- What inspired you to write this Series?
So,
The Broken Daughter was actually a project for one of my masterclasses
at Southern New Hampshire University. I’m currently enrolled in their English
Literature & Creative Writing Master’s Program. I was inspired to write it
when I saw a few covers with crowns on them while pursuing covers in the royal
fantasy genre. The idea instantly came to me and I sketched what I wanted my
covers to look like and the story flowed from there. It really helped me to
have a visual to keep me motivated! I was also inspired by several shows and
movies such as Resurrection: Erturgul (A Turkish historical drama) and Koi
Laute Aaya (a Hindi drama). Turkey and India inspired the world and cultures of
my characters while Koi Laute Aaaya inspired the palace of many secrets (this
is a theme that returns in The Dead Daughter).
The
Dead Daughter is the sequel to The Broken Daughter.
- What can we expect from you in the future?
You
can expect more books like The Broken Daughter and The Dead Daughter
in the sense that future books will be plot-heavy with lots of character
development. In fact, The Cursed Daughter, the closing novel to this
trilogy, is currently in the planning stage. The cover reveal will be October
17. You can also expect fantasy without the romance subplot. There will be
romance but it will be in the background and hinted at whenever there is
romance. You can also expect novels with vampires, werewolves, demi-gods, and
shifters in the future!
- Do you have any “side stories” about the characters?
I do, actually. After The Cursed Daughter is
released, there will be a sequel titled The Mad Queen which will be
about Queen Ismana. I think it’s important for the readers to see who Queen
Ismana really was because they never got to meet her. Whatever they know about
her is all through the eyes of Aymeri, Drystan, Kumud, Madam Bheva, and
eventually self-declared Empress Dimia.
- Can you tell us a little bit about the characters in (Name of book)?
All of the characters in The Broken Daughter are
the same characters that appear in The Dead Daughter.
Aymeri:
Aymeri is the main character of The Broken Daughter and she is the
twenty-three year old princess of Treoles who has to learn how to run her
kingdom after she finds her mother dead. She is headstrong and sensitive and
not your typical princess. She shows her emotions and doesn’t just steel
herself and act like everything is okay. She doesn’t need a prince to save her
and she’s very compassionate. She is a sentinel being (a guardian) and is in
charge of keeping dark magick out of the hands of anyone who might misuse it.
Drystan:
Drystan is the protagonist of The Broken Daughter who knows more about
Queen Ismana then her own daughter, Aymeri. Like Aymeri, he too had to run a
kingdom, Brein, after he finds his father dead. He is compassionate and wants
to help Aymeri but knows that she wants to figure things out on her own.
Eventually he becomes her confidant. He is also a merchant king because Empress
Dimia closed all trade to his kingdom and his people are suffering. As a
result, he’s taken to mercantilism and sells goods that are made within his
kingdom or artifacts from his castle that have no importance but monetary
significance.
Jorlyn:
Jorlyn is Drystan’s sister and is the head assassin of their kingdom. She
steeled herself from hurt when her mother and father passed away and refused to
run the kingdom even though she was better suited for it. I cannot say much
about Jorlyn because of spoilers!
Empress
Dimia: Dimia is the antagonist rules the kingdom of Aixeris and proclaims
herself the Empress of Dramolux as she starts to overtake the other kingdoms.
She wants to claim Treoles for her own and get her hands on the dark magick
that is being guarded by the kingdom.
- How did you come up with the concept and characters for the book?
I
came up with the concept I wanted to write the next Game of Thrones—or so I
thought! Originally, The Cursed Kingdom series was supposed to be three sisters
fighting each other for their right to the throne but then it sort of took a
life of its own and actually became a series of keeping the magick at bay and
getting the continent of Dramolux back to the way it originally was: crawling
with creatures and magick. The characters were my imagination but inspired by
Turkish and Indian culture. Resurrection: Ertugrul (A Turkish historical drama)
inspired the world-building and Koi Laute Aaya (A Hindi drama) inspired the
plot of the palace with hidden rooms.
- Where did you come up with the names in the story?
I
usually use the website FantasyNameGenerators.com. I don’t take the exact name
that they deliver, instead, I put names together to create new ones. Fantasy
Name Generators allows you to choose from different creatures, fictional
worlds, and countries/cultures all over the world! It’s really a saving grace!
- What did you enjoy most about writing this book?
What
didn’t I enjoy? Before writing The Broken Daughter, I had never planned
a novel before. I usually just sat down and wrote and fixed it in editing.
However, being enrolled in a Master’s English program at SNHU, there was a
class where we had to sit down and really plan a novel. The Broken
Daughter was that novel! I enjoyed the whole process of plotting, writing,
editing. There was nothing I didn’t like. That being said, I had the most fun
developing my characters. We had to use two different character guides to flush
our characters out and the best part was that we had to write the answers to
the question from the characters’ perspectives. It was so much fun to get
inside my characters’ heads and let them do the talking instead of me! I also
enjoyed watching my characters come to life. It had been a while since I
wrote—I took two years off from publishing and have since taken my earlier
works down to work on them—so to be back in that positive mind space was
amazing!
- Tell us about your main characters- what makes them tick?
Aymeri is moved by her people. She is selfless and in
tune with her emotions. She wants what is best for everyone and will stop at
nothing to please others. However, she is fierce and tells it like it is. You
will see her butt heads with Drystan often when he is first introduced and when
you read that scene, you’ll understand why!
Drystan
is also moved by his people. He will do anything to make sure they survive and
are taken care of. In fact, he sells artifacts from his own castle to make
money to ensure that everyone has enough food and materials to take care of
themselves.
Jorlyn
is independent and her heartache is what makes her tick. She wants to protect
people.
Kumud…I’m
still unsure of. She’s been through a really tough time and she’s really trying
to make it work out. I don’t want to give too much away, but you’ll understand
this once you read The Dead Daughter.
- If your book was made into a film, who would you like to play the lead?
Many people won’t know who she is but her name is
Jennifer Winget. She is a Hindi drama/soap opera actress and has done some
Bollywood films. She was truly the inspiration for Aymeri’s character.
“I
am many things but normal is not one of them,” says Aimee Shaye
when asked to describe herself. She is a novelist whose genres
include Fantasy and all its subgenres. When asked what drives her,
Aimee says, “The world around me. The people I know. The love and
support of my family." Aimee is a family-driven person and
enjoys meeting and getting to know her readers. She is full of life
and down-to-earth. She has a personality that fills the room. More
than that, Aimee is someone people easily open up to. Her passion for
life, reading, and writing are evident in her novels and she leaves
no stone unturned in showcasing real emotions even in a fantasy
world.
Readers
from all of the world enjoy reading her novels which are suitable for
all ages, despite her characters being in their late teens and early
twenties.
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