Sparktastic Contests

Animated Affection and an Interview

That's right! Our contest winner @19upendi97 has graced us with an interview and a copy of her winning short-story Animated Affection.

1. Congrats on winning the contest! Is this your first time writing a romance piece or have you dabbled in the genre before? What genres do you typically write and read in?

Hello!

Thank you! Well, I've had previous accounts, having been on Wattpad for nearly four years now and within that time I've tried to write romance but hit snags along the way. It's either not felt right, or I've worked myself up about it too much for it to work and flow correctly. Generally, I try to stick to a group of genres, since I love all of them; Vampire, Werewolf, Paranormal/Supernatural, Teen Fiction, all with Romance thrown in somewhere. With reading, I kind of just read what I like the sound and look of. So, if there's a Science Fiction novel on Wattpad or in the shops that I like the sound of then Bam! It's going home with me. I don't have a particular favourite, I just read and write what I love :)

2. What inspired you for Animated Affection? Was it a spur of the moment topic decision or something that'd been waiting for the right time to rise up ;-) ?

My inspiration was, at first, Enoch from Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children which I had seen at the cinema a day or two before my decision to join your competition. With competitions I don't generally plan them out or have an idea waiting, I just like them to be spontaneous, which either works or it doesn't but it's always a fun thing to do if your looking how to get out a rut or just want a break from the usual.

3. Tell us about yourself! What projects are you currently working on? Do you have any upcoming projects you are hyped up about?

I'm an 18 year old girl from the North West of England and ever since my friends told me about Wattpad four-ish years ago, I've been addicted! Right now, I've just completed my first proper book -mind you, it's only 13 chapters long!- of the Vampire variety. It's Epilogue may spin off into a sequal but I can't really say as of yet but I do know that there are going to be some bonus chapters, so people can look out for them!

And, a crazy decision I've recently made was to join NaNoWriMo of 2016 and having never done it before, thought it could be immensely fun to do! I'd never really thought about it before but my vamp book, 'The Sanguine Effect' gave me the confidence to have a try! It's a Science Fiction novel about a genetically mutated Special Task Force who have children under the noses of the government and only twenty years later do they realise that their soldiers aren't loyal anymore.

So, it focuses on the journey of one of those children, Gene Ivanov and his chance at trying to free the Mutants from the clutches of the evil government, all the while trying to fight off falling for Theodore, who might or might not be a very special person himself ;) And since I'm English, all of my works are set in England, so I'm sorry if some of you get confused!

And lastly, one little thing more is that I may or may not have an idea on how to expand this little 1000 word entry that was originally for your Haunted Romance competition! But we'll see :]

4. Lastly, do you have any advice for future writing contestants on how to snag the top spot?

My advice would be to not work yourself up about it. If you do that, it starts becoming a chore rather than the fun it's meant to be. Also, if you focus on the winning aspect of it, like people sometimes do, then you can forget about winning and you can forget having a nice time, meeting new people and making new friends because an attitude like that gets you nowhere in the brilliant community of Wattpad.