From Page to Heart: How Chenelle Richards Connects With Readers

ORIGINALLY PUBLISHED | DE MODE OF LITERATURE SEP 2025 GLOBAL

Article Published on: 05TH OCT 2025 | www.demodemagazine.com

"Versus" - By Author Chenelle Richards

VERSUS is a bold, imaginative, and thought-provoking story that will captivate readers from young adult to seasoned sci-fi enthusiasts. It offers futuristic landscapes, strange physics, and characters who live in the tension between identity and illusion. The pacing carries readers from the surface of Mechanon—a planet both familiar and alien—to the shifting spaces of memory and reality, where every moment is uncertain. VERSUS – The Wobbling Orbit is the first in a planned series exploring the boundaries of science, identity, and the mysteries of belonging.

A haunting adventure begins... When gifted young engineer Moon Castillo starts experiencing impulses and memories that don’t belong to her, she struggles to keep her balance. Her work falters, her sense of reality slips, and a woman she has never met suddenly feels unforgettable. Moon soon realizes her life on Mechanon is not what it seems. Tugged in different directions like a celestial object caught between twin planets, she finds herself pulled toward forces she cannot fully name.

As Moon’s strange visions intensify, she uncovers a secret that rewrites not just her history but the very fabric of her world. Reality folds in on itself, and every step forward brings her closer to truths that could dismantle everything she thought she knew. Her choices may alter Mechanon forever—or destroy it. And with each decision, the line between fate and free will grows increasingly fragile, forcing Moon to question where her true path lies. The question remains: which gravity will claim her when the final moment arrives?

VERSUS – The Wobbling Orbit launches an ambitious new sci-fi saga about identity, love, and the dangerous beauty of duality. At its heart, it is a coming-of-age tale set in a fractured universe, following Moon Castillo as she learns that who we are is often shaped by forces far beyond our control. Both thrilling and deeply human, this is the beginning of a saga destined to leave readers questioning the very nature of reality itself. Here is an excerpt from the back blurb.

DIRECT LINK TO BUY 'Versus' - CLICK HERE 

JOURNEY OF THE AUTHOR CHENELLE RICHARDS

Chenelle Richards’s rise as a novelist is a story of inspiration, artistry, and breakthrough. In 2020, while immersed in Modus Vivendi by 070 Shake, she began translating the album’s cinematic soundscape into vivid, written visuals filled with color and movement. What started as scattered notes soon evolved into a manuscript shaped by retro aesthetics, eclectic influences, and emotional contrasts that rarely coexist. That vision matured into her debut novel, VERSUS, set for release in 2025—a project that has already carried her name beyond Canada’s borders and into international literary conversations.

Though she never envisioned herself as a writer, Richards quickly discovered the magnetic pull of storytelling and the challenge of giving form to imagination. The premise of VERSUS proved irresistible, drawing her to explore its characters, worlds, and conflicts with growing intensity and conviction. Each draft demanded more than raw ideas; it required structure, skill, and determination. Balancing creative pursuits with everyday responsibilities, she carved out time to study, refine, and master her craft, proving that artistry flourishes when discipline and vision come together with unshakable persistence.

The result is a debut work that stands apart for its boldness and originality. Blending music-driven imagery with sharp, literary precision, VERSUS captures a voice that is unapologetically fresh, contemporary, and deeply visual. Richards’s journey from casual inspiration to a published novel demonstrates not only her artistic growth but also her commitment to creating something that challenges expectations. With VERSUS, she steps onto the literary stage with confidence, establishing herself as a unique and compelling new voice readers will not soon forget.

At just twenty-five, Richards is poised to make a remarkable debut and ignite conversations far beyond her first book. For her, writing is not mere obligation but liberation—a way to transform sound, memory, and image into story, and to share that transformation with a global audience. With VERSUS, she delivers more than a novel; she delivers an experience designed to spark imagination, inspire readers, and defy boundaries. Richards invites audiences everywhere to add her debut to their shelves and join her at the beginning of a promising literary journey.

FOLLOW THE AUTHOR ON INSTAGRAM -  nelly.noted

INTERVIEW OF AUTHOR CHENELLE RICHARDS WITH DE MODE

Q: What was happening in your life when VERSUS began in 2020?

A. At the start of 2020 I was slogging through my final semester in the Health and Fitness program. I began Versus a month before my twentieth birthday. Disillusioned with school, friendships, and family, and with COVID canceling classes, I failed one course. Still job-hunting and unsure of my faith and future, only Versus sparked real excitement—an instinct I couldn’t ignore.

Q: How did personal conflicts influence its themes?

A. Whew... listen... mental health haha. What are mental health struggles without emotional conflict? Spirituality and existentialism were a big thing in my life at the time. I always had trouble with religion but during 2018-2020 I realized it was because I associated the things that bothered me with other people. So since then I've learned to sit with the things I agree and disagree with in terms of faith and trickled down to how I form opinions in every other part of my life.

Q: Who first nurtured your imagination as a child?

A. I don't know, I mean as a kid it was the easiest type of escapism and nobody questions it because you're a kid haha. I have four sisters and we're not that far in age so we used to pretend we were spies, the Winx, the Bratz, Cheetah girls or just whatever we felt like that day. Combining imaginations is pretty nurturing now that I think about it. I was one of those kids that made backstories for all my dolls and imaginary friends. Even when it was discouraged, I still used my imagination; I just didn't show it as an adult. Actually, it's been the most useful to me as an adult.

Q: Why is music so central to your creative process?

A. I feel like reading and music are the things that trigger my imagination the most. I have no musical talent, but I am a chronic music analyzer. My brain always focuses on the mood and lyrics of songs and it just makes me ask questions and wonder what kind of scenarios it can be applied to.

Q: In what ways does Moon reflect your own journey?

A. In the broadest way, her urgency to find her own beliefs whether that's in a spiritual, moral or logical sense. A lot of my questions in that area were reflected in Moon's thought process. I think her reservations towards others also reflect my journey in understanding human connection. I can't say I understand it completely, but I've learned more and solidified my own opinions and stances in connections.

Q: How did life changes over 5 years reshape the story?

A. Oh my God, I think life changes made the story more emotional. As time went on I felt more drawn to empathy and wanted to put as much effort into the visceral emotions associated with pain and bittersweet moments as I do for the mental processing.

Q: How do cultural sounds shape your identity as a writer?

A. I often weave personal passions into my writing, like music. Growing up, Mom played gospel, Dad reggae and country, and my sisters everything from rock to pop, rap, and global hits. Songs like Tic Tic Tac and Alabina take me back to childhood—though Jamaican, we didn’t understand the lyrics, yet the rhythms still painted vivid images.

Q: Is writing therapy for you, or exploration?

A. Both. Journaling gives me ideas for chapters—sometimes a sentence clicks later in a new context. Revisiting entries often reveals unnoticed patterns or traits. Fiction deepens that exploration, showing me parts of my mind I didn’t realize were there. During editing, I’ll find lines that don’t sound like me, proof I was channeling my characters’ mindsets.

Q: What challenges did you face at 19 writing this book?

A. I think I had the most drive and excitement about Versus when I was 19 because that was the very beginning of the process. The ideas flowed easiest at that time, but the mechanics of a novel was challenging. I also had a hard time articulating images and quickly realized I would have to describe situations I never experienced and emotions associated with them. I mean, there are some emotions that I could relate to but haven't been in the exact situation, so it was challenging getting into certain perspectives.

Q: What vulnerabilities do you reveal through your characters?

A. Oh boy. I think I reveal a desperation to understand and be understood. Especially wanting to understand things that seem so obvious to everyone else. I think I also reveal a lot of inner conflict about morality. I feel like one's morality often connects to their beliefs about life and I just want to make sure everything I do or believe is because of my own reasons, not what anyone told me to think.

Q: What passions beyond writing fuel your imagination?

A. I don't know. I mean I guess I already mentioned how music fuels my imagination. I wouldn't say I'm passionate about visual arts but I have found some inspiration from drawings and photography. Like with music, I tend to analyze films a lot and exploring questions and themes in movies can fuel imagination.

Q: How has completing VERSUS changed you as a person?

A. I see more purpose in things. I feel like since finishing Versus so many things have come full circle. I've read reviews and I'm like "yes! they understand what I meant!" and it is just a reminder that not everything is in vain. When I started Versus I was like "I wanna see what I can do with nobody else in my ear. Only my ideas with nobody to dismiss them." Being able to do that and get positive feedback has really boosted my self-belief and what I'm capable of.