Welcome to our interview for this month! We are with this talented author, ZianDutt, who penned the story, Poison Among Shadows.

Dark Fantasy Team: Tell us a bit about your writing journey.

ZianDutt: I've always been more interested in writing than I have in any other pursuits, though my passion to write only ever fostered when I got into high school. At the time, I didn't really have much knowledge about it, so I wrote whatever I could salvage from my amateur skills. After I managed to complete that story, I went on to write other ones and dabble in various other genres, like romance and fantasy, before finally settling for fantasy. I think fantasy was right up my alley because of the leeway it provides a writer, what with its worldbuilding and magic systems.

DF: How did you get the idea for your story?

Z: I was reading 'The Poppy War' by RF Kuang back in August 2021 when I got struck with the idea to write Poison Among Shadows. Her book encompasses issues related to war, colonialism and has events inspired by real history. Given the immense Indian history dating back to the colonial era, I wished to write a story that was set in a world inspired by British India as well. I had seen Indian books aplenty before, but I had never seen one where the horrors and the perspective of the oppressed in a colonial nation were portrayed accurately. I wanted to be able to do just that.

DF: Tell us about your protagonist(s) and their development throughout the story.

Z: My protagonist's name is Zehreen Vaika! She's the nephew of a tyrannical queen--who also happens to be the antagonist--and the daughter of a famous rebel. At the beginning, she starts off as someone who constantly bends to the whims of others, like her aunt, in order to survive in a world that is so intent on erasing her and people like her. However, as the story progress, she realizes that her desire shouldn't only be her survival but also the survival of the ones she loves. It is a journey of her transforming from a person driven by her own motives to a person who wants to not only save herself but her country from crumbling.

DF: Have you ever come across a book which deeply inspired you to start writing? If yes, tell us something about it.

Z: As I mentioned above, The Poppy War by RF Kuang was one book that inspired me a lot, but I'd like to mention another one here as well--the Jasmine Throne by Tasha Suri. Although it is not one of my favorites, it was the first Indian fantasy book that I had read. Since I'd seen India represented so less in the publishing industry, especially as far as fantasy is concerned, reading a book inspired by my country was a fresh breath of air. Before I'd dived into all the wonderful Indian fantasy books out there, I'd thought that no one would be interested in reading a dark fantasy book with the theme of colonialism in it that's based on British India. That book, however, abated most of my doubts and motivated me to start writing the story.

DF: Do you plan on continuing writing in the dark fantasy genre? Why or why not?

Z: Of course, I would love to continue writing dark fantasy! Again, as I mentioned above, fantasy is a genre that is very freeing. You can create your own worlds, throw in whatever you want, heck, even write characters that aren't human! And as a person who loves to be unrestricted with their writing, I think fantasy is what is best suited for me. If I were to be more specific, the reason I'd love to continue in the 'dark' fantasy subgenre particularly is that I prefer my books grim and tense, and dark fantasy is a perfect fit for that.

DF: Do you consider yourself a plotter or a pantser? How does that work with writing dark fantasy?

Z: Definitely a plantser. As I've written more and more, I've come to realize that taking the easy way out--writing by the seat of your pants--does not exactly work for a genre that's interspersed with so many complexities. But I haven't given up on the part of myself that loves to discover things as I write, either. That said, I prefer a middle-ground. Planning too much can take away from the thrill of the story, while planning too little can make me fall down the rabbit hole where I don't know what's happening, which can lead to me not being able to keep a track of things.

DF: What would you advise other writers who are looking to write in the dark fantasy genre?

Z: Stop comparing yourself to other writers, whether they be your friends, published authors or simply writers who write objectively well. This is coming from a person who gets struck with impostor syndrome the moment they read a good book or a book written by a friend who writes well. Pitting myself against others has never led to anything but unfruitful paranoia about my writing. Your writing is going to get better. What you're writing may not be nearly as good or as professional as what you're going to write, say, 5 years later. Have patience and cut yourself some slack. The writers we compare ourselves to may have written tens and hundreds of drafts before they got it right. So, write at your own pace the way you want to write the story!

DF: There's a rumor about a cursed pen that makes whatever you write with it come true. However, there's a price to pay with every use. Will you use it?

Z: That depends on what price I'll have to pay, but I'll use it, anyway. There's nothing more I've wanted than for my fictional worlds to come true. My characters would quite possibly kill me for the amount of torture I inflict on them, but I guess I can take that. xD

DF: What is your further plan with writing? Tell us something about it.

Z: My immediate plan with writing is to complete the first draft of Poison Among Shadows by the end of 2022 and then begin with the rewrite come February 2023. Getting through the first drafts is generally a tedious process where you have to stop yourself from going right back to the first chapter and fixing things, but I'm slowly trying to get over that perfectionist part of myself. As for my long-term plans with writing, I eventually hope to get traditionally published one day, but not without proper expertise and skills in my reserve. I would also love to write an LGBTQ contemporary romance book someday, but that is going to be a treat I reward myself with after I finish drafting Poison Among Shadows!

Thank you so much, ZianDutt, for being with us and agreeing to our interview. Check out their work, Poison Among Shadows, to support our author!

- The Dark Fantasy Team