Meet Lucy Stone (@obliviablack). A freelance writer, lexicographer, and mother of one, her stories have appeared in many speculative journals, including Dreamforge Magazine, Electric Spec, House of Zolo, and Bards and Sages Quarterly. Most recently, she was published in an anthology of feminist fantasy called Predators in Petticoats. Her major preoccupations are folklore, romance, and mental illness.

Her stories contain many villains, but the ultimate one is usually despair, and she will fight it with every word she writes - even prepositions. She studied at Oxford, with which she has a love-hate relationship, and now works on a dictionary, which has a love-hate relationship with her.

She lives in Banbury with her partner and her eight-year-old son, and writes stories in her head when she really ought to be doing other things.

Her novel The Great Ellini won the grand winner prize in The 2023 NanoWatt Awards, in the Historical Fiction Category and follows the transcendent para-romance of Jack Cade and Ellini Syal set against the rich backdrop of 19th century Europe.

Eleven years later, in the city of Oxford, he met her again for the first time...

In 1870, Jack Cade is admitted to the new-breed stronghold of Pandemonium, a colony of people just like him: descendants of the vanished demon race, all of them extraordinary in little ways, and deranged in much bigger ones. There, he falls in love with Ellini Syal, a shy, insular woman who spends most of her time scampering barefoot over the Edinburgh rooftops.

In 1881, he meets her again, but has no idea who she is. All he knows is that there are dark, horribly suggestive gaps in his memory, and that Ellini is running from something she refuses to talk about. Can he work out who she is and what she's done in time to save her from the creatures pursuing her? Can he save himself from the amnesia and the creeping indifference that are eating him up piece by piece? Or is amnesia preferable to the kind of memories he will have to unearth?

The Great Ellini is the first book in the epic historical-fantasy-romance The Powder Trail, a series where the past and the present meet, part, and reunite with explosive consequences.

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How does it feel to be a grand winner of the 2023 Nano Watt Awards? Were you confident that you would make it this far in the competition?

It's amazing! And no, I didn't think I would make it this far. The Historical Fiction category was small, but there were some wonderful books in it, so I'm thrilled that The Great Ellini got through!

In your own words what is your winning entry about?

It's a historical fantasy set in the Victorian era, about a man who's had his memories of the woman he loves stolen from him. He then meets her again as a stranger, and has to work out who she is, what she's done, and what she's running from, before her enemies catch up. It's a romance with a detailed fantasy world behind it, and an adorable cast of secondary characters, all contributing their investigations to the central mystery: What has Jack forgotten?

Could you share with us the inspiration behind your story?

It's been in my head for so long that I don't think I can remember the original inspiration! I came up with the idea as a teenager, but only started writing the story in my thirties, so it's a mixture of teenage melodrama and jaded adulthood! It's been inspired by things as varied as Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, the novels of Terry Pratchett, and my time as a student in Oxford (to name just a few!)

And, in short, what was the process like in taking this book from novel idea to finished product? Were there any challenges or pleasant surprises along the way?

I've been writing these novels for ten years, off and on. I stopped to have a baby, to write other things, even to give up writing altogether, but something kept driving me back to it. I tried submitting to agents and editors, but didn't have any luck. Worse still, the constant rejections were killing my enthusiasm for the story (and for writing in general). So I decided that getting published wasn't as important as sharing my work. I'd poured too much of my soul into these books to just let them sit on my hard drive forever. So I tried posting on Wattpad, and I'm really glad I did! I've met some awesome friends here, who have helped me rekindle my enthusiasm for writing.

Having completed a full novel what encouragement would you give to writers struggling with self doubt and creative blocks?

Those are problems I still suffer from - especially the self-doubt. I try to focus on the joy that writing brings me - the thrill of coming up with something new, the comfort of hanging out with my favourite characters - and banish questions about whether anyone is interested, whether I'm any good, whether my stories will ever be available in bookstores (as you can tell, I haven't succeeded in banishing those questions completely!) For me, the only way to finish a novel is to love what you're writing about, so I would say concentrate on the love, joy and hope, and people will respond - because, believe me, those qualities are infectious!

In terms of its genre, How would you say your book defy or compliment the expectations/tropes?

The Great Ellini is a real genre-straddler! I usually describe it as a historical fantasy or dark fantasy, but it's also a romance and a mystery story, as the narrative is driven by the revelation of what Jack has forgotten. It deals with mature themes - there are moments of pure evil from some of the characters - but at its heart, there's a core of humour and tenderness that hopefully softens the darkness.

If there was one character that potential readers had to read your book just to meet, who would it be and why?

That's a hard one! I think I would go for Ellini, just because I really hope readers will find her inspirational. She's a shy bookworm with fanatical inner strength! Throughout the series, she learns to rely on herself, to rescue herself, and to emerge from her trauma with a sense of self-worth.

In terms of your writing style and storytelling what authors and/or creative media have influenced you throughout the years?

I grew up reading Terry Pratchett, so I'd cite him as a really big influence on my writing style. And it was J.K. Rowling's Harry Potter books that first got me writing regularly, because they drove me to write fanfiction about the fascinatingly flawed Severus Snape! I also love Oscar Wilde and Angela Carter, for the way they revel in beautiful language. And Naomi Novik's 'Uprooted' made me burn with enthusiasm and jealousy, because it was exactly the novel I wanted to write!

If you could have a crossover between your book and one of the books of a favourite published/ Wattpad author, who would it be and why?

Oooh, that's a good question! I think Ellini would get on really well in the world of 'Hell is an Empty Heart' by AnnamitaMuscaria. That's a lush, lyrical retelling of the Greek myths, with really strong female characters. Ellini would love it there, and would hopefully help Athena, Demeter and Persephone bring down the patriarchy! I would also love for Jack to show up in the world of 'The Assassin's Scars' by Mariya_Evans, just to share a pint of ale with Darius and let their inimitable personalities light up the room!

What other works or stories in the works can readers look forward to from you?

There are four novels in the The Powder Trail (the series that begins with The Great Ellini), so if you've finished Book One, please check out the sequels: 'Red, White and Blue', 'A Thousand and One English Nights', and 'Ring. Sister. Piano'. They all follow Jack and Ellini as they battle their inner demons (and sometimes literal demons!) I've also written a lavish, meandering Severus Snape fanfic called 'Sympathetic Magic', and am hoping to put together a short-story collection of feminist folklore after I've finished posting The Powder Trail on Wattpad.

Now that the award season has ended, what can you say on your Nano Watt 2023 experience? Can we expect to see you in 2024? 😄

Yes, definitely. This contest was great - really smoothly-run and supportive - so I'll definitely submit again in 2024 if I have an eligible story.

And before you go we must know....ketchup on your fries or ketchup to the side?🍅🍟

Oooh, good question! On the side, I think. But because I'm European, I might go for mayo (or that wonderful garlic mayo called aioli - that stuff is heavenly!)

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Thanks again Lucy for chatting with us and congrats on your win!

You may find her winning entry The Great Ellini in our TNW GRANDWINNERS 2023 reading list or visit her profile at obliviablack