The Interview - Sabrina Ettey

I’ve always had a vivid imagination and a deep fascination with fictional worlds. I love to explore human emotions and psychological aspects through stories. Writing gradually became my way of giving those thoughts a life of their own. It started as a simple school competition. I knew myself as a reader but I was curious about the art of writing as well. So, I tried my fingers at writing through the competition. And throughout the process, I was fascinated with creating my own characters, my own world, and how much I'd fallen in love with them, how much I enjoyed exploring their little quirks and struggles, and walking with them through their journeys. It was like a whole new world just unlocked before me! Of course, winning the competition was a lovely bonus too. All in all, I found that writing was something I genuinely loved and wanted to keep doing.

I would like to describe myself as an imaginative, emotionally driven storyteller who enjoys exploring the many layers of human nature through fiction. I love blending romance, fantasy, mystery, and psychological depth to create stories that go beyond their plots. My creative voice often leans towards complex characters, emotional conflicts, and morally grey perspectives. I want my stories to make readers feel, question, and see things from perspectives they might not have considered before. For me, storytelling isn't just about creating fictional worlds; it's about making those worlds feel real enough to stay with readers long after the final page.

My story ideas often come randomly as I interact with life on a day to day basis. Sometimes it happens when I'm talking to a person, listening to their experience, and a sudden plot point related to that experience comes to mind. Sometimes ideas pop up in the middle of a scene from movies, books, or simply from doom-scrolling social media. I'm particularly attracted to human emotions, relationships, hidden motivations, and the complexities of the human mind. My love for fantasy and speculative fiction allows me to turn those interests into entirely different worlds and experiences. I'm also an avid gamer, and exploring vast open-world landscapes, discovering hidden details, and experiencing immersive storytelling has subtly shaped the way I approach world-building and plot development. I love creating characters who feel human, even when their worlds are anything but ordinary.

I think my biggest challenge has been learning to balance the creative side of being an author with the business side of publishing. Writing the story is one thing, but editing, formatting, cover design, marketing, building an author presence, and navigating publishing platforms are entirely different responsibilities. As an author, I naturally pay close attention to storytelling, but learning to put my own work out there and help it reach the right readers has been a journey of its own. I've had to become a little bit of everything while trying not to lose sight of the storyteller I started out as.

I primarily write Romance and Fantasy, also dabble in mystery, and contemporary themes. My first published work is a multi-genre short story, Petal Red. A dark fantasy romance next, called Scorned Blue. My latest is another gothic fantasy short story, Train to Afterlife. Despite exploring different genres, my stories share a common thread: complex emotions, flawed characters, love, loss, and the resilience of the human spirit. I want every story to leave readers with something to feel and remember.

I started my writing with a short story for the school competition but I think I enjoy writing novels as well. My first independent fiction was a discontinued mystery-thriller novel on Inkitt and Wattpad. I've written many novels, novellas, and short stories on these platforms since then. But for the official book publishing, I wanted to test out the feeling of the actual publishing experience so I chose Petal Red as a safer option. I was blown away by the positive support I received from publishing the short story collection so I dared to bring out my next book as a novel. I published Scorned Blue, and it is a part of a Dark Romantasy duology. My latest book, Train To Afterlife, is more of a fond project so I published it as a short story again.

It's a bit hard to tell because I love all of my creations. They each hold a little part of my soul, born from my bonkerous world of imagination. So, I cannot pick out a single one out of them all.

My literary influences come from a little bit of everything. I have always loved dragons, so Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros holds a special place in my heart. My introduction to the enchanting world of fae came through Margaret Rogerson, which eventually led me down the rabbit hole of Sarah J. Maas's A Court of Thorns and Roses. I fell in love with the magic, complexity, and possibilities of fae worlds. When it comes to classics, Bram Stoker's Dracula nurtured my fascination with dark fantasy, while Agatha Christie's mysteries taught me to appreciate clever twists, suspense, and the art of keeping readers guessing. I think each of these authors has taught me something different: how to build immersive worlds, create compelling characters, embrace darkness and magic, and most importantly, keep readers curious about what happens next.

Outside writing, I'm quite curious about the world around me. I mentioned loving gaming. Aside from that, I enjoy watching k-dramas, exploring paranormal and conspiracy theories, and getting lost in science documentaries. I also find joy in discovering the wonders of nature, spending quality time with my family, and feeding the local furry friends whenever I get the chance. I think all these little experiences shape the way I observe people, emotions, and the world.

I'm still exploring my limits as a writer so I will focus on improving my craft. I'm in the process of working on the next part of Scorned Blue duology so there's that. In between, I may or may not keep bringing more short stories. I feel more at ease with short fiction these days so we'll see about that. I mainly hope to bring better works for my readers. Stories they will enjoy, characters they can root for, thoughts they can relate to even though the premise is fictional. I wish my words to touch readers even though I can't and I want to work hard for that. That's all.