This is quite an interesting, almost interview-esque tag that I have asked to do by the lovely Reese_Cadwell and I am going to share my responses, because I think they matter.

Also, I'm a little more deep and serious in this one lol.  Expect rambling XD

Who encouraged you to start writing?

Hmmm, I was a constant story-teller from I was old enough to appreciate a story.  My mum and I would sit for hours and just pick objects and create stories about them.  My favourite were the magic toothbrushes who had special powers  hehe.  As I got older I would sit at the dinner table with my grandfather and we'd talk for hours about the books we read and what we liked about the stories.  No one ever said "be a writer" and I probably would have laughed if they did - but I was a natural story teller and all my friends made me create special world's and characters for them which we'd spend weeks playing out elaborate story plots.  I wrote poetry all through my teens but I was focusing on an academic/science/medical route and so I kept my stories too myself.  When I was 18 something very traumatic happened to me, and I was left shattered, I picked up a pen again and started to write to deflect and project the pain onto characters who I was then able to "fix" through time.  It was then that I met my good poet friend Paul, who asked to read something of mine one evening, and I reluctantly let him.  He was amazed and was the first person to say "you need to tell your stories" and he's been campaigning for me to be a writer ever since.  Anytime I lost confidence he was there reminding me of what I had achieved.  So, I guess it was an accumulation of people and events that led to this new, creative, life that I embrace and cherish so much.

Name a wattpad author who challenges you to take your writing up a notch.

Oh gosh!  I try to not compare/compete/or strive to be like anyone else or covet an ability.  Still, I have to say there have been a few people who are fellow story-tellers and I have just fallen in love with their creations and personalities.  MavisMcQueen is truly a kindred spirit, and her bold and brave ability to look darkness in the face and write it in a real and stunning way just inspires me.  Overcoming fear is such a huge element of what she writes and it's freaking empowering!  She has taught me a lot.
But also princesswithashotgun is equally a writer who 'gets it' and she is the only one who can criticise my work and I'll not feel like punching her in the face XD
She's got so much skill and talent at everything she turns her hand too, that when she pushes and challenges me I know it's cause she's behind whatever I'm writing 100% ...and her writers intuition is golden. 
So yeah...im very blessed to have these superstar women in my life. Thanks Wattpad for that.

What hobbies inspire you to write?

I don't understand this question? Hobbies? I don't feel writing inspiration comes from hobbies, I think writing inspiration comes from the people you meet, the stories they tell, and the things you experience. So, if your hobbies bring you in contact with these things (which many will) then that should develop in you a deeper understanding of character. I love my job and working with the damaged people of this world or the "scum" as is often used...because they taught me a lot about humanity, compassion, weakness, and what it is to be fortunate and to see Grace in action. Honestly writing is my hobby, everything else is experience that feeds into my ability to write better.

If you could address any issue in today's society through fictional writing, what would it be?

Hm, I think (through experience) that people are so disconnected from themselves and that love, tolerance, acceptance, and happiness is tied up in conditions, depending on social, cultural, or organised religious beliefs.  I'm not saying ANY of those things are wrong, I'm just saying that they lead to wrong behaviours against people or things that are opposite to us.   For example;  I am disabled with a terrible illness that can affect my reproductive system.  I was labelled a "slut" and even a "promiscuous" girl, but I was none of those things - in fact if they stopped and disregarded their over zealots, misinformed, cultural and religious beliefs, THEN they would have known I was the exact opposite and a innocent girl who has a physical chronic pain illness that affects many areas of my body - not just the area that they choose to focus on because it's taboo.  This is WRONG behaviour and it is the same attitude we take against each other, against neighbour, colleague, friend, and foe, for it is how we are conditioned by outside influences.  What I try to address in my writing is the existence of many issues, flaws, varied patterns of thinking, and difference.   How characters work through these things, how being different can be viewed wrongly, and I'm happy to say I have caused some readers to show that ugly side of human nature by actually viciously judging my characters for their actions whether they be right or wrong.  So, I am deeply spiritual person with a real sense of my own faith...Im not about to give up on my fellow human race even if they have wronged me in past.  This is what I hope I can achieve in my writings; a sense of connectedness, truth, and love in all its varying forms.  A bit of reality bang smack in the heart of make believe :)

What do you believe is the most meaningful or heartfelt scene you have a written?

Ohhhhh, there is a BIG question. I think half my readers will probably be able to list half a dozen times I've ripped out their feels...I think...am I right guys?
Actually, one of the most meaningful scenes for me was in 'To Live Again: In her Hands' where I write exclusively in Thranduil's POV - and if you know my slant on Thranduil at all in that series, you'll know it's quite unique and personal. Basically - in a very detached way - Thranduil is a smokescreen for a period in my life where I couldn't look at myself or my body for the disgust it caused. So, I was super intrigued and inspired by the dragon fire plot that PJ used. So there is a scene early in the novella, where he breaks a mirror in his frustration with himself. It was such a powerful moment of description, and it really was cathartic for me to just offload that onto a character - sorry Thrandy, you know I love you.
And on a side note - I am finishing up a new chapter for that book that discusses an element of his past relationship, and my goal is to show how even men can be abused, but it's a different kind of subtle abuse, and in this instance it's to do with taking advantage of his wealth and title.  It's quite sad but I do know this goes on, so I'm hoping it translates well.
I also have a character from my own novel - Killian - who has a number of small scenes that I just feel speak volumes of his kindness and emotional strength despite his severe physical limitations. So it will be great to share that with readers someday soon, because I know for sure it will reach some people who understand that isolation.
Another scene that just means a lot, because it was in memory of two women I met and know of their loss, was the Clara and her unborn daughter storyline. That comes from a very real place and I have witnessed the heart wrenching pain of that, so it means a lot to me that readers responded so sensitively and I hope it can capture in a small way, the depth of emotion that real couples face in that scenario.

What is the most cliched character that you wish people understood better, and therefore stopped them from sounding stereotypical?

I wish people were not so damn scared of being feminine!  And, I don't mean lets scrap all tough girls in favour of damsels in distress, I am talking about the Divine feminine force which is being woman.
I'll try not to rant lol.
I identify as a bible believing Christian, and I am very educated in translations, texts, and scripture - not theology and doctrine which I dislike immensely.   In that sphere people assume I am anti-feminist and the picture of typical churched girl upbringing...LOL I am first and foremost a creative and a female and therefore trying to get me to conform to stepford 101 is suffocating for me.  Also I grew up in a really diverse family with all sorts of beliefs.  The women in my life were strong, resistive, and emotionally independent people - but they were also the kindest, most matriarchal, and self-sacrificing women too.   I also saw heartbreak and witnessed what happens when men take advantage of that love that women are far superiorly more capable of showing - so I developed a greater respect for all the different variations of woman.
Therefore, the feminine character is so fascinating to me and I hate to see it cliched to either - damsel in distress, tough and emotionally shutdown girl, or the motherly vessel.  A female character can be and should be all of these things in her own right and different stages of her life.   Being a woman - in the creationist belief system - is being the polar opposite to being man.  Femininity is God's marvellous counterbalance to masculinity.  So, instead of trying to prove our equality to men, how about we prove our difference to men and own it in the divine right we were given by our creator (if you believe such things of course, if not I would say own you right to be a woman in all your forms and don't try to be a man...its stunting your greatness lol).

Why do you desire to be a published author?

Why? Why is the sky blue? Because it's a God-given talent that I have been blessed with and a desire in me to tell truthful, heartfelt, and loving stories. I am a story teller and I love what I do, I just want to spread that joy with others - it's nothing grand or elaborate, I just want to be happy doing what I do in the art form that I find most happiness. Like tattoo artist sell their art as a service to others, I sell my words as a service to others.

Tag 7 people that you believe have heart behind their words.

I tag;

SunnyTreasures
Stars_Alight
SineadRobyn
mabel3
e_Silmarwen_elf
princesswithashotgun
MavisMcQueen
Miss_Marshmellow

If you don't want to do the tag that's fine, or you can comment answers, I just think it's good as writers to think about what and why we do what we do.

And thus concludes today's tag!