Warm regards Jakayla Toney. (Ms_Horrendous) Welcome to an official interview from @TheCRYPTIC_ . It's our honor to have you as part of our council.

First of all, tell us how you stumbled upon Wattpad and when.

I joined Wattpad on December 26, 2014. It's almost my Wattpad birthday! I found it while I was looking for Avatar the Last Airbender fanfic to read.

Wow! So what do you think about THE CRYPTIC's theme? What are your views regarding dark fiction?

I love the profile! I love dark fiction and lately, I've fallen in love with it.

What do you like to read? Do you have a favorite genre or any specific likes?

I love horror and LGBT romance stories. I will also read anything my readers suggest, but I prefer horror:)

What compels you to pick up a pen and scribble down your thoughts? Do you have any inspiration or motivation?

I write a lot of horror stories and most of it comes from personal experiences. I also have a phobia of the dark, so at night I'm always paranoid or thinking about something horrifying. I like to put them in my stories. It really nails it. Whenever I get comments like, "Please update!" or of the sort it motivates me more to write. Writing also helps me deal with some bad experiences I've had. Helps more than anything!:)

What's the easiest part of writing and which aspect do you consider the most challenging?

The easiest part is coming up with ideas. The hardest part is finding a middle and end for the story. Also, since I'm a horror writer, It's really challenging finding new ideas. No one wants cliche horror stories anymore. They want something new. It's really hard constantly coming up with something new, so I spend a lot of time thinking of ways to scare my readers. 

Why did you decide to join The Cryptic?

Well, I'm a new fan to dark fiction. I wanted to be a part of the team to learn more about dark fiction and to help out with the page.

What kind of environment do you prefer to write in?

Anywhere without a lot of noise. I love to write in coffee shops, libraries, and in parks. 

What's your first piece of writing, if you can remember? What thoughts does it bring to you when you look back at it?

My first book was called Beyond The Hills. It is now called, Helena and the Rings. I'm rewriting it at the moment. It reminds me of why I started writing in the first place. The main character is me in every way and writing it helped me through some of my problems. Re-reading it shows me how much I grew in the last few years:)

Tell us about your growth as an author.

I'm extremely proud of my growth as an author. When I first joined Wattpad, I was not good at ALL. My writing was horrible. I never passed my English classes, ELA, Literature, and spelling in school. I had after school teachers to help me with reading because it was hard for me to read. Because of the criticism and feedback, I was able to fix the things I was bad at. People from Wattpad told me that I shouldn't be a writer because of my grammar and writing style, but I never gave up. Now I'm a Wattpad Star and I won the Watty's! I'm very glad I kept going.

Do you have a favorite author or book?

Kelly Anne Blount is my favorite Wattpad author. When I first joined Wattpad, all I saw was her books on the "What's Hot." list. I remember wanting to be just like her one day. Outside of Wattpad, my favorite author is R.L Stine. My favorite book is called: Wait Till Helen Comes.

Besides writing, do you have any hidden talents?

I longboard, cook, bake, DJ, do karate, and I play basketball really good!

You're sitting in front of a brand new aspiring writer, what do you say?

Never ever stop writing. No matter how bad you think you are, or how many negative comments you get, just keep writing.

What do you enjoy doing in your free time? Don't be afraid to tell us something funny, we won't tell. I like to play with my son on my free time. Or longboard down the roads, avoiding cars LOL

Now, the most awaited question of every young reader, do you have any childish habits? Do you like cartoons or chocolates?

I still watch cartoons and read Avatar the Last Airbender or Steven Universe fanfictions:)

Do you prefer sweet or salty?
Sweet!

It was nice talking to you. Thanks for your precious time. We really appreciate it and hope you'll prosper leaps and bounds. 

COVER

BLURB

When you enter the house, you follow the rules, you play the game... My name is Emily. I thought it was a normal, abandoned house. I thought she was a normal girl. I thought we'd play a normal game of hide and seek. Turns out I was wrong. Dead wrong....