Tidbits
• Out of all the books I've written, IGNI took the most time. From November 2021 until January 2023, to be exact. That does not include the weeks of general daydreaming before I started writing, or the editing that took place after I finished the first draft. That was strictly writing time (off and on, due to real-life things demanding my attention).
• I struggled with the noncon aspect. Much like the SOLNYSHKO DUET the question of "is it necessary?" kept coming up. I took it out of one of the earlier versions but the scene didn't have the same impact as leaving it in. Given all the other horrible things Remiel does, why should that one thing stop him? So even though I knew some readers would hate me for it, I left my human morality at the door and wrote my demon prince as authentically as I could. Did I say it was ok? No. Does Phelan say it's ok? No. In fact, he brings it up to Remiel on two different occasions to let him know he hasn't forgotten. But Phelan (and I) also realized Remiel would never apologize for something he didn't feel bad about because he doesn't see right/wrong the same way we do.
• Part of the reason IGNI took so long to write was that it was originally going to be historical (set in the 1890s) or include a time travel element, from the present to the 1890s. I opted to have Remiel take Phelan to Hell instead and keep it all in the present.
• Another reason IGNI took so long to write was the amount of research I did on medieval necromancy. While ancient Necromancers focused on death magic and communicating with spirits (like in MALUM DISCORDIAE), medieval Necromancers were almost entirely made up of clergymen and their main concern was summoning and controlling demons. It might seem farfetched that deeply pious men believed they could control demons through the will of God, but it wasn't a contradiction to them. It was a testament of their faith and one more tool the clergy could use to battle the Devil on the earthly plane.
• While all of the dark families follow Catholic-esque traditions in their rituals, only the Olivers are practicing Catholics. That's due in part to the Irish ancestors who married into the family in the 1800s. Phelan and Bridget's names reflect that ancestry.