Karen had the honor of interviewing an amazing author, StellaKMary. She is the author of several books on Wattpad including The Elf King and I, Just Us, Darkness & Light and several more.

My name is Karen and I'm from the Crazy Late Nighters Community. What is the name or pen name that you would like to be called?

Hello Karen (if you don't me addressing you like this) and you can call me Stella for my pen name/username is "stellamaria77"

You can call me Karen, and it is very nice to meet you Stella. You were nominated by eroticfictionauthor They nominated you because and I quote "Obviously, she is amazing and I love her innocence" It's wonderful how much your readers love you. When did you first start writing and what made you want to write?

Thank you. It is nice to meet you , too. I'm glad to have a reader who loves me and my works. Ok so to answer your question I don't remember the exact year when I first started writing, however, I think it should be around seven years ago. I wrote a short story to participate in an eco-fiction contest. Though I didn't win any prize, it somehow made me realize that writing could make me feel so relaxed. Therefore, in the same year, I wrote a few more short stories in my free time and posted them on my blog. But then I lost motivation and stopped writing for a while until the end of 2019.

Wow, you've been writing for some time then. It is great to hear that you found motivation to write again after losing it. I'm sure your followers are happy about that too. What makes your writing different from others?

To be honest, after reading some good novels in both print and on Wattpad, I feel mine is lacking in so many ways. However, I believe we all have a different style in writings so I should give my own works some encouragement. As for what makes my writing different from others, I really can't say it. I will let my readers decide.

Just by the reads and votes, I can tell that the readers really enjoy your stories. I can only hope that my own writing can someday reach those numbers. You should be very proud of yourself. Do you have a writing and updating schedule?

Thank you. It is just by luck that my books reach those numbers, and I thank all my readers for their support. About the updating schedule, I have tried to set up a definite schedule for each of my stories but to no avail. So, for now, I'll just update whatever story that comes up on my mind.

I understand. Life can get busy and finding an updating schedule can cause a lot of pressure too. Is there anything special that you do when writing?

I don't have a special to write for I can write anywhere: on my bed, in the car (on the passenger seat, not the driver seat. haha), in the cafe and more. For music, sometimes I listen to it while writing whereas sometimes I don't; it depends on my mood.

Writing in the car must be nice. I will have to try it one day (also while not driving lol). How many books have you written so far, and which one is your favorite?

I haven't really counted it, but according to Wattpad, I should have around 10+ books, and 5 out of those are completed. And I like all my works, to be honest, (hope I don't sound narcissistic. lol) so I can't choose just one. They all are written in different genres.

It is amazing that you have written that many books, and no you don't sound narcissistic at all. Writing takes a lot of work and you should like all of your work. How do you come up with characters for your stories and do you relate to any of them?

I honestly have to idea. Some characters and plots are inspired by people and settings surrounding me. However, some are non-related at all. They just pop up inside my head.

I've always found coming up with characters can be challenging. Which of your characters is your favorite and why?

It depends. Sometimes I like my characters to be cold-blooded, but sometimes I like it when my characters are soft and gentle. Mostly, it will depend on the plot of my story.

I'm sure you readers enjoy your characters no matter what. With ten plus stories, how do you overcome writer's block?

I don't know as well. My brain keeps on feeding me story line, so I write it. When there is a day that I can't seem to come up with anything, I'll just watch dramas or read books to relax my brain. Mostly after doing so, I find my writing mood is back to function.

You are very lucky with that! What are your strengths and weaknesses as a writer?

Frankly, I don't know what my strength is. But for weaknesses, I have a few. First, English is not my native language so grammatical errors are my unwanted best friend. Second, I am still struggling to write a good paragraph that portrays a 'show' rather than a 'tell'. Lastly, I find my story contains quite an amount of cliché.

Being able to identify your weaknesses is a strength. It means you will be able to improve on them and everyone enjoys some cliché. As you know, the community that I am a part of is called the Crazy Late Nighters. Would you consider yourself crazy and why?

First of all, I am a late nighter. I sometimes pull an all-nighter to finish a book. Second, I find my story is a little bit crazy, especially The Elf King & I since it is humor so many things don't make sense. Last but not least, I think I am crazy overall to spend time writing stories instead of doing other things people at my age consider WORTH doing.

You would fit in perfectly with the Crazy Later Nighters! CLN's mascot is a Lynx because it is nocturnal. What nocturnal animal would you choose to be?

Either an owl or a bat. :)

Bat is the animal I chose too. If your life was made into a book, what would the title be and why?

Hmm...this is one difficult question. Haha... Ok. I think I will title the book of my life as "Chasing Me". Why? Because I feel like I still don't know about myself. I want to go in pursuit of every new path I take -for I like to try new things- and draw out a result.

That is a great title! How did you discover Wattpad?

It all began with a fandom. I am not Chinese, but I have recently watched a Chinese drama named "The Untamed". I don't know why but I become obsessed over it. I just can't get enough of this tv drama despite watching it five times. Therefore, I started to search for more information, and it led me to a fanfiction story here on Wattpad. I decided to create an account in order to vote and give encouragement to the stories of the writers I read.

Now I will have to check out "The Untamed". What authors on Wattpad have inspired you to write?

There are a lot of aspiring authors here that I haven't yet to discover. However, there are a few where I have read and gotten motivations from their stories: weiweilan1, eroticfictionauthor, Naomi_Chihaya

If you don't mind boyxboy (although they won't show this on-screen), then I really do recommend "The Untamed".

I am always looking for new shows to watch. I will also check out the authors you have mentioned. What advice do you have for new writers?

Oh dear, who am I to give advice when I am a new writer myself? lol...but well, just write what you love and NOT what you think the readers will love. And try to narrate your story through a 'show' rather than a 'tell'. This is it. :D

That is great advice for all. Why is writing and reading important?

I think reading makes you discover a lot of things beyond what we see. The more you read, the more your brain develops various dots where you can later connect them into your own version through your writing.

I agree with you on that. Do you still get excited when someone comments or votes on your stories?

Of course, I am. Even though it is as simple as an emoji, I am still happy that they take time to leave comments on my story. And of course, I try to reply to every comment as much as I can. As for those who don't get to comment but vote, I still thank them in my heart.

It is wonderful that you try to reply to every comment. I have one last question for you. Is there anything that you would like to tell everyone?

Well, I would like everyone who hasn't read my books to give it a try. Haha...And for those who have read and are reading them, thank you so much for your support. Your votes and comments are a great encouragement to me.

I hope all of our readers check your book out. Thank you so much, Stella, for taking the time to let me interview you. It was a pleasure to be able to speak with you. The Crazy Late Nighters Community thanks you too!