Crafting Dark Fantasy Stories
Curious about my writing process, inspirations, or the world of Tower of Ash? This is where I answer your burning questions! From behind-the-scenes insights to character deep dives, no topic is off-limits. Want to know more? Ask away and explore the mind behind the stories.
Quiz
Dive into the psychological depths of my characters—where trauma, resilience, and identity shape every choice they make.
Q&A C.L. SHIVERS
What inspired you to write Tower of Ash?
Tower of Ash was born from my love for complex characters, morally gray choices, and the idea that even in the darkest places, there is something worth fighting for. I wanted to explore a heroine who wasn’t just powerful, but deeply flawed—someone shaped by the weight of survival, struggling to reclaim herself in a world that sees her as nothing more than a weapon.
Psychology has always fascinated me, especially how trauma shapes identity, relationships, and the way we navigate the world. That became the heart of Tower of Ash—a story about resilience, about choosing who you become despite the pain you carry. I wanted to craft a world filled with betrayal, longing, and forbidden love, where every decision has consequences and nothing is as simple as good versus evil.
At its core, this series is about power—who holds it, who is willing to take it, and what it costs in the end.
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Definitely Lailah.
Her journey is one of survival, of reclaiming herself in a world that has tried to shape her into something she never chose to be. She carries the weight of her past while constantly fighting to define her own future—a struggle I deeply resonate with. Like Lailah, I’m drawn to the complexities of human nature, the battle between self-protection and vulnerability, and the quiet strength it takes to keep moving forward, even when the world demands you break.
Her resilience, her sharp tongue, and the way she guards herself yet still longs for something deeper—those are all pieces of myself that found their way into her character. She isn’t just strong because she’s powerful; she’s strong because she endures, because she questions, because she refuses to let others decide who she is. That, more than anything, is why I connect with her the most.
Which character do you relate to the most, and why?
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How does Lailah’s past shape the way she sees the world?
Lailah’s past is a tangle of betrayal, control, and survival, and it has shaped her into someone who is always watching, always calculating.
She has never known what it feels like to be truly safe—not in her own skin, not in her own home, and certainly not in the presence of those who claim to love her. Raised in a world where power is currency and trust is a weakness, she has learned that to survive, she must be sharp, guarded, and ready to strike first.
She views love with caution, knowing it can just as easily be used as a chain as it can be a comfort. Loyalty is something she questions, even when it’s freely given, because experience has taught her that nothing comes without a cost. Her past doesn’t allow her to see the world in simple terms of right and wrong—only in the choices people make, and the truths they are willing to bleed for.
But beneath all her wariness, there is a part of her that still longs for something more—a life where she is not just a weapon or a pawn, but someone who gets to choose her own fate. Whether she allows herself to believe in that possibility is another story entirely.
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Not knowing where the story would take me.
I always used to think it was nonsense when authors said their characters talked to them or decided their own fate. But when I set out to write Tower of Ash, I had a clear beginning, middle, and end—everything carefully planned. Yet, as I wrote, I was surprised by how the characters truly changed and evolved in ways I never expected.
They pushed back against my original plans, forcing me to rewrite storylines, deepen relationships, and rethink their choices. What started as a structured narrative became an organic journey, shifting in ways that felt more real, more raw. That unexpected magic—the moment a character surprises me, the way a planned scene suddenly unfolds differently—that’s what I love most about writing. It’s unpredictable, and that’s what makes it feel alive.
What’s your favorite part of the writing process?
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Why Tower of Ash?
The title Tower of Ash speaks to the heart of the story—power built on ruin, legacies forged in fire, and the haunting remnants of what once was. It represents the weight of the past, the destruction left in its wake, and the rise that comes after the fall. At its core, this series is about survival, about standing in the ashes of everything you’ve lost and choosing to fight anyway. Lailah’s journey is one of unraveling truths, reclaiming her power, and deciding whether to burn or rebuild. The tower may crumble, but from the ashes, something new will rise.
Uncover the inspirations behind C.L. Shivers' work. From dark fantasy realms to psychological depths, explore the elements that shape the captivating narratives.
My Projects
Just start.
When I first began writing, my story wasn’t set in a dark fantasy world—it was actually a modern-day, realistic setting with the same female and male leads, Lailah and Casper. But when I finished, I realized something important: I wouldn’t pick up a book like that. I love fantasy, dark fantasy romance specifically, and I wanted to create a world that felt immersive, where I could be truly transported.
So, I took the story I had already written and reshaped it, reimagining everything in a setting that inspired me. That’s the beauty of writing—you don’t have to get it perfect the first time. You don’t even have to know exactly where you’re going. What matters is that you start.
Ideas will evolve, characters will take on lives of their own, and you might just end up somewhere completely unexpected. But you’ll never get there if you don’t take that first step.
If you could give one piece of advice to aspiring writers, what would it be?
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Magic is loneliness. Magic is survival. Magic is the proof that Lailah exists.
It runs through her veins like a whisper of something both sacred and cursed, something that has always set her apart. There is only one witch per generation, and that means no one else will ever understand her—not truly. She is alone in every sense of the word. No one to teach her, no one to share the burden, no one to stand beside her and say, I know what this feels like.
But the world knows who she is because of it. The scars on her hands are more than wounds—they breathe with her, a permanent mark of the power she carries. Power she never asked for. Power that makes her something to be feared, something to be controlled. But it is also the thing that has kept her alive, the thing that reminds her she is still here.
Magic, for Lailah, is both the darkness and the light. It is what isolates her, but also what forces her to fight—to decide whether she will let it break her or become something more than the world ever intended her to be.
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What role does magic play in Tower of Ash?
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Danger comes in many forms, and in Tower of Ash, it isn’t always the one holding the sharpest blade that you should fear the most.
Clyde is unquestionably the most powerful, a master manipulator who controls people as easily as he controls kingdoms. He weaves deception so seamlessly that by the time you realize you’re trapped in his web, it’s already too late. He doesn’t need brute force to be deadly—his mind is his greatest weapon, and he plays the long game with terrifying precision.
Casper is the most lethal, a ghost in the night, trained to kill without hesitation. He is efficient, ruthless, and impossible to predict. While his loyalty may seem like a redeeming quality, it is also what makes him truly dangerous—because once he decides who is worth protecting, there is no limit to what he will do for them.
But the most dangerous character? That might just be Lailah herself. She has spent her life being controlled, underestimated, and used as a tool for others’ power. And yet, despite everything, she is still standing. There is nothing more dangerous than someone who has nothing left to lose—except the will to fight back.
Who is the most dangerous character in the series?
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Without a doubt—Callum.
When I first started writing Tower of Ash, I thought I knew exactly who he was. I had an idea of his role, his personality, the way he would interact with Lailah and the others. But as the story unfolded, Callum refused to stay within the lines I had drawn for him. He became more unpredictable, more layered, more intoxicating in ways I hadn’t expected.
He isn’t just the sharp-tongued flirt or the cunning strategist—he is someone who carries his own shadows, someone who gives just enough of himself to make you wonder what he’s hiding. Every time I thought I understood him, he would surprise me again. His loyalty, his intentions, his ability to push and pull with Lailah in a way no one else does—it all evolved beyond what I had planned.
Callum wasn’t supposed to be this compelling, this dangerous, this impossible to ignore—but somehow, he became all of those things. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.
Which character surprised you the most while writing?
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My Projects
Lailah’s scars are shame. They are guilt.
They are the weight of everything she has lost and everything she believes she has destroyed.
She hides them beneath gloves, shielding them from prying eyes, because to the world, they are a mark of power—but to her, they are a reminder of the moments that broke her. A reminder of the pain she has endured, the choices she never had, the part of herself that she fears makes her monstrous.
I understand that feeling. The feeling of wanting to cover the parts of yourself that you think the world won’t accept. The weight of believing you are too much, too damaged, too different to be worthy of love. Lailah’s scars mirror my own—not just in appearance, but in the way they make her feel set apart, untouchable, unworthy.
But scars are not just proof of pain. They are proof of survival.
Lailah’s journey is not about erasing them or hiding them—it is about learning to carry them without shame. When she finally finds the strength to accept every part of herself—her pain, her faults, her past—she removes the gloves. Not because the scars have disappeared, but because she no longer lets them define her in the way they once did.
In that moment, she chooses to stop being what the world expects her to be and instead becomes who she truly is—open, unguarded, and unafraid. Because true power is not in perfection, but in embracing every part of yourself, even the broken ones.
What is the Significance of Lailah’s Scars?
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Are there any hidden clues or foreshadowing readers should look out for?
Absolutely. Tower of Ash is woven with foreshadowing, subtle clues, and small moments that may seem insignificant at first but hold far deeper meaning as the story unfolds. Nothing is ever just a detail—everything has a purpose.
Words, or rather, the ones left unspoken, carry just as much weight as the ones said aloud. In a world built on deception and survival, silence can be as sharp as a blade. Hesitations, deflections, and moments where someone chooses to say nothing at all are often where the truth lingers. Pay attention to what is avoided—because sometimes, what isn’t said matters the most.
The past is not just history—it’s a roadmap. The stories and legends whispered throughout Tower of Ash may seem like distant echoes, but they are far from meaningless. Beneath every old tale lies a truth waiting to be uncovered. Some answers have been in plain sight all along; you just have to be watching closely enough to see them.
At the heart of it all, the biggest question remains: Who is Lailah? And who is Casper? The world thinks it knows them, but the truth is far more complicated. Their pasts are not what they seem, their futures are unwritten, and the answers to their identities will change everything.
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If you had to survive in the world of Tower of Ash, which character would you want by your side?
If survival was the only goal, I’d choose Callum—without hesitation.
He’s the one who always has a plan, the one who sees the dangers before they strike. Callum isn’t just a fighter—he’s a strategist, a survivor in the truest sense. He knows how to navigate the darkness, how to manipulate the odds in his favor, and most importantly, how to keep others alive. He wouldn’t just protect me—he’d make sure we were always one step ahead.
But if I needed someone to remind me why I was fighting, someone to keep me grounded, I’d choose Lucas. He is one of the few people in Tower of Ash who hasn’t been completely swallowed by the world’s cruelty. He carries light where others carry daggers, and in a place as dark as Astral, that kind of warmth is just as necessary as a sword.
So if I had to choose? Callum to survive. Lucas to remember what I’m surviving for.
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What drew you to writing dark fantasy romance?
Because the world is a dark place.
More often than not, I meet people who have endured immense pain and trauma, especially psychological wounds that linger beneath the surface. I’ve seen how the weight of suffering shapes people, how it hardens them, isolates them, and sometimes, breaks them. But I’ve also seen something else—something rarer, something more powerful. I’ve seen people who choose to shine their light despite everything.
Those people, though few and far between, are the ones who give me hope. The ones who make me believe that even in the darkest places, there is still a choice—to become part of the darkness or to fight against it.
That’s why I write dark fantasy romance. Because darkness is truth. The world is cruel, twisted, and full of shadows, but in the midst of it, there are moments of resilience, love, and defiance. Tower of Ash is not just about surviving the darkness—it’s about learning how to be the light within it.