Introduction

The book may be titled House of Horrors, but I don't think of it as a typical horror story. It contains elements that I feel are more interesting, like main characters with missing or distorted memories, doors that can't be opened, an enclosed space with mysterious powers, and puzzles to be solved. Horror is only a small part of it. ❤️

The inspiration behind this story started with an invitation - "Want to meet up for an escape room or murder mystery game session over the weekend?" I was thinking about a story for the new book when my friend invited me. It gave me the idea to incorporate these interesting party games into my story, and that was how the story came about.

I also wish to share a little backstory about Anson.

Anson was to be taken to his grandmother's house after his parents died in the mansion 15 years ago. The quiet Anson grew more reserved after the incident. After settling mansion-related matters and shutting its gates, the old butler took Anson and left. While Anson was walking down the forest path, he saw an orphanage with vines crawling on its old stone walls and wildflowers growing in the crevices. Hearing children singing above, he looked up and was confused by a girl crying near the window. He had the urge to call out and comfort her, but a boy came to her side before he could. The boy gave her a handkerchief before reaching out to close the half-open window. Anson quickly lowered his head when he met the boy's eyes. The window closed above him as the butler told him to hurry along.

Concept Art

Now, let’s move onto the design drafts for this story! I’ve prepared a few to show today, so I hope everyone’s excited!

First up, we have Zacharias! These are the initial design drafts for his outfit! The team wanted to experiment and see which style and color would fit him best. After much contemplation, we decided that a vest and a mid-length coat suit him the best! Do you all agree with our decision?

Next we have Anson’s design drafts here! Initially we had drafted a more unique and mysterious design for him, but we settled for option A as his gray-blue eyes gave him a somber look while appearing to be trusting and calm. Which design do you like? A or B?

Next up we have Coiseam’s design drafts! We want her to have a lovely and bright appearance with small freckles on her face. The clothing style should portray her as the hunter she is. Which design would you pick?

Here are 4 CG drafts! This shows you how our CGs are created! We first sketched out the overall look of these CGs and refine the details once the team agrees on the designs. Can you tell which 4 CGs these drafts are for? Which CG design do you like best?

I’ve also prepared some drafts of our backgrounds from this story!

First up we have the design draft of our dining hall! We can tell the draft is slightly different from the final version. Can you spot any differences between them?

Next up we have background drafts of our office. We had 3 options and decided to use C as the final version. However, you can tell the details of the furniture settings are quite different! Which one do you like the most?

Next up we have background drafts of our office. We had 3 options and decided to use C as the final version. However, you can tell the details of the furniture settings are quite different! Which one do you like the most?

Moving on, I hear that everyone gets extra excited when outfit design drafts are shared, so I’ve prepared plenty to share with you all today!

Let’s start with the design drafts for "A Moth’s Poetry" and "Dove Knight". We originally also designed a purple themed outfit along with "A Moth’s Poetry" and "Dove Knight". However, we felt #1 and #3 fit our game the best and removed #2. Would you pick #2 over other designs for this story if you were in our design team?

Next up we have the drafts for "April Tea Party". We wanted this outfit to look a little like a doll to show the sweetness of Rae~ You can see that the final version is a combination of these 4 drafts, the styles and the colors. Which design draft do you like the most?

Here we have the drafts for "Everlasting Light"! We considered which one better represented the candles when we picked the final version. Is there any design you wish to see being repurposed?

Let’s look at the variants we had planned for "Under the Dome"! Originally the outfit was designed in a warm-toned color, but we decided to go with a cold-toned color to give this look a more calming and gentle vibe! Which color tone do you prefer?

These are the design drafts for "Bygone Rose Garden"~ For this outfit we wanted to show mysterious-looking attire that’s not only stylish but also can personify a dark red rose. Which design ideas do you prefer?

Last but not least, here’s the design draft for the achievement badge for this story! What do you think of these designs?

Q&A Session

The story revolves around Rae, Anson, and Zacharias.

As one of the Book of Curses' direct victims, Anson lost his parents, then his own life. Even away from the mansion, he was trapped in past memories. He missed his parents and was obsessed with the bedtime story written by his mother. When he saw Rae, the girl on his mind, he decided to make her stay in the mansion with him.

Zacharias was his opposite. He may have lost his mother, but he grew up with his father's love. Even after realizing his father's love for him wasn't unconditional, he didn't leave immediately. He wanted to get out, but not on his own. He was determined to help Rae escape as well. And he still wanted his father's approval.

To escape the mansion was to escape the forest stuck in a time warp. This story advises readers not to accept things as they are and be blinded by the past, but to get out there and experience new things.

What inspired you about the story? Let me know!

Q: Which escape room did you go to?

A: Haha I never expected you all to take interest in this! The one I went to was a magical-themed escape room, not very similar to a Western-styled mansion-themed escape room, but it had some puzzles with supernatural elements added in!

Q: Speaking of Coiseam, how did you come up with her name?

A: When naming her, I found out that “Coiseam” means happiness and stability, and since she is someone who’s always lively and loyal, I named her Coiseam!

Q: I was wondering about where story is taking place? Like which country?

A: As the story is set in a closed mansion, I didn’t have a detailed idea for which country this story is based in. As the scope for this story is relatively broad, I’d say that this story was based in a small mountain forest in Europe.

Q: Do you have plans for a side story focusing on Anson?

A: In regards to side stories, even though the adventures of Rae and the other characters have come to an end, if everyone would like to continue meeting these characters through side stories, I believe that I will be able to live up to everyone’s expectations.

Q: The part in Chapter 2 where Rae was back in the orphanage, was that before or after the part in the house with all the characters (in Chapter 1?)

A: All of the things that happened in the orphanage took place before the characters entered the mansion.

Q: Are Rae and Zach actually related, or like brother and sister?

A: I prefer to label them as childhood sweethearts that grew up together as Rae has no blood connection to Zacharias, it’s just that everyone in the orphanage calls John their father.

Q: Can you tell us more about The Cursed Spirit/Invisible Man?

A: The idea of a mysterious mansion and a mysterious ghost always come hand in hand, and that was how the Invisible Man was born! As his name says, he is completely invisible and can only be seen because there’s a white blanket draped over him and the expressions he has are actually drawn on using vegetable juice. (These two items can be found all over the mansion!)

Q: Were the side characters like Paco, Garvey, Saskia, and others really just creations from the story, or were they actual real people who were brought to the house to fulfill their role? What happened to them at the end?

A: They were characters from Anson's bedtime story. When Anson was young, his mother wrote this bedtime story for him as his mother hoped that he could integrate into the unfamiliar environment as soon as possible through interesting bedtime stories. The Book of Curses made them appear in the mansion because of Anson's wish. But Paco was special. He wasn't a character from the bedtime story, so he shouldn't have existed. His appearance in the mansion was a source of conflict, and the Invisible Man used it to sow discord among the characters. When Anson's wish disappeared, they vanished from reality and returned to the heartwarming bedtime story, where they continue to live happily.

Q: What happened to Anson’s butler?

A: After his butler took him to his grandmother, that marked the end of his mission and he left. Luckily, his butler was not affected by the curse.

Q: Where did you get the inspiration for this story? Please share more! Especially regarding the time loop and ways to unlock the different parts of the house!

A: The inspiration came to me when my friend invited me to an escape room. Players have to solve puzzles to proceed to the next room. Due to the limitations of the game mechanics, we couldn't let players solve a large number of puzzles like in an actual escape room. That was why I came up with the idea of using character deaths to unlock areas in the mansion, which added to the thrill and tension. As for the time loop, it's actually more of the objects restoring themselves, rather than a reversal of time. The characters are trapped in an enclosed space that reverts to its original state every day.

Q: Who is your favorite character and why?

A: I love all the main characters. They all have their own charms! Garvey is my favorite side character, though. He was introduced as a murderer, but I really admire his attitude.

Q: What are the origins of the Book of Curses? Do you have more backstory on this?

A: I enjoy solving puzzles very much, and I've played many adventure puzzle games. Puzzles like "Who's the Thief?" and the River Crossing Puzzle were actually adapted from existing puzzles, and they're quite common in puzzle games. I simply rearranged them and added some hints related to the story. (For example, the Invisible Man was the thief in "Who's the Thief?" That was meant to tell the readers that he was the villain of the story.) The puzzles in this story were simple, but if the readers enjoyed them, I'll try to add more interesting ones in future stories.

Q: Can you tell us about your writing process?

A: During the writing process of the story, I always enjoyed delving into interesting puzzles. "Who's the Thief?", rotating music boxes, River Crossing Puzzle... Do you all like these little puzzles? While enjoying the plot of this story, I hope that you all can have fun solving the puzzles in the story too!

Q: Do you have plans on writing any other stories?

A: Of course! Continue playing Time Princess and you’ll be able to read my next story in the future!

Closing

Thank you so much for your questions and all your enthusiasm, passion and love for House of Horrors! I had a wonderful time with you today. Your comments are precious to me! We will continue working on more great stories for all of you~

Author's Favorite Quote

For Becky, she treasures one of Anson’s quotes.

"Even the most desperate circumstances can't stop good from spreading in this world. You must believe that. I hope your cheer and optimism will keep their beauty forever, just like these yellow tulips that never wither."

Anson, who lost his memories, said this. His feelings were pure, and it was his sincere wish. Becky found that touching, especially given the desperate situation they were in.

Thank you everyone for your shares. Becky is very heartened by your kind words and support. We are all overjoyed that everyone enjoyed House of Horrors!