Suren: I'm Suren (she/her)! I'm an artist and writer from the Netherlands specialized in storybook illustrations.

Q1: When did you get the idea for Jade Kingdoms?

Suren: Jade Kingdoms was born from personal experience. I had a need to tell a story that in the culture I grew up with was silenced and shoved under the rug. People dealing with the mental trauma of all the happenings were just left to their own devices and I saw how such old pain just tore them apart.

I've been writing for so long, pulled inspiration from so many artists, movies, video games and series, yet this one personal need I had was never met in any of them. So I decided to use my own experiences in life, wraps them in a visually attractive world, and Jade Kingdoms was born in 2017. I'm at a point I can look back and see what I dealt with for what it is, and just maybe my novel can now help someone else.

Q2: Can you name anyone or anything specific that you took inspiration from?

Suren: Artist-wise, I very much love WLOP's style. I love how with a few brushstrokes he tells the whole story, and it helped me take a whole new look at how I can do art. I try to mimic this just a little with my art.

I also took lots of inspiration from media that have immense worldbuilding, such as the HALO and Zelda franchises. I love stories that have unique twists (or try to make one at least) that blend together beautifully.

It helps me get immersed in the feel of that world, and its something I try to do in my own. I strive to create a world that lets my reader experience the same feel.

Q3: How long do you think your story will be?

Suren: Jade Kingdoms is set to be a big book. There might be perhaps 50 story arcs (150+ chapters possibly!) set for just the first book alone. Its a story meant to take a slow pace, building up to the main finale and making sure everything is fleshed out as a reasonable pace.

I have two tiny graphic novels planned which will cover two major events in a more in-depth setting, before its official follow-up will be coming next.

Q4: That leads into my next question, how many chapters will the Jade Kingdoms comic adaption cover?

Suren: The mini comics can actually go on indefinitely really! I set up the mini comics in such a manner they cover deleted scenes, sentences I fished out at the last moment or perhaps even a little addition to a existing scene. See it as a collection of snippets from the world of Jade Kingdoms really, I think this little bugger might even go beyond Jade Kingdoms' planned chapters even since it is consumed more easily.

Q5: What are your hopes for the future of this series?

Suren: It brings me to the reason I began writing my book; I hope that Jade Kingdoms can be someone's hope. This book's main theme is generational trauma (usually manifesting in domestic abuse) and mental health issues. Its not a pleasant subject, trust me I know, but the silence and the denial I find even worse.

I hope someone out there, reading this story, may find their feelings and thought represented. I hope somehow it can also offer solace. These people are not alone and I hope this story helps, if only a little.

CM: It was an honor interviewing you, anything you want to say to the readers before I end this?

Suren: Thank you so much for having me! I want our readers to have fun and hope our stories can leave them with both satisfaction, and help them a little in their life's journey. As a creator, I want folks to know you guys reading our stuff makes us so happy and that's everything we could ask for.

Happy reading in advance everyone!