Dissecting Victor Nandi
Welcome back to the Black Hare Press Dissecting Author interviews, where we dissect an author each month to find out who they are, what they write, and what keeps their creative juices flowing.
Today, we slice open horror, fantasy, and dark fiction writer, Victor Nandi, to spill his writing secrets and learn more about his forthcoming novella, Mystwood.
Welcome Victor!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Victor Nandi writes horror, fantasy, and dark fiction—stories meant to unsettle, linger, and occasionally deny readers a good night’s sleep (he apologizes in advance). He is fascinated by fear in all its forms, especially the kind that creeps under the skin and refuses to leave.
He lives near Navi Mumbai, India, in a quiet place nestled amid woods, small water bodies, and hills. On quieter nights, he can be found stargazing through a telescope or going on late-night runs along forest trails, where silhouettes of trees loom over narrow paths, tendrils of foliage dip low without warning, and the darkness hums with insects and unseen life. He usually returns with camera shots of branches resembling emaciated monsters—and occasionally, with a new plot idea.
Outside of writing, Victor attempts to maintain a disciplined life: he watches his diet with near-religious devotion, except on pizza Tuesdays, barbecue Fridays, and semi-weekly dine-outs with his foodie friends. He reads obsessively, sings when no one is around to tell him how bad he is, and plans to start working out from next Monday. He loves his motorcycle and absolutely loves to travel—and hopes that sometime in the next decade, once he clears his overflowing plate of works-in-progress, he might finally travel somewhere other than his workplace.
Bibliography:
Cosmos, Ghost Orchid Press, 2021
Forest Of Fear, Blood Song Books, 2021
Gluttony, Black Hare Press, 2021
Lost Lore AND Legend, Breaking Rules Publishing, 2021
Love Me, Love Me Not, Black Hare Press, 2023
Rogue Tales, Dragon Soul Press, 2022
Year Four, Black Hare Press, 2023Bibliography
Cosmos, Ghost Orchid Press, 2021
Forest Of Fear, Blood Song Books, 2021
Gluttony, Black Hare Press, 2021
Lost Lore AND Legend, Breaking Rules Publishing, 2021
Love Me, Love Me Not, Black Hare Press, 2023
Rogue Tales, Dragon Soul Press, 2022
Year Four, Black Hare Press, 2023
Connect:
Facebook: facebook.com/victor.nandi.92/
Have you ever based a character on someone you know?
Not directly—at least not in a way that would stand up in court.
But I do borrow fragments: a gesture, a way of speaking, a distinctive twitch of the eye. My characters are rarely replicas of real people; they’re more like mosaics assembled from observations, emotional truths, and the occasional exaggerated flaw. If anyone ever suspects they’ve been immortalized in my work, I’ll neither confirm nor deny.
What’s your favourite part of the writing process?
That moment when a story stops being obedient.
It usually happens halfway through, when the characters begin making choices I didn’t plan for and the plot rebels against my outline. It’s chaotic and disruptive, but deeply satisfying—because that’s when the story starts feeling alive. The feverish clatter of keys, the endless staring at the screen, and watching the plot slowly take shape in my mind may be exhilarating, but the characters rising against my rules… that loss of control is where the real magic happens.
Where do you find inspiration for your stories?
Nightmares, unanswered questions, overheard conversations, old fears that never really left.
I’m drawn to the spaces where the familiar turns unexplained—where creepy folklore spills into reality, or where something seemingly ordinary carries a subtle paranormal undercurrent. Unfortunately, inspiration has terrible timing. It usually shows up uninvited when I’m busy doing something else—work, chores, sleep—and least equipped, mentally or emotionally, to deal with it.
How has being an author shaped you as a person?
Writing has taught me patience, empathy, and a deep respect for ambiguity. Spending years inside other minds—especially darker and morally complex ones—has made me more observant and less eager to judge. It’s also taught me humility. Every book reminds you that mastery is temporary, doubt is permanent, and the work is always bigger than you are.
If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be?
Write slower. Trust the strange ideas. And stop worrying so much about writing a “perfect story.” If it refuses to leave you alone, it’s worth telling.
Also, your system will crash—spectacularly—so save your drafts. All of them. Religiously. You’ll be very glad you did.
What is a little-known fact about you?
I don’t plan my stories meticulously. In fact, many of them begin in a far messier place: my dreams. My entire writing journey started that way over a decade ago—with a crime story so oddly unique and unfamiliar that I wrote it down just to keep it from slipping away. It was meant to be a single, tidy idea. Instead, it grew, changed genres, and refused to stay contained.
And I’m still working on it.
I’ve since realized this is how most of my stories operate: they arrive uninvited in my dreams, rearrange the furniture in my head, refuse to leave on schedule, and—very politely, once in a while—remind me that I’m not actually in charge.
ABOUT MYSTWOOD
Mystwood
Release date: 14th February 2026
Website Link: blackharepress.com/products/
Buy Link: books2read.com/Mystwood-Nandi
In the heart of an ancient forest, where legends breathe and shadows hunger, the line between myth and nightmare is razor-thin.
In Mystwood, nothing is as it seems. The sprawling forest that borders Winsden is older than memory itself—an endless tangle of fog, pine, and secrets best left buried. When a prestigious guest vanishes along the road, soldiers are dispatched to investigate, only to discover that the woods hold more than wolves and whispers. What begins as a search spirals into a confrontation with forces beyond comprehension—forces that twist truth, faith, and fear into something monstrous.
As villagers mourn, rumors spread like wildfire: demons in the trees, cursed love, even angels in the skies. Yet in a land ruled by suspicion, witchcraft is the easiest accusation to make, and belief is often more dangerous than the creatures lurking in the dark.
Through shifting alliances, forbidden knowledge, and the unrelenting pull of fate, Mystwood explores how grief, obsession, and devotion collide when humanity brushes against the inhuman. Lyrical and haunting, this tale blurs the line between fantasy and horror, weaving a world where love can invite damnation and survival demands a price that few can pay.
Step into the forest if you dare—but know that not every path leads back out.
What sparked the idea for this book?
When I was a kid, I was always drawn to places others hesitated to enter—an overgrown path beside a long-collapsed wall, an abandoned building reeking of dark history and wearing an appearance that stirred more fear than pity, a densely wooded area where children weren’t allowed to go. I’d often wander into those places with my heart racing, convinced something was watching me. I retreated before anything happened… most of the time. The stories, however, followed me home. Always.
Mystwood began when I realized those imagined tales had never really left me. Over the years, I kept returning—mentally—to the forests behind my school, where the dead from the world wars were allegedly buried (yes, my school really is that old), and to the dilapidated red building in my hometown that once served as a glamorous ballroom a hundred years ago—places that wore age like a sash and endured through time. The seeds of Mystwood grew from that lingering fascination with what happens when curiosity and longing walk a little too far into the dark.
What challenges did you encounter in finishing it?
Patience. Mostly with myself.
There were long stretches when I knew exactly what the characters wanted to do, but not how—or when—to let it happen on the page. I remember entire evenings spent rereading a single chapter, convinced something was wrong but unable to name it. Mystwood required a slower pace than I was used to; it demanded patience, rewrites, and making peace with several nights spent in front of the system, making absolutely no progress. Writing the story itself wasn’t difficult—the real challenge was learning when to step back and let the plot unfold on its own terms.
Why did you choose a mysterious forest in a time loosely resembling a town in medieval Europe as the setting for this book?
Because some stories simply refuse to exist anywhere else.
I chose a setting inspired by dense, lesser-traveled forests in a time when witches are executed, sorcery still feels real, and magic—though dismissed by the educated—remains entirely plausible to those who have grown up near places steeped in folklore. A chunk of the masses believes that dark creatures with incredible power truly exist, and that the line between sanctuary and threat is thin, unstable, and easily crossed. For a story like Mystwood, that tension—the sense that the entire world might fall apart at any moment—is as integral as the characters themselves.
How did you come up with the stars/MCs of this book?
The characters arrived the way people often do in life—unevenly, unexpectedly, and carrying far more weight than they appear to.
Claire came first, driven by instinct and defiance—someone who refuses to shrink even when her world crashes down on her. Arthur followed, governed by duty, burdened by fear, goaded by guilt, and always trying to do the right thing, even if it’s at the cost of choosing the wrong path.
Others took shape around them. Ophelia began as something almost divine, guided by purpose and belief, only to be tested—again and again—by the fallout of one dreadful mistake. Herbert revealed himself as a survivor above all else, loyal until loyalty became a liability. Nathan slipped in—shrewd, manipulative, opportunistic, and always watching for the moment when personal gain outweighs consequence.
I never thought of them as heroes or villains. I simply let the setting decide who would resist it, who would bend, and who would be changed beyond recognition. In Mystwood, character is revealed by the answer to a single question: what one is willing to sacrifice to survive.
Which of your main characters do you relate to the most? Why?
I relate to different characters at different moments.
There’s something of Arthur’s constant self-questioning I recognize—the need to act responsibly, even when certainty is out of reach. Claire’s stubborn refusal to retreat resonates too, especially her instinct to never surrender, even when pushing on feels, in all likelihood, useless. But if I had to choose one, it would be Gertrude—not because I share her journey, but because I understand her patience. As someone who’s lived with stories far longer than planned, I recognize the discipline it takes to wait, to hold something unresolved without letting it hollow you out.
That said, I’m far less composed than any of them on my best day, so this is admiration more than self-portrait.
Is there a particular message that you hope readers will take from the book?
That love and fear often look alike—until it’s too late.
Mystwood is less about good versus evil and more about intention versus consequence. It explores what happens when devotion congeals into obsession, or when waiting becomes an act of faith rather than avoidance. If readers take anything away, I hope it’s an understanding that the ripples of certain choices travel farther than we expect—and that redemption isn’t always grand, showy, or triumphant. Sometimes, it’s quiet, deeply human, and consummately disappointing… yet still worth it.
What’s your favourite scene?
There’s a moment late in the story when the truth about Gertrude comes into view—when the reason she waited for fifty years is laid bare, and her final choice quietly reshapes everything that came before it. It isn’t driven by flashy gestures, but by silent understanding. The ache of her remorse, the depth of her love, and the selflessness of what she ultimately does still stay with me. In that moment, her entire life feels purposeful in a way I deeply revere. It’s the kind of grace even angels might envy.
What’s your writing Kryptonite?
Self-doubt, I think.
What one thing would/did you give up to be a writer?
A normal brain.
How many half-finished and unpublished books do you have right now?
Let’s not count.
What’s the weirdest thing you’ve researched?
Quickening corpse decomposition.
What book from your childhood do you remember the best?
Umm… something inappropriate
Thanks for chatting with us, Victor. This interview is all stitched up. Mystwood releases on 14th February and is available for preorder now!