Dragon Soul Press had the opportunity to interview Zari Hunt, an author featured in DSP’s The Damned, The Fear Doctor, The Fear Driver, and The Fear Dealer.

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1. Introduce yourself.
   I’m Zari Hunt. My writing is mainly paranormal romance and horror. I began in my early years by writing fan fiction (namely Chronicles of Riddick) before deciding to branch out into publishing my own original works. If you don’t see me sitting in front of a laptop, I’m lost in the wilderness and finding trouble while hiking, kayaking, or camping. In my spare time, I collect Indie artist bookmarks.
2. What prompted you to begin writing?
   Referring back to the fan fiction, I’m not happy with how several books/movies/shows turn out. The frustration is unreal. I decided to take it upon myself to write what the characters deserved after discovering AO3 and FanFiction.net where others feel compelled to do the same thing.
3. Do you have a favorite story or poem you’ve written? What’s it about?
   Since monster romance was a big thing back in 2020-2024, I rewrote the classic tale of Beauty and the Beast to how I preferred it. Beauty’s Monster published in February 2023 and was a huge hit. I’m very proud of it.
4. How many projects do you have planned over the next few years? Tell us about one.
   I’m currently working on multiple projects, including novels and anthologies. My next fairytale rewrite is based off of Red Riding Hood. Scarlet’s Wolves features Scarlet being sacrificed by her village to the ‘Wolf Goddess’ to continue preventing further attacks. She enters the woods as prey and returns as their leader. That’s all I can reveal for now.
5. What is your writing process like?
   For short stories, I’m definitely a pantser. But for novels, I’m a plotter through and through. I prefer thoroughly outlining chapters and building character profiles (just to refer back to while writing lengthy projects).
6. Where do you draw inspiration from?
   Each project seems to draw inspiration from different sources. For my short horrors, I find myself constantly asking ‘what if’ to every situation, sort of like an investigator. For my novels, I draw inspiration from the people around me so the characters and situations feel real and relatable.
7. Who is your favorite author / what is your favorite book?
   This is a hard and almost impossible question. Currently, I think my favorite author is Annette Marie for her Guild Codex series. The way she breathes life into her worlds and characters is incredible. The Demonized quartet is definitely my favorite of the entire series.
   As for favorite book, Black Beauty by Anna Sewell. Seems an odd choice, right? The outer and internal struggles throughout the book really touched me in a way that makes it unforgettable.
8. What is one goal you have for your writing future?
   Write to my heart’s content. I see so many fellow authors crumble under the stress of imminent deadlines and I feel that it ruins the story quality at the end of the journey.
9. What do you hope readers enjoy most from your work?
   I hope they enjoy my unique twists. I’m writing what I want to read, and I’m sure there’s readers out there appreciating that.
10. Where can readers learn more about you?
    http://www.amazon.com/author/zarihunt