Greetings Younglings,

For this month's edition, we are honored to have eoscenes joined with us to talk about her intriguing dark academia story that is full of empowerment!

☆

About the author: Kia ora, everyone, I'm Aimee, a China-born New Zealander who loves telling stories. I love home-cooked Southern Chinese cuisine, watching ballets and getting hyper-fixated on TV shows. In my stories you'll find booksmart people trying to be people-smart, with a dash of humour and an academic background. In my young adult romances, I love centering women who are driven, intelligent and confident - women who are sometimes lonely or uncertain, and who overcome these vulnerabilities with the help of their hero and found families. Often my protagonists are women of colour and/or women in STEM, and often I will rant unabashedly about science fun facts in my stories. #physicsnerd

☆

About the Book of the month - "The Geek Revolution"

Sophie Olsen had a simple plan after moving across the entire country to Carsonville, Massachusetts ― to pass her A.P. courses, and emerge unscathed by drama in her senior year.

But the second Sophie sets foot in Carsonville High School, strange dynamics reveal themselves. Eyes that trail and whispers that linger. Long histories and rivers of bad blood. A reigning group of five students, with more power and malice than any group of teenagers should possess.

When these bullies target her newfound friends, Sophie revises her senior-year plan ― to taking down the high school Monarchy with her bare hands. 

Along the way she finds laughter, tears, and perhaps a lesson about doing the right thing.

☆

About other YARomance works: Worth the Trouble, Under Oath, Asher, Handwritten, Nightlife, Blackout.

☆

1. How did you start writing on Wattpad? What is your favorite moment so far here? 

I created my account in 2014 and started writing on Wattpad way back in 2015; it almost makes me feel old to type that. This era of Wattpad loved the high school novel, bold tropey characters defying stereotypes and falling in love. Since I am still in university, my writing has tended to stay close to high school and university settings. My favourite moment in my Wattpad writing journey was becoming a Wattpad star in spring of 2021. It was immensely rewarding to have my work recognised and elevated on this platform. I look forward to seeing what the future holds!

2. Normally, which part of the writing process will you start first when writing a story or a YARomance story specifically? (e.g. characters outline, plot, special themes, genres/concepts, etc...) 

I always thought it was my characters that spawned the story, but seeing themes listed here has made me change my answer! Half of the time it will be a character that I find interesting and compelling, but the other half of the time, my YA romances will spring from some core theme or truth that I want the reader to take away. For example, in Nightlife, I knew it was going to be a story about staying true to yourself before I knew exactly who Krista (the protagonist) was. But in The Geek Revolution, it was Sophie Olsen who walked into my head with no other plot points, ideas, supporting cast, and everything went from there. In a way, because all my following books star characters that first appeared in TGR, Sophie was the one who kicked off my writing journey.

3. Your story revolves around a main female character rebelling in her new school against some seniors. What inspired you to choose this theme? According to you, what makes empowerment and gender equality in this story so impactful and special? 

I'm so glad I wrote The Geek Revolution when I did (over the course of my own high school journey) because I don't think I could have ever captured the same atmosphere once I graduated and grew my worldview. I chose the theme of rebellion because it was something that I saw myself and my peers struggling with, especially when bullies (or anyone who abuses their power) get involved. Empowerment in this story is special because it requires sacrifices and hard choices. There are such universal growing pains in TGR - wanting to fit in, wanting to deflect attention, wanting to attract attention, determining how much loyalty someone owes to their friends - that make Sophie's dilemmas so relatable. We learn with her: equality is never easily won.

4. We can see that your favorite concept in writing is mainly teen fiction (ya and na) and also dark academy. What makes these genres and concepts so appealing to you? And what do you think is the key to writing a good romantic relationship in a young adult or dark academy story?

These genres are so appealing because the characters are ripe with internal conflict. All my stories have a lot of internal conflict on the part of the protagonist. I think young adults in teen fiction and dark academia are wildly intelligent, hopeful, pessimistic, and diverse. This is the age when some people build themselves up and others fall apart. One young adult can be a fantastic protagonist already, but throw in more young adults that have their own chaotic lives and the stories become endlessly interesting. 

The key to writing a good romantic relationship is balance. Whether they're 'opposites' or whether they have everything in common, the relationship has to feel balanced - no power imbalances, not at the heart of it. Each participant brings something to the table that the other cannot provide, and at the end of the day they teach each other something that they couldn't learn from school or a job or their other friends.

5. A random question, would you rather: be a royal princess in a long-lost kingdom or be a humble librarian in a hidden bookshop? And why? 

Humble librarian, all the way. There's too much baggage associated with being a princess. The responsibility to my citizens would feel like a chain, I imagine. As a hidden librarian, you really only have to worry about yourself and your books - and that's what I do already!

6. Finally, what advice can you give to young writers who want to write an intriguing YARomance story? 

Intrigue comes from not knowing what's going to happen. In a romance, we know there's going to be a happy ending, but the intrigue comes from not knowing how it's going to get there. My advice is to have a strong protagonist and supporting cast. My books really rely on the characters to shine. Don't be afraid to make your characters flawed. Mine have saviour complexes, extreme burnout, or commitment issues - to be very specific. They swear, they sometimes do the wrong thing by their friends, they run away from their problems. Then give them a character or plot-based issue that speaks directly to their flaws. Sophie, who wants to help everyone, gets a problem that can't possibly be solved in one year by one person. The reader won't be able to put your story down without finding out whether the problem is solved, whether your character grows, and how the happily ever after arrives.

☆

That is it! Thank you for accepting our invitation, check out more stories at the author's profile eoscenes. 

Until next time!