Q&A with s. e. t. and their book - Osea - an Isarine story

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Author s. e. t. and their book Osea - an Isarine storyPhoto byBookBuzz

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s. e. t. is a PNW-based 2SLGBTQIA+ author with a passion for storytelling that began in middle school. Though she only seriously pursued writing after earning her graduate degree in Cognitive Psychology in 2021, her work has always been driven by themes of love and despair. Heavily influenced by fantasy video games like Final Fantasy and narrative-driven experiences such as Gone Home, Set is recognized for her distinctive style of literary storytelling, characterized by fast-paced movement, clean exposition, and naturalistic dialogue. Her debut novel, "OSEA," set in the hostile fantasy world of Isarine, was released in summer 2024. All of Set's creative works, including writing, music, and art, are crafted without the aid of AI.

Author Q&A

What inspired you to write your first book?

Like many writers, I’ve been writing and obsessed with storytelling since I was a kid. For me, personally, I don’t remember a lot of the stories that I’ve experienced, but I deeply remember the way they made me feel. The ability for stories to uplift people, inspire them, make them feel less alone, I feel like there are few things more incredible or precious than that. I love being to invoke those feelings in others through my writing, but maybe more than that, I just really love telling stories.

Do you have a specific writing style?

My writing style is a little strange, admittedly, but I’ve received overwhelmingly positive feedback so far. Part of what shapes my writing style is that I love fantasy, but I absolutely dread reading fantasy. I can’t stand the tedium of pretentious multi-paragraph descriptions about a leaf drifting in the wind, or the bizarre use of incomprehensible measuring units, or the clunky and long-winded exposition for the sake of exposition. Much of my writing style is somewhat reactionary in that sense, but I really pride myself on how easy it is to read, and how clean and naturalistic my dialogue is.

How did you come up with the title?

For the longest time, my novel was called ‘Grand Challenge’. In the story, a Grand Challenge is a way for anyone to resolve a dispute with another individual on an even playing field, in the form of a duel. While this mechanic is central to the plot and its eventual conclusion, I found myself thinking that it didn’t really encapsulate what the story was really about. After a lot of consideration, I ended up changing the name from ‘Grand Challenge’ to ‘Osea’, a word that means ‘hope’ in Finaen, one of the world’s fantasy languages. I think Osea better captures the feeling of the novel, since hope is one of the central motifs that drives most of the character arcs (though, admittedly, Grand Challenge still sounds more epic).

Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp?

There are a lot of themes interlaced in the story. The plot touches on love, and friendship, and identity, and hope, and vengeance, and sacrifice, and power, and fate. However, I do believe, for the most part, in ‘the death of the author’ (or what I affectionately refer to as ‘separation of church and state’). I have things that I’ve taken away from my own story, but ultimately, the story has left my hands at this point. Whatever you, as the reader, take away from the story, is your truth. I deeply value your experience of Osea, whether or not you interpret the story the same way I did. In any case, I hope that you’re able to enjoy Osea and take something away from it.

Can you share a little of your current work with us?

Sure! My current project is The Dark Depths, which is somewhat of a spinoff story following alchemist Acir Solevat as he investigates rumors related to Transcendants, godlike beings of Isarine. It takes place chronologically after Osea, and is told in more of an episodic thriller-horror format. So if you like the Transcendant encounters in Osea, I think you will absolutely love The Dark Depths. It won’t be the same kind of epic-fantasy that Osea is, but initial reactions from readers have been extremely positive, so I’m quite excited about the project.

Who designed the covers?

I did, actually. After spending the majority of my life being told that I was bad at drawing, I eventually decided I didn’t care what other people thought, and I began my digital art journey at the age of 26. I’ve been constantly working to improve my digital painting and am super proud of the cover that I ended up designing. I think it’s extremely distinctive and visually bold, definitely stands out amongst fantasy novels, and looks fantastic on a bookshelf. Just like my writing, no AI was used in the creation of the cover of Osea.

What was the hardest part of writing your book?

Letting go. After spending so much time writing and rewriting and reading and editing, I think it’s impossible not to feel like your novel has to be perfect. Osea has gone through a million revisions and edits, and as the publication date came around, I wanted nothing more than to tear it down and start over. I think many writers can empathize with this feeling, but at the end of the day, you have to let go. Anyway, that’s easier said than done. Every week someone discovers a fresh typo for the first time and I die inside. I’m sure there’s a typo or error somewhere in these responses and that’s okay (just please don’t tell me about it).

What is your favorite theme to write about?

In terms of themes, one of the core themes of all of my stories is love. All my stories explore the idea of love in one form or another, whether it’s romantic love, familial love, or even spiritual love. I think love is fascinating in how multi-faceted it is and how subjective it is. Love means something different to everyone, and it means something different in each context, but it’s something so many people can connect to, to understand, to feel. Part of my personal philosophy is that love is what gives life meaning. Not receiving love, but giving love and injecting love into the world around you.

How can readers discover more about you and your work?

As stated previously, I believe in ‘the death of the author’, so in my ideal world, I don’t think anybody should care about who I am personally whether or not they enjoy my writing. That being said, we live in the real world, where stories are bound to their creators, and authors are expected to answer 10 interview questions to get people to care about their writing more. My website has information about existing and upcoming projects (sophieindustries.com). For those who want an inside look at my creative process and sneak-peeks at upcoming projects, you can stay up to date on Ko-Fi for just $1 a month (ko-fi.com/sophieindustries). Finally, if you just want to say something to me or get my attention, you can find me on Threads, which is the only social media platform I’m active on (threads.net/@_soapytea).

Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers?

This is somewhat cliché, but thank you so so so so so much for reading Osea. Having people read my novel and share their thoughts and reactions has been the most gratifying experience I’ve had in my entire life, and I treasure every bit of feedback I receive from readers, whether it’s positive or negative. Becoming a published author has always been a dream of mine, but after scrapping hundreds of stories, I began to worry that I would always be a writer, but never an author. Everyone who has read Osea and supported me has really helped my dream come true, and for that you have my endless gratitude.

Osea: an Isarine story is available for purchase on Amazon.

https://www.amazon.com/Osea-Isarine-story-S-T-ebook/dp/B0D8HGW55Z

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