She Sat Down to Write a Sweet Werewolf Story. It Came Out as 150,000 Words of Feminine Rage.

Nicole A. Sterling tackled creating a duology as a love confession to Venom. Specifically, for the girlies who watched that movie and had to wipe the drool off their chins.

I find this pattern a lot in the indie Romance space. Every few years a mainstream property hands a huge audience their first monster crush, and indie authors are becoming the ones who catch them. Sterling is a case study in that pipeline, right down to a Studio Ghibli character being her personal patient zero.

That handoff from mass media to indie shelves is the kind of movement I track in the Bestiary Society, with market reports, deep lore dives, trend tracking, and a monthly downloadable package that compiles it all.

Nicole A. Sterling

She\Her

List your most brag-worthy books and series.

Well, I only have two books out, so I will brag about both.

I have to start with my beloved debut, The Rose and the Guardian, which is an epic, dark monster romantasy. There aren’t many romantasies with a true monster MMC (non-shifter), and since I’ve always loved Slavic mythology and culture, I thought, ‘Why not write it myself?’

Which was a very bold statement for someone who had never written a book before and was 100% sure it would just be a sweet werewolf story at first. It ended up being a 167k-word manuscript, but my editor waved her magic wand, and now it’s 150k words of pure feminine rage and a never-relaxed wolf cock. This book is my darling, and the one that made me an author.

My second book, A Prayer to No God, is my love confession to Venom. I’m pretty sure if he were to read it, I’d get a few compliments—and maybe some insults because of how clueless the MMC is in there. It’s dark and fluffy at the same time, and also... who doesn’t love Venom? I know I do.

Embrace your weirdness.

🖤🕯️⛓️

I am ultimately a Monster Romance Reviewer and must be true to myself. So! If you had to choose…

Claws all the way! Especially when they’re used in spicy time, or related to a mating ritual. In The Rose and the Guardian, Theron (the MMC) shaves his middle three claws down to show the world he has found his mate and is ready to stretch her, leaving his friends absolutely jealous. And in A Sin for a Demon (coming out November 18th!), the MMC uses his claws to… That’s all I can say hehe

NYT bestseller, Netflix adaptation, cult fandom? Dream big!

All of the above, but for the movie or series adaptation, I would prefer HBO to take the risk because I feel like only they can do my monsters justice. And if I want to really get in there, an anime would be even better.

Coffee? Tea? Unicorn blood?

I love the drops of men’s blood. I mean, iced latte mocha.

Lofi Girl? Ambiance jazz? Your neighbors arguing?

I have two modes: complete silence or Slavic war tracks.

Tell us your tools of your trade.

I don’t know how much it would interest readers, but I love Reedsy. I’ve tried every single platform out there, and each one had its own eye-twitching issue. Some are AI-based, so that’s a hard no for me. Others have this harsh white background that makes me feel like I’m back in school. And some have fonts that make me feel like I should be writing contemporary romance, not anti-patriarchal monster romances. Reedsy is the best, though I really can’t wait for them to finally release an offline version.

When all else fails, this is your standby.

Ruby Dixon! Whenever I’m in a slump, I know I’m reading the next IPB book on the list.

Maybe a delicious mix of all three?

Maybe a mix of all three?

I love characters who are unhinged or deeply into something. One of my FMCs starts a war, and the other is so deeply rooted in her religious trauma that she crumbles in her own thoughts.

My MMCs are always swoony, though.

Readers love the new and—ahem!—novel!

Definitely the FMC from Book 2 of the Godless World duology (A Sin for a Demon).

She has been so isolated her entire life that her view of the world around her is incredibly interesting to write. Because of her isolation, she completely lacks the concept of shame and deeply enjoys the smallest things in life. Then, in the very same breath, she asks a demon to show her what it’s like to be human.

Writing her was really something special.

You just keep coming back to it.

I absolutely hate true enemies-to-lovers.

Personally, I need the MMC to be obsessed—or at least very curious—with the FMC from the very beginning. Which is exactly why I want to write this trope. I want to explore how to write enemies-to-lovers on my own terms. I’m not exactly sure when I will cross that threshold, but I already have a few ideas in mind.

We shall have to wait and see what comes after the Godless World.

Casting couch moment!

Since I’d prefer an anime adaptation, my dream ‘cast’ would actually be a studio of incredibly talented artists who can bring the smallest details of every scene and monster to life.

A vision? A weird DM? What brought you to the community?

It all started when I was a child watching Studio Ghibli’s The Cat Returns. I had a massive crush on the Baron and was rooting for him and the human girl to be together. Then I watched Spirited Away and found myself fangirling over No-Face and Haku’s dragon form.

That was when I first realized I had a thing for non-humans. Years later, at the ripe age of 23, I discovered there was a whole book genre dedicated to this called monster romance. After devouring book after book, I realized I just had too many of my own ideas trapped in my head, and I had to start writing them down.

I definitely didn’t expect a full-on career to come out of it, but I’m so glad it did.

Give your fellow readers and authors some behind-the-scenes insight.

For me, it’s the pressure to release multiple books a year. I only started my career less than a year ago, but I simply cannot see myself putting out more than two books a year. Maybe three if they’re on the shorter side.

I try not to let social media get to me, but the algorithm is designed to make you think everyone else has it completely together, even when you know deep down that it’s an illusion. Protecting my sanity and the quality of my stories is a daily boundary I have to set.

Besides a desire to buy more of your books!

You are a woman.

Remember that when you look in the mirror, when you wake up, and when someone tries to tear you down only because of what you have between your legs. No man, no religion, and no stupid rules made by stupid people can take away the fact that you are a child of nature, meant to bloom.

Love yourself, and treasure the life you were given.

What makes this world special to you as an author?

When a reader takes the time to send me a DM with their thoughts and feelings after finishing my book, it is the most rewarding thing ever.

Every book I write, every world I build, and every character I create holds a little piece of my own lived experiences. A lot of scenes in my books are twisted to fit a fantasy setting, but they stem from real parts of my life. When people read those words and truly connect with them, it makes my soul a little bit warmer each time.

Every writer has their big break moment. What made this one unforgettable?

My lovely debut, The Rose and the Guardian. It was my first book and my first experience with writing whatsoever. It brought a whole year of new emotions and milestones I will never forget: signing my first contract with an editor, receiving feedback from beta readers for the first time, and commissioning my very first character art.

Because this book is so long, I went on a massive journey with my FMC, Noel. She holds a very special place in my heart. In the early drafts, she wasn’t actually the badass she is now—she cried more, got hurt more, and struggled. Through countless revisions and even the scenes that ended up deleted, it felt like we went on a long journey together for her to become the character she was always meant to be.

What wisdom has served you the best so far?

I cannot stress enough how important marketing is, and specifically, starting it way before your book is even done. Imagine putting all that hard work and thousands of dollars into publishing, only to end up with zero sales because no one knows your book exists.

If anyone tells you, ‘Just write because you love it, don’t expect to make money,’ do not listen to them. If you truly didn’t want this to be a career, you would be posting for free on Wattpad. The moment you decide to become a published author, you become a business owner. Never forget that.

You deserve to have your passion as a career.

Spill!

A Sin for a Demon, Book 2 of The Godless World duology, comes out on November 18!

This duology is for the girlies who watched Venom and had to wipe the drool off their chins every single time. While the first book is very cozy and sweet, the second is much more action-filled (though still very fluffy). If you’re in the market for two shadow daddies—and I mean that literally, the MMCs are made of actual shadow—this duology is for you.

And what comes after that? It’s a bit too early to officially mention, but the next book is already in the writing stage. I’m incredibly excited for 2027!

Here’s a soap box. Get on it!

First and foremost: go add The Godless World duology to your TBR! Book 1, A Prayer to No God, is out now, and Book 2, A Sin for a Demon, drops this November 18.

And of course, The Rose and the Guardian, for that feminine rage kick.

This is your shameless advertising moment. Drop those socials and websites!

You can find me on Instagram @nicoleasterling and TikTok at @nicoleasterling1, but if you want to dive deeper into my worlds, come join my Patreon!

I have two tiers—The Marked and The Seen—where I share monthly spicy and NSFW character art of my monsters and their human mates. Depending on the tier, you also get behind-the-scenes updates, exclusive comics of scenes from my books, automatic access to ARCs, store discounts, and monthly chapters of my exclusive novella, Knot Me Out.

Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/cw/NicoleASterling

My Website for special editions and merch:

https://nicoleasterling.com/