Interview with Sheare conducted by glitterandasphalt. 

Sheare is the author of Monopoly, the book that won first place in this year's PWA under the Romance Category. The book also brought home several crowns in the Special Awards.

How did you get the idea for Monopoly?

A lot of various things inspired me to write Monopoly. Firstly, I always had this gnawing thought about the Pokémon world's vague and seemingly inadequate government style. I also wanted to touch on the big corporate entities in Pokémon like Silph or Devon and how they seem to be the only ones creating trainer gear in the universe. The second-time inspiration struck me was when I went through an animal rights phase last year. I started to become a more ethical consumer by purchasing cruelty free items and following pivotal pressure and lobbying groups. It served as a segway into Pokémon battling ethics that is a key political philosophy in Monopoly.

Stemming from the vagueness of the Pokémon world's more adult topics, I questioned these systems. What is the true mentality between these executives holding massive reign over trainer supplies markets? Would subjecting Pokémon to violence bring about ethical arguments? How would the Pokémon world bring about change if it realizes unfairness within these systems?

As many people would have noticed by now, Monopoly isn't a book about battling and adventures. It's about the underlying political issues that have the potential to rise if Pokémon mechanics existed in the real world today, all of it stemming from my overly analytical Pokémon playing experience. Of course, it's a kid's game and I don't consider these holes in the Pokémon narrative, but I took it as an opportunity to expand the universe into something more adult.

I'm sure anyone who has read Monopoly has noticed the strong personalities of the cast. Explain why you gave some of your characters the personalities that they ended up with.

Characters are meant to be strong examples of political ideologies. For example, Cairo is literally the epitome of capitalism. I wanted to try to portray every philosophy out there and even included moderate characters (ex: Alexander) for those who don't necessarily define themselves as the extreme left or right.

So essentially, Monopoly has extreme characters to represent various ideologies. This obviously creates a very dramatized political environment as you see those who are politically polar opposites clash. It also serves as a way to limit my own political bias and open myself to more perspectives as I try to understand where each of the characters are coming from.

Are there any other themes you included in this book that may be more subtle?

Besides the obvious themes surrounding power, money, and corruption, Monopoly includes subtle mentions of themes involving legacy, family, rising despite setbacks, and poverty.

Is there anything you hate about Monopoly?

As someone who aspires to be a political scholar, I find what a book infers as right or wrong can impact a reader's outlook on life. While I sought to condemn unhealthy relationships, readers of Monopoly mistook key unhealthy relationships as something that was okay. This is something I personally dislike about Monopoly's reception.

I take my works very seriously when it comes to political promotions or condemnations. This incident involving unhealthy relationships may not be my personal fault, but it is still something that bothers me to this day.

On top of that, the prominent House of Cards references from the lead character's lines in the show will be removed for moral reasons. I will not stand for respecting work from a man who was just found to be a proven pedophilic molester. That is just one of many measures I will take it order to promote good morals.

Monopoly won first place in the Romance Category, along with several special awards. How did you feel when you came out on top?

I felt conflicted.

I'm still incredibly grateful for everyone that voted for me, supported me, and judged me. For a certain period of time, I was proud of what I created despite its faults.

After I won the category and several Special Awards, I couldn't help but feel terrible about it. My book merged into a category it didn't fit in and took that away from everyone else. It won a majority of its Special Award nominations even though I and others knew it didn't deserve it. It was just something I know will upset me and people will remember.

Honestly, it was hard for me as your friend and fellow competitor in the Romance Category and Special Awards to see you put in that situation. I don't think any of us foreseen that happening! Do you have plans to compete in next year's PWA?

I plan to compete in the Adventure category with a horror adventure and the Romance category with more of a gothic/historical book.

What are your hopes for the future of the PWA contest?

When it comes to the PWA, I generally have an idea who will be the top of the categories for each year. In the future, I hope that there will be a time when nobody knows who will place across all categories.