Wattpad Block Party: Insiders Guide

Jessica Frey

BLOCK PARTY FEATURED AUTHOR: J.M. Butler (@JessicaBFry)

ABOUT: 

Hi there, I'm Jessica. Jessica B. Fry for my non fiction, and J.M. Butler for my fiction. I run a law firm with my husband as well as a freelance writing business and tutoring side business. Writing isn't just one of my favorite things to do. It's one of the best excuses I've ever had for learning new things. So, while I'm not much good at knife throwing, dancing, ziplining, scorpion handling, acting, carving, sword fighting, and so on, I have gotten to at least try them and so much more. And boy, is it fun! Most of the time. For the record, scorpion legs are as scratchy as they look. My preferred genre tends to be fantasy, though I have a strong love for science fiction and paranormal as well.

WATTPAD BLOCK PARTY STORY: Tue-Rah: Identity Revealed

SHORT SYNOPSIS:

Inale, a mind reader raised among humans, must end Naatos and his brothers' march of terror. Though they are shapeshifting warlords, the greater problem Inale faces is that she is a blood child, born under a horrible curse. Aware of the challenges she will face, Inale did all she could to prepare for her prophesied calling. The curse, however, restricts her ability to be the warrior and leader she believes she must be. 

After hiding on Earth until the time of the Tue-Rah's Restoration, Inale returns to face Naatos. But all her training may have been to no avail. They are far stronger and more skilled than she realized, and the curse that's set to destroy her may erode her final hope for success unless she takes advantage of other skills she has taken for granted. Outmatched and outflanked, Inale must fight to save her world and what little hope of a future she has left.

LINK: http://www.wattpad.com/story/12892892-tue-rah-identity-revealed-completed-wattys2014

AUTHOR INTERVIEW: 

Who are your favorite authors?  

Oh, like so many authors, it's hard to narrow it down. If I had to though, I would have to say J.R.R. Tolkien, John Grisham, C.S. Lewis, O'Henry, Mark Twain, George MacDonald, Flannery O'Connor, Jane Austen, Shakespeare.  And actually some other fantastic published writers who can be found on Wattpad: @CaroleMcDonnell @MoonZephyr @TaranMatharu and @SarahBensonBooks Books by all of these authors are the ones that I go back to read over and over again. 

What advice do you have for aspiring authors?   

Keep writing. It really doesn't matter how old you are or how young you are or what your experience is. You can do it. You just have to get out there and work hard. I actually got my first story officially published when I was a young teen, and when I was about 15, I decided I wanted to run my own freelance writing business. I failed a lot. My rejection to acceptance ratio was over 20 to 1, and I had no idea what I was doing. But I kept at it, and I managed to get a lot of valuable opportunities and experience. 

I will add this little caveat though. If you are young when your first stories get published, there's a better than likely chance that you'll be quite embarrassed about them when you're older and more mature. So while I strongly encourage young writers to seek publication of short stories and even full length works, I don't recommend jumping into self publishing. Stories, essays, and articles tend to be more forgiving, and give you greater opportunities to grow and develop. Plus when you get into some anthologies and magazines, you'll hopefully get to work with some editors and other professionals who will help you hone your writing. With self publishing straight out of the corral, you run the risk of skipping all the essential development points. (I could share some really embarrassing stories that my writing peers and I look back on now, but I'll keep myself focused for now. ;) Sometimes there's just no way to avoid embarrassment, but if you get good feedback and editing, it'll minimize it.)