ACE AWARD SUPREME - INTERVIEWS

Third Place in Fantasy, B1

1. What do you, as the writer of your works, like about your book the most?

What I love the most about my books is what I call 'character constructs'. I like to make my characters relatable despite the fact that most of them are fantasy based. I think it is essential to make the reader understand where the character is coming from, however, not all must be revealed, some must be left to the reader's imagination. I like to make my characters powerful, especially the female characters, but flawed; in a way, that adds to the power a character portrays.

2. What inspired you to write your book ?

Demon Cry was an idea I came up with a long time ago. I don't really remember how, but all I know is that recently, my grandmother died and this book helped me get through it. I could explore my pain and vulnerabilities via this book. It is very close to my heart.

3. How many books have you written, including the ones you have not completed?

Alpha Xeres, Demon Cry, Air Crisis, Fire Me Up, Baby!

4. What inspired/inspires you to write?

I like to describe my imagination which sometimes runs like a wild horse. Writing tames it.

5. What was the first thing that drove you to start writing?

I've always wanted to materialize my imagination. I've always been a wild dreamer and a very dramatic tongue. Writing gave me a way to express my imagination better than any other art form.

6. How long have you been writing?

For as long as I can remember.

7. Does your writing reflect your own thoughts intimately, or are you detached to some extent?

I'd say they represent me entirely. Completely. Entirely.

8. What was the name of your first work?
The Air Crisis

9. Do you have any thoughts, any comments you wish to say upon winning in the Ace Awards?

I thank the host of the Awards for giving us, authors, a platform to promote ourselves and the judges for taking time out to read through all the books that were assigned to them and give their unbiased opinion on it. Kudos to all you guys.

10. Are there any books that you've read, that have impacted your writing? If so, how have they influenced your writing?

Yes! Of course. I LOVE reading. My reading extends from Shakespeare to John Grisham to Rudyard Kipling to Edgar Allen Poe to William Henley... I could go on and on about it.

11. What, according to you, are the disadvantages of writing (if, according to you, there are any)?

Except for going through the dictionary to find the appropriate words to describe something, there are none.

12. What are your hobbies, besides writing? Why are they so?

I play the guitar and violin very well. String instruments are my thing. I love singing and my love for adventure is infinite.

13. What is the inspiration behind the title of your (placed) book?

At first when I came up with the name 'Demon Cry', I was very hesitant. I didn't think it related to the book at all but as the story progressed, I came to believe that I couldn't have chosen a better title. "The worst demons lurk within us," that's the theme of the book and I believe that deep down, we all have demons that wound the psyche. I wrote this book not long after my grandmother died. I wasn't very close to her, but I still felt the void and it wasn't because she died. It was because while my family cried, I didn't shed a single tear. I felt like a monster. I felt guilty for not feeling anything. I felt it cry for help.

14. Do you find writing to be something you would pursue as a career, or only as a hobby?

For now, it's a hobby. You never know what life has in store.

15. Do the protagonists in your book reflect upon you to some extent, or are they the protagonists you
would like to be?

Individually, no. But collectively, yes. I find myself scattered across all the characters I've imagined. And they are definitely what I want them to be. I want them to be flawed, have different set of morals, have a different take on the world, to come from different backgrounds. Another thing I focus on is family. I think the concept of a good and supporting family is lost. There's a certain joy in writing about families.

Interviewing Nicental.