The story is narrated by the spirit of Madeleine Christos, the sister of our main character Persephone, who shall both be detailed in the character's section. Madeleine is introduced on the first page , and thereafter, she simply guides the story along from time to time. The reader will not know that Madeleine is a ghost, although it will be hinted at--this will be revealed in perhaps the final book of this particular chronicle. The setting itself is the fictional Mediterranean Isle of Christos, the year of the story--1764. Persephone Christos, is a green eyed, cream skinned Moorish noblewoman with a lust for life and a taste for the macabre. Wild and untamable she is as much feared as admired. Because her family rules the Island, she is permitted to get away with the sorts of things most females of the time period were not--like traipsing off to view an execution unescorted. She's an artist, who likes to travel around sketching death scenes upon parchment with charcoals. For many, they find her beautiful, bewitching and curious. She also seems to have a giving, nurturing side at times, which is at odds with her dark fascinations. Thonos, aka Death, is also known as the Keeper of Souls. He is of course a murky being, but not without his ability to be ironic, or humorous, as we have seen Death to be at times. Smitten with Persephone, he devises a plan utilizing the aid of Morpheus, the God of Dreams, to seduce her living spirit and eventually make her his bride. Madeleine Christos, as described above, is the no nonsense, obsequious younger sibling of Persephone. While alive, Madeleine often shook her head at her sister's antics, telling her that a woman who did such things could not come to a good end. She did love and even secretly admire her sister's audacity however, as she wished herself brazen enough to be so daring. Abigail McIntyre, the daughter of Louis McIntyre, is a descendant of the class who used to rule Christos before the Moorish invasion of 1428. Abigail and Persephone form an unlikely bond, as their families had been quarreling for centuries. Abigail, prudish, yet head strong , has more than one reason for befriending Persephone--her forbidden, romantic love for the fiery beauty. Coupled with the abuse she suffers at the hands of her tyrannical Father, the lovely lady soon finds herself on a path that is her undoing. Gabriella Christos, Persphone's and Madeleine's stern, old fashioned yet loving mother, is a French born aristocrat, who after a battle to subdue Persphone, inevitably backed off and now tolerates her whims. Louis McIntyre, Father of Abigail, is filled with bitterness and hatred, which he thrusts upon the world and his daughter. An outward gentleman, he has been planning to overthrow The Christos family for years. By forming an alliance with Spain, he hopes to wrest control of the island from the Moors and bring it back into the hands of the McIntyre's. For this reason, he is none too pleased by Abigail's insistence at hanging around Persephone, but despite his abuse, Abigail won't stay away from her. When he finally realizes that their acquaintances is beyond his control, he developed a new tactic to turn it to his advantage...this character figures more prominently in subsequent editions. Morpheus, who shows up more in future books, is the androgynous Keeper of dreams--his is a chaotic personality, which exemplifies the nature of dreams. Of all the God-realms to visit, his is considered dangerous, as the Keeper's ever changing moods, make him hard to mollify or predict. Soliel, a blind sorcerer who helps Persephone in her battle to defeat Thonos when she uncovers his plans for her. His character shows up in later episodes. Thurgood, a pompous guardian whom Persephone's mother hires in a desperate last attempt to gain control over her daughter. This character also shows up in later episodes... There are various Lords and Ladies, many nameless, utilized to move the plot along.  The muse is an evil temptress--a fact I've recognized since I first began creating, but a fact never-the-less made more apparent when you are exhausted, trying to sleep, and idea's are dropping like raindrops on your face, forcing you out of bed. If one were going to make the night time inspiration phenomenon less romantic and more technical, I suppose one could say that the waking mind often struggles too hard with creating ideas, and effectively shoots itself in the foot by manufacturing it's own block. It is only when we let our defenses down to sleep that our ideas can pour forth unhindered. Whatever the case, it is two am in the morning, I am tired as hell, and I am writing. Calliope cracks her whip! I suppose I was worried about what I would say about myself and my reason's for writing La Petite Morte. I often find it hard to focus on myself and my motivations--I like to hide behind my work. Besides which, comic book fans, by far the most loyal and genuine of all audiences, can also be the most persnickety. I pondered how to appear witty without coming across as pompous, profound but not new-agey, idealistic, but not wishy washy. In the end, the answer was simple--be honest, straightforward, and unabashedly me, warts and all. Huh--what a thought. So here I am, baring all--just promise not to giggle. La Petite Morte had two parents--vanity and lust. Okay, let me explain. In the beginning, La Petite Morte was a cross hybrid of my own sensual fantasies, and my desire to see them brought to life. It had never been my intention to share my work. My knowledge of comic books had, at that time, been what the general populace knew of them--I hadn't the foggiest concept of underground comics--so I didn't think my work would find a home. It was also personal and private--like the kind of things you whisper about with a girlfriend, or you don't dare speak aloud for fear someone may think you to be a bit of a tart. I mean, I was just barely acknowledging my own sensuality, and the idea of sharing that side with others was unfathomable. Still, I found a bit of freedom expressing my thoughts with drawings and words--it was as if I was preserving the memory of a kiss, or a grand romance. Despite my privacy issues however, I had the habit of sketching in public. I live in Atlanta Georgia and the weather here is often beautiful, so I didn't like to limit myself indoors. As luck would have it, it was during one of my outings that I had one of those peanut-butter-in-my-chocolate-hence-the reeses-cup moments. I was sketching in Lenox mall when I noticed an interested gentleman looking over my shoulder. Now, I won't lie and say that people have not stopped and inquired about my work--but you can tell the difference between people who don't know a thing about art and those who do. Well he did, and for some reason I felt at ease sharing LPM with him. He told me he was employed with the cartoon network, which piqued my interest for two reasons 1) he was a professional who could give me valuable critique, 2) I knew his opinions would be honest, as professionals don't tend to curb their tongues. Then, like a Grecian scholar bestowing his knowledge, he began to show me how to improve on what I was doing, highlighting my good points and showing me where I needed to work" I love your facial expressions and gestures," he said, and he told me to up play them in my panels. He also noted that I didn't emphasize back grounds enough--primarily because it wasn't, at the time, a legitimate comic. Even still however, I have to force myself not to be character focused and to change angles and views often, I suppose due to my earlier style. He also told me he liked the Hades and Persephone storyline--this also surprised me. It was then that he suggested I get into the business of drawing and publishing a comic. Well, even though I could share my work with a fellow artist, I didn't know about the general public--when you are a nameless creator, people can be downright brutal and my work was too personal. "Great art is born from it's creators vulnerability." He replied. Although that had the potential to sound hokey, from him it seemed very relevant and true. Well, I ended up exchanging numbers with him, and even unto this day I call and pick his brain. I credit him with turning me on to LOVE AND ROCKETS, SAND MAN and books of their ilk, which made me feel not so alone as to the subject matter of my work. I also credit him for being the person who aided me in fashioning LPM to what it is currently. As it stands today, I have grown proficient in line drawing and script writing, although I still feel I have lots to learn, and hopefully will always feel that way till the day I die. Then there are some things I fear I will never master--like inking (an inker--an inker--my kingdom for an inker!) For some confounded reason, my hand eye coordination goes out the window around a calligraphy pen and an ink well. I mostly utilize disposable rapidiographs, which is time consumptive but functional. As far as lettering--hey! A gal has to keep SOME secrets! Anyway, I do hope you like La Petite Morte, if so thank you, and if not, tis okay--I draw for those who want what I have to offer--I won't appeal to everyone--and this too is a good thing. If you have suggestions, comments or just want to say hello, by all means write me--I'd love to hear from fans and detractors alike! Anyway, so there I am bared, but I am starting to get a wee bit chilled--can I get dressed now?Ah, forget it--I'm going to bed... Ciao... - Alicia Norman (5-18-02)  READ A SAMPLE OF ALICIA's SONG LYRICS HERE
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