Fun Facts
In my fantasies, the female character is usually named “Ella” and the male character is "Nicholas”. They’re super generic and I’m not close with anyone IRL sharing those monikers. Once I start to transcribe a daydream, I give the characters their real names.
I’m Hapa, which is why I love writing mixed-race FMCs.
Adrian was partially inspired by The Mary Nixons’s song “Adrian”. (Yes, I know it’s about a dude, but wgaf.) Can you guess who my real-life Brandon is?
I’m pretty obsessed with song lyrics. How sad that over the past 50 years, lyrics have become more repetitive, lost structural and lyrical complexity, and focused on angrier emotions.[1] Our modern-day bards can’t do any better? Come on people. Well, I guess I have no musical talent to contribute, so who am I to judge? Regardless, if you think I’m referring to a song lyric in a story, I probably am. Happy hunting!
[1] Parada-Cabaleiro, E., Mayerl, M., Brandl, S. et al. Song lyrics have become simpler and more repetitive over the last five decades. Sci Rep 14, 5531 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-55742-x
When I started Zara & Ali, I had no idea how the story would end up. I knew something would go wrong with Ali’s business, but I let the problem unfold organically. Buck gave me the final insight as to how Ali would clean up his mess.
All the images used as “cover art” on the website are AI-generated, which is why some of the details aren’t perfect. Still, I have to say—fucking baller tech. It’s even giving a decent Robert McGinnis vibe with Adrian & Brandon. But no tool I worked with was as good as a talented graphic artist. Feel free to have a go at making your own pics and send them to me if you want! However, if I’m going to post anything and give you credit, you must have a nom de plume.