Droids & Dragons Author, Simon Mohsin

Simon Mohsin

Pub 518 would like to welcome Simon Mohsin to the 'Droids & Dragons' team. Simon lives in Dhaka, the capital of Bangladesh. He considers the city as the 'most notorious "hood" area of the country'.

 "I have been writing for more than two decades, but fiction writing has been my passion since the first year of COVID. My inspiration was mainly my sister, whom I lost last year. The absence of other engagements, a manageable workload, and ample time on hand became my motivation."

Simon is an author and poet who writes in many languages. He has been published in Bangla, his national language, and English. "I am also writing some poetry in Urdu and hope to publish it, though I have posted it on some social media poetry pages."

In 2025 Simon published his first novel in Bangla, a classical Indo-Aryan language. His writings have also been published online and in-print in several India-based Bangla anthologies. Additionally, "I have been published in UK-, US-, Australian-, South African-, and Indian-based online forums and print anthologies. I have just completed my second novel, and I'm seeking a publisher for it. I have been tasked by a prominent Bangladeshi academic, bureaucrat, and diplomat to adapt his historical-academic analytical book on South Asia into a work of fiction, which I am currently working on."

When asked which book or author had influenced his storytelling style the most, Simon responded, "For storytelling, I love the styles of Dan Brown and J.R.R. Tolkien. One keeps you on the edge, while the other forces you to use your imagination extensively as you go along with his writing. I also love the storytelling styles of two Bangla writers - Shirshendu Mukhopadhyay and Sunil Gangopadhyay. One is a master of children's and young adults' fantasy, where the weird, unnatural becomes the natural, acceptable, and friendly, with the most odd situations seeming to be the most natural course of events. The other is a master storyteller of the sociopolitical fabric, underscored through the lives of ordinary people and characters."

Simon's 'Droids & Dragons' story is, "The Covenant of Smoke". A great story about liberation or chaos. The inspiration behind the story is, "the dragon folklore of the Chittagong Hill Tracts in my country, the Chinese dragon folklore, and what the* dragon represents in Chinese mythology. I was motivated to draw on these inspirations within the context of my own country, which continues to suffer from cycles of chaos and an endemic lack of good governance."

Favorite snippets from "The Covenant of Smoke" is a combination of two separate dialogues.

"The system is corrupt," she admitted. "But what's your alternative? Chaos?"

Surma's smile was as sharp as monsoon wind. "Liberation."

-......."In the chaos, you hope humanity can seize control." Kumari's expression was unreadable. "Be careful, Ratan. Chaos devours those who think they can ride it like a trained tiger."

Simon loves all YA novels by Shirshendu Mukhopaddhay - ALL OF THEM! He also loves 'Digital Fortress' by Dan Brown, 'Stranger in the Mirror' by Sydney Sheldon, and Kalpurush by Sunil Gangopadhyay.

Like most writers, Simon's literary superpower is the love of writing itself. "Getting published is an afterthought and a byproduct, which, of course, adds immense pleasure to the love and passion I have for writing. But just the fact that I love my own writing, the process of writing, and being able to put what I am thinking, what I am imagining, in coherent written words is very gratifying for me."

If you are looking for a good quick read, then check out Simon's story, "The Covenant of Smoke". Droids & Dragons. is available on Amazon and drops 9/25/2026.