Join us in welcoming author Jamie Fessenden today. He’s stopped by to give us a little bit of background on his occult mystery novel, Murderous Requiem. Enjoy!
My novel Murderous Requiem is an occult mystery revolving around an ancient manuscript that appears to be a requiem mass from the Renaissance, written by the philosopher and occultist, Marsilio Ficino. In the course of unraveling the mystery, Jeremy and Bowyn uncover alchemical references, a libretto written in ancient Greek, and a phrase that may or may not be written in Enochian.
Enochian is an occult language recorded by John Dee (1527 – 1608 or 1609), the court astrologer and advisor of Queen Elizabeth I. The language was supposedly dictated to Dee through the medium Edward Kelley (1555 – 1597), and Dee believed it was being imparted by what he referred to as the “Enochian angels”—angels who ruled over the physical world. The language was called simply the “Language of the Angels” by Dee, but later occultists dubbed it “Enochian.”
(Enoch was the father of Noah, and Dee believed he was the last human to know the language of the angels.)
Dee and Kelley created a complex system of magic using this occult language and tablets with grids of letters aligned in groups to form Enochian words. These tablets could be used to summon angels and spirits aligned with them, and then order these beings to perform the will of the magician.
Blurb: Jeremy Spencer never imagined the occult order he and his boyfriend, Bowyn, started as a joke in college would become an international organization with hundreds of followers. Now a professor with expertise in Renaissance music, Jeremy is drawn back into the world of free love and ceremonial magick. The old jealousies and hurt that separated him from Bowyn eight years ago no longer seem significant.
Then Jeremy begins to wonder if the centuries-old score he’s been asked to transcribe hides something sinister. With each stanza, local birds flock to the old mansion, a mysterious fog descends upon the grounds, and bats swarm the temple dome. During a séance, the group receives a cryptic warning from the spirit realm. And as the music’s performance draws nearer, Jeremy realizes it may hold the key to incredible power—power somebody is willing to kill for.
1st Edition published by Dreamspinner Press, 2013.
Buy Links: DSP Publications || Amazon
About the Author: Jamie Fessenden set out to be a writer in junior high school. He published a couple of short pieces in his high school’s literary magazine, but it wasn’t until he met his partner, Erich, almost twenty years later, that he began writing again in earnest. With Erich alternately inspiring and goading him, Jamie published his first novella in 2010, and has since published over twenty other novels and novellas.
After legally marrying in 2010, buying a house together, and getting a dog, Jamie and Erich have settled down to life in the country, surrounded by wild turkeys, deer, and the occasional coyote. A few years ago, Jamie was able to quit the tech support job that gave him insanely high blood pressure. He now writes full-time… and feels much better.
Visit Jamie at his Website
The Novel Approach Reviews 
Leave a Reply