Welcome back to the Inkitt Icons Interview Series, a chance for us to explore the creative idiosyncrasies of Inkitt’s influential authors! Today we chatted to Camerybear, the Sydney-based author of YA hit The Girl In The Candy Dress. She’s a lover of teen romance, fantasy plots, and creative spontaneity. According to Camerybear, people often struggle to understand her accent, but we’re sure that her readers have no trouble understanding her excellent fiction.
Hey Camerybear, thanks so much for interviewing with us! To kick us off, we’d love to hear about your creative method. Do you just start writing and let the words flow, or do you come up with a plan beforehand?
My writing motto is actually “just wing it”! I absolutely just wing it every time, is that a bad thing?
Definitely not on our watch! What inspires you to write?
All my stories are inspired by the many teen films and books I invest too much of my time into… oops. I just love how being a teenager is so carefree and full of excitement. Teen Fiction and Fantasy are such vibrant and fun genres to write in.
That passion for Teen Fiction certainly materialises in your books, we love how playful they are! You should check out our Young Adult Reads Community Group; I’m sure your fellow authors would love to connect with you. What is more important to you, characterisation or plot?
Characterisation, for sure. Relatable, deep and unique characters make or break a story. It’s also such a fun and interesting challenge writing from different character perspectives. I’m a sucker for creating heroes!
Yes, it’s a great imaginative exercise in empathy. Do you ever face problems when writing and if so, how do you overcome them?
Writer’s block and loss of motivation are major problems I face. I just make sure to keep on finding new and inspiring material to generate that creative process in me.
Great, it definitely helps to look outwards for inspiration if you’re struggling in your own head. And following on from that question—as a successful Inkitt icon, what are your top tips for authors who are just starting out?
- Write about something you know you’re passionate about
- Focus on character development and really put time and effort into your chapters
- Patience is SO important when it comes to writing. You may not get recognition straight away, and that’s fine. So just allow yourself to grow as an author alongside your writing style. It will all be worth it!
That’s some sound advice, thank you for those words of wisdom. We know you inspire other authors, but has Inkitt inspired you in turn?
Yes! I love being sent tips and tricks on improving my writing—any bit of knowledge I’ll take! Being able to be recognised for my writing by the staff and readers is such a heartwarming feeling. The amount of love I receive from Inkitt is insane, I feel so blessed. If I had to describe Inkitt in 3 words it would be: DIVERSE. EXCITING. LOVING.
That’s amazing to hear! So I guess as well as writing for Inkitt, you spend a lot of time reading too. Who is your favourite Inkitt author right now?
There are so many, but at the moment it would have to be Mary Esther Parker!
Great! And to wrap up—what genres would you like to try out in future and where do you see yourself in 10 years time?
Well, at the moment I’ve stepped out of my comfort zone of teen fiction and I’m currently writing a fantasy novel. Fingers crossed it works out! And in 10 years time… hopefully as a published author!
That’s a bold move and one that will produce exciting results I’m sure. We can’t wait to read more of your work on Inkitt. Thank you!
