Here we are with the talented author KaraCarreira! They have won this year's collaboration contest by the Fantasy Team called Watt-A-Legend: Quorin Saga. We will then sit down and talk to this wonderful author to talk about all things fantasy.

Fantasy Team: Can you define Fantasy in your own words?

KaraCarreira: Fantasy is a genre of fiction where you can let your imagination run wild, whether as a reader or writer. Gods can walk among us, legends can be fact and the stars can have souls. Magic abounds, battles are epic, and the stakes are life and death. Fantasy is the name for the otherworldly realms we escape into and get lost within for hours, sometimes days, sometimes forever. Nothing is impossible (unless you, as the writer, say it is).

F: What is your favorite fantasy book on Wattpad?

K: Air Born by @juniormint94. It was one of the first books I ever read on Wattpad, and it remains one of my favourites! It's everything I love in a young adult fantasy story: a plucky heroine, family secrets, a school of magic, a fun group of friends, murky allegiances and a tendency to pull the rug from beneath your feet just when you think you've got the story figured out!

F: What has been the most challenging aspect of joining the Quorin Saga Collaboration contest?

K: For me, it was finding the time to give each prompt the care it deserved. I couldn't resist any of the ten prompts in the Quorin Saga contest, which left me with ten short stories to write, each with a different protagonist with a unique personality and outlook. It took a lot of time and effort to capture each story in the voice of the main character. I'm also an over writer, so I had to devote a significant amount of time to trimming my stories so that they were within the word limit. I'm a student, so free time is a scarce resource. As challenging as it was to commit time to each of my short stories, I had so much fun with this contest! Every spare minute I put towards it was time well spent.

F: Do you take inspiration from classics while writing your stories?

K: Yes, definitely! I was a voracious reader as a child, and all the classics I read played a huge role in shaping my imagination and how I write. I have a diverse reading taste, so even though I mostly write fantasy, you'll always find undertones from another genre in there, usually historical fiction, mystery, adventure and romance. Because the themes from the classics are timeless, I draw from them in every story I write.

F: What is your favourite classic fantasy novel? Why?

K: I really enjoyed The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis as a child. I have since matured as a reader, and I haven't read the book in years, so I have no idea whether I'd still feel the same way about it, but when I first read it, I loved how it completely transported me to Narnia. There's something about the idea of another world beyond a wardrobe, one cast into eternal winter by a witch and waits for you and your siblings to free it. It was escapism at its finest for child me! I love historical fiction too, so I also enjoyed seeing World War II in the background. It helped me understand the difficulty of the period for many, and it also made the characters and the story seem so real.

F: What are your favourite sub-genres of fantasy and why?

K: I'm not sure whether fairytale retellings are technically recognised as a sub-genre of fantasy, but they're easily my favourite! I have loved [fairy tales] and Disney movies all my life, and I'm always up to read a reimagining of a classic tale in an unexpected setting or with an inversion of tropes. The morals and values are universal. You can't go wrong with a fairytale retelling, which is why it's also one of my favourites to write, even though it has its challenges in its execution.

Historical fantasy is another one of my favourites. Myths and legends from bygone eras have fascinated me as long as I can remember, and I love seeing those recognisable elements in fresh new tales. I'm always finding story inspiration in the past, and nothing takes me further from the wear of life than a fantasy story inspired by an ancient civilisation, which is why this is also one of my favourites to read and write.

I'm also fond of paranormal/urban fantasy. It tends to be less pretty than fairytale retellings and historical fantasy, but that's why I enjoy it. It's gritty, sometimes gory, but I love the fight scenes and the plot twists. Mysteries involving ghosts and stories about supernatural worlds and the politics between the different races never fail to hook me.

F: How do you develop your fantasy world?

K: The fantasy genre is known for its elaborate settings, but these worlds can be tricky to develop in a natural way. I build my fantasy worlds around my characters as they move through it to avoid info dumps. If certain information isn't necessary for the reader's understanding of what's happening at a particular point of the story, I leave it out until it is. Another thing I find helpful to do is always having more knowledge about the world than I give readers. They don't need to know EVERYTHING, especially if it's not relevant to the plot, because that can just make the writing heavy to read. I believe knowing the ins and outs of my world comes through in the story and makes for a richer setting. Knowing all those details makes my fantasy world feel more real to me, and I think that's what helps me bring it to life for readers.

F: What do you think makes a good plot twist for your story?

K: Thinking about what would be the most predictable thing to happen right now—what seems so certain that readers would bet money on it—then doing the complete opposite! No, that's not to say that it's right to bring in a twist from nowhere. Twists must be earned. They should be hinted at even if readers aren't aware of it, and anyone who's interested should be able to reread the story or think back on it and say "oh yes, I should've seen that coming!" Some tropes and character archetypes (and even certain writing prompts) lead you in a specific direction, but there's nothing wrong with taking a less trodden path [if] you do it with care. What better way is there to engage readers than by sneaking in clever surprises?

F: Do you prefer combining action or thrilling bits to your fantasy story? Why or why not?

K: I certainly do! I'm not very comfortable with writing action scenes yet, but I feel that it adds balance and evens out the pacing of a fantasy story. Too [many] characters talking about things without doing them, introspecting or romancing each other (as much as I love love!) can become monotonous to me as a reader. That's why I try to give my readers a varied experience in my stories. Besides, real life has its quiet moments and it's thrilling ones, doesn't it? That's why I believe fantasy should as well.

F: Who inspired you the most to write in Fantasy? Whether they be from Wattpad or not.

K: Enid Blyton, an English author of children's fiction, was a big inspiration to me as a child. Some of my fondest memories are of my mom reading her books to me and me reading them to my brother a few years later. Enid Blyton wrote children's mystery and fantasy, so her stories couldn't be more different from mine, but I think my love for magic, mystery, and fantastical creatures began with reading her books.

As I'm sure many other fantasy writers would say, it was J. K. Rowling and Rick Riordan who first made me seriously think about writing in fantasy. I loved their stories and looked up to their characters (and still do), but no matter how much I loved them, I still couldn't be a part of their world. I'm not a witch or a demigod, so I became the next best thing: a fantasy writer.

F: If you could meet any Mythological or Legendary person, who would it be and why?

K: There are so many I'd like to meet! If I had to choose one, it would be Medea, the Princess of Colchis famous for betraying her father and helping the hero Jason obtain the legendary Golden Fleece. Firstly, I'd really like to know how much of her falling in love with Jason was the work of Aphrodite and Hera because they wanted her to help him. Secondly, I'm curious whether she really killed her and Jason's sons after he told her he was leaving her to marry the Princess of Corinth. This is probably the best known version of the myth because of the play written by the Greek tragedian Euripides thousands of years ago, but is it the truth? I recently came across speculation that Medea may actually have killed her children to prevent them from being killed more brutally by the Corinthians in retaliation for the deaths of their King and Princess (the woman Jason was going to marry) at Medea's hands, or the angry citizens of Corinth killed her children as revenge before she could even protect them. That's just two of the theories, but there are many more! Ever since, I have wondered what really happened. Greek myths are fascinating because there are so many different versions of them, but they can also send your head into a spin! Villain or not, I think Medea is an interesting mythological figure.

F: Is there a sea legend that you would like to write about?

K: Definitely! I have been mesmerised by the sea for as long as I can remember. I think it's one of the most beautiful places, full of untold stories. There's no way to know for sure what's lurking in those dark depths... I came across the idea that mermaids are the women who drowned after being thrown overboard by sailors (women being considered bad luck on ships and all), and it grabbed me instantly. There's so much potential for a story in there, one of magic, revenge and adventure! As for when I'll get to work on this story... I have no clue. But the idea is there!

F: What do you think is a perk of basing a story underwater?

K: I think it's an opportunity to sail uncharted waters. The story possibilities are unlimited! There's a whole other world of gods and monsters down there. As I said before, there's no way of knowing what's hiding in the sea. If I think up the craziest monster I can, for all I know, it exists and has just never been seen by people. It's possible!

I also think an underwater story would be an exercise in creativity. There's a lot we take for granted living on land, but undersea races wouldn't live the same way we do. There's a lot of worldbuilding to do, from what they eat and how they prepare it, to what they wear and their traditions and social customs. It's daunting not to have a template or starting point, but it's an awesome chance to make a world that is yours.

F: Most times, writing a book on fantasy genre requires a deep as well as wide research. How do you approach this process?

K: I start by doing broad research like reading articles, googling pictures of artwork and clothing from the time period and watching YouTube videos about the civilization that inspired my fantasy world. Once I do that, I have [an idea] of how the world looks and works, which will allow me to refine the basic story in my head so that it is in harmony with the world where it takes place. I grew up reading very typical medieval-inspired fantasy, so I think in those terms, but that doesn't translate well into the ancient settings I enjoy writing in. As an example, the characters in my Mesopotamian-inspired Rapunzel retelling can't read parchment as medieval characters can. They read clay tablets instead, which means I have to tailor my story accordingly.

When I'm working on the first draft, I research the specific details as I go, because gathering all the information and putting it together before I start writing the story will overwhelm and demotivate me. These are things like what people ate in that time, and detailed descriptions of their clothes and homes or palaces. My priority at this time is putting the story down. Only after I've finished the first draft do I look for the holes in the world. I become more familiar with the inspiration material and also stumble across new resources as I write, so when I work on the second draft, I make all the corrections to ensure the most accurate and immersive world I can. Sometimes there are helpful readers who know more about the basis for the setting than I do. It's always great to get their feedback telling me what I need to look at again.

F: What makes a story magical?

K: At risk of sounding sappy, I'd say love is what makes a story magical. Not the love you're probably thinking about, but the love of the writer for their story. If you believe in your characters and their journeys, if you craft your prose and the details of your world with love, readers will sense it, and it'll make them love your world too. You can add all the magic and mythical creatures you want, but I believe the true magic happens when your story comes from your heart. That's the best way to reach the hearts of others.

Thank you, KaraCarreira for spending time with us in this interview. Check out their work, A Land of Legends!