Today we interview 0liviaRose436, winner of The Sunflower Awards 3.0 in the Chicklit genre. Join us as we learn more about their writing style and inspiration.

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1. What inspired you to write On The Edge of Tomorrow? 

It started with Billy and because I was fascinated with how much people are willing to share with strangers on the internet even more to pursue fame. From there, my mind wandered to how a private person with a raw and natural gift would wrestle with themselves over following the talent for fear of the access expected by fans. How would they overcome that, protect themselves, protect their loved ones? But Billy needed someone to cause healthy friction and make him question his path. That's when Lily joined him. But her perspective was so dynamic with her mix of determination and self-doubt. She just took over, and suddenly the story shifted from Billy's perspective to Lily's. 

2.  What do you like about writing Chicklit? 

 I love Chicklit because it provides a focus but isn't overly constricting. I love strong female leads and following them through all the issues of womanhood. It's easy to focus on the romance, and Billy is very enticing, but On the Edge of Tomorrow is just as much about Lily figuring herself out and looking for a career as it is about her romance with Billy. As the series progresses, the trend continues with Lily juggling a career, romance, friendships, and the idea of what family means to her. There is just some much there to explore! 

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

 I was ecstatic when I found out I placed at all; I absolutely did not expect to win! I haven't had the pleasure to check out The Sweetest Decisions by -impulse but I am sure it's fantastic. I have checked out Perfectly Unexpected by MiniMoxxand she is so amazingly talented! I'm excited to be in the same group as them, regardless of ranking. Plus, the connection that tasya_wayer had with Lily's and Billy's story makes me beyond happy. It's the whole reason I bothered to write the story down!

4. Do you have any advice for other writers? 

If it's not fun, stop doing it. A reader can always sense with writing if forced! In terms of some good old-fashioned tips: listen to your work read aloud to see if the flow works and, if you get stuck, try writing from another character's point of view. I get stuck a lot, so I have almost the entire On the Edge series written from Billy's point of view at this point!

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

 Timmy! I always have a love for secondary characters, and the On the Edge series is no different. I just love Timmy. I, of course, love both Lil and Billy, but Timmy just cares so much about the people and world around him. Plus, he remembers to have fun in life! Too many people forget to have fun! 

6.  What does your writing style look like?

I would say my style is descriptive narrative. I love to write so people can visualize the scenes and feel what the characters are feeling. I also recognize that most readers want to hear directly from the characters, so I try to focus on dialogue to flesh out the characters and how they relate to each other. 

7. What is your favorite book and why? 

 Well, one of my favorite books is Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad. I just love how he writes. He transports you not just into another place but into another person's mind. I also love the humor and voice in The Gun Seller by Hugh Laurie, which is a complete 180 from Heart of Darkness. Other books I count among my favorites and inevitably influence me include: Wieland by Charles Brockden Brown, Salt: A World History by Mark Kurlansky, The Outsiders by Hinton, and The Elements of Style by Strunk and White. Outside of books, I have always loved the storytelling abilities of Orson Wells, Alfred Hitchcock, and Bob Dylan.

8. When did you first start writing and why? 

 I started writing as something to entertain me when I got bored of streaming content in the pandemic. I've been writing for a little over a year and joined Wattpad a little under a year ago. Actually, my 1st anniversary on Wattpad is 5/25! 

9. What inspires you to write? A lot of characters, plots, or even individual scenes pop into my head. If it sticks for a week, I start to write it out until the thought is complete. From there, I analyze if there is enough meat to map out into a full length. Mapping is one of my favorite parts of writing. I love working out the peaks and valleys of a plot! 

10. What is your favorite story on Wattpad?

 I would call out Eternal Light by SaraAlhussan83 as consistently topping my favorites list.

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Thanks again for chatting with us, 0liviaRose436! We wish you the best.

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