Interview with Marion Webb-DeSoto

How long have you been writing?

I've always held a strong interest in writing and, as a child and teenager, I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity of composing essays and written work for school. At the age of 10, I won an essay competition that was offered to certain schools. We had to write about the home we would love to live in and, apparently, what I wrote was very descriptive and believable. At the age of 14, my aspirations of becoming a teacher turned to an interest in pursuing a career in journalism. However, my parents were against this change of direction and I was persuaded by them and the principal of my school to abandon the idea. Then, as a working adult and, eventually, a wife and mother, there was no time available for creative writing. The only outlet offered to me for documenting the written word was in writing theses and reports.

In 1998 I developed a neurological illness that forced me to take early retirement from work and I was suddenly presented with many hours of free time. After recovering, I turned my attention to my long-term desire to write, and my first manuscript was completed toward the end of 2000. Since then I have written four more books and am presently working on another one.

Why the different angle on angels?

Samael's Fall is placed in the Fantasy genre because for many the notion of angels is pure fantasy. To present them as fictional characters will, hopefully, give the non-believers the opportunity to become acquainted with them without the usual trappings of religion and New Age beliefs. My own experiences with the angelic realms have been quite startling and I wanted to share some of these insights with others.

What do you mean by "blending of fantasy with esoteric teachings"? Are these esoteric teachings you've read or are you attempting to teach something in your book?

Some of the incidents within the book can be seen as traditional teachings, e.g. the first archangel's fall from grace and banishment from the higher realms; the War of the Sons of Light against the Sons of Darkness. Other occurrences in the story are a retelling of information that I've received during my years of metaphysical work. My intention is not to teach others about these revelations; it is just a sharing within the book of a different point-of-view. However, if Samael's Fall is to be viewed as a teaching tool, I suppose it does emphasize how duality exists and is played out in the eternal battle of goodness versus evil.

What was your favorite thing about writing this book?

This was my first attempt at writing a novel and I was pleasantly surprised at how easily the words flowed, particularly as it was not a short story. With each of my non-fiction books I always spent time detailing an outline for the manuscript that pinpointed the number of chapters and what each would contain. This did not happen with this book. The words that tell the tale of how the Devil came to be seemed to almost write themselves, as though the characters were dictating the storyline. I didn't experience any 'writer's block' or uncertainty about what to tell the reader. By the time I had finished the manuscript I realized I love writing a story even more than documenting facts.

In addition, I was very fortunate to find a talented artist, Fanitsa Petrou, who created the illustration and cover design for the novel. Her artwork is very inspiring. She has just completed a striking illustration for the cover of my next book to be published.

What's next for you?

Samael's Fall is the first book of The Angelic Chronicles trilogy and I recently completed the second book of this series entitled Abbadon. While that one is moving through the publishing process, I am writing my fourth non-fiction book which looks at the use of the mineral kingdom within metaphysics. Its working title is Crystal Companions. Once that manuscript is finished, I shall begin writing the last book of the trilogy about the angelic realms. Then I hope to work on a book about The Bach Remedies which are amazing flower essences for promoting wellness. After that, who knows?