Warm regards! We're very excited to learn more about you. So first of all, tell us how you stumbled upon Wattpad and when.

I have known of WattPad for years. I had joined once before - a good six, seven years ago now; WattPad was a lot less sparkly then! :D I lacked both the patience and the time one needs to be a successful WattPad-er and author. I ended up deleting my account.

I rejoined WattPad early this year. I had completed one book (PLAY OF SHADOWS) and was good way into another (SERPENT'S KISS). I had also been rejected by about thirty literary agents. Which is not uncommon by a long shot, but still a major blow to the writer's ego, you know? I started doubting myself and everything I wrote to such an extent that writing became difficult.

So I joined WattPad and posted the chapters I had of SERPENT'S KISS. Boom. Readers. Not overnight, no - it took some patience and nestling into clubs, forums, making awesome friends - but readers did come and so did reviews and boy, they were all positive! I was beyond happy. I finished SERPENT'S KISS quicker than I had any piece of writing in my life. WattPad is a gift to the author - a support system and a stage. I am so happy I came back to the site <3

Why did you decide to join The Cryptic team?

I loved the idea of a community for dark fantasy and sci-fi. My own works fall into these categories, with a twist of thriller. It is a rather niche genre. I haven't seen too many places where WattPaders who write in it can gather. Cryptic fills a definite need in the WattPad community.

What compels you to pick up a pen and scribble down your thoughts? Is there any inspiration or motivation that you'd be willing to share?

There are so many... First, good songs. Good beat but above all, good lyrics. Do you guys compose music videos in your head when you listen to songs? I do, and lots of them turn into story ideas. Mostly featuring badass female characters ;D

Second, art in all of its forms. Pinterest, Tumblr, and DeviantArt are a great source of inspiration. There are some works - be it drawn, sculpted, or photographed - that just move the soul. This one, for example:

The picture's caption reads: "Sisters of the Dark ...::... Devoted to Nusku, god of fire." Doesn't the story just write itself?

I am also often inspired by other works, including TV shows/movies/folklore. Bits and pieces stick with me and turn into something unique, something that cannot wait to be written down on the page.

In regard to things you've written, do you have a favorite? What feelings does it bring when you look back on it?

PLAY OF SHADOWS. It is my first completed novel and the most labor-intensive piece of writing I have ever composed. Every word - and I mean every word - was carefully chosen. I must have edited the manuscript over a hundred times. I still do, every time I post a chapter on WattPad.

The book is meant to be a visual journey rather than a written one. A play in the reader's mind. You will find its scenes shorter and based on movement and dialogue rather than lengthy descriptions. That is because I wish for the reader to experience the story for themselves - to feel as if they are walking Ann's world - rather than have me explain it to them second-hand.

What part of writing do you find the simplest, and what aspects do you struggle with, if any?

Simplest? Coming up with ideas. I have thousands of them tucked away in unfinished Word documents and the dusty library in my head.

Hardest? Focusing on any one idea long enough to follow it through to its conclusion. I am naturally a very impatient person. I enjoy building worlds and characters, and have fun with all aspects of a story from beginning to end. But actually sitting down to write? That takes a while.

What do you consider advantages and disadvantages of being an author?

I am assuming the question refers to becoming a career author, rather than a hobbyist?

I have wanted to be a writer ever since I can remember, so I am a bit biased :D But, if we focus on the practicals: Advantages - you get to do something you love. You get to create things - worlds, people, stories - that did not exist before. And that is amazing.

(Also, there's the added bonus of working from home and not dealing with the 9-5 job madness if you make it big enough.)

Disadvantages - becoming an author is usually a long journey. It takes time to be noticed, patience to build an audience, ever-improving skill to keep it engaged and yourself worth the title of author. All of that is part of being a professional of any kind; personally, I find it motivating rather than off-putting. However, there is the issue of money. Often, authors have to write on the side while holding another job (or two) until they "make it," in whatever capacity. That takes some strength.

Is there any funny memory of yours you would like to share with us? We won't tell anyone, maybe.

Ahaaa right, you won't tell :D

Let's see, funny memory... Well, there was the time a bat flew out of my closet in the middle of the night and started flying circles over my bed. Those were a fun few hours of screaming...

Besides your own masterful creations, do you have any books you couldn't put down?

On WattPad, or in general? If WattPad, I adore @TiffanyDaune and her mermaid books, CORAL & BONE and CURSES & ASH. I am also in love with krazydiamond 's MARROW CHARM and @JesseSprague 's SPIDER'S GAME. INK STAINED by break-mwango and @A_C_Douglas ' IMPERIAL NOVICE are also keeping me on my toes <3 There are many more I could mention - these are but a few of the many, many books in my library that I love.

Outside of WattPad, I am an Anne Rice fan. My favorite novels of hers are THE VAMPIRE ARMAND and BLACKWOOD FARM. The first is wonderful historical read on par with the vampirism and magic. The second is a chilly ghost-story that teems with supernatural creatures and intrigue. I highly recommend.

Who's your favorite author and/or idol?

My favorite author (and here I am keeping it outside the world of WattPad) in the genre I write in is Anne Rice. In general, I am also fond of the classics - such as Alexandre Dumas, Arthur Conan Doyle, Aleko Konstantinov,* etc.

*Aleko Konstantinov is a Bulgarian author. His best-known books center around the fictional character, "Bay Ganio," who is a parody of Bulgarian idiocy. I highly recommend the book and the movie.

Besides writing, what do you do in your free time? Do you have any hidden talents that you've kept from the world?

What free time? XD But no, seriously... o.o

I draw. Nothing professional, but I am improving. I prefer to sketch in pencil. Always manage to ruin the picture if I try to color it in :D I have also been teaching myself digital painting. Here's an early attempt.

Tell us about your journey and growth as an author.

Oh, boy. Where do I start? I did mention I have wanted to be a writer since childhood. Well, my very first stories were written on my grandfather's old Russian typewriter. I had ink under my (broken) nails for a good two years. It takes some muscle power to type on a typewriter. :) My first stories were largely fantasy-adventure. I remember one of them featured a flying bed and forests that dripped blood.

I think my genre of choice was set pretty early on. :D

My skills as a writer developed as I read. I moved from Bulgaria to the US when I was 12, and that definitely affected my style of writing. New language aside, having two cultures and two languages inside your head as you write makes for some pretty strange results. It was difficult at first, but as I gained in skill my rather unique way of writing began to set me apart as a writer. Readers tell me they can guess a piece of writing belongs to me before reading who wrote it. That makes me really happy. :)

I feel like my writing improves every time I write. Practice does make perfect - as does reading well-written works and tearing them apart to their building blocks to see what makes them work. Incorporating what I have learned from other authors into my own skillset and understanding of the craft has helped me tremendously.

So, are there any new projects you're working on?

I am working on the sequel to SERPENT'S KISS. I have not released the title officially yet - suitable I do it here, in the Crypt, hm? :)

The sequel is titled THREE QUEENS.

Make of that what you will ;)

The most awaited question of every young reader, do you have any childish habits? Are you proud of them or embarrassed? Do you like chocolates or cartoons?

I LOVE chocolate and cartoons! Or well, anime. Bloody, disturbing anime.

Erm.

I like comedies, too? :D

Childish habits - I wouldn't call them childish. Most things that make us happy could be labeled as such and they shouldn't be. I like to watch old-timey shows with a cup of hot coco and laugh. I loved our family trip to Dinsey World last year. That's not childish. That's a necessity to keep yourself happy and feeling good.

What do you prefer, sweet or salty? Why?

Sweet! Although there are times I crave rich, flavorful foods, I find myself thinking about chocolate most often of all. In fact, I am planning to go out shopping in a bit and I bet ya I'll come back with a Snicker's bar.

It was a pleasure talking to you. We hope you progress by leaps and bounds and continue to entertain us with your masterful words.

Cover:

BLURB:

The streets of Chicago teem with monsters. Some don human guises. Others flit through the world as shadows, ethereal and impermanent.

Ann Usagi sees them all.

Ann is a magical Healer. She is also very much lost, both in reality and in her own mind. When a mundane case of magical mishap twists into something more malicious, Ann is forced to face her past and the horrors that have driven her to seek absolution in oblivion.