Today’s interview is with dark fantasy writer Sein Ares.
LQ: Tell me a little bit about yourself.
SA: I am 29 years old. After graduating from college, I worked in an MNC for two years. The experience I gained from there allowed me to apply for a more reasonable career at another private firm. This gave me both the time and income I needed to look after my family and try to write. I am an introvert so I prefer to spend time reading fiction, watching anime and gaming at home.
LQ: How do you balance having a day job and taking care of your family with your writing?
SA: As I mentioned earlier, my second job gave me more freedom to write. But it still isn’t easy. I do my major work on the weekends and alternate my writing on the weekdays. Some days, I am mentally too exhausted to write, in those days I just relax and watch Netflix or read.
LQ: What does your writing process look like?
SA: Like most writers, I fall somewhere between a pantser and plotter. So while I do think up of how certain scenes should go or have an outline of the main points in the story, I let the story decide what to do. My writing process is pretty simple. If I am creating a new scene, then I will do it on the weekends when I am completely fresh. That’s when the best ideas come to me. I wrote the complete story before editing it.
Regarding my first book, Red Moon, this was the main process. I created draft after draft and edited it by myself. Then I published it. The response was lukewarm, so I went back to the drawing board a second time. After being satisfied with my rework, I searched for beta readers. Some of them proved invaluable in their suggestions.
Next, I worked together with a good editor, Michele Sagan, who was also a writing coach. She helped me to further develop my story and polish it up. Finally, before publishing my novel, I sought help from some readers. I offered them an e-ARC of my book in exchange for an honest review. It’s always good to have as many readers as possible here because only a few actually completed the book before the book launch.
LQ: What was your favorite book to write so far?
SA: I made my debut only the previous February. I definitely enjoyed writing my first book, Red Moon, from the Arcana of the Crimson Era Series. It’s a dark fantasy story set 10,000 years in the future but has a medieval magical setting.
LQ: Who is your favorite character to write about?
SA: My series is a multi-main cast. Whether it be Elizabeth Raven, the dominating leader of the Raven Clan or the talented Captain of the Iseboryn Army, Nicholas Iseboryn. I enjoyed writing about all of them, seeing each character develop was a treat to my eyes.
LQ: Who are your favorite authors? Have any of them influenced your work?
SA: My favorite authors are P.G. Wodehouse, Erle Stanley Gardner, Agatha Christie, the writers from that old world. No, I write Dark Fantasy, so I don’t think they influenced me in that direction.
LQ: How are you doing during the current pandemic?
SA: I’m working remotely from home. It is definitely a fearful time in our lives. I see reports of people succumbing to this virus and feel great sadness. Our poor medical personnel are doing their best. I feel useless knowing that all I can do is sit at home. But I know, I need to remain strong. Like every pandemic before this, it will also pass.
LQ: What are you currently working on?
SA: Right now, I am taking a break. My first book took six years to write, so I’m really just chilling, enjoying some quality time before starting book two in my series. On Instagram, whenever I am in the mood, I write a poem that is free for everyone to read. It’s my way of expressing my thoughts, just like through my writing.
LQ: Anything else you would like to share?
Well, Red Moon is currently available on Amazon in both paperback and ebook format. Early this week, the book reached #46 in Amazon’s Dark Fantasy category for free downloads. So I would really appreciate it if the readers just hopped on over there and checked out my work.