Client: minsari

Interviewer: Oizys604

Hey, I am Zia, one of the interviewers from The Gemme Community!

Today I will be taking your interview for your amazing book 'The Ghost of Her'

For starters, I would like our readers to get to know you better. How would you describe yourself?

I would describe myself as an unhinged, sarcastic, forever-hungry hopeless romantic who is doing her best to be a perfectionist within her capacities. 🤭

That somehow resembles your book and its theme! I can see you have two very different names. What name do you usually go by as an author? Do you ever feel like sharing more about your personal life with your readers?

On Wattpad, I go by minsari—a nickname created almost ten years ago by my sister and best friends when we were sitting at a café, dreaming about writing. Later on, they made their own profiles, but I just stuck with this one.

When you read my book The Ghost of Her, you'll probably see a lot of comments like, "Sandra! What are you doing to me... I hate you!" — and you can immediately guess that Sandra is my real name.

I also run a lovely community for adult writers (+18) called PINK WATTYS CLUB (yes, we adore our chapel roan!). The members there know quite a bit about my personal life — like the fact that I'm Polish, recently moved to Canada, I'm a workaholic, I love coffee, I'm obsessed with concerts (I'm going to 4 this month!), and... I'm almost 30! They say life begins at 30, so I guess I'll find out soon if that's really true. 😅

Sandra, you sound like a person anyone would love to hang out with! Truly! And I definitely agree, life begins at 30. The nickname Minsari sounds amazing! Just like your book's name. Your book is named 'The ghost of her', how did you come up with the title?

I'm probably going to sound a bit boring and repeat myself, but here it goes. I'm usually a very strong person; however, I do like to cry sometimes (I would even call it my second hobby) — lying in bed, watching sad TikToks of old people eating alone or cute cat videos.

One day at work, though, I had a horrible interaction with a customer. I was so mad and hurt that I cried. I took a 15-minute break and just sat on my balcony, thinking to myself: "Sandra, you are stronger than that. You are not going to be brought down by a total stranger who decided to throw slurs at you and mock your accent! You can speak two languages — he can barely speak one! Don't do it. Don't become the Ghost of Yourself..." 😤

And that's when the idea for the story was born. Within the remaining 10 minutes, I thought of the whole plot and decided to call it The Ghost of Herself.

That's beautiful! Some people really are very miserable to make someone else cry.

The way you have an elaborate answer for every little thing makes me want to ask you about every little detail now! So, who do you think is that one character of your book that you resonate the most with?

I would have to say Mikaela Wilson (Michalina Wasilewska). Although the things you'll read about didn't happen to me, I feel like she matches my character the most. This is my first time writing, so when you read this book, you'll definitely catch a lot of my personality shining through.

Mikaela is a quirky weirdo — almost a caricature of a human being — but she doesn't let it bother her. She has the people she loves around her, and she thrives because of it. A lot of her internal monologues are actually just the kinds of things I think when I talk to myself, haha.

She's also Polish-American; I wanted to give her my roots and introduce readers to a little bit of Polish culture. Even though Mikaela gets lost (in more ways than one) throughout the story, she's slowly finding her way back to self-love and rediscovering who she really is.

I believe that at some point, each of us goes through something tough — trauma, heartbreak, or an event that completely changes who we are — and turns us into a ghost of ourselves. The Ghost of Herself is for them. Sometimes, opening up just a little bit to someone close to you can change your entire path.

Wow, that's an amazing thought. I am genuinely very impressed! Now I am curious what went on behind the scenes. While writing and publishing this book, I am sure a lot went on behind the scenes. Can you tell us about some of the difficulties that you faced during that time?

I believe the biggest difficulty with this story was simply a lack of time. My urge to write every week was sometimes overshadowed by everyday work and tasks.

When it came to actually writing it, though, I truly had so much fun. I talked to my community about it, they hyped me up, encouraged me, and it turned into a beautiful experience.

I would also say that writing a story in a language that's not your native one is a challenge in itself. Right now, I'm going through a major editing process — so far, I've edited the first five chapters and I'm slowly working through the rest. Being part of the community on Wattpad has definitely helped me improve my grammar and hone my writing style. I can't wait to write even more!💖

You have a Rollercoaster of a journey, it seems. Have you ever been curious about what your readers think? Do you sometimes read reviews on your book by readers? If yes, is there any time one of them stood out to you, their review perhaps felt heart warming?

I love reading my readers' comments and reviews. I love seeing how I can take them on a rollercoaster of emotions, and I especially enjoy when they think they know what's about to happen — only to be surprised by a plot twist. 🤭

The beginning of my book isn't what it seems, and watching readers make it through all the fluff and rainbows to reach the point where everything unravels is always a pleasure.

Of course, there are some lovely comments, and there are comments saying my chapters are too long — but hey, you can't please everyone! One person might dislike something, while another might love it. Negative comments do sting a little, but the amount of pure love I've received far outweighs it, and that's what keeps me going. ✨

That's a positive mindset right there! Some people comprehend things differently, has anyone ever interpreted something you wrote differently? How did you feel about it?

I don't think anyone has ever truly misinterpreted what I wrote. I love seeing readers think, brainstorm, and wonder what will happen next. I also enjoy seeing their own interpretations of the characters' feelings through the internal monologues.

However, the one major thing that people sometimes misinterpret is... my book title! They think The Ghost of Herself is a paranormal horror ghost story, haha! 😄

I don't blame them — there is a ghost in the title! I thought many times about changing it, but you know what? Sometimes it's good to stick to what you believe in. If readers give the story a chance, they'll understand the real meaning behind the title.

That sounds fair on your readers behalf! Now for some more fun questions, If you ever get the chance for your book to be turned into a movie, which celebrities would you cast?

I think Nico would be played by either Milo Manheim or Michael Cimino, and Mikaela would be played by Kiernan Shipka or Olivia Holt.

For Kira, I could see Lovie Simone or Letitia Wright in the role. Lewis would be either Ross Lynch or Charlie Plummer, and for Frankie, I imagine Tanner Buchanan or Leo Woodall.

It would truly be an amazing experience to see the rest of the cast from the book brought to life as real people!

Beautiful people for beautifully written characters! You write very well so, As a reader, what's your favorite genre and book?

I'm a hopeless romantic, and I love a good cry, so romance dramas are always a go-to for me! However, I also love reading thrillers and horror — honestly, I'll read almost any genre.

As a writer, though, I think you'll always see me incorporating just a touch of romance into whatever story I bring to life.🤭

I am a hopeless romantic too, albeit having some questionable taste as some say. Now when you have experience in writing, is there any advice you wished someone told you about during your early years of writing? An advice you'd like to give to aspiring young writers?

My writing journey began last year in August, so I'm still fairly new. 🤭

The only advice I would give is: write, write, write. Don't worry about errors or stylistics at first — just get the words down! You can always go back later to edit and polish everything until it's beautiful and shiny, ready to hit that magical publish button. But the perfect idea can come and go so fast — when inspiration strikes, even if it's just one or two sentences, write it down! That way, when you reopen your notebook later, the spark will come back to you.

My community has been incredibly supportive, always pushing us to be better and to never give up — and it's because of their encouragement that I'm here right now.🩷

Your community sounds amazing! Can you tell us more about it? Also have you ever underwent writer's block? How did you deal with it? What is your source of motivation?

Our community is just a bunch of outcasts — people who are either just starting their writing journey or have been in it for a long time. Every person has their own story, and everyone writes beautiful books. We all support one another, and our unhinged humor made us decide to create a +18 community.

We wanted to safeguard underage readers and writers as much as we could, which is why we have that (sometimes controversial) age requirement in place. Even though we're not a huge group, once you join, you immediately feel like family. We would literally jump into a fire for each other.🔥 ♥️

Writer's block? Oh, absolutely — it happens sometimes!

When it does, I usually reread my previous chapter, then close my eyes and either sit in a quiet place or put on a song from my Spotify playlist. I imagine how the next chapter would play out like a scene from a TV show or a movie. I love to "direct" in my mind — picturing the story visually really helps me move forward with it.Your community sounds very nice, looks like you'll have a new member next year!

The way you deal with writer's block sounds peaceful and stress free! As we are reaching the end of our interview i would like to ask, what message you wanted to give through your book? Have you fulfilled it?

My message was to show people that even when the most terrifying, horrific things happen to us — things that feel like they ruin our entire world — it's okay to get lost. It's okay to lose yourself in the process. It's okay to become the ghost of yourself for a while.

Because remember: it's not about how we fall, it's about how we stand up again. And sometimes, instead of hiding everything inside, it's good to open up. It's good to let it all out. Because guess what? You matter. We matter. And in life, you will find at least one person who will help pick up all the broken pieces and either bring you back to who you were — or help you become an even stronger version of yourself.

I hope that everyone who reads my story feels emotional, understood, and empowered — and I truly hope I have fulfilled that. 💖

Thats a really sweet message! For the last question, Is there any message you would like to give to our readers? A question you'd been waiting to answer but no one asked?

I just want to say thank you for taking the time to do this interview with me and for asking such thoughtful questions! 💖

I'm incredibly grateful to everyone who takes the time to read my story — it means more to me than words can express. To all the dreamers, writers, and readers out there: never give up on your stories. The world needs your voice. We need your voice. ✨

Because remember, if it weren't for creativity, the world would be a sad, boring place to live in — and with all of us, that will never be the case, right? 😉

I agree! All it takes is a little creative spirit to light up the world! This constitutes the end of our interview! I hope you had a great time like I did. I loved having this conversation with you and getting to know about your insights! Your responses, all of them touched my heart. I can see how much effort you put in them!

Is there anything you want to say now that our interview has ended to me, or our community?

Just once more — a massive thank you for taking the time to do this interview with me. 💖

To the whole community: thank you for being so wonderful. Shine bright, because all of us will one day make it big!

And if not on the bookshelves of massive popular bookstores, remember — your community is what makes you shine brightly.

And with that alone, you already made it big. Never forget that. ✨

The pleasure is all mine!! Have an amazing day!