseous.
From the
blackness under its hood, Jeremiah swore he saw two red eyes staring back at
him. When he blinked they disappeared.
The hand the
Traveler held out was dark red in color, the fingers ending in pointed black
claws.
Jeremiah
realized he wanted his hand. With a slight shudder, he reluctantly gave it.
One of the claws
snaked out, piercing the palm of his hand. Jeremiah hissed, more in surprise
than pain, as a bead of blood blossomed.
Bending his head
over the wound, Jeremiah first thought the Traveler was smelling it, but
realized almost immediately that the demon was drinking it.
He jerked his
hand away on instinct, but the grip around his wrist was like iron. He raised
the knife in an instinctive gesture, but dropped it with a cry, his hand
burning like fire.
Raising his
head, the demon said, “Your blood is tainted. You have killed for your own
gain, betrayed those who are loyal to you and will do anything for power. You
are worthy.”
Jeremiah smiled
through the pain of his burning hand. “So you will help me?”
“I will. You are
aware of the sacrifice required?”
“I am. Do I need
to sign a contract?”
“That won’t be
necessary. The agreement is already made. You will need these ingredients,” he
handed Jeremiah a piece of parchment.
“You will need
seven for the sacrifice.”
“Seven? I only
have four.”
“Seven are
required. Do what is necessary to complete the ritual.”
The demon turned
away.
“Wait. Do they
have to be willing?”
“It’s not a
requirement.”
“Good. It will
be done.”
About the Author:
S. K. Gregory is an author, blogger and journalist from Northern Ireland. She has been writing since she was seven years old and loves horror/fantasy books. When she isn’t writing, she runs a website that provides reviews and promotion for writers.
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