Name of Author: @Shimaira
Title of Book: The Mirror Game
Favorite Authors: Stephen King and H.P. Lovecraft
Bio: I was born in 1989. I'm married and work fulltime as a research technician. (I work in a laboratory. I help to develop vaccines.) I started writing around the age of 15 and my first piece was very bad, in my opinion. But I got feedback and I kept on going :) I have come a long way. Since I joined Wattpad back in May 2014 I made great progress if I say so myself. One of my stories for featured, and the sequel even hit horror #1 :D
The Mirror Game
http://www.wattpad.com/story/25582186-the-mirror-game
Can you explain what your book is all about?
When I was little I used to play this amazing game, most often when I was home alone. I'd go into the bathroom and carefully lift the circular mirror from its pin on the wall. My mother didn't like me taking it as she was afraid I might drop and break it, though I found out later that breaking a mirror and getting a few years of bad luck isn't what you're supposed to be afraid of...
Who is your target audience - and why?
I did my best to write this without an age in mind, however I did try to speak the most to all those youngsters that enjoy creepy pastas and urban legends.
What is 'paranormal' about your story?
The mystery behind the game. What happens when you look into a mirror for too long? Does it suck up your soul? And what happens when a person succeeds the game, where do they vanish to?
Does it contain other genre elements, if so which ones - and why?
Horror. Because it scares people to think something as normal and innocent as a mirror can have such power. Not to mention the idea that looking into one for too long can harm you.
Tell us about your writing process - how do you get from story idea to a Wattpad published story?
Most of my works are inspired by dreams. However, this story is actually based on a game I played as a kid. I run the story through my head a few times, and then I simply start writing.
Did you encounter any challenges when writing, if so - how did you overcome them?
With this piece I had some issue with the ending. The story currently up is actually version 2. I let two close friends of mine judge the first version and from their feedback I deemed it not scary enough. I had to think of a different ending, and from the responses it has received on Wattpad, I am glad I did. It's scary now smile emoticon
You often hear that 'writing well' is the baseline for success. What does that mean for you?
To me it means the ability for a work to bring forth emotions in the reader.
(And of course, a work should be well written. You don't want the emotion your readers feel to be annoyance, simply because the grammar is poor, or you didn't bother to use spellchecker.)
