Reni Stankova

I could say it was sixth grade when I started writing my first stories. But later, my parents told me that when I was a baby, they gave me a tray with different objects to choose from. And apparently, I picked up a pen. So, it might have been decided from birth, haha.

Google. I’m not kidding. One day, Google had a doodle about the anniversary of Sirma voivode’s birth. It got me interested, so I searched for books about Sirma’s life and found none. So, I wrote a book about Sirma voivode. The best advice you could give an aspiring writer is “Write the book you want to read”. I did exactly that.

The idea for The Enemy of Heaven came as the rudest, most inconsiderate kick I’ve ever received from the Universe, haha. It was waves, and waves, and waves of details about the world and the characters, at a time when I desperately needed to sleep. But it kept coming, so I couldn’t leave it until I opened a document on the laptop to brainstorm. It was almost dawn when I finally fell asleep. In the morning, I opened the document and realized my overnight brainstorming was a 30-page-long outline. This thing desperately wanted to exist. Who was I to say no?

Without a doubt, I am a Planner. I’ve had projects I started without a goal in mind, as any aspiring writer would, which I never finished. I have finished novels exactly because I planned the outline and structure of the plot.

I prefer novels with adult characters and a well-developed romantic subplot. I lean toward books with a female or an LGBT main character. Bonus points for sex scenes! In fact, you’re in luck! You can read about my favorite books in the historical fiction and MM fantasy genres.

Writing is a slow process that would take a big chunk of your time, and you might feel that your social life suffers as a result. When it gets overwhelming (it always does) don’t force yourself to choose between meeting friends and finding time to write. You need both your passion and your friends to feel like an accomplished human being. Strive for balance.

You feel like a god, creating worlds and people, and deciding what happens to these people. Would they live or die? Would they have a happily ever after, or would they sacrifice themselves for the greater good? And the best part of this creation is the reaction of the reader. Knowing that someone read your work and has had a better day because of it is an amazing feeling.