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➽ QUESTION 1. ❝What is your name (or nickname/pen-name if preferred)?❞ — Shermaine
➽ QUESTION 2. ❝What started you on the path to writing?❞ — Being antisocial in school when I was younger, not really having any friends growing up. I went through a phase I'm sure most of us have been through and reading books were like an escapism from reality for me.
➽ QUESTION 3. ❝When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer, and specifically in the genre of urban fiction?❞ — I realized I wanted to be an urban writer when I would read urban books and the plot of the book wouldn't go the way I wanted it to. I would always come up with different scenarios and solutions in my head with their books, until I was like, 'you know what I'm just gonna write my own book.'
➽ QUESTION 4. ❝When did you write your first book and how old were you?❞ — I was twelve; me and two other girls got together and wrote a book about our boy crushes in school. We wrote the whole thing in a composition book and somehow ended up turning it in to our teacher. We were supposed to be writing our daily journals, but we took a spare journal and wrote our book in it. I still have no clue on how she got that composition book—but she graded it and gave us an A!
➽ QUESTION 5. ❝Who are some of your favorite authors on and off Wattpad?❞ — I hate singling people out, so I won't name Wattpad authors, everyone that I follow that writes is truly AMAZING!
Off Wattpad; R.H. Sin, Don Miguel Ruiz, Treasure Hernandez
➽ QUESTION 6. ❝How long have you been writing?❞ — Since I was twelve.
➽ QUESTION 7. ❝How do you think you've evolved creatively?❞ — Just letting the ideas come to me and writing more freely and not thinking too much of it. I was the type of author that overthought everything and I had to tweak at everything, I was a perfectionist with my work. I wasn't letting my work flow.
➽ QUESTION 8. ❝Why did you choose to write in your particular field or genre? If you write more than one, how do you balance them?❞ — My mind is literally all over the place all of the time, I'm always wanting to write about different shit, so I could never stick to one genre. I'm inspired by anything, someone could say something and I'm sitting there thinking like 'hmm' and I'll create a scenario in my head off of it and then end up turning it into a plot of a book and go from there.
I don't have a answer for how I balance them out, it's self explanatory actually, I mean there are no rules to writing, so I can't say I stick to a specific standard when writing each genre.
➽ QUESTION 9. ❝What are the upsides and downsides to being an author?❞ — The upsides are having control of your own work, you can literally do and say whatever you want in your work—creative freedom. Inspiring others to become writers, and most importantly to me, having people read your work and have them saying they loved it. I not only write for myself, but I write for others who like to take time out and escape reality.
The downsides to being an author is having writers block, ugh! Not knowing what to do or write next in your book, is the worst. I start to get discouraged and end up starting on another book, only to have the same thing happen with that book as well.
➽ QUESTION 10. ❝What do you love most about the writing process?❞ — That feeling you get when you come up with a plot and you're just sitting there typing away on your computer like, "yeah this is it" and the ideas just keep coming at you—that feeling right there does it for me. Like, I get so excited about it and I'm just anticipating to share it with the world and see their reactions.
➽ QUESTION 11. ❝Why do you write? What keeps you motivated during creative slumps?❞ — Like I said before I write to escape reality, and it's my passion. When I'm writing I feel content in what I'm doing, I have complete control over what I'm doing and no one can take that away from me.
Music keeps me motivated during creative slumps, I could play a song, artist or specific album and I'm ready to go again.
➽ QUESTION 12. ❝Do you outline books ahead of time or are you more of a by-the-seat-of-your-pants writer?❞ — I really like to outline my books ahead of time, I hate not knowing what's going to happen, I overthink shit and if I were to write my books without outlining them I'll never complete the book.
➽ QUESTION 13. ❝How many books have you written?❞ — Too many, honestly have no idea. I used to write books on old fanfiction boards and messaging boards like Chris Brown, B2k, BBS and shit lol, yeah I'm old, I know. I wrote about 14 books completed in total. Not completed—I know for sure well over 50—I have 18 book drafts on Wattpad now.
➽ QUESTION 14. ❝Out of all the books you've written, do you have a favorite?❞ — Sea Deep is my favorite that you guys know of.
➽ QUESTION 15. ❝If someone is brand new to your work, what book do you think they should start with?❞ — All depends on what they're into. If you're into the witchy, spiritual type of thing then read "Sea Deep". If you you're into urban and street lit, read "Life and Times; Carter Mekhi".
➽ QUESTION 16. ❝What do your fans mean to you?❞ — EVERYTHING! I literally love everyone who takes time out to read, comment or vote on any of my works man, that really uplifts me daily. Just to know that I've touched someone with the words I wrote let's me know I've did my job as an author. I got someone to take time out of their day to escape reality and make them feel good inside just by reading MY book—that's everything to me man.
➽ QUESTION 17. ❝What advice would you give to aspiring authors?❞ — Write what you want to write about, nothing is too weird or "stupid" when it comes to writing. Don't let your mind trick you into thinking your ideas aren't good enough, because they are. Everything has been written already, just put YOUR spin on it and make it yours!
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Thank you so much for accepting to do this interviewjustshermaineplease take the time to check out her works; I just got into her writing recently, and it's worth the time to check it out; exceptional.
