Welcome to our interview for this month! We are with this talented author, WinterSleep85, who penned the story, Nothing is Eternal.

Dark Fantasy Team: What was your overall experience while writing this story?

WinterSleep85: It was a blur! This story that had been with me for years, but I had given up on it. Then one day, I started writing. Before I knew it, I had written around 250k in less than three months. Most of the first half ended up as Nothing is Eternal, so I probably finished that part in even less time. I had a lot of fun looking at Roaring Twenties aesthetics and gothic imagery for inspiration. This was a true passion project, something I never thought I would share.

DF: What inspired you to write in Dark Fantasy?

W: I like to explore the darker side of the world. I have nothing but respect for all fantasy, but I can't write an idealized world. Dark fantasy gives me a chance to write about all the elements I love in fantasy. World building and epic stakes. I like when characters have to make dark choices and there are tragic consequences. It's so fun!

DF: How would you describe your main protagonist(s) in one word and why?

W: Inquisitive. Will lives in a world that doesn't tolerate questions, and it only made him question everything. All of his choices are because he doesn't know how to stop himself from asking dangerous questions.

DF: Is there going to be any further series of this book? If yes, give a little teaser about it.

W: There is a sequel! I wrote Everything is Eternal along with Nothing is Eternal. My original intention was for one story, but it ended up working better as a duology. I have an ongoing prequel, Children of the Eternal. I also have standalone sequels I would like to write and share if I have the time. If I had to give a teaser for these books, one will center on the character Matthew and a rogue priest. One will be about Kate finding a new path in life after the tragedies of the main series. The final one should center on a certain traitorous character and the darker sides of the world.

DF: Who is your favourite author in Dark Fantasy and how did they inspire you?

W: Too hard of a question! I don't have a favorite. There are so many great writers who inspire me.

DF: What other genres interests you other than Dark Fantasy? How would you compare them with Dark Fantasy?

W: Historical fiction is my first love. I would compare it to dark fantasy because I feel like traditional fantasy takes a rosier view of the past while dark fantasy holds nothing back. When historical fiction is authentic, it can show the brutal side of humanity. It can bring the reader to a very different world, just like dark fantasy. It's one of the few genres I know where there is no guaranteed happy ending. I also love horror. I feel like there are a lot of horror elements in dark fantasy.

DF: Tell us about your journey throughout writing this story. What inspired you to finish it?

W: This story has been with me for a long time. So my journey was more than a decade. Every now and then, I would try to write it, only to abandon it because I thought the premise was too weird. A fantasy story about journalists? No epic battles? So I focused on other stories while this was in the back of my mind. After my mom died, I was not in a happy place and had writer's block for over a year. I didn't think I'd ever write again. But with my grief and the awful things that kept happening in the world, it helped to return to this story. It helped to write about loss and the almost futile fight for truth and a better world. It helped to write about the young characters who are crushed by an unfair world, but keep going. When I started writing, I couldn't stop. Not only did I finish it, but I wrote the sequel along with it in less than three months. I'm so bad at ending stories, it still shocks me that I finished this one so fast.

DF: Let's assume you are a half breed of Werewolf and Vampire. When a fight break in between the two clans, who would you fight for and why?

W: Vampires! I feel like if a fight broke out, the vampires would be the villains. So I probably shouldn't side with them, but I think it would be fun.

DF: What are the goals you'd like to accomplish in the future whether at Wattpad or in general?

W: I want to keep writing. I have so many characters and stories to share.

Thank you so much, WinterSleep85, for being with us and agreeing to our interview. Check out their work, Nothing is Eternal, to support our author!

- The Dark Fantasy Team