Hello, Readers! Today, I am interviewing the lovely @QueenOfSecrets1308, who happens to be one of my favorite authors. Her book, 'Blood of the Empire' is now enrolled in the Wattys2018! 

In addition to being an amazing writer, she is also a stupendous human being, and if I might just say, her book kicks ass. If you have not already done so, you must read it. 

Q: So, how are you today, Miss Shruti? 

A: Fantastic, Trevor! How are you? 

Q: Very well, thank you. shall we begin with the questions? 

A: Sure!

Q: When did you start writing 'Blood of the Empire'? How do you think you have changed since then in terms of the way you regard readers and votes? Also, do you plan on publishing?

A: I began in September of last year. Initially, I was very happy at receiving 44 reads! I was quite proud of myself, and wanted more. Hence, I began to get to know more people on Wattpad and requested them to read my story. Eventually, I stopped writing for the reads and started writing for the readers, and of course, because I fell in love with my characters. That was when my book started doing well. In fact, just yesterday, a fan sent me a beautiful drawing of my main character- Queen Nila. 

And to answer your other question, yes! I very much plan on publishing. I will get to that when I complete the first book. 

Q: What gave you the idea for such a brilliant story? Truly, a book that is so unique must have a wonderful mind behind it. 

A: I actually got the idea for the story when I was watching a documentary about King Tutenkhamun and found myself more fascinated with the story of his wife, Ankhesenamun, who had to marry the man who is thought to have killed her husband, and was even more interested when I heard she had written letters to other Kingdoms saying hers was in danger and she needed suitors urgently so it would not fall into the wrong hands. 

I could not get this character out of my mind, and wondered what the story would have been like if she was a warrior Queen, and her husband had not died that way. And then, I began changing many more details and incorporating my culture into it. That night, I had a dream about my story, and when I woke up, the entire plot was ready.  

Q: Your main character is a warrior queen who is as far from stereotypical as it can get. What inspired you to write her character that way? 

A: When I see women represented in history, they are often represented as being meek and submissive. I loathe these, as not all women were that way. Look at Rani Durgavathi, who led her army to victory almost every time. Look at Princess Draupadi, who challenged her husband for gambling away their lives and the lives of her children. Look at Cleopatra, look at Sita, look at Kunti, look at Rani Padmavathi, look at all the other role models from strong women of color that obliterated stereotypes. I think that is what inspired me to write such a strong female character. I want her to be an inspiration to young girls and teach them to be strong, just as the women above taught me to be. 

Q: Your book has a lot of references to Hindu mythology. I really love that! What made you do that?

A: I think the main reason I incorporated a lot of my religion into my book is because many people know absolutely nothing of how beautiful our stories and mythology are. Christianity and Islam are more widespread in the world, but Hinduism isn't, because we do not believe in conversion, and believe that trying to get someone to change their religion is wrong (I do not mean any offense to other religions here :) ). 

I am very proud of my religion and love how it has both male and female goddesses, LGBTQ representation, and is very flexible. (Of course, some people have interpreted it in wrong ways and practiced things like widow burning, and caste discrimination, but that was never part of the original religion and these have been abolished to a large extent). I suppose it is just my immense pride in my religion and my devotion to it that has compelled me to include it in my writing. It just makes me feel as though I am adding a bit of who I am. 

Q: I am sure a lot of your readers are wondering this- is there a woman who is the inspiration behind the character, attitude, and behaviour of Queen Nila? 

A: Nila is in fact, based upon me. Of course, that sounds unbelievably conceited, but I decided that I needed to relate to my character in order to be able to do her justice while writing. Hence, her behaviour, attitude, and character is basically derived from mine. 

I am not saying I go around fighting wars or rule a Kingdom, of course. But her reaction to things, her insecurities, her perception of the world, and her trust issues are all mine. I make her react to situations the same way I would if I were in them. 

Q: How many chapters have you written so far? How many do you plan to write? And how do you deal with Writer's Block?

A: I have written 51 chapters so far, 43 of which are published. The book will most likely have 55-65 chapters. I deal with Writer's Block by going for a walk, swimming, or simply just closing my eyes and visualizing myself in Nila's shoes. When I see, hear, and experience the things she does, nothing can stop me from writing. 

Q: Now, I bet this is the most awaited question. Is there more to Nila and Jua's complicated past? Are you going to delve into it further as the series progresses?

A: There is a lot more to Nila and Jua's past than what she told Sati. I have already written another flashback chapter that explores a bit more of it, and will probably have a Jua POV in book 2. Unfortunately, I cannot say anything more about it for fear of spoiling it. :) 

Q: Which characters do your readers seem to ship? 

A: Well, of course everyone loves Sagara and Sati together. When it comes to Nila, a lot of people ship her with Jua, and quite a few ship her and Bahati as well. Personally, I will not tell you guys which one I ship her with, but I will say that she needs to figure out a lot of more things before she even gets involved in a romance. The main part of the story is to showcase the effects of war, raise awareness about mental health, portray loss, and to break stereotypes.

Although, I will say that the romance will be a good chunk of the story, but will not be overshadowing any of the main ideals.  

Q: You are quite a social and friendly person, and are known for your fantastic descriptions and imagery. Do many writers approach you for help? 

A: Yes! There are quite a few people that approach me for help with their stories, and I love editing their work and giving them advice on descriptions whenever I have the time. 

Q: I am sure a lot of people are dying to ask this, but who is the person with the steely eyes? 

A: I cannot give that out now, can I Trevor? Or people will stop reading! But I think it is safe to say that this is the only person Nila is afraid of, and for good reason. I can confirm that Nila herself does not know who it is, and has only seen those eyes behind a mask. You will likely find out who it is at the end of the second book. 

Q: What are your thoughts on the other characters in the story and their relationship with Nila? Mainly, King Bahati, our favorite Prince Jvin, Lady Jia, Master Heka, Lord Sagara, and Lady Sati? 

A: Let me start of with the later ones and then come back to the main three. 

Master Heka is someone Nila really looks up to. He has never treated her differently because she is a woman, and always has her back no matter what. He has trained her exceptionally, and steps in to lead the Kingdom when she is away. He is someone she really counts on. 

Sagara is the closest thing she has to a brother. She grew up with him, and knows him inside out. Though he is older than her, she feels like he is her younger sibling as he is slightly more immature. She has unwavering love and affection for him. 

Sati is basically a polar opposite of Nila on many things. Despite them sharing common traits such as bravery, Sati and Nila fundamentally differ on the fact that Sati is a flirt and likes to have her fun with boys, while Nila is more guarded due to her immense trust issues. 

As to Bahati, he is someone that Nila loves very much, and is her best friend. Though they are married, they have a platonic relationship, and are very close to each other. Nila adores him, and always tries to do what is best for him. 

Though there are a lot of things Nila doesn't tell him, it is for his own benefit, and she deems it highly dangerous for her to tell him due to the unnamed person with the steely eyes. Both he and Jia represent Nila's innocence and trust. 

Jvin is someone that Nila has a very complicated relationship with due to her past with him. However, though they are, at times, on very bad terms with each other, they always look out for one another. 

A classic example for this would  be when the attack in the courtroom occurred, and they fought side by side, putting aside their differences, and protecting one another. Jvin and Nila care deeply for one another, and always have the other one's back no matter what. 

Though Jvin knows that Nila has many secrets that she keeps from him, he accepts that for he knows of her troubled past, and does everything he can to help her. Jvin is the sort of person that seems nothing more than arrogant and cocky at the beginning, but is actually the most loyal person in the book. He helps people without their knowledge, and always does the right thing, even though it goes unnoticed whereas everything his brother does is in the limelight.  

As to Jia, she is a very innocent young girl, whose life revolves around her older sister, whom she admires tremendously. She is easily surprised and pleased, and finds everything about the palace wonderful. But do not let this fool you! The short, plump, innocent little girl is quite handy with her bow and arrow!

Q: So, what is next for our fierce Queen Nila? What will the second book focus on? 

A: Well, I cannot tell you much for fear of spoilers, but I will tell you that the sequel will focus a lot on Nila dealing with the loss of someone and trying to balance keeping the Puppetmaster at bay while also fighting the war. It will certainly have a lot of action! 

Q: Lastly, what is your advice for all the aspiring authors such as yourself who are out there?

A: My advice would be: Focus on the descriptions, plan out your story well, make sure the plot makes sense, and write for yourself. If you do not receive recognition at first, it's alright! You will get there! And remember, make sure your characters are flawed just the right amount. But at the same time, make sure that the readers fall in love with those flaws. Someone will only read a story they are invested in; and the characters are the ones that get you invested in a story. Lastly, never give up hope. I am sure that each one of you has insurmountable talent, and if it is channelled in the right way, you will all perform wonders. :)