Author Interviews

Meet Ai Kei

5. How do you process and deal with negative book reviews?

I am someone who likes getting feedback. Even negative ones. But some of the negative feedback can be toxic. Its our decision to make whether we take in the feedback or not. Sometimes it help you point out where you're book is going wrong and where you need get fixed. But if its toxic feedback that's something you completely have to ignore and have that gut super feeling of "I am not giving up, I am gonna fix my book and somehow work it out and make it better so I can smash this on their faces!" This is how you answer back to toxicity in getting feedback. Don't take some of them to heart, learn from your mistakes if you have to. 😊 We all make mistakes.

6. What is the most difficult part of your writing process?

For me sometimes is my imaginations. I don't know how to word it because I am more of an imaginator. 😂 (Its not a word but I made it up 😂) so, I am someone who imagines my stories wherever I go and daydream my stories like movies playing in my head. I know the whole story and sometimes it gets hard to word out my story. Like literally put it on the paper/document. That's what I have struggle with. Also, there is another. I struggle a little with action scenes. Like when two people are fighting with other, I have to word that out. Those kinds of scenes I have a bit of a tough time to write. But, I do research and reading so that helps.

7. How long have you been writing or when did you start?

Hmmm..🤔 I started writing when I was 12. I had a darker past growing up so I had to see a therapist. She told me to keep a journal where I could write whatever I wanted. That's when I started writing haikus, poems and fanfictions. That's what I started with writing. Slowly, and writing a lot helped me to improve. After I started writing, it never stopped. My hands never stopped.

8. What advice would you give to a writer working on their first book?

Keep writing. Even if it's not good or its not to your liking or if it's not good enough, don't stop. Keep writing because you will improve in time. Like I pointed out in the above question, I started with fanfiction. English isn't my primary language. But, I never gave up. I kept writing and writing! My fanfictions, reading them now makes me laugh and think how babysh they are. 😂 I am proud now to where I am because I never gave up on writing no matter what anyone said. I kept writing and I improved.

9. What comes first for you — the plot or the characters — and why?

For me, what comes first is characters. My characters help build up my plot. Because I am an imaginator, I imagine my characters in the different scenes to build up my plot. It really works for me. If I have the correct amount of characters, I can easily build up my plot.

10. When did you first call yourself a writer?

I think around 2013. That's when my best friend made me join Wattpad because she said she loved my fanfictions I wrote. So I called my self a writer in 2013.

11. What would you say to an author who wanted to design their own cover?

Go for it! What are you waiting for? Create your own book covers because your the writer. You know the story and what's the book is about. So you know what to include in a cover. But always, as a graphic designer myself, I would suggest you use copyright images for your covers. There are so many platforms where you can learn to make a simple book cover. So don't hesitate. Go for it! Create wonders!