An Interview with Makayla Ghazal

Makayla Ghazal is a fifteen-year-old author who published her debut novel, The Ungoblin Brother, at fourteen. She loves her family, chocolate, and Jesus, everything a girl needs! She has lots of pets and enjoys writing stories and watching movies with her dad.

---

---

What inspired you to start writing this book?

I wanted to show kids my age that siblings aren’t a burden, but a gift from God. Someone placed in your life to help you through the highs and lows. But I hid that in a fast paced fantasy novel full of action and goblins.

Tell us the story of your book’s current title. Was it easy to find, or did it take forever?

The Ungoblin Brother was originally going to be a standalone novel called Tears of a Brother. Then it got changed to simply Brother. After a while, I finished my magic system and added “the ungoblin” to it. The only thing that really stayed was the “brother.”

Describe your dream book cover.

I love my book cover because I love books that have characters on the cover, uncommon opinion. But my dream is when I’m done with the series to get all three books matching professional covers.

If your book had a soundtrack, what are some songs that would be on it?

Some songs that would be on the soundtrack would be:

Legends Never Die by League of Legends and Against the Current

Soldier by Tommee Profitt and Fleurie

People You Know by Selena Gomez

SMH by Sydni Alexander

Falling Apart by Michael Schulte

Hearts of Courage by Thomas Bergersen

Gravedigger by Livingston

Run Boy Run by Woodkid

Rescue You by Lauren Daigle

What books are you reading (for research or comfort) as you continue the writing process?

I mostly read books for comfort, and to learn how to improve my writing style at the same time. Some books I’m really liking right now are The False Prince, the Keeper of the Lost Cities series, The Hunger Games, The Maze Runner, and the Raising Dragons series.

What other professions have you worked in? What’s something about you that your readers wouldn’t know?

I’m homeschooled and I really like martial arts. Something readers wouldn’t really know about me is that I enjoy Minecraft.

Who/what made you want to write? Was there a particular person, or particular writers/works/art forms that influenced you?

I’ve been writing since I was really little. But when I actually started my book, I never thought I would publish, it was just a way to get the scenes flying through my head onto paper. I made my story fast paced because I don’t like slow stories and if I was going to make a story, why not make it the way I like? Never would I have guessed that it would be published.

Where is your favorite place to write?

My favorite place to write would have to be my bed late at night. That’s where the best ideas come. However, a close second would be the car. My family does a lot of road trips and it’s so easy to imagine when I look out the window.

What advice would you give your past self at the start of your writing journey?

Some advice I would have to give my past self when I started writing would be don’t compare your first draft to published books that have gone rounds and rounds with an editor. Also, watch out for plot holes, they are very sneaky.

What’s one thing you hope sticks with readers after they finish your book?

One thing I really hope sticks with my readers is that love isn’t conditional and family is a gift, blood or not. And, if you see a goblin, run.

---

Are you a writer, too? Submit your manuscript to Atmosphere Press.