Today we interview athena-spawn, winner of The Sunflower Awards 3.0 in General/Historical Fiction genre. Join us as we learn more about their writing style and inspiration.

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1. What inspired you to write 'Don't Hold Your Breath, Roar'? 

I was reading Greek Heroes by Rick Riordan for the third or fourth time, I was at Otrera's story. She was the queen of the Amazonian warriors. During her story, Percy (as the book is narrated by Percy,) talked about how Otrera's life was the worst life a woman could have in ancient Greece. And how being a citizen of Sparta was the best life a woman could have, how they respected women a lot. And I wondered, why did Otrera not ask the Spartans for help? That's how the idea for the story was born- Otrera, living her story, but asking the Spartans for help. 

2. What do you like about writing General/Historical Fiction? 

Taking old stories, old people and old ways and making new stories and characters out of them 

3. How did you feel when you found out you won in your genre for the Sunflower Awards?

Extreme elation. I'm honored that the judges liked Don't Hold Your Breath, Roar so much 

4. Who is your favorite character in your story and why? 

That's a hard question to answer. If I had to choose one of them to save from a burning building, it would be Leonidas, my MC Melissa's male love interest later in the book. He helped her grow and trust again after the world had failed her and broken her spirit. And I'll never stop liking him for that.

5. What does your writing process look like? 

Process? Who's she? I wrote scenes as they came to me, and stored them in a folder while I also wrote chronologically. I added the scenes or didn't add them as I saw fit. In the middle of first starting to write it, my mother was careless with my laptop and I lost two whole chapters (6K+ words) of my work, and I broke down. My friends helped me through that and I decided to just use the first chapter as my framework (I had backed that up to Google Docs) and continue writing. I finished writing it in 4 months and 6 days from the day I had first begun to get an idea of what I wanted to write. I mostly got fighting scene inspiration from listening to Believer by Imagine Dragons on a loop, otherwise I don't know how I would have managed them 

 6. What inspires you to write? 

The damn characters. They annoy me and disturb my sleep till I write them, and sometimes they haunt me long after their book is over. 

7. Do you have any advice for other writers? 

Write every day. Doesn't matter if it's two words or two hundred words or two thousand words, just make a habit of writing every day and it'll help you wonders with motivation because you'll itch to write those words like you routinely shower every morning. Oh, and have an artist/playlist/album to write the emotions that you're bad at writing. Personally, I like to consult Spotify and Taylor Swift. 

8. Who is your favorite author and why? 

Rick Riordan, for making me fall for these perfectly imperfect characters. Leigh Bardugo, for making me cry in a time when I was feeling extreme emotional anguish to the point that I was emotionally numb. 

9. What do you like the most about Wattpad? 

The community, the people. They keep me going. 

10. What is your favorite story on Wattpad? 

Hard question- it's between Match Made in Quarantine or really any book by katfeatherly  or (Not So) Innocent Little Lies by LightenTheShadows  or any book by JaideHarley.

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Thanks again for chatting us, athena-spawn! We wish you the best.

Check out their books on their profile and give them some love! :)