It is me, after a very long time, bringing you yet another chance to immerse yourself in the world of Never Enough.

It has been awhile since this edition of the Block party happened so I thought I would finally put up my post here so that you guys can read it. The chairs are flipped in this interview; the characters interview the author. We are about to break some sort of wall here so strap in ladies and gents!

P.S. I swear I don't sit in chairs and have conversations with people no one else can see on a normal day. This is the block party, however, so party we shall.

___

Never Enough Secrets - Luke and Sierra interview the Author of Never Enough

Main protagonists: Sierra McKinnon and Luke Hemmings

Author: Rythma E.

"Should we begin then?" It is a rather cold winter night when the author sits in front of five empty chairs in the middle of her parents' kitchen. She was in her cosy pyjamas and she was certain that it wasn't appropriate attire for an interview. But she had dismissed that thought quickly, after all, it's an interview with her own characters, and they have seen her in a worse state before.

The silence rings in her ears, the clock ticking its way past midnight. The five chairs remain empty and it starts to feel a bit like an interrogation, she tiredly reaches for the steaming mug of coffee and settles in. This ought to keep her awake.

She had been up all day, hearing her characters bicker about how she has not been putting down their thoughts as fast as they would like her too. She was going to hear it from them today along with a lot of choice words from Luke.

As soon as she sets the mug down they walk into the room like they've materialized from the darkness out the windows. "Good night." They say because this author and her characters don't do mornings you see, they only function during the ungodly hours of the night. Sierra and Luke, two of her proudest creations are the first in and she can't help but smile. They are family after all, despite all the drama and sleepless nights they cause her.

Luke takes the seat right in the middle and Sierra walks up to hug the author, a complaint tipping over the edge of her lips like it cannot help itself. "Did you have to put this yellow dress on me? I don't spend my hours building a fashion empire to end up looking this awful."

Rythma sighs loudly like she's sick of the complaining and sits back in her chair. She had seen that dress in a boutique the other day and had thought it was beautiful, apparently not.

"Would you rather I dress you in nothing?" Rythma inquires placidly and Luke bellows; quickly calming down when Sierra takes her place next to him and lightly punches him in the upper arm.

Sierra pouts in that way she does when she doesn't want to be impolite but must have her way and the author feel's like it's a losing battle. Sierra only complains when she absolutely cannot stand something. Like the colour yellow. The author shuts her eyes and when they open again, a grey skirt and pastel pink blouse have replaced the yellow dress. Sierra smiles, feeling much more like herself now.

Rythma's family stirs in their beds upstairs and she lowers her voice, even more, frowning at the two in front of her. "Where are the other three?"

Luke rolls his eyes. He rolls his eyes at everything and anything that is not Sierra. "It is your fault they aren't here. Don't look so surprised. Calum can't stop mourning his dead relationship. Ashton is freaking out even before he has become a dad, I think he's going to give birth to his kidney before Adelaide gives birth to the baby. Michael is off chain smoking somewhere in the Atlantic with his purple-haired girlfriend Georgia. And—"

The author sighs exasperatedly again and puts her hands up to make him stop. "Forget I asked anything." Luke's cheeks turn pink slightly. He and the author argued a lot, but there was no love lost between them.

People think fictional characters are only ever fictional. Writers would tell you otherwise. They would tell you the number of times they've been guilt-tripped by their characters into changing a plot line or whatever.

Sierra looks down at the set of cards in her hands and the other three chairs fade into the darkness. "We have a mix of questions, some are from us."

Luke continues. These two did that a lot, pick up each other's sentences seamlessly as if they've got a telepathic bond. "Some are from those people you let read about us. The ones who keep telling me to dump Sierra and date them."

The author hides a smile, "Readers, Luke. They are my readers."

Luke makes a hand motion that codes for whatever and starts reading from the first card. "What was it like, writing Never Enough?"

Rythma: "An emotional rollercoaster. I think a lot of it was pent-up emotion over the years over unfair circumstances. Writing Never Enough was therapeutic for me."

Luke: "So you think it was okay to screw us over?"

Sierra sends him an accusing look. "Luke!"

Rythma: "I'm sorry if you think I screwed you over Lucas. You just had a hard life and that's okay. I only wanted what was best for you please understand that." There's not a day that goes by where she wishes life would have been a bit easier on Luke. Tragedy came with naturalistic stories and that was the kind of stories she wanted to write.

Sierra clears her throat. "Let's move on. @Percyeah on Wattpad wants to know, "Do you think you would have written Never Enough the same way you already did if the characters you had in mind had not been the Five Seconds of Summer boys?"

Luke: "Why wouldn't she have us in mind? We're amazing. Does this reader not like our music?"

Sierra and Rythma both ignore him with a slight shake of their heads. "That's a wonderful question. I guess the characters would have been different, but not immensely. They would have been physically different of course. With fan fiction, you try your best to describe a real-life person and hope you're doing them justice. Mentally I can say that my versions of the band are very different. Luke is, of course quite an angel in real life."

"You don't think I'm an angel?" Luke bats his eyelashes making the author laugh.

"I gave you a lot of harder circumstances. Not that I know what the real-life Luke is going through of course."

Luke: "Nah, I can bet you anything he hasn't gone through half the things I have. If he has I'll dye my hair pink."

Sierra: "You will do no such thing. My new line is launching next week."

Luke whispers something to her and it makes her grin. They share a little kiss and Rythma groans, reaching for a granola bar on the table and crossing her legs.

Luke: "Next question. Lina wants to know do you try more to be original or deliver what the readers want?"

Rythma: "I try to be as original as I can possibly be. But from time to time I give in to the demands of the readers. Only once or twice."

Sierra: "Do you want each book to stand on its own, or are you trying to build a body of work with connections between each book?"

Luke laughs loudly at this. "Of course she is building a body of work with connections. She's writing that sequel about Calum and Montana. Don't you see why he's all depressed?"

Rythma closes her gaping mouth. Sometimes she wishes she would have written less of a smart mouth on Luke.

Sierra looks for another question, her eyebrows furrowed as she tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. "Alexa wants to know what an early experience was where you learned that language had power."

Rythma thinks about this for a second and her heart skips a beat with excitement. "In every reader's life, they have this one book that changes the way they look at the world, at people, and at themselves. I've read a lot of books when I was a child and as I was growing up, so many of those words always came back to me. I would utilize lessons I've learned from books in real life."

Sierra places a hand under her chin and Luke shifts. They are listening intently to what their writer is saying. Because even fictional characters know how words have the power to shape us.

"I still remember the first time a book reached into my chest and pulled at me. I was very young maybe about thirteen and it opened me up to a world I didn't know existed. I started feeling broader things, I had a heightened sense of the world, the urge to read more. To learn, to hear people."

Luke stares back at the author with a sad expression and asks a question that isn't from any of the cards. "What is the first book that made you cry?"

Rythma: "It was Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare. I was really young when I read that trilogy. And James Carstairs character was dying. It was the first time I had read about such an emotional death of a character. And he was my absolute favourite and still is to this day. Cassandra Clare really knows how to hit me where it hurts."

Sierra: "Is that where you learned all these painful tricks of writing depressing scenes?"

Rythma laughs, the tiny bubble of sadness that was brewing bursting in the vibrations. "Yes well, you learn from the best."

Luke clears his throat and runs a hand through his hair. "This one is from another reader. @purple__sky on Wattpad wants to know, "I have started writing a Fanfic but it has been slow to pick up readers. Do you have any tips on how I can attract more readers to my story?"

Rythma: "Well, I speak from personal experience when I say that it isn't easy. But every writer's experience is different, some go viral overnight, some attract readers fairly quickly, while others take some time. That's one of the magical things about Wattpad. I was super lucky to have supportive readers from the beginning of Never Enough. Then I won the 2015 Watty Awards which attracted way more readers than I ever expected to have so if you have a story that qualifies, make sure you enter the Wattys!"

"The main thing, however, is that you have an original story. If a new reader has read a similar story somewhere else they aren't going to want to read yours. Grammatical errors happen to all of us, and I am the queen of grammatical errors but I spend hours editing to make sure it's readable before I post. Also, make sure you promote your stories on several social media platforms but don't spam people that never goes well. Be kind to your readers, communicate with them and give them time because they are giving your stories time. And most importantly write because you love to write and the readers will come. Good luck!"

Luke: "God that was one long answer. You can write your own guide about how to write instead of ruining our lives." He has a smile on his face as he says this and reaches for the author's half-eaten granola bar.

Sierra: "Do you think someone could be a writer if they don't feel emotions strongly?"

Rythma heaves a breath. She didn't know how to properly answer that one and hopefully not offend anyone who will be reading this interview.

Sierra: "Montana asked that question."

Of course she did, Rythma thinks. Montana was one of her most inquisitive characters. She liked to ask things that leave people speechless.

Rythma: "I'm someone who feels emotions very deeply, so my stories are emotionally heavy. Writers are different. Sometimes we have to write about emotions that we ourselves have never fully felt. We conjure it up and toy with it, see how it fits and pour it into the situation like honey. Imagination plays a big part in writing emotion, but also life experience and what you take away from your connections with people in the real world. So I think yeah, you need to feel emotions to be a writer. If you can't feel your own characters emotions strongly, chances are the reader isn't going to feel them either. But if you aren't one for feeling emotions strongly and is still a writer, you keep doing you."

A phone beeps with a text message and Luke reaches into his pocket. "It's from Michael." He reads out the message so that the other two can hear. "He says he's sorry he couldn't be here for the interview but to ask you what you edited out of Never Enough."

The author almost chokes on the sip of coffee she takes and starts to cough, her eyes watering. "You aren't going to like what I'm about to tell you." The author looks apologetically at her characters. Luke's jaw clenches and Sierra looks between the two of them with confusion.

Rythma: "Initially Sierra was...she was going to be pregnant."

There is a pause in the air, Luke freezes. The clock ticks and a cricket chirps outside. Sierra's eyes widen and her mouth falls open. "What?!"

Rythma: "I didn't think it was appropriate after revealing Luke's past."

Luke: "I was going to be a dad?"

Rythma: "It'll happen again, don't worry."

Sierra: "I could have been pregnant?"

Now it's Rythma's turn to roll eyes. "Are you two going into shock? Do you need a blanket? Yes, you were going to have a baby but the timing wasn't appropriate. You two are engaged anyway. Do as you please."

Luke looks at Sierra, a smile starting to edge the corners of his mouth. "I can't believe this."

Sierra: "Don't get your hopes up. I'm not popping out babies anytime soon thanks."

Rythma: "Good. Cause I need some sleep."

Luke: "Last question. @cuteharold_ wants to know what the best part about writing on Wattpad is and who is your favourite character?"

Rythma straightens in her chair. "I love writing on Wattpad. It's like a built-in positive community that is going to raise you higher and help you grow both as a person and a writer. It's a wonderful platform if you are just starting out. I love how everyone is very encouraging plus I've made wonderful friends."

Sierra: "and your favourite character?"

Rythma: "Every member of the Carstairs family. Shadowhunters will know what I mean."

Luke: "I am her favourite character. She loves me."

Sierra scoffs. "Are you forgetting I'm the main protagonist of the first story she ever wrote? No one gets the favourite spot but me."

The two characters start to bicker and the author has to pretend that she is the most patient person in the world so that she won't explode. "Guys, I love you both very much. I'll never pick between you two."

Sierra: "Is that why you made us soul mates?"

Luke turns to Sierra and gives her a dopey smile. "Aw baby, Of course, we are."

Rythma smiles. "Yes. I would have killed off one of you if I didn't like you together. It's simple as that."

"You would never," Luke says bewildered.

Sierra: "You just said you loved us."

Rythma: "Can I go to sleep now guys?"

The characters stand up and so does the author. The three of them look at each other for a moment. "Thank you." Rythma says, "For being there for me."

Luke laughs half-heartedly and steps forward for a hug. "We have no other choice."

Sierra joins the embrace and they stay that way for a moment. "What he means is, we love you too."

The author watches with a smile as her characters step back. "Hope you enjoyed the interview." Luke winks, taking Sierra's hand in his.

"Don't miss my launch." She blows a kiss.

"Not for the world," Rythma says. She stands in the middle of the kitchen suddenly not wanting her characters to leave but her eyes have started to protest against her. Sleep was calling. She blinks once, and they are gone.

She knows she will see them again in the morning, loud and bright, moving the words from the deepest parts of her mind to the front where she will write them down and keep building a world outside their own.

_____

ayee! how did you guys like that? 

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- R x 

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