From Clichés to Complexity: Neda Aria’s Journey as Lilith Wilde in Reinventing Romance

From Clichés to Complexity: Neda Aria’s Journey as Lilith Wilde in Reinventing Romance

I began my literary journey wrapped in the anonymity of a pen name back in Iran between ages 19 to 21, crafting what I now view as ‘cheesy, mass-pleasing, marketable YA fiction’. Those days, although successful, are like distant shadows to the writer I have evolved into. My transformation was a complete metamorphosis of style and substance. I am drawn away from the simplicity of my YA days towards the complexities presented by authors like Kafka, Saramago, Ballard and Welsh. Their works, along with profound narratives like “1984”, “The Catcher in the Rye”, and “The Trial”, reshaped my understanding of storytelling. And in romance it was “Madame Bovary,” “Anna Karenina,” and “Tess” that challenged my notion of what a love story could be, steering me towards a deeper exploration of the human psyche.

This shift in taste marked the beginning of a hiatus from romance writing, a pause that was less about stopping and more about growing and reflecting. During this period, I immersed myself in transgressive literature, a genre unafraid to question and defy, to explore the darker sides of human nature. Yet, loving good romance never fully dimmed. It lingered in the background, gradually pulling me back. This resurgence of interest led to the creation of Lilith Wilde, a means to separate my romance writings from my transgressive work.

Lilith Wilde is more than just a pseudonym; she’s the embodiment of my romance literary rebirth. Think of her as the writer who guzzles coffee like water, who gets hit by writer’s block like it’s a sport, who eavesdrops on strangers for dialogue inspiration, and who looks to cats for a muse (because why not?). With Lilith Wilde, I go back into romance, but this time, with a flavor that’s as dark as my coffee. 

“Bella Donna”, set for a Valentine’s Day release, marks my return to the romance genre. In this work, I focused on the evolution of love and its enduring nature. The protagonist, Donna, is a literature lover who, on the surface, aligns with societal ideals – a conforming-to-the-norms kind of a woman. But beneath harbors a rebellious, untamed spirit. The story, a narrative of forbidden desires and the revival of a suppressed self, represents a new chapter in my writing. Alongside “Bella Donna”, I’m also working on a darker, transgressive romance trilogy, to be published by Outcast Press, where I aim to couple Flaubert and de Sade and give them a child. My writing now ventures into uncharted territories, exploring the psychology of desire, the shadowy side of obsession, and the complexity of flawed characters.

Today, as both Neda Aria and Lilith Wilde, I view the romance genre with a critical yet hopeful perspective. I see a market flooded with formulaic stories, lacking in depth and uniqueness. My aspiration is to infuse the genre with the literary depth of greats like Tolstoy, Flaubert, de Sade, and von Sacher-Masoch. I aim to create a genre that not only entertains but also challenges and enlightens, reflecting the myriad facets of love. However, there’s been a distinct joy in mixing transgressive elements with romantic narratives, adopting the Lilith Wilde persona and reintroducing myself to the literary market has its own challenges. It means I have to remarket myself, prove myself, and reintroduce myself. And it’s a hard work! I prefer to just sit down and write in my dungeon rather than doing marketing and sales.

This is a bumpy road but I’m come to stand as a testament to inspire change, to encourage aspiring and established writers to be brave, to motivate the transformative power of literature. I’m here to prove that romance should not be just a story of love; but a narrative that dares to question, to explore, and to redefine. And if there’s one thing I’ve learned, it’s that in the transgressive romance, the only true taboo is being dull.

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Tags: featured, women writers

Category: Contemporary Women Writers, On Writing