365 Interviews

Interview 14: _coachella

1. Can you tell me a little bit about yourself? 
 I'm literally so lost what I'm trying to say. Um... I don't like mangoes?

2. What inspired you to write? 
Well, as a child, I was always surrounded by stories. My mother and my grandmother would always mention a story and as a child, I was completely indulged into them and I guess that's what inspired me to write these kind of stories because what they always mention are like humourous, magical, sometimes love stories to me.

3. Do you have a specific writing style? 
Um, I don't know if I have a specific writing style. I guess that's up to you guys haha

4. How did you come up with your titles? 
 Haha this is a very funny story (well, maybe, I don't know). Apparently, when I was younger, when I meet a new person and if I couldn't pronounce their name, I would make up a new name for them. Growing up, I think it became almost a talent for me to make up a title or a name for something or someone. 

5. Is there a message in your novel that you want readers to grasp? 
 Yes, I do, actually! For Parents in Training, I get that people are so annoyed by Bella's actions in the first two or three chapters because of her sudden hate for Leon. As a reader, reading the first two or three chapters, the characters are technically strangers to you. Like, in what story do you instantly know the character? The character builds up every chapter and if I wrote why Bella hated Leon in that particular chapter that you are so annoyed with, what's the point of trying to build up the character throughout the whole book? The whole idea is for you to find out what each character is all about. I can't just tell you everything about Bella in one go. The message is, you don't really know the person until you hit that one part where you know why they are the way that they are. 

6. How much of the book is realistic? 
Haha it's not realistic at all. I was just taking the mick out of the whole girl hates player boy to another whole level by adding a magical baby and a crazy lonely teacher! I guess burying the hatchet is realistic haha

7. Are experiences based on someone you know, or events in your own life? 
Um no but I would take on an adventure to France, Spain, Rome and England any day with my friends! haha

8. What books have most influenced your life most? 
I have to say "The Time of My Life" by Cecelia Ahern. I love every single book Cecelia Ahern wrote, it pretty influenced my writing as well. I kind of learned a lot from that book because it taught me that you should just enjoy life and take good care of it.

9. Describe your writing style in ten words or less.
Um... Confusing, weird, unstructured, unplanned, messed-up, lacking work and yeah... 

10. Where do you get your ideas?
Usually when I'm bored or alone, I think of different scenarios in life and I usually take it from there to put it into a story or sometimes, when I'm so tired of a typical plot, I pretty much just add a sprinkle of humour, a pinch of adventure, a dash of magic and whole lotta love!

11. What are some things you like to do when you’re not writing?
That's a hard question because I spend my time writing! Um... I guess I... uh, I can't really answer that question but I guess... drawing, tumblring, eating... I don't even know.

12. What distinguishes good writing from bad writing?
For me, bad writing is just purely no emotion at all. If you, as a writer/author, can't feel what you're writing, you know that nobody else is going to feel it as well. Good writing is when you can feel the emotion and it instantly just grabs you into the story.

13. If you were writing a book about your life, what would the title be?
Wow I haven't thought of this one... Uh, I guess "Life Starts Here"? I don't know haha

14. Imagine your characters are on survivor.  Who will they vote out of the book?
. I think out of Parents in Training, I really don't know who the readers would vote out. I can't pick either because I love all of them! I have feeling they would say Will but I love Will! Or Harris because I haven't put much Harris in the book and he seems like an ass haha

15.  Do you see writing as a career or a hobby?
 I'm stepping in the middle line for this one because as a hobby, I don't know how to spend time without writing and as a career, I don't really know because having a hobby as a career is the most enjoyable thing you ever live on.

16. Will you have a new story coming out soon? If so can you tell us about it? 
 I don't have any new stories because obviously, I have so much going on that I don't even know what I'm supposed to write and take my focus on. Like, I just released Treacherous on the last day of 2013 and that already made my plate even fuller than ever. 

17. What was the hardest part of writing your book? 
Obviously ending it! I had so much fun and the fun had to end! Also because you don't know how to end it because the ending is the most important part for me

18.Did you learn anything from writing your book and what was it?
 What I learned: not everyone is going to be nice about it haha or even like it. I learned that in a hard way because I didn't know if I should say something or take it as a lesson and also because Parents in Training was the first ever book I wrote that got so much attention. Some people were a bit harsh on the littlest things, the character and the way I wrote. However, it didn't get to me as bad because there are like more comments that could overpower the whole negative ones.

19.Do you have anything specific that you want to say to your readers? 
 I really want to say thank you for reading and taking your time. Your amazing comments and support are much appreciated and I really love what you guys have done for me. I really hope you guys are still around for my new works because having another adventure with you guys is like having another lifetime - wow cheesy okay. You guys have done so much and honestly, meeting any of you would be ace!

20. Do you have any advice for other writers?
Just have fun with it. Put your emotion on it, make the plot line interesting and don't ever take any of the read count for granted. If you have 20 million reads, don't ever say it could've gone better because those 20 millions reads could get you a column in New York Times or something. Just be grateful for any amount of reads because somebody saw your amazing work. Be happy about it :)