Heart's Choice Author Interview: Lisa Fox, "Devil on Your Shoulder"

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Originally published at: Heart’s Choice Author Interview: Lisa Fox, “Devil on Your Shoulder” - Choice of Games LLC

Devil on Your ShoulderSee your name in lights on Broadway! Find fame, fortune, and true love! All it costs is your immortal soul. Devil on Your Shoulder is an interactive urban fantasy romance novel by Lisa Fox, author of A Pirate’s Pleasure. I sat down with Lisa to talk about her newest game and romance in general. Devil on Your Shoulder releases Thursday, February 13th. You can wishlist it on Steam today—even if you don’t intend to purchase on Steam, it really helps!

This is your second time writing for Heart’s Choice, and we loved your first game, A Pirate’s Pleasure. This game has a very different setting and feel! Tell our readers all about it.

Thanks so much! A Pirate’s Pleasure was an incredible project. My first ever IF. I’m so glad it was as well-received as it was.

Devil on Your Shoulder is definitely a very different setting. It takes place in the 1990s, sort of all the 90s crushed into one year, in New York City’s East Village and Times Square. It was a gritty time, and the city was a gritty place. The city’s rebirth into what it’s become today was just beginning back then, and there were literal sweatshops in Chinatown and rotting tenements throughout the Lower East Side.
But despite all that, the city was also full of everyday magic. A dollar and a dream as the New York lotto used to say. That’s all you need to make it in New York.

Well, that and a whole lot of determination, of course.

I have so many fond memories of that time. I tried to put them all into Devil in some small way. That time, in that place, was amazingly special. If you lived in the East Village, you really could see Joey Ramone walking down the street on any given day, stop by CBGB’S for a beer, have lunch next to Allen Ginsberg, or go to an illegal rave advertised with nothing more than a phone number written on the door of a bathroom stall.

I want readers to feel that vibe, and I hope they love it as much as I do.

Author Lisa Fox

Heart’s Choice author Lisa Fox

What changed for you in the writing of these two games? For one thing, I can see that Devil on Your Shoulder is much longer, at 300,000 words!

Jebus, what hasn’t changed since Covid? Everything. So much. And Devil is definitely a Covid baby. It has struggled to leave the confines of my computer and see the light of day for quite a while!
But the extra time gave me the flexibility to write extra words, and so I did. Also, this time around I had more of an understanding of how IF works, so I was able to offer – what I hope! – is a fuller experience.

What are some of your favorite romance novel conventions/tropes, or some of your least favorites?

I go absolutely mad for a tsundere character. Every time. I’m a total sucker. I love that initial aloofness, the slow breaking down of their walls. Bonus points if the love interest is a Ray of Sunshine. I eat that trope up with a spoon!

In that same vein, I love, love, love enemies to lovers. I will never get tired of that one! Also, fake marriage/fake dating is tremendous fun.

The only trope I really can’t get into is yandere. I’ve tried it in many different games, and I’ve just never liked it. Not my thing at all.

If you were going to romance one of your characters in Devil on Your Shoulder, who would you choose?

Aww, that’s not fair! I refuse to choose… All right, if I must – Mikhail.

What are you working on next?

I’ve made it my goal for 2025 to learn Ren’Py. I think I want to try my hand at visual novels next.

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I’m really excited for this one! Best of luck on learning Ren’Py. Would love to play a VN from you.

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I was actually very disappointed Mikhail wasn’t an RO, but now I see the author just doesn’t want to have to share. :wink:

Seriously though, this is such a great game, and the pan-'90s NYC setting is exactly as vibrant and gritty and full of possibility as this interview makes it sound. The story is consistently entertaining, full of subplots and diverse goals to pursue. There are some delicious romances, of course, but it’s also a journey through the Broadway world, capturing not only the glamour of the spotlight but the cutthroat competition backstage. It’s a deliciously irreverent twist on the age-old Faust legend. It’s the story of a community in transition, in which you can be a passive observer or take action to help shape its future. And although the PC is definitely written as a woman attracted to men, it’s possible to play without getting involved in a romance and still get to read a good story.

I’m so glad to know it’s going to be out in the world in just over two weeks.

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Thank you, my friend! You are so lovely :heart::heart::heart:

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Thank you for writing this lovely overview! :heart: And thank you again for all of your help.

Also, Mikhail is mine! A beatnick poet professor bookstore owner is truly my dream man :heart_eyes:

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You’ll probably get a kick out of this anecdote.

My first playthrough when I do a beta is always a self-insert character, so my first time through, I started playing without having a specific romance option in mind. By the end of the first chapter, I’d met all the guys, but since none is exactly my real-life “type,” I still wasn’t sure where I wanted the story to go.

Then I walked to the subway with Cris, and he introduced me to Mikhail, and Mikhail told Cris he had a signed book for him, and Cris was visibly thrilled by this information … and that was the moment I knew Cris was The One. :laughing:

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Awww, i do love that! :heart::heart::heart: Yay!!

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Woohoo! I’m so glad to see Lisa Fox back for another Heart’s Choice project. I feel like A Pirate’s Pleasure is a masterclass in romance writing and I recommend it to anyone interested in writing romantic interactive fiction. Excited to see this new work!

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Thank you so much! I appreciate you!!! :heart::heart::heart: @Khipsky

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OMG, I’m very excited for this one!! I loved A Pirate’s Pleasure and I’m currently obsessed with musicals thanks to Hamilton lol. Thank you Lisa for sharing these wonderful stories with us <3

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Thank you! :heart: this one definitely has muscials. :musical_note: I hope you you enjoy it a lot! :smiling_imp: @Valeria

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I wish I were one of those people who can read while listening to music with lyrics, because the playlist I would put together to play this game by would be epic.

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Sounds like an awesome mix of nostalgia and urban fantasy. Love the 90s NYC setting, feels like a perfect backdrop for some gritty, magical romance. And diving into Ren’Py next? That’s gonna be fun!

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Thanks! NYC is a place for dreams. I hope you love what you find! :smiling_imp::purple_heart: @FidelityBoss

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Are you sure this is coming out on the 13th because Steam has not got it listed for coming out on that day, its still in the “soon/to be announced” bracket.

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It was a CoG staff member who gave us the Feb. 13 release date, so unless they announce a delay, it’s safe to assume that’s still the plan. They just haven’t gotten around to updating the Steam page, which isn’t unprecedented. Steam isn’t involved in setting release dates.

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Thank you for that info! :+1: I’ve been waiting for this, loved the demo!

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Hello, and thank you @barca1au The game is 100% coming out on Thursday! The steam page is still not updated , but they made the official announcement today :heart:

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