APIFantasy | Immortals of API Fantasy Anthology

Interview with AnnamitaMuscaria

Hello, disciples!

This month, we have picked "Lilith Versus The Seven Demon Gods" by AnnamitaMuscaria for our monthly interview. If you'd like to read this story, we encourage you to check it out.

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Logline:

Together, a demon goddess and a young woman will battle the Archons' system, which was designed to kill them one life after another.

About the Story:

Lilith is the only woman, conceived by the Archons leader, Yaldabaoth. She is also the first one to say no to him. The first to have eaten from the tree of knowledge and evil.

But now, she is just a tamed goddess into the submission of fearing her own destiny within his material world until she crosses the path of Norea.

Her brother Seth saved her in extremis from death so she could reach out to Lilith. Only she—the first woman—could protect Norea from the Archons.

And hell hath no fury like a woman scorned when they both teamed up to take down Yaldabaoth.

About the Author:

Born and raised in France with a Vietnamese background, Anna Muscaria is an aspiring author with a unique poetic prose that fills ancient myths with wonders and a punch of feminism. When she's not writing, she is drawing and supporting her writer friends.

Interview:

What is your writing process? Do you outline everything or write as things come to mind? Why?

I'm a planner 300%, and when a story hits me, it's like I'm in another world, watching a movie that I need to translate down to the real world. Each of my chapters is carefully planned and executed, and I am my worst enemy because I am a perfectionist and I can easily melt down when I don't push myself enough. As to why, part of me wants to sweep it under the "INTJ"'s rug, but another side of me will say that if I am that organized and that harsh with myself, it's because I am a survivor. I was an emotionally abused and neglected child, and for me to survive, I had to always maintain this perfect picture, the no-trouble child, but I'm loosening myself every day, especially since I became a mother of two. They are my true gift and hope in life.

What are some things that influenced your story?

Morgue, he started as a YouTuber who tried to understand the origin of Gnostism and especially his own religious trauma. What made me join all the dots because my ONC is a reimagining of Lilith, like her origin story before she became the mother of all the demons, was obviously the excellent ONC 2024 prompts, but also to provide another angle to history. Of course, the winners wrote history, not the losers, and certainly not the women, so it was a void that I wanted to fill. Plus, adding some colours and flavours to important characters in the Gnostic religion.

Tell us about the main character of one of your stories. What inspired their creation?

I'll stick with my ONC 2024 and speak about Norea, who is also the co-main character, even if her name is not in the title. She is a young Eurasian woman who lives normally until her world comes crashing down, and she is put on the front lines to fight for her survival and that of humanity. She is, to me, a beautiful metaphor for "no one will ever fight your battle better than yourself." And the fact that she is Eurasian also accentuated that feeling that I, as an Eurasian, never had this chance to speak for myself. I remembered my mom telling me to look "French" because "French" was the best for me. Vietnam was war, communist, and bad. I was even denied the opportunity to learn how to write in my own mother tongue (and this is something I want to do in the future). All in all, Norea has that connection to her roots that she needs to find because she is the only character who doesn't remember her past lives or who the Archons are.

What were some challenges you experienced while writing the story?

The timeframe—I could not believe it when I stopped and said, That's it, that's the end! I wrote a story within two months. Luckily for me also, I had the excellent support of @empiresofwater, @irmawoe, @ella_rowan, @shivran86, and @EvelynHail, who kindly read every new chapter, which really gave me a moral boost to carry on and edit on the same day.

What message do you hope to convey to your readers with your story?

Never give up, never forget who you are and why are you here!

If you had the choice to transmigrate into another time or place, where would you like to go?

Hawaï, I just love the sun there.

If there was something you could learn (i.e., a specific spell, martial arts, etc.) like the main character in your book, what would it be?

It would be a spell to make people feel more loved. Lately, self-love has saved me from depression after my mother passed away.

Would you rather go through a lifetime of never finding love or be willing to go through several lifetimes of hardships just to save your love? Why?

That's close to my ONC's story! And to answer this difficult question, I'd say to go through different hardships just to save your love because, underneath it all, I'm a romantic and a firm believer in love.

What is your favorite creature from Asian or Pacific Islander mythology or folklore? Why?

The Phoenix because it never died, and this goes hand-in-hand with the Asians' belief in reincarnation.

What is your favorite Asian or Pacific Islander myth? Why?

Not about a myth but more of a supernatural weapon, the "Brahmastra" from Hinduism, as it was one hell of a weapon comparable to our atomic bomb, and maybe I'm wrong, but in those myths, Gods ceased to use this weapon due to its collateral damages, and what fascinated me there is that they realised it was bad, so maybe there is hope for us to end all wars one day.

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Thank you AnnamitaMuscaria for giving us the opportunity to interview you and chat more about your book!

We'll see you all in the next interview.