In the Spotlight | August 31st, 2021

Welcome to the August edition of In the Spotlight! We've got quite a fun roundup of interviews and news for you this month, so check it all out below

Two phenomenal staffers are our staffers of the month for August, the wonderful @maraudertimes and @ShazaLupin!

I N T E R V I E W S
| M A R A U D E R T I M E S |

 What are you currently reading (fic or otherwise)?
i recently finished zodiac academy: the awakening in terms of book readings, fic wise i've been trying to keep up with and all the pieces fall by @down-in-flames and no wands, please - we're muggles by @PinsandKneazles

What are you currently writing?
i am currently writing kingdom keys (though it's going a little slow), my dark and twisty murder spy story about teddy lupin!

What are you currently watching?
i am quite literally watching criminal minds right now (season 7 episode 19 as i'm writing this but will be further along when this is posted lol) and bachelor in paradise

Where do you hang out on the forums a lot right now?
status updates funnily enough! and rec blogs because im trying to get some backlogged recs of mine pushed out over the next few months (every friday!! so feel free to keep me accountable to that )

| S H A Z A L U P I N |

What are you currently reading (fic or otherwise)?
So non-fic wise I've just read every colour of You by Amelia Mandeville and I binged it in about a day, I couldn't put it down! Would 10/10 recommend it! Fic wise, I'm currently reading @Felpata_Lupin's Jimmy Series and @Crimson Quill's Blue Sky! Both of which you should totally check out if you haven't already!

What are you currently writing?
I've actually, for the first time in the longest time, been writing again lately. I've just posted a Downton Abbey 2 piece fic, and I'm working on/editing my Remus/Tonks short story which is basically DH from their POV.

What are you currently watching?
Just finished re-watching Downton Abbey, and now I'm re-watching Pretty Little Liars, which I only discovered for the first time at the start of this year and this is my 3rd run through

Where do you hang out on the forums a lot right now?
I can normally be found in the Basement, or reading through what new stories people have been posting lately! 

August's Story of the Month is cruel summer by @dreamshadow!

I N T E R V I E W   W I T H   T H E   A U T H O R
| D R E A M S H A D O W |

What was the inspiration for cruel summer?
i really wanted to write a follow-up to nights like these and see where emma and her gang would end up in a few years from that. and then i started playing around with what would happen if murphy and emma weren't together, and why that would be, and how it would impact the rest of the friend group, and i wanted to write angsty beach vibes, so cruel summer was born

What three songs would you put on a soundtrack for this fic?
all too well by taylor swift; good 4 u by olivia rodrigo; what hurts the most by rascal flatts

How do you find your john murphy voice for this fic?
great question because i have no idea, haha. he's really difficult for me to write so his chapters tend to take a little bit longer than emma's, but i mostly try and ask myself how he'd feel about certain events and his relationship with emma and how he views himself

What are traits emma has that you see in yourself?
definitely her loyalty and her stubbornness, but also her sometimes feeling like an outsider even when she's with the people she loves. sometimes writing her just feels like an extension of myself, although there are some stark differences, i'm not really sure how to explain it

A member that staffers though were particularly active and engaged this month was the sweet @Elena!

I N T E R V I E W
| E L E N A |

What are you currently reading (fic or otherwise)?
I’m currently re-reading Harry Potter. I try to re-read once a year, but so far I manage to get through half way through Philosophers Stone and stop. So, this year while we are in lock down, I’m determined to finish the series.

What are you currently writing?
I’m working on a piece for Sing Me a Rare (SMAR) for Fairest of the Rare on Facebook. I can’t say more because it’s an anonymous submission I

What are you currently watching?
I’m re-watching Gilmore Girls

Where do you hang out on the forums a lot right now?
I usually update my Writers Journal when I pop back onto the forum. Since the forum changed, there doesn’t seem to be a lot of discussion. A lot of profile updates like social media, so I try and add to discussions if any are going on.

  All of the House Awards have now been posted in the community coordinator blogs, and if you missed one, you can check them all out here+!

The Owl House Fandom now has a tag on the archives and you can check out stories written for that fandom here+!

  Fic Night is back! Hosted by @magemadi , the first story to be read is kingdom keys by @maraudertimes -- you can check out the stream here+!

  @maraudertimes has also started a fic rec Friday club to try and post a new fic rec every Friday for anyone who likes a challenge, or just promoting your fave fics! 

It's pretty quiet on the CC front for us this month, but thanks to everyone who participated in House awards and congratulations to those who won! In the meantime, be on the lookout for our next Potpourri installment in September, and possibly a writing challenge in the coming months!

____________________
credits

couriers: juls, shaza, madi
site highlights: shaza
cc news: madi
compilation: madi