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Lizz is a writer and reader, who is involved in too many fandoms to count. Having started writing One Direction fanfictions when she was only eleven, Lizz understands what it's like to get lost inside her own imagination and loves to provide ways for others to do the same with her stories. Now she has amassed nearly five million reads across her Wattpad fanfictions where female main characters get to simultaneously save the day and fall in love. Lizz hopes to publish an original fantasy novel one day, but for now, she thinks she'll always love binge reading a good fanfic before bed.
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About the story - under the willow tree
An isolated young Hufflepuff struggles to find her place at Hogwarts until the soulmate spell shows her that maybe her home has been with the enemy all along.
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1. What is the thing you love the most about writing on Wattpad? How did you come to know and like the Potterverse to start writing fanfiction?
What I love most about writing on Wattpad is the community. I love being able to engage with my readers and see their reactions to what I put out. It's a great feedback system to see what lands with readers while also allowing me to see the impact my stories have on people in real time!
Back in summer 2020, the Harry Potter community really began to thrive in the midst of the pandemic, sort of becoming this escape for everyone in a confusing, dark time. I fell in love with Harry Potter fanfiction then as well, and the author of the very first Harry Potter fanfic I read (Filthy Little Secret by Alpacalypse) is actually now a good friend of mine! After reading enough fanfiction, I decided to start writing my own, and the rest is history.
2. Your story focuses on the healing relationship of two hurt characters. What is the inspiration behind this? Why is Draco out of all the original characters?
One of my favorite aspects of writing a novel is being able to show the transformation of characters. Healing and personal growth are common themes in my story because I think they're common themes in many of our real lives as well! No person gets through life unscathed, whether through hurts or trauma or even their own choices, so it's beautiful to be able to show that aspect of humanity in my work.
In terms of why I chose Draco out of all of the characters for Under the Willow Tree specifically, a lot of different factors led to this decision. The fanfiction I wrote directly before this one was Thorn, my Neville Longbottom fanfiction. In this story, Draco is more of a side character, but we see hints of redemption for his character through the eyes of Briar, the main character. As he had his own romance hinted at throughout Thorn, many readers wanted to see that romance play out in a brand new story, and I was happy to oblige! It was fun to craft what sort of person I thought could fall in love with Draco, messiness and all, and I loved how it was a callback to the very first Harry Potter fanfictions I read about him.
3. How did you come to choose such an interesting and peaceful-vibed title for this story "under the willow tree"? Is there any special meaning behind it?
When I was little, one of my aunts had this giant willow tree in her backyard, and seven-year-old Lizz thought it was the most beautiful thing ever! I loved to sit and chat under it with my family while looking up at the droopy branches swaying in the wind, and that experience stuck with me, which is why Lorelei and her friends do exactly that often in the story! Willow trees ultimately make me think of beautiful, gentle, and slightly sad things, which felt perfect for the nature of this story.
4. We can see this that you have published a sequel to this story, what can we and the readers expect to see in this sequel?
In this sequel, After the Willow Tree, you will see Lorelei and the cast dealing with the repercussions of the post-war world they're now living in. Everyone is a bit rattled and a bit changed from what they experienced, and we use multiple points of view this time to show the far reaching impacts of what happened to them. There will be a final resolution to Lorelei's soulmate storyline as well as the introduction of romance and a tumultuous relationship for Lorelei's friend, Pansy Parkinson.
5. What is your favorite thing about Slytherin house and Hufflepuff house?
That is such a hard question! I'm a Hufflepuff through and through, which means I naturally love that Hogwarts house most. I love what it stands for, and genuinely believe that kindness, empathy, and hard work is what we were created for! Writing sunshine characters in my fanfictions is a particular joy for me, as I get to portray that it's okay to be happy in spite of hard times, and that there is strength in being kind, even to our enemies.
My favorite thing about Slytherin house is probably their ambition and drive to chase their dreams. Slytherin house often gets a bad reputation for being ruthless (or even evil within the Harry Potter books and movies), but their house truly is full of the dreamers and go-getters, the ones who want the world for themselves and their loved ones and are willing to do what it takes to get it. I always respect that mindset and that determination.
6. What is your future writing plan besides continuing the series? Will you continue to write more fanfictions, especially Harry Potter?
I've been writing pretty consistently from the age of about eleven, but even before then, I was crafting little short stories on random slips of paper or in one of my brightly colored composition notebooks. Under the Willow Tree actually marks the eleventh novel I've ever finished all the way through, and it will most certainly not be my last.
With that being said, my current goal is to finish After the Willow Tree and the fantasy novel my Wattpad readers are probably used to hearing about. I've also been working on some fanfictions for the Marvel Cinematic Universe, so readers might be seeing that on my Wattpad profile soon as well! I'm not sure what the future holds in terms of Harry Potter fanfictions, but I'd be open to writing another if I get the inspiration for it!
