Welcome to The Stars Interviews | Wattpad Creators where Abhipreeti (@_abhipreeti_), the Head & Founder of Celestia Cove, authors who are in the Wattpad Creators Program, Paid Stories Program, a Watty Winner, Verified Author, etc. about them, their...
Hello fellow Wattpadders! Today we have with us, Ashlyn Montgomery (Ashful), a Wattpad Creator, Wattpad Originals Author and 2023 Watty Awards Shortlister.
I am Abhipreeti (_abhipreeti_) and I have interviewed Ashlyn Montgomery.
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Ashlyn Montgomery (Ashful) is a Wattpad Creator and Wattpad Originals author who writes steamy historical romance, contemporary romance, and historical-fantasy romance... so, romance. When she is not writing, she is probably dreaming of writing, and trying to herd unruly youths at her real job. Her novel, Against All Odds, made it to the Watty's Shortlist 2023, and is part of the Originals program. When she is not working or writing, or avoiding both simultaneously, she prefers to be horizontal with plenty of snacks. Additionally, when she wakes up and chooses violence, she likes to make grown men cry on Call of Duty, much to her husband's dismay. Her cat doesn't mind, though.
How would you describe yourself as a writer?
>>A bit erratic... my mind is all over the place. I love and write in many genres, and find it difficult to stick to just one. It depends on my mood at the time. I can tell you that there is always one common denominator in all my works - steam! Love me some steamy romance.
What was your reaction or how did you feel when you were first invited to join the Wattpad Creators' Program? Did you ever expect to receive the invitation previously?
>>When it first rolled out, I had no idea I would be invited to be part of it, so it was a really nice surprise to see that email. It was awesome-and a lot of work and commitment (which terrified me...). I've been on Wattpad for years, with a long hiatus sometime between 2014 to 2020, so for them to acknowledge my efforts felt quite significant. I was rather proud of myself!
Wattpad is a home to millions of users. As a result, it is only natural that every writer on this platform would like to receive reads, votes, comments, etc. and be recognized by Wattpad someday. What would be your advice to those writers?
>>Everybody wants to be recognised for their work. This is difficult advice for me to dish out because when I first started on Wattpad, the reads, votes and followers were almost instant. I didn't expect anything, to be honest. I just knew that I liked this little story that I had created and perhaps someone else would, too. And that's what it came down to, ultimately. I wrote what I liked to read, and generally other people tended to like it, too.
This was over 10 years ago, though, and times have changed. What worked for me, might not work for everyone. My only go-to is just to write what I enjoy, what would keep me going, and if I have fun along the way, that's what matters to me.
