Spazzy Magazine September 2013

Interview with Natasha Preston

W A T T Y     I N T E R V I E W S

Hey there folks! This is ILov3Candy, once again bringing you a Spazzily amazing interview with a Spazzily amazing author, Natasha Preston! She's the brilliant author of stories such as The Cellar and Possessed. Read on to know more about this awesome person!

What inspired you to write a story so dark and mysterious?

The idea for The Cellar came from a dream I had where I was kidnapped and thrown in a cellar. In the morning I couldn't stop thinking about it and decided to turn it into a story. I sat down and worked out why he was kidnapping and what he wanted. The flower/name idea was there right at the beginning, but I can't remember if there were flowers in the dream or not.

 Are any of the characters based on people from real life?

I don't base any character on anyone I know but I do take certain traits from people I know and mash them with the character in my head to make them more 'real'.

Did you ever think that you'd get more than SIX MILLION reads on a story?

Absolutely not! I hoped I'd get a few reads and some feedback, but I never imagined it would be as popular as it has been. I honestly don't write with the aim to get loads of reads or votes. I love writing, and I write whatever is in my head, not what I think will get me 'popular'.

Have you ever experienced having a 'writer's block' and if so, then what do you do about it?

Oh all the time! I get it quite a lot and usually because I'm trying to do too much. I've learnt to concentrate on a few things at a time - I used to write three or four at a time! I'm now concentrating on writing one novel while editing another, and that's plenty for me.

(That's a great tip!)

Are your upcoming/ongoing stories anything like 'The Cellar'?

Not really. I do plan on writing more gritty YA books, but I don't want to redo The Cellar and cheapen it. I did enjoy getting in the head of a complex character (Clover) so I'd quite like to tackle something like that again. Maybe it'll be another murderer but he/she won't like Clover.

 (We'll no doubt love anything you write)

Who is your favourite writer on Wattpad?

My favourite writer on Wattpad is Kirsty Moseley (kirsty1000) I love all her books and I'm lucky to know her in real life. We met through Wattpad and met up after we discovered we live about an hour apart.

(Lucky you, meeting up with a great writer like Kirsty)

What's your favourite story on wattpad?

My favourite Wattpad story is Nothing Left to Lose by kirsty1000. It made me laugh, cry, scream and cry some more. It's being published in November, and I can't wait to own a copy!

(We can't either!)

What kind of books do you prefer?

I'm reading more Chick Lit at the minute actually. Anna Bell (also on Wattpad) has written some great stories. I also like Young Adult, New Adult and Thrillers. And of course Stephen King!

(Chicklit is indeed amazing)

Has any of your fans ever touched your heart by one of their comments?

Absolutely. I love comments and hearing what my readers think. I had one that I'll never forget. It was about a different story, she sent me a message thanking me for writing it because it had helped her deal with things in her past. That honestly made all those hours writing and editing it completely worth it. I also like the ones that tell me they're more cautious about walking around alone because of The Cellar, which is a good thing because bad people look like everyone else.

Has anyone called your story 'lame' or 'bad', and if yes, then tell us how you dealt with it?

Of course. Not everyone is going to like what you write, if they did the world would be plain and boring. It's okay for someone to hate your story. What I don't like is when people go overboard and insult you, that's not necessary but then I've come to realise those kind of comments say more about the commenter than my story. I shrug it off now. If it's constructive, I'll take it on board. If it's just nasty, it goes over my head.

How much do you treasure your fans?

Without them I wouldn't be able to write, self-publish and stay home with my son. They mean more to me than I can ever express.

(last question!) Do you want to say something to your fans? 

I get asked this question a lot and I always have the same answer. Just thank you so much! <3

So there you got it, an interview with the famous Natasha Preston!

~ILov3Candy