I am L. Hewitt Theriot, an independent author of self-published novels and short stories. I have a long family history in South Louisiana going back hundreds of years and you’ll find that the Bayou State and, in particular, New Orleans, feature quite prominently in much of my work. I love to write fantasy action-adventure… and if it has a twinge of horror, then so much the better. I also have quite a bit of experience working with professional writers and I’ll be featuring some of the wisdom I’ve acquired over the years on my blog, so… come for the stories and stay for the career advice.
Oh hey, Hewitt, what’s up with that photo of a giant wall on your “About” page? Well I’m glad you asked. In a way, that wall was the inspiration for Owl Boy. The actual character was created by my oldest son when he was four and I had been kicking around the idea of writing him an Owl Boy book for some time, but I hadn’t actually gotten around to doing it. But then there was that wall, It’s in the French Quarter, in New Orleans, and I walk by it all the time. It’s huge, at least thirty feet high. And that door! My god, the tallest human being that has ever lived could clear that doorway with at least five feet of head space to spare. As I walked by that wall day-after-day I found myself wondering what could be behind that wall? It reminded me of the impregnable barrier that protected the villagers on Kong Island. What could be so big, or dangerous, or terrifying, or amazing, that it would need to be guarded by such a massive wall. And little by little, an idea started to form in my head… something mysterious, wonderful, and fantastic. Something that would fully embody Arthur C. Clarke’s admonition that “any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.” A year later, OWL BOY AND THE VOODOO PRIEST was published.
