S.P.E.A.K. - Wattpad Interviews

Interview with Author: AlysArden (Alys)

WATTPAD AUTHOR INTERVIEW

[Sorry about the formatting in this interview - Wattpad is being difficult and keeps messing it up.]

When I first started reading Alys' TCG, I was blown away. I was instantly in love and commented on the first few chapters before I then switched to reading it on my phone. It is definitely a story I would recommend to anyone! Just go to her profile and check it out, trust me you won't forget it.

So, when I first approached Alys about doing an interview, I was completely surprised when she said she remembered me from my comments, despite the fact I was messaging her off a different account, and I'm not ashamed to say I had a small fan-girl moment.

Thankyou Alys for doing this interview with me, it was so entertaining and it was really good talking to you!

Name: Alys Arden

Age: 30

Author of: The Casquette Girls, The Girl at the Gallows

When exactly did you join Wattpad and what possessed you to, and did you post your story straight away?

        I initially joined in Sept. 2011 – strictly as a reader – to support the stories of one of my best friends. It took many months of Caitlyn @caitlynduffy) convincing me to post. At the end of the year, I made it my New Year's resolution, and that's how The Casquette Girls came to be— my New Years resolution for 2012. LOL. It took my until the end of April to post the first chapter. I was terrified. I still am.

 Why exactly did it take you so long to get the courage to post TCG? What were you afraid of - and why? Was it the response you'd get from the people of Wattpad or was it the exposure of your work? Or something else?

        It definitely wasn't a fear of response, because I never thought anyone would actually read anything that I posted!

I guess it was three things: One, my life was crazy at the time – I was moving from London to NYC, starting a new job, etc.. Two, there was an enormous amount of research involved in The Casquette Girls and even though I am still doing research every day, the bulk of it was done in the very beginning, so that ate up some time. Three, writing about my home was very personal for me, so yes, I was scared to have my story out there in the Internet either :)

I remember when I first started reading TCG that you did infact mention that it was based off of many New Orleans legends, what made you want to write about these legends, and can you give an example of some?

      Well, I've always been obsessed with folklore and mythology, so it's not a leap that I would be interested in the legends of my own hometown – my own neighborhood. All of the "legends" in the story are real. From the rumor that the Casquette Girls brought over vampires to the Carter brothers.

I just took the couple of sentences that have been whispered here and there over the years, intertwined them, and turn them into a very, er, long book. But the legends aren't really what got me started writing TCG – it was a near-obsession with the Ursulines and the convent in the French Quarter. The rumor about the attic, was the icing on the cake...

 Did the idea of TCG come from the legends of your hometown or did you come up with the idea and incorporate the legends into it?

         Oh, the idea is all fictional. Then a couple of legends got woven in along the way :)

How long did it take you to write, and did you ever reach a stage where you just wanted to stop completely for whatever reason? Perhaps the stress?