Here, you can find our chat with our picked authors about their mindblowing and heartwrenching stories about touching friendships, unbreakable bonds, and close tight relationships in the family.
If you want to know more about these authors and thei...
An unwed mother in Victorian England from a well-to-do family grapples with the theft of her child. Fourteen years later, now hardened by the experience, she's presented with the chance of that stolen motherhood yet again. She enters her long-lost daughter's life as a savior, but the lengths she goes through to keep both her daughter and her secret safe brings her so far into villainy, there may be no going back.
I'm a 41-year-old Caribbean born mom of two. Language is important to me, and therefore always plays a role in my stories (usually without intention).
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"Children knew innocence, and children knew cruelty, and it was fine for all children to partake in both, until the very moment they could identify which was which. For that day would be the day they were no longer children and they must answer for what they'd done."
- from Perception
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Q. What makes you start writing on Wattpad? What is the most memorable moment you have encountered here?
I struggled with finding success as an indie writer when I found Wattpad. So I tried Wattpad and had some good responses. But then I became frustrated with the failure overall and, I suppose, I sorta broke. Deleted everything, ripped paperback proofs in two, threw everything away and vowed to never write again. Then after 5 years, I saw that my Wattpad account was still up and that writing itch never went away (I kept writing offline but never posted). So I decided to find out why I wasn't making it, and I did so by giving free first-chapter reviews to others. This was my effort to improve as well as make friends. It was a big success and I learned a lot.
I suppose my most memorable moment on Wattpad was the day someone created a reading list out of my name and added each and every single book I'd ever written on here.
Q. What do you think about creating good characters' relationships like friendship, family, etc... in a story? Have you ever focused on a relationship related to family or friends in any of your stories?
All my stories are about relationships, I suppose, in one way or another. I sometimes wonder if it's a question of writing reflecting our times or the writing shaping our times. We should strive for chaos becoming order, always. So I try to bring my chaotic or troubled characters into a state they can live with. In a way, that is how I live my own life, I think.
Q. "Perception" is a fantasy retelling work about two sisters. What inspired you to write such a unique piece? Which details in the story that you like the most about the bond between the said characters?
If I'm honest, "Perception" was an accident. It almost didn't come to fruition. At the time, I'd been doing a read-for-read with someone who rewrote the same classic in a sci-fi setting. The setting was nice but as I read this new sci-fi retelling, I wondered about the fact that the characters stayed strictly in their original roles. I'd first read this fairy tale as a child and trusted it wholeheartedly. But then it occurred to me, "Hey, this is all through the eyes of a teenager. Talk about subjective!" Reading that story as a child then reading it as a mother gave me two different views. At the time, there was a 'rewind the classics' contest and a friend of mine encouraged me to enter. Well, I can't write well under pressure. I am a fast writer, but not with my back against the wall. The contest ended and a few days later, I got an itch, sat down at the keyboard one Friday morning, and after 20 minutes, the first chapter was born. That's why it's so full, because it was meant as a one-shot. And so it remained for a year but many people asked for more. Well, I'm a sucker for praise, so with a lot of trepidation (to date, that was my most successful piece and I didn't want to ruin it), I wrote a second chapter, thinking I'd make it a short story. Then it took on a life of its own and about 3 weeks later, the book was complete. It's still a first draft.
The details I like the most is how the story unfolded. I have a habit of wanting that once you finish reading ONE story, you've actually read at least TWO. This story about this main character, is also a story of the sister. We all live separate lives and no matter how much we think we know someone's path, we actually don't. Therefore, it's important to leave our hearts open for, if not forgiveness, then for dialogue. I really enjoyed writing their childhood scenes.
Q. Is "Perception" the story you enjoy writing the most? What are your favorite details/scenes in your story? And why?
"Perception," though dear to me, is not my favorte story, actually. My favorite story is "The Me You Stole," second to "When I See You." "When I See You" was my first book ever. Therefore, it's the roughest and I am rewriting it. But "The Me You Stole" is 130k of something else. I went into that story disheartened but came out healed. The main character is as 'normally flawed' as they come and that's sometimes hard for a reader to come to terms with.
My favorite scene of "Perception" is probably the one with the letters. Why? Because it says a lot in such little time.
Q. What would you rather: A partner in crime in a scientific world or a childhood friend in a fantasy world?
I would prefer the partner in crime. Shared experiences go a long way and I'd hope we could make it out the other end reformed. 50/50 chance one of us probably wouldn't. hahaha
Q. What is your advice for new writers who want to try writing themes revolving around a healthy relationship?
I think we should write in an honest way. On this planet, we are all sharing the same space but not necessarily the same reality. Rather than trying to get others to come into your world (how dull, you already know your world), try to go into the world of others. This means looking for the good in those around us."Perception" is a story about a woman going up against incredible odds outward, but that doesn't compare to the battle waging within. Everything affecting us outside is comfort, but inward is happiness.
Once the characters become happy with themselves, they bring happiness to others.
Writers are under no obligation to write with a happy/healthy relationship in mind, but realistically, isn't that what we all deserve?
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Thank you so much for joining on this talk!
Have you read "Perception"? If not, you should check it out now.
Check out more of their amazing works at their account LynaForge!
