Interview With Author Laura Castro
Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
Well, I already put quite a bit about myself in my author bio, but at present I’ve only published one book. I’ve written and scrapped many fanfictions, and I’ve started a few dozen of my own fantasy stories, but only one of them is out there. I’m also working on a prequel and sequel for my title, The Mirror, but those are very much still in the works. I dream to be a known writer, though, so having published one book is already extremely exciting for me.
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
My book is entitled The Mirror, and was inspired by a mixture of things. One of them was the mirror portal in My Little Pony, Equestria girls. I know, it’s silly, but that mirror was an incredible concept to me as a child. It gave me the idea of a whole world of mirrors that could take you to other worlds. The characters, though, came from one of the first novels I tried to write. I only got maybe a chapter written before giving up. As for Alura’s home realm, well I don’t know where I got that from. It just felt right to me, really. The places I’ve made feel like places I could visit if I got on a plane right now.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t plan. I throw some words down and I follow them and I write anything that comes to mind. I write as though I’m talking. And then I edit edit edit. Then, I edit some more. Then I write more. You get the jist?
My writing pace is irregular. I’ll write a dozen chapters in a week then not touch it for three months. It’s problematic.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
I have a whole list of that in the acknowledgements of The Mirror.
What are you working on now?
The Past, my prequel to The Mirror, currently being updated on Wattpad.
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I do not use any social media, for personal reasons, so at present I am devoting myself to Wattpad.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Not particularly, as I am a new author myself. My only advice would be to write. Like, actually write. I think that’s the thing that aspiring writers most struggle with is putting their dreams on paper.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
I have absolutely no idea. Maybe “The worst thing an aspiring author can do is aspire.” It hit me a little too personally.
What are you reading now?
Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn trilogy. It’s incredible and definitely worth the read!
What’s next for you as a writer?
Write. I am going to write, write, then write some more. My plan is to expand the Mirror universe as far as I can, and incorporate it into every other story I write. I have a few general plot ideas for stories set in other Realms, but for now I am exploring the Three Kingdoms’ world to my best extent. The prequel and sequel are only short steps. Once I finish the sequel, there will be a third that is parallel to it, highlighting the journey of one of Alura’s friends who has gone to another Realm. The Mirror is my lifeblood and I will write about it until it is more real than this world.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
That is a very cruel question to ask me, considering I can only survive by reading series and not individual books. That being said, the Shadow and Bone trilogy is probably one of my favorite ones, and I absolutely devoured it when I first read it. I mean, I read all three in less than two days.
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