About the Author
AKA Shiloh Briar's Character Sheet
Ancient lore dictates that Shiloh Briar was born unto a benevolent nature spirit beneath the skies of a lunar eclipse. The trouble with ancient lore, however, is that it is often poorly documented and embellished beyond believability.
Modern lore dictates that Shiloh hails from Wisconsin: land of cheese, football, and rampant alcoholism, which is significantly less exciting than the ancient lore version. Monotonous backstory aside, she claims Wisconsin is still home, and she couldn't imagine putting down roots anywhere else.
Shiloh has been fascinated with writing and creating worlds at a young age and enjoys chronicling the adventures of characters she's "known" since childhood.
My Story
I've been creating fictional people in my head for as long as I can remember. My memory is pretty dodgy, but that's one fact that sticks.
Since I'm far more comfortable talking about my characters than myself, I'll regale you with the tale of the HOPELESS NECROMANTIC cast's humble origins.
Sikras 'Catseye' Nikabod started off as a necromancer character I made for a PC game that molded the majority of my teenage years. Maybe you've heard of it. It's a timeless classic known as Diablo II. Now, back in the times of old, character creation wasn't as expansive as it is today, at least as far as PC games go, but that didn't stop me from crafting an elaborate back story and using that as the catalyst for how Catseye interacted with other online players both in and outside the rogue encampment.
He was, and continues to be, the embodiment of 'chaotic neutral'.
Benjamin Reese started off as an inside joke between my brother and I, who were particularly obsessed with a generic version of a medieval fantasy hack-and-slash game called Champions of Norrath. Technically, we each had a skeleton. Both were interchangeably referred to as Ben and Reese. As I fleshed out HOPELESS NECROMANTIC, Benjamin Reese evolved into a singular character that paid homage to our devious, childhood skeletons.
Dear, sweet Helspira is based off an old Dungeons and Dragons character. Originally, she was a tiefling (as evidenced by her appearance) but given that I wanted to create my own world building--and avoid wading through any awkward, copyrighted territory--she was re-imagined into a demon for HOPELESS NECROMANTIC.
These characters are so dear to me, and I'm very excited to share them with you all. I hope you come to enjoy them as much as I have over the decades.
What's Next?
I am actively working on the HOPELESS NECROMANTIC prequel (UNDEAD TO RIGHTS) where readers can learn far more about Siaphara, the relationship between humanity and the gods, as well as the origins of Sikras, Vessik, Benjamin, and Imri. In tandem with the prequel, I'm also plugging away at books 2 and 3 in the HOPELESS NECROMANTIC universe.
While reading the prequel won't be necessary to understand or appreciate HOPELESS NECROMANTIC or any subsequent books set in this world, I do sprinkle a lot of seeds throughout all the books that (hopefully) amplify the overall emotional experience. Plus, who doesn't enjoy a fun little Easter egg in their stories?