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cmrosens Sep 3

Author Spotlight: Ian Haramaki

Ian Haramaki (he/him) is an author of queer fiction and illustrator of twinks and creatures.

When not writing, he is peddling his wares at fan conventions across the country.

His debut novel is titled MERCY, and he has been included in Devout: An Anthology of Angels edited by Quinton Li, as well as A Queer and Cozy Winter by Rainbow Crate.

Author Links:

Website: cometkins.com

Mercy: books2read.com/MercyNovel

Bluesky: @cometkins.bsky.social
Instagram: @cometkins
TikTok: @cometkinsart
Tumblr: @cometkins

Get Mercy: books2read.com/MercyNovel

What drew you to writing queer, dark, romantasy for your debut, and can you share some of your writing influences?

I was drawn to this genre in specific because of the origin on these characters. They were originally player characters in a Magic the Gathering based Dungeons and Dragons game.

Ilya was part of the Orzhov guild, while Danya began life as an ex-Boros-turned-Izzet tinkerer. They were very different in that game, but the dark, gothic vibes of the Orzhov guild became the biggest influence for the book.

I’ve always enjoyed the dark and gothic anyway, but that was the main draw of inspiration. My biggest writing influences, on the other hand, are my friends. They’re all so incredible and skilled, and I keep pushing myself to match their caliber of work. I’ve found enjoying their stories and examining how they string words together has done wonders for me.

What are the main themes in Mercy and did these evolve organically through the writing process, or were they deliberate choices?

I think the biggest takeaway from Mercy that I hope other people have, is that there’s always hope for a better future. Sometimes it takes the right person or circumstances to force you forward, but there will be something good on the other side.

I never set out with particular themes in mind when I wrote Mercy, truly the only thought was spite initially, but as the world and characters evolved, I think this became evident. I try to not be too blatant with these things, since it can sometimes feel annoying when the message is too hand-hold-y personally, but I hope that much is clear.

What queer rep can be found in your work, and how do you approach the combination of queerness, Gothic lit, and religious themes?

Mercy specifically contains Gay and Bisexual rep, and my short story for Rainbow Crate, Sir Gawain and His Green Knights, contains a trans masculine character.

I think queerness and the gothic have always gone hand in hand, being that it often deals with the taboo.

While I don’t find queerness itself taboo (as I hope is evident), exploring the feelings that come with being considered taboo, something to be shoved down and aside, is important to me.

A conversation with Oyuna in the book is almost word for word one I had with my own grandmother when it came to her grappling with my transness.

The religious aspect of Mercy has also been fun to explore, speaking as somebody who is actually an atheist.

My own conclusions that I’ve come to over the years are that religion can be a powerful tool for good and evil both. I try to condemn only those that abuse their faith, not those that hold it at all. I also find that there’s divinity in queerness, in self discovery. Love is the most divine thing in the world, and being able to love when the world at large doesn’t want you to is the greatest expression of it.

What did you draw upon in terms of influences, research etc., for the worldbuilding and the angel’s character?

The aforementioned Magic the Gathering is still my greatest influence pull for sure; the biggest thing to know is that the city of Ravnica, where that original DnD campaign took place, is based primarily on eastern Europe.

I took my research to these locations and scoured articles for what I thought would best fit the story.

On top of that, I took acquired knowledge from documentaries and my own antiquing for the late 20s setting.

Danya can be quite anachronistic (on purpose, because I think it’s funny the divine being is so odd and modern), but I swear, everything else is period accurate! They had phones and showers and electric stoves in the 20s! Post industrial revolution tech moved shockingly quick, and I didn’t watch old men repairing radios on youtube for nothing, lol.

What romance tropes can readers expect to find in this book, and what are your favourite tropes to write/read?

The main tropes are probably hurt/comfort (love me some whump), forced proximity, “touch him and die”, and what I like to cheekily call “slow burn for impatient people”.

It’s not actually slow burn, but the way people yell at me about Ilya and Danya’s immediate chemistry, you’d think I’d been edging everybody for 300 pages before they kissed!

I’m personally fond of anything that involves protector/protected as well, and things like friends to lovers. I enjoy when people have a bond together before they get involved.

What are your favourite reader responses to the novel?

Any time somebody tells me they’ve cried because of the book, honestly. It’s always a shock!

One of the first influencers I sent the book to told me she cried twice! I’m a bit emotionally stunted, and it takes a lot to get strong emotion out of me like that, so it’s fascinating to hear.

It’s also really moving to have something you’ve written stir such a powerful response in somebody.

My writing may not be for everybody, but for those it appeals to, it REALLY appeals. It’s completely irreplaceable, and I hope every writer can find at least one reader who responds to their work so strongly.

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