Short Story Studio | Interviews

★ | @ KaraCarreira

❝Write a lot and be open to learning. And, of course, always believe in yourself. Grab those chances you're afraid of taking, because you never know what you can achieve if you don't give it a try❞

-KaraCarreira

Author of 'In Fair Verona'

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Congratulations on being The Wattys 2021 winner! Could you tell us a little bit about this experience.

It was one of the highlights of my life. Seriously.

When I joined Wattpad over 2 years ago, I never imagined I'd try my hand at historical fiction, let alone be the recipient of such a prestigious award in that category. I've dreamed of winning a Watty since I knew about the awards because it gave me something tangible to work towards and incentivised me to become the best writer I could be, but I always felt it was too far out of my reach, like a star I could see but never touch.

When I look at the Wattys 2021 winner sticker on my cover, I can't believe I'm looking at my cover and my award-winning story. Whenever someone congratulates me on my win, it honestly feels like a dream. I'm beyond honoured that my story was selected as a winner out of so many entries. This accomplishment will always serve as a reminder to me (and to anyone reading this, I hope) that dreams can come true if you have the courage to pursue them, as Walt Disney once said.

I can't begin to describe what winning a Watty means to me. I've always loved writing, but being a writer can sometimes be discouraging. Sometimes the words just aren't flowing, or I read a beautifully written book and feel like my writing is dreadfully inadequate in comparison. This win is my proof to myself that I can do it, that I am good enough even though I still have a lot to learn, that this is a dream worth pursuing.

Your main protagonist Kenna Fernsby travels back to the late 16th century England. Was this a plotline you had to research to ensure the time line was depicted aptly on the page?

Absolutely! I made use of every form of media I could to get more insight into Elizabethan England when I was writing "In Fair Verona". I reread "Romeo and Juliet", browsed through articles on the internet, brushed up on my Elizabethan English and watched some YouTube videos as well as "Shakespeare in Love". Who said research can't be fun? I feel like a time traveller now!

To tell you the truth, I felt quite familiar and comfortable with Elizabethan England from studying Shakespeare's works in my high school English classes. Shakespeare's plays may not take place in Elizabethan England, but they were written for an Elizabethan audience, so their style and content says a lot about the beliefs and social practices of the Bard's world.

My teacher always shared a little about Elizabethan theatre when we were reading through the play, so that really helped me flesh out The Curtain in "In Fair Verona".

Despite all the knowledge I had, there was still a lot I didn't know! At any given time, I had about ten tabs open in my browser on my iPad, all about Elizabethan clothing, language or the setup of a typical theatre. It has been a year since I started writing "In Fair Verona", and some of them are still open. I've become weirdly attached to them, so much so that I can't bear to clear them away!