A small tribute to one of my greatest influences

As an author, I find it funny that I can write countless words in a matter of minutes to tell a story—whether good or bad; that’s entirely up to the reader—but sometimes, when I have to express my feelings, I can’t think of anything to write at all.

I’ve been trying to write this for the past three weeks. But it was hard to gather my thoughts. I think I’ve finally found the right words for what I want to say. This was long overdue, but I guess it’s better late than never. So here it goes . . .

I wouldn’t dare say many things in this world can reach out and thrust right into my soul. There’s Star Wars, for instance, which I watched in a theater way back in ’77 when the first film came out. And then there’s Tolkien and A Song of Ice and Fire when I got to read those great book series. And then there’s rock music, which I’ve always loved with a passion.

These are two of my favorite bands. And one of the main reasons for this was obviously the incomparable artistry and creative talent of the late Chris Cornell.

When an artist we admire passes away, people tend to say that they feel like they’ve lost someone close to them, like a friend or a lover or a close relative, even though they never had the chance to meet this celebrity in person. I totally understand the feeling, but that wouldn't be an accurate way to describe the way I feel about Mr. Cornell's passing.

I didn’t lose a friend or a close relative when Chris Cornell died so shockingly and unexpectedly in the wee hours of the morning on May 18th. I never met Mr. Cornell in person. He didn't even know of my existence. I'm just a simple fan of his work in a sea of faceless people who loved his music.

When I learned about Chris Cornell’s passing, I felt like I was stripped of a part of my soul.

I can’t remember how many times I’ve written with his incredible voice ringing in my ears and his lyrics inspiring me, whether I was listening to Soundgarden, Audioslave, Temple of the Dog or some of Mr. Cornell's solo efforts.

In fact, Chris Cornell’s voice, lyrics and music have been such an integral part of my life—for more than a quarter of a century now—that I know by heart the lyrics to most Soundgarden songs. I hate how much I suck when I sing along to most of those tracks. But then again, singing along to Chris Cornell's amazing voice is a tall order for anyone, whether you can actually sing or no.

“I’ve been away for too long,” thinks Earlyan Marnes when he leaves the Desert Continent of Ocrecia to go back to the civilized world in The Warriors of Balance.

Been Away for Too Long was the title of the first track in Soundgarden’s 2012 album King Animal, the first record that the band had released in something like 15 years. I added the line to Book Two in The Keeper of the Balance series during a revision I made in late ’12, to celebrate that one of my favorite bands was back in action.

I’m kind of shy, so I'm not one to go public with my feelings. I was also deeply saddened by the passing of Carrie Fisher late last year, for instance. I just didn’t feel like I needed to speak about it in a blog or through social media. But now I do have the need to share how I feel about Mr. Cornell's Final Step into Khevala.

This is how much of an impact Chris Cornell’s work has had on me.

As a creative person, I think the best thing you can expect to accomplish with your work is to leave your mark on other people and to inspire and influence them in a positive way. This is exactly what the work of the late Chris Cornell did for me. And he did it in a way that few other artists have done.

If my work had one tenth of that power to pierce right into someone’s soul, I’d die a happy man. So I hope that Chris Cornell’s soul can rest easy, knowing that he left an indelible mark on the lives of so many people.

Say Hello 2 Heaven for me, Mr. Cornell.

(Disclaimer: Images used for illustration purposes only. Soundgarden and Audioslave logos are the property of Soundgarden and Audioslave. Chris Cornell image extracted from https://www.facebook.com/chriscornell/)