Bajan author releases newest thrill-fest

Expect gripping twists and turns and exciting cliffhangers in Shakira Daniel’s newest work – Lu Joaker: Selene-Alpha about a conquering werewolf.

The Bajan author based in Germany for the past ten years goes by the pseudonym Lollipops2Marsh and she explained that her book was inspired by an international competition in which she placed seventh.

“This book joined an online competition and started out as a web novel. I said with Lu Joaker – I wanted it to be a series with Lu Joaker as the first followed by the book Selene Alpha and the others,” she explained.

She informed readers to expect many surprises in her work which is the second werewolf book she has published.

“She is a Selene Alpha, she is a born Selene Alpha. The book began with a quick introduction of her previous life as a foundation for the rest of the novel. Her whole thing is to dominate the other surrounding packs so that her clan could have a chance of actual survival. It continues to show how she came into heat and to find her mate and other [cliff-hanging] elements come into play,” she said.

Her writing style is based on dark fantasy as she described.

“It’s interesting. Sometimes I have a lot of psychological [twists] like with Lu Joaker she had a lot of surprises in there. I remember some of my readers told me they were very shocked about the content because they thought that [certain things] would happen but I [shocked] them with [surprises in the book],” she said laughing.

Her inspiration is drawn from within and the support from family.

“I sit down and I think. I would just talk to my cousins on the phone and I would say, suppose this happens or what if that happens and I would draw it from that and even animation,” she said.

Daniel shared how she got into writing.

“I love to read. In school I got in trouble so to keep out of trouble I started going into the library and in the library there were many interesting books about biology, Goosebumps, The Grimm’s Fairy Tales and I would always question the [outcome of the books] so I just started writing my own books,” Daniel recalled.

The full-time author said that though most Barbadians are not interested in the platforms she writes for she is very thankful for all of the help from marketing manager Ashley Phillips and editor Robert Gibson of Passionate Words Editing Services.

With many people questioning her choice of pseudonym she shared that it was simply inspired by eating candy.

“At that time I was eating a lollipop and I could not figure out what name to use that would stick or at least pop, so I said oh yeah pop and I was eating a lollipop so I stuck with that name,” she chuckled.

Her vision is clear and simple – to simply write and publish.

“I just want to write and publish, that’s my vision. To encourage other Barbadians to write and publish and put the island further. It’s hard to find other Bajans who write fantasy in international circles,” she said.

Her previous works include Dirty Secret which was based on transmigration, The Twin which is a series, and the Wolf in Sheep’s Clothing which is about werewolves.

Her book Lu Joaker: Selene Alpha (Book 1) can be found on Amazon or through the editing company Passionate Words Editing Services.

(Pretty Sure Media)