All Myth and Legend Lovers, 

We are here with another talented Myth Maker - IntoTheTempest. As a Wattpad Star, Tempest has so many amazing works and today we will talk about Magika, Wattpad's Editor Pick!

About the author: Jaxon Tempest is an aspiring author of speculative fiction. When she's not vividly hallucinating at her keyboard, she's playing video games or making art. Her stories primarily feature BIPOC protagonist going on adventures through fantastical lands.

About Magika:

The Magika series centers around a down-on-his luck magician who can't find himself a cape, (the kind you can't get one from a tailor), and a wanderer named Kitaya. Together they travel through realms, fight monsters, while working to prevent the convergence, an event that will destroy the earth realm by merging it with Magika. It's kind of a play on the old trope of a clueless maiden who goes on an adventure with a fearless warrior. Except the clueless maiden is Aldeheid, who is a man, and the fearless warrior is Kitaya, who is a woman.

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Q. What makes you start writing on Wattpad? What has been your favorite moment so far on this orange place?

I've been on Wattpad since 2014, but I started as just a reader. At that time I'd never written anything in my life. 2015 was when I finally put pen to paper and wrote my very first story. Magika didn't come until 2 years later in 2017. I finally built up the courage to post something through the encouragement of a friend. My biggest highlight was that same year. Magika was shortlisted for a Watty, which was wild, because I was very much new and still fumbling around.

Q. Magika has such an amazing world with infusion of magic and mythology. What is the inspiration of creating such a mind-blowing world?

Magika's primary inspiration came from a latin dance called the paso doble, a dance in which the man is a matador, and the woman is his beautiful flowing cape. A lot of the world is built around different mythology that I cobbled together from different parts of the world. Aiisha is reminiscent of ancient Egypt and Kon is based on sub-saharan Africa. I tried to keep most of it lowkey. I don't think anyone has picked up that the leader of Aisha is based on the Egyptian god Geb—father of snakes. He even has a giant snake he commands. I loosely based Bladavin on Boreas, god of the cold north wind, since he rules over the tundra. Siegfried and Brunhildr from Germanic legend are also in the story. It's a lot.

Q. What is your favorite details in Magika? Do you face any difficulty in writing this book or this series in general? If yes, what is it?

My favourite thing is magic being a dual system, a partnership. Without a cape, magician can't use magic and getting a cape isn't that simple. It creates a dynamic that I find very interesting to explore. The most frustrating thing about this series is that I'm never satisfied with it. I'm always looking for new ways to rewrite it. I don't think it's as good as people say it is. I was a very different writer than I am now when I wrote it and rereading it makes me cringe.

Q. Do you have a favorite myth or favorite legend? If yes and why?

Yes, from my own culture. It's called a Chikcharney, and it's a half man, half bird that lives in the pine barrens. They're said to bring luck and fortune to those who treat them well.

Q. Do you have a song playlist for writing? Can you share us some of your current favorites?

I listen to a lot of Two Steps From Hell and Thomas Bergersen when I'm writing fantasy. The songs put me in a creative mood and there are no lyrics to distact me.

Q. Finally, what is your advice to your writer who wants to use mythology feature in their story and to get more attention?

I would say, be mindful and respectful if the mythology comes from a culture you do not belong to. Do lots of research and choose what's best for your story. A lot of mythology has different stories centering around one character, which can get super confusing so be mindful of that. As for gettng attention: figure out a way to either get on the front page, or get recommended by a big booktoker. There is no organic way to grown on Wattpad anymore, unfortunately.

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Thank you for joining this talk with us! Check out more stories at the author's account: IntoTheTempest!

More is coming, folks!