Hello, everyone! Today we have another mythical and amazing author, Space_Queen_Q, sharing her story and discussing her work with us which has been featured on Wattpad's homepage and reached #1 in the yaparanormal tag.

About the Author: Writing was a passion she had as a child, penning short stories for friends. It was put on the back burner because her elders insisted it wasn't lucrative and that she was wasting her time. Many years later, her health hit a wall. She was bedridden and found fanfiction stories on Wattpad to keep her entertained. Not finding the perfect story, she decided to create it herself. In 2018, she posted her first fanfiction and found her passion for creating new worlds. She has since moved into Sci-fi, Fantasy and Paranormal genres. She enjoys the process of finding her characters' deepest hopes and fears and using them to move through the story to its conclusion.

She has always been attracted to the paranormal; ghosts, aliens, bigfoot—you name it. When she heard a Native American story about them interacting with Bigfoot long ago and how he became dangerous, she thought, 'what an interesting story that would make.' She wanted to have extremes in characters, so Zoe Thornton is guided by logic and the sciences whereas Takota Sohappy is a sensitive that speaks with his dead grandmother and follows the spiritual path. The opposites are connected by their love of horses and have a strong friendship before the story starts. Through this tale, Zoe learns to believe in things that science hasn't yet confirmed, and Takota fully embraces his Shamanic roots.

About 'Deep in the Forest': Ste ye hah, "Spirit hidden by woods." ~ Yakama Native American.

Future Entomologist, Zoe Thornton, loves horseback riding through Rimrock Forest. It gives her peace of mind and lots of insects to study. When she and her best friend, Takota Sohappy, come across a strange-looking hemlock, something ancient awakens.

 With her dad's upcoming lung transplant and a date with the girl she's been flirting with for months, Zoe's logical mind doesn't have time for legends of Ste ye hah (Bigfoot). 

 But when her dad's health is impacted by her actions, the two friends seek help from the local Shaman. Under his guidance, Zoe and Takota are tasked to appease Bigfoot with a ritual and offering if they want to live in peace. The key is, she must acknowledge Ste ye hah is real for the ritual to work.

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

When I came to Wattpad I was looking for Harry Potter fanfiction. I found a load of them there, but none had the story that would make my heart sing the way I wanted it too. I decided to write it instead. It took three months, and I posted the whole story onto the platform. I realized that I loved writing, and this was my way to escape the pain my body was in.

My favorite moment on Wattpad happened the end of May 2022. I had just missed the longlist with Deep in the Forest and was feeling down. I wondered if I really could write something with my own characters that people liked when I received a message from the Senior Content Operations Specialist at Wattpad HQ, asking if I was interested in having the story reviewed for possible publication or even adaptation for media production. I was shocked and cried like a baby that they scouted me. At the moment, I'm still awaiting news from them but am hopeful things will pan out. Deep in the Forest was added to the Wattpad Editors picks list for June 2022 and things have been going well since. 

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

I live near a reservation in Washington State and have always loved Native American lore. I heard one of their legends about Ste ye hah (Bigfoot) and thought how interesting it was that they once communed with the big guy. I wanted to write a story with some of that legend in there and make it interesting with some of the facts about Bigfoot I learned thought documentaries and web searches.

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

Zoe Thornton is a logical minded individual who trusts the sciences to tell her what things are real and what is impossible. I thought it would be fun to have this kind of character be confronted by the fact that bigfoot wasn't just a legend, but real. She stands for all the nonbelievers out there in the world. Having her go through a life changing event to bring her unbending logical mind to believe in Bigfoot was a neat challenge to write. 

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

The biggest challenge I faced was how to get Zoe to change her mind about Bigfoot in a believable way. I had to do a lot of research concerning hair samples, DNA testing and footprints of different animals in Washington State. It took a lot of time to get those facts and put them in an entertaining story form. 

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

I didn't have a playlist for this story. Instead, I had Finding Bigfoot on Discovery+ playing in the background. 

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

I would have to say the Native American stories about Bigfoot are my favorites. They claim to have once communed with him and could walk with him through the forest in peace. I find the very idea to be fascinating and wish I could walk with him too.

7. What is your favorite mythical creature? Why?

Next to Bigfoot, dragon. I collect dragon replicas and find them to be mysterious, fearsome and loyal to their loved ones. I have a sci-fi fantasy book I'm working on that has dragons in it and love writing about them.

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

Loki is my favorite deity. Who wouldn't want to be the most powerful sorcerer in Asgard with the ability to astral project, shape-shift, hypnosis, molecular rearrangement, energy blasts, levitating, conjuration, cryokinesis, telekinesis and teleportation?

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

Keep writing, creating and don't forget that editing is your secret weapon to crafting a great story. Most importantly, write for yourself and have fun doing it.

That's it for this month, it was fun knowing about Space_Queen_Q. You can read her story featured in our reading list as well as her other works.

Until Next Time!