Author Name: M.K. Lopez
Book title: The Butterfly Effect
Favourite Authors: John Green, Rick Riordan, Rick Yancey, Dan Brown, and George R. R. Martin
Bio: Hey, I'm Mickey! I'm from Southern California within the confines of a small desert town. I may not get out much, but between Netflix, books, and writing I've lived a thousand lives. Pretty sweet deal!
Story Link: https://www.wattpad.com/story/8817057-the-butterfly-effect
What is your book about?
My book is about a young girl, Emily Mathison, who is bullied and driven to suicide. Much to Emily's surprise, death isn't as peaceful as expected when a Reaper offers her an ultimatum. Emily must embark on a journey to discover the past, present, and future of everyone her suicide affects, or remain wandering as a lost soul in Purgatory for all eternity.
What is your target audience and why?
My target audience is definitely young adults. I wrote the story solely for them because I realized there weren't a whole lot of writers trying to tackle serious issues teens face to this degree. Seeing that there weren't many suicide stories on Wattpad at the time, I felt even more compelled to give them a voice.
What is paranormal about your story?
My story contains a significant paranormal aspect. The Reaper, who is later revealed to be an angel, guides Emily out of Purgatory to witness different timelines.
Does it contain any other genre elements? Why?
The Butterfly Effect easily falls under Teen-Fiction as well. This is due to the story being aimed at young adults. I do believe it can be considered Philosophical-Fiction. The book often boils heated debates between readers by pegging questions such as is suicide cowardly, or is it selfish? Is it justified, or is there another way? Can you forgive your enemies?
Tell us about your writing process.
My writing process can be fickle at times. More often than not, an idea will pop right into my head and I'll write it down, but it usually stays a plot bunny. If I'm lucky, I'll get an idea that sends my mind reeling and I'll know I need to pay attention to it. When it's one of those ideas, I'll take a good couple hours determining a plot. Once that's done, I'll use the method of the "story roller coaster" to write details that'll get me from Point A to Point B. After that, I'll write down the names of each character and create character profiles. When I feel that I've written enough notes for the plot and my characters, I'll start posting on WP. Of course I'll always jot down any ideas for the plot that come to me while I'm writing. You can never have enough notes!
Did you encounter any challenges whilst writing?
I've been a victim of writer's block in past-more often than I'd like to admit. I've discovered that a breath of fresh air treats it best. You have to give yourself a break when you reach a dry-spell. When you feel that you absolutely cannot push through it, just take a break! It is not a bad thing to get some R&R! Come back to your keyboard when you feel you've cleared your mind.
What does writing well mean to you?
Writing well means a number of things to me. It means writing with serenity-not forcing anything. It means writing something the best to your ability and learning how to improve your craft.
