Hello, everyone! Today, we have another mythical and amazing author, Quinn-the-Writer, the author of Dragons of Fire and Ice: The Hidden Labyrinth, which won the Olympic Games in the Panhellenic Games 2025.

About the Author: My name is Quinn and I am a writer by night based in the UK. I write primarily YA stories, featuring vampires, dragon-shifters, aliens and more. I am in the LGBTQ+ community and my characters are also displaying their own Pride in many ways. I am an historical nerd with a love for the medieval era, and I also have an interest in anything military/military intel/spy based. I'm also a metal-head who's into dinosaurs and reptiles.

1. What made you start writing on Wattpad? What has been your favorite moment so far on the orange app?

I used to have an account on Wattpad back in 2016-17 after hearing about the site on a Joanna Penn podcast. I thought it sounded fun, had a go for a while then left to pursue other projects. I decided to return to Wattpad in 2024 because I thought I'd like to give the site another go. I like all the contests and the challenges, as well as the regular prompts.

My favourite moment so far has been... well, all of it! So much has happened in such a short amount of time that it's impossible for me to pick one moment. I've won the Frost Town contest, the Panhellenic Games, been long-listed and short-listed for the Open Novella Contest, had stories included in half a dozen anthologies so far... It's been very exciting for me!

2. Which mythology and/or legends influenced your story? Why did you choose those?

The legend of the Minotaur and the labyrinth influenced my tale. I chose that one because I thought it would suit my characters, Quinn and Jay (and their friends the gecko-shifters.) It just sounded like their jam.

3. Tell us about the main character of one of your stories. What inspired their creation?

I'm going to choose both Kyrylo and Oleksandr for this one. They are the gecko-shifters that are friends of Quinn and Jay. They both were inspired by my own leopard gecko, Chickpea, who I've owned for seven years now and I love her to bits. Some of their behaviour is inspired by Chickpea's behaviour (when they're in their gecko form.) She is a cheeky little thing but so fascinating to watch and I tried to encapsulate her movements and behavioural patterns in Kyrylo and Oleksandr.

4. What were some challenges you experienced while writing the story?

I can't remember that I even had any difficulties with this one story, to be honest. It just pretty much wrote itself and was very easy to write. It was a lot of fun, too, joining my characters in exploring a hidden labyrinth that no one knew about up until that point. It was an adventure even for me!

5.Do you have a song playlist for writing? Can you share one with us?

Unfortunately no, I don't have a playlist. I don't write with music playing as I have incredibly bad concentration issues and I get easily distracted by noises in the background. I have to write in silence or nothing gets done at all.

I can say that my favourite bands are Rammstein (from Germany) and Grandma's Smuzi (from Ukraine) though to give some context as to the music I prefer - when I'm not writing! Although I'm English personally, I can understand a great deal of German and am learning Ukrainian at the moment so I understand some of what's going on with the music!

6. What is your favorite myth or legend? Why?

I love anything to do with Norse mythology. I couldn't particularly pick a favourite out of any of it as it's all fascinating to me. Although I do think it's funny that Thor had to dress up like a woman to get his hammer back from the dwarves though. Maybe that one's my favourite at the moment.

7. What is your favorite mythical creature? Why?

It's always and forever the dragon for me! I think they're so regal and majestic and powerful. I also am a massive nerd for dinosaurs and reptiles so dragons are an extension of that for me.

8. If you could have the same powers as a creature and/or deity from mythology or legends, what would it be? Why?

I would love to have shapeshifting abilities like Loki from Norse mythology although without all of the wickedness that Loki himself performs. (let's face it, he is pretty chaotic!) I would love to shift forms whenever I liked into whatever I fancied on any given day, I think that would be brilliant.

9. What is your advice other writers who want to use mythology in their story?

I know this is going to sound really cheesy but just have fun and relax with it. Do plenty of research into what you're writing about and just go on an adventure. Don't force anything - if something doesn't quite work out how you expected, try another myth and see how that resonates with you. Don't force anything as it will show in your writing that you weren't comfortable in what you've chosen as a subject. Just write about whatever resonates easily with you and let that creativity shine through in your words.

That's it for the month, it was fun getting to know about Quinn-the-Writer. You can check their stories featured in our reading list as well as their other works.

Until next time!