*Please note every book name and username is copy pasted right from your forms.

I would like to welcome our esteemed participants in the INDIE category!

They are:

CarmenJohnson599, with the book Two Wrongs Don't Make A Right, which is a short story based on horror and a prompt found on Pinterest.

Fun fact: Carmen joined Wattpad on July 8th, 2021, which is one day before my birthday!

After looking through Carmen's profile, I found many interesting stories like The Chair, which personally strikes me since I have many feet and leg issues, so to see a story talking about walking and wheelchairs is very touching to me and sounds like something I'd love to read in my free time.

I encourage everyone to check out Carmen's profile! Carmen writes really intriguing stories with cool twists and turns. They are very underrated stories, so please go check them out!

Inao357, with the book Can I call it a love story?. The title sums that book up well: it's about a girl who never experienced a love life and struggles with social activity, but all that changes when she finds her first crush.

Inao is also the writer of Unromantic, a crime fiction with romance in it following a psychologist, and it has a pretty cool cover, too.

Inao is a very sweet person who supports other authors in the community, votes and comments on plenty of books to spread kindness to those on this app, and participates in many awards. I hope you guys show Inao some love and kindness back!

katiegoesmew with the book The Hidden Crystal, which follows Iris through a "normal" life, though I'm sure you can tell that the "normal" is far from it, and the story takes a fantastical turn and begins dealing with magical elements that make Iris' life feel like a frenzy.

Katie is a friend of mine who is very interested in the art of writing and reading on a personal level, and is always trying to learn more and find new avenues to experiment with writing and a writing career. If you ever want to talk to someone about writing, Katie's the person to do it with!

You may also know Katie from A Dove's Tale, but if you don't, what are you doing? Go read it!

Thank you, Katie, for signing up, and I'm excited to read another one of your books!

AprilJester with the book Imagine. Imagine is an Upon Wings Of Change fanfiction following Tasha and Clover, and it is also a short story that can be read in about an hour, so definitely worth checking out!

April is another friend of mine, who you may recognize from countless contests and books. April is all around Wattpad, often participating in contests and talking to other authors about the happenings going on on Wattpad, so I hope you're excited to see Imagine!

Along with this, April has written other UWOC fanfics, so if you are someone who enjoys that story, then April is the perfect author for you! I hope you guys check April out!

QueridoEve (which is a very pretty name, by the way) with the book The Lycan Legend. It is a werewolf novel following Aurelia (another pretty name) Connor through a mystery after she gets caught up in unfortunate circumstances thanks to an infamous gang.

Querido has returned to Wattpad with The Lycan Legend, and Querido consistently submits to contests and gets around the Wattpad community, interacting with a lot of people. Querido, I hope you're enjoying your return to Wattpad, and your community interactions have treated you well!

I strongly encourage everyone to give Querido a warm welcome back to Wattpad, and check out The Lycan Legend since it's still receiving consistent updates, so you'll never be left bored or waiting too long for updates!

SeraDrake with the book Morsels: Tales of Love and Passion, which is a short stories collection covering varying topics.

Sera is known for their book Ancilla, which has won more awards than I can count, though they have a diverse collection of stories, shorts, and poetry on their page, a few of which earning awards in my contest, the Padauk Mini Awards.

Sera is a talented author with a high passion for what they are doing. They are very supportive of the community around them and often post insightful messages on their message board that keep you informed and engaged with the world of Wattpad, so I strongly suggest you check them out!

QuinceArchFortes with the book Fallen. This book follows Ash, an angel, after she's trapped with Atticus, a demon, and it leads to a journey you won't see coming. Oh, and it also has a sick cover, so you can't go wrong with that.

Quince has written many underrated gems that definitely deserve more attention, like Fated and Passenger. The works on Quince's accounts are primarily short stories, so I strongly recommend going and checking them out since they won't take long to read but will still fill you with cool concepts and good writing.

I've admittedly read a bit of Fallen already, and I can tell you it starts very strong with a lot of intrigue. Quince is another individual in this category who is very involved in the community, often joining contests and interacting with fellow authors, so I hope you guys show Quince that same support!

saylradeth with the book Nice to Meet You. It is a short romance story about Mia Valentine and Neil Walter. It's a story about fashion and modeling as the backdrop for the world, but it has a heavy focus on the characters and how they interact with one another.

Previously the second-place winner of the "Best Cover" category in my Padauk Awards, Saylra is back with Nice to Meet You. Sayl is a very underrated writer, which means you're in the right place since the Indie category aims to give underrated writers and books a chance to shine, which I believe Nice to Meet You does (I may or may not have already read it).

I definitely highly recommend The Best Mistakes by Sayl, but also Nice to Meet You, both of which being intriguing tales. At the very least, I hope you look at the cover for The Best Mistakes since it slaps.

romance_lover16 with the book Saving Satyavan. This book is unique since it's a retelling of the Hindu legend, Satyavan and Savitri, which I think is really interesting. It's a cool blend of mythology and original concepts!

I have judged romance_lover's, or Shreya's, books in the past, though this is one I do not recall judging, so this is going to be an interesting experience for me to see another book from a talented author.

Shreya has written five books on Wattpad and also hosts a mini-awards, making her very well-versed in the Wattpad community. You likely recognize her from works like Bound By Deception or Us Against the World, or you may know her since she participates in many community events like contests, graphic shops, etc. Her reading lists are very diverse and great for new Wattpadians, so if you are looking for opportunities, definitely take a looksie. And hey, why not check out her awesome books while you're there? 

Great to have you again, Shreya, and I can't wait to read this book.

And last but certainly not least... SojourningGhosts with the book Good Luck, Bug. This book is in the beginning phases, though it follows four different characters in said beginning phases to unlock their individual stories, where all of them have a core backstory you should remember (i.e., one character breaks a promise, another says goodbye, etc.).

Fun fact: Eliza joined Wattpad on July 8th, 2021, one day before my birthday and on the same exact day as another participant in this category, CarmenJohnson599! What are the odds of that?

Eliza is a long-time friend of mine since the Quotev days, and I have read many of their books. Eliza is an author who focuses a lot on emotion and description, so if you are someone who enjoys those types of stories, then Eliza is the perfect author for you!

Thank you for reading this intro, and I'll see you guys in the results chapter!