Book Name- ALLEN: The Alien Who Can Hear Your Heartbeat.

Author- TitaniaAvery

Winner of FUN FEST WEEK

Question 1- Amongst so many contest books, how did you come across WattpadFestival's Fun Fest Week?

Answer 1 - I can't remember how exactly, but it sort of just pop into my screen when I was looking for a contest to join. I'm not ready for big contests such as the Wattys, and I wanted something challenging - something that has a word limit and should follow a specific prompt. I know there are others, but Fun Fest was first to show up.

Question 2- What encouraged you to chose our prompt

'Holiday on Earth'?

Answer 2 - To be honest, I'm not a fan of band concerts so I decided I should write about an alien, instead. haha, I also hadn't written anything about aliens before, so it was more challenging for me.

Question 3- How did you processed the prompt and began writing the story?

Answer 3 - Actually, I wrote the specific characteristics of the main characters first. Next, I wrote a plan on how they would meet, fall in love, break apart, then meet again. It's the cliché format of any love story. Then, I began writing the scenes as natural as possible, following my plan.

Question 4- How many attempts did it took for you to come up with the final draft of the story?

Answer 4 - Oh, I lost count. haha, It was really hard because I must not exceed 3000 words. The first draft went far more than 5000 words. I really cried when I had to cut scenes. I weighed the importance of every word. Finally, I hit the limit.

Question 5- Your story has a great range of fictional places and scenarios, how did you come up with those?

Answer 5 - I'm not sure. It's as if my characters acted according to their personalities and decided on everything.

Question 6- Is Sci-fi your favourite genre to write or do you write other genres too?

Answer 6 - No. I write romance, but I decided to explore other genres. It's actually my first time writing a sci-fi subgenre. I had only ever written contemporary romance before this story.

Question 7- What are your favourite genres to read?

Answer 7 - My favourite genres are romance, fantasy, mystery/thriller.

Question 8- What will you do if you ever get a chance to meet an alien?

Answer 8 - I honestly don't believe in aliens. haha If ever, I think my reaction would depend on how the alien looks and acts.

Question 9- When did you start writing? Does it energises you or exhausts you?

Answer 9 - I started writing when I was in primary school. Back then, I wrote anything that comes into mind. Writing has always been my way to cope with bad things that happen in my life. I'd say writing is both fun and exhausting, especially when you're on the editing stage.

Question 10- Share your first writing experience with us?

Answer 10 - I'm not sure if I understood the question, but I think my first writing experience wasn't worth remembering.

Question 11- Do you plan to take up writing professionally?

Answer 11 - Yes. It's my dream, however, I'm still honing my craft.

Question 12- Did you participated in other activities of our week? Which was your favourite?

Answer 12 - To be honest, I didn't. I'm not much into interacting with other readers and writers. You see, I don't even have many followers, and I follow very few people. It's not that I don't want to, I'm just not good at getting close with others. I'm trying to overcome it, though.

Question 13- What is your advice to fellow writers and participants of the contests?

Answer 13 - One thing I advise to fellow writers and participants is to never stop writing and joining contests. It will be excruciatingly painful whenever you lose, but use that experience to grow as a writer. Ask yourself, why did I lose? Check the work of the winner and compare your work. What makes this a good piece? If you must, send your work to reviewers and be open to criticisms. Only then will you be able to improve your skills and become the best writer you can be. :)

Question 14- How you feel after winning the contest?

Answer 14 - I'm happy. I jumped up and down, screamed to my friends, told everyone I know that I won. I guess that's what anyone would feel. It's my first win here on Wattpad. Actually, it's my first try as well, so it kind of hit me as a shock. I thought only the famous ones would win contests, however big or small. My book isn't that popular.

Question 15- Do you participate in contests often? Are you willing to be apart of another contest soon?

Answer 15 - Fun Fest was the first contest I ever joined here on Wattpad. I had only ever joined school writing contests before. Right now, I'm working on a new book to enter a contest.

Question 16- What's your favourite thing to do in summers?

Answer 16 - I know this may sound weird, but all I ever do in summer is read and write. I'd love to go to the beach once or twice, but reading and writing have always been my favourite things to do no matter what time of year.

Question 17- How do you kill the hesitation in yourself before putting your work for the world to read?

Answer 17 - I'm not sure. I don't think I ever hesitate on putting my work because I make sure I give it my everything. I know my best may not be enough, but as long as I know I have given it my all, there's no need to be afraid. Wattpad also allows writers to hear from others, so if anything, I'm happy to receive constructive criticisms because I can learn. Whatever mistake I make on my work will serve as lessons for me to work my way to top.

Question 18- How do you deal with hate/rude comments?

Answer 18 - I'm still new here on Wattpad. I haven't received anything rude yet. I can't really tell how I would deal with them. I'd probably just cry and delete or mute them. haha

Question 19- Any message to your readers?

Answer 19 - "Thank you so much for reading my book! I'm very happy you decided to take a look at what I wrote. It means a lot to me. Please let me know what you think by leaving comments. Thank you." I think that's the only thing I could say. haha What do writers say to their readers? I wonder...

Question 20- Are you planning to write the detailed version of this book?

Answer 20 - I haven't decided yet. Maybe I should leave it be. I'm also working on something else.

Question 21- Anything you want to say to WattpadFestival Team?

Answer 21 - I want to thank you for selecting my book even though it's not that popular. I know it has flaws, and I honestly want to know what made my book stand out on other entries. It would mean a lot to get a review from your team. It's probably not a part of the privilege, but I would appreciate it. Thank you very much. I look forward to more contests and challenges. :)