{"id":60511,"date":"2025-03-07T08:37:12","date_gmt":"2025-03-07T13:37:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/terribleminds.com\/ramble\/?p=60511"},"modified":"2025-03-07T14:40:33","modified_gmt":"2025-03-07T19:40:33","slug":"raven-digitalis-five-things-i-learned-editing-black-magick","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/terribleminds.com\/ramble\/2025\/03\/07\/raven-digitalis-five-things-i-learned-editing-black-magick\/","title":{"rendered":"Raven Digitalis: Five Things I Learned Editing Black Magick"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Darkness is interpretive. It\u2019s in our nature to explore the shadows. Through the 13 stories presented in Black Magick, compiled and edited by award-winning occult author Raven Digitalis, the reader is transported into mysterious settings that blur the line between fiction and reality.<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Each story uniquely integrates occultism and magick, deepening the mysteries of the shadow. By acknowledging darkness through the written medium, we can better come to terms with the darkness within ourselves.<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

These haunting tales are finely crafted by a wide variety of writers, and each story is uniquely different from the other. When we bravely explore the darker aspects of life, we more accurately come to know what it means to be human.<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Black Magick is dedicated to author Storm Constantine, whose story \u201cCandle Magic\u201d opens the anthology.<\/em><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

IT\u2019S OKAY TO REVIVE AN OLD PROJECT<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I can\u2019t believe this book is finally printed. I was convinced for years that Black Magick<\/em> would never see the light of day, but lo and behold, it\u2019s alive! It turns out that, well, creative visions just sometimes need a bit of time to gestate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I originally conceived of this short story anthology back in 2008, in between the releases of my first books, Goth Craft <\/em>and Shadow Magick Compendium<\/em>. Something like 30 publishers rejected the project back then. This was due to its content: sex, drugs, occult terror \u2014 things like that. Since, at that time, my mind was moving on to the next nonfiction Pagan guidebook I had in mind, I set the project aside and let it gather virtual dust.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It wasn\u2019t until 2023 that I had a dream where the project was revived. So, I just went with it! Half of the original authors stayed on board, while the other half dropped their story for one reason or another (or were impossible to get in touch with). New authors jumped in fast, and, after a few more US publisher rejections, Moon Books picked it up. Moon Books is a Pagan, Wiccan, and metaphysical publisher in London, and are a branch of Collective Ink.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hot damn; a British publisher wants to print it? Let\u2019s get \u2018er done! Thankfully, Brits tend to be a bit more lenient about controversial literary expression, trigger warnings and all.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

EDITING AIN\u2019T EASY WORK<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When Black Magick<\/em> was revived, I was lucky to be in between projects. At that point I had begun co-creating decks of divination cards! My Empath\u2019s Oracle<\/em> had recently been printed, and plans were in the works for my Gothic Witch\u2019s Oracle<\/em> deck, which also recently got published by Crossed Crow in Chicago.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Editing the short stories, as well as reworking my original tale, proved to be an exhaustively lengthy process, not least because I had to educate myself about editing fiction writing specifically. Fiction is an entirely different beast from the nonfiction I had become accustomed to penning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Many of the stories required multiple revisions and meticulous editing. Everyone was great to work with, luckily, from the contributing authors to everyone at the publisher. Writers, artists, and creative visionaries like to get things just right<\/em> \u2014 and that we did!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Thankfully, my oldest friend in the world, Miranda S. Hewlett, not only contributed a story to the anthology, but stepped in as the book\u2019s Associate Editor. Being an English professor and a literary genius in general, her skills picked up where mine left off. Another longtime friend and fellow contributor, S.M. Lomas, also stepped in to perform valuable proofreading for selected stories. With all our powers combined, the final form of Black Magick<\/em> became one damn fine, spooky, and gloriously unusual piece of work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

DIVERSITY IS A VIRTUE<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

When one of Black Magick<\/em>\u2019s contributing authors dropped out for personal reasons, I needed a quick replacement. After some meditation and reflection, I realized that there wasn\u2019t a Black voice in the anthology. A quick internet search revealed the work of Tracy Cross and her first novel, Rootwork<\/em>. I contacted Tracy, who lives in Washington, DC, and she was happy to write a brilliant, futuristic Hoodoo tale just for the occasion!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The only thread running through every short story is the concept of \u201cblack magick,\u201d the term itself being a bit tongue-in-cheek and sensationalistic. Otherwise, I encouraged authors to let their creativity and imagination run wild! No homogenization found here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I\u2019m amazed at the anthology\u2019s diverse scope of material; I wasn\u2019t expecting it to be quite so diverse, and at one time thought it might be too<\/em> all-over-the-place. I soon came to realize that this is part of the book\u2019s charm. Some of the stories are written in first-person, and others in third. Some tales are straightforward, while others are creepily obscure and hellaciously abstract. The breadth of subgenres contained include dark fantasy, erotica, sci-fi, mystery, folk horror, queer storytelling, period pieces, and a whole bunch more. Still, all of the tales stay firmly grounded in the genre of occult horror. Mission accomplished!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

NORMAL PEOPLE ARE EASILY FREAKED OUT<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Like I mentioned, Black Magick<\/em> was originally rejected by a wide array of publishers due to some of its shocking content. When Moon Books picked up the project, however, their art, design, and marketing departments were all on board for creating one delicious, eye-catching, spooky-ass cover. What\u2019s more sinfully stereotypical of so-called \u201cblack magick\u201d than a so-called Voodoo doll?!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It turns out that both the book\u2019s cover artwork and title haven\u2019t been entirely received with open arms, but my guess is that it\u2019s because ordinary, everyday folk just aren\u2019t the book\u2019s demographic! It\u2019s easy to forget that superstitious beliefs permeate every culture to one extent or another. This was especially surprising to a person like me, who is deeply involved with real-life Witchcraft and occult spirituality. Indeed, more than a few folks have found the very idea of the project to be off-putting and frightening; even heretical. Oh well\u2026 their loss!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

OUTSOURCING IS SMART & EFFECTIVE<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I had never given a thought to the prospect of outsourcing. At the same time, I\u2019ve longed  for years for a secretary, an assistant \u2014 anything, anyone \u2014 to help with scheduling, promotion, advertising, and so on. I\u2019m lucky enough to have all my books published traditionally; I don\u2019t know how folks do it independently.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I just don\u2019t have enough time in the day to promote myself properly. Between writing books and articles, a professional Tarot reading career, and keeping up with a handful of side jobs, it was a blessing to discover and employ an outsourced assistant! As it turns out, my online Pagan buddy Alex J. Coyne in South Africa not only performs writing and editing, but is also proficient in the arduous work of publicizing! Since asking him to become my official Publicity Assistant, I\u2019ve been blown away by his ability to create succinct lists of new contacts and his skill at cold-pitching the book to reviewers whose content is published on numerous mediums; print, podcast, YouTube \u2014 you name it! Even my lovely overloaded Publicists are happy with his work, and are relieved that he can dig a bit deeper into forging new contacts and impressively think outside the box.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The exchange rate in this outsourcing has also been a pleasant surprise, and was a huge draw in my choosing to inquire about hiring his assistance. Just a handful of PayPalled bucks each month helps pay for his rent, food, and the expenses of life. It continues to be a result-yielding, mutually beneficial process.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In fact, Alex even wrote an article detailing his experience in becoming the Publicity Assistant for Black Magick<\/em>, encouraging other writers to consider doing the same!  (Link: https:\/\/alexjcoyne.com\/2025\/02\/03\/assisting-the-raven-tales-of-darkness-horror-the-occult<\/a> )<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Raven Digitalis is an award-winning author best known for his \u201cempath\u2019s trilogy,\u201d consisting of The Empath’s Oracle<\/em>, Esoteric Empathy<\/em>, and The Everyday Empath<\/em>, as well as the \u201cshadow trilogy\u201d of A Gothic Witch\u2019s Oracle, A Witch’s Shadow Magick Compendium<\/em>, and Goth Craft<\/em>. Originally trained in Georgian Witchcraft, Raven has been an earth-based practitioner since 1999, a Priest since 2003, a Freemason since 2012, and an empath all of his life. He holds a degree in cultural anthropology from the University of Montana, jointly operated a nonprofit Pagan temple for sixteen years, and is also a professional Tarot reader, editor, Reiki practitioner, and animal rights advocate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Raven Digitalis<\/strong>: Website<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Black Magick<\/strong>: B&N<\/a> | Amazon<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stories in Black Magic:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. <\/em>Candle Magic by Storm Constantine<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Spanish Jones by Adele Cosgrove-Bray<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. 3:33 by Rhea Troutman<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Entombed by Corvis Nocturnum<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. Fata Morgana by S.M. Lomas<\/p>\n\n\n\n

6. Automatic Writing by Gabrielle Faust<\/p>\n\n\n\n

7. The Black Cat by Edgar Allan Poe<\/p>\n\n\n\n

8. Don\u2019t Forget to Feed by Miranda S. Hewlett<\/p>\n\n\n\n

9. The Night Everything Changed by Raven Digitalis<\/p>\n\n\n\n

10. ReBound by Tracy Cross<\/p>\n\n\n\n

11. Captured by Jaclyn M. Ciminelli<\/p>\n\n\n\n

12. Red Gifts by Daniel Adam Rosser<\/p>\n\n\n\n

13. The Iconoclasts by Mona Fitzgerald-King<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Darkness is interpretive. It\u2019s in our nature to explore the shadows. Through the 13 stories presented in Black Magick, compiled and edited by award-winning occult author Raven Digitalis, the reader is transported into mysterious settings that blur the line between fiction and reality. Each story uniquely integrates occultism and magick, deepening the mysteries of the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-60511","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"hentry","6":"category-theramble","8":"no-featured-image"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/pv7MR-fJZ","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/terribleminds.com\/ramble\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60511","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/terribleminds.com\/ramble\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/terribleminds.com\/ramble\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/terribleminds.com\/ramble\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/terribleminds.com\/ramble\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=60511"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/terribleminds.com\/ramble\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60511\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":60517,"href":"https:\/\/terribleminds.com\/ramble\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/60511\/revisions\/60517"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/terribleminds.com\/ramble\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=60511"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/terribleminds.com\/ramble\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=60511"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/terribleminds.com\/ramble\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=60511"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}