Why did I write The Angel Warriors series? That question, and any other question relating to writing, is never easy for me to answer because I never entertained the slightest notion of becoming a writer.
Around 1974 or so, I became involved in various fandoms, and I wrote a fanzine story about a near-death experience. That short story featured an angel intervening in a crossover. It was a simple three-page scene in a forty-page story.
Mihdael was intended for that one NDE/OBE story only. But my creative curiosity took over. I decided he needed a backstory because I wrote a sequel to the NDE/OBE story using the same characters. Mihdael would be the main character in this, and he evolved from being just another warrior to Michael’s second-in-command; I wanted the story told from his and the other angels’ point of view. I had never read a book that did that (1970s, remember), and I wanted to keep humans at a minimum.
angel with spread wings, Beliefnet
The fiction books that I read for research on angels available in 1974 were all the same: the human characters were the main characters, while the angels were peripheral at most – and they seemed very weak for the jobs they were given to do. The demons were usually stronger and could not be defeated by the angels, only humans. Since the Angel Army was created to eradicate demons, and I couldn’t find the angel stories I wanted to read, I decided to write them.
angels fighting demons, Minister Fortson
I wanted to portray angels as powerful, good beings, incorruptible; the demons and Fallen Angels would be strong, too. I wanted a good younger angel, who was obedient, yet empathic to human weaknesses and desires; he would parallel angelic personality traits with human personality traits, to compare and contrast the similarities and differences. I expanded Mihdael’s character, giving him aspects of God, Michael, and Lucifer, resulting in a diverse mix of personalities and traits that would be both good and bad.
The second story was supposed to end with Mihdael’s death while fighting a powerful Old One. Didn’t happen. When it came time for the last sentence, it wouldn’t come; my inner author balked, resisting, insisting there was more to tell. So I changed the ending, and Mihdael survived. From those two short stories, The Angel Warrior series evolved; both were re-written and became Angel Warriors – Earthbound: Reparation.
Recommended Article: Angel Warriors: Earthbound – a Review
