Why do you like writing?
Ila Golden: I love the joy and pleasure a good story can bring to a person and it makes me feel good when it�s my stories which has brought them that joy. I love writing because I am a storyteller I guess lol.

When did you start writing and why?
Ila Golden: I guess this question has two answers. I was eight or nine the first time I put pen to paper outside of school to write a story of my own for the pure pleasure of it. But since the time I was five I was already telling stories. In fact I used to tell my little brother stories in the car on the way to school by his demand lol.

How long have you been writing?
Ila Golden: On and off from the time I was 8 or 9. But it wasn�t until I turned 18 that I became much more serious about it. So I guess you could say I�ve only been writing properly for the last five years.

What is the best book you have ever read?
Ila Golden: That�s a hard one. I like most of the books I�ve read, if I don�t like it I generally stop reading it long before the end. Um... I guess the book I�ve read most over the years and still read at least once every year is The One Hundred and One Dalmatians by Dodie Smith. I don�t know what it is about the book which keeps me going back to it again and again. I just love it.

Who is your favorite author?
Ila Golden: I don�t really have a favourite author. I tend to drift around books a lot so I end up reading a variety of things from different authors. I am pretty big on the whole manga thing at the moment, but still no favourites lol.

What is the best story you have ever written?
Ila Golden: Best is another way of saying what�s your favourite, right? Or at least that�s how I read it. But I don�t have a favourite or a best or whatever. Each thing I write a new story it captivates me during the whole time I spend writing it. And then when I go back to it for editing or whatever I rediscover the story like it�s my new baby and not something I wrote a while ago. Don�t get me wrong I�m not precious about my work, there�s always room for improvement and I�m constantly improving and growing as a writer, I might one day have a best/favourite story of my own, but right now? They�re all the best for different reasons, I couldn�t pick just one and be happy with it. lol.

What is some advice you would give new writers?
Ila Golden: Advice to new writers, huh? Okay I guess these are the most important things I�d want to tell a new writer. 1. Always remember the first reader of the story you�re writing is you, so if you�re not enjoying it why should anyone else. 2. Always listen to your characters, they know the story better than you do and if they think you�re doing something wrong they�ll let you know. And most importantly of all 3. Always be yourself and don�t be afraid to be yourself. Only you know who you are as a writer or if you don�t yet you will soon enough so just go with it and have fun. ^_^