Writing horror and detective novels requires research into some very dark subjects. The writer must always ask his or herself, why do people intentionally hurt or kill other people? What was the motive for the crime? The villain in my novel Secondhand Sight was the embodiment of pure evil, a sadistic person who derived pleasure from the suffering and pain of others. Do people that sick and twisted really exist? Absolutely! My imagination isn't anywhere near that dark or fantastic to conjure up a serial killer without any inspiration from real life. My dreams are of rescuing puppies, not beheading them. I can't comprehend nor want to contemplate the sort of evil, twisted mind that could compose a letter to a young mother suggesting that she euthanize her autistic son. We all know that such evil exists. That is inarguable. History is replete with accounts of evil people committing atrocities for various reasons or flimsy excuses. The only remaining question to consider is whether or not pure evil exists, which has been defined as the idea that bad people inflict intentional harm on others for no rational reason. Do Satan and his minions actually exist? Are real demons present in the natural world? I say yes. Professional skeptic Michael Shermer reported that Florida State University professor Roy Baumeister proclaimed that the concept of pure evil is nothing but a myth, asserting that any act of aggression can be sorted into one of these four categories: Instrumental violence -- meaning violence with war-like purpose of conquest and … [Read more...]