N.E. Aquila Q&A

N.E. Aquila is a queer author writing queer stories. She has a keen interest in fantasy, with an appreciation for the horror genre, and aims to intertwine the two with her work. Nestled in the center of the ever-temperamental state of Michigan, you can often find her in a corner of a local coffee shop furiously typing away onto her computer, or enjoying time with her spouse and their pet cat, Suki. Her debut novel is aimed to release late-2026, but her current dark fantasy serial can be read for free on Patreon. 

What got you into writing?

 I will be 100% honest and say that it was fanfiction. I used to write a lot of fanfic growing up for the various fandoms I was apart of — whether I was aware of the concept of what a fandom was or not. The other thing that got me into writing was, well, reading. Those two things go hand in hand like a puzzle piece. I was so enamored with other author's writing that I decided to test it out with my own original world and see if I could emulate their writing style into my own. I feel like my writing is a love letter of sorts to the books I've read over the years; inspiring me to the point I believed I could do this on my own.

 How long have you been writing? 

Decades, I think. Maybe a little less. But definitely since I was 10 or 11, with a few years gap for college. I'm nearing 30 now if that means anything haha. It started with fanfiction — though I didn't even know what fanfiction was at the ripe age of 10 years old. But I definitely remember writing my super powerful, gorgeous, and strong superhero to fall in love with Cyborg from Teen Titans. Molding and shaping the world to fit around my character and her story. It's been so fun watching my writing grow and develop over the years, and the confidence I have in it follow as well. It wasn't until 2022 when I decided to write original content and create characters and a world to write about and truly take the craft of writing seriously. Never did I imagine I would buy books on how to write, but they've truly been a lifesaver and helped my creative process. 

What is your favorite part about being an author? 

It has to be watching the world I create come to life. What started as chicken scratch in random notebooks has grown into something bigger than I ever imagined. Each new bit of world building is strung along to the next piece and builds off each other and just grows and grows. Its become a web in of itself that I get to follow as the next piece pops into my head. Its not perfect, nor is it completed, but getting these puzzle pieces to fit snuggly has been a rewarding experience. 

Another favorite part of being an author is meeting other authors! That may be a given, but I love learning about their stories, the methods to their madness, and supporting them in every way that I can. We are all coworkers in this (strangely small) world of publishing and I am so grateful for the friends I've made so far. 

How many books have you written? 

Written? One and a half. Or, maybe it would be considered two. Neither are officially published as of yet on sites like Amazon or Barnes and Noble. One of them, "Call of the Forest" is going to be self-published after it goes through a few rounds of editing in the next few months. I'm aiming for that to be sometime in late 2026. The other is "Blood of the Earth" which is an on-going serial that I post for free on my Patreon. It will be "officially" published once the story commences on Patreon and goes through some editing.

 Which of your books is your favorite? 

This is really hard to choose because I love both equally since they each hold a bit of me inside of them. I poured my own blood, sweat, and tears into both and they each take up equal places in my heart. However, if I really had to choose, then I think "Call of the Forest" may be my favorite. That manuscript and I have gone through hell and back together and we keep coming back strong. There is nearly three years of writing going into that book, plotting that world, its characters, and the story overall that I would be doing it a disservice not making it my favorite. I owe it to this long-standing manuscript for who I am as a writer today.

 That's not to say "Blood of the Earth" isn't a favorite. She is something special. She was created from a moment of uncertainty and self-doubt. The flame that comes after a spark from tinder, or maybe better known as the rambunctious middle child. The story that I use when I want to challenge myself with different themes and genres and see how they can mesh together into something greater. "Blood of the Earth" is her own special breed of favorite. 

What can you tell us about your on going serial, Blood Of The Earth? 

"Blood of the Earth" is a dark fantasy/gothic romance set in one of the realms that make of the world in which all of my stories will take place. It follows Hymvren, a dutiful solider who was sent beyond the veil to subdue the demons wrecking havoc to his home. Due to circumstances out of his control, he ends up seeking shelter in a seemingly abandoned manor. It is there he meets Ilminuvae, a rogue warden that wields a dark and dangerous magic. Both become entangled in the dark magic of the forest, the secrets of the manor, and each other. The story explores just how far someone is willing to go for the promise of power. Chapters are posted twice a month, or every other week, until the serial is completed. However, due to Patreon's terms of service the smutty scenes will be behind the $3 tier but when it is released as a published book the smutty scenes will be included. 

What made you choose to publish the serial as you wrote it and to have it be free? 

I wrote plenty of serial fiction growing up — yes, fanfiction is its own form of serial fictions. It was not a new concept for me. Sorry, I feel like I am talking about fanfiction a lot whoops. Anyways, I love the anticipation that comes with the recent chapter ending on a cliff hanger and seeing how it resolves in the next installment. It feels like I'm watching a show on TV again where I have to wait until the next week to get the answers. I also wanted to get my writing out to future readers before I publish my manuscript. I want to showcase my writing and "Blood of the Earth" is basically one long reader magnet and I hope readers enjoy it!

The reason behind making it free is that I believe that books should be accessible. Being able to have shelves full of books bought at bookstores is a luxury, and not every book is available at a library, and so I wanted to be a space where I can offer some of my writing for free. I know that it won't be everyone's cup of tea, but there is something for everyone, right?

Have you experienced writer's block, and how do you handle it? 

I experience writers block probably as often as everyone else. It's such a pain sometimes! Especially when it suddenly hits in the middle of a scene. How I handle it is by close out the tab that I am working on and take a break. I do not force myself to write anymore and sometimes have to physically remove myself from my computer. Sometimes that break is for the remainder of the day while I think about what I'm stuck on, but sometimes it'll be a week or more. If I know that my break is going to be a lot longer, but I still want to be writing, I work on another project. Unfortunately, this causes a lot of WIPs to be started with no end in sight for a while lol. After a while, an epiphany of sorts comes to me about what had me stuck and I use that momentum to push through it. 

Can you describe your writing space? 

My writing space is where I feel comfortable. Sometimes that is sitting at the computer in the office, other times its on my couch with my laptop, or its at a coffee shop while I type away with my phone and bluetooth keyboard. There's usually always instrumental music playing in my headphones and I'm hunched over like a shrimp (definitely need to work on this before my posture gets too bad). I like to think I can write anywhere and everywhere as long as the chairs are comfortable and the tables are big enough for all of the stuff I bring.

How do you choose names for your characters? 

The names for the characters are based on where they are from. For the characters of "Call of the Forest", they are all humans so I gave them more human names. I like to take a popular name and giving it a little twist, but not going full Tragediegh with it. Ameria, for example, was Amelia but I changed the "L" for an "R". The same can be said for Edrin. Edwin became Edrin with a simple change. Ryker started out as Ryder. You get the idea. "Blood of the Earth", on the other hand, has no humans whatsoever in it, and I wanted to give them the fantasy names they deserved. You're not going to see an elf with the name Bob or something in my books (If you, dear reader, have an elf character named Bob I love and support you on this, but please know it is not for me). They're going to longer, and a bit of a mouthful, but hopefully easy to pronounce. I usually choose letters that I don't see many names with in books or other forms of media and then pretend the other letters are puzzle pieces and see which combination sounds good. (note to self: make a pronunciation guide before publishing). 

What has helped you the most while writing?

Bouncing ideas off other author friends of mine has really helped me dig myself out of a rut more times than I can count. Whether it's stuck at a particular plot point, or helping with grammar and sentence structure, having someone of equal creative output as me has been a lifesaver. I also like to read some of my favorite authors. Much of my own writing style is absorbing various styles of writing from those authors. Its not necessarily copying their prose, but more so analyzing it and seeing what I can pick from it to weave into my own writing. 

What has hindered you the most while writing?

Time. There is never enough time in the day to get all that I need done. Between working full time, spending time with my friends and family, and having time for myself that isn't writing it does get hard to manage. Luckily most of my friends and family understand that writing is an important part of me and know that when I disappear off of the face of the Earth for a week to finish a chapter that was giving me problems I am fine. I do have to make sacrificed when it comes to writing, and I try to make sure that I am not sacrificing the same thing again and again and again. 

Do you outline, plot, and plan, or is your writing more organic? 

I have no clue lol. I try to have a solid outline to follow, but then I write "offscript" and suddenly the entire outline is garbage. The entire first half of "Call of the Forest" was rewritten in the summer of 2024 because I had strayed off course of what I had written, and because at that moment the plot holes were too jarring to ignore and come back to. It was worth it though. I adore this version of the story now more than every before. Though, I am trying to be more loose with the plotting and planning for "Blood of the Earth" and letting the story go where it needs to and adjust accordingly. I think because it's a serial I don't feel the need to stick to the bullet points I created regarding its plot.I suppose that leans into more plantser territory? It's so hard to say because I really do need some structure, but enough give for when I go off like I do.

 How much research have you had to do for your book(s)? 

I used to think I was one of those people who didn't need to do their research, but I have humbled myself in recent months. I have started reading some writing and editing books. "Save the Cat" and "The Emotion Thesaurus" sort of opened a door that was previously locked inside my brain. Even though the content of the books isn't the word of the writing Gods themselves, I do think reading some of those books have helped me structure my own story than had I not read them.

As for the contents of the stories themselves, I actually don't do too much research. A lot of my writing has influences from video games that I have played over the years such as "The Witcher", "Dragon Age", and " Greedfall". Though, I do think I would benefit from brushing up on the various forms of government and rereading some of my old political science books that I kept from college, and the history within them. Book 2 might be much more political so, uh, stay tuned.

Do you read much and if so, who are your favorite authors? 

I try to read when I can, but it's the constant playing of: "Well, if you have this time to read then you can go and edit your manuscript" inside my head. I try to stay within the realm of what I am writing, so most of the books are fantasy or horror in some way. My favorite authors at the moment are: Hannah Kaner, Beckett Krane, N.K. Jemisin, Samantha Shannon, Agustina Bazterrica and T. Kingfisher.

How can readers discover more about you and your work?

 Social media, baby! I am ONLINE. Instagram for to be "professional", but Threads is where I clown the more — both are @ neaquila. I also have a monthly newsletter that will have future ARC opportunities and where I give most of the updates of my writing. You can sign up on my website — 

www.neaquila.com

And finally — MY PATREON. She is still new, but that is where I will be posting serial updates and will eventually post "Call of the Beast" updates, too. And it's FREE!!! The only paid tier is the Wanderer Tier, and that acts more like a tip jar and will give you access to the smutty scenes I write for "Blood of the Earth" and smutty fanart. www.patreon.com/neaquila