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Shelly Thoughts: Shelly X. Leonn is my author persona and alter ego. I am also an educator. In February 2017, I took about twenty teenagers on an overnight field trip in the middle of the woods. We stayed in rustic cabins that "look like some horror movie ax murderer ish," they said.

They finally started to settle down at 1 a.m. Or so I had assumed. They stormed down the stairs from their bunks and bombarded me in the open family area, where I had been trying to steal a few quiet moments to read. Specifically, I was burning up my cell phone data to read some of the spooky ish written by @llsanders .

"We want a scary story!" they howled. "Scare us!"

And so, with a shrug, I began to read the story I had open on my phone.

No one slept that night.

That is the talent of this one-woman powerhouse. Having the opportunity to bring her on the show was an inspiring and humbling experience.

Genre! Who needs it? Well, unfortunately, we all do as Wattpad writers. Before you can click that "Publish" button, you have to select a category that encapsulates the narrative you have crafted. But that one choice should not limit your creativity! Be a rebel with us this week as we explore what it means to defy the genre box.

Our Guest: We welcome @llsanders, a former Wattpad Featured author and a successful, multi-novel indie author. Her works defy genre barriers but include elements of dystopian fiction, horror, science fiction, and LGBTQ+ romance.

What You'll Learn: Sanders has found success as a full-time self-published author. She shares her strategies for building your brand and finding the confidence to strike it out on your own. She also discusses the merits and drawbacks of genre. In addition, we all share our thoughts about the importance of diversity in stories, especially as it relates to including characters who identify as LGBTQ+ as well as including non-white characters. (Shelly X. Leonn goes on her gender binary rant, so brace yourself for that.)