Meet The Authors Showcase Edition #1 (1 of 3)

A showcase with @Obscunima, author of The Obscure Downsides of Fame

1 what inspired the idea of your story? 

I was actually really inspired by the movie 'Starstruck' which was a Disney Channel movie from quite a while ago. I found it very interesting how a regular girl somehow found herself in a relationship with a superstar, you know? And from the guy's perspective, I was really interested in how he knew he could trust her and stuff. It seems like a difficult world, with people only being around you for the money or clout.

And apart from that, I was wondering how celebrities would deal with discovering their sexuality when every move they make is being monitored by paparazzi. I was especially wondering what it would be like for Celebs such as Shawn Mendes or Harry Styles, who often gain fans by being the perfect dreamy boy for young girls. Sometimes their talent is overlooked by their perfectly dreamy image, and I was wondering how they would deal with it when they realized that image doesn't fit them.

2 what is something you struggled constructing with your story? 

the thing I struggled the most with, was how both the music and acting industry work in real life. I know it's a difficult business to get in to, but it's even harder to find celebrities talking about it. They often talk about how it makes them feel and how to deal with it, but I rarely hear about how certain events and meetings are and how they're organized

3 what did you enjoy writing most of your story? 

the thing I've enjoyed writing this far is probably Oakley's progression. Both Nolan and Oakley are my main characters, but the true protagonist is Oakley. Nolan has grown up in the industry and, to some extent, knows how to deal with it. He also has his mom to guide him through. Oakley, however, has been in the world of fame for about five years. It seems like a lot, but he's still growing up. He still has things to discover for himself and never had anyone to teach him the basics.

4 what's the overall response of your story from your readers? 

most comments have been positive and I've even received an offer from someone to help me with how the acting industry is constructed. Comments really motivate me, and usually when I get a positive comment, I can write multiple chapters that same day or at least that same week.

5 is your story a stand alone novel or a piece of a series?

My plan is for it to be a stand alone novel. I do want to rewrite it so it focuses more on Oakley discovering himself, rather than mainly him discovering his sexuality. Though I have been thinking about making it kind of part of a collection. Maybe about famous people struggling with various issues. I haven't really thought that idea through yet, but who knows.

 6 what would you like your readers to take away from your story? 

I'd like them to understand that anyone can have struggles, even when you're rich and famous. Even celebrities are just people and they can make mistakes. I often see celebs getting 'cancelled' after making one mistake, with everything good they did being forgotten. Yes, some celebrities get blinded by all the fame and money, but having money and spending it doesn't mean you're living your life to the fullest.

7 what advice would you provide to fellow writers, when it comes to focusing on their own story?

I would advise you to do research. Even when you're not working with historical facts or anything, please do your research. It makes your book much more promising. Even if you're writing science fiction—please look at the past, look at physics, look at everything you're mentioning in your book. It might be a lot of extra work, but it's definitely worth it.

 8 does your main character share any similarities to yourself? 

I feel like I made Oakley the complete opposite of myself actually. He's social, not usually scared of judgement and takes chances. We do both share a love for music and our honesty. Nolan seems to be a lot more similar to me. Nolan has social anxiety. I don't, but I am very shy and do not like meeting new people unless I'm with someone I'm already comfortable with. Just like Nolan, I also overthink things. Thoughts of shame linger in my head for years. When he's comfortable, however, he seems like a very different person. He's very talkative and likes messing with people.

9 what is something about your story you believe would draw in new readers?

I think my story might actually teach people a lot about life. Don't get me wrong—I'm just seventeen years old. I don't know a lot about life and people yet. However, just writing this book as actually taught me so much. It keeps me thinking. It teaches me how to see things from other perspectives and deal with certain issues. Sometimes I wrote and made either Nolan or Oakley do something exactly the way I would do it— but then I realized that even though I have the right intentions, it might be a bad thing.

 10 do you have any future projects?

I don't have any solid future plans, actually. I still have that idea of a collection lingering in my head, but I guess I'll go wherever the wind takes me.