This month's spotlighted author is Monrosey with their story Emma That Is Dead

Emma That is Dead, revolves around teenagers Arbor and Emma two best friends whose lives are thrown into turmoil, after Emma goes missing and her truck is found tainted with blood.

Monrosey leaves the readers craving for more with each chapter making the reading experience thrilling and exciting at the same time.

The characterization, plot twists, and development throughout the story have left us perplexed with curiosity. 

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We've also conducted an interview. Interested to know how this story came to be or the author's challenges in writing it? Read on to know more.

1. First of all, thank you for joining us on Author's Spotlight. To start off, we can't help but ask — What inspired the story's title? It has its own unique touch. Is there a story behind it?

I would like to start off by thanking you for inviting me. I'm so so happy to be here! Teen fiction is not only my favorite genre to write in, but it's also my favorite to read. There's just something about those angsty teen years that draws me in. In my opinion, you're NEVER too old to enjoy young adult reads!

The title of Emma That is Dead I 100% owe to my son. It's the first time ever I had the title before the story! This happened about six or so years ago during his super intense Minecraft phase. He was, once again, telling me about this game that I did not at all understand and was he talking about one character in particular? I can't remember the female name he used, but in my head, I always think he said "Paula". No clue why. But anyway, he said something along the lines of "Paula that is dead". I immediately loved that phrase and questioned him about it, though I don't remember his answer...he talked about Minecraft A LOT! But I put it in my back pocket for later because I thought it would make a super creepy title for something young adult. Fast forward to the current version of Emma, That is Dead (I went through a few plot ideas before I finally settled on this one)! A couple of years ago, I asked my son if he remembered that conversation and he said no. But he inadvertently named that story and I still love the title so much!

2. The story "Emma That Is Dead" has been short-listed twice for the Watty Awards 2021 and Wattys Awards 2022 simultaneously, it's also a paid story now. How's the feeling of seeing your work shine brighter day by day?

There are a few stories I've written that really hit me in the feels, and Emma That is Dead is one of them. It addresses some very serious and important topics that I think we need to discuss more, one of them being mental health. The other issue, which is just as important, is something that presents itself later in the story and I'd hate to give it away. But it's absolutely something I think younger people need to be aware of. In that regard, I always hope the right people read Emma's story. It's fiction, but parts of it were inspired by real-life situations. It's a story I'm especially proud of!

3. In this whole writing journey you must have faced a lot of different situations, did you ever come across negative criticism? If so, how do you deal with it? And what would you suggest the others do when faced with such?

Criticism from readers and writers is definitely part of the writing game. But to me, I usually like to call criticism critique, and here's why: most people have good intentions, and feedback is typically motivated by wanting to help the writer fix a mistake or to maybe open their eyes to certain questions in regard to the plot. I ALWAYS welcome critique! I'm not perfect, and I am absolutely here to learn. But criticism sometimes sneaks its way in too. To me, criticism is an attack. It's personal and mean and uncalled for. I think sometimes people forget that there's a real person on the opposite end of their words, and seeing how this is social media, people tend to act much braver here than they do in real life. I also think many readers aren't prepared for writers to even read their comments, much less respond. When something like this happens, I've seen lots of ugliness go down in the comment section. And let's face it—we ALL read the comments! Hurt feelings sometimes ensue and it's all so mean and pointless.

I will say I've been lucky. I haven't received too much hateful criticism, or I've somehow missed those comments and they're still hanging out on my stories, waiting for me to stumble across them on a particularly bad day. That's how it always seems to happen. You're feeling self-conscious about your abilities and then find something that only makes it worse. On the flip side, the positive comments are always so much appreciated! Writers put their hearts and souls into their work, and oftentimes spend hours writing and posting their stories for free. It's truly a labor of love. And readers have the ability to make or break their day. If someone ever comes across a comment that isn't very nice, I would try not to take it to heart—people can be so cruel on social media—and always hit delete. And even block them if you have to! We're here for the joy of sharing our work with others, and we shouldn't let a few insensitive people ruin it for us.

4. What do you feel is the biggest myth about writers?

The biggest myth about writers... That's a great question! When I first started writing, I always assumed that really serious writers spent years in college dedicating themselves to the craft. But that's not at all true. Sure, some absolutely do. But I would say most don't. I'll bet many of them didn't even go to college! That's the beauty of writing: everyone can do it, no matter what walk of life you're from. We all have different experiences and ways we process those experiences, and one plot will turn out one way from one writer, while that same exact plot will turn out a completely different way for another. And that's because we all bring different skills and ideas to the table. Anyone can write, no matter who they are or what they do, and it can be such a rewarding experience.

5. You've had a long journey with Wattpad, what do you think makes Wattpad different from other platforms?

I've been writing on Wattpad for almost ten years, and honestly, I don't have much experience with other platforms. Wattpad is my home. It's where I first began my journey as a writer, and I hope it's where my journey ends (years and years from now!). That's not to say I would never think of branching out, it just means I'd rather not. But the deeper I go with my stories, the more I realize that writing is something I want to do long-term. As long as I have readers here, Wattpad is where I'd like to be.

6. And the last question that we're very much intrigued to know — What inspired you to start writing on Wattpad?

How I discovered Wattpad is something I will never forget! I found a free book on Amazon by an author I'd never heard of and decided to give it a try. After I finished, I saw there was a sequel for $1.99. I enjoyed the first book enough and decided to go for the second. I don't remember the specifics, but I must have enjoyed it at least a little because afterward, I googled the author's bio and it lead me right here to Wattpad. Millions of stories and the ability to write and post my own?? Sign me up! Ever since I was a small child, I'd always wanted to write a book, and now I finally had a place to do it. It also came at a time in my life when I needed a bigger distraction than what reading could give me. I took some time to get to know the site and then dove into my first adult-written story. The day I found Wattpad will always be one of the most important days of my life. It has brought me so much joy, not only because I discovered an activity that I am absolutely crazy about, but I've made some amazing friends here, both readers and writers. Plus, I had the opportunity to become traditionally published! This would never have happened if I hadn't found Wattpad, and I will always be grateful for that.

Thank you so much to the Teen Fiction profile for taking the time to ask me these questions, and for allowing me to connect deeper with our community. I appreciate all your hard work and everything that you do for us every single day. Thank you!

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We're delighted to have Monrosey as one of our spotlighted authors! Interested to know how you can become one? Each author here has been noticed by us for their outstanding book. Keep working on your story and submit your story to our reading lists to get noticed more easily.