As I wrote The Curse of Zenith, I wasn't just telling a story. I was creating a world—a dreamscape drenched in shadows, where reality and fantasy collide with the weight of longing. I wanted to capture that delicate, otherworldly feeling that pulls you in, like a whisper in the dead of night, a promise of something beautiful and dangerous. It's like watching the stars burn a little too bright, knowing they're too far to ever touch, but longing for their warmth nonetheless.

I went for something classic, a Disney-like dream, but I twisted it into something darker, something that grips at the edges of your soul. The idea of love that ruins you, yet tempts you to want more of it, is what kept me grounded. I wanted a world that felt like it was built on the finest threads of magic and broken promises—where love isn't just a sweet thing, but a bitter poison that could either save you or destroy you.

The characters are like my children. Each of them is carefully molded from pieces of me, from fragments of my desires, my nightmares, my fantasies. Azrael is both a villain and a victim, caught in the cage of his own curse. Lady Adina is strength and fragility, a force of nature with a quiet determination that makes her both heartbreaking and dangerous. Their story isn't just one of love—it's a story of necessity, of being drawn into a spiral you can't escape, but only keep spinning in, craving the pain as much as the pleasure.

Damn Your Lies, my fourth grand ONC contest winner in 2024, had a similar depth, the thriller that lingers in the air like smoke. That story was born from the same desires, the same twisted thoughts, and in many ways, it paved the way for Zenith to rise. Both stories explore that thin line between love and agony, the feeling of something slipping through your fingers, knowing it will never truly be yours, but aching for it anyway. And Damn Your Lies gave that instinct to survive.

In both, there's a curse, a binding force that shapes them, and as I created these worlds, I felt every word like a pulse. Every sentence was a breath, a heartbeat in the dark, leading us toward the inevitable fall. I don't know if I ever want to escape it. In fact, I don't think I do.

As The Curse of Zenith reaches its readers, my deepest hope is that it resonates with you on a profound level. This book is a journey—one crafted with intention, heart, and a careful blend of light and shadow. I sought to create a world that not only engages the senses but also stirs the emotions, blending elements of ethereal beauty with the raw intensity of dark romance.

Through the characters of this story, I wanted to explore themes of love, loss, and the delicate balance between desire and consequence. Their complexities are a reflection of the tension between the fantasy of what could be and the harsh reality that often follows. Writing them was akin to bringing them into existence, to shaping their destinies and understanding the delicate dance of their pain, their longing, and their sacrifices.

I hope that, as you delve into this world, you are able to connect with its essence—the ache of unspoken desires, the quiet ruin of love that both builds and destroys. It is my wish that you find something of yourself within the pages of The Curse of Zenith, as much of myself is embedded in these words.

Thank you for taking this journey with me. May the experience be as transformative for you as it was for me to write.