Q: As DJ Khaled would say, “Another One.” Just like that, we bring on our latest author, Johanne McKaryll. Welcome to the show. Please give an introduction of yourself.
A: Hello, my name is Johanne McKaryll, I’m a student, 16 years old, and a new member of this team. Usually, I’m an action, mystery, thriller, supernatural, adventure, and slice of life type of a writer. But something inspired me to open up a new genre for the story, and I believe the result will be satisfying.
Q: Now you’re here for your novel His King’s Avatar. I hear the MC is a woman, which is a bit of a rarity, but I’ll let you have the honor of talking about the plot yourself.
A: The plot was about the woman who used to live an average type of life and doesn’t believe in any fairy tales or form of miracles. But her life changed when she got in an accident which brought her to another world full of anthropomorphic creatures, without a single bit of her memory about herself and her past. She thought she might pick up a clue someday if she just lives on and goes with the flow to any situation. But she didn’t expect she would meet someone who would become an important person in her life.
Q: So a bit of mystery, slice of life and drama, right?
A: Yes, there are still mysteries, slice of life and drama to the story. But I added a romance element which I thought would capture the heart of every female reader, especially those who envision an excitement in their lives.
Q: I see. Did you have any troubles while writing it?
A: Yes, I have had troubles while writing. Thinking how to construct the plot into effective words isn’t easy. Especially if you don’t have any editors and only rely on the beta reader’s views and opinions.
Q: Any quirk or habit you may have picked up along the way?
A: The habit of researching. Every time I write a story, doing research will always be compulsory. It might be funny but even concerning small details, I would search for that topic thinking I might give an information which is false to the fact.
Q: Well, everyone has been pretty unique with this next question. However, it might be a simple question in your case. What is the origin of your pen name? Is it just your real name or something you made up?
A: My pen name was actually made up. “Johanne” came from my real name “Johanna”, but changed the end from “a” to “e”. And since I like names that sounded British, I took a name “Mc” which from a name “Mcnell” and “Karyll” from the actual “Karyll” and combined them together to be “McKaryll”.
Q: Interesting. We’re almost done, so let’s end with this: Do you have any advice for aspiring authors in the future?
A: I guess we all experience this self-doubt about our own story. It’s normal. Don’t think of changing the whole plot if your beta reader says it’s good. Just think of what words you might change to make it more effective and entertaining to read.
Q: Tell us a joke.
A: A teacher once asked her student if a World War III happens, what will happen. Then one of her students answered, “There will be another chapter in history to study.”
That’s it for the interview. Thank you very much for joining us and I hope you all the best!