Hi everyone! My name is Amy Crandall, (but most know me on Wattpad as ). I am the author of the psychological thriller "Delusions", which has just finished undergoing its second edit! As of January 10th, it has peaked at #11 in the mystery/thriller genre hot list, and was featured for the month of September on the mystery/thriller featured list! For someone who has been trying to get onto the featured list since my fanfiction days three/four years back, I'm pretty ecstatic. Now, I am working to get "Delusions" published. This is proving difficult, as there are a few plot holes I still have to fill before sending it off to publishers!

For my sixth Wattpad Block Party, I would like to answer some questions that my fans have asked me. If you have any further questions in the comments section, I will be happy to answer them. And, please make sure to check out my novel "Delusions" if you like mystery/thrillers full of stalkers, kidnappings, murder, suspense, and sprinkles of romance!

1. What was your inspiration for writing "Delusions"?

I get asked this question a lot, and the truth is, it was inspiration from multiple things that I built off of. At first, I wanted to create a mystery/thriller story that was alike to my first attempt at a novel (titled "Find Me") in premise, but differed in outcome. In "Find Me", a girl moves to a new town after she receives messages from an unknown person (sounds familiar, right?). Throughout the novel, we see that this stalker becomes increasingly brave and ultimately kills the people she holds dear. In "Delusions", a girl moves to a new town after she arrives at home to find her mother packing up the house. The girl, Abigale, finds out that her father has disappeared under mysterious circumstances, and her mother won't speak of what happened. When they arrive at their new home, Abigale befriends some different, yet intriguing people, one of them being Damien Thackston, her next-door neighbour. She receives handwritten notes as well as Facebook messages from a profile known as DarkHeart434 soon after, and becomes untrusting of everyone around her. When the first body turns up, we begin to wonder about her involvement in what happened. The main story is set around what happened before the current chapters, which are titled "the interrogation". In the "the interrogation" chapters, we slowly find out what happened to Abigale, and if she is innocent or guilty of the crimes that were committed in the time she spent in her new town.

I found soon after beginning "Delusions" that it was going to be much different from "Find Me", as it was going to hold much more of a mystery component. As I was writing, I found myself pulling ideas from random things I have read or listened to on TV. I was going to end the story in typical stalking fashion, but instead, I found myself taking the story in an entirely alternate direction. I hope you will all check out the story to see what I mean!

2. What made you decide to write a novel in the mystery/thriller genre?

I have always been intrigued by the mystery/thriller genre, as it's one of the most interesting genres to write in. Suspense, I feel, is what makes a stimulating story. It's also one of my favourite genres to read for this fact. I like this genre over the horror genre, because it focuses more on real-life occurrences, versus paranormal occurrences. I find, the more real a mystery is created to be, the scarier it is, and the more thrilling it can be.

3. How long did it take to write "Delusions"?

This is a complicated question. I first started planning the novel back in early 2015. I wrote a small piece one day when I was feeling bored, which all of you now know as "The Interrogation, Part 1". From there, I built upon Abigale's story. I fought through writer's block a lot. I wrote the first eighteen chapters of the novel between late 2015 and 2016 before experiencing writer's block that probably lasted five months. When I sat back down to write again, I didn't stop until I reached the end of the novel, which happened in May of 2017. Since then, I've been editing the story and trying to smooth out all the kinks. In short, it probably took about three years to write the story, and I still haven't finished editing!

4. Who are your favourite authors?

This is like asking me my top three favourite musical bands/artists. There are so many possible candidates I could mention, but I think one of my absolute favourites would have to be Sarah J. Maas (the author of the Throne of Glass series). I fell in love with her writing style and ability to tell an intriguing and complex tale in a way that left you craving more. I love her eye for detail, as she doesn't go overboard in terms of descriptions, but lets you know what is going on around the character. The author who probably got me started in writing was Rick Riordan. When I first started my actual journey of storytelling, I began by writing Percy Jackson fanfiction, as I wanted to improve my craft before moving on to my own ideas. In a way, he helped me to shape the way I am today as a writer.

5. Do you draw inspiration from your favourite authors' works?

This is a tough one. When I'm reading novels, sometimes my mind will flit to something completely different from what I'm reading, and it ends up becoming a story idea. With the newest work I am thinking of writing, I can easily say that Sarah J. Maas' "Throne of Glass" series inspired it. She got me into the fantasy genre, which I had left behind in my early teens. As I explained above, Rick Riordan's series put me on the path of writing my own fiction.

6. What types of genres do you normally read/write?

When I was twelve/thirteen, my main focus was on fanfiction. I didn't feel confident enough back then to write my own stuff, so I enjoyed borrowing characters from other people. My first fiction work, "Stalker", made me see that I could write my own fiction if I tried. I wrote that story in about two months, so you can tell it wasn't meticulously thought out.

When I wrote the "Find Me" trilogy—which was never completed—I found that my process became lengthier, and I was able to pump out a more complex piece. By the time I got around to writing "Delusions", I realized that I could write a meticulously planned story, and that it just takes more time and effort.

As you can tell by the titles, my favourite genre to write is mystery//thriller.

My favourite genres I like to read are a much different story. I'm a hopeless romantic, but I also like to curl up with a bloody thriller, out-of-this-world fantasy, or teen-based drama. I'm not picky without the novels I read. In fact, I don't mind reading historical fiction every now and again as well.

7. Do you have any current plans for a new novel? If so, what is it about?

As a matter of fact, I do have some current plans for a new novel in the fantasy genre. (Don't worry, mystery fans, I know I will put out another novel like "Delusions" in the future!) I know it is much different from what I normally write, but I want to pursue the challenge. The working title is "A Nightingale's Calling". All I can reveal so far about the project is that it is about a princess who heads undercover after her home was invaded and taken over by a neighbouring kingdom. I am not sure on a release date yet, as my main priority is getting "Delusions" to a point where I can begin sending it to publishing companies. I will keep updating on my social media and Wattpad on where the project is at and when it will be released, so make sure to follow the links below!

I hope you enjoyed reading my post, and continue to enjoy reading every other amazing authors' posts in the fourth winter edition of the Wattpad Block Party!

xXAmy_CXx

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