Our goal is to showcase an array of LGBTQ+ content and extremely talented authors in the community. We are happy to introduce you to several authors who are standing behind their amazing works with strong LGBTQ+ themes. We are extremely honored to have them join our Fiesta for an interview.
Here is our seventh lovely author!
✮ Author ✮ Shimaira
✮ Genre ✮Fantasy
Tags: #darkfantasy #demon #demons #destiny #dimensions #dreams #dreamworld #fantasy #horror #lgbtq #magic #millenium #nightmares #novel #paranormal #prophecy #soul #suspense #witch #witchcraft
Demon souls are designed to be broken.
~
Aislinn has always been different. She hears the voice of an Indian woman in her head and a blue angel watches over her in her dreams. For years this has been her normal, but it all changes when a demon starts killing her in her sleep. Her world slowly unravels as she discovers the truth behind those who hunt her and those who protect her.
The fight for her soul has begun.
What inspired you to write "Millenium"?
I came up with the very first version of that when I was 14 or 15 and 😬 oof. It was inspired by some artwork from Josephine Wall and Luis Royo. I added some of my actual nightmares as inspiration for certain scenes too. I never finished that version. Instead, I did a full rewrite that took me a decade to complete at 140k words. Then drafted that a few years later and I'm now doing another full rewrite 😆 The characters have more depth now and the plot got fixed ♥ I also put in more of "myself" in terms of dreams, nightmares, and how I deal with anxiety and trauma. I might have also made the MC autistic because of how I made her more like myself 😅🤷♀️♥
How long did you spend researching before beginning to write the story?
For this story? For the current rewrite I spent a few months working out the lore ♥ This was to help ensure all the former plotholes would get fixed but also to make sure character motivations made sense. And even then, when writing, I still keep researching whenever needed ♥
How did you discover Wattpad? What are some of your favorite experiences on the platform?
A friend of mine knew I was writing stories. She was using Wattpad to read so she texted me, talking about how it was a nice place and wondered if it would be something for me. A few months after joining, "They call him Lucius" got featured and it was all growth from there 🤩
If you could invite five people for a cup of coffee— anyone in the world, dead or alive, who would they be and why?
Five people? I'm not one to care much for celebrities or actors or writers (I like what they produce 🙈 but tend to not be too bothered to find out about the person behind the creation 😅)
Years ago, I might have said H.P. Lovecraft, but I rather fear now it would be very awkward (because of his ... problematic views) so that's a nope now 😬
A talk with Stephen King would be cool, though :) We could talk about horror stuff.
I'd also love a chat with my one grandma ♥ Talk about everything I've done so far, and also ask questions about her life--I want to know more about her Indonesian roots and if there really was a tribe called Shimaira (she once told me that).
Other than that... I can't really think of anyone... Perhaps I'd just get 2 of my dead cats to sit on my lap as I drink my own tea 😂♥
What do you like to do when you're not writing?
Play videogames :3 I don't get a lot of time anymore to play, but I will never stop loving games ♥
One of my old favs is NOX, I played DIABLO 2 a lot (3 sadly wasn't that good imo, I lost interest fast), current fav aRPG is GRIM DAWN. Old fav builder/strategy game is AGE OF MYTHOLOGY, current fav is RIMWORLD, but I also got quite some hours into BANISHED. I love puzzle games too and some favs there are EUFLORIA, LOOP (a tranquil puzzle game--different game than the one you can get on mobile). I also greatly enjoyed "The Talos Principle" and am currently playing XING: The Land Beyond.
I've also played WoW for years, some Guild Wars 2 for a while, and spent time in Secret World Legends. But with adulting, MMOs are just not that fun to play anymore (I can't find the time to play regularly and those games kinda require lots of time)
What do you identify as?
I've settled on the label: queer pan grey-a.
Queer for the allover "me" (orientation and gender, cos seriously, I don't understand gender (and thinking too long about gender gives me a headache and makes me unhappy). So yeah, I've been unable to really figure out what I feel, but as I'm fine with my sex being female, I'm okay with being called a woman, but in gender-terms, "woman" does give me a bit of a "not quite fitting" feeling? But that also depends on my mood so 🤷♀️ Queer it is lol.)
Pan cos my attraction isn't bound to gender/sex.
Grey-asexual because I seldom feel sexual attraction. When I found out asexual was a thing it really was an eyeopener and explained a lot of my experiences.
When it comes to romantic attraction, I'm honestly not sure if that would be grey-aro too or just pan. I kinda used to think I was romantically attracted to anyone who was just NICE to me 😅 Hooray for growing up with trauma 🙃 As it is now, I've been with my husband for almost half my life and can't imagine being without him ♥ But where the line of friendship ends and that or romantic relationship starts? .__. I can't put my finger on that. Also because I'm polyam and we've been quite open with sexual stuff and sex =/= romantic feelings needing to be involved (or even sexual attraction lol). So ehm...
<word vomit>
<ramble>
Queer pan grey-a <nods>
Can you tell us what you're currently working on or what's in store for the readers?
I'm working on Millennium. Aside from that I'm busy editing My Lord for publication 🤩 And then there's a LOT of ideas. A sequel to My Lord, an origins story for the Transcended, a direct prequel to Lucius, a creation story for Millennium, and a sequel to Millennium.
What is the best writing advice you have received?
To stop using caps and to use paragraphs 😂 ~seriously, my early writing was atrocious 😬
What advice can you give to writers out there?
Never stop writing--it's the only way to improve ♥ And in that regard: never be afraid to receive constructive feedback. Nobody's writing is perfect, and we're never done learning ♥
"We never really get there, we are constantly learning" do you agree?
Yep ♥ But we do need to remind ourselves to be happy with "good enough" and not keep striving for the unattainable perfection.