Meet The Authors Showcase Edition #2 (2 of 3)

A showcase with @musembee, author of Arabella Academy: Perfectly Imperfect

1. What inspired the idea of your story?

I would say that the main inspiration for Arabella Academy was Riverdale's awfully underwhelming plot(laughs sarcastically but then cringes on remembering the show). At first I wanted to make it a Riverdale fanfic, providing my own storyline to what would actually happen, but then I finally decided to be original and make it my own book with original characters and storylines.

2. What was something you struggled with for your story ?

Something I really struggled with(even until the end of the book) was deciding who would come out as the villain. The funny part is that the one who actually came out as the murderer wasn't who I had in mind. However, the interesting part is that there is more than one villain, something I also struggled with since I had to make each villain's story flow smoothly without them clashing.

3. What has been the overall response to your story from your readers?

To be honest, I didn't expect that much positive comments on my book. At the beginning I had submitted them to review shops and I still remember one interview that almost made me delete the app, but I'm really thankful to those that helped me move on and complete my book.

4. What did you enjoy writing most of your story?

Since the Perfectly Imperfect is a mystery boom, I would naturally say that I enjoyed writing the suspense, BUT what I really enjoyed most as blending the humor with all the mystery that was there. It's always a difficult thing to combine humor and suspense...so for me to pull it off is kind of a big deal...and enjoyable.

5. Is your story a stand alone novel or a piece of a series?

Perfectly Imperfect is the first book in the ten-book Arabella Academy series. I'm currently drawing out plots for the second book: The Collectors

6. What would you like your readers to take away from your story?

My book isn't just about the mystery and killings and all the other stuff, I actually took time to focus on the problems most teenagers face, from absentee parents to being LGBTQ+ in a homophobic setting, Perfectly Imperfect brings out these subplots and nourishes them, giving it a personal touch that will relate to it's readers.

7. What's a piece of advice you would provide to another writer, when it comes to focusing on their story?

My advice is, plan the ending of your book first before proceeding to find. You may have a great story, but if you write it without thinking of the ending first, you may end up giving it a confusing and underwhelming ending like Riverdale's The Farm plot(I still can't believe the man did all that so that he could build a rocket to "ascend" smh)

8. Does your main character share any similarities to yourself?

Yeah he does. He is naughty, like me, but becomes serious when faced with a challenge. But sadly we don't share many similarities, but somehow I really connect myself with Jeff and his cheeky attitude, that's why I usually have much fun writing him, and the story feels more emotional when it shifts to him.

9. What's something you believe would draw in new readers?

Something that sets my book out is that it begins with action, hooking you up from the beginning. Another thing is how I focus on LGBTQ+ teens and their struggle to be accepted, something many relate with. But perhaps the biggest attraction are the plot twists. Oh my! The plot twists are something else. Sometimes I'm even surprised by how I came up with them. So if it surprises the writer, it will surprise the reader too(winks).

10. Do you have any future projects?

I am currently working on the second book in the Arabella Academy series: The Collectors. The main plot is about child trafficking, and is based on real life stories, so I'm looking forward to the beginning of it.