Tags
Adam and Eve, Garden of Eden, Lilith, Lucifer's Daughter, Roman Catholic References, satire, Scapegoat, The Girl with the Glowing Hair
I love when readers ask me, “Did you mean to…?” And fill in the blank.
Most of the time, the answer is a resounding, “Yes. I did.”
This time around, I have a lot of connections that are rooted in my newest novel, THE GIRL WITH THE GLOWING HAIR, that come from my being raised as a Roman Catholic and the examination of religion I’ve processed over sixteen years in a collegiate environment and with my philosophical husband.
Anywho, the names of my characters are likely the biggest clue to religious references being made: Lilith, Adam, and Evan all represent a beginning with the Garden of Eden. Not only has Lily (Lilith’s) emergence into power create a kind of birth, she’s also cast out of her cushy life and into a strange world filled with people—or angels, demons, witches, and dragons, etc. She’s been cast out because of her new knowledge.
Adam is probably the easiest link. He’s actually the Adam from the mythological Garden of Eden. Lucifer, Lily’s mother, made him into the first demon some millennia back, although Adam has lost both of his wives before his change.
Evan creates a looser connection, an offshoot of Eve, but he also has a long history with Adam, a mutual hatred derived from different perspectives of morality. Adam punished Evan and his family for their beliefs, but Adam was also punished for his zeal. The two males are linked together from that moment. Evan grew with a knowledge of sin and has become Adam’s scapegoat—at least in the first book—but he has also been the town’s scapegoat since he was nine.
Of course, plenty more religious roots litter the novel and will continue to surface as the story progresses, like Lily’s mother gaining a larger role, Gabriel’s influence becoming clearer, a trapped God lurking somewhere near Saint Siena, and a continuous war in Heaven.
So if you ever see a connection and wonder, “Did you mean to…?” The answer is likely yes, but always feel free to ask!
Where do you pull references from as a writer or reader? Let me know in the comments below.
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