Q&A with Authors from Wattpad Books

An Interview with Romance Author Jo Watson!

Get ready for the romance writer you need to be reading! We "sat down" with Jo Watson (AKA @JoWatson_101) to talk about her journey as a popular romance writer and the books she has coming down the pipeline including her YA debut with Wattpad Books, Big Boned—out September 21st!

Let's start at the beginning—what brought you to start sharing your writing on Wattpad?

I've always been a writer; writing for TV mainly, as well as South African magazines and advertising agencies, and working as a playwright. But wanted to branch out and write stuff that was going to be seen by the whole world. So I took to Google, as one does. I Googled phrases like, "How to become an international writer?" "How to earn a living writing overseas?" and that brought me to find the Harlequin 'So You Think You Can Write' competition hosted on Wattpad. I'd never heard of Wattpad and never thought about becoming an author, but something inside me just told me to do it. So I did. I wrote my first book 'Burning Moon', posted it to Wattpad, and landed up winning the competition. Things happened very quickly after that. I got an agent, book deals and my entire career changed- almost overnight. I often tell people I became an author by accident. But I guess some might say there are no such things as accidents :-)

You are an established author with a robust catalog of romance titles. How has the writing experience changed between your adult romances versus your first YA, Big Boned?

Honestly, this book took me a lot longer to write than my usual romcoms. I think it's because I really had to dig deep and draw from my own life. Some of that was hard and painful.

Aside from being a wonderful contemporary coming-of-age novel with a touch of romance, Big Boned also delves into important topics such as self-acceptance and mental health—what brought you to write about these topics?

Tw: suicide

Mental health is a topic very close to my heart, as someone who has mental illness myself. I was first diagnosed with depression at sixteen, (although many years later I was more correctly diagnosed as bi-polar, amongst other things) and started taking medication for it. At the time I was the only person I knew who was taking antidepressants. There was a huge stigma attached to taking medication, or even talking about mental illness, and even in my family, it was never discussed. I was always "the creative one" who was just "very sensitive and had an artistic temperament". That was the narrative created. I remember feeling quite isolated with my condition, I didn't understand it, and no one ever really explained it to me. It was only when I got older and one of my close friends committed suicide that I realised that this was something we NEEDED to speak openly about. Keeping silent about mental illness can be deadly. So today, I'm very open and vocal about having a mental illness. I wake up each day and take my medication- just like anyone else with a chronic illness would do. I see a psychiatrist, and a therapist and all the things I need to do to stay healthy. BIG BONED gave me an opportunity to try- in my own small way- to help break the stigma of mental illness, having to take medication for it, and going to a therapist. And I hope that if there are any teens out there who are reading it that are going through what I went through as a teen, that this book brings a little bit of comfort to them, and helps them realise they are not alone, and it is nothing to feel embarrassed or ashamed of.

What is one of the biggest challenges you faced while writing Big Boned?

I thoroughly enjoyed writing it, all of it, which is more than I can say for most of my other books. This process never felt tedious or unpleasant- as writing can sometimes feel. It just felt like the book flowed. But putting something out into the world that is so personal can be scary. This book was written from my heart, about issues that are important to me and realities that are part of my life. I hope readers will find it genuine and authentic.

Who are your favorite authors—people whose work you admire or who you look to for your literary inspirations?

My reading tastes vary quite a bit from what I generally write. I read a lot of literary fiction and one of my all time favorite authors is Donna Tartt. I love the way she uses words-which sounds like a strange thing to say, because all authors "use words"- but there's something particularly special and magical in the way she seems to string them together in her stories. I think she's quite brilliant. I also love Celeste Ng, Sue Monk Kidd and am waiting with baited breath for the next novels by Delia Owens, Oyinikan Braithwaite and Gayle Honeyman. On a YA front, I'm a big fan of the way Jennifer Niven writes, she has a wonderful way of bringing emotions to life on the page and really making you feel them as a reader.

What advice would you give to young writers who are inspired by your writing?

Just write! Write as much as you can and as often as you can. I think writing is a skill that needs to be practised constantly, it's like playing sport, or a musical instrument. The more you do it, the better you get. Write bravely and don't be too critical of your writing. Don't be too concerned about writing something that 'isn't going to be good'. I know so many amazing writers who've been paralysed with fear and self-doubt. I know it's not always easy to put your writing out there and brace yourself for criticism, but that's where Wattpad comes in. I have found Wattpad to be an invaluable writer's tool. It allows you to practise your craft and get feedback from a generally very supportive community. So my advice is to just write stuff and (if you want to get public feedback) share it on Wattpad.