I've always been interested in religion. From Christianity to the old Norse gods, I find the stories fascinating. Who isn't intrigued by Loki? The lost books of the Bible? In fact, it was in the Book of Enoch that I found the basis for my fallen angels. In the book of Enoch we are introduced to a group of demons who fell from grace and had sex with human women. Their coupling produced a race of giants, and from there we have the Flood - which purified the world from the evil that had taken over.
My demons - most of them - seek redemption. If they choose to put someone's life above their own - a completely unselfish gesture - then they pass the test (usually given by an angel) and are included in the book of life once again. Some are given access to Heaven and others are not. It depends on the demon and their past transgressions. To me there is no greater emotion than love. Even the nastiest villian loves someone (or something). When I sat down to write my demonic heroes I kept that in mind. Nothing is ever black or white...there's a gray area, and I used that thought to come up with a well-rounded (not purely evil or good) demon. When I began to research Asmodeus, this was the first picture I came across...
Not exactly a man to incite lust, is he? But the story behind the Rebel Watchers interested me, so I read a little more from the Book of Enoch. Enoch, if you are familiar with the Bible, was the male who walked with God for 300+ years, and he had such a good, clean soul God took him. (FYI - Enoch is Noah's grandfather) In the Book of Enoch we find out that he is now an angel. The Rebel Watchers, who fell out of lust for human women (don't quote me on any of this) go to Enoch and ask him to speak on their behalf. It was right there, when I read about their HOPE for redemption that I thought, hey, that would make a good premise. Demons with a heart. Since I write romance I threw in a heroine, who captures the love of the demon, and 'redeems' him.
The one problem with humans and demons mating (according to my world) is that it is forbidden. Remember the Flood? The Nephilim? Well, demons still mate with humans, and those unions still produce Nephilim. So, the demons from the Second Angelic Revolt must keep the Nephilim numbers down by hunting them and killing them. The Nephilim are monsters anyway, right? Well, they are and they aren't. Nephilim are born as normal children. They laugh, they cry, they love, they have cute baby fat, and need to be burped...and then they hit puberty. That's when they turn into Nephilim creatures. So, the demons from the Second Angelic Revolt must kill these creatures, per archangel Michael's orders, or face the fires of the Abyss.
What is the Abyss? To put it bluntly it's Hell located in Heaven. It's a place set aside for Fallen Angels who get a little too big for their britches. There are three tiers, each a little worse than the last. That's a little harsh to have a virtual Hell in Heaven, but you have to recall the teachings of the old testament - 'eye for an eye.' It wasn't until we get to the new testament that we see the adage 'turn the other cheek.' (I'm partial to the old testiment, but then again I'm a little sadistic.)
In a nutshell, that's where I came up with my premise. Here are a few links if you want to look into it.
Demon Names. Here you will find a small list of demons and a little on their background.
The Book of Enoch. The book of Enoch translated from the dead sea scrolls. This site tells you a little about the book and you'll find a link to read the text.
Rebel Watchers. This is the specific page that inspired my stories. Here we see Enoch speak to the Fallen. We also read about Nephilim - or 'giants.'
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