Tevun-Krus #48 - StonePunk

Spotlight Author: JessArwen

This time we're joined by Wattpadder JessArwen!

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If you had to describe yourself in one word, what words wouldn't you use?

Decisive, average, tall, apathetic

What did you want your nickname at school to be?

Something endearing, based on some inside joke. For example, my friend got dubbed "tiny tummy" because he barely ate anything.

When you were a young padawan, what did you want to be when you grew up?

Literally every profession I had contact with. Taxi driver, firefighter, teacher, movie star, archaeologist, singer, fashion designer, and probably a lot more.

What's your favourite quote?

I have lots of favourites, but for today: "One day with life and heart is more than enough to find a world." –James Russell Lowell

Other than writing, what hobbies do you have?

I'm also a pianist (both teacher and choral accompanist). I love to hike and just be outside when it's nice, and I love to learn new languages. Currently, Russian is my aim.

As your crew casts your lifeless body into the core of the nearest star, list three pieces of music likely to be rattling the bulkheads.

Holst's The Planets, since it's one of my all time favourites, "Only the Good Die Young" by Billy Joel, and probably some death metal just because (I don't listen to any lol).

Who is your all-time-favourite author? How much—if at all—have they influenced your writing style?

I really don't have an all-time favourite, but Terry Pratchett is probably the author who has influenced me most. Reading his works taught me that you can still be poignant while being ridiculous. You can suspend disbelief a lot more than you think.

Of everything you have written, what is your favourite?

Again, not sure I have a favourite, but the work I've put the most time into is Death's Song (part of which is here on Wattpad). I'm hoping to publish it traditionally one day.

...and what is your fans' favourite?

Also, Death's Song. Probably because I've put so much work into it.

We know some of the big authors—Orson Scott Card and Tolkien, for example—incorporate their religious beliefs into their work. Are you religious? If so, do you incorporate those beliefs into your work?

Everyone is religious in their own way. Even if it's not religious with a group of people, the root of the word "religion" means "to be disciplined." Everyone has their own quirks, and it's near impossible not to put a little of that into their works. For me, my religion is hope for redemption. That even though people may be "bad" or situations may be grim, there's always a way out. I don't believe in happy endings, only hopeful ones.

How much does real-life experience influence your writing?

A lot! I write a lot about music, since I'm a musician. And since I've taken up writing more seriously, I've made an effort to have real conversations with more people in order to make note of how many different people speak.

If an alien race was, unbeknownst to us, watching and studying us from afar, what do you think their primary findings would be?

They'd probably think we worship food. Even though it is a necessity, we build palaces for food. They'd find that most of our time is spent preparing, eating, and digesting food.