In The Obsidian Dragon, a college student finds herself entering the world of her dreams and facing imminent danger in a realm of both evil and romance. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

It all began with a dream and, being as nerd as I am, it was really easy to develop the story around it. Furthermore, I’ve been in love with Japan and its culture since when I was a kid, so of course I had to set the story in Japan as well. Same goes for the Egyptian mythology.

Did you plan the tone and direction of the novel before writing, or did it come out organically as you were writing?

I didn’t plan anything beforehand (except for part of the dream at the beginning of the story). Everything else simply came along while writing. Sometimes the characters were the ones to tell me where they want to go and what they wanted to say or do. It was like magic and I just went with the flow.

Are there any emotions or memories from your own life that you put into your characters’ lives?

Yes. All the places I described into my story, are the places I visited (even more than once), both in Japan and UK. I’ve actually studied at Cambridge University and I got so impressed by the vibes and life on campus there, that I wanted to give it a tribute in my book. Also, I traveled so many times in Japan that I wanted to share a tad-bit of my experience with all those people who wish to visit the land of the rising sun or doesn’t know much about it’s strict way of living.

Will this novel be the start of a series, or are you working on a different story?

Yes, it is indeed! It’s the first volume of a series. I’m actually about to finish the second volume and hope to publishing it soon.

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