An Interview with M.M.D.A.

I’m M.M.D.A., the author of the Horns and Bark series. I write dark fantasy rooted in myth, moral conflict, and unforgiving worlds shaped by power, faith, and identity.

My stories draw from folklore and medieval tones, focusing on flawed characters forced to confront brutal choices and uncomfortable truths. I’m drawn to the spaces where wonder and cruelty coexist, and where no decision comes without consequence.

If you step into my worlds, expect stark landscapes, ancient forces, and stories meant to linger long after the last page.

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What inspired you to start writing this book?

I started writing this series from a place of both wonder and fear. It began after a small surgery – my first time ever being put under. I arrived at the emergency room in intense pain, and everything happened so fast that I barely processed what the doctors were saying. One moment I was being prepped, the next I was asleep.

When I woke up, I was trapped in a fog. I had no sense of how much time had passed. That moment stuck with me. It made me wonder – what if the afterlife is like that? What if it’s just an empty void? No dreams. No awareness. No way of knowing whether the people you love are okay.

Those thoughts refused to let go. So, I decided to build a world where I could explore them – where life, death, and what comes after are not comforting answers, but unsettling questions.

Tell us the story of your book’s current title. Was it easy to find, or did it take forever?

The title took longer than I expected to settle on. Horns and Bark came first – it’s a direct reflection of the main character and how he exists between the monstrous and the natural. Early on, the story was meant to be told solely from his perspective, but as the world grew, I realized it needed multiple points of view, similar to a Game of Thrones-style structure.

The second part of the title, May Gods Be Anguished, hints at the darker heart of the story. It reflects the book’s exploration of ideology, religion, and belief systems drawn from multiple cultures, alongside my own creations. It’s a phrase meant to feel unsettling – almost confrontational.

Altogether, it took about a week for the full title to click, but once it did, it felt inevitable.

Describe your dream book cover.

My dream book cover is something mythical and ancient – something that feels like it was pulled from a forgotten age. Once the series is complete, I plan to commission an artist to bring that vision fully to life.

I imagine a black cloth-bound book with gold inlaid designs. Not flashy, but regal. Etched symbols, eerie figures, and mythical scenery woven into intricate patterns, with subtle relief and reflective accents that catch the light. A cover that doesn’t just present the story but feels like an artifact from its world.

If your book had a soundtrack, what are some songs that would be on it?

I love this question. When I write, I listen to music that grounds me in the world of the story, so I’ve built a whole playlist around it. Choosing just one song is honestly painful.

If I had to pick, though, it would be Jericho by Iniko. It captures the defiance, the mythic weight, and the sense of something ancient pushing back against the divine. Pretty Little Devil by Shaya Zamora comes in a close second for its darker, more intimate edge.

And I’m going to stop there – because if I don’t, we’ll be here all day.

What books are you reading (for research or comfort) as you continue the writing process?

I came to reading later than most, mainly because English isn’t my first language. But when I did, I gravitated toward stories that challenged how I think.

Right now, I’m reading The Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri. It caught my interest because of how deeply it explores ideology, morality, and the structure of belief – ideas that strongly influence my own work. I’m also revisiting Harry Potter, simply because I love getting lost in the wizarding world J.K. Rowling created.

A Song of Ice and Fire has been a major inspiration for me, especially in terms of structure. The multiple point-of-view approach showed me how expansive and layered a story can be when you let different voices shape the world.

What’s one thing you hope sticks with readers after they finish your book?

More than anything, I want readers to understand that life is incredibly precious. None of us truly knows what comes after this – there are no guarantees, no rehearsals, no second drafts.

Because of that, I hope the story pushes people to live fully. To chase the dream, they were told to abandon. To try, fail, and try again without shame. Failing at a dream is still living. Never trying at all is the real loss. You don’t know if you’ll ever get another chance – so make this one count.

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