Aimée Ménard is the self-published author behind The World Beyond series. Her passion for writing came from a love of science-fiction, fantasy and romance, and grew from its roots in Sims fanfiction. What We Reading sat down with Aimée to talk about everything from the transition to novel writing, her love for Isaac Asimov, to how her books have become an invaluable tool in raising awareness for key LGBTQ+ issues!
Thanks for speaking with us, Aimée! First off, tell us a bit about yourself and what led you to the world of writing.
This might sound a bit silly, but the Sims 4 got me into writing. My first novel was a fanfiction of two of my characters. It was from a social media character perspective and started off as a blog before going into the novel.
Talk to us about The World Beyond. What is it about, where did the inspiration for it come from, and how has the process of bringing it to life been?
After my first novel, I suddenly got a craving to write more about other characters. I wanted more than what a fanfic could provide though. I wanted to follow my characters wherever they went. Wanted to include elements you couldn’t see in the game, personalities, quirks, and so forth. Later, when I wanted to include magic. I wanted a better magic system. So my son and I sat down and remade the world – so to speak.
We combined elements we enjoyed from role-playing games and combined them into a world that felt like Earth, felt like the world we know, but with something more.
What is the number one goal you want your work to have with readers?
I’d like to hope that readers feel the characters. I write in first person in present tense, so that you become immersed in the story. My characters are emotional, witty and occasionally funny. I hope my readers laugh and cry along with them.
What do you think makes you stand out as an author?
Rather than write about queer life. My queer and transgender characters go through life. That they are queer and transgender is part of who they are, not all of who they are. They work, go to school, have relationships, fight monsters… I try to normalize gender and sexual diversity as part of daily life.
What would you say has been your biggest success so far?
As my books started off as online serial novels, I was told by more than one person that my books would never sell. I’d never be picked up by an agent or publishing company. So, I self-published. Of all those naysayers who said my book would never sell, I’ve shown that it does.
If you could go back in time to one book you read for the first time, what would it be and why?
Foundation by Isaac Asimov. He brought me the joy of reading science fiction, and it just opened up my mind to wanting to read more.
What’s one tip you would give your younger self if you had the opportunity?
Write sooner than later. I’ve had a lot of artisan hobbies in the past. Many of my characters are born from my own bardic nature of being an artist, artisan, geek and jack-of-all-trades.
My tip to a younger me and to everyone: Listen to your heart, use your creativity and share your gifts with the world.
And finally, what do you hope the future holds for you and your writing?
My goal and hope is to keep writing my series. I still have a lot of the story to tell. I already have the next 6 books planned out to complete my first story arc.
Follow Aimée and all of her work on Twitter/X, Amazon or over on her website
Check out our interview with Stephen Zoltan
Part-time reader, part-time rambler, and full-time Horror enthusiast, James has been writing for What We Reading since 2022. His earliest reading memories involved Historical Fiction, Fantasy and Horror tales, which he has continued to take with him to this day. James’ favourite books include The Last (Hanna Jameson), The Troop (Nick Cutter) and Chasing The Boogeyman (Richard Chizmar).
