Dark Fantasy Authors II

[March 2023] -Kehanni

Welcome to our interview for this month! We are with this talented author, Kehanni, who penned the story, The Duchess Cannot Sleep.

When did you start writing this story? How was your experience while writing it?

I wrote TDCS for the Open Novella Contest on 2021, so I began writing it in the beginning of February that year, and finished the last chapter on the deadline at the end of April. The process was chaotic, I'll be honest, but thanks to the first week and a half spent pre-writing and plotting everything out, the writing process actually went really smoothly. For writing on tight deadlines like for the ONC or for NaNoWriMo, it's very easy for me to run my stories into ditches if I don't know where they're headed beforehand, and I think this book was the first time I actually implemented the strategy of pre-plotting and reaped its benefits.

What do you think are your story's strengths? Why should people read it?

I actually had a lot of fun writing The Duchess Cannot Sleep, and I feel like that gave the story a sense of excitement from the prologue to the end. I'm also very satisfied with the clarity and juxtaposition of themes in the book, and the individuality of the characters.

When you write, what comes first? The plot or the characters?

For this one, definitely the plot, but the plot was the characters. This was probably because the story was built off of plot prompts for the ONC and we had to develop the characters from there.

Tell us something about your protagonist/s. What do you love most about them?

Andreya Marivatan is very anxious and suspicious of others, but she doesn't realize how much she actually wants to rejoin society and be a part of something bigger than the empty manor she hides in for so many years. What I love most about Andreya is that I disagree with so many things she does. Writing this story really felt like telling the story of another person making her own decisions; I was just there to watch and blubber like a baby when everything went wrong in her life.

What are some things that you find more interesting to write in dark fantasy than other genres?

Dark fantasy just has such an old Victorian mansion vibe to me, and I adore it. Andreya particularly embodies this dark lace dress aesthetic, and so many things about her story are filled with melancholy. It's that sense of bittersweet mixed with the freedom of imaginary societies that is the most interesting to me about dark fantasy.

What other genres interest you other than Dark Fantasy? Do you write in them too? If so, tell us more about those works.

Every book I read and write seems to be within a different sub-genre of fantasy. My first completed manuscript, Naihabi Ridge (very old now--read with discretion if you must), is a military fantasy; The Book of Trials is adventure fantasy from ONC in 2019; and the series I'm working on now, Thirteen Stars, is a sci-fantasy from NaNoWriMo 2020.

How do you balance life and trying to write stories at the same time?

I don't. 😊

Jk jk, I just find something that keeps me coming back to the story, something I love about it or something I want to say. We make time for the things we want to do.

Tell us a few things about your journey on Wattpad. What do you love the most about it?

I joined Wattpad back in 2017, and posted pretty much everything I wrote on here for a solid three or four years. Fitting for its social media role, my favorite thing about Wattpad is the community one can find on it, although it does take deliberate effort to reach out and join clubs and things—the platform is large enough that people probably won't find your work if you just let it sit on your profile page. I value the opportunity to read and review work from other amateur writers like myself, and in turn, to enjoy hearing the thoughts of those who read my work. It's a proud mama moment for me to read the comments of my readers.

What are some books that influenced your writing and maybe yourself as a writer?

I definitely admire the theme and poetic style of Stephanie Garber's Caraval trilogy, and also the creativity and character development of Sharon Cameron's "Rook."

What are the challenges in writing dark fantasy? How do you overcome them?

There is certainly the temptation to take the angst too far in dark fantasy and make the story too depressing or static, so finding a balance can be tricky. For me, overcoming this was remembering to flesh out the characters and give them hopes and dreams along with the existential crises. Some fluff scenes should soften the blows of the dark scenes. A tasteful sense of humor helps, too.

Is there going to be any further series of this book? If yes, give a little teaser about it.

Unfortunately, no, and if you happen to have read TDCS, you know exactly why.

Is there another story in the works that you would like to share with the readers?

Why yes. *maniacal laughing*

The book I'm editing now is a YA sci-fi fantasy called Thirteen Stars, the first in a duo I'm hoping to publish traditionally when I get around to actually finishing it. It tells the story of a court of royal advisors who are being mysteriously targeted and killed, and the unsuspecting girl tasked with leading them and stopping the terroristic attacks striking all across the solar system. It tackles themes of morality, indoctrination, and prejudice, explores diverse worldscapes and societies, and enforced the importance of truth from the viewpoint of a naive girl at the center of a centuries-old feud. Since I hope to publish this book, I've decided to only post the first several chapters on Wattpad, but I'm always open to critique-partnering privately if anyone is interested!

What are the goals you'd like to accomplish in the future whether in Wattpad or outside it?

I would melt like cheddar on a grilled cheese if a publishing house accepted one of my books. It doesn't necessarily have to be super popular once it's out there, but it would be nice if it did well enough that I could maybe even publish more. Who knows, though! Until then, I'll focus on college and search for a job as an editor.

Thank you so much, Kehanni, for being with us and agreeing to our interview. Check out their works below to support them.

Thirteen Stars
The Book of Trials
Naihabi Ridge

That's it for this session. Have a fantastic week ahead and see you for our next interview!