❝All the world is made of faith, and trust, and pixie dust.❞
The book "Marooners' Rock (Interviews)" is an initiative that features Spotlight Authors every month with some special questions about writing and especially about Neverland!
One of our May's Featured Spotlight is CroodsGirl - she's the author of "The Green Guardian", which plot revolves around magical creatures - especially about fairies!
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About her: My name is Catherine Victoria Christie/Viktoria Fyodorova. I'm an aspiring Fantasy author who hopes to publish her first book in the next few years. I've been writing since 4th grade and have written over 200 short stories and six novels. Besides Fantasy, I also enjoy Science Fiction and Fanfiction. I'm a huge Star Wars and Legend of Zelda nerd. Most of my stories are inspired by trips I took with my family when I was younger, but I also get inspiration from music and artwork. I love anything that has to do with magical beings, such as mermaids, fairies, and dragons. Since my writing style is similar to screenwriter, one of my biggest dreams is that one of my books will become a Disney movie. I love to help undiscovered authors get noticed. Therefore, I hope to become a Wattpad Outreach Ambassador in the near future. I'm thinking about going into teaching Creative Writing. My goal with Wattpad is to pull readers away from the more popular genres so every writer can get a chance in the competitive writing world. There are so many undiscovered gems that need to get noticed.
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About "The Green Guardian": The story follows the adventure of a young Pinta Park Ranger, Anthony Mateo Brook, who is sent to an enchanted forest. He must free it from a ruthless basilisk. Along the way, he has to learn the legend of the Green Guardian, a fairy who's said to watch over the forest. Sixty years ago, she trapped a little boy in time. It is up to Mateo and a little girl, Evie, to free them before it's too late. However, the mission soon becomes a matter of life or death when Mateo's worsening mental health takes its toll on him, causing him to fall critically ill. Regardless of his illness, he is still desperate to succeed with his mission. He is willing to fight until the very end so he can see his unborn baby girl at least once before he dies.
Her Favorite Quote: "To be a Pinta Park Ranger is to be one with nature." - Anthony Mateo Brook
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1.What do you love about writing and why?
To me, writing is freedom. I am able to escape the real world and temporarily live in my own, imaginary one. Ever since I was a little girl, I've always had a huge imagination. At first, I used it to play acting game. I then moved into comics and eventually, my first story. The day I wrote my first official story, something clicked in me. I wanted to create my own worlds, like ones I invented during my acting games. Likewise, I love to write about places I've been to or places I want to go to one day. A lot of my stories are inspired by trips I took with my family when I was younger. Just like writing, we left the real world and entered our own, little one, which is what I most love about the craft.
2. If you could tell your younger writing self anything, what would it be and why?
If I could go back and time and talk to my younger self, I would tell them how competitive the writing world is. I wish I knew that all those years back. Already, I have lost track of how many times I've been rejected. I've also noticed that some of the more popular genres in the writing world are Romance and Werewolf. If I knew this sooner, then I wonder if I would have become a Romance writer, instead of a Fantasy one? Although, I have never been a huge fan of Romance. It was destiny for me to work with Fantasy. But yes, I've learned--especially with entering contests--that Romance writers usually get a little more attention than Fantasy ones. If I joined Wattpad sooner, then I'm curious if I would have gotten my message about giving other genres a chance in the spotlight across the platform sooner? Well, that's in the past. I have to live in the present.
3. Your book "The Green Guardian" also revolves around fairies. What inspired you to write this story and include magical creatures like fairies?
The Green Guardian was inspired by a few different things. It's actually a re-write of a story I wrote all the way back in 5th grade and have been steadily improving over the years--Mystery of the Paperblank Forest. The kingdom where it takes place, Pinta Country, was inspired by both Narnia and Neverland--hence the fairies and mermaids.
As I grew older, I started to find new inspirations that I included in later drafts. In this draft, the book was primarily inspired by my older brother, who died August 2021. He struggled so much in the months leading up to his death, so I wanted to write a story that showcased what he went through. I had plans to give him The Green Guardian in August, but that never happened. However, it does not mean that I will continue to carry my brother's legacy and his love for nature into later drafts of the book. My brother, himself, is my Green Guardian.
Finally, I was inspired by what young adults go through when they're trying to find their place in the world. If we're not careful, these events can affect us negatively. Anthony Mateo Brook, the book's protagonist (who was based off my older brother) is a cutting-edge example of what young adulthood can do to a person. He is one of my most favorite characters I have ever created because of his flaws and how much I can relate to him.
4. What advices would you give to a writer on their first book?
My advice to new writers is to just be patient. You do not become famous overnight. That's not how the real world works. Writing is very competitive. It takes many years to get noticed. While there are a lot of best-selling authors today, for a lot of them, it took them many tries to get published. All in all, do not expect your first book to get published right off the bat. Take the time to receive constructive criticism. Use that criticism to improve further and further, until it is near-perfect. That usually takes quite a few drafts. If you're not a patient person, then writing may not be for you.
Another thing is, don't be shy to just throw ideas on a piece of paper with your first book. That's the beauty of first drafts. Find out what the story is about, what it's telling the audience, and then go back and edit it. A quote I coined over the years with my writing is that "Writing is a supernova, and that's why it's just as powerful as a star gone supernova." Like a supernova, it takes a very long time for your writing to explode.
5. If you could ever experience an encounter with a magical creature, which one would you like to see and why?
Since I was a little girl, I have always wanted to meet a fairy or mermaid. There were times when I looked up "How to Become a Mermaid" online, as embarrassing as that is. To this day, I still dream that I will one day meet these two magical creatures. Then I have to remind myself that I already have, by creating fairies and mermaids in my books. What I would love to meet would be a merfairy. That's the perfect combination for me. The whole world would be my oyster. I would be able to swim down to the shipwreck of the Titanic, and at the same time, fly through the air with the birds. That is almost every little girl's fairytale. I am not ashamed to admit how much I still love mermaids and fairies. When I write about them, I really do feel like they are just as real as me.
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If you'd like to read The Green Guardian or know more about the author, you can find her at CroodsGirl !
