We are thrilled to have interviewed our third place winner of the Herculean Challenge Shimaira. Please do check out this incredible author's profile when you have the chance!

1. Why did you decide to join the Herculean?

At first I wasn't sure if I was going to join, considering it would be quite a commitment and me being pregnant at the time. However, the challenge sounded so very interesting and the more thought I gave it, the more I liked it. I at first tried to enter together with a friend--we spent a few nights brainstorming on possible story ideas--but in the end he didn't join and I did.

2. Could you tell us some of the things you learned while participating in our challenge?

I learned a lot to be honest. From how important a good catch is to having a good outline. Having such a detailed outline of the story is the only thing that eventually enabled me to write the entire story in one sitting. I amazed myself to be honest; I never thought I would have been able to complete the story before the deadline. The fact that I managed to do 1k words per hour for several hours straight is something I see as a real achievement--especially considering how I was not feeling 100%.

3. Does participating in challenges like these help you grow as a writer? If so, how do you think you have grown?

I think this challenge definitely made me grow :) From dealing with deadlines, learning new things, and not to mention discovering just what you are capable of under pressure xD As I am currently not fit to write (I can go into labour any day and I am very scatterbrained atm) I have however started to outline the next part of my novel. Before the Herculean I never did much outlining at all... I hope the outline I have made now will enable me to write much faster than I would have otherwise ♥

4. When did you start writing?

I started my first "real" story when I was 15 or 16 years old. However, when I was a little girl I was already telling horror stories to friends , "scribbling" stories into a notebook, and even made little "comic books" (read: small booklets with drawings and scribbles). Also, do note that with scribbles I mean just that: scribbles. I used to jot down little weird lines instead of words and the "title" (which was an actual word) would make me remember what kind of story those scribbles were supposed to tell. Of course, years later now, I don't remember most of them xD

5. Can you describe your writing style in one word?

Ouch, that's a tough one... I guess I will go for "vivid" as I always try to make a story feel as real as possible, to have the reader experience the story instead of merely reading it. (And considering I had a lot of readers tell me my works made them feel certain ways while reading it, I feel comfortable with that word ♥ )