Hello fellow Wattpadders! Today we have with us -DeeIsDead-, the author of the book, An Order of Death.

I am Abhipreeti (_abhipreeti_) and I have interviewed Dee, a.k.a, -DeeIsDead-.

Dee ( -DeeIsDead- ) is a writer, graphic designer, and programmer! They love to createrich, fantasy worlds with intricate details and book covers to match. When they're notslaving away in Photoshop or Google Docs, Dee can be found playing video games orbinge-reading. 

At what age did you realize that you have a special place for writing? Are you currently or do you ever dream of one day being in the writing industry?

>>Probably when I was around 10! After reading a book I loved (which I can't rememberthe name of now, but I can still remember the cover), I wanted to be able to createsomething just as magical! I started writing a really terrible story in a notebook and I justkept going from there. 

I do dream of one day being in the writing industry. I have plans to self-publish some ofmy books and I would like to try and get some traditionally published too! There's a lot Ineed to do before then, though.

Did any story, on or off Wattpad, inspire you ever and help you carve your interest towards writing books?

>>I started writing way before Wattpad, so I don't think any of them carved my interest inwriting them, though several have definitely inspired me! Some physical books havethough! The Rebel of the Sands trilogy by Alwyn Hamilton, the Three Dark Crowns seriesby Kendare Blake, and A Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson.

What is the genre(s) in which you mostly write your books? Do you think you are able to create brilliant plots when you write in that specific genre(s)?

>>I mostly write fantasy with a side of romance! I wouldn't call them brilliant, but I wouldsay they're fun and unique (to me anyway XD).

What advice would you like to give to authors who are writing in the same genre(s) as yours?

>>Don't be afraid to be creative. I see so many fantasy books follow the same tropes withthe same plots and it gets a little boring. This is FANTASY! Sure, we have dragon riders,but what about phoenix riders? What is this character's race? Fae? We've seen thatmillions of times! Create your own race and creatures with weird characteristics! Gowild! That's what makes the fantasy genre fun!

Do you have any favourite quote or quotes from your book?

>>I suck at getting quotes from my stories, but this is one of my favourite paragraphs! 

"A pink butterfly fluttered down and landed on the bag I had been using for a pillow. Itswings produced a faint glow, bathing us in a magenta light. Before I could question if thiswas Oryal's doing, hundreds more flew down from the Ivory Forest canopy — akaleidoscope of transcendent beauty. Several different shades of wings made up the swarm,but most were a light rose. They settled all around the clearing, warding off the shadowsthat I had been scared of."

Where do you see yourself in the next 10 years?

>>10 years is a long time! Hopefully, I will have at least one or two books self-publishedand I would have attempted to get one traditionally published. I really hope to makemore book covers for published authors too!

Now let us talk about your book. How would you describe your story in five words? Could you please give us a brief summary of what your book is about? What makes your book different from other books in the same genre(s)?

>>An Order of Death is a fantasy romance about a poison baker and a bounty hunter!When Tae receives a request for a cake with rare poison that she doesn't have in stock,she enlists the help of Oryal to help her get it in the infamous Ivory Forest. 

If I had to describe it in five words, they would be: magical, illusionary, mystical,delicious, and firey. 

One of its unique points is Tae's job! I haven't seen another story that has a baker whoputs poisons in their creations. Her customers don't eat her confectionery. Instead, theygive them to their victims.

Which character or characters of your story do you relate to most? And why?

>>I think all of the characters I write have some part of me in them. For Oryal, hisstubbornness to put everyone else before himself is something I relate to because I dothat a lot too. For Tae, her determination to carry on even though death is looming overher is something I see in myself. I've pushed through a lot of tough situations thathaven't looked too great and I'm still here :p

How did you come up with such a fascinating plot? Were there any inspirations?

>>I can't quite remember, to be honest. The plot and idea for An Order of Death had beenfloating around in my mind long before ONC 2024! I know I wanted to make a series ofnovellas about characters who have interesting fantasy jobs and a poison bakeryhappened to be one of the first ideas! 

One of the inspirations for the baking half of the idea was sandydragon1's The Bee'sKnees! It's such a cute book about a girl who has bees as her familiar/ pet and sheenters a contest to try and save her family's bakery. It's so cute and wholesome!

How did you discover Wattpad? And what engendered you to begin writing on this platform? What do you like best about this application?

>>I found Wattpad through a friend back in 2016/ 2017! We both shared a love for readingand writing and she recommended an app for me to post my stories on. What I likemost about Wattpad is the communities! Groups of people coming together to supporteach other are what make the app really thrive.

When did you start writing on Wattpad? How has your writing journey been ever since then?

>>I started writing on Wattpad back in 2016/ 2017 on an old account (which shall foreverremain buried). Since then, it's been a wild journey! I had a story on that old profile thatreached 19K reads, but I took everything down in 2019 as things weren't the same.Reach and reads were at a constant decline and all of my friends were moving on fromthe site. I felt like it was time to take my writing elsewhere and start again. Then, 2020happened and we all know how that went. I suffered a lot through my chronic illnesses,as I wasn't able to get the medical help I needed thanks to Covid, and my writing cameto a complete standstill. A year went by and I found myself being lured back to Wattpad.Getting comments and votes from people is what encourages me to carry on! So, Ijoined back with a new account (this current one) and it's been so great since then!

What is your writing process and how do you cope when writers' block hits you?

>>I feel like my writing process is kind of long and unnecessary XD From my outline, I'llcreate another outline of the chapter I'm working on. I'll include a summary of thedialogue I want, important thought points, and descriptions I'll need to add inside it. Onlywhen that is complete will I actually start writing. I'll usually use writing sprints to getthrough the base of the chapter and then save all the descriptions until last! 

Writer's block is strange. For me, writer's block is not being able to sit down and focuson writing. I will always know what to write and where the story goes thanks to myoutlines, but sometimes motivating myself can be difficult. I'll use a reward system of "ifyou write for 20 minutes, full concentration, no matter how many words you write, youcan go and do something else". Usually this requires someone else to check in on me,but by the end of those 20 minutes, I'll end up wanting to write more!

Are you a pantser or a plotter? During which time of the day do you usually write?

>>Plotter 100%! I have a whole book outline and individual chapter outlines for the books Iwrite. The only chapter I could probably write without an outline would be chapter one. 

I'm a big morning writer! I tend to get up early every day (5/ 6 am) so I can easily makeroom in my routine to get some words out.

What would be your advice to young and budding authors, who are just beginning their journey on Wattpad and are quite new to the writing world?

>>Don't stop writing! You'll probably hear this a LOT when looking at advice, but that'sbecause it's true. Think of the current project you're working on and then compare it tothe past ones you've written. The latest one feels the best, right? That's because witheach story you write, you learn. You hone in on your writing style, you learn what makesa good story through experience. So keep going! Every story you write will be better thanyour last so never stop!

Is there any author(s) on Wattpad whom you look up to as an amazing writer?

>>There are so many! Oxviola MilaSteelesHearts MiniMoxx sandydragon1 SuVida777 Ry-reader-29 JSPRomComs WrennaStone MiyaHikari. All of thesepeople have amazing books that I devoured and want to read again! The way they allwrite has me incredibly jealous.

Could we please have two or more Wattpad story recommendations? What do you like most about these stories?

>>Turn of the Tide by Oxviola - The emotion packed into this novella is insane! I was intears by the end of the story. A new girl arrives at a coastal village and brings chaos withher that Sally is inevitably drawn to. Under Flick's fun and easy-going nature, amysterious past lurks waiting to rise to the surface! 

My Blossoming Redemption by MiniMoxx - It's on the more serious side of what Inormally read, but this book is full of unpredictable twists and turns! You will be hookedby every chapter and that's no lie! After Aspen finds out her husband has alife-threatening condition, things take a turn for the worst and he's bound to a hospitalbed. As she uncovers some of Joel's past mistakes that tips their relationship over theedge, she finds salvation in a nurse assigned to help him.

What would be the three words to describe yourself as an author?

>>Determined. Stubborn. Resilient.

Thank you so much! It was an honour to have you here for the interview conducted by Kalon Community. We wish you lots of success on your writing journey and may you flourish more. Thank you once again!