Jess C Scott - Exploring The Dark Side + Contest

Enter to win an eBook copy of The Other Side of Life (Book #1, Cyberpunk Elven Trilogy)!

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Exploring The Dark Side
by Jess C Scott

BLURB

A hybrid elf child combats a dark elf’s scheme to exploit and turn a virtual reality system into a weapon of mass destruction.

My upcoming publication is an urban fantasy project titled, The Darker Side of Life [Book #2 in the (Cyberpunk) Elven Trilogy].

The trilogy features both cyberpunk and urban fantasy elements. Since the cyberpunk genre is about expressing (often dark) ideas about human nature, technology and their respective combination in the near future, I wanted to enhance the “dark” aspects in the second installment of the series (particularly because of its title).

The series features a dark elf antagonist. I wanted to explore his “dark side” a little more in depth, which is why many contemporary themes ended up being incorporated into the story.

The Darker Side of Life includes themes and concepts such as microchip brain implants (which would mark the end of any kind of “human freedom”), virtual realities, corporate control over society (in the form of technology and the mainstream mass media), commercialism (which stifles originality and innovation), cloning and immortality (which are further developed in the final book in the trilogy), along with other pressing issues and their (mostly) negative impact on humanity.

I added doses of dark humor throughout the book too, as I didn’t want the series to be weighed down by an extremely dystopian vibe (there’s enough misery as is, in real life). Classic humor never goes out of style, though some care must be taken so that the attempts at humor don’t turn out to be cheap, cliched, and/or shallow (which would compromise the integrity of this project).

I explored dark humor with a short story I wrote featuring “Laer,” the dark elf from the series. The story (titled Skins) concerns Laer as a young dark arts practitioner (who seeks revenge on a couple of devotees of the exotic skins trade).

Here are a couple of excerpts showcasing the style of humor:

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EXCERPT #1, from Skins:

Laer was thinking of setting off a round of explosives in the expensive yacht, but he realized it wasn’t the best move. It was too guerrilla, and wouldn’t humiliate or shame the Nikolics. He had to make a more sophisticated statement, to be taken a little more seriously by haute couture devotees who reveled in cold-blooded vanities to pass their time.

EXCERPT #2, from The Darker Side of Life (at The Velvet Underground nightclub):

Laer tilted his chin to the club patrons. “And these people don’t think enough.” He pointed to a young man in a black vest, chatting to a girl wearing nothing but strategically-placed pasties. “Tomorrow, that guy is going to realize he’s spent all his money on a date, just to find out she’s put him in The Forgettable Friend Zone,” Laer said with an eerie echo.

“Your black magic?” Anya suggested with a smirk.

Laer raised one of his eyebrows slightly. “I’ve no need to interfere,” he said incredulously.

They watched a couple grinding against each other in a tight dance move.

“They’re drunk so they won’t remember anything. Such is the life of the beautiful people...”

He glanced at her for a moment, before gazing back out onto the crowd.

“You don’t think I’m beautiful,” she laughed. Anya didn’t think she was ugly, but she didn’t exactly feel like she could compete with the aesthetics of classic Elven features, some of which Laer naturally possessed.

“Oh, but I do.” He could see the passion and desire in her eyes—a boldness in spirit that gave her a vibrant energy that was quite pleasant to be around, especially when she was part of a generation lost in a listless society of instant gratification and superficial ‘needs’. “The most beautiful people aren’t the ones with the prettiest faces or skinniest bodies, but those who know how to respect inner beauty. We’re like that. And this makes us a lot more attractive than the vain, selfish ones.”

“That’s very clever and nice of you.” She sat extra still, hoping he wouldn’t notice the color running up her cheeks. She felt like her cheeks were going to pop.

Though of course Laer did notice—it was one superquick blush make-up could not achieve.

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A sense of dark humor keeps things real, and I like how dark humor usually tries to laugh at death and other heavy subjects. I think it also helps the dark elf be less one-dimensional, because there’s a level of intrigue when the villain isn’t straightforwardly 100%-evil from the beginning.

As Laer states in one of the chapters: “The brightest light casts the darkest shadow.”

It’s a concept and phrase that makes even the best of us question our real motives.

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Jess is an independent author/artist/non-conformist who’s dedicated to writing original stories that are both meaningful and entertaining. She works in a diverse range of genres, such as contemporary fiction, YA fiction, poetry, urban fantasy, and cyberpunk. She is currently completing The Cyberpunk Elven Trilogy.

Website: www.jesscscott.com Book Site: www.elventrilogy.wordpress.com/about

Facebook: www.facebook.com/jessINKbooks

Twitter: www.twitter.com/jesscscott

* Be sure to check out Jess’s newest short story, SKINS (http://www.jessINK.com/skins.htm), where Laer (the dark elf) seeks revenge on a couple of devotees of the exotic skins trade. SKINS is a free read on Jess’s website and NOR.

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