My first Samhain book, Demon
with a Comb-Over, had a curious beginning, befitting its strange
otherworldly nature. And contrary to the title, it's not about Donald Trump.
When I first started writing Demon, all I knew is that
it’d be about a failing stand-up comedian who makes the huge mistake of
heckling a demon. One with a comb-over. I needed a name for the demon,
though. A darkly appropriate, amusing, yet
foreboding name.
Delving into intense research (um, Wikipedia), I found a
long list of demonic names (who compiles these lists, anyway? Moreover…why?). Instead of beginning with the
letter “A”—the way I’ve chosen some names in the past—I jumped to “K,” a nice
middle-set letter.
Kobal.
Name sounded good. I read on. Couldn’t believe it. “The
demon prince of mockery; the archangel of laughter.” Perfect. First time out. Fit the tale beautifully.
Now. I’m not one to believe in paranormal situations,
supernatural circumstances. But if I didn’t know better, I’d think that Kobal
had been leading me to his name. He wants his story told.
His name is Kobal. Fear him. But never, ever mock him.
