Welcome traveller!
I’m Pille — the writer and dreamer behind Mysteries of Madane and Wyrdkeeper. And, as all good stories do, this one starts with an ‘Egg.’
🥚 The Egg That Started It All
Apparently, I was an early reader — devouring a book called Egg at the age of four. I have no memory of this myself, but so the family legend goes. To be fair, the book contained all of six pages and about as many sentences, so perhaps “devouring” is overselling it a little. Still, it was a start.
🕵️♀️ Jewel Thieves & Too Many Suspects
By eight I was scribbling my own detective mystery — complete with stolen jewels, unnecessary suspects, and the sort of twist only a child could pull off. Writing has always been a companion, though for years I never expected it to become anything serious.
✍️ Sparks Shared, Not Just Written
In high school, a group of friends and I would gather to write and swap short stories. We were gloriously unpolished but endlessly enthusiastic, and I’ll always treasure that time. It was the first lesson that storytelling isn’t only about words on a page — it’s about the spark you share with others.
🌏 Wandering the World Before Building One
Life, meanwhile, took me wandering. I studied at university, fascinated by Asian culture, never quite realising it wasn’t just the art and ceremonies that captivated me — it was the psychology and storytelling woven through them. Later, I built a career as a travel agent and guide: inventing journeys, creating itineraries, and finding ways to make far-off places come alive before travellers ever set foot there. As a photographer and aspiring video maker, I’ve spent years chasing landscapes and trying to capture the way they unfold, twist, and surprise. It’s no coincidence that Madane’s deserts feel like characters — I’ve been training for that all along.
📚 My Peculiar Council
My influences are a peculiar council: Terry Pratchett, who taught me that wit is the best armour against an unfair universe; H. P. Lovecraft, who whispered that the environment itself can be a character, and sometimes an adversary; and Stephen King, who showed that the extraordinary hides inside the ordinary. Somewhere between those three, my own worlds took shape.
🤖 Finding My Voice in Fabricator 7
Somewhere along the way, I also found a voice in Fabricator 7 — a narrator, a nd a trickster-guide. Through that voice I learned to step aside, to “drag the storyteller in” and make space for her. It gave me the freedom to play with worlds, to see the story from the inside and outside at once.
🔬 Adding the ‘Sci’ into ‘Fi’
Writing Mysteries of Madane meant not just creating fiction but researching it — turning science into fi. Physics, psychology, scraps of folklore, and more all found their way into the storms, shadows, and empires of Madane. The line between research notes and story drafts blurred so often that I sometimes wondered which one was writing the other.
🎲 Beyond the Page
Now those worlds refuse to stay in one medium: they’ve spilled into short stories, companion tales, and even a card-and-dice game called Wyrdkeeper, grown directly from the book’s neural-game lore. What began as a girl standing in the desert has expanded into empires, storms, and a whole transmedia sandbox.
🐾 Thank-Yous from the Red Sands
Thank you, Dexter — my loyal Doberdane — for all the inspiration, dramatic sighs, and for insisting every plot twist required more snacks. And in all seriousness, to my family and friends who’ve encouraged me (and nudged me forward when I stalled): your support means the world, and I’m endlessly grateful.
And to you, reader — thank you for walking these red sands with me. The story is always better when it’s shared.
