Congratulations to our first ever winner of the Prompt Contest, TakiZyn! She won first place in our January prompt contest. Let's get to know her more.
Who is Taki? What can you tell us about yourself?
I live in southeast Texas, USA, with my husband and doggie-daughter. She's actually a tough critic. She'll listen to you read but not if it's boring or ridiculous. My day job has been in a public library for thirteen years now, and I love the variety of it. That's what I love in art and stories as well, getting to see the world through someone else's eyes.
What or who inspired you to write?
Some combination of my grandpa and my insatiable curiosity. Having raised his seven younger siblings and then seven children of his own, he had no shortage of hilarious true stories to tell, but he was known to make some up, too, particularly when it came to the origin of town names.
Who influenced your writing style?
I read a lot of classics very early on, and the wonder mixed with danger inherent in old science fiction and adventure tales, like the ones by Jules Verne and Robert Louis Stevenson, resonated with me. Hopefully I'm not as wordy, though. Oh, and you can blame the cliffhangers on my dad telling toddler me that a good writer doesn't let you put the book down because there are no good stopping places.
What is the title of your major work and what made you decide to write your story?
The main character of River's End, Rose, has been with me for as long as I can remember, and I count its sequel as my first completed novel way back in elementary school. Because of this long-time relationship, Rose's voice comes easy to me, but River's End was never my go-to project until about three years ago when everything seemed to be reminding me of it. Once I pulled it back out, Rose reeled me in with her humor, and Fredo held me there with the challenges he presented. His narration is framed as thoughts that were taken from him to be used on trial, so he's more thinking the story than telling it. Plus, he's blind. Scene description forces you to be creative when the narrator can't see.
Is there a particular message you want to convey to your readers through your story?
Don't be afraid to try new things or look at the world from a different angle.
Check her stories. They are awesome. You have our word. 😊
STAI LEGGENDO
BG Creatives: The Gazette
CasualeThe Black and Gold Community's Magazine A new journey in the hopes to further enrich our experience both as authors and artists: The BG Creatives. Through this, we intend to host monthly writing and art contest for our fellow Wattpaders.
