We've got another awesome Fantasy author for you today. Hailing from the country of The Philippines, please welcome starisredy and let's hear what she's got to say.

 What is your Wattpad Username?

starisredy

What is your country of origin?

Philippines

What other languages aside from English can you speak fluently?

Just Filipino.

Tell us about how you came up with your username. Do you use a pseudonym? If so, how did you come up with it? If not, why?

It's but a fun mixture of two colors I liked when I was younger. Them being red and yellow, which made up the 'redy' part, where the yellow bit is subjected to just the y. And then add my online name Staris!

How long have you been writing? Please tell us about your journey as a writer.

I started when I was in my first year of high school, where I didn't really know anything much or at all about what I was doing. I just knew I wanted to create something—a story—and experience that world, those characters, their journey, and then feel something. Throughout the years since then, I had an on and off relationship with writing. But I'm pulled back in and deeper than ever before in the middle of my first year in university. My goals in writing is still varying each step of the way, but three things are for certain. One, my writing journey hasn't reached even just the small percentage of its entirety—I just know it. Two, I'm never going to stop writing. Even if it's not actual writing or typing the letters and words out, I will continue to daydream and plan about it all. And three, I write for myself. Like when I was younger, I write to create something. For me. For myself.

How do you deal with plot holes?

It depends. And yeah, that's annoying to read. But to give a more concrete answer, I'd say background and relation. Adding history behind something and connecting it to the present or future events of the story. That's not the only way to do it, but it's one way to do it! Just like what many people would say, "Make it make sense." XD

Out of all the genres, why fantasy?

If you think about it, everything fiction is a fantasy in its own way. One could say everything has magic in it. And it doesn't have to be literal magic. Just the kind that opens up millions of possibilities in our heads, make us feel things, and get us thinking and wondering even more so. To answer the question, I'll ask back—because why not?

In all seriousness, there's just something in wondering, then creating worlds under our curiosities and what ifs that we know can never be a thing in real life. Maybe it has more to do with my dreams and wanting to live that dream again, knowing the only way to do that is to let my imagination run as wild as a forgotten dream, and make sure to grasp onto everything that made me feel things I want to feel again. And voila! From that, we have a (most likely fantasy) story!

What subgenre of fantasy do you find most appealing to you as a writer? Why?

Mystery all the way! I love plotting about the connections between things, foreshadowing, and just seeing it all coming together the further and deeper you go into the story. Oftentimes, I like to think what you'll discover (especially TWA) won't be as synonymous to your initial expectations when you start out. It's all about playing with the little details and bigger pictures, then weaving subtle connections in between!

Share some tips about writing fantasy for those who want to try the genre out. Share some for long-time fantasy writers too, if you have any.

Consistency. That's all I can say. Try to be consistent with what's 'real' in your fantasy world, characters, backgrounds and plot.

What are your future plans in writing, be it in Wattpad or general?

Nothing much or at all right now. I'd mostly call myself a hobby writer, but we'll see!

What do you wish to get out of being a writer?

Completed stories. Dreams turning into a piece of media I can live again through reading and rereading and rereading.

Have you ever written something so impressive you aren't sure if it's really you who wrote it?

Maybe. Okay, yes, probably. Might be one scene, one paragraph or one line. I'm sure we all have at some point.

Have you ever accidentally deleted something important and writing-related?

Yes. It's not exactly 'accidentally' deleted (though there have been thoses cases), but there have been times when my notes on my phone goes poof because my phone would break and automatically reset without warning. Happened twice. I still haven't fully learned from it xD.

Have you ever written a story in your native language?

Yes! I started with them. Most of them are no longer up in public for reading, though, and only Payong remains.

Have you ever had a character who is the chosen one?

Why, yes.

 Have you ever binged videos about writing?

Yes! I learn a lot from them. But I would still have to say that sometimes I don't agree with them, and I think that's fine, as there is always some knowledge to gain from listening to other writers.

Have you ever felt that writing is the hardest thing to do in the world?

Definitely. It's often at times when I don't have as heavy tasks outside of writing at the moment and I have enough time to invest into writing. It's often so hard to write when I actually can and have the time to XD.

Have you ever cheated on a project by starting another?

Of course! Who hasn't? Whoever hasn't, you're a tough cookie, and I wish you don't cheat on your project just like I and many others did (or do I?)!

Please tell us about your story/ies on Wattpad so that readers could find them.

I have quite a number on me right now. Many of them are on hold or on sporadic updates, but all of them are pretty much first drafts, so I would advise caution.

Starting off with my first finished novel, an NA Fantasy Romance short novel, The Warlock''s Azalea. It's the first in a series of three, and resides in a special but fragile part of my heart. It stars a recent university graduate, Keir Morin, who gets ambushed by otherworldly creatures, but its saved by a warlock. Said warlock, aka our deuteragonist, drops the bomb on Keir by telling her she is the key or the 'chosen one' to save his world—another dimension. We follow Keir go into this new world as she meets different races of people and goes on an adventure with them to save their world and uncover plenty and I mean plenty of mysteries lurking behind almost every event and character we meet. I assure this story won't be anything like you're expecting to see in a fantasy using the 'chosen one' trope. I'm currently writing its second draft offline, so I'd advise anyone possibly interested in reading it to hold it off until that's done. I promise it's going to be worth the wait.

My latest completed story is Lightless Twin Souls, the first book in a series of uncertain number. It's an NA Magical Realism Fantasy that takes place in a world where magic exists as a common thing, and gods and continents are based on zodiacs. We follow a former spy now a wanderer, JD, as he gets targeted by a suspicious group of people, and later chased by a mythical creature said to have only existed thousands of years ago. With mysteries right in hand all the way, LTS explores many themes such as vengeace, forgiveness, repentance, and everything else in between and out. That, of course, includes the bond and relationship between JD and his brother we meet along the way.

I have three short stories that are all completed as well. Did You Know, a heartwarming, slice-of-life one-shot that follows Elena knowing about her little sister's latest project in school. Payong, another family-focused story, is about college dropout Jobert and his mom (warning, this story is written in Filipino/Tagalog). And lastly, my real latest completed story, my entry to the Fantasmical contest: Snowshoe. It's an MG Historical Fantasy about a cat who can transform into a human, and we simply follow his little naughty adventures! For a little push on this one, two of its chapters won first place in their respective prompts/subgenre.

Lastly, I'm giving Maybe I Am, Maybe I Do. My YA College Romance (I sometimes prefer to just call a slice-of-life) I'm currently working on alongside TWA's second draft and plenty of other offline stories. This one is much simpler than most of what I'm working on, but while a presumptuous tutor and her unassuming tutee isn't exactly the most relatable pairing ever, I can guarantee it has its cute, heartwarming, heartbreaking, and fun moments! Oh, and while it's written in English, it's set in a real provincial location in the Philippines!

There you have it. I would recommend any of the short stories and LTS for quicker reads. But if you're into something with romance, definitely wait for TWA's second draft on 2024, or wait for MIAMID's completion! But, of course, there will be more stories in the future.

Please provide the link/s to the works mentioned.

The Warlock's Azalea
Lightless Twin Souls
Did You Know
Payong
Snowshoe
Maybe I Am, Maybe I Do

And there you have it. We hope you enjoyed this interview with starisredy

Catch us next time as we bring on another amazing Fantasy author. Till then, have a magical week ahead.