What's better than one fantasy author? Two fantasy authors! Meet HeyLookTheSnitch, the fantastic duo. Let's hear it from them shall we?

What is your Wattpad username?

HeyLookTheSnitch

Is there a story to how you got your username? Tell us about it!

Rebecca - I'm about to divulge how much of a book nerd I am, but our username comes from one I actually used back in the day when I wrote Harry Potter fanfiction in high school and college. Meghan and I bonded over our love (obsession) for Harry Potter during a friend's bachelorette party, so we just carried over the name HeyLookTheSnitch!

Meghan - The funnier story is how we came up with our author pen-name, R.M. Ellie. It was our first major disagreement as friends and co-writers. Becca wanted it to be Rebecca Meghan, but I didn't like that because it sounded too much like Christiana Lauren, so we settled on using both our initials, R and M. Still, we argued over what our joined last name would be. Then, for Christmas, Becca ordered me a Ravenclaw stocking with my name embroidered on it, but when it was delivered, it had somehow transformed into a Hufflepuff stocking with the name Ellie. It was a sign from Heaven. So we went with it. And I still have that stocking.

Do you think it's important to build your author personality? Why? How have you built yours?

Building an author personality is important, but as long as you're yourself, I think it will mostly build itself. Meghan has mostly allowed me to take the reigns on our "social media" presence because, in her words, "you're the one with the personality." HAHA She's only mostly right (just kidding, love you, Megs!). We've spent a lot of hours on Wattpad reading others' amazing stories and finding writer friends who are supportive, encouraging, and striving towards a similar goal, which is a love for the art of writing! I also like to think I'm an extroverted stand-up comedian (Meghan-"She's not.") so I love meeting new people, finding common ground with others, and using humor to lighten the stress writing can bring. We've also participated in NaNoWriMo, joined writer groups, and followed other writers on Instagram. Most importantly, just be yourself and let your love for writing shine through!

What/who inspired you to start writing?

Meghan - Of course, we have to mention J.K. Rowling here. Both of us grew up with her stories, and it's inspiriting to see how she planned all the little details out across seven books.

Please tell us about your story/ies on Wattpad so that readers could find them.

Quill of Thieves is the first book in a high-fantasy series called Fables of Monverta. It follows an 18 year-old-boy boy named Sebastian who lives life according to facts and knowledge and scoffs at anything that could be considered super-natural. After his mother inexplicably dies, the realm's royal family accuses him of her murder, and Sebastian learns he just might hold the ancient power to reunite the forgotten magic of the seven elements. Little does he know, however, that the hidden princess of the realm schemes to steal that power from him...

Book 2, Deceit of Spirits, is out and sporadically being updated (we really need to get better at staying on a consistent schedule. Oops.)

What does a typical writing day look like for you?

Rebecca - I'm a first grade teacher, so my creative juices (and patience) are pretty burned out during the weekdays. I get the majority of my writing done during the weekends, preferably with a glass of wine at my side... :) I put in my AirPods, press play on my favorite playlist, sit at a table with a view of the outside world, and then get lost in the characters.

Meghan - I'm a professional word vomiter, which works well against Becca's more perfectionist side, so I know she'll come along behind me and touch up my vomit if need be.

What do you think of multiple POVs? What do you think is an effective way of keeping up with them?

So, we both LOVE to read and write stories with multiple POVs, as long as the different POVs are distinguishable in voice and tone. Quill of Thieves has about 4 major POVs--before we even started writing, we wrote up a pretty lengthy character description on each of those 4, including their external and internal descriptors. Our plot is very character driven with each of our characters having different motivations and goals, so it's so much fun to write their POVs to show how their storylines collide and work together. Honestly, we've given our characters a lot of free reign to move the story along different paths--sometimes it works, and other times, we have to shut them down. It's like dealing with wild toddlers. haha.

Define Fantasy in your own words.

Rebecca - Bringing everything from your dreams into reality!

Meghan - Just like MAGIC (insert sarcastic drum beats here)

What makes up an appealing storyline and conflict in Fantasy stories?

Meghan - I'm sticking with my magic answer. An interesting and well-thought out magic system draws me in immediately when reading a fantasy novel.

Rebecca - For me, I love delving into characters and relating to them, so a strong storyline needs personable, strong characters, even if they make mistakes and are hard to root for at times.

Share some interesting facts about how you built and/or are building your worlds.

Building our fantasy world was a three year long project, and it's still ongoing as we delve deeper into our characters and the realms that shape them. When we look back on our original outline/plans for Quill of Thieves, it's almost unrecognizable because the story kept growing in complexity and depth. As we started writing, the characters quickly began to  drive the plot, and we would constantly have to go back and change our original plans. We spent a lot of hours writing back and forth on a Google Doc via Zoom since we live in different states while Becca drank margaritas to get her creative juices flowing. Meghan drew up a really..."interesting" and "rustic" map of the realms we envisioned (none of us claim to be artists), but we still refer back to it all the time as we write.

What subgenre of fantasy do you like to write now or would write in the future? Why?

Meghan - Urban fantasy! To make up a hidden magic system in our normal, everyday world would be so fun!

Rebecca - I would love to write a romantic fantasy. I'm on a huge reading kick right now with contemporary romances.

Do you have other hobbies besides writing? How do you think they help with your writing process or writing in general?

Rebecca - Meghan and I compete against each other on Peloton rides. Both of us got a Peloton during COVID, and we'll get on it at the same time and race each other. Don't ask who wins--it will start World War III. Working out calms my anxiety and helps me get pumped up to sign into a writing session. It's a necessity for both of us! We may even own matching Peloton outfits and a picture to prove it...

Did anything in your book happen to you in real life?

To be honest, we seriously hope not. Eek! We really put our characters through an emotional wringer. Not to mention terrifying, life-threatening situations (#sorrynotsorry). Although, we did name one of our kingdoms after a mountain in the Pacific Northwest that we both live near, and a lot of the scenery was inspired by the greenery of the PNW. Also, a lot of our sarcastic humor comes out in some of our characters' voices, and some of our characters' inner worries and fears we draw from ourselves.

Is your glass half-full or half-empty?

Both of our glasses are half-full! Half-full makes us feel like there's always a potential to get back to the top!

What makes you laugh the most?

Meghan - Each other!

Becca - I can't help but laugh when people fall down.

Favorite social media?

Instagram!

Share some tips on writing fantasy (and its numerous subgenres) for new and old fantasy writers alike or to those who are looking to try the genre out.

Most importantly, have fun! The great thing about fantasy is that nothing is really off-limits. You have complete control over the world you create, which is extremely freeing as a writer! The rules of the real world don't necessarily have to apply to a fantasy realm, so for all you rebels out there, it's time to start making your own rules! HAVE FUN!

What projects and stories are in the works as you do this interview? Share some interesting sneak peek.

Deceit of Spirits, the sequel to Quill of Thieves, is currently being written and updated on Wattpad. We can't really give a sneak-peek on it without spoiling book 1, but we can say there's a lot more romance, morally ambiguous character choices, and a lot more magical creatures! You may think you know who the villain is, but we just might surprise you...

What are your hopes and wishes for your journey as a writer?

We're actually currently looking into querying an agent in the hopes of becoming traditionally published. It has been both of our dreams since we were children. Fingers crossed!

Would you rather read your earliest first drafts or write only the first page of your favorite book to write?

Read our earliest first drafts!

Would you rather choose love or chase your dreams?

Meghan - love Rebecca- dreams!

Would you rather write one book for a year and remember everything or write 10 books and remember nothing?

Write one book and remember!

Would you rather have your book turned into an animated movie or a real-life movie?

Real-life!

Would you rather be in the world of your books or in the world of your favorite book?

Take us to Hogwarts, please!

Would you rather write in a noisy coffee shop or a solitary cabin filled with pests?

Noisy coffee shop. No pests allowed!

Would you rather read a book that transports you to the future or the past?

Past!

Would you rather read physical books or digital books?

Physical!

Would you rather meet your favorite author who is still alive or revive a dead author to write more books?

A favorite author who is still alive! We're looking at you, Sarah J Maas!

Would you rather write a book that nobody will care about but is meaningful to you or write a book that will become a sensation but is not important to you?

Write a book that is meaningful but no one cares about.

Would you rather write a book based on the story of someone you know very well or write a book with you in it as a character?

We want to be characters!!

And there you have it, HeyLookTheSnitch has spoken. Catch us next time as we bring on another amazing Fantasy author. Till then, have a magical week ahead.