We've got another awesome Fantasy author for you today. Hailing from the country of Sri Lanka, please welcome, SuVida777, and let's hear what they've got to say.

What is your country of origin?

Sri Lanka

What other languages aside from English can you speak fluently?

Sinhalese (native)

Are you writing under a pseudonym? Is there a story as to how and why you came up with it? Please tell us about it!

Yep, but it's not an exciting story though. Su Vida is actually a shortened form of my way-too-long first and second names! Most people call me Su anyways—and Vida apparently means "life", which is cool.

When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer? Why do you want to be a writer?

I've been escaping into story worlds from a very young age—books, animation, movies and video games. Stories are powerful—they inspire you, transport you to whole new universes and wake up your brain cells. This is why I wanted to be a creator, which led me to a career in art and animation.

For the longest time, I've only written short scripts, as well as designing characters and worlds for animation/advertising projects. In 2020, I made a new year resolution to actually write the novels I've been slowly planning over many years. In January 2021, I put up 10 chapters of Komoreby on Wattpad!

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

I read many kinds of stories, but I love how fantasy and sci-fi stretch your imagination to the limits. All of my art, animation and writing fall under these genres. My Wattpad novels to date fall under sci-fi, where I make fantasy real—whether it's fun powers, mermaids, fairytales or high fantasy worlds. Here are some of them!

1. Komoreby: It's been just over a year since I uploaded my very first book, Komoreby! It's a quirky YA novel that's like a near-future Alice in Wonderland retelling.

It follows the story of Evanna, a cute gamer girl, who moves to a glamorous Asian eco-city, where she starts school at the prestigious Komoreby High. Unfortunately, the very first day spirals to rock bottom—and as if that isn't bad enough, she's zipped to a parallel universe, where teen romance is banned, prefects raid classrooms and shadow education sucks up all your time (based on real Asian schools). Yep, it's a fusion of school story, sci-fi, mystery and romance—featuring a high fantasy game world, cool telekinetic powers, shoujo anime tropes and even symbolism from Greek/Roman mythology.

2. Rhodoreef: My big project this year (while writing the Komoreby sequel)! I'm fascinated with the oceans—almost as much as space. It's a largely unexplored frontier brimming with magic, mystery and potential. So I've been meaning to write an ocean story—one based on my Ariel illustration that won first place in the Rewind the Classics contest last year!

The ONC came along, and voila! I present you Rhodoreef—a retelling of The Little Mermaid with a funky Indian Ocean mer-city, air-breathing mermaids, eco themes and awesome tech. Did I mention telekinesis, deep-sea marvels, mushy romance and kawaii sea cows?

3. Cornucopia of Otherworldly Tales: This is my ongoing fantasy and sci-fi short story collection! The very first story is The Goddess of Door Hinges, in which a cute minor goddess finds love and recognition in a mortal high school!

For you, what is the importance of having a process in writing? Do you have a process? If so, please tell us about it. If not, why?

The most important thing for me is having fun—and also deciding what I want to convey with the story! Unless I'm writing flashfic for a contest, I don't wrack my brains for story ideas—I only write if an idea that resonates with my soul takes shape of its own accord. I write what I'm truly passionate about, and I go all out with the character design, research and world-building.

I spend a lot of time on this stuff and plot out the whole storyline before I actually start writing. This is the process in art and animation too—sometimes it takes months to do pre-production. Some companies take years—yep, even big ones like Walt Disney. I do additional research and detailing as I write.

What makes for an appealing character in Fantasy stories? Why?

I think what makes an appealing character in any story is how fleshed out they are—personality, hobbies, professions, quirks, compelling motivations and back story. And the character has to be genuinely interesting—maybe they are super smart, got a weird quirk or an awesome goal. I find the profession particularly tricky, because when one is an expert in a particular field, that knowledge seeps into their world view and speech—and this has to come out in writing for realistic portrayal.

Specific to fantasy stories would be how well the character's role and life are defined in the story world, believable abilities and how they level up—unless you're writing someone fun and wacky like One Punch Man or Willy Wonka. This is why I absolutely love Naruto—very nooby with raw potential, but goes through grueling training periods to level up little by little (in terms of abilities and wisdom). Or you can create a badass character with a flaw (I'm looking at Kira and Sasuke right now).

How do you come up with the plot of your stories?

I kind of answered this question already I think! At least, the conception of the story. Once the idea has lodged itself in my head, and I see the glorious visions of settings, characters and possibility, I enthusiastically go about creating it. This includes vivid daydreaming—I watch whole scenes play out.

The storyline is then shaped by the themes I want to tackle and the character's development. For example, I have used a parallel universe in Komoreby to make Evanna experience a different society as an outsider—a society based on real Asian school systems that don't get portrayed in popular teen media that come out.

Share some interesting facts about the magic system you have developed in your stories.

Whether it's the Force in Star Wars or the psionic powers in StarCraft, magic systems within a sci-fi framework aren't new in stories. We often call that sci-fi fantasy. But drawing upon the wonderland of real funky science to make fantasy real is a whole other fun endeavor—which is what I've done with my work so far.

Portals into other worlds? Real time-travel? Tapping into extra dimensions? Two places at once? The protagonist, Evanna, awakens what is seemingly a telekinetic superpower. Komoreby has it all—and tells you how it can be done. Of course, I had to do extensive research.

Out of all the genres, why fantasy?

From Enid Blyton's Enchanted Wood to Harry Potter and Naruto, fantasy has captivated me. It makes you forget your existential anxiety for a moment. Growing up, sci-fi entered my world, and though I read many books, fantasy and sci-fi remain my favorite genres—after all, they're intrinsically linked in many ways.

Dr. Seuss put it best: "Fantasy is a necessary ingredient in living, it's a way of looking at life through the wrong end of a telescope."

What do you think is the most alluring subgenre of fantasy?

That's very hard to answer. I love everything from high fantasy to sci-fi fantasy. Since I appreciate the beauty in darkness and love supernatural horror, dark fantasy is super awesome too.

How do you manage criticism?

My experience as a creator has been pretty positive so far. I've been given a lot of useful feedback that has helped me improve my writing! Thank you so much to the wonderful ambs, reviewers, contest hosts, judges and readers who have supported my work! Occasionally, I get comments that I feel are rather unfair. Well, your work isn't everyone's cup of tea, and sometimes, not everyone gets what you're trying to convey. So in those cases, I just keep doing my thing—criticism is inevitable if you're creating content! When actual issues are pointed out to you, you fix them—you're bound to make mistakes because you're only human. When it comes to unfair or spiteful criticism, it's best to just ignore it.

What are some tips you can share to help new and old fantasy writers alike?

As someone who loves hard world-building and character design, go all out and have fun with your worlds and characters! And don't let the pressure to sell your work as a product hamper your creativity.

I understand that to some writers, the business side of writing is important—write something that sells. Now I want my stories read like the next person and do my best to make them engaging—but I primarily write for myself. As I always say, I put a shard of my soul into my work. I believe that is what would bring you most satisfaction—share your unique ideas and quirkiness with the world.

Share some sneak peek on your future projects.

The Komoreby sequel is in the works—school drama, new adventures, more fun, insane possibilities and the ship might sail to new horizons with kawaii anime moments! There's also a fun spin-off novella I've been planning.

And I have a short supernatural story in mind, incorporating Sri Lankan history, art and myths—along with a few other vague story outlines in the back burner.

The other big project is a space adventure I've been sporadically planning and researching for the past ten years. It might get written in 2024 if all goes according to plan.

What do you wish to get out of your journey as a writer?

The joy it brings to create worlds and characters—you share your voice and experience with the world. Komoreby, in particular, has a special place in my heart.

With storytelling, you shine a light into themes that need to be discussed and allow others a glimpse through your own unique perspective. This is what you leave behind—immortal words that convey your mind long after you're gone, inspire others and offer food for thought (a bit of Shakespeare right there).

Share your favorite songs to listen to while writing.

Rock and epic music lift my imagination to the stars and beyond! Here are three of my faves.

1. &ab_channel=711Tactical">Hans Zimmer: No Time For Caution (Interstellar)

2. &ab_channel=IvanTorrent">Ivan Torrent: Vis Motrix

3. &ab_channel=HollywoodRecordsVEVO">Breaking Benjamin: The Diary of Jane

Share some fantasy stories that you wish had more books.

1. The Lord of the Rings
I shed some tears after finishing and realizing there's no more.

2. Harry Potter
I wish J.K. Rowling would write the story of the Marauders.

3. Everworld by K.A. Applegate
Underrated gem right here. I binge-read this awesome series.

4. Enchanted Wood and Wishing Chair by Enid Blyton
Some of the first novels I've read as a kid. I miss them.

Share interesting titles of media (drama, TV Shows, graphic novels, webtoons etc.) that everyone should try watching/reading.

*Me glancing at my mountain of favorite anime, manga, cartoons, video games, movies, documentaries, Kdramas and TV shows*

1. Anime: Naruto, Bleach, One Piece, Death Note, Kuroko no Basket, FMA Brotherhood, Shingeki no Kyojin, Maid Sama and Beelzebub. Awesome masterpieces right here, and all of it fantasy except for Maid Sama, which is a cute shoujo anime.

2. Video games: Don't Starve, Hollow Knight, Oxygen Not Included, Ori, Deponia, Prince of Persia 2008, Need for Speed (Carbon, Rivals), Command and Conquer, StarCraft 2, Desperados, Empire Earth

3. Kdramas: City Hunter and Minamishineyo! I also love Secret Garden.

I'll not stray into the realm of books and movies.

Share your favorite dish and what makes it your favorite.

That's a hard one. I love pizza, pasta and noodles! All of it becomes delicious when there's fried tofu, mushrooms or jackfruit.

Here's one of my fave recipes ever: Creamy garlic mushroom pasta by Bosh

Share some of the fandoms you follow.

Too many to count. Definitely HP, Animorphs, X-Files, Naruto, One Piece, Bleach, Star Trek, Star Wars, Sherlock Holmes...I was even a Top Contributor in Yahoo Answers for a while for replying to all the Naruto questions!

Share something unordinary about yourself.

Despite my kawaii-loving side, I love dark things. I watch all the supernatural horror movies and even play games like The Cat Lady.

Share some beautiful words in your native language and their meaning.

Iyo: this versatile word can be used to express surprise, disappointment, amusement, horror, sadness and more. XD

Share one delicacy from your country that everyone should try.

Pani pol pancakes (sweet coconut pancakes)!

Share one thing your country is known for.

Tea? Definitely tea.

Share your travel destination wishlist and why you wanted to go there.

That list is too long. Having lived as a couch potato for so long, I intend to travel everywhere and see the planet one day. After writing Rhodoreef, I so want to go on a deep-sea tour and see a brine pool, glass octopuses, phantom jellies and all of those epic alien creatures.

Share one reader comment that changed your life.

Probably my cousin's comment asking me how mermaids climb coconut trees. But I have an answer to that.

Share your other hobbies.

Gaming, sleeping, daydreaming, drawing, animating, volunteer work, 3D modeling, photography, eating chocolate, shopping

And there you have it. We hope you enjoyed this interview with SuVida777. To check out their works visit these links:

Komoreby

Rhodoreef

Cornucopia of Otherworldly Tales

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