1. Tell us a bit about yourself as an author and as an individual.

Vanakkam and hello everyone. This is Yaris from the southernmost part of Asia waving at you from the lands of ancient literature. An ambivert, coffee lover who seeks breezes and rains with a comfy story. I love to mend smiles as a dentist during the day and dream about my stories or movies at night. I'm an ardent lover and practitioner of classical art forms. The desire to treasure indigenous cultural folks and mythology never ends. The more you give the more I wish to seek.

2. How long have you been writing? And what influenced you to start writing?

Life is interesting in many ways we don't expect it to be. I have been writing journals from the age of eleven years and have always kept my introverted issues to paper and pen. When unfortunately it landed on my mother's hands, I was terrified. At that tender age those crazy sweats and tummy knots on getting caught were so scary. But instead of being strict or anything that I expected her to do, she asked me to write things crisp and impactful. Her words moved me for the good.

I really remember how nervously I penned my first poem on love, the topic that drives everyone to the world of imagination and words. When I handed it over to my mother, she praised me. With a heart full of new hopes, I began scribbling more and pushing it to her and eventually dad came to know I write. But instead of words, he had his tears. That's when the huge surprise came. It was that writing has been in my blood and my great ancestors have been creating many fictional empires that are indigenously known. But after around four generations, I did identify myself as a poet. It left me speechless and most importantly my parents were proud. My dad gave me their works, most of it wasn't published or lost in the track of time. The bits of work that I had to read inspired me to take this journey of writing.

It's been 11 years of experience and experimentation. And I joined Wattpad during the pandemic to publish my first poetry collection 'The Gleaming Ardours'. Eventually began novels and novellas. I love fusing themes and genres to highlight the gray arcs less explored. It's the fun of new things that keeps me going.

3. Are you a plotter or a pantser?

Mostly I'm a plotter but a plan twister as the plot unfolds. The base of the story will be laid before I title it. Eventually I move it with some twist or change of events to let myself have some challenges to blend in the new-found points. It is encouraging and useful as we write the story. I always look for some good bundle of plotholes and try cementing them one by one. Being a fan of riddles and mazes I love interconnecting things to show the complete circle rather than just drawing the arcs.

4. What was the most difficult thing to write in your book? How did you finally pull it off?

The only difficult thing is getting the magical scenes out of my mind in the prose structure. The pacing is something I work and rework rather than structuring or editing. Neither should it be too hard nor should it give away things fast. I re-read my works as a reviewer and an editor, sometimes a judge and make points. Then I go in again to do my duty as a writer. This has helped me go with the flow of trial and error and eventually better myself. The journey takes much time but it's worth the final output.

5. Who is your favorite author?

Wattpad has given me many good friends for life. @Shivran86 is the first author I read. Her book Kama: The liberation version 1 was the first novel I read completely and wrote my first Wattpad review on. That's a beautiful beginning to the journey of falling in love with her writing. @Divyansh16 is another person whose different worlds and perspectives captivate my heart. His research and use of language is very commanding and excellent. I simply adore his style of writing. @Madhavani is the sweet, light and accurate historical author who leaves you loving the premises and characters like your own children. @Exequinne has a strong world building and commanding plot twists that will keep you at the edge of the seat even at the last line of the epilogue. Not just them there are so many authors I have been working around as a reader and I have a curated list of wattpaders I genuinely observe and a huge stacked booklist to read and rejoice.

In the real world I'm always a reader and lover of Kalkhi, Sujatha, Ravinder Singh, Sudeep Nagarkar, Amish, Sudha Murthy, R K Narayan, J K Rowling, William Shakespeare, Agatha Christie, Jane Austin, Cecelia Ahern. Give me any of their books. I can tell the stories by heart.

6. If you could only take one book with you on an island, which one would it be and why?

I would take the compilation of the Vedas. Yes, they are the profound foundation of my thoughts. It teaches and helps me in ways I have never thought possible. People may think I'm an old soul but yes I have no regrets on this decision. Sending some sandalwood and incense sizzles your way. Oh did I forget the ancient hymns and gemstones? Nah it's for you to hunt.

7. What tips would you give to someone who is just starting out?

First get the basics right. The basics indicate the plot line and characters. There need not be any message or depth of teaching, just fetch the story out of your mind.

Second, take up a routine to draft and care not the number of reads or votes or anything. Keep it straight that it's your story and you write it to calm your nerves of what you have imagined. Go ahead type it. It's ok to have errors at first and that's why it is called the raw or first draft.

Third, look for the relevance and recheck if you would need any amendments between the periods of writer's block or gaps you take. Become your own reviewer or editor. Do the work to content your heart.

Fourth, accept the terms that you will finish this journey and it will make you happy for every effort you have taken. Write it for yourself. Eventually people will find you. Even if it's just a handful of readers, cherish them. Be supportive to be supported.

Fifth and most importantly, kindly concentrate on the story and not its digital things. I have seen stories with captivating cover and no good ideology and vice versa. As a reader, we pick good stories over covers and we must know what's important at this moment and work on it.

Sixth, when you mark it complete make sure it is edited at least two rounds. The basic grammar and typos would do. Eventually if you think of rewriting it's up to you but yes when you say it is complete we must avoid the basic errors and Viola you are done!

8. What motivated you to write the book that won the contest?

The credit for the book 'That Illusion' goes to the famous magical movie series, The Harry Potter and my obsession with the theory of seven worlds in Hinduism and some mythical pets. This book deals with ogres from the least possible world and the girls of the paranormal world to help them contain their issues to their realm. The adventure and riddles on the way are for them to navigate and yes they are young adults with their own issues and desires to handle. The thorough motivation is to see evil and good shake hands and coexist. No clash or war but yes adventure has its own perks XD.

9. Do you experience writer's block? If yes, how do you cope with it?

I have experienced writer's block when the anxiety of real life picks me up. When I'm feeling the vagueness I try to sort things before I begin the process of writing. Sometimes writing helps me sort things that irk me in life. So it goes both ways. Mostly I prefer nurturing the story as stick figure sketches or plotting bullet points for the chapter. I pick good books and read to push my energy up and then I will write.

Sometimes music helps but mostly it's short or long travels, food and family that fills my little heart with new hopes.

10. What message or theme did you hope to communicate to your readers through your book?

Evil loves good. Good loves evil like the sky loves earth and dark loves light. The polars need each other to ferry into the evanescence of time through its turbulent tides. It also has some less spoken ideologies about young adult mindset and flare of I-didn't-see-that-coming issues. Read the story to know more. I have given enough that you need to take your first step.

11. For readers who are unfamiliar with your work, how would you describe your writing style and what distinguishes your book?

Thanks for this question. I don't follow a patterned writing style. Yes, every work of mine has some difference in the way it flows. I love experimenting with the array of different kinds of writing we can find or create. Sky's the limit for this venture.

Being a poet at heart and a dreamer in mind, I love using poetic or lyrical style of writing. Specifically, 'That illusion' has some strong lyrical prose and I intentionally picked this style to keep the story different in the way it flows. I adore Rowling for this exceptional reason. Like she insists every writer has their choice of words. I have been criticized hard and ice, but I feel my love for this book flows well through this style of narrative. It's that one decision that has kept me going and will help me as I put forth the second part 2 of the book that I'm plotting behind the scenes.

12. Are there any particular characters or scenes in your winning book that hold special meaning for you? Why?

I associate with the girls more and each of them has a part of me in their character. Seraphina and her nature to assimilate things before any decision making, Eir's love for fairytale and colorful ends, and Mordana's dark humor and wit are something that reflects a part of who I am and holds a special place in my heart. Apart from them, I love a character that is about to come. She is a goddess of the voids, a direct inspiration of Goddess Kalika from Indian mythology and she will take over the story in the next part. She will resemble the divine mother who will exist as the power in the subtleness of chaos and indecision. Her character is the first seed of thought and I wanted this story to venture in a different set of themes and that's how That Illusion was born.

13. Do you have any future projects or ideas that you are currently working on or intend to pursue?

I'm currently working on a gray arc project that I began writing for ONC 2024, titled 'Metamorphosis: Embers of Mirage'. I also am plotting a few historical fictions, paranormal psychology fictions and some contemporary fictions all based on Indian mythology in its every arc (P.s. mostly gray). With the sail of time, you will see them bloom in my profile.

14. What was the most surprising or unexpected feedback you got from readers about your book?

Every writer grows with every feedback we get. Good or bad they help us become better. Like I said this book had a mix of some really smooth and some terribly harsh feedback. I took what was constructive and left the rest for later.

The comments in the books have always made me feel something different out of the plain days. Whenever I find the readers enjoying the characters, I love the characters myself. When I see them annoyed, I too pick their side and stay annoyed. Some comments keep us happy like how @GarimaSingh743 used to refer to me as a wordsmith. That's how the journey has been and will always be. I cherish every feedback and give it a thought. So keep them coming my way. Also, if you see me sad, you can send me balloons or flowers, I love them. Let's be pretty and nice!

15. Is there a character you created randomly who received more attention than the main character? Why do you believe that happened?

That is Mora, or Mordana. She was not a perfectly planned kid but she stole the show for her quick wit and dark chocolate activities. She knows she is sore and still grabs hearts. A black rose with a wine heart I would call her.

The next character I guess people loved would be Galene, the woman of motherhood in the story. Her sparkle is a silver lining on the cloud and this story goes great with her energy. She knows when to wheel the steering up or down. Keep your eyes on her, she will make you comfortable all over the way.

If there could be another character that my reader's will end pitying for it will be... a surprise XD

16. What do you believe is the most important trait or skill that a successful writer should possess?

Be Persistent. Have the vision.

These two things keep us going regardless of any obstacle or difficulty that shall follow. You don't need great prose, vibrant grammar and a posh or highly intellectual storyline. They happen as you strive to write. It is the joy of writing that should never cease its fire.

Keep weaving, keep writing and above all keep experimenting. You will see the light of success but till then hold your heart to the worlds you create. In a way, we are creators; a little form of the greater Gods. This thread of imagination that makes us different in a way or group us together in a way is a gift to be cherished. So cheers authors, let's cherish and cheer each other up!

A heartfelt Thank you, @EvilMayBeWriter, for devoting your time to judge the course of books. The remarkable feedback that you offered has helped me see something that I missed and yes I'm working on it to better the illusionary world.

Dear Elpida Community, Thanks a lot for having me. This journey of awards offered me a chance to portray my creation. Eventually earning a crown, that will be cherished like every other author of the Wattpad ton!