Continuing this series of interviews with my fellow First Love contributors, next up we have DS Durden, whose science fiction tinged short story Lonely Oni proves a fascinating entry in this eclectic romantic fantasy Dragon Soul Press anthology.

What drew you to the First Love anthology?

Romance is fun to write every so often. I mostly write very serious and tragic sci-fantasy, so a happy little romance is refreshing at times.

Give us a little tease for your short story for First Love.

An exiled woman in a futuristic city finds hope and love where she never expected.

Do you prefer your romantic fiction to end happily-ever-after, happy-for-now, tragically, or does it depend on the story?

It wildly depends on the story. I tend to lean toward some tragic themes that turn into a happily-ever-after, though.

What fantasy elements (if any) do you use in your First Love story?

Sci-fi technology, sentient subterranean beings.

What major theme(s) are you exploring in this story?

Misinformation perpetuated by government officials, xenophobia, and a bit of rebellion.

What inspired your story?

It just kind of came to me. I was taking a shower one day, thinking about some ideas for some cool graphic design titles, and “Lonely Oni” passed my mind. It just had a ring to it. As for the story plot, I’m not really sure. It just kind of came together.

To what extent are your characters based on you or people you know?

Absolutely none for this story. I rarely base characters on people I know, but sometimes I do base characters on different aspects of myself. Every now and then, I’ll make a character that is everything I wish I was, but still sprinkle in enough troubles to make them realistic because I absolutely loathe Mary-Sue-type characters.

Do you know your ending when you write, or do you start and see where the story or characters take you?

Most of the time, no, I have to work really hard for the ending. Every now and then, an ending just kind of falls into my lap, but it’s rare. Generally I try to identify the main point of the story, then figure out how I want whatever conflict to be resolved, then work an ending around that concept.

What is the best thing about being a writer?

Being able to breathe life into ideas to make them something somewhat tangible to share with others and being able to chronicle those ideas.

What is the worst thing about being a writer?

Deadlines, writer’s block, and being overly critical of oneself. I have this awful habit of not doing something if I feel it won’t be good enough, which is something I’m working on.

To what extent (if at all) do you agree with the statement “write what you know”?

Given that I do a lot of sci-fi, this is huge for me. I greatly admire sci-fi, but I’ve always struggled to remember more finicky things from the media I’ve consumed. Although I have also been fascinated by science most my life, science was not my best subject in school. It was one of my worst, actually. But my appreciation for it is what drives me to double-down on my research whenever I’m dealing with a subject that I really don’t have a clue about and fear I’ll make amateur mistakes on. But one thing I’ve found especially helpful is given that I do sci-fantasy, I can make-up a lot of the stuff I wouldn’t normally have an explanation for. Creativity and problem-solving has really been my strong suit. There’s no better feeling than finding a legitimate reason for why something happens in a story, how something works, or how something is related to another thing, and then it all fits perfectly together like a puzzle. Another aspect of “write what you know” that I very thoroughly stand behind is when you’re writing characters with particular difficulties that they face. I hate when a character has some sort of struggle or mental illness and they don’t handle it in a realistic way. But whether you’ve experienced said struggle or illness yourself or not, if you research hard enough and/or interview people with similar issues, you should always be able to make a decent representation if you’ve studied up and are able to really show that in your work. I may write sci-fantasy, but I need my characters and conflicts to be believable, and I can’t enjoy media to its full extent when characters and conflicts are poorly written and inaccurate.

Are you promiscuous or monogamous with your genre of choice?

Oh ho ho… I’d say I like to experiment a bit. Heh. Although sci-fantasy is my foundational genre, I’ve been dabbling in a bit of political dramas, thrillers, and I’ve been musing a few attempts at horror for a while now. I also really want to get into westerns, oddly enough. My father was big into western films and although I don’t watch them nearly as much anymore, I have a great appreciation for the Old Wild West aesthetic and am looking forward to spinning my own twist onto the genre.

Which writers inspire you?

Given that I don’t actually read nearly as much as I should and am even worse at following the real lives of people outside of my own circles, I think pretty much any writer that overcomes obstacles and follows their dreams no matter what. Also, writers with entertaining writing styles. I tend to write very straight-forward while still descriptive, so whenever I read an author’s piece that has an air of whimsy, I just really admire it.

What other books or short stories have you written?

My piece for First Love is actually my first publication, but I’ve got a ton of works in progress that just need some final worldbuilding details and they can get written out. I almost had a sci-fi short story published a year or two ago but I hit some snags. In a way I’m kind of glad for it, though, because now I can make the story way better and really do the story justice.

What is your current work-in-progress?

Way too many to count, but right now the story that’s got most of my attention requires a TON of worldbuilding, still. It’s a blend of science and magic with an emphasis on machinery and I am so, so, SO excited to finally bring it to life. Funny enough, when I first wrote Lonely Oni, I didn’t think it would tie into anything else of mine, but I figured out where it fits in and it’s actually a small piece of a much, much larger story in the works.

What advice would you give someone who tells you they want to be a writer?

Do it. Just do it. Don’t listen to anyone giving you doubts. Just practice, a lot. Write whatever comes to mind, on paper, on your phone, whatever makes you feel more comfortable. Get a second opinion on the things you make. Ask for gentle honesty. You want real opinions but you don’t want to get discouraged if you’re a sensitive person, but you need that feedback to get better. Read things you like and dissect why you like it and what’s good about it. Mimic it a little and do that with everything you like until you find your own voice. Experiment with different writing styles, genres, themes, and even point of views. I actually get a lot better with my writing every year or so despite not writing much at all during that time. I usually just throw myself out of my comfort zone with zero expectations and I usually really like what I make. You also gotta find what works for you, too. I struggle with the concept of short stories because I tend to invest a lot into my characters and settings, so sometimes I’ll watch movies and compare the pacing and what sort of things I learn from an hour and a half movie and figure out how I can translate that into a short story. It’s been really helpful for me given that I’m significantly more visual of a person.

To pick up a copy of First Love either in paperback or on Kindle, click here (in the UK) and here (in the US).