Golden Interviews

INTERVIEW#38 @csutcliffebooks

Interviewer: IMAGINATED3434

Author: csutcliffebooks

1) Tell us about Royal Games.

Princess Alyssa doesn't like living in Opa Palace in the magical world of Topia. She hates the politics and façades surrounding her, so she plans to renounce her royal title and go to a regular university on Earth. Everything is set up, ready for her to live the life she always wanted. However, a traitor in the palace doesn't want her to leave... Or live. Alyssa flees to Earth after a failed assassination attempt. Under an alias, she manages to go to university. She has the life she wanted, but cannot shake the shadow of her royal life. With the help of friends both new and old, she must unravel a plot far greater than she could've ever imagined.

2) Tell us about Princess Alyssa.

Princess Alyssa is the main protagonist of Royal Games. She is a kind, caring character, but she's not afraid to stand her ground and put up a fight when she needs to. She is well-trained in combat, but has never needed to use this training before. As a witch, she also has magic to aid her and bring her comfort, and she is particularly adept at potion-making. Alyssa is always fighting with her brother Marco, but she's recently found a friend in her guard Liam. However, everyone she knows is left behind at the palace, so she finds herself making a new group of friends at university. There is a romantic spark with her new friend Isaac, but Alyssa is reluctant to act on it while hiding her true identity and dealing with dark emotions. 3) What genres does this story include? Royal Games is primarily a fantasy story aimed at a YA/adult audience. It mixes both modern day life and the medieval aspects of fantasy. There are also strong elements of romance and drama, and the story does also get quite dark in some moments.

4) Tell us about her going to university.

After the failed assassination attempt, Alyssa decides to go into hiding by living on Earth under an alias, Ally. By switching her name on legal documents, she is able to go to university just like she had originally planned to do. She moves into university accommodation, along with three other girls (Zoey, Eliza, and Megan) who become her new friends. Alyssa studies English and gets involved in a number of university-led activities, including feminist society and occult society.

5) Why should readers read your book?

Here is part of a message one of my readers has previously left on my conversations page that I think pretty much sums it up: 'Your work is remarkable, though underrated'

6) What is your inspiration to write?

I have always loved reading, so I guess that also sparked a love of writing. I wanted to be able to create the same emotional, thought-provoking responses for other people that I have felt while reading. Also, I have quite a vivid imagination, so writing is my way to share that with other people. The inspiration specifically for Royal Games actually came from a dream I had last summer. In the dream, I was a princess running away from a group of assassins, much like Alyssa ends up doing. I couldn't get the dream out of my head, so I decided to start writing it down. By the time I had finished writing out the dream, the rest of the story flowed naturally.

7) Where do you see yourself in 10 years?

In 10 years' time, I want to be a successful author. The goal is to get Royal Games published as a physical novel, as well as to write and publish more novels. I want to have a large number of supporters, some of which I hope to recognise from my earlier days on Wattpad. I also aim to use the money I earn to buy a house in the countryside with a beautiful garden and its own library.

8) What advice do you have for young writers?

Keep writing. I have loads of stories saved on my laptop that only have one or two chapters; Royal Games was the first time I truly felt I could write the complete, full-length story. If you keep writing, no matter how bad you or other people think it is, you'll eventually find the right story to tell.

9) Anything you would like to add about your story?

Royal Games is an ongoing story with updates once every two weeks on a Sunday, although I am considering changing this to every week in the future. I have written a lot of this story in advance, so I can promise you there are many amazing chapters still to come.

10) Any last words?

For anyone who has Instagram, my bookstagram account is @csutcliffebooks. Follow me on there for updates on my writing, as well as posts about the books I read. Don't forget to vote and comment if you read any of my stories; it really makes my day. And I love interacting with people, so don't be scared to reach out if you want to be friends.

Thank youu. We had a blast, having you here!