WattpadDarkFantasy brings to you another interview. We present to you Shivran86, the author of Kāma: Liberation.

Dark Fantasy Team: When did you start writing this story? How was your experience while writing it?

Shivran86: I began writing the rough draft when I was 16 but finally when I decided to publish this story on Wattpad in May 2020, the plot and characterization had taken a whole new turn. It was thrilling– this journey of writing a dark fantasy book. I was always attracted to twisted love stories and conflicting desires, but never opted for mixing in paranormal and mortal danger into it!

To be honest this project was very much spontaneous. I published in the heat of the moment and as days went by I saw I was beginning to explore certain dark, supernatural elements. It turned out to be so good that now anything twisted, dangerous and epic is my love!

DF: Tell us a few things about your story and your journey on Wattpad. What do you love the most about them?

S: My journey on Wattpad began in 2019 when a school friend recommended me this app to write poems and read Fanfics. Then thanks to ONC I considered writing a novella but my first two attempts at writing a story failed. Not exactly a failure, but a lesson indeed! My third project was Kāma: Liberation, a product of lockdown and a sudden desire to write something out of the box to give form to an idea that had come to me when I was 16. This story gave me the chance to give respect to and look at many abused and objectified women from a different perspective, and make them the source of magic and the Mothers of my story. It also allowed me to fall dangerously in love with the flawlessly flawed king Rudra and yes, rebuild history. Indian history is like a white elephant in here and I wanted to make people fall in love with it. Last but not the least, I was able to explore the dynamics of physical intimacy ;)

Wattpad is a place I cherish. I found like-minded people and support here. I am so thankful to that one friend who recommended me this platform. Or else, nothing would have been the same. Wattpad has build my confidence as a writer!

DF: What drew you to this genre? What things in this genre that appealed most to you?

S: Dark Fantasy is about dark themes and fantasy. The name itself attracted me like a moth flying towards the flame! Well, once I had tried writing a children's fiction and I realized I suck at doing something where mature themes don't matter. By mature I mean the whole spectrum– from physical chemistry to extreme mental exhaustion. So this is one of the reasons I love this genre! Another one– I am dissatisfied with the portrayal of many darker themes in stories on Wattpad, for example the whole concept of sexual desire and healthy growth. I wanted to show the good and bad in it and in a way help people understand it better because, it's a part of life, and a very sensitive part indeed. To put Fantasy into it was a cherry on top. Magic and wizards always make anything delightful!

DF: Is this the only genre you write in or do write in other genres too? If yes, tell us something about it.

S: I also write poetries and non fiction, historical fiction and I am, for the first time ever, trying my hands at fanfiction for ONC 2021. So yes, I am experimenting a lot!

DF: Tell us something about your protagonist(s).

S: I have four main characters. The first one is Rājan Rudra, the flawlessly flawed(and cursed) King with a past you don't want to know but a future you wish to embrace. He is stubborn, logical(not so) and can become a crybaby often. His love interest is the mage Indumalā, the fire to his ice! She is his bodyguard and can go to any extent to protect him(that's where we call it dark). Indumalā's foster father Āryamnā is one of the most powerful men of Ishgar and possibly even more powerful than the King himself, for he is like his big brother. But be careful, he is a mysterious box of (dark) sizzling secrets and his amnesiac wife, the last main character Ishvarā, must slowly find out the truth about his existence and their marriage even.

DF: What was the biggest obstacle you had to face while writing this story?

S: I would like to mention two– the first one being the description of war. Action scenes are my weakness. The next one is exploring someone's abusive past in the story. In order to establish it as abusive I had to give description of that past, and oh well, it did leave me emotionally distraught.

DF: What are some books that influenced your writing and maybe you, yourself, as a writer?

S: I would like to mention Dead Girls Tell no Tales– it was the first book I finished on Wattpad and also Drakkon. Outside this platform, I love Wuthering Heights and Pride and Prejudice. Wuthering Heights is a book I will never forget because it's one of a kind. It affected me deeply and you can say my love for flawed characters has attracted me towards Heathcliff.

DF: If the world was attacked by unknown creatures, what would be your very first move to survive?

S: I will try to befriend them? Maybe make a fool out of them. My very first move would be to collect important goods and find a shelter that can protect me or go into hiding. If possible, let some miracle turn me into a wizard who can create webs of lightning to burn those creatures. If they don't become my friends, that's the condition.

DF: What do plan on achieving in the future, be it on Wattpad or in general?

S: I dream of winning the Wattys or joining the Paid Stories programme. And yes I wish to publish a series and be known as a writer all over the globe!

The WattpadDarkFantasy team would like to thank  Shivran86 for agreeing to the interview and providing us some more insight on their story, Kāma: Liberation! Be sure to check it out and support the author!

- The Dark Fantasy Team