Synopsis
Vermont is a supernatural/Crime fiction based in a fictional town called Unknown where the population is full of mythical creatures and there's no human existence. When a young New Yorker Diana McKenzie mysteriously gets turned into a vampire she meets an ancient woman called the Voodoo Queen who guides her to the Unknown town and helps her through her new fate. As Diana gets familiar with the strange town she bonds with a revolutionary detective to help solve a gruesome crime of a teenager. Vermont alludes to societal issues on racism and feminism and religion.
Interview with Sarah Oskana
What inspired you to write Vermont?
What
kind of research did you have to do?
A: I’ve always been a fan
of the supernatural stuff like vampires and witches but I wanted to add a little
more and make it into my own world full of other mythical creatures. The only
major research I did for the book was on Voodoo, it was actually quite
interesting simply because I think the media has shaped our minds to think of
it as something evil but as I dug up the history of it, this was a religion for
slaves.
I learned that it is actually a mixture of Christian and African
traditions, I personally there’s a lot on it that one would probably have to
read for themselves but let’s just say that the culture has been misrepresented
for years!
How do you think that your life experiences have shaped
your writing?
A: I’m 21 which means life experiences are still to
learn but I can say as a teenager I’ve been bullied, hurt and rejected. I had
spent a lot of my time in darkness and sadness but I would try to keep a smile
on my face because I knew that one day it won’t always be the way things were.
Before I wrote the book I was experiencing mental breakdowns after another,
there was this emptiness and I couldn’t express it verbally because I knew that
as person in my shoes won’t understand so when one day I decided I wasn’t going
to sit at my desk anymore and cry about things and people who don’t matter to I
was going to pick up my pieces and do what I do best and that’s writing.
Writing and creating Vermont was more of a therapy for me, I use to have a lot
self-esteem problems and putting out Vermont boast my confidence, there were
days I would sit in my living room and smile at the creative ideas that I had
within me and I realized that I’m purposeful and not useless as I thought.
What writers influence and inspire you?
A:
My main influence is definitely Shonda Rhimes - she is an incredible Black Woman, and for those who don’t know, she is the creator of the hit shows Scandal, Grey’s
Anatomy and How to Get Away with Murder and she represents us well. The thing I
love about Shonda’s creation is that she places black women in
non-stereotypical roles and the way the structures each and every episode it
keeps you awake and hungry for more.
As a future screenwriter I hope I can make
my viewers as hungry. When it comes to my love for crime fiction and
psychological thrillers I do enjoy a lot of Stephen King’s work also I’m into a
lot true crime podcasts, one of my favorites is Murder and Martinis those guys
are hilarious. Studying real life crimes has inspired me to write crime
fictions based on unexplainable or even unsolved crimes.
Any advice for aspiring authors? Any upcoming projects?
About the Author
Sarah Oksana is a 21 year old Law Student from the tropical South American country called Guyana. She is currently attaining her Bachelors of Law (LLB) through the University of London. She has a love for expressing stories of true crimes and ancient myths.
If you love a good crime, supernatural fiction book then she is the author for your selection.
Her goals for the future is to become a Family & Civil Rights Lawyer and to develop her own television production.
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VERMONT: A Supernatural Crime Fiction from SARAH OSKANA (+ Interview )