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First of all I want to thank them for taking time out of their busy schedules for an interview!

Thank you for being an amazing & valued team member throughout 2019 (our foundation year of the community).

You were an incredible addition to the team, neomanuisarang 💛🌞

Let's start!

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📌 Questions:

🌻 1.  How did you discover Wattpad? And when?

I discovered Wattpad years ago when Harry Potter fanfiction was all the rage. I didn't read much of those myself, but my cousin did. I knew Wattpad existed-- I was just on another fanfiction writing site more.

🌻 2.  What is your experience so far on Wattpad?

I like to tailor my Wattpad searches. I'm very picky with books I read, so I brought that onto Wattpad as well. But overall, I think Wattpad is a great place to find new stories.

🌻 3. Why did you start writing in the first place? What age did you discover your love for it?

I remember writing poems and short stories about fairies in grade school. I had quite the imagination back then.

🌻 4. Where do you get inspiration for your stories? Do you read other books or watch shows in the same genre?

I've always been a reader, even when I was a kid. It helped me expand my imagination, and reading made me ask questions.

🌻 5.  How do you select the names of your characters? Do you dream them up or do you believe character names must have a deeper meaning?

I like researching meaningful names. I suppose it's another, subtler way of telling the story of each character, and how they interact with my world.

🌻 6.  Can you tell me one example? One name with a deep meaning and what is the meaning behind it?

In my current story, The Nox Boys, one of them is named Dahan. "Dahan" is a word in Filipino which means "slow", which serves as an irony-- his special ability is super speed.

🌻 7.     What does your writing process look like? Do you do research before writing or do you just write your story as you go along?

Most times I start with a prompt, and I go crazy with it. But the longer a particular piece becomes, the more compelled I am to build the world around it. Then, I research and ask worldbuilding questions.

🌻 8.  Do you write on paper, mobile or your computer? And why this method?

I write better on my computer because my typing speed can match my mind. Sometimes I write on paper when I need to give my eyes a break from the glare, but only when I have a scene or a note I just absolutely have to write down so I don't forget it.

🌻 9.  What period of life do you write about most often? (child/teen/young adult/mature) & Why?

Mostly teenager to young adult. I'm a YA myself, and I write to somehow make sense of what I've been through as a teen, and my few years so far as a young adult. It's not that I know these ages well; it's more of, I want to understand them more.

🌻 10.  Choose one of your books. What is the title? What genre is it? What is it about (in 2-3lines)?

I choose The Nox Boys. It's a sci-fi/fantasy YA novel about a group of boys who live in an isolated facility because of their genetic mutations. It's a story that focuses on brotherhood and camaraderie.

🌻 11.  Is it completed or mature? How often do you update?

It's not completed yet, though I've finished the first draft under the title Cromulent. The version I have up is the second draft, and I was committed to updating it once a week when quarantine started. But now, well. Everything got busy and I haven't been able to update it much, unfortunately.

🌻 12.  Is there something you edited out or plan to edit out of this book? If so, why?

Rather than edited out, I added more things to complete the worldbuilding. I explored the other characters more, the dynamic of the world, and other scenes that gives a clearer picture of what is happening in Nox.

🌻 13. What was the hardest scene to write? And why?

So far it's that one scene toward the end.

People who've read the story when it was still called Cromulent probably know this, but it's that scene where one of the characters dies.

That was hard, and I feel like I'm going to have to make it even more painful, for the impact.

🌻 14.  What was your favourite chapter or part to write and why?

It's another of the gory scenes, when the readers are given a bigger glimpse of what Nox really is. It was fun to write because it ends with how the other Nox boys aren't aware of what is really going on.

🌻 15.  Is anything in your book based on real life experiences or purely imagination?

Not really, it's all purely imagination. Though I have to say, I drew inspiration heavily from X-Men and Maze Runner.

Except I really didn't like the presence of Teresa in Maze Runner so I said, "Okay, but what if it's all boys and there's no romantic subplot?"

And so here we are.

🌻 16.  Are you happy with the amount of reads it has?

I was surprised, actually. I haven't been on Wattpad for MONTHS, and I come back and people are reading my baby. I'm just really happy with it-- it's my first non-fanfiction work, I think (though it did stem from fanfiction first), and I'm happy other people are reading it. I try not to look at the read count too much.

🌻 17.  Do you read your book reviews? How do you deal with the bad and good ones?

I haven't asked for reviews in a while, though I've had people comment on my story. I try to keep an open mind with criticism, because there are people out there who have really good ideas, and they decided to share them with me. As for good reviews, well, I feel all fluttery and happy hihi.

🌻 18.  Do you have any unpublished drafts? Do you have plans for a next project?

I do, actually. Most of them are fanfiction though. But as for a future project, I've had the sequel to The Nox Boys going around in my mind lately, but I haven't written down anything for it yet. I mean to finish this second draft first.

🌻 19.  Give a shout-out to a fellow author. Can you suggest some books that you think a reader should read? (up to 5 books). And say something about these books.

Oh gosh I have a bunch. I love Given by Nandi Taylor (EXCELLENT worldbuilding), Blood of Azura by Scarlette Drake (another worldbuilding masterpiece), A Vow of Thorns by KissesofInk (better than a LOT of published fey books, no lie), No Capes by Joe Cool (light, humorous read), and Confessions About Colton by Olivia Harvard (thrilling). I have more on my public reading lists, but these are my top five recommendations.

🌻 20.  If you could tell your younger writing-self anything, what would it be?

"Keep writing what you love. In a platform where people don't pay for your brain children, allow yourself to dream, explore and write. You started out writing because you wanted to read something that hasn't been written yet -- I hope you don't lose that internal motivation."

🌻 21.  Can you describe yourself in max ten words?

I'm an introverted educator with a penchant for nerdy things.

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Thank you again for doing this interview for us, neomanuisarang ! Continue blowing everyone away with your awesome book! 💛