Welcome to the belated March edition of In the Spotlight! We your CCs have put together a collection of interviews and news from around the site for your reading pleasure, so sit back and enjoy the content!

March's Staffer of the Month is one of our very own CCs and a Social Media Coordinator, @Admiral Celestial de Rocinante!

I N T E R V I E W
| M A G E M A D I |

What are you currently reading (fic or otherwise)?
I'm currently working my way through the Expanse book series by James S. A. Corey, and am renewing my love of how faithful the show adapted the series.

What are you currently writing?
My main project right now is continuing my fantasy mystery novel, Fairies and Forests, but I am also going to be starting on my challenge entry for @RogueSlytherinCadet's fluff prompt challenge very soon!

What are you currently watching?
I am *always* watching Critical Role but otherwise am doing a rewatch/continuation of The Expanse series on prime.

Where do you hang out on the forums a lot right now?
Now that the review event is over, no longer in the Race the Galazy event, but definitely in the reading challenge 2022 thread to get recs for books to add to my own tbr  

The sitewide Story of the Month for March was fish for pearls by @blast aph!

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

What was the inspiration for fish for pearls?
honestly it was mostly that i started watching hometown chachacha and i kept thinking about how the untamed characters would react in that situation or that a particular set of characters would be funny in a certain situation. 

Do you have any tips for descriptive writing that feels less like empty words and more like feelings?
i am probably the worst person to answer this question  i guess if i had to give advice on description in general the main thing is to pick things to focus on in scene. no one can describe everything in a setting (though some authors have tried!!) so like, picking different things - and using different senses - and focusing on describing those allows for more detail but also to flesh out the scene as a whole  

As this is an AU, what was important to keep from the original show?
it was important to me to keep the characterisation right - and to make that easily identifiable, especially for people who are familiar with the source material. for the hccc elements, i really wanted to keep the general feel of the setting and the basic idea of the conflicts: the small town v big city, the ambitious workaholic v laidback jack-of-all-trades, the different ideals and opinions on the surface which hide their more similar characteristics. 

How did you decide on the path Wangji and Wuxian's relationship was going to take in this fic?
a lot of it came from the untamed - where they pine for literal years (15, to be exact ) and then eventually get together after a lot of misunderstandings and obstacles - and then sort-of mirroring the relationship in hccc where the main characters get together with a lot of bumps along the way, even after they get together (though they do get together a lot quicker than lwj and wwx in the untamed!). it'll probably end up something like a halfway house?? i don't want to leave it too long and there are elements from the hccc plot which i do want to pull in further along in the story so we'll see  (i haven't planned it all out so, yk, who knows??) 

This month we had two lovely members who stood out for their participation in the annual review event, golden ink award nominations, and generally being great presences around the site, @crimson comet and @grumpy viper pilot!

I N T E R V I E W S
| C R I M S O N Q U I L L |

What are you currently reading (fic or otherwise)?
books wise, i'm really into crime so i'm going through some agatha christie's classics at the moment. in terms of a fan fic, i'm lucky to have just had the reviewing event to catch up on some stories! so I was reading no wands please - we're muggles and witchful thinking by @Cosmic Kneazles before the event which highly recommended. some of my favourite finds from the reviewing event are: big repuations by @dark admiral down-in-flames, hanging on a wandtip by @BellaLeSpaceCadet, not quite a honeymoon by @Felpata_Lupin and freedom ain't nothing but missing you by @prideofgalactica.

What are you currently writing?
so NaNo is here, I'm picking back up blue skies as a priority which is my oliver/lavender novel. i'm also planning another story called 'her voice' which will be set in the warpaint universe featuring hugo and his gf, cami as the main characters. it's a crime/mystery/dark genre. 

What are you currently watching?
i'm obsessed with criminal minds at the moment, i'm watching season 5 on amazon prime currently. i'm watching bridgerton, series 2 but going slower with that because i'm watching a lot with a friend which as been fun. also slowly watching private practice (it's a spin off from greys anatomy) 

Where do you hang out on the forums a lot right now?
it's been a fun time of year so everything is quite active. i've been involved with the reviewing event throughout the three rounds, then the inkys and now i'm really enjoying hitting up novel nests and hopefully april will be a lot of fun keeping up with everyones projects and supporting each other!

| G R U M P Y   C A T |

What are you currently reading (fic or otherwise)?
i'm reading the searcher by tana french that @BookDinosaur rec'd me and it's a great book (also occasionally some chapters of the inimitable jeeves by p.g. wodehouse that @blast aph rec'd as a pick-me-up)! also very sad that i can't properly participate in round 3 of the reviewing event and read fics because i have to study 

What are you currently writing?
i just finished an unfinished lil thing for my favourite worst nightmare collection yesterday when i took a study break but other than that, i don't have the time (#studying) even though i'm of course hit with bouts of inspiration at the most inopportune time lol. here's hoping it doesn't disappear!

What are you currently watching?
i'm doing a veep rewatch - it's one of my old ridiculous faves that's familiar enough i don't have to use brain cells to enjoy it in the tiny bits of free time i have for breaks.

Where do you hang out on the forums a lot right now?
 ss voyager club  plotting and scheming. or alternatively just having fun with my fellow cadets 

 Welcome to our newest member @justenoughlight who has joined us this month! 

 Voting for the Inky's is now open and you have until the 6th April to cast your votes here! 

 Still got some reviews to leave? You can still take part in Rising Through the Ranks until the end of the Golden Ink Awards Voting! Plus, if the story is an Inky Finalist then they are eligible as a flash finalist!

 April is fast approaching, which means it's almost time for Camp Nano! The Cafe has opened for you to set up camp, declare your goals and see what everyone else is working on! And it wouldn't be a camp without a few activities to take part in! 

Your community coordinators are busy wrapping up the results from the Astrolabe "Race the Galaxy" annual review event, so keep your eyes peeled for the results of that event to be posted later this month!