This is our first interview, and we had it with the lovely @TiaWhiteDower, author of Dark Galaxy: Emerge , in my pyjamas at 1:30 in the morning (for me, anyway!). We hope you enjoy getting to know this awesome writer.

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Hello, and welcome! I'm Al, and I'll be interviewing you for this issue's topic: Black Voices Matter. We're excited to have you here!

So our readers know how to refer to you, why don't we start off with your name, pronouns (he/she/they/ze/etc), your Wattpad username and a little something about you.

My name is Tatiana White-Dower, my nickname is Tia. Something about me is that I am professional dancer turned stay at home mom.

Nice to meet you Al by the way!

A professional dancer, sweet! I bet you and your kid(s) can dance up a storm.

Before we move on to this weeks topic, tell us a little about your writing. What do you write, what's your favourite genre and care to share a title and a blurb to your favourite piece?

I only have one kid. She's 2 and she's super sassy and energetic. I haven't taken dance class in about a year and it kills me.

In regards to my writing, my current preference and love is young adult and fantasy. Those genres have always been a favorite of mine because being a teen is such a pivotal moment in someone's life. Finding out who you are as a teen is an adventure in itself, adding on fantasy make it even more enticing. I also think there is something romantic about being in between because you are fresh faced and doing things for the first time. Life is so much more open with a plethora of options as teen. An example would be first loves. nothing ever touches them because it is the first time, so a person falls in love whole-heartedly, throwing everything they have in without guards. You become confined as an adult in some way whether it be by work, relationships, class, physical expectations. But the bottom line of it, is that it all comes down to our mentality. We can do whatever we want if we put our minds to it, we just become prisoners of the concept of growing up. Cue, my love for J.M. Barrie's Peter Pan.

I'm a huge comic fan. I love DC and Marvel. I was always inspired by X-men as a child whenever I felt alone as an outcast. I always wanted to know about the teens at the school. there were comics about the young mutants but I found they weren't exactly to my preference so I decided to start writing fan-fiction. That soon evolved into something inspired and yet original in its own way over the last 15 years. That something became my novel, Dark Galaxy: Emerge.

Is there a particularly desired length for the blurb? I have a lot of favorite parts but the first chapter is best to use because it doesn't give anything away.

Due to length, I've added the first chapter as an external link. When you're finished, please have a read!

I love you drew your inspiration for your work from comics, a common relief for us little weirdos out there that don't fit into cultural norms. I think it's wonderful that your love of YA has to do with the adventures of youth and self discovery, the outcast meets acceptance and adventure.

This issue's topic is all about the importance of black writers in fiction. How does this issue relate to you, your writing, and your sense of identity as a YA and fantasy writer?

Black writers in fiction is essential. I think every facet of art should be multicultural because there is more than just one experience.

I remember being a kid and watching Power Rangers and not identifying with the African American Yellow ranger Aisha and just feeling so confused. Here I was, a young black girl with the same box braids in my hair, yet I couldn't see myself in someone with the same skin color. That has happened on numerous occasions over the years, especially in the fantasy genre. So, I know if I'm feeling this way when I see my people in other artist's work, there's a huge problem. There is not enough representation across the board.

1.) There's rarely ethnic characters in popular fiction. If they are ethnic they are supporting characters.

2.) When there are black characters they are usually portrayed in the same token way: sassy, loud, wisecracking and oversexed. I could go on with the list but we've all heard it before.

My main character Alexia is so close to my heart because not only is she a black female, but she is a black female with different a background, personality and experience. She's self loathing and awkward. She's a control freak and a bit of a tomboy. She's tall and lean and that makes her insecure. Her entire family has curves, but she doesn't. It's important to me to use culture and break down the walls of stereotypes in fiction because I'm a product of what happens when the world pushes you into a mold and you simply don't fit.

I've tried hanging out with the segregated cliques in high school (black and white) and I was miserable with both. I wasn't enough for either group because being myself was too important. I was better off having no friends than having ones that didn't respect my culture or having some that didn't respect my taste and the way I spoke. Eventually I moved to a more multicultural region and I had friends of all colors. That taught me that different is normal. That is why black voices matter.

Some people don't have the luxury of moving to a place like I did to be happy with themselves. So, I think having the black voice become more dominate than it has been would give a voice and comfort to those who feel alone without comfort and hope. It's the only way to change the world. Who better to tell our stories but us?

That last line is absolutely stellar.

Let's talk about stereotypes. Your protagonist certainly seems to shake them up, do you feel like stereotypes prevent the growth of characters? Have there ever been moments in your writing where you felt pressured into making your character conform to an idea of "black"?

I noticed how you felt disconnected to the African American ranger even though, by say a close minded definition, you "should have" felt connected to her because of skin colour. Do you feel like some writers and artists just create characters with different ethnicities and no original background stories to fill a quota and expect ethnic viewers to be happy about it, and expect these diverse watches to relate to stereotypes? Also, do you feel that young people try and conform to these stereotypes in an act of life imitating art?

Lastly, would you rather a fully developed all white cast, or a cast with underdeveloped ethnic characters?

That's a lot of questions! Take your time :)

:) It's ok. I'll answer them in pieces. Stereotypes definitely prevent the growth of characters and pressure us all into the idea of what it means to be black. There have been so many times where I felt like I had to compromise Alexia in order to make her "black" enough to please my culture and make her less threatening to other audiences. That shouldn't matter. At the end of the day she's a kid that grew up in San Francisco, one of the most accepting cities in the world. She's proud of who she is and she comes from a strong family. I decided I was going to let her be ALEXIA and not what society thinks a young black girl should be.

Both my parents are from the roughest cities in the U.S. My mother is from Watts in California and my dad grew up on Detroit, Michigan. They both fought hard to end the cycle of poverty in their families and made it out into admirable places in life. They both are roses that grew from concrete and you'd never know that they grew up in the hood by a stereotypical standard. It doesn't make them less black and it doesn't make them white. They're them. My parents are basically the Huxtables: strong,proud, successful and an example of black excellence. I grew up with that even when we lived in the hood. So I've never been "the black" the media has shoved down our throats. We are all different people and it's our families and backstories that make us. Not our color.

Or should I say, not just our color.

Oh I definitely think people write in races to fill a quota, just like they do with equal opportunity hiring. As long as they have one brown person its cool, never mind making them real. The one cast I loved was "A Different World" that was probably one of the best portrayal of young black America. I related to Denise and I loved everyone, I saw my people in each character. We are better than some of the minstrel shows that obtain popularity and "A Different World" proves it.

I do believe that young people try to imitate art. One of my peeves is when a public figure says they are not responsible for what people do. False. Everyone is. When you are in the public eye especially, you have a responsibility. Madonna inspired Britney and Britney inspired Rihanna and all these other pop stars that push boundaries and that trickles down to our youth. It's the same with young black kids. If all young black men see is themselves painted as criminals and abusers that end up in jail, they'll believe it and so will the world. We see that. Black girls get told they're ugly yet objects as soon as we hit puberty and develop body. The message is there and our youth eat the poison of all of it. Even the poison thrown by our own: money, cars, women, designer clothes, jewellery.

Lastly, give me an all white audience if you can't speak for my people or anyone else's race for that matter. It would just be better to have a well rounded cast of characters than an empty and offensive character that ends up hurting more than harming. We want the real thing and I think Shonda Rhimes has done an excellent job with the character of Olivia Pope and challenging what America defines as a Black woman. People watch Scandal and see Olivia. She makes us proud. She's a flawed person, but she's a person that's relatable and not token.

Spike Lee is also a master of the black voice. I love the soul in his work and I hope I can provide representation in the same way he did with his films.

I'm definitely watching "A Different World" now! Misrepresentation is worse than presentation, isn't it?

On the subject of misrepresentation, what do you think of people who aren't black writing about black characters? Do you think it can be done, writing a character with a completely foreign race to you respectfully?

That is a great question!

I think it can be done but it requires research and empathy. Perhaps it should be something close to home. I've modeled a few Latina characters after my best friends before and I'd like to think I did them justice by making them multi faceted.

I think research is the most important part. Research, research, and respect. I'll let you go now, it's been so great talking to you and listening to what you had to say.

Before we go, any advice to young black writers starting out?

Research and respect are the most important ingredients in a minority narrative. A part of me thinks even with those qualities, there's nothing like receiving a dynamic minority character from an author of the same race. It's just second nature to us. We live in this skin. No one can write or empathize with some of the pain we go through. That's the same with class, gender, religion etc. So to an extent, we can give black writing the soul it needs because it's our daily struggle. I wouldn't expect a writer of another race to understand the "light skin vs. dark skin" dilemma in black culture or racial profiling, self hate and matriarchal family structures we have because some of them may not be living in/near it. This runs through our veins. That should be celebrated in the spotlight. My advice to young black writers starting out is to always trust and love yourself. People will pop out of every crevice to tell you who you should be, but they don't know. You may be trying to find your place in a world full of 'no's' and social "norms", but don't let your purity and hope go. Once that leaves you, you are hardened and ultimately you are the only one losing because of it. Stay curious and write religiously, even when you think you're terrible, don't give up because it's apart of being an artist. Expand your horizons to learn about our history so you can become a great part of it.

Thank you so much for this interview. It motivates me to keep pushing forward. I thoroughly enjoyed discussing black voices in fiction with you. Thank you guys for all your hard work and creating this. I'm sure I've said this plenty of times, but the support I've received from the black community on wattpad and Diverse Fiction has been the icing on the cake. I love it!

Those words are really amazing, thank you! There is no need for thanks, Tia. This profile was made because the Wattpad community deserves representation, not the other way around. We should be thanking you, every follower, ever writer and every reader that participates with this profile. We're very glad to be here, and we're very glad to have awesome people like you on board!

:) all smiles!