Hi everyone, welcome to yet another mini interview, where we interview the talented shinhaari, the author of Let's go on a strange date, the winner of the "Best Blurb" category for the Padauk Mini Awards, hosted by yours truly. I've always enjoyed Hari's work and was waiting for the day I could interview her, as I knew one day I would, so please give a warm welcome to shinhaari!

Bold will be me, italics will be Hari. There will be labels, too.

Raven: Why hello there, it's good to see you! I'm glad we get a chance to talk like this, I'm super stoked, so let's jump right into it! Moving into the first question about the blurb, your blurb is certainly different from most blurbs I've seen. It isn't really a standard blurb in the sense that it's more of a literal description instead of a general summary. It uses the five senses to show the reader what's going on. In general, your writing style is like this, and I was wondering if, to start, you could give me a general breakdown of how your writing style came to be, and what decisions you made to make this blurb come to life? Did this blurb take a bunch of rewrites, or did it come naturally?

Hari: Hey, Raven. I'm happy to have the chance to talk with you as well. Regarding my writing style, I analyzed the flaws in my first book and understood the need for enhancement. I decided that my writing should create an immersive experience for readers, so I decided it would be an aesthetic writing style. Therefore, I focused on incorporating vivid descriptions that engage all five senses, allowing readers to fully immerse themselves in my books. However, I also make sure not to be overly descriptive, balancing detailed imagery with dialogue and the exploration of characters' internal thoughts. This combination of good descriptions, balanced dialogue, and a focus on character development is what I'm working on in my writing.

The previous blurb was just an extract from the book, as you already reviewed and gave a critique on that aspect. I rewrote the blurb to participate in the awards. It took me more than a couple of hours to write this blurb. I outlined the whole blurb, how it should be, like the need for a date, how it's not a usual date, and what the female lead learned from the dates, and ended up with a question. I rewrote it multiple times until I was satisfied and the blurb was in flow.

Raven: I think that's a great thing to work for! Balance is what gives the book that well-rounded feel, giving readers a chance to be completely immersed in what's going on. And all that time you spent on the blurb definitely paid off, as you can tell, haha. I'd say it flows really well!

Speaking of... Something I noticed about the blurb was the usage of warm language, like using the atmosphere to set a movie-like scene with the popcorn, or the flickering candlelight. I was wondering what inspired you to use such warm language, and how do you think this warm language reflects the story waiting for readers to read?

Hari: I used descriptive words like "flickering candlelight," "strewn rose petals," "musky smell," and "popcorn" because I find writing in that way soothes me and thought it might attract the readers. Using these descriptive elements evokes a multi-sensory experience that makes the setting feel vivid and engaging. They also help to convey the mood and tone of the story, which align with the romance genre of the book. I started with something that Jungkook did not take, which might pique the curiosity of the readers to find out if it's not the usual date like a candlelight dinner or movie night. What else could it be?

Raven: That's completely understandable. You know comfort food? This is like comfort food for writing. Like the mac and cheese of writing! Oh gosh, I love mac and cheese, it's so good. Wait, okay, I'm getting sidetracked, ignore that! You're right about that, and it's something I always encourage writers to do: use the five senses, give us more stimulation to said senses so we can clearly imagine what's going on. It's such a fun way to write, and readers get rewarded by it, too!

I'd like to zoom out for a minute and talk about you as a writer rather than just the blurb of this story. Something I've noticed is your stories tend to have very unique storylines revolving around a concept or idea, like the scent of lavender or the strange dates we have going on here. Would you mind breaking down your writing process and describing how you come up with these cool ideas, and if you ever face any difficulties/setbacks trying to present them in book format? Also, are there any new ideas for new books on your mind that you feel comfortable sharing here?

Hari: When I was a reader, I noticed that many of the books I read followed a similar and weird plot line. I'm not sure why these were recommended to me, but I ended up reading them. As I began writing myself, I realized I needed to distinguish my work from others. I decided to write something unique and different from what was common. I try hard to be different, even if I'm not sure if my writing is unique.

Often, ideas pop into my mind when I get ready to sleep while taking a bath or staring at the sky, trees, or butterflies, lol. To create those unique date ideas, it took a lot of brainstorming and effort. For "My Serene Lavender," I tried something new by centering around the scent of lavender and a mix of cultures. I wanted to make the scent compelling to the readers, showing why it's so distinctive. Learning about Chinese culture has been fun and time-consuming. I make sure to portray things realistically about the cultures, avoiding assumptions. Writing is a way for me to explore and learn about different ideas. When I get stuck while writing, I often begin with descriptions, which helps me to write further. That's why I enjoy writing descriptions. If I'm not happy with the first paragraph of a chapter, I find it difficult to continue, which is weird of me. I take more time drafting each chapter rather than rushing.

I have a new idea for a book that I'm excited about but haven't had the time to write. The book is about a male Webtoon artist. Considering their comic book-like appearance, as if they jumped out of the world of webtoons, Jimin or Taehyung would be suitable for the characters. I want to explore the life of a Webtoon artist and write freshly and uniquely.

Another I have is a story where the protagonists manage a hotel in the early 1990s. I'm curious to write this because I want to explore that era and the challenges of modernizing the hotel. But out of these two I have an eye on webtoon artist plot.

Raven: I've said it before, and I'll say it again: you definitely accomplish your goal, and your writing is very unique. I mean, just to name an example, I don't think I've seen a concept quite like My Serene Lavender before, and I thought the concept was super interesting.

That was one of the things I appreciated most about My Serene Lavender: the culture. It was so rich and, from my knowledge, accurate. I read a lot, and I mean a lot, of K-pop fanfics, and one of the things I find myself criticizing most is the worldbuilding of South Korea and how it's inaccurate to South Korean culture, so I always appreciate it when an author goes above and beyond with research and giving an accurate depiction of culture, and you did so excellently.

A Webtoon artist? That sounds awesome! I love stories about artists, for some reason. And a 1990s AU? You're cooking with these ideas, Hari! As always, in my humble opinion.

Moving back to the winning story, Let's go on a strange date, I wanted to ask you a challenge question! The blurb is very good, as you can tell based on it winning best blurb. WOOO round of applause, everyone. But moving more seriously, if you had to shorten the blurb to just one sentence, what would you choose and why? This can be a sentence already in the blurb, or a new sentence you create to summarize everything in just one sentence!

Hari: Thank you so much, and I did not expect to win. I always dreamed of getting a place in your awards because I know it's not easy. I'm happy that two of my books got places, which I couldn't believe. I edited the book by adding extra parts and changed the female character name from Y/n to Seo Yeon. That's why it's Seo Yeon instead of Y/N.

To summarize it in a sentence, "Seo Yeon discovers that the true joy of their dates lies in the warmth, laughter, and love they share, regardless of the strange place they have gone." This sentence focuses on the warmth and love they shared during the date while hinting at the strange place they would have gone.

Raven: Awh, that's so sweet of you. You're right that it's not easy, the competition is pretty tough and my judging can get pretty strict at times, so I'm glad to hear you're happy. You deserved both placements, and you should be very proud! And that's a great sentence, you slayed, as always. That sums it up exactly, but also keeps your comforting language present in the text.

Let's take a short intermission to do a little game-like question. One question I like to give in interviews is the "what-if" question, where I ask you a what if question about your story. So, that leads to my next question: if Jungkook from this novel were to come to life and talk to the real Jungkook, how do you think the conversation would go? Do you think they'd end up being bffs, or would they just be anti-social in the corner the whole time, haha.

Hari: That's an interesting question and hard to think of for my little brain. The fictional Jungkook from the book meets the real Jungkook; it would be a fun encounter. At first, they would probably find themselves in a bit of a daze. Given the unique thinking and caring characteristics of the fictional Jungkook combined with the real Jungkook's genuine personality, I think they might find common ground. The real Jungkook's experiences as an idol and the fictional Jungkook's more imaginative-thinking conversation might start with a mix of curiosity, hesitation and amusement. They might even end up sharing a meal and discussing their thoughts on life. In the end, they'd probably discover they have a lot more in common than they initially thought, forming a genuine friendship.

Raven: Oooh that's a good point. They have very similar personalities, just different executions of said personalities, if that makes sense. Oh my gosh they would definitely share a meal and then devour it in classic JK fashion. I can picture it now: two JKs absolutely annihilating some chicken together. I hope they would form a genuine friendship. They could use each other in such a tough world. Plus, who'd say no to two Jungkooks? You have to be crazy to say no to that.

We're getting close to the end of the interview, but before I give you a chance to give some final thoughts, let's do one more question! This is going to be a question only slightly related to writing and more about you, if that's okay. Within your works and you as a person, you've always been encouraging positivity and uplifting themes to give readers something to take away from your stories and profile, which is something I've always admired about you both as a writer and a person. I've always kinda had a soft spot for you, haha. And no, it's not just because you have a Jimin profile picture. Can you tell me a bit about what inspired you to start posting on Wattpad, and what your overall goal is to do on this site? And, if you're up for it, I'd love it if you wouldn't mind sharing a time you felt uplifted, inspired, and/or like you had a positive interaction with someone on Wattpad that stuck with you?

Hari: Thank you for your kind words. I'm glad to hear that from you. I know how much you love Jimin's profile picture. While it's usually Jungkook, I recently changed it to Jimin and found that picture of him quite lucky. I won your award and got my book featured on the Romance profile, which has been a long-time dream. To be honest, I consider all seven of them my lucky charm.

It suddenly sparked in my mind that I wanted to write. My goal is to share books that help readers unwind and find relaxation and comfort through my writing, where readers can find a bit of peace and meaning. I want my characters to be positive, offering readers something meaningful to take away. Receiving comments on my story where readers express how they loved it and how it provided them with a sense of comfort makes me incredibly happy. My aim is to continually improve and learn more about writing, so I can write in a better way.

I occasionally feel demotivated about my writing, which stresses me out. Talking with Khaos, InfiniteChaos8, always uplifts me. She's such a sweet person that I got to meet. She's been with me from the start of my writing journey until now, and a strength to me. She made me realize that WE NEED TO WRITE FOR OURSELVES AND ENJOY THE PROCESS OF WRITING. She always says, "There's so much about your book that brings comfort to my soul. Your book was with me during my hardest time last year, and even today, all your books, chapters, and characters continue to bring me comfort." It makes me so happy whenever she says this and I want to thank her a lot. I always feel happy talking to her.

Another one is Park_salomi. She loves my book more than I do, and I can't thank you enough for the heartfelt paragraphs she wrote about her love for my book. Her words make me cry sometimes. Interaction with these two always uplifts me, and I want to thank my other readers as well.

Raven: The Jimin pfp is truly an era that's been with you for such awesome accomplishments. Iconic. Slay. Absolutely deserved, in my totally unbiased opinion.

I love that positive message. It's really refreshing to see such a positive mindset on a website that admittedly has a lot of toxicity that we see often, sometimes on a daily basis. This is why you're so underrated. You write such cool concepts and have a genuinely positive mindset that makes readers comforted. Everyone, go support Hari right now. I'll give you a warm chocolate chip cookie if you do.

Awwwh, that's so sweet. That's great advice from Khaos. We gotta enjoy the process of writing and realize we're doing it because we love it and want to. Sometimes we get so caught up in the process that it becomes like a chore, not a gift, and we gotta remind ourselves that writing is a treasure. Maybe a greater treasure than we ourselves realize. Park_salomi making you cry happy tears? Dang, that's a talent, she sounds talented and really sweet. It warms my heart to hear you having such great experiences on here. You deserve them.

Well, unfortunately, that's all the time we have for today. Before we go, do you have any final thoughts you think the readers should know? Any tips for creating interesting, descriptive blurbs?

Hari: I would like to thank all my readers for their continued support. I appreciate and love every one of you. To craft a blurb that hooks the reader, you need a compelling conflict or any hint that might interest the readers without giving too much away about the plot. For descriptive blurbs, the choice of evocative words and vivid language helps. Overall, the blurb is a sneak peek at what the book is about, so make it engaging, use a tone that matches the book, introduce key characters, and make it intriguing, even though it's a single sentence or paragraph.

Thank you very much for the interview and for spending time reviewing all the books for your awards. Your detailed feedback and constructive critiques are helpful for writers seeking to improve. I deeply admire the hard work you put into your reviews.

That's fantastic advice, and 100% true! We need to know about the book through the blurb, so give us a solid reason to read. Hari won for her blurb, so you guys should definitely take that advice to heart. She knows what she's doing, that's for sure.

You're more than welcome, you know I love doing this, and I'm always happy to have a chance to talk to you, especially about your work. I hope I can continue to help more writers down the line, especially with my upcoming WHO Awards that I can't wait to post when the time comes.

Thank you for joining me today! I had a blast with this interview, and I can't wait to see what you come up with next!

~Fin~

Thank you for reading this interview, everyone! I hope you enjoyed it, and go show some love to Hari! She's an awesome author and person, and she's super duper nice, so she deserves so much support.

More interviews coming soon! I have a quite a few pending responses right now, so I'll be publishing them ASAP!

See you later, everyone!