Welcome to Authors' Spotlight Interviews where Abhipreeti (@_abhipreeti_), the Profile Head of Kalon Community, interviews authors about them, their books, a deeper dive into their writing style and more.
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Hello fellow Wattpadders! Today we have with us KenzieGala, the author of the book, Reborn: High Strung.
I am Abhipreeti (_abhipreeti_) and I have interviewed Mackenzie Gallagher, a.k.a, KenzieGala.
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Mackenzie Gallagher is a hobbyist author interested in taking things further. She mostly writes fantasy stories that are heavily inspired by D&D, anime, and video games. When not writing, she's either working on one of her many other hobbies, working at her job, or probably playing Elden Ring again. Her novella, Reborn: High Strung, made first place in the ONC2024 novella competition. Being her very first novella and her entry into writing as a whole, she is still quite shocked about everything.
At what age did you realize that you have a special place for writing? Are you currently or do you ever dream of one day being in the writing industry?
>>My first experience with writing was poetry in elementary school. I think that led me down a creative path toward many different kinds of art. Only recently, with this novella, did I actually try my hand at writing a story. I don't know much about the writing industry, but I really loved crafting Reborn's world, and I definitely want to make another project in this same vein.
Did any story, on or off Wattpad, inspire you ever and help you carve your interest towards writing books?
>>Growing up, I was a huge fan of the Percy Jackson series as well as a lot of manga like Naruto, Bleach, ect. More recently, I would have to say the Cradle series by Will Wight has been my biggest pull back into the reading and writing world.
What is the genre(s) in which you mostly write your books? Do you think you are able to create brilliant plots when you write in that specific genre(s)?
>>Fantasy is my all-time favorite genre. I'm not sure if I would call it brilliant, but I think I can craft worlds that feel grounded in their rules and then find ways to make stories that are interesting in them. This was my first novella, but I have previously worked on things like D&D-style world-building for friends and family.
What advice would you like to give to authors who are writing in the same genre(s) as yours?
>>For other fantasy writers, my biggest advice would be to have fun with the world-building and make it as fleshed out as you'd like, but also remember that you don't need to finish the whole thing before you start writing. In fact, writing while building out the world can lead to some really cool ideas you might not even come across.
Do you have any favourite quote or quotes from your book?
>>"Our reign will not stop at Voltara, my brothers and sisters. We will show the layers above the strength of Razerin; we will show them my light." I think the reason this quote sticks out to me so much is just because of how intensely this scene played in my head the whole time I was crafting it. Chapter 10 is one of my favorites in the whole novella.
Where do you see yourself in the next 10 years?
>>Honestly, I have no clue, but I hope, wherever I am, that I'm pursuing my creativity to the best of my ability. Whether it's writing, music, or maybe even videos.
Now let us talk about your book. How would you describe your story in five words? Could you please give us a brief summary of what your book is about? What makes your book different from other books in the same genre(s)?
>>If I only had five words, I would say, "Action packed, lots of heart."
Reborn: High Strung is about a boy named Zev who has to go on an intense journey to reunite with his older brother, Simon. There are a lot of strong themes about friendship, family, and perseverance that we get to view through two different lenses, one being from Zev's point of view and the other from our antagonist, Jakuthiel. As far as being different from other books, I'd probably just have to say it's how I write my characters. I try to put a little piece of myself in each character so they feel more real as I'm writing them.
Which character or characters of your story do you relate to most? And why?
>>I relate to most of the main cast pretty heavily in different aspects, but Zev has a pretty clear connection to me in that I grew up as a younger sibling with older siblings I idolized and am very close with even now. That bond is one of the things I like to highlight most in my stories.
How did you come up with such a fascinating plot? Were there any inspirations?
>>My biggest inspiration for the actual world of Reborn was the Cradle series by Will Wight. I'd also been toying around with the idea of a world made up of stacked layers for a bit, but I wasn't sure what I wanted to make until I saw one of the ONC prompts, "Meet me next life." and that really sparked my creativity.
How did you discover Wattpad? And what engendered you to begin writing on this platform? What do you like best about this application?
>>I discovered Wattpad through my older sister, CyndaGallagher. She got me to join in on the ONC for fun, and I honestly had no idea how much I was going to love writing stories until she encouraged me. I really like how simple it is to upload stories on Wattpad. I feel like if I had more time, I could easily manage a bunch of stories here.
When did you start writing on Wattpad? How has your writing journey been ever since then?
>>I started with my first chapter of Reborn: High Strung on February 24th, 2024. I honestly wasn't sure if I was going to finish on time, and I pushed myself quite hard whenever I wasn't at work. I haven't written any stories since the ONC ended, but I have been doing some light world-building and toying around with some ideas for something new. We'll see if I can lock down something solid with it in the next few months.
What is your writing process and how do you cope when writers' block hits you?
>>When I get time to write, I like to light a nice candle and throw on some lofi or jazz, then I'll open up my outline and what scenes I plan on having so I can get started on the actual writing. Writer's block hit me pretty horribly during the middle of the competition. My biggest advice for writer's block is to write anyway. I know it sounds silly, but if it's bad, you can redo it later, and usually it's not going to be as bad as you think.
Are you a pantser or a plotter? During which time of the day do you usually write?
>>Ideally, I like to plan my whole story out by its scenes, and then in those scenes, I like to improvise as my characters and what I think they would do. It's sort of like a D&D game where I'm everyone. I prefer to do things toward the start of the day, but usually it's whenever I get the time.
What would be your advice to young and budding authors, who are just beginning their journey on Wattpad and are quite new to the writing world?
>>My advice to writers would be to just write something that you like. I think the more you enjoy what you're doing, the more other people will also enjoy it. I think it's really simple, but it's something people overlook a lot.
Is there any author(s) on Wattpad whom you look up to as an amazing writer?
>>I mean, it might sound sappy, but definitely my big sister, CyndaGallagher. We have some similar interests when it comes to stories, so I always like what she writes.
What would be the three words to describe yourself as an author?
>>Adventurous, Funny, and Dynamic.
Thank you so much! It was an honour to have you here for the interview conducted by Kalon Community. We wish you lots of success on your writing journey and may you flourish more. Thank you once again!
