Once upon a time there was a place called Sparta. Oh, I don’t mean ancient Greece. We are actually talking about a twentieth century place—Sparta, Mississippi, the fictional town where IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT was set. For those already familiar with my bio, IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT was a television show that I was fortunate enough to work on way back in the early 1990’s. Sounds like ancient history, come to think of it! At the time, it was the biggest break that a kid just out of college could have dreamed about—working with legendary actor Carroll O’Connor, Oscar winner Howard Rollins, and many other wonderful cast members and directors and crew.
You can still see “Sparta” painted on a water tower not far from my hometown of Madison, Georgia, because IN THE HEAT OF THE NIGHT was filmed on a sound stage about twenty minutes up the road. And then recently, as I was driving to a writers’ conference, I looked up to see a sign that read, “Sparta, Georgia.” I laughed and thought how ironic it can be, the way certain words and places recur throughout your life, their meaning morphing slightly with each transition.
And now, many years since my early professional life in the film industry, I’m an author whose imagination has been seized full-bore by one particular topic. The ancient Spartans! Those legendary, take-no-prisoners warriors, men of the highest honor and discipline. Men who we women just know were delicious, hunky, Alpha and buff. Here’s the evidence. Take a look at this breastplate, called a cuirass. Now, keep in mind this bit of armor is thousands of years old, created long before Gold’s Gym. So it tells us that these men were ripped, fantastically formed: so much so that even their armor reflected their supreme physicality.
My series, GODS OF MIDNIGHT, features seven immortal Spartan warriors, the very best of their elite fighting crew who died at the famous battle of Thermopylae in ancient Greece. These Spartans in my series gave up their lives for Sparta, but they didn’t pass to the afterlife as expected. Instead, they met the war god, Ares, and were offered an opportunity to save Sparta, their families and their homeland. History would remember their heroic deeds as part of the 300 who met 400,000 Persians and held them at that narrow pass at Thermopylae. In exchange, the deity wanted only one thing: for these seven noble soldiers to defend mankind throughout eternity, to protect mortals from every form of evil.
Seems easy enough, no? These men lived to make war, so fighting throughout eternity was more a blessing than a hardship. There was only one hitch in this immortal bargain with Ares. They hadn’t fully understood the fickle nature of the god to whom they pledged themselves.
RED FIRE and RED KISS, the first two books in the GODS OF MIDNIGHT series, take place largely in another setting, here in the modern era of 2008—Savannah, Georgia. This city is near and dear to my heart. Not only because it is a gorgeous, historic site within my home state of Georgia, but also because I was lucky enough to live there last summer while starting the second book of this series, RED KISS. I was able to walk the cobblestoned streets that my own heroes and heroines know so well, to experience the smells and even the moods of this historic and important city.
In RED FIRE, many favorite Savannah locations come into the storyline, including the eerie Victorian-era cemetery, Bonaventure. It was established during a time when death was romanticized, and to that I have only one thing to say—isn’t it a spooky place to picture an epic demon battle?
As you read RED FIRE and RED KISS, you will come to know the quirky and old Savannah family, the Angels, and you might wonder where their decaying plantation home resides. The heroine of RED FIRE is a fifth-generation demon hunter, the youngest member of this clan. I put a great deal of research and thought into where their home would be, and in my heart, wanted it to be on the riverfront. The problem there is that most of the rivers in the Savannah area have either been developed for new housing communities, as is the case on Wilmington Island, or are used for industrial sites. But there are still a few holdout homes, ones that date back to before the Civil War. I based the Angel family home and land on these few remaining privately held homes. Picture a two-story Greek revival structure that’s definitely seen better days, but has remained loved and cared for by one family for more than one hundred years.
Also, below are a few photos that I snapped during my visit to this charming (and mysterious) southern town, including one of the famed Mercer Williams home, the house where the murder that was featured in MIDNIGHT OF THE GARDEN OF GOOD AND EVIL occurred. It was only one block from where we rented our apartment, and this area, Monterrey Square, was a favorite of my children for playing games.
Bonaventure through the trees. I can imagine demons hiding somewhere
in all that moss.
River Street, Savannah. Something powerful occurs here in RED FIRE--
but you must read to find out exactly what!
I am so excited to share this series with you, and I can't wait until the release of my upcoming GODS OF MIDNIGHT books next year, RED ANGEL and RED DEMON! I have treasured every minute of being allowed to peer inside these characters' lives and bring their stories to the written page. I truly hope through reading these books you can sense my love for ancient Sparta, a society that was as fascinating as it was disciplined.
Warmly,
Deidre Knight |
