Diurna Times

↳ The Story Behind the Story ~ DoctorRockhard

Written by @mminecraftbees

Hello readers, welcome back to the interview column! This time I'm catching up with Nat [@DoctorRockhard], most well-known for her brilliant monster romance In Your Arms. Read on to find the story behind her stories!

Hey Nat! First off: what encouraged you to join Wattpad, and did you sign up with the intention of publishing?

I first joined Wattpad when my online friends told me about it. They wanted me to check out their stories, and it was only after I got interested in other, more popular ones did I find the inspiration to just create a new account and start posting.

Escaping into my own imagination has always been a way for me to cope with everything in life so I figured I'd do the same for others, because - let's be honest - a lot of us read to dive into another world. I wanted to publish before I knew I wasn't good enough and therefore didn't think too much of it. But now that In Your Arms is popping off, I feel I'm worthy now and want to publish.

Which of your books came first and where did the initial inspiration come from?

IYA was one of the first serious ones published on my account. As for inspiration, I listen to music all the time to write or come up with a storyline because it always gets me in the zone. Mother Mother were the people who helped me write IYA. With their songs, I envisioned this sad, romantic relationship between a beast enshrouded in darkness and a simple human girl.

Which of the books was the most fun/interesting to write?

Hallow King, mainly because I was snickering the whole time I wrote it. It's a funny little tale of one of my favourite characters, Hallow, who I love to death. He's deviant, dark, and downright deadly - but equally charming in a sick way. Hallow King was a story meant to show my displeasure of Christmas ornaments appearing around Halloween time.

In Your Arms has the most reads out of all of your novels. Do you think this is deserved or is there an underrated favourite you believe should get more attention?

I worked hard on IYA, and deleted it several times in the very beginning before any views came in because I was scared of judgement. I put my heart into that story and was nervous that people wouldn't give a damn about the pairing or anything. I'm actually very happy with the attention it's getting, as well as the others. But the novel Mother Is Hungry is a different subject however, and I prefer it to stay as it is - the public skeleton in my closet.

IYA now also has an ongoing sequel, Cursed Ones. Tell us a bit about it, without too many spoilers!

Cursed Ones involves the offspring of our favourite couple in IYA, and the struggles one of them has to deal with because he himself doesn't know what he is. A dark apocalyptic prophecy gets in the way of everything else and threatens not only the offspring, but the whole universe as well. Spoiler alert, it's gonna be a heart ripper, and I haven't even finished writing it.

Your bio mentions that you wrote IYA as you were tired of "the whole 'sexy shirtless human-looking/other creatures' stories". What are your thoughts on plot clichés like this and what tips do you give to other authors concerning them?

Everywhere you look on Wattpad, there's stories of sexy, shirtless, Abercrombie model-looking aliens or werewolves, or whatever creature. It's ridiculous. Realistically, if monsters existed, I highly doubt they'd look like that. It's time to get diverse, alter looks and personalities for a change. Not everybody's partner is a straight up model, but you love them regardless, right? Authors, don't aim to just satisfy a few teenage girls' fantasies, and instead create a creature that bleeds authenticity and imagination. Create your own physical attributes (don't be scared to try a completely non-human form) and play around with your character's feelings and personality; make it unique, make people fall in love with your character for who they are and not what they look like.

What were the reasons behind Farrah's and Isen's name choices, do they hold a significant meaning?

Isen was originally called Insen for some reason, but I altered it. His name means iron, which is tough but bends with heat, like Isen changes throughout the story. Farrah means joyful and pretty, and although she is a plain girl in my mind, Isen sees her as her name describes her.

Why is monster romance your favourite genre?

All my life people have failed me. I grew up disliking the characters in my story for the mere fact that they were human. To me, no human could be nice, no human could show true compassion. It was then that I started to focus on monsters, who in my head, understood more than humans did despite how scary they look. And so, I fell in love with them.

Do you have any plans for future projects?

As of now, I want to finish Cursed Ones. After that more monster stories, but one I have in mind is called Hunting Season, and is inspired by one of my cosplays which is featured in my current profile picture.

And finally, if you were the last living human on Earth like Farrah in IYA, how do you think you'd do? Would you be able to survive?

Could I survive? Possibly. But would I want to? Not exactly. Winding up alone like Farrah would be too much for me. I've found a strong, unique connection with someone who is currently in my life, and to be without them would kill me.

Thanks for talking!

Check out Nat's work on her profile @DoctorRockhard and visit her Instagram page @6exophilia6

If you want to apply for an author interview to feature in the next edition of this column, fill out the form (see previous chapters) or private message @mminecraftbees