Moonlight Desires, a Gothic retelling of Cinderella, follows a woman abused by her family who is lifted from drudgery by a royal figure who appears in spider form. What inspired you to retell this classic tale with a Gothic flair?

I’ve always had a thing for fairy tales, the kind we used to call “wonder tales” before they were sanitized. If you look closely at my work, the Brothers Grimm are almost always lurking under the surface. These are classic stories we all know by heart, which gives me a great foundation to build on. It allows me to focus my energy on reshaping those familiar bones into a Gothic fantasy retelling that feels gritty and real for a modern New Adult audience.

The imagery—especially the web, the dress, and the spectral coach—feels symbolic as well as aesthetic. What meanings did you intend behind those elements?

I actually used the Italian Commedia dell’arte as a sort of mental map for these characters. In that world, you have the “unmasked” lovers. These are the ones who are vulnerable and can actually change. And then you have the “masked” figures who are stuck in their ways.

In Moonlight Desires, Aurelia is the “unmasked” one. She’s going through loss and resentment, and she has to choose to forgive to find her path. Princess Kipira, though, is a “masked” figure. Her spider form isn’t just a choice; it’s a reflection of her own selfishness, trapped under a hideous curse. Then you have the Desires. These beautiful yet hollow spirits of the underworld only come alive in the moonlight. They’re yearning for a life they can’t have. By weaving these magical elements together, I wanted to create the kind of atmospheric writing and vivid world-building that fans of dark romance and monster fantasy are looking for.

Some readers have mentioned they wanted more technical details about the “Ingridelite Weave,” which is the pattern of Aurelia’s dress. But the weave is a metaphor of the story itself. In adult fairy tales, you don’t always need a manual for how the magic works and what makes it significant. You need to experience it. Kipira explains the Ingridelite Weave simply: every part of the pattern is connected to everything else. That’s how I see fantasy retellings across history: their patterns are endlessly moving, reshaped, and retold while staying recognizably themselves.

Just as the threads of the dress guide Aurelia’s movement when she dances, the inherited patterns of Ye Xian and Ashputtel guided my own hand as a writer.

What question did you most want readers to wrestle with after finishing the book?

I try to create a literary space where the symbolism does the heavy lifting. I don’t want to be a control freak and tell you exactly what questions to ask. I’d rather give you a dark, moody environment where you can find your own questions and answers within the frame of an adult fairy tale.

What is the next book you are working on, and when will it be available?

I’m currently finishing up Spider Sister, which is the sequel to my novel Spider Seeds. It’s part of the Spider Seeds Universe and links directly back to Moonlight Desires. You can expect a 2026 release, which will officially bring my spider horror series to a close.

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