This week, prepare your swimsuits and snorkeling equipment to take a plunge in the Amazon river! Or at least bring a machete or a gun or a zombie-slaying weapon with you, because this week's interviewee: Wattpad Featured author, CocoNichole! She's entering a numerous range of works in the Wattys 2015. However, for today, we'll be focusing on her two most popular series -- the Encante Trilogy and the Chew Chronicles. Sit back, relax, and remember to get the popcorn ready!

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In both ZIW (Zombies-in-Winter, duh) and Sun Kissed, the protagonists are women of colour. Not just that, both series feature a very diverse cast. What inspired you to write about diversity? And why do you think authors are reluctant to write about people who are not racially 'white'?

That's a great question! I would have to say that I'm inspired by the diversity I encounter in my own life. I come from a family of immigrants and mixed ancestry. I also grew up in South Florida where I was exposed to a variety of cultures and ethnic groups. Like many writers, I have a thirst for knowledge, especially when it comes to learning about people and their backgrounds.

With that being said, I've always felt like there was an overwhelming lack of representation of POC in the media. Either that or groups are often misrepresented and stereotyped. When I first began to write, I found that writing diverse characters came more naturally than writing from the perspective of a White/European person. Now I feel like I have a responsibility to the writing community to represent those who have been ignored or stereotyped for so long in literature.

People are nervous about writing POC for a lot of reasons. The biggest is that they don't want to offend anyone. This is a reasonable explanation, but I don't let it hold me back. The great thing is, you can research people just like you can research anything else. If someone wants to write a story about pirates, they'll most likely read up on pirate culture and vernacular before taking on the project. Likewise, if you want to write a main character who is from a different culture than yourself, you should talk to someone or a few people from that ethnic group. Read some personal blogs and things of that nature so you can get a holistic idea how that group sees themselves in relation to the rest of the world.

Sorry if I wrote too much. I'm very passionate about this topic.

(Author interjection: Thumbs down for those of you who disagree with her point of view.)

At first glance, it seems like the separate protagonists of your two books share nothing in common at all. Sofi from Sun Kissed starts off as a little selfish and somewhat rash; Moe from ZIW is a foul-mouthed teenager who is fighting for survival in a zombie apocalypse. However, these two characters share one singular trait that truly defines them: strength.

Why do you think the challenges Sofi and Moe had to face made them stronger? And do you think readers will ever get out of the habit of calling female characters who happen to be interesting 'strong female protagonists'?

Before I go into what makes each heroine strong, let me first explain their situations for those who are not familiar. Sofi (from Sun Kissed) is suffering the recent tragedy of her father's death. Her mother, who lives 5000 miles away, is dying too. Sofi decides to move her life to Brazil to be with her mother, but upon arrival she discovers that due to the illness her mother cannot remember who she is.

Moe, on the other hand, is surrounded by death constantly. Any friend she makes in her post apocalyptic environment is likely to die or become a zombie, which they often do.

To answer your question: Why do you think the challenges Sofi and Moe have to face make them stronger?

Sofi's challenges require a lot of inner strength. At the beginning, she doesn't have much of it. Rather, she chooses to escape her problems by spending all of her time at the river with Encantados. Over time Sofi learns that this is an unhealthy way to deal with her issues. I don't want to give any spoilers, but Sofi changes a lot by the end of the story. She doesn't try to hide from what scares her.

Moe's strength is more physical combined with emotional. Throughout the Chew Chronicles, she deals with some major deaths among her friends that she somehow has to find a way to bounce back from. The more people she meets, the more she sees the many ways the apocalypse can twist and damage a person's psyche and sense of reality. In Zombies in Winter, Moe reaches a very vulnerable moment that requires her to make a choice. She chooses to take on the role of leader and be the group's sole protector against the zombies. Although Moe's character isn't prone to violence, she quickly learns to defend herself with a shovel and sometimes even with her own bare hands.

Will writers/readers stop subscribing to the term "strong female protagonist"?

Probably not. The term may evolve over time to "ideal female protagonist" or the "archetypal heroine", but as long as women are viewed as "the weaker sex" and are expected to be damsels in some way, the ongoing search for this warrior woman won't ever end.

And it helps to remember that in young adult fiction, the audience is primarily made up by young women and girls. Those are ages where people actively seek role models and examples of how to represent and view themselves. Therefore the expression "strong female protagonist" is within the reach of someone who is still growing and learning versus mature women like ourselves who know we are and don't necessarily need media telling us what strong women ought to be like.

In both ZIW and Sun Kissed, there are love triangles that play important roles in developing the main characters. Why do you think readers are so hooked by the idea of a love triangle (or quadrangle, whatever)? And how do you tweak the well-used trope so that it remains fresh and readable?

I think love triangles are appealing to most readers because it's not something that happens in real life very often (at least not from my experience). And honestly, what girl (or guy) wouldn't want a few hot, magical guys (or girls) fighting for their attention at once?

Now as much as I love these love triangles, they as you pointed out, can get old. I think one solution is having dynamic characters. The bad boy / nerd girl combination is not going to fly. Developing your characters to the point where they cannot be dismissed or classified so easily affects how natural or forced the attraction feels between them.

Also I just have fun with it. Usually my characters will make decisions that I haven't seen in stories before. SPOILER: For example, at the end of Sun Kissed, Sofi chooses the guy who is actually the healthy choice, instead of the one who she's more passionate about, but ends up causing her pain. And anyone who reads Chew knows that Moe and Remmy's relationship is complicated as fuck (sorry if I'm not supposed to curse. You can blame Moe for that).

(Author Interjection no.2: Cursing in all forms is totally accepted in this interview book!)

Your two books are targeting teens and young adults as audiences. As of late, YA and NA books have seen a boom in popularity. Why do you think the concept of teenagers being the stars of the story appeals so much to readers? And do you agree that YA books are not just for teens? If so, why?

I think many times that young characters make the best heroes. Despite whatever strength or power they may have, they are still clueless to certain things due to their inexperience. It's just cool to watch someone overcome all the odds while growing into themselves as they do it.

YA is not just for teens in the same sense that comic books and video games are not just for kids. A large portion of the YA audience is made up of adults that appreciate the genre. In fact most sound YA lit is written by adults. I think this proves that YA should be taken just as seriously as adult fiction. You have to be a talented writer to appeal to both young and mature audiences.

You are currently writing two series of books whose genres have almost nothing in common. The first, Sun Kissed, is set in the modern world in a village near the Amazon, which so happens to be infested by the Encantados, or your infamous shapeshifting dolphins. Meanwhile, the Chew Chronicles is set in a post-apocalyptic world, centering on survivors who are trying their best to not get bitten by zombies. How do you manage writing books in vastly different categories? And how do you think writing both series has shaped you as an author?

In many ways Sun Kissed and Chew are vastly different from each other. There are, however, characteristics that they share if you look closely. For example, both Moe and Sofi undergo physical transformations from humans to something supernatural. Both stories take place in relatively uncharted territory, forcing the characters to rely on nature more than expected in urban fantasy. Both heroines encounter plenty of diverse characters (this is more evident in Sun Kissed's sequel) and end up forming close bonds with them.

These links that I listed often provide the foundation for any one of my stories. Once I know my foundation, the narrative can take on any form of genre/sub-genre from there. In addition to that, I like to challenge myself as a writer and try out new things to keep my writing fresh and intriguing.

Last but not least, any tips for your fellow Wattys 2015 contenders? Or any words of encouragement?

I want to wish everyone good luck on the Wattys! I would be so happy if any of the writers who I follow or were featured in this interview book won a Watty. You all deserve it!

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Thank you so much CocoNichole for entertaining me with this interview! I really had a lot of insight on the hard work and effort put into Sun Kissed and ZIW. So what are you guys still doing here? Go on! Click the external link!! Okay, sadly Wattpad doesn't allow me to add two external link, so the one down there leads to Sun Kissed. If shapeshifting dolphins aren't your cup of tea though (you heartless beast you) just head on to my profile for your share of ass-kicking heroines and zombies that can actually run.