First, a disclaimer:
This email is by no means me advocating or glorifying the use of any illegal substance. This is merely the ramblings of a fantasy author with an incurable curiosity for the taboo.
With that out of the way, let's get into it:
Way back when I was a young, zit-faced adolescent, let's just say I tried a lot of stuff.
Did a lot of silly things, too.
I was an impressionable sod back then, with a need to impress my peers and protect my "classroom clown" status, which – in hindsight – was just me wrestling with a suitcase of insecurities around a time when there weren't as many male role models in my life as there used to be.
That naturally led to some interesting stories, which included copious amounts of alcohol and, yes, even drugs.
(If you thought I was perfect, that's your bad. My title "Overlord & Saviour" should have given it away.)
While I never thankfully went beyond the sampling stage, there is one family of illicit substances that evaded me:
Psychedelics.
And specifically, DMT.
You'd have better luck deciphering the Egyptian hieroglyphics than pronouncing the gobbledygook this stands for, but feel free to Google it.
Anyway, like most psychedelics, DMT has been around for thousands of years and has been used by many tribes, both past and present.
(Fun fact: we already produce it naturally in our bodies. No Mexican cartel necessary.)
But what makes this particular substance most fascinating to me is the remarkably consistent experiences reported by its users.
Many report being launched out of their bodies…
Interacting with sentient beings deep in the cosmos…
Some even claim (including staunch atheists, I might add) to have been in the presence of what they describe as God.
I know this all sounds a bit woo-woo-whacker-doo, but I'm merely reporting what others have gone on record to have said.
And besides…
I did warn you that the Legion is an unruly place.
Now, before you snort "junkies," these aren't random people shooting up DMT in a dank alleyway that stinks of piss — many are volunteers being studied under medical supervision.
Do I concede that I'm susceptible to this stuff given I'm a Believer?
Absolutely.
But I'm also a man of facts, and the data around this particular substance is hard to ignore.
Go look up the stories online for yourself.
There's no shortage of testimonies claiming it changed lives for the better.
(Funny how quickly the world clamped down on these substances in the 70s, just as people started peeking behind the proverbial veil. That's an email for another day.)
So yes, I confess.
If there's one drug in this world I'm most curious about, it's DMT.
Alas, I'm also a father of two young raccoons, and it would be reprehensible of me to engage in any mind-altering metaphysical forays beyond meditation and prayer.
Perhaps one day when Liam and Nathan are all grown up and no longer asking for pocket money.
But until then, I shall continue to get my "fixes" of gods and distant realms through stories.
Especially books.
While nothing quite beats movie nights with a bowl of sweet popcorn and dimmed lights, it pales in comparison to what your imagination can conjure with words alone.
That's something I take immense pride in as an author.
Despite having a cinematic mind, I try my utmost best to avoid over-explaining any given character or setting. Rather, I much prefer to hand you the basic scaffolding of a scene and let your own imagination take it from there.
So, if you're not as fanatical about psychedelics as I am (don't blame you), but you are absolutely fanatical about far-away fantasy realms with:
• Imperfect characters that feel like old friends
• Mythical beasts lurking around corners
• And a storyline that grabs you by the throat and doesn't let go until the very end
… then you might just like The Divided Region.
You can start with Book One, Exiled, today — available at every major retailer, as well as my own personal store.
https://djjwatson.com/books/exiled/
DJJW