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Kevin Moore Q&A: The Book of Demons

Chris Well

“There are many scenes in the book that came from lucid dreams and conversations with people on the other side…”

Kevin Moore releases the widely anticipated climax to The Book of Souls—The Book of Demons (Books Fluent) takes Jack on a new adventure featuring new villains, but will he ever make it back to his 40-year-old self and return to his family?

Considered “a spiritual roller coaster ride! Harry Potter meets the Exorcist,” by American Online Radio, Kevin Moore’s blend of darkness and supernatural belief brings hopefulness in a world that seems fraught with obscurity. Taking his personal experiences with lucid dreaming and speaking with his passed loved ones, Moore’s created a world that will take you on a mystical journey and not let go until the very end.

The exciting tale travels through time, battles real and inner demons, and helps ghosts find their way towards their afterlife. The Book of Demons brings new challenges while young teen, Jack Kelly, uses his mystical powers to save a cursed painting from a dangerous shapeshifter.

About the book

The Book of Demons, the much-anticipated sequel to The Book of Souls, finds Jack Kelly in the fight of his life. This time, he’s not battling ghosts. His nemesis is the shapeshifting necromancer, Mr. Philips, who inhabits both the world of the living and the world of the dead.

When Mr. Philips discovers a powerful, cursed painting whose magic he can use for personal gain, he will stop at nothing to acquire it…including murder.

Before he can get his hands on it, the painting goes missing and its artist is found dead. Enraged, Mr. Philips vows to hunt it down. But someone else finds it first: Jack, a teenage mystic who understands the painting’s tremendous power and would do anything to keep Mr. Philips from harnessing it.

Along with two unexpected allies—a non-verbal autistic child and the spirit of a dead nun—Jack battles to keep the painting away from Mr. Philips. But as the stakes rise along with the body count, their epic battle for possession of the painting may cost Jack everything and everyone he loves.

For fans of Dark Matter, The Book of Demons will keep you at the edge of your seat and leave you wanting to read more.

Buy The Book of Demons from Amazon. (Monster Complex uses Amazon affiliate links.)

About the author

Kevin Moore is the author of  The Book of Souls, a mystical ghost story, his first novel and the first book in the series featuring Jack Kelly and his paranormal abilities. Moore also wrote Christmas Stories 7 Original Short Stories, which is available everywhere. His play Conversations From The Sports Arena was performed at the HBO Theater in Hollywood. He also had his first children’s picture book, Me and My Shadow, released in 2021. Moore hopes to continue the Jack Kelly paranormal saga in a third book which he is currently working on. Moore practices Lucid Dreaming which has helped him with his writing. He is a Yogi and an Advanced Reiki Practitioner. Find out more about Kevin at his website: ​​https://kevinmoorepublishing.com.

Related link: The Book of Souls by Kevin Moore, based on true events (Spotlight + Author Interview)

Interview with Kevin Moore about The Book of Demons

Q: What was the “true event” that inspired this novel?

The Shadows coming to me in a dream and my son ending up in ICU was just like Jack’s son, Stevie, in the book. Only you have to read the second book—The Book Of Demons—to see if Stevie and Jack’s family are like the doctors say—a dream, a false memory caused by his fall, or if they are home.

Q: There is a lot of play with dualities throughout the novel. Why was it important for you to discuss dualities not only within the characters, but also with Kasper’s artwork?

Yes, the artwork was so much fun! I wanted the art to represent the complexities of life, opposing forces, love vs hate, up and down, spirituality, good vs evil.

The only way to truly know ourselves is to put a light on our shadows. Kasper does that in his art. The way Kasper viewed the people he painted as two lights; one portrait is a reflection of how they present themselves to the world, the second was their shadow that Kasper could see.

I think all of the characters have their own duality. I wanted Jack and Kasper’s journey to tap into our own feelings on all that. I also think Jack and Kasper share a certain symmetry. They are both either scorned or feared and sometimes both. 

Q: Aside from helping inspire this novel, how has lucid dreaming helped you?

There are many scenes, characters, and words in the book that came from lucid dreams and conversations in those dreams I had with people who are on the other side. One of Jack’s spiritual guides in the book uses words that came from a classmate from Epiphany School whom I had not seen in 40 years. He passed away several years ago, but he came to me in a dream several times, totally unexpected.

One of the dreams he came to me in was at my high school reunion. We had a deep conversation about the living and the dead and some of the nun’s guidance came from what he told me in the dreams. 

Q: Have you ever had a supernatural experience? Do you believe in ghosts?

Yes and yes, I believe in God and have since I was a child and if I believe in God that in itself is supernatural. The shadows in the story came to me in several dreams years ago.

In the dream, they kept trying to take my son. I felt it was a notice from the Holy Spirit or my deeper self that wanted to prepare me for something I needed to be fully present for, fully ready to fight or give to my son that would take all my energy and faith.

A few weeks later, my son got very sick and ended up in the ICU. He was in the hospital for 3 weeks and almost died. I stayed with him every night; my wife was with him every day. 

I had a nurse like the one in the book tell me the room we were in had a ghost in it! And not a friendly one! However, for me I felt the room had very good energy and it was the best sleep my son and I had the entire time we were in the hospital. I use all that in the book.  

Q: Your book can fit into a few different genres (horror, paranormal, fantasy), but it also can fit into a spirituality genre. How do you feel this book is spiritual? 

Well, first for me it is and should be in the spiritual genre. I believe that we are all spiritual beings at our core.

Jack’s relationship to his family, himself, the world around him is spiritual. It takes on supernatural elements like near death experience, ghost, demons, but they all represent something in him. Jack faces his fears and allows the best part of himself, the light if you will, to help his friends, but also to try and free the indomitable ghost in apartment 3C at his own peril.

Q: While Jack Kelly is the main character, Kasper Greenstreet is also an important character in the book. What inspired you to write Kasper?

Yes, I love Kasper! He really took on a life of his own. He was not supposed to be as large a character as he became. I wanted his back story as an artist to include his insecurity about his work and abilities, which is why he felt the need to use his blood to create magic.

Any one who has ever started something creative, painting, music or written a word probably has those emotions. I’m having one with these two books!

Also, as important or more important, he grew up in a time when being gay was considered a mental illness by the American Psychiatric Association and his mother hated him for it, so he is carrying quite a heavy load. Not to mention that he was abused as a child by the very people who are supposed to protect him.

Kasper uses all of that to create this amazing, mystical art. I also love that Kasper and Jack for different reasons are outcasts at times for who they are.

Q: The Book of Demons is slightly different from The Book of Souls. What was your experience writing both of these books?

The Book of Souls was a very personal story for me because it started with a true event. The Book of Demons came directly from the characters. It is a straightforward Good vs Evil. I also did not have to build the world because it was already built in. So I just went for it!

Q: Mr. Philips is a new challenge in The Book of Demons. How did you go about creating a villain like him?

He was tremendous fun creating. Villains are easier to color I think—at least in this case. He was a bad guys on steroids with all these wicked powers.

Q: Will there be an appearance from any of The Book of Souls characters in The Book of Demons?

Yes, they all show up and I wrap up all of their arcs—even the very minor ones. 

Q: What’s the biggest takeaway for your readers in the duology?

Trust your intuition and trust your instincts!

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