This month, we've got the pleasure of chatting with  Su Vida, Wattpad Ambassador, Wattpad Creator,  Watty Shortlister, and the author of Komoreby!

Read on to learn more about Su Vida's journey as an ESL writer and catch a small glimpse into her story Komoreby!

A lonely, small-town gamer girl dreams big when she moves to a glamorous eco-city, where she starts school at the prestigious Komoreby High. When the first day hits rock bottom and a science anomaly zips her to a parallel universe, she must reforge life and love while solving the mystery to find her way home. 

 Komoreby is a quirky Asian high school story fused with sci-fi, romance and mystery.

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0.

Tell us about something about the language(s) that you are fluent in?

My first language is Sinhalese. I mostly learned English by reading books! I know a little bit of Japanese and Korean, since I'm so into anime and the occasional Kdrama.

1. 

Did you start as a writer or reader on Wattpad? How was your journey here so far? 

 In May 2020, I decided that I should sit down and write Komoreby. In January 2021, I uploaded 10 chapters at once on Wattpad. My journey here has been positive overall, and I've grown by leaps and bounds as a creator. All the effort paid off, because Komoreby, my first novel ever, got shortlisted for the Watty Awards 2022!

During the 2 years I've been active here, I've finished writing two 100k-word novels, I'm currently writing my third under the Creator program. This was possible after receiving feedback and encouraging reader engagement. I've come across awesome writing, so I've read over 50 WP novels by now, as well as many more novellas and short stories!

Writing is a unique way to bring your imagination to life—with just words. You create entire worlds and paint pictures. Even after you're long gone, your soul lives on in the stories you create! WP is a gateway to share your imagination with so many people from around the world.

2. 

What inspired you to write Komoreby? What makes the story standout from your other works?

Komoreby has a special place in my heart, because the characters came to life in my mind over 10 years ago! Since then, I had fun building a big plot, diverse cast and a glamorous eco-city. In a nutshell, it's a quirky high school story that's pretty much shoujo anime meets funky sci-fi!Underneath the fluff and fun, there are social themes that bring to light how it's like to grow up in a strict Asian society/school system. Readers will come across shadow education, the ban on romance and many draconian rules.

The protagonist, Evanna, is also special. She's an aspiring astrophysicist, and she's hetero ace. She's also one of the few vegan characters in media, which is why she's listed in Wikipedia!Komoreby also features some very cool science. I had to do a lot of research to come up with the particle collider in the story, as well as the rest of the sciency stuff.

3. 

If you were to write a movie poster tagline for your story "Komoreby", what would it be? And what makes it best represent your story? 

 "Life pranks you, and then you end up in a parallel universe—where everyone you knew is different."

I think this tagline covers the overarching plot in Komoreby. The parallel universe twist is a little bit of Alice in Wonderland, and it juxtaposes two realities. It's up to Evanna to solve the mystery and find her way home—all the while navigating school life, family, friends and romance in her strict new universe.

4. 

As an ESL writer, what was the hardest plot point to write in this book? How did you overcome the potential writing struggles you might have faced as an ESL writer?

The challenge I faced while writing Komoreby was partially to do with my inexperience with writing novels. It's the very first book I wrote. I had to edit it a lot. I underestimated the word count needed to tell the story, and when it went past 100k words, I decided to break it into a trilogy—and that meant I had to figure out how to end the first book.

There are many struggles as an ESL writer! I struggle with idioms, and I sometimes write weird dialogue. The number of times I check the dictionary, just to be safe, probably equates the word count of the book. You do your best, learn and power on—that's the way to overcome the challenges!

5. 

You created the illustration on the cover of the book. Is there any hidden meaning behind the cover art? Also, do you create the illustrations before diving into the writing aspect?

Oh, yes, I take time to do cover art before I start writing. And yes, there are many hidden meanings and elements in Komoreby's cover. 

 "Komoreby" means sunlight falling through trees, and it's the name of the eco-city in the story. That's why the cover shows vines and leaves coexisting with stark concrete, while a beam of sunlight illuminates Evanna.

The book next to Evanna is titled "Down the Rabbit Hole". It features in the story, and it's an allusion to the Alice in Wonderland element. 

 The white rose and raven feather are symbols that would play a bigger role in the sequel, but I won't reveal what they stand for.If you look closely, you would see two rings etched onto the concrete next to Evanna. They stand for the particle collider. There's also the vegan logo stamped on Evanna's backpack, since she's vegan.There are other little details, but I'll let the readers find them and decide what they might mean.

6. 

Any underrated tips for ESL writers to take their English writing skills to the next level?

Read a gazillion stories and have fun writing! Don't overthink or worry too much. The more you read and write, the better your English (and storytelling) is going to be!

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That's all folks!

Thank you for chatting with us, Su Vida! We wish you all the best for your future works!

Until then, happy reading!