IRIDESCENT | INTERVIEW SHOP | OPEN

20 | Eclipse Noir by Esmerald

Client: EclipseNoir123

Interviewed by: Enchanting_Esmie

Hi! As you know, my name is Esmerald. What's your preferred name?

Hi Esmerald! My preferred name is Eclipse Noir

Nice to meet you, Eclipse Noir! I really want to congratulate you again on winning first place in the Sapphire Stories Awards in the Mystery/Thriller/Horror section! When you first entered, did you have confidence that you could win first place?

Thank you so much! To answer your question, No, I did not have any confidence that I could win first place

You're welcome! And I see. On a scale of one to ten, how would you rate your story?

That is a very interesting question! I would rate my story a solid 8.

Thanks! I think that's a pretty fair rating. Looking back, would you change anything about your story, "Canvas of Deception" to make you rate it higher than an eight?

Thank you so much! Looking back, I'd probably refine a few areas to strengthen Canvas of Deception. I'd focus on tightening the pacing in certain chapters to maintain suspense, and maybe give more subtle foreshadowing for some of the twists, especially around Ryan and Victoria's characters. I feel like these small adjustments could make the plot flow more naturally and give readers an even deeper sense of connection and intrigue. Overall, I'm really happy with it, but these tweaks could enhance the impact even further.

It's nice to know that you're very humble and still believe in improvement! Let's go ahead and dive into the overall plot of your story, beginning with the characters. From the blurb, we learn that the main character, Victoria Blackwood, is a detective on a mission to find out why victims were brutally murdered. Can you tell us a bit about Victoria's personality?

Thank you! Victoria Blackwood is a complex character and personally my favourite character. On the surface, she's sharp, disciplined, and fully committed to her work as a detective, willing to do whatever it takes to solve these gruesome murders. Beneath that, though, she's deeply haunted by her own unresolved past, which drives her intense need for justice. She's relentless, sometimes to a fault, and struggles to balance her personal life with her dedication to the case. This inner conflict shapes her personality—she's courageous and tenacious but also vulnerable in ways that might surprise readers as they uncover more about her and the darkness that connects her to the crimes.

She sounds like an interesting character! What about Dominic Gray? In the blurb, we learn he uses the blood of the victims as his art muse. Can you share a bit more about him and his character traits?

Dominic Gray is definitely one of the most intriguing characters in Canvas of Deception. He's a brilliant yet deeply disturbed artist who channels his fascination with mortality into his work, using the victims' blood as a dark and twisted muse. Dominic is mysterious, and calculating, and has a detached, almost clinical approach to his art, which makes him hard to read. But beneath this cold exterior, he's haunted by his own demons and a hidden past that he'd rather keep buried. He's the type of character who blurs the line between artist and antagonist, leaving readers constantly questioning his motives and his moral boundaries. It's this duality that makes him so captivating—and dangerous. Further in the story, we see how Dominic gets in touch with his soft side when he starts developing feelings for Victoria and prepares to fight the battle against The Prophecy with Victoria by his side.

Wow! It's really cute to see that Victoria helps him get in touch with his soft side. Does he have a reason for why he uses the victims' blood for his muse?