Today we are spotlighting amazing Action-Adventure Fantasy Retelling author KARA aka , author of "The Gazelle (A Rapunzel Retelling)" on Wattpad's "Fantastical Adventures" Reading List.

A chance encounter with an enemy general takes a sheltered young woman on a journey across the desert, where she must elude a vengeful goddess long enough to return to the parents she never knew.

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Having lived alone in a tower all her life, Tabeya can only dream of the outside world. That changes when she meets Humban, a young general from a rival kingdom who isn't afraid to ask the questions she has long given up on. Those questions bring answers that lead them into the desert, in search of the parents Tabeya never knew.

But the world beyond her tower is not what she expected. An age-old war ravages the land. With the vicious elements to contend with and her guardian hunting them relentlessly, there's no guarantee that she and Humban will survive long enough to fulfill their quest. The last thing they need is to discover a forbidden love that can destroy them.

As Tabeya navigates her new life, it becomes clear that it isn't like the stories she grew up with. Happy endings aren't freely given.

They are fought for.

I'll probably read anything. Sometimes I chase plot bunnies down burrows outside of my writing comfort zone. While I have an appreciation for most genres of fiction, I prioritize the ones I gravitate towards naturally, both as a reader and writer (at least until I can free up time to cater to all my whims!).

Fantasy is my first love and the reason I originally wanted to be a writer. I love getting lost in beautiful worlds where magic exists and anything is possible. Historical fiction is my other favorite. I've always felt drawn to the past. My history lessons in school were often spent daydreaming about the day's topic. No surprises there! Mystery is also one of my top genres. Some of the first books I ever read were mystery stories, and they had a huge influence on me. Paranormal fiction is another of my lifelong loves. In fact, I distinctly remember thinking up a ghost story when I was bored in grade 4 science one day. I also love me a good romance subplot regardless of genre! In fact, I can't do without it.

As for age range, I devour young adult stories in my favorite genres. I have a soft spot for new adult stories because that's the demographic I fall into. I find those stories really relatable, and I adore following characters who are my age through a life-changing experience.

I don't think my answer would surprise anyone who knows me well or has read any of my works on Wattpad. My stories are fusions of the above genres in different proportions. The same can be said for my short stories except for my chick lit one ("Something New Blooms"). While that's all for the genre for now, I hope to explore it further at some point. So far, I've mostly written for a young adult/new adult audience. After all, they say write what you know and what you'd like to read!

Towards the end of 2019, something rare happened: I got some free time. Of course, I decided to use it for writing. It was the perfect opportunity since NaNoWriMo was rolling around. I wanted to work on something new, so I decided to elaborate on a premise I've been playing with since high school: a fairytale retelling set in a fantastical society inspired by a past civilization.

I chose Rapunzel because it's not one of the most commonly retold fairytales like Cinderella or Snow White. After reading the original version of the story as recorded by the Brothers Grimm, I discovered there was much more to it than I knew, and Rapunzel was a lot braver than I realized. As good ideas do, the idea grabbed hold of me and wouldn't let go. There was so much meat to the story, so much complexity I yearned to explore. That's when I knew that my NaNoWriMo 2019 project was going to be a Rapunzel retelling.

I chose Mesopotamia as the past civilization to inspire the world of the Three Kingdoms because it really fascinated me, and I was excited to know more about it. I had no idea of the amount of research it would take, even though my setting isn't Mesopotamia but is merely inspired by it. I'm still refining the world-building details, but I've loved every part of it. Ancient Mesopotamia has so much potential, but I've never seen it used in a fantasy setting, so I decided to go for it.

I love how beautiful the world is through Tabeya's eyes. Her perspective makes her magical world even more enchanting. She has been living away from civilization for so long that the things we take for granted, like markets and people, fascinate her. Writing about her gave me a new appreciation for the community I live in. It can definitely be frustrating at times, but there are special people, places, and moments I couldn't go without. I wouldn't say Tabeya is based on anyone, per se, but she's the voice of the part of me that appreciates the beauty in the madness of life.

I love how Humban always does the right thing even when it hurts him. He puts the safety of other people and his kingdom ahead of his own desires (with the exception of those two nights in the desert... which I won't say anything more about because of spoilers!). I also have a tendency to put my duty ahead of my feelings, and Humban is the expression of that part of me. Something else I really like about him is how, despite the death and betrayal he has known, he has retained his gentleness. Tabeya is technically his enemy, but he gives her a chance, and that's how they become friends and eventually something more. He has so much courage and kindness despite the cruelty he has faced in life, and I love that about him.

I love Neith's optimism. She's always able to reframe a hopeless situation in a way that makes it seem less dismal. Her cheerfulness has lightened many dark moments in the story! Even after some difficult times and devastating losses, she keeps smiling.

Belit isn't a popular character among readers because of her harsh tendencies, but I admire her ability to stay level-headed amidst chaos. She's that sensible person who thinks of everything when everyone else is freaking out. She's a friend who can be counted on, just like Neith.

As with Tabeya and Humban, they aren't consciously inspired by any real people. I can be the "Neith" friend, all bright and dreamy, or I can be the "Belit" friend, realistic and sensible. It's those two conflicting tendencies of mine that inspired Belit and Neith, the friends who are complementary opposites.

I don't think there's much to like about Nungal, but I appreciate that she's fair. Although she had ulterior motives for kidnapping Tabeya as a baby, she did it because Tabeya's parents stole one of her gazelles during their time of desperate hunger. She usually matches an act for an act, which is why I'd say she's as fair as a villain in a fairytale retelling can be. She is, of course, based on the witch who raised Rapunzel in the original fairytale as well as a Mesopotamian goddess. I haven't been able to find much about the goddess Nungal, but I gathered what I could and used it to flesh my character out in "The Gazelle". I'm glad I had Mother Gothel from "Tangled" to help me fill in the blanks. What better example of a possessive, manipulative, gas-lighting mother figure is there in modern media?

I must add a word about Prince Shadrick. I don't like anything about him, but I must give credit where it's due. He's manipulative and strategic, and that's one of the reasons Dahal gains the upper hand in a war they're not even directly involved in. He isn't based on a real person either, just the archetype of the beautiful, alluring man who somehow deceives everyone as to his true nature. Just as I saw who Shadrick was instantly, I also saw how hurt, lost, and needy he was because of what has happened to him (something I hope to delve into more in the next book set in the Three Kingdoms!). That doesn't excuse his behavior, but it helps me understand him, and I hope that any readers of "The Gazelle" who are reading this will also understand even while we don't support anything he did.

A bit of both, actually. I used to be a pantser, letting stories unfold according to their own will. After ending up with a manuscript that was far too long, very meandering, and downright disastrous to rewrite (so much so that I haven't even attempted to restructure and rework it, and I probably won't), I changed tack and became a plantser, a good mix of a planner and pantser.

As soon as an idea comes into my head, I do a brain dump of everything I know about it at that point. I then plan the important story beats either using the three-act structure or the Save The Cat Beat Sheet. After that, I write a more detailed chapter outline, but it's limited to the main plotline. I don't stick to it rigidly if something comes up as I'm working on the story that stops it from working. I leave space for relationships to grow, mysteries to arise and red herrings to develop. This is the method that's working for me currently, but since I'm always learning and growing as a writer, it's entirely possible that this method will change accordingly.

Because I plan my stories before I start writing, I don't usually have a problem with knowing where the story goes next. Like most writers experience at some point, however, I do sometimes struggle with getting the words down. Sometimes I'm tired or my brain feels sluggish or I'm just not inspired. Most often, I get stuck when I'm trying to impose my plot outline on a story that's taking a different shape from what I initially planned.

Because of my experience with writer's block, I do have some advice for fellow writers who share the same struggle!

Take some time away from the story if you're feeling stuck despite knowing where the tale is going.

Work on something else. I've found that writing a short story while I'm reworking a novel keeps my writing brain fresh and stimulates my imagination.

Read over something else you've written. Your critical eye for your own work will notice what worked for you before and what didn't, which may just help you get out of your current rut.

Feel the story even if it takes a different route from what you mapped out. Your characters are telling you their story. You are the writer, and you do have power. You can nudge and guide your characters, but you can't force them off their path. You will know if you're doing that because the writing won't flow for you or fit into the rest of the story.

I like reading other stories while I try to figure out what's going on in mine. Watching movies or YouTube videos also helps, whether they're about ancient civilizations or writing as a craft. It's a great way to explore other narratives and perspectives because you're not putting pressure on yourself to make something of it. You're just relaxing, but whether you know it or not, you're probably generating new ideas and stimulating solutions to problems you weren't able to solve before.

It's challenging to choose just one! Every moment in "The Gazelle" has its own charm and importance. I love the whole tale so much despite being on the third rewrite of it... but I'd say the final two chapters and "The End" are my favorites.

From a writing perspective, they were some of the easiest to write, just tying up loose ends instead of creating new ones. On a personal level, these chapters mark the end of the first proper novel I wrote and shared with readers, which was the start of a very special journey. In terms of the story, I'm not going to share too much because of spoilers... but after the tears that were cried, the sweat that was spilled, and the blood that was shed, it always warms my heart to catch up with the characters a year later and see what's happening in their lives. It's the bittersweet ending of real-life and the magic of a fairytale. That's why I feel like it's an apt ending to the story.

Hmm... it's always so difficult to pick favorites! I always feel like a traitor to the characters I didn't choose.

If I'm being honest though, I would say Humban is my favorite. He's serious but has his fun moments too. He's fierce, but there's a softness to him as well. For all his guardedness, I found it really easy to slip into his perspective because he's more like me than Tabeya is.

Humban looks to the future for happiness instead of creating and feeling it around him. He keeps working hard out of a sense of duty and not because it still aligns with what he wants from his life. Writing his journey took me on my own. It helped me process my life and reality. He made me a more relaxed person who takes things as they come and isn't afraid to take chances on what I really want. I never prioritized writing until Humban taught me that life is too short for me to spend my days not doing something I love. I owe all the novels and short stories I've written since November 2019 to Humban! He changed my life.

Oh, this is an easy answer: Tabeya. That's ironic because her simplicity is one of the things her friends admire about her, but to me, her simplicity is her complexity. Nobody is as simple as they seem. The more I got to know Tabeya, the more I realized that was true of her. There's a lot more to her psyche simmering beneath the surface. I don't think I did her character justice in the first or even the second draft of the story.

I'm so excited to be delving into her psychology more in the third draft (which I'm working on offline). Tabeya is way more complicated and interesting than I ever knew! To add to that, her personality is very different from mine. To this day, she's probably the character I've written who is least like me. Because of that, it takes the most effort on my part to write from her perspective.

Another challenge with writing Tabeya was the expectations that come along with a fairytale retelling. Tabeya had to be a conventional Rapunzel figure in some ways but also have a fresh twist, which wasn't an easy balance to strike. After all, if she wasn't recognizable as Rapunzel and simultaneously different from all the others who have been created through the years, why would anyone read my story?

Tabeya was a complex character for me to approach as an inexperienced writer, but I'm glad I took up the challenge! I wouldn't be where I am today if it wasn't for her, and I hope that I can now better capture her quirks.

Absolutely, which is one of the advantages of being a plantser: you envision a character being a certain way, but they take on their own life from the moment they first appear on the page.

Neith and Belit weren't in my original plot outline. They literally appeared out of nowhere when I was writing the scene after Humban and Tabeya's capture. I'm glad about that because the story wouldn't be what it is without them!

Belit, in particular, totally surprised me when I was writing the first draft. She comes across as harsh, abrupt, and often unfair, but really, she's just a young woman trying to move on from her bitter past, looking for love and a place in the world like so many of us are right now. Her prickliness is a protective measure because she has been repeatedly hurt by people she loved all through her life. Despite that, she's a friend Humban and Tabeya can count on. I would argue that they both would've been imprisoned or killed if it wasn't for Belit (though Neith deserves credit too, of course!). That's why, as rude as Belit can sometimes be, I will always have a soft spot for her.

Am I glad you asked that! I loved "The Gazelle" so much that the night I posted the final chapter of the first draft on Wattpad, I came up with the concept for a spin-off, went to sleep, and jotted my idea down the next morning. Yes, I was that reluctant to part with the setting and the characters. The Three Kingdoms was such a fun world to explore and a beautiful one to get lost in. The side characters started off as archetypes and one-line descriptions, but as they took form and shape, I discovered that they have their own stories to tell, and I can't leave them wanting.

The next book in the series will focus on Princess Vala and her mission to save whatever is left of Gilgar. Fans of "The Gazelle" might be happy to know that Humban and Tabeya will appear in it, but not for long. The planning I've done for Vala's story has led me to the idea for a second spin-off. I won't say too much about it right now because it follows from Vala's story, which I haven't written yet, so the concept is still in need of refining. What I will say is that I'm super excited to knuckle down and work on this series!

This won't be a typical trilogy but rather related stories that can be read as standalones. I also have ideas for shorter works, possibly short stories or novellas about secondary characters or legends mentioned in the trilogy, but I don't have any solid plans to pursue them at this time. Maybe I will one day when I'm yearning to return to the Three Kingdoms.

What's for certain is that The Gazelle is Book 1 of a trilogy. I've got the titles and covers ready to go for the next two spin-offs! I aim to wrap up my (hopefully last) rewrite of "The Gazelle" within this year (complete with a new cover and title), have the first draft of the next book done by the end of December, and post it sometime next year.

I wrote the first draft of "The Gazelle" in one month during NaNoWriMo 2019. Ever since then—and I mean EVER SINCE—I have been rewriting it. No joke. It's a work in progress.