Hello, everyone! Today we have another mythical and amazing author, ThoseThreeWords, the 2021 Wattys Shortlisted author of Vulnerable and a Wattpad Creator.

About the Author: I am from Tropical North Queensland, Australia (the pointy bit), and have lived here almost my whole life. Though after completing my Bachelor's in English and Writing, I moved to London for a while, working in the publishing industry, before travelling across Western Europe for a few months. Bringing me back to Australia was the completion of an Honours Thesis. After which, I then did my Master's in Teaching, and now spend my days as a teacher of English and History in high school. Just recently, I also became a mum. As for where my passion for writing began, I started my writing hobby after being tasked to create a picture book for a school assignment back in Grade 3. After that, I dabbled in short stories in and out of school, until I reached high school age (which starts at grade 7-8 here) when I started my first full novel. They weren't good, but they paved the way for me to develop, and a few years later I started publishing on Wattpad, which helped me think a little more about the function of a chapter and facets of writing that encourage engagement. Once I finished high school though, I found myself giving up writing, assuming it was not a career suited to me as the reality of how many better writers exist in the world sunk in. It was only a few years ago when I came back to Wattpad to respond to a comment on a story that an idea struck me and I started writing again. And now I struggle to tell myself to stop starting a new book every time I have an idea. I doubt I'll ever make a career of this, but it certainly adds joy to my life and facets of escapism.

About 'Vulnerable': Vulnerable: Book 1 of the Magic Mutations Series is the first book of four. It follows one of the two protagonists of the series, Olivia Byrne, as she learns about the world of magic and mutations after assuming it was once just fiction. She also discovers that she is a Terra Fairy and the boy she's been falling for is a vampire. However, looming over their love story is an evil vampire determined to take over the world and rid it of humans, and an unknown past that Ben's best friend Lukas is hiding from everyone.

About other Myth & Legend related Books: I've started and stopped several myth and legend stories, mostly because I feel the pressure to finish The Magic Mutations Series before getting wrapped up in another fantasy story. So currently I only have the two completed books, Vulnerable and Recover (Book 1 and 2 respectively), and Salvage (Book 3) is currently updating as I write it. The first book centres on Olivia, while the second shifts to a focus on Lukas, then the third switches between the protagonists as they find their way back together after a series of conflicts. The first two books of the series focus mostly around fairy tales and legends that are very European-centric, though the third incorporates some Aboriginal myths and legends as background stories, as part of the characters, and as part of the plot.

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

I started originally on another account back in 2010 when I was 14, after a friend urged me to put my stories up online. Less than a year later, that same friend and I started this account where we wrote a YA story together. When school finished, that friend and I drifted apart and our account became dormant until one day I came back to just finish the story we had started together. But the fans inspired me to have another go, so I started writing again and ended up publishing Vulnerable: Book 1 of the Magic Mutations Series. Some of my favourite moments have actually been when I was updating Callie and Lexi's Kiss List and the readers were quick to comment on every single aspect, going back and forth which each other and sometimes with me. That engagement really incentivises me to write on Wattpad.

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

The influence of the creatures (mutations) in the Magic Mutations Series stems from a rule on my book that there's truth in all myths and legends, though of course a lot of the nordic myths ended up being the main inspiration for my characters in Vulnerable. However, in Book 3 (Salvage), I leaned more heavily on Aboriginal myths and legends, particularly in relation to their Creation Story with the Rainbow Serpent. The Rainbow Serpent is at the core of their beliefs, The Dreaming, and is creation of life itself. It created the mountains and valleys as it moved through the land. It continues to create the weather and people. It is responsible for all things life. And given my protagonist is Australian, I had the Rainbow Serpent pay her a visit when she was no longer valuing her life. I want to incorporate more of the myths and legends we don't see in Western Writing by bringing these myths--those of the Aboriginal peoples--into mine. Moreover, I've always found it beautiful how every asset of life has a legend to go with it in Aboriginal lore. I just hope I'm doing their stories justice as I try to represent them.

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

Olivia is a pale-skin, red-haired woman whose appearance is stereotypical to her Irish ancestry. Though what she learns in book one is that she is also a type of fairy (Tera Fairy) believed to have gone extinct. As I wrote Book 1, I felt as if she was more of a vessel as I knew there were things she didn't know yet that come out in Book 2 and 3, so I tried to not deepen her character too much and simply tell the story happening to her as she was unaware of the other forces shaping her future and past. Nonetheless, some of her desires and experiences are inspired by mine--Aussie from North Queensland who moves to London for a change in pace and escape some bad experiences. Though we don't share much in common after that. I knew though for her to work in my plot she needed to be friendless, she needed to be weak (so that she could grow), and she most certainly needed to be vulnerable.

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

Writer's block always gets in the way. Transporting my mind from the real word of teacher-by-day to suddenly emerging into a fantasy world at night or whenever I can get a spare moment is difficult. And it is even more so now that I have a child demanding my attention. Trying to imagine a world with creatures that aren't real can be quite difficult when the mundanity of life and adulthood is dragging you down. Moreover, whenever I try to get back into the later books, I have to go back and read some of the earlier ones to ensure I get the plot right. This of course is quite time-consuming, but also I hate reading my old work. It's clear as you go through the series that I refined my writing, so whenever I read Book 1 I fight with the urge to go back and rewrite the whole thing.

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

I do, but it's in my private YouTube List! However, some of my repeat listens on it include: 

1. London is Lonely by Holly Humberstone 

2. I'm a Mess by Avril Lavigne ft. Yungblud 

3. Last Day on Earth by Kate Miller-Heidke ft. Marcus Bridge 

4. Without You by The Kid Laroi 

5. The Call by Regina Spektor 

6. Let Her Go by Passenger

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

One that has always struck me is an Aboriginal one from around where my partner grew up, called The Boulder's Legend, which I recommend giving the full legend a read. But in short, it's a story of a woman promised to one man, though she ends up falling in love with another she can't be with. When they try to run away together, the tribe chase after them and drag her lover away. In trying to take the woman back, she breaks free and throws herself into the river, where she dies. She cries out to her lover to come back, which causes the river to rush. Many people have since died in this river due to its dangerous formation and flow, and the legend is used as a warning when going near it. As I said before, I love in Aboriginal myth that every place has a story to go with it.

7. What is your favorite mythical creature? Why?

The realm of sea women interest me--mermaids, sirens, selkies. I imagine it stems from a deep-rooted idolisation of Ariel from The Little Mermaid from my youth (though I have since grown to love the Hans Christian Anderson version much more and adaptations that lean more into the bittersweet ending of the original tale, like in Bubble). If I had to pick though, the siren would be the most interesting. I love stories about powerful women, and even if the siren is laced with warnings about the dangers of temptation, it's pretty cool that they can bewitch these men through often their voice alone, though sometimes with the help of their looks. While such ideas of the woman (outward appearances being shaped for the eyes of men) are still entrenched in society, I like that the fate of the man tempted by such frivolous factors is in the hands of the woman.

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

It's a boring answer, but I'd honestly love to just have the powers of a witch. My household chores would be so easily taken care of, and I'd have so much more time to spend on the things that matter: my family, my hobbies, my career. So much time is wasted in the mundanity. I'd love to be able to cast a spell and let magic take care of the cleaning and cooking.

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

You do you with your writing and story, because you are the author. However, the more heavily you look into the myth, the more you will find your inspiration and elements to drive your plot forward. Though I encourage you to branch out into myths and legends that aren't familiar. That's sometimes where you find gems in making your story unique in a market full of stories on common myths and legends. 

That's it for the month, it was fun getting to know about T.T. Words (ThoseThreeWords). You can check their stories featured in our reading list as well as their other works.

Until next time!