Hello and welcome back!  

Please give a warm welcome to the brilliant KatrinHollister. Kat is the talented author of nearly 20 books on Wattpad, including The Windcaster, Rise of the Vengeful Dragon, March City: Rebellion of the Gift (Books 1 & 2), Empress of Fire, The Rune Mage and it's sequel The Chaos Mage. Kat is also a Four-times Wattpad Featured Author, Wattys 2014 Winner, and two-times Wattpad Block Party Participant.  

  Today, we'll be taking a look at The Rune Mage, which currently has 175K reads, and 21.9K votes - and counting! The Rune Mage was apart of the Wattpad Block Party and has won 2nd place in the 2017 FreedomAwards, 2nd place in the Quill Award, 1st place in the Blank Sheet contest, 1st Place in the Sanguine Awards, and 1st place in Round 3 of TheFaeFolk's Wordsmith's Mêlée.  

  The Rune Mage is complete and has a completed sequel, The Chaos Mage. 

Here's a quick look at The Rune Mage: 

FULLMETAL ALCHEMIST meets Brandon Sanderson's THE RITHMATIST. 

Rune Mage: Raising the dead is impossible magic. When Seiren killed her mother and sealed her sister in a stone, she swore to rectify the greatest mistake of her life, even at the cost of her own humanity. She signs up to be a state mage in order to resurrect Madeleine, but the magic-wielding country of Karma and demon-commanding country of Hanna are on the brink of war and state duty prevails over personal desires. Civil unrest and increasing pressure from the king catapults Seiren into a terrifying game of deception, politics, and betrayal. The battle may be against the demon summoners, but the war is against something far darker and more powerful.

Chaos Mage: The rightful punishment for treason and attempted genocide is execution. When Kristen Harred escapes her fate, the magical council, and the civilian council clashes. Who would pay for the suffering Karma went through mere months ago? Seiren and Madeleine toe the political line between war and justice in an effort to bring the traitor back, but something deadlier is pulling the strings in this game of cat and mouse -- and they are once again the chess pieces.

Before we begin, we'd like to thank KatrinHollister for agreeing to this interview. If you guys have not checked out Kat's works yet, do yourselves a favor and go check out her riveting stories! Grab a snack and sit back for this wonderful interview!

Without further ado...

1. What inspired you to write your novel, Rune Mage?

The main inspiration behind 'Rune Mage' was 'Fullmetal Alchemist', which IMO is the best anime and manga ever made. I think a lot of my readers see the similarities: the feisty MC, the dark childhood and desire to rectify one's wrongs, the fake leader(s) with ulterior motives to the detriment to the countrymen, and copious amounts of betrayal and backstabbing. I wrote 'Rune Mage' with an aim to tell a story the way I felt FMA should have been told: a character that wasn't so self-righteous and goofy; a lot more strong, significant female characters, both good and bad; and a less 'happily ever after'.

2. What tips/guidelines do you have for developing unique and in-depth characters? In your opinion, what makes a character well rounded and relatable?

I feel characters that are well-rounded and relatable are those who truly believe in their own goals. Every character has a goal and is 'the good guy' in their own story and ought to behave as such, rather than as the story dictates. To what end will this character go to achieve their ends? And what happens when their goal clashes with that of the MC (and how do they feel about what they interpret as the MC's goals -- which might not actually *be* the MC's true goal)? The way each character behaves should have a reason that reflects that. They're an ass because they disliked the MC, or because they were treated that way when they were younger, or because they had a bad day. It should fit in with their character and, ideally, align with their goals (or have a great reason not to!)

3. What type of stories do you like to tell? What themes, lessons, or values, do you hope that your readers take away from your stories?

I love telling stories with morally grey characters. Mine aren't righteous. Mine aren't all good. They're selfish and rude and ignorant, but they want to learn more and they're driven. Put them together with the equally morally questionable Big Bad of the story, I want readers to see that evil characters aren't evil for the sake of evil. They have their own goals. They're only the Big Bad because their goals clash with those of the MC -- because nobody is genuinely wholly good or wholly evil.

4. If you could go back in time, to when you first began writing on Wattpad, what advice would you give yourself?

If I could go back in time to almost 6 years ago when I first started Wattpad, I'd tell myself to make the most of Wattpad and enjoy it. There are so many readers and so many writers on here. I was desperate for reads when I first started -- who wasn't? I learnt about Mary Sues and character motivations and plot twists. I learnt about plot devices and tropes. And it was through getting reads and critique and feedback and reading others' work that I got to improve my writing and get to where I am today.

5. Do you find any part of the fantasy/adventure genre constricting or difficult? If so, how do you overcome these difficulties?

The joy of fantasy story writing is that there are no rules. I can write about anything and everything. I don't have to do 'research' per se. The biggest, most important thing is world-building, ensuring the rules and laws stay consistent and logical. Magic has its limits. The world history is consistent. The physics applies to everyone or has a very good reason *not* to apply in certain cases. Plotting is the main way to ensure consistency. How does the magic work in this world? How does the world apply magic to its everyday life? What aspects are the same or different to our own?

6. If you could retell any myth, legend, folktale, or older piece of literature, what would you choose and why?

I'd love to do a modern retelling of Liaozhai Zhiyi (Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio), which is a collection of Chinese stories featuring societal criticism and supernatural creatures interacting with the common folk. Most of them are pretty creepy with a clear message conveyed, whether it's society's obsession with the superficial or the rich abusing a system to keep the status quo or the kindness reaping good rewards. I read a few of these short stories when I was younger and many of them stuck with me to today.

7. How do you think you've matured as a writer? In the future, how would you like to further mature?

I think I've matured a lot as a writer. Initially, I would write characters into whom I'd put myself, so all the actions and dialogue were actually mine rather than my characters'. Eventually, I learnt how to develop independent characters with their own histories and personalities. Through reading, I'd also learnt how to weave complex plots where smaller arcs flow beneath the overarching arc and also how to throw in a smattering of red herrings along the way (which is *so* much fun!). In the future, I'd love to write even more complex, darker plots and have characters who are evil or awful but also surprisingly likable. Although my ability to make developed and complex characters has come a long way since I started writing, I know I still have a lot to learn.

Again, we want to thank KatrinHollister for allowing us to interview her and we highly encourage everyone to go check out her marvelous stories and give her plenty of love. Make sure you vote and comment if you enjoy her stories, and give her a follow to stay updated with her works.

You can also stay up-to-date with all of Kat's latest activities by following her on social media:

Until next time, good luck with your writing endeavors and we'll see you all soon!