Know about your Authors

LailaLiliana

Pen Name: Laila or Laila Liliana

Username: LailaLiliana

Is your pen name your legal name? If no, then how did you make up one?

Yes, it is! And if you think that's a lot of a's and i's, you should see my last name.

How many books have you published till date?

I've completed two and I'm about halfway through my third. They're all part of a mafia romance trilogy here on Wattpad.

What are your future projects?

My next project is a story called Heinous. It's about a woman who escaped an abusive relationship, but then her abuser breaks into her house a year after their break-up and attacks her. It follows her as she presses charges and tries to navigate the court system to hopefully put him in prison. It covers a lot of themes like the flawed justice system for victims of domestic violence and rape, her deteriorating mental health, and life after trauma. There's an excerpt on my profile!

I also have plans for a story called Politico, which is about a woman married to a politician ascending the political hierarchy and getting a little more corrupt along the way. The only other person who seems to see the monster he's turned into, other than the opposing political party, is his bodyguard, who also happens to be smitten with the politician's wife.

And then I have a few other rough ideas that I'm playing around with!

What is writing to you?

To me, writing is creative therapy. I can create these new worlds and new people, and I can project my own problems, experiences, thoughts, emotions, grievances, etc. onto these people. It's why a lot of my themes are mental health and women's issues.

Is being an author, your long time dream or a hidden passion you found out later?

I'd say it's a hidden passion I discovered semi-recently. I would always come up with these stories in my head, but I never really thought much about doing anything with them. I'd sometimes get these vivid scenes in my mind while listening to a song, but that's where it stopped. Or I'd imagine these storylines and act them out on The Sims lol.

(When I wasn't drowning them in the pool, of course)

What genre books you like to work on?

I like to write romances. Particularly, dark romances. Although, my next project isn't a romance. I've got it under general fiction. It does have a romantic sub-plot though!

If we challenge you to write a book of another genre we suggest, then would you take it up?

I'm ready to face any challenges that might be foolish enough to face me.

(Props to anyone who knows what that's from!)

Then we would like to read a Gothic Dark Romance genre book from you soon.

Writing is a reality that paints a beautiful fantasy. What do you think are the charms of writing fiction/non fictional books?

I think the charm is that it's like traveling the world except you don't have to go anywhere. You can learn about people and places so much different from what you're used to. And sometimes, it's not even a place you *could* go.

Who are your favorite authors in and out of wattpad?

Outside of Wattpad, and everyone is always surprised by this, it would be Chuck Palahniuk.

Inside of Wattpad, I usually tend to stick to romances. My favorite writers are BlackBird0727, LittleMinx94, TheBibicalSinner, ASummers1, Ali-Lee, Sam_Le_Fou, and HumB01. That list is sure to grow when I actually have more time available to read more from my friends!

Name few of your close wattpad friends.

Let's see. We've got my wolfpack BlackBird0727, TheScripturalSaint, and Theoryofhel. My honorary wolf PebbleQueen. My ride or die LittleMinx94. My "sister" . I'd also consider myself close to my Sinner Fam, my fellow Elgin and Neo-Tokyo residents, and my Protostars. They know who they are. ❤

What is your favorite series you have recently watched or read?

My favorite series to watch is The Office. I live and breathe that show. Creed Bratton is my spirit animal, followed closely by Dwight Schrute.

I can't pick a favorite book series!

Who is your favorite actor/actress?

I actually don't really have a favorite actor or actress. If I had to choose, I'd say Anya Taylor-Joy or Adelaide Kane. Chris Hemsworth is also nice to look at.

Who is your favorite Villain you couldn't help but love?

My favorite villain would be Thanos. Like, he's a bad dude. I get it. But he really did love Gamora and I think, in his own messed up way, he truly thought he was helping the world.

What are your hobbies other than writing and reading?

I love to draw and paint. I'm really into arts and crafts. I also love teaching my dog new tricks and playing with her. Hiking and dancing are also big ones!

What are your hidden talents?

I can throw knives like nobody's business. I can also recite the alphabet backwards, but that's not nearly as cool.

Who is your first celebrity crush?

Oh man. Haha I actually can't think of who my first celebrity crush was. I do remember my first crush as a kid - Jax from Mortal Kombat on the old school Nintendo. Something about that metal arm just did it for me.

What is the most embarrassing situation that you have ever been through?

I actually don't get embarrassed very easily so I can't think of anything. I did fall up the stairs once at my work while I was staring at a hot guy who just started. I guess that counts.

One craziest thing you have ever done?

Craziest thing I have ever done... that I'm okay with being shared on the internet... lmao well, I did steal a car once and took it on a joyride to the mall. It was a guy I went to high school with and he was kind of a jerk. He found out. It didn't end well. Oopsie.

There are many authors who just started their journey and many readers who want to write but have no courage to do so. Please give them a tip and a word of encouragement.

Just write. That's my tip. Just write what you would want to read. You've probably read stories similar to what you want to write, and you've probably thought "I wish this would've happened" or "It should've gone like this". Write that! That's all I did!

Reading similar stuff really helps you figure out what worked and what didn't work. It's also a great time to chat with the writers of those works and possibly make friends.

Last but not the least, have you ever dreamt of writing your own comic?

I've never really thought about it before.

What do you feel about this interview?

Yes! It was a lot of fun! Thank you for the opportunity! ❤

Hope you had a great time answering our questions. We appreciate you for your beautiful works and also spending valuable time with us.

This was really cool by the way. I'm glad you reached out to me!

We wish you to write many more successful stories and be a bestselling author one day.