About the Author:Â Christopher C. Starr is the author of The Road to Hell: The Book of Lucifer, the first novel in the Heaven Falls series. These stories examine the Godâs relationship with Heaven and Earth, told through the eyes of the angels. The next book in the series, Come Hell or Highwater, is scheduled for late 2012/early 2013.
Chris makes it a point to look at the dark side of his characters, both heroes and villains, and his work explores the âgreyââthat place where good and evil come together in all of us.
When heâs not being chased out of churches, Chris enjoys comic books and movies, staying away from cemeteries, and poorly participating in P90X. He lives in Seattle with his wife, two kids (The Boy and the Honey Badger), and his huskies, Rocky the Wonder Dog and his colorful sidekick, Leylah Redd. You can check out his blog at christophercstarr.net.
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You already know my name and, yes, I am that Lucifer. Fall from Heaven, Garden of Eden, ruler of Hell, Satan, the Devil, the Adversary, blah blah blah. I am the one you condemned without, what do you call it? A fair trial. Forget what you think you know: I want to tell my side of the story.  The Road to Hell is all about how a pathetic group of short-sighted angels kicked me out of Heaven.
Humans are naturally curious and I suspect youâre asking âwhy now?â Well, He has a book and itâs been pretty successful, so I figured what the hell? Found a ghostwriter and gave it a go. After all, the story is fantastic! It has everything you clods of dirt crave: a love story, a little sex, intrigue. Murder. War. Lots of blood. And a cast of characters you already know and loveâMichael, Gabriel, Raphaelâalong with a host of others. Even has a special guest appearance by the Father and that damned boy.
So, letâs get down to business or brass tacks or whatever colloquialism works for you. I have plenty to say and plenty of time:  The Road to Hell is just the first in a series of novels about my experience with Him, with my brothers and sisters, with you. If youâre interested in featuring me, reach out to the pile of dust below; if not, well, Iâll see you soon.
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Excerpt from The Road to HellÂ
Lucifer heard me: as soon as my feet touched the glass surface of his platform, he laughed aloud and doused all the light in Heaven.
âI know why youâre here, Raphael,â Lucifer said in the darkness. âYouâre afraid.â
I was afraid but I wasnât willing to admit it. Instead I said, âWhy should I be afraid? The Father is with me.â
âYou sure about that?â And I could see Luciferâs teeth glinting in the light wafting from my body. He was smiling. âYou think heâll still back you up now that youâre failing him?â
His face was the color of fire, deep and red, and a haze made him seem like a mirage. Even in the darkness, in the heat of his rage, Lucifer was still beautiful. His thin face, the angular cheekbones, his wide, open eyes, his halo of shimmering hairâall presented a portrait of absolute perfection. Even in this dark hour, I envied the crude formation of my own round face, my pudgy nose, the softness of my jawline.
I tried to sound as sure of myself, as certain as he was but my voice cracked, âIâm not failingââ
He pounced on me, laid long, thin fingers on my shoulders, pushed that gleaming grin into my face. âSure you are! Why else would you be here, Peace Keeper? Angels are dead, Raphael. Itâs slipping through your fingers. Sounds like failure to me.â
âThis is your doing!â I pressed him back.
âRaphael, you insult me; finger pointing seems soâŚbeneath you. Besides, Iâm bound, remember?â He fondled the chains streaming from his wrists and ankles, smiled at me again. âYou chained me up so I couldnât cause any problems for the others. Werenât those your words?â
He was right. And I hated him for it. âYes,â was all I said.
âSo you failed them or you failed him. Either way, youâre a failure, kiddo.â
âI want to talk about what we do next.â
He was walking around me now. I could hear the chains scraping the surface of the glass.
âAnd I want to talk about your fears,â he said and his voice sounded like velvet in my ears.
âThis doesnât help us, Lucifer. It doesnât help us end this nonsense. â
âMaybe I donât want to end it. Maybe this is exactly what we need.â He got louder, bolder. Closer. âDoes that scare you, Raphael, that you wonât be able to keep it together? Is that why you tremble in the darkness? Because when itâs just you and the Father and all the light and noise is gone, you know youâre going to have to tell him you failed?â
He had me. I understood in that moment how Lucifer could enflame the deepest of emotions. His words touched the very root of me; spoke directly to the futility flexing in my palms. It was out of my handsâI knew that much. Lucifer knew it too. By virtue of the fact that I was there, standing before him while he taunted me, it was out of my hands.
I tried to turn it back on him, âWhat about your fears? What about what youâre afraid of?â
âIâm scared,â he whispered, âthat the Father wonât want me back once Iâm finished.â The smile was gone.
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Want to know more? Check out the links!
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Blog: http://www.christophercstarr.net
Amazon Author Page: http://www.amazon.com/author/christophercstarr
Facebook Fan Page: http://www.facebook.com/christophercstarr
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/SuperStarr73
The Road to Hell is available at:   Amazon    Barnes & Noble