The Raven Effect

Angel of Orleans in me
I'll tell you no lies
Ravens have bore me wings to fly
Queen of the night time forever
It's all I'm living for
I'll embrace my immortal
Forever night

One crimson kiss is bleeding
My raven heart
Tales of the darkside here is all right
Bring me the nighttime forever
It's all you're dying for
Take my hand and I'll show ya
Forever night

Raven - say you want me to
Rain the dark on forever you
Raven heart
No there ain't nothing dark that I won't do
My raven heart'll bleed all over you
-- W.A.S.P. *

Originally starting life as a secondary character in the original version of "The Dance," Raven has grown into one of the most popular, if not the most popular of my characters, though I don't technically consider her to be a part of the actual Hollywood Vampires group, as she tends to run alone and do her own thing. Fiercely individualistic and in possession of enormous power, Raven is one of the most formidable beings on the planet and is one of the characters that I have the most fun writing . . . there are times when even I'm not sure what she's going to do next. The stories on this page chronicle Raven's journey from Mexico to the big city of Los Angeles, where she meets and makes friends, foes, and raises a considerable amount of hell on the way. The first three stories actually tell of Raven's trip to Los Angeles, while the final two, which tie into the first three, tell the stories of two whose lives have been touched and affected by the huntress. Enjoy the stories, and I hope you find them to be as fun to read as they were for me to write . . . and now I leave you with a few words from Raven herself, to take into consideration before the reading begins.

I'm cruel, vain, arrogant, brutal, and sadistic, but at the same time I'm intelligent, clever, compassionate, merciful, and I've got a great sense of humor. I'm comfortable with all of those attributes, I love what I am, and after a good amount of thought on it, I've reached a balance between all of them . . . I'm neither good nor evil, I am what I am, I am Raven and I make no apologies for it.

When I Became a vampire, that was it. From that day forth I was my own person, nobody told me what to do or how to be, and anybody that's ever tried to control me has been struck down. I am my own god.

	The Odyssey
	The Raven And The Gecko So what did Raven do before she came to Los Angeles and started wreaking havoc with Wade? Here's a tale that chronicles one of her adventures before her appearance in "The Dance," and I'm quite proud of it. This isn't a very fancy story, and not terribly eloquent, but it's a high-impact, high-action brawl from Hell and one heck of a wild ride!
	Interview With The Raven A novella-sized Raven tour-de-force that chronicles the homicidal huntress' climactic adventure in New Orleans, where she encounters the stuffy and not-so-fun vampire inhabitants, who look down upon her and her rather "eccentric" ways . . . and as you can guess, Raven doesn't really give a damn what they think! Get ready for mayhem, madness, and mischief in New Orleans as Raven pays the city a visit that it'll never forget!
	The Dance REVISED! So, just what happens when Raven's travels take her into Los Angeles and she catches the scent of a certain big, dark, imposing vampire that is short on words but long on might? If you answered with anything but "TROUBLE," you haven't been paying attention! Batten down the hatches and watch the fireworks from a safe distance, because this ain't gonna be no stately waltz, boys and girls.
	The Aftermath

	Leaving The Raven's Nest The follow-up to "Interview With The Raven," without giving too much away, focuses not on Raven, but rather a young vampire whose life was changed forever when she crossed paths with the legendary huntress and discovered that there's more to Raven than what all of the legends have covered . . . much more.
	Dreams Of The Raven The follow-up to "The Raven And The Gecko" and the conclusion of this story cycle, this short little tale deals with obsession, something that can drive a person to the brink, changing them and everything they believe in . . . and in the end, is fulfilling that obsession worth the change, and is it worth the blood that might get spilled? I'd say more, but I don't want to give anything away for those of you who haven't read "The Raven And The Gecko" yet!

* - The line in the first stanza is actually "king of the night time forever," but I couldn't resist changing it to "queen," since the song works so well for Raven . . .

** - Also note that I borrowed the name "The Raven Effect" from professional wrestler Scott Levy, better known as Raven . . . he's one of the absolute masters when it comes to psychological in-ring storytelling, and is an extremely intense and formidable competitor; "The Raven Effect" is the name of his finishing maneuver, a devastating DDT, and I borrowed it because it sounded so damned cool.