The FanFicAholic Anon Ficsterhood would like to include a fic of the week on the blog and the group.
We are a group who embraces all areas of fanfiction, including fics based on other movies and books besides Twilight.
The fic of the week for week commencing 28th August 2009 is actually two one shots based on the films of The Mummy and The Mummy Returns
The first is called The Passage by Silverspoon and is a one shot from Rick's POV after Evie is killed outside the Oasis of Ahm Shere. The second is called Mercy by Louisa Devereux which is set on the first Mummy film where Evie is about to be sacrificed.
Check them both out, and don't forget to leave reviews and enjoy the experience of other genres from the wonderful world of Fanfiction
Claire x
Friday, August 28, 2009
Thursday, August 27, 2009
Banners
Hey Guys
Don't forget we need new banners! Check out the latest banners done by some group members here and while you're there add your own! If you don't have Photoshop or the like, you can download a free program that's easy to use called Photoscape. Go check it out and have a play!
Congrats go to Cate Dayman who gets banner of the week for her Shadowboxer banner! Make sure you check it out!
Can't wait to see everyone's entries into this weeks banner comp!
C&C
xo
Don't forget we need new banners! Check out the latest banners done by some group members here and while you're there add your own! If you don't have Photoshop or the like, you can download a free program that's easy to use called Photoscape. Go check it out and have a play!
Congrats go to Cate Dayman who gets banner of the week for her Shadowboxer banner! Make sure you check it out!
Can't wait to see everyone's entries into this weeks banner comp!
C&C
xo
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
FanFicAholics Anon Writing Challenge! WEEK 1!
Fortnightly Fic Rules
Well ladies, (and gentlemen?!?), welcome to the launch of our first Fortnightly Fic Competition here at FanFiction Aholics Anon. This fortnight, the task of formulating our rules has fallen to me, and so after much deliberation with my ficsters in crime, Chantel, Claire, and Tanya, the following decisions have been made about the requirements for entry.
Please try to stick to the rules as best as possible or we may be unable to accept your entry, and that would be a tragedy of epic ‘there’s-a-mutant-vampire-baby-waiting-to-chew-it’s-way-out-of-your-womb-and-now-the-werewolves-want-to-kill-you’ proportions! Have fun with your entry and good luck to all.
1) Entries must be a minimum of 1000 words and a maximum of 3000 words. These figures are to include the title of the piece.
2) Entries must fit the theme of a wedding night between two characters of supernatural origins. Characters may come from any book, TV show, movie, etc. but they MUST both be in some way influenced by the supernatural. Lemons/ smut, etc. are optional.
3) Entries must contain the words ‘peanut butter’ somewhere within. You can be as creative as you wish with this requirement just try to also be original!
4) Entries MUST be checked to the best of your ability for poor spelling and grammar, and any errors corrected before posting. Use of a Beta is permitted but not required.
5) All entries must be your own work. Collaborations are not permitted and copying of other works will result in your entry being removed from the competition. Strictly one entry per person please.
6) Once complete, you must upload your entry to the FanFicAholics_Anon_Ficsterhood_Writing_Challenge community created on Fanfiction.net.
7) When you have uploaded your entry, you must inform either Claire or Chantel via Facebook messaging that you have submitted an entry. Please provide your FF penname, your actual name, and name of your story as well as a word count.
8) The competition winner will be notified by email once the competition closes. The judges’ decision is final.
9) The competition opens as of 26/08/2009 and will close 07/09/2009. Entries submitted before or after these dates may not be accepted.
10) Have fun, and respect each other. There is no actual prize for this contest other than a virtual pat on the back and a personal sense of achievement!
Sam x
Well ladies, (and gentlemen?!?), welcome to the launch of our first Fortnightly Fic Competition here at FanFiction Aholics Anon. This fortnight, the task of formulating our rules has fallen to me, and so after much deliberation with my ficsters in crime, Chantel, Claire, and Tanya, the following decisions have been made about the requirements for entry.
Please try to stick to the rules as best as possible or we may be unable to accept your entry, and that would be a tragedy of epic ‘there’s-a-mutant-vampire-baby-waiting-to-chew-it’s-way-out-of-your-womb-and-now-the-werewolves-want-to-kill-you’ proportions! Have fun with your entry and good luck to all.
1) Entries must be a minimum of 1000 words and a maximum of 3000 words. These figures are to include the title of the piece.
2) Entries must fit the theme of a wedding night between two characters of supernatural origins. Characters may come from any book, TV show, movie, etc. but they MUST both be in some way influenced by the supernatural. Lemons/ smut, etc. are optional.
3) Entries must contain the words ‘peanut butter’ somewhere within. You can be as creative as you wish with this requirement just try to also be original!
4) Entries MUST be checked to the best of your ability for poor spelling and grammar, and any errors corrected before posting. Use of a Beta is permitted but not required.
5) All entries must be your own work. Collaborations are not permitted and copying of other works will result in your entry being removed from the competition. Strictly one entry per person please.
6) Once complete, you must upload your entry to the FanFicAholics_Anon_Ficsterhood_Writing_Challenge community created on Fanfiction.net.
7) When you have uploaded your entry, you must inform either Claire or Chantel via Facebook messaging that you have submitted an entry. Please provide your FF penname, your actual name, and name of your story as well as a word count.
8) The competition winner will be notified by email once the competition closes. The judges’ decision is final.
9) The competition opens as of 26/08/2009 and will close 07/09/2009. Entries submitted before or after these dates may not be accepted.
10) Have fun, and respect each other. There is no actual prize for this contest other than a virtual pat on the back and a personal sense of achievement!
Sam x
Interview With FanFicAholics Anon Group Admins Chaz & Claire
Interview with FanFicAholics Anon group creator Chantel Chambers-Adams aka Ferla co author of Bella Down Under (BDU) and FanFicAholics Anon group Admin Claire Marie Guyan aka Claire Bloom author of Enigma and Spellbound
Interviewers: Tanya Zedor and Samantha Ceri-Jayne Fisher
Interviewees: Claire Guyan aka Claire Bloom and Chantel Chambers-Adams aka Ferla
Getting to know you better Q’s:
1. What’s your favourite color?
Claire- My Favourite colour is blue – like my eyes! Lol I think it’s a calm colour and clothes wise, blue looks good on anyone!
Chantel- My Fave colour is teal- A mix of blue and green. It reminds me of nature. I think if it clashed together, the world would be teal! The ocean, the blue sky, the green rolling hills of the country.
2. What type of music do you prefer to listen to?
Claire- I like soft rock, grunge and acoustic too. I have such a large variety of music on my IPod: from Evanescence (my favourite) to R’n’B , Mariah Carey, and pop, then classical and even Opera too (Phantom being my favourite Opera) the lyrics to the songs are so beautiful, I just wanted Christine to be the Phantom...to be loved like that is all consuming.
Chantel- I love a great variety of music. I grew up with bands like The Eagles, John Foggerty, The Clash, Bob Marley, UB40, John Melloncamp and so on. I just love listening to that stuff it takes me back and calms me. I love finding new bands and music to consume my soul. Lately I've been listening to a lot of Iron & Wine and Mutemath (fantastic musicians). But I have lots of stuff amongst my collection, from Yiruma and Santana to Metallica and one of my faves (hot hot hot Brandon Boyd) Incubus.
3. Besides the Twilight series, what do you consider as your favourite book?
Claire- There’s a story called “Forever Amber” by Kathleen Winsor which introduced me to a true heroine and the heart wrenching tale of one sided love. It was the first time I’d read lemons too and although they aren’t graphic, it’s the seductive hint of words you want to read that fills in the gaps. (Remember the wedding night in BD and how much we wanted descriptions) She goes through so much from the very first moment she meets him and follows him to the city, leaving behind her country roots and then becomes enslaved as some sort of concubine to the King and all his men. She finds her love again only to only be told he doesn’t want her and watches him from afar as he conducts relationships with others, then he catches the plague and she forgets her own safety to nurse him back to health. It’s really a fantastic read and one I definitely consider rec’ing.
Chantel- I never really read a lot before Twilight and truth be told it took me months to get around to reading Twilight. I had a couple of friends who had read it and I got really pissed off coz it's all they would talk about. So peer pressure made me buy the book, I read the first page and thought pffff boring! So put it down and I didn't pick it up again until a few weeks later. I was up till 4am reading it, woke at 8am, got my daughter ready and ran to the shops to buy the rest of the saga and read them all in the following 2.5days. I have a rather addictive personality so if I love something I fall hard!
4. Do you prefer summer or winter and why?
Claire- I actually prefer Autumn. It’s the promise of change. The colours are alive and beautiful, the air is fresh and it just feels so orange! But I guess that means I didn’t answer your question, so I would have to say out of the two options, I prefer Summer; because the evenings stay light till late, you can sit in the garden and sip wine and eat bar-b-ques and also punt along the river (think Venice and gondolas, punting is huge in Cambridge)!
Chantel- So opposite yet the same. I prefer Spring. My birthday is in spring and I love the promise of change also! My exact words whenever I'm asked this question haha. I love watching trees go from bare and barren to having signs of new life with bright green buds showing the beginning of new leaves, and trees such as the cherry blossom blooming with flowers. New life all around I just love it. But between winter and summer I'm definitely a summer girl. Having grown up in the tropics I don't fare well in the cold!
5. When not penning and reading Fanfics (or creating amazing Facebook groups) how do you ladies spend your average day?
Claire- I shouldn’t really tell you guy’s this but – erm – but I’m a female Jelly wrestler! Basically we wrestle whilst wearing bikinis in a pool full of jelly! Lol Ok, so truthfully I’m not that exciting. I guess my days are filled with looking after my 7 year old son Dylan, cooking (which I really enjoy), going to work,(which I don’t enjoy), watching tv and day dreaming about certain square jawed hunks coming to my hotel and falling madly in love with me whilst tinkering on the piano in our hotel bar.
Chantel- When I'm not trying to claim back my Champion Jelly Wrestling title from Claire you mean? Well I mostly spend my time playing with my 1yo daughter, Alexis. She's at such a funny age and she's learning all the time so I like to sit down with her and read and play blocks and dance to the Wiggles etc. I should also be a good wifey and clean the house but I don't do that nearly as often as I should. I hate cooking so hubby does that. So ummm yeah not a lot haha. Oh except lately a lot of my time is spent talking to Real Estate agents as we're selling our house in the city and moving from our current rental in the country to another one around the corner somewhere. RE Agents don't do a lot either! Lazy so and so's!
6. Can you tell us what you believe to be the most interesting fact about yourself?
Claire- Argh! I hate this, I’m not interesting!! (love the question really just hate that I have to answer it lol)
Erm ok, I’ll give a few ; I can’t whistle or click my fingers, I’ve had 3 poems published and I’ve always wanted to be an ice dancer! See! Not very interesting so take your pick :o)
Chantel- Hmmmmm interesting question! I'm not a very interesting person either but let’s see.....I can click my hips in and out. I've been hospitalised more times than I can count for many random things. I've had about 6 operations but never broken a bone. I can play piano. Hmmmm probably not very interesting but there you have it :)
7. Do you have any real-life aspirations that you have yet to achieve and, if so, how do you plan to achieve them?
Claire- I aspire to be a writer. I’m currently planning my first novel and I have a really good editor all lined up (winks at Tanya). When it’s written and edited, I’ll be sending it off to publishers to see if I can get a deal!
Chantel- I would love to have a published book also but it's only something I've recently thought about and we have a lot to do before then. I truly just want to get back into piano and learn to the full potential I know I have. My tutoring got cut short when I was younger due to changing schools and music teachers etc. I don't want to really do anything with it, but maybe I can go into Claire's work and play for her and try to seduce her. I'm no R.P but at least then we can hang out and have a cocktail or 6 :D
8. What is your real life job?
Claire- *Insert Jelly wrestler and hope people buy it* No? The truth then, I work as a reservations agent in a hotel! *Yawns*
Chantel- I'm a fulltime mum of one 1yo. Although I'm starting to really wish I could just go back to work! Before mumdom took over my life I was a Retail Manager. Not exactly exciting for some but I LOVE leading a great team and kicking butt! Watching shy people come to work for me and go from barely saying hello to a customer to having them walk out with bags loaded with stuff just tickles me pink! And watching them leave or move up to better things with a new confidence makes me squee with delight!
9. Who has been the most inspirational person in your life and why?
Claire- Truthfully? AngstGoddess. Before I read WA I had always dreamt of being a writer but never sat down long enough to complete anything. I had ideas etc but never wrote them out, then I read WA and after 20 chapters I stopped reading and wrote my first Fanfic “Enigma” and I completed it and I’m really proud of myself and that story. She inspired me to start writing again and to finish it and to utilise my ideas no matter how crazy they seemed. If I had never been introduced to WA I wouldn’t be writing now, just still dreaming about it.
Chantel- My parents have always been my inspiration. They have risen above all the things in life that tried to drag them down. Drugs, family, money issues, abuse, a fatal car accident which then lead to dad needing a walking stick and a good counsellor. And after all of that they're still making the best of life they know how. They breed and train horses and race them. Some of these horses haven't had great lives up until now. They're such compassionate people and even though so many people have used them up and spit them out they just carry on. My nanna is much the same. She has 10 children and 29 grandchildren and loves them all equally, faults and all.
Fanfiction Q’s:
1. How and when did you both first become acquainted with the wonderful world of Fanfiction?
Claire- I saw a preview for Twilight in June when at the movies and went back to watch it in the December with my other half, Dan. When Edward Cullen walked in and Jessica said he was totally gorgeous and a bunch of girls in the seats behind us swooned and oohed, he asked me “Do you think he’s hot?” I replied, straight faced and stoic “Nah, can’t see it myself!” I then went home and Googled the shit out of Twilight/Edward Cullen/Rpattz and found a group on Facebook where they rec’d WA so I went to read it and have been addicted to Fanfiction ever since!
Chantel- Well you heard how I read the books. My friend, Lyndal, introduced me to Wide Awake and I thought it was great, so continued to read other great fics. A few months later Lyndal spilled that she has written a few stories and I wanted her to show me, but being stuff she'd written in her teens she was worried I'd laugh at her, she's probably right. So I said to write her own twific and show me that way it's something from the here and now and her writing's more grown up and I promise not to laugh. She said she needed a great plot so I gave her one from my crazy mind (I always have plots yet never wanted to be a writer, go figure) she put her magic on it and we haven't looked back since. Having my own story has only heightened my addiction and appreciation for other peoples fics!!!
2. I have a terrible habit of staying awake until 1 am, absorbed in the world of Fanfiction. On average, how many times a week do you log into your account and how long do you spend on the site? (Include details of updating, reading other fics, etc.)
Claire- Lol Ok Robsessed much? Me? I log in within 5 minutes of waking (I need to pee and make cuppa tea first) then if I’m working that day I log on at work to check my traffic etc (ego) and as soon as I walk in the door when I get home, my laptop is turned on! I spend approx 10 – 16 hours a day on FFN, writing my fic, reading and reviewing others and checking on this group! I always open the same tabs, first messenger, then hotmail, then facebook, then fanfiction, then Twilighted.net and then I’ll go to my favourites in FFN and open up the current fic I’m reading and alternate between all these pages!
Chantel- Hmmm ok well I get up daughter and get her breakky, make a cuppa then check my personal email, then facebook, then gmail for updates, review alerts etc. Then I check my traffic. BIG ego booster, especially if you have some reviews as well! I then log onto MSN and hope that Feral has some writing for me to go over and if she doesn't then I read the current fic I'm reading in between time spent with Alexis. Then when hubby's due home I spring up pretend I've been doing the dishes ALL DAY LONG and I'm tired and then sit back down and continue reading while he cooks dinner :D So I'd say easily the same as Claire, approx 16 hrs LOL.
3. What are your three pet peeves when reading Fanfiction written by other authors?
Claire- Repetition, there is a plethora of words out there, if you can’t think of two different words for “smell” then use the thesaurus – it’s my best friend!
I’m currently bored with canon. We all know Alice likes to shop, please someone, somewhere think of something else for her to do! She has a vast expanse of personality, let’s discover it!
Really bad updating schedules! I loathe starting a fic and then waiting 3 months for an update. I know real life can get in the way so why not create a realistic schedule for you? Aim for once a month on a certain date? In the real world, if you were writing you wouldn’t do 5 chapters then expect your publisher to wait!! I say this because there are 2 fic’s in mind who haven’t updated in about 7 months and its driving me mad! Ok, Rant over!
Chantel- Grammar and spelling. A few mistakes I can handle but when its constant mistakes then I think the author doesn't care enough about its readers to even bother doing a simple spell check. I can understand people get excited and just want to post it and watch the love flow in (trust me we made that mistake but are fixing it!) but a spell check realistically only takes a few minutes more.
People that ALWAYS make Alice this overbearing fashionista. Bella a soft, spineless, whinging pain. Edward this obsessive, jealous, stalking freak. I agree with Claire, there's so much more to these characters and so many different ways to put these personalities into words. Oh and people adding smut for the sake of getting reviews. I've read stories where people add smut where it really doesn't need to be, they could have made it less graphic and just given the characters some sexual tension and it would have come off a lot better.
Again I agree with the long wait between updates. If I have to wait longer than a month for an update I get bored of waiting and the story's dead to me. Writing our own story, we too understand how hard it is when RL gets in the way, but months in between updates is just silly. Hand over the story to someone else I reckon. Haha.
OK so that's kinda 4 I may have cheated ;)
4. Other than your own, what has been the most attention grabbing Fanfiction piece that you can recall reading?
Claire- Brotherly devotion grabbed my attention and so did Creature of Habit. There are other’s I’ve heard people swear by but haven’t gotten round to reading yet, such as Tropic of Virgo and I’ll be your lover too. But I will get round to them one day, I promise.
Chantel- I find a lot of stories grab my attention then pitter out after chapter 10. I don't know why but chapter 10 seems to be the pivotal chapter that makes or breaks a story. One that I'm going to go back and read again purely coz it was light hearted and fun and romantic and so kinda out there is Bella Swan: Kidnapper by Kambria Rain. Not a very deep story but I think that's what I like about it. It gave me a break from my own very heavy, angsty piece.
5. When reading fanfics, does AU or AH appeal to you more, and why do you prefer that one?
Claire- I sway more towards AU because I really want to see what people come up with for Bella & Edward spending eternity together, how they’ll change her.
AH tends to go too canon and as I mentioned before, if I read one more time about Alice getting excited about shopping, I think I’ll scream!
Chantel- I tend to read a lot more AH, not sure if it's coz I like it or because there's more of it out there? I do love a good vamp story but I find them to get dull at the end or take too long to update.
6. As we all know, Bella and Edward stories are the most popular, but what is your second favorite canon couple to read?
Claire- Rosalie & Emmett; So many people adore Alice and Jasper who, I agree, are cute, but I am really interested in R&E. Their relationship is built on trust and intimacy and Rosalie inserts herself as the dominant one, all good looks and no soul while Emmett is the teddy bear but it’s got to take a really special guy to take down Rosalie’s defences. They intrigue me.
Chantel- Definantly Alice and Jazz after Ferals great APOV in our last chapter. I think their connection is not only made of magic (with Alice's gift) but they're really the epitome of the perfect couple. They look out for each other, Alice looks out for Jazz with his weakness with the smell of human blood, and he looks out for her when she's having a vision. They're just the same but different and they complement each other completely. Their respect for each other is paramount.
1. Is there a Fanfic you have written that you are especially proud of and, if so, please tell us a little about it?
Claire- I completed Enigma which is based on memory loss and love conquering all including time, space and the unconscious mind. I’m proud because I finished it and I never thought I would finish anything. I think the plot is interesting and I was able to answer all questions by the end, tie up all loose ends, you might say. But I am most proud of Spellbound. It’s so dark and torturous and whilst I hesitated in Enigma to write certain things, with Spellbound I can be as “out there” as I like because it’s about darkness and desperation and animal instincts and mostly smut! I think I’ve grown as a writer, you can really see it when finishing Enigma and starting Spellbound.
Chantel- Although I'm not the author I can proudly say I'm one half of the mastermind behind Bella Down Under. It seriously just started as a discussion between friends and then before we knew it we had 5 great chapters and we didn't want to stop writing so we put it on FF.net. The plot is based on an Australian born and bred Bella. She grew up in the outback of NSW and has a drunk for a mother, so she begs her father to get her away from home and he moves her to Forks, Washington to live with his brother Billy and nephew Jacob. While there Bella goes through a lot of emotional turmoil trying to fit in where she doesn't feel like she belongs, dealing with her sordid past. Then she meets Edward Cullen, soon she's not only dealing with her broken soul and life she's also dealing with a broken heart. We have so many ideas for this story and I can't wait to show them to everyone and complete the story!
2. When first writing your fics did you takedown notes, or was there another method you used to sort out your thoughts?
Claire- One method I used was talking to my-self! I would walk to work chattering away, running ideas past myself with the IPod on full blast. I’d get home and write it all down. I had to with Enigma because otherwise I would’ve lost the plot entirely, it’s too complicated not to have made notes and done research on Edward’s blood condition.
With Spellbound, I also made notes and I have it all planned out. I love reading the reviews because people have no idea where this is going and I’m proud to say, I will surprise you!
Chantel- Oops I kinda already explained this haha. We chat on MSN and brainstorm into the wee hours. When we're not on the computer together we're writing in our own little note books which we have names for haha. My notebooks name is Steve and anyone that's seen the Australian movie The Castle will know that Steve is an ideas man LOL
3. Have you ever used real-life events as inspiration for your own Fanfics? How do you find that inspiration generally comes to you?
Claire- I am a hopeless romantic so I don’t tend to use real life experiences as real life is not romantic at all, I just use my imagination, my fantasy’s and my wishful thinking.
Chantel- I don't really need to use real life experiences as my mind works overtime and I see things I shouldn't and some stuff just comes to me in a rush and it's weird I can't really explain it. Poor Feral gets a sore hand writing down some of my ideas. I just have to say the words Pink Pens for anyone that's read BDU to understand what I'm talking about. But for some upcoming chapters, where some characters are in Australia, I have ideas that are loosely based on real life events, being that I live in Australia and understand the lifestyle in the country.
4. Do you have any tips for other Fanfic authors on how to deal with a pesky bout of writer’s block?
Claire- Music – music is all inspiring. Be it background noise or lyrically correct for the part you’re trying to convey, if you’re stuck just pop on any song and write what comes to mind. I often start to write a chapter then find what I started with is actually the end or the middle or not even in that chapter at all but for another one. Just write anything, once you start the flow takes hold. I also bounce ideas etc off my friend’s, Tanya or Julia (AcrossTheSkyInStars and Malmo722) they really help me out a lot.
Chantel- Take a break! Try not to stress so much! Get out and take a walk around the block, laze on the couch and watch a DVD. Anything to take a breather. I'm constantly telling this to Feral and she's found that most of her ideas now come to her in the shower. That's right, the shower! She'll probably kill me for telling you this but it's a good example! I find that when your mind isn't so focused on one idea, a million ideas come to you and you can then work through and find the best one for you! Also there's inspiration everywhere you look, you just need an open mind!
5. Do you currently have any ideas for future projects you may work on and, if so, please tell all!
Claire- I currently have 3 ideas. One is to continue with my one shot “Bittersweet”. It was for a contest and it’s about Rosalie and the night she got her revenge on Royce. I would love to develop that one shot, she still has a lot to say.
The other is called “Forever Young” and it’s a short story about 5 chapters or so about Edward nursing an old and dying Bella because he never changed her. It’s about their memories over the years together, and their promises for when Bella is gone. What I have written so far is heart breaking and it was inspired by a conversation I had about “if you die, who will you be with in heaven?”
The last idea is a Jake story and this one is more fore-front, I broke a friends heart with my version of Jake in Enigma so I promised her a fic where Jake is the good guy. It’s about werewolves and ghosts and of course, as true to my form, will include lemons but no Bella and Edward.
Chantel- I'm really just spending all my time on BDU atm and this group. My main goals are to get this group to become something that people don't just talk about but hype about like crazy! I have so many ideas for this group and I can't wait to watch it grow! I can't wait to watch all the aspiring authors grow and encourage them along with all the creative writers and people that write just for the fun of it. I of course expect that any published author's out of this group to send me a signed copy :P
I also want to do my very best to keep doing what I'm doing with Feral and hopefully one day become published ourselves and get a joy ride in a limo and a helicopter, just because!
Claire:
1. Where and how did the idea of Spellbound manifest?
Haha, I seriously had a sexual fantasy which included bars in a prison cell and I moved on from there.
2. We can see that so far the fic is all in Bella’s POV, but in your stories (not just Spellbound) whose POV do you prefer to write in and why?
Spellbound will continue in BPOV but I prefer Edward.
3. Spellbound, unlike Enigma, is very graphic and violent. How do you find the motivation to write something so gritty?
I honestly have no idea. I am not violent or dark, or even angsty at all. I’m bubbly and light hearted and funny. I just write and then James comes in and I think “How far would he go?” Then I go further because he always crosses the line. I surprise myself every time with the things he says and does. I wish I could tell you where it comes from, I just don’t know. I think I write what shocks me because then it’s going to shock others too.
4. What helps you to write your lemons, both of violent and non-violent nature?
Lol I was about to ask if I write violent lemons then I remembered James!! So yeah, hmmmm violent lemons. What can I say? I’m a pervert! The non violent lemons I base on the people making them, for example Edward is romantic and in my head, masculine and domineering, but he’s also enamoured by Bella so with her he is intimate and gentle. The violent lemons come from the complete opposite to Edward. If Edward is gently caressing her cheek, the complete opposite is James smacking it!
Chantel:
1. How did you (and your co-author) come up with the idea for Bella Down Under?
I've kinda already spilled this answer hehe. Feral loves to write and I wanted her to get writing again, life gets tough with 3 kids you need a hobby right? I could have used one so I offered to help by editing and I ended up coming with a solid base for a plot so instead of just editing I became the 'Harry Plotter' as she often calls me.
2. How does the writing process work for the two of you?
We brainstorm like crazy most nights, cramming as many ideas as we can onto the pages of MSN. Feral writes a few pages I go over them then we repeat the process. In the words of Feral 'you plot, I write it and fill in the cracks'.
3. In BDU Jacob is Bella’s cousin. Do you prefer Jacob in fics as someone who can’t pursue Bella as a love interest, or do you like when Jake gets in the way?
OK this is going to be a long answer as I'm an avid Jake Vs Edward fan. In BDU, although Jacob is not a love interest he still very much gets in the way of Bella and Edward. He has his own rights to, and we wanted it to be seen that Jacob is not the bad guy here! He just carries it on a little longer than it should have gone, but teenage boys can't help it when their ego's been hurt. They always turn into testosterone charged animals. Not only do I believe that without Jacob, Twilight wouldn't be the story it is today, but I'm a huge fan of biff, as long as no one gets too hurt. Not only is it hot having 2 buff guys brimming with testosterone throwing a few words and punches at each other but a guy with a split lip or eye just kinda does it for me especially when he's all sweaty and furious looking. Does this make me ill? Anyway in answer to your question haha, I think ANY story with Jake trying to mess things up a little for Ed and Bells is great and adds depth to a story.
4. After BDU is finished, would you write another fic in collaboration?
If so do you have any ideas of what your next fic would be about? If she would have me I couldn't think of anything better I'd rather do! For 2 completely opposite people we share an amazing chemistry and an utterly bizarre amount of similarities, it truly astounds me sometimes! Even though we've never met personally we finish each other’s sentences all the time. It's all kinda freaky! We have thrown around a few ideas and thinking possibly an AU story but we really want to put all our effort into BDU and make it the story we know it will become!
Other Q’s:
1. What is your favorite book of the series?
Claire-I used to like Twilight the best but after reading them all again, I really like New Moon. We get introduced to so many new characters, and it’s full of tension, heart ache, love, betrayal, split loyalties, adventure. Yeah I’d say New Moon. But ask me again when Midnight Sun comes out because the small amount she’s written so far is awesome!
Chantel- My fave is definitely Eclipse. Purely for the Ed Vs Jake banter. It's funny and hot and frustrating and I just love it! The way Jake plays hard ball but Ed plays it all a different way. He's had many more years’ experiences in life in general and I love that he's just so calm about things. I mean at first I was angry and I wanted him to yell at Bella and call her every name under the sun, but reading it the second time round I understood his POV more clearly! This guy's not going to get down to the same level as a 16yo boy! He has 109 years of existence to draw inspiration from on how to handle this kind of situation. It just proves that calm and steady wins the race.
2. Who is your favorite character of the series and why?
Claire- Oh man. I want to say something original for you but it’s Edward! It’s always been Edward and it will always be Edward. I want him! But a close second is Rosalie. Her story is just amazing. I would love to read a book on her and her family relationship, how she met Royce, how he made her feel. The night he proposed and the night he attacked her. When she changed, how she has always resisted human blood. What she did when she destroyed the men who destroyed her. Finding and saving Emmett, falling in love with him, trusting him. It’s epic and she has so many layers. She’s not selfish and self obsessed, she’s been hurt, betrayed and had her true need ripped away from her. To be human and vulnerable and above all a mother is her heart’s desire, I don’t doubt that if given the choice she would give Emmett up for the chance to have a baby. She is amazing.
Chantel- Mine would have to be Carlisle. I don't think I've ever read of such a compassionate character. I mean he went through the change all on his own, from the get go he knew he didn't want to be a monster and set out to prove to all the others that there is a different way of life for their kind. He saved 4 people from death and in the process building himself a beautiful family that would do anything for each other. And the way SM explains his demeanour, people stop and listen to him and he doesn't need to raise his voice or a fist. He has a truly beautiful soul and I love that about him.
3. What is your top ten playlist when writing/reading fanfics?
Claire- It’s more than 10 I’m afraid. This is the official playlist I listen too when writing ALL my chapters for any of my fics. I sometimes add more when a new tune is introduced to me. Most of these are acoustic.
Evanescence – Broken, Yiruma - Kiss the rain, Dido – White flag, Evanescence – Breathe no more, Leona Lewis – Run, Aqualung – Strange & Beautiful, Kings of Leon - Use somebody, The Fray – How to save a life, Leona Lewis – The first time, Elisa – Rainbow, Robert Pattinson – Let me sign, Kate Walsh – Your song, Elisa – Dancing, Hinder – Better than me, Nickleback – Far away, Coldplay – Fix you, Matchbox Twenty – Unwell, Leona Lewis – It’s all for you, Blue October – Knocking on Heavens door, A fine frenzy – Almost lover
This is all under FanFic playlist on my laptop and Ipod.
Chantel- Hmmm k here we go it may be more than 10 though.....mind if I share something from the song or why I like it? Sorry if it's too long please skim over it but music is my life!
*The Black Ghosts- Full Moon & Face “don't slow down, it is around the corner, Don't look back, you got to give what you got....face the music” all about not dwelling on life and moving on.
*Cascada- Every time We Touch~slow version. “ I still feel your touch in my dreams, forgive me my weakness but I don't know why, without you it's hard to survive. Coz every time we touch I get this feeling, every time we kiss swear I can fly....” awwwwwwwwww
*Paramore-Decode & Misery Business. “how can I decide on what's right when you're clouding up my mind?” speaks the words of love, it's truly blind and leads you on one hell of a ride. They're also my daughters fave band haha she goes nuts when they're on.
*Mute Math- Peculiar People, Picture & Control (hard to pick one from this group they're just awesome musicians and their songs rock my world)
*Robert Pattinson- Never Think (wanting nothing but the best for the one you love) & I'll Be Your Lover Too (purely coz his voice is bloody hot!)
*Blue Foundation- As I Moved On. I highly recommend this song, the melody is just awesome and it's got some great lyrics!
*Iron & Wine- Naked As We Came. Beautiful song about life and death with the one you love. I highly recommend that you listen to this song! “one of us will die inside these arms....eyes wide open, naked as we came. One will spread our ashes round the yard. She says if I leave before you darling don't you waste me in the ground....” beautiful. Some would say morbid but I say beautiful haha.
John Mayer- Dreaming With A Broken Heart. Omg this song is just so sad and truly fits New Moon when Ed leaves Bella but you need to replace the 'she' with 'he'. “roll out of bed and down on your knees and for a moment you can hardly breathe. Wondering if she's really here, is she standing in my room. No she's not coz she's gone, gone, gone, gone, gone.” :'(
Hmmm i could go on and on and on haha.
4. What do you really think of the name Renesmee?
Claire- I actually think it was an original choice and her reasons for choosing it where justifiable. That child is unique and she deserved a name that was the same. Think off all names you possibly can and you will be hard pressed to find one that will fit with her.
Chantel- Ummm if I were to be honest I think YUCK YUCK YUCK! But I get Claire's point but YUCK! LOL
5. If Twilight had worked in reverse – Bella being the vampire and Edward being the human – how do you think it would have played out? Do you think the storyline would have been similar?
Claire- I think that would’ve been one sexy book! Sexy Vampire Bella would’ve had Virginal Edward in those woods with his pants down within the first 3 chapters. Ok, I now have a fourth idea for a fic!
I don’t think she would’ve been as angst ridden as Edward or as unwilling to change him. She knew all along he was the one for her and I doubt a Vampire Bella would think any differently.
Chantel- Oh the last question :( it's only taken me a few hrs haha between editing and dealing with Alexis. Trust you to talk bout pants-down-ward in the forest Claire PMSL.
Ummm I think it would have been a very different story, not only the dynamic but I just think that a teenage boy might not have been much of a turn on for a 109 yo vamp girl. Unless of course he seemed older and wasn't an egotistical horny teen like most of them are. But I spose I kinda agree, had Bella not been able to handle herself and Edward was a horny egotistical teenager she would probably have him at the back of the art block with his pants down and probably accidently bringing the building down as she went then sadly at the end I think Edward would have come to his demise. Death by vampsex at 17 what a way to go!
The End
Interviewers: Tanya Zedor and Samantha Ceri-Jayne Fisher
Interviewees: Claire Guyan aka Claire Bloom and Chantel Chambers-Adams aka Ferla
Getting to know you better Q’s:
1. What’s your favourite color?
Claire- My Favourite colour is blue – like my eyes! Lol I think it’s a calm colour and clothes wise, blue looks good on anyone!
Chantel- My Fave colour is teal- A mix of blue and green. It reminds me of nature. I think if it clashed together, the world would be teal! The ocean, the blue sky, the green rolling hills of the country.
2. What type of music do you prefer to listen to?
Claire- I like soft rock, grunge and acoustic too. I have such a large variety of music on my IPod: from Evanescence (my favourite) to R’n’B , Mariah Carey, and pop, then classical and even Opera too (Phantom being my favourite Opera) the lyrics to the songs are so beautiful, I just wanted Christine to be the Phantom...to be loved like that is all consuming.
Chantel- I love a great variety of music. I grew up with bands like The Eagles, John Foggerty, The Clash, Bob Marley, UB40, John Melloncamp and so on. I just love listening to that stuff it takes me back and calms me. I love finding new bands and music to consume my soul. Lately I've been listening to a lot of Iron & Wine and Mutemath (fantastic musicians). But I have lots of stuff amongst my collection, from Yiruma and Santana to Metallica and one of my faves (hot hot hot Brandon Boyd) Incubus.
3. Besides the Twilight series, what do you consider as your favourite book?
Claire- There’s a story called “Forever Amber” by Kathleen Winsor which introduced me to a true heroine and the heart wrenching tale of one sided love. It was the first time I’d read lemons too and although they aren’t graphic, it’s the seductive hint of words you want to read that fills in the gaps. (Remember the wedding night in BD and how much we wanted descriptions) She goes through so much from the very first moment she meets him and follows him to the city, leaving behind her country roots and then becomes enslaved as some sort of concubine to the King and all his men. She finds her love again only to only be told he doesn’t want her and watches him from afar as he conducts relationships with others, then he catches the plague and she forgets her own safety to nurse him back to health. It’s really a fantastic read and one I definitely consider rec’ing.
Chantel- I never really read a lot before Twilight and truth be told it took me months to get around to reading Twilight. I had a couple of friends who had read it and I got really pissed off coz it's all they would talk about. So peer pressure made me buy the book, I read the first page and thought pffff boring! So put it down and I didn't pick it up again until a few weeks later. I was up till 4am reading it, woke at 8am, got my daughter ready and ran to the shops to buy the rest of the saga and read them all in the following 2.5days. I have a rather addictive personality so if I love something I fall hard!
4. Do you prefer summer or winter and why?
Claire- I actually prefer Autumn. It’s the promise of change. The colours are alive and beautiful, the air is fresh and it just feels so orange! But I guess that means I didn’t answer your question, so I would have to say out of the two options, I prefer Summer; because the evenings stay light till late, you can sit in the garden and sip wine and eat bar-b-ques and also punt along the river (think Venice and gondolas, punting is huge in Cambridge)!
Chantel- So opposite yet the same. I prefer Spring. My birthday is in spring and I love the promise of change also! My exact words whenever I'm asked this question haha. I love watching trees go from bare and barren to having signs of new life with bright green buds showing the beginning of new leaves, and trees such as the cherry blossom blooming with flowers. New life all around I just love it. But between winter and summer I'm definitely a summer girl. Having grown up in the tropics I don't fare well in the cold!
5. When not penning and reading Fanfics (or creating amazing Facebook groups) how do you ladies spend your average day?
Claire- I shouldn’t really tell you guy’s this but – erm – but I’m a female Jelly wrestler! Basically we wrestle whilst wearing bikinis in a pool full of jelly! Lol Ok, so truthfully I’m not that exciting. I guess my days are filled with looking after my 7 year old son Dylan, cooking (which I really enjoy), going to work,(which I don’t enjoy), watching tv and day dreaming about certain square jawed hunks coming to my hotel and falling madly in love with me whilst tinkering on the piano in our hotel bar.
Chantel- When I'm not trying to claim back my Champion Jelly Wrestling title from Claire you mean? Well I mostly spend my time playing with my 1yo daughter, Alexis. She's at such a funny age and she's learning all the time so I like to sit down with her and read and play blocks and dance to the Wiggles etc. I should also be a good wifey and clean the house but I don't do that nearly as often as I should. I hate cooking so hubby does that. So ummm yeah not a lot haha. Oh except lately a lot of my time is spent talking to Real Estate agents as we're selling our house in the city and moving from our current rental in the country to another one around the corner somewhere. RE Agents don't do a lot either! Lazy so and so's!
6. Can you tell us what you believe to be the most interesting fact about yourself?
Claire- Argh! I hate this, I’m not interesting!! (love the question really just hate that I have to answer it lol)
Erm ok, I’ll give a few ; I can’t whistle or click my fingers, I’ve had 3 poems published and I’ve always wanted to be an ice dancer! See! Not very interesting so take your pick :o)
Chantel- Hmmmmm interesting question! I'm not a very interesting person either but let’s see.....I can click my hips in and out. I've been hospitalised more times than I can count for many random things. I've had about 6 operations but never broken a bone. I can play piano. Hmmmm probably not very interesting but there you have it :)
7. Do you have any real-life aspirations that you have yet to achieve and, if so, how do you plan to achieve them?
Claire- I aspire to be a writer. I’m currently planning my first novel and I have a really good editor all lined up (winks at Tanya). When it’s written and edited, I’ll be sending it off to publishers to see if I can get a deal!
Chantel- I would love to have a published book also but it's only something I've recently thought about and we have a lot to do before then. I truly just want to get back into piano and learn to the full potential I know I have. My tutoring got cut short when I was younger due to changing schools and music teachers etc. I don't want to really do anything with it, but maybe I can go into Claire's work and play for her and try to seduce her. I'm no R.P but at least then we can hang out and have a cocktail or 6 :D
8. What is your real life job?
Claire- *Insert Jelly wrestler and hope people buy it* No? The truth then, I work as a reservations agent in a hotel! *Yawns*
Chantel- I'm a fulltime mum of one 1yo. Although I'm starting to really wish I could just go back to work! Before mumdom took over my life I was a Retail Manager. Not exactly exciting for some but I LOVE leading a great team and kicking butt! Watching shy people come to work for me and go from barely saying hello to a customer to having them walk out with bags loaded with stuff just tickles me pink! And watching them leave or move up to better things with a new confidence makes me squee with delight!
9. Who has been the most inspirational person in your life and why?
Claire- Truthfully? AngstGoddess. Before I read WA I had always dreamt of being a writer but never sat down long enough to complete anything. I had ideas etc but never wrote them out, then I read WA and after 20 chapters I stopped reading and wrote my first Fanfic “Enigma” and I completed it and I’m really proud of myself and that story. She inspired me to start writing again and to finish it and to utilise my ideas no matter how crazy they seemed. If I had never been introduced to WA I wouldn’t be writing now, just still dreaming about it.
Chantel- My parents have always been my inspiration. They have risen above all the things in life that tried to drag them down. Drugs, family, money issues, abuse, a fatal car accident which then lead to dad needing a walking stick and a good counsellor. And after all of that they're still making the best of life they know how. They breed and train horses and race them. Some of these horses haven't had great lives up until now. They're such compassionate people and even though so many people have used them up and spit them out they just carry on. My nanna is much the same. She has 10 children and 29 grandchildren and loves them all equally, faults and all.
Fanfiction Q’s:
1. How and when did you both first become acquainted with the wonderful world of Fanfiction?
Claire- I saw a preview for Twilight in June when at the movies and went back to watch it in the December with my other half, Dan. When Edward Cullen walked in and Jessica said he was totally gorgeous and a bunch of girls in the seats behind us swooned and oohed, he asked me “Do you think he’s hot?” I replied, straight faced and stoic “Nah, can’t see it myself!” I then went home and Googled the shit out of Twilight/Edward Cullen/Rpattz and found a group on Facebook where they rec’d WA so I went to read it and have been addicted to Fanfiction ever since!
Chantel- Well you heard how I read the books. My friend, Lyndal, introduced me to Wide Awake and I thought it was great, so continued to read other great fics. A few months later Lyndal spilled that she has written a few stories and I wanted her to show me, but being stuff she'd written in her teens she was worried I'd laugh at her, she's probably right. So I said to write her own twific and show me that way it's something from the here and now and her writing's more grown up and I promise not to laugh. She said she needed a great plot so I gave her one from my crazy mind (I always have plots yet never wanted to be a writer, go figure) she put her magic on it and we haven't looked back since. Having my own story has only heightened my addiction and appreciation for other peoples fics!!!
2. I have a terrible habit of staying awake until 1 am, absorbed in the world of Fanfiction. On average, how many times a week do you log into your account and how long do you spend on the site? (Include details of updating, reading other fics, etc.)
Claire- Lol Ok Robsessed much? Me? I log in within 5 minutes of waking (I need to pee and make cuppa tea first) then if I’m working that day I log on at work to check my traffic etc (ego) and as soon as I walk in the door when I get home, my laptop is turned on! I spend approx 10 – 16 hours a day on FFN, writing my fic, reading and reviewing others and checking on this group! I always open the same tabs, first messenger, then hotmail, then facebook, then fanfiction, then Twilighted.net and then I’ll go to my favourites in FFN and open up the current fic I’m reading and alternate between all these pages!
Chantel- Hmmm ok well I get up daughter and get her breakky, make a cuppa then check my personal email, then facebook, then gmail for updates, review alerts etc. Then I check my traffic. BIG ego booster, especially if you have some reviews as well! I then log onto MSN and hope that Feral has some writing for me to go over and if she doesn't then I read the current fic I'm reading in between time spent with Alexis. Then when hubby's due home I spring up pretend I've been doing the dishes ALL DAY LONG and I'm tired and then sit back down and continue reading while he cooks dinner :D So I'd say easily the same as Claire, approx 16 hrs LOL.
3. What are your three pet peeves when reading Fanfiction written by other authors?
Claire- Repetition, there is a plethora of words out there, if you can’t think of two different words for “smell” then use the thesaurus – it’s my best friend!
I’m currently bored with canon. We all know Alice likes to shop, please someone, somewhere think of something else for her to do! She has a vast expanse of personality, let’s discover it!
Really bad updating schedules! I loathe starting a fic and then waiting 3 months for an update. I know real life can get in the way so why not create a realistic schedule for you? Aim for once a month on a certain date? In the real world, if you were writing you wouldn’t do 5 chapters then expect your publisher to wait!! I say this because there are 2 fic’s in mind who haven’t updated in about 7 months and its driving me mad! Ok, Rant over!
Chantel- Grammar and spelling. A few mistakes I can handle but when its constant mistakes then I think the author doesn't care enough about its readers to even bother doing a simple spell check. I can understand people get excited and just want to post it and watch the love flow in (trust me we made that mistake but are fixing it!) but a spell check realistically only takes a few minutes more.
People that ALWAYS make Alice this overbearing fashionista. Bella a soft, spineless, whinging pain. Edward this obsessive, jealous, stalking freak. I agree with Claire, there's so much more to these characters and so many different ways to put these personalities into words. Oh and people adding smut for the sake of getting reviews. I've read stories where people add smut where it really doesn't need to be, they could have made it less graphic and just given the characters some sexual tension and it would have come off a lot better.
Again I agree with the long wait between updates. If I have to wait longer than a month for an update I get bored of waiting and the story's dead to me. Writing our own story, we too understand how hard it is when RL gets in the way, but months in between updates is just silly. Hand over the story to someone else I reckon. Haha.
OK so that's kinda 4 I may have cheated ;)
4. Other than your own, what has been the most attention grabbing Fanfiction piece that you can recall reading?
Claire- Brotherly devotion grabbed my attention and so did Creature of Habit. There are other’s I’ve heard people swear by but haven’t gotten round to reading yet, such as Tropic of Virgo and I’ll be your lover too. But I will get round to them one day, I promise.
Chantel- I find a lot of stories grab my attention then pitter out after chapter 10. I don't know why but chapter 10 seems to be the pivotal chapter that makes or breaks a story. One that I'm going to go back and read again purely coz it was light hearted and fun and romantic and so kinda out there is Bella Swan: Kidnapper by Kambria Rain. Not a very deep story but I think that's what I like about it. It gave me a break from my own very heavy, angsty piece.
5. When reading fanfics, does AU or AH appeal to you more, and why do you prefer that one?
Claire- I sway more towards AU because I really want to see what people come up with for Bella & Edward spending eternity together, how they’ll change her.
AH tends to go too canon and as I mentioned before, if I read one more time about Alice getting excited about shopping, I think I’ll scream!
Chantel- I tend to read a lot more AH, not sure if it's coz I like it or because there's more of it out there? I do love a good vamp story but I find them to get dull at the end or take too long to update.
6. As we all know, Bella and Edward stories are the most popular, but what is your second favorite canon couple to read?
Claire- Rosalie & Emmett; So many people adore Alice and Jasper who, I agree, are cute, but I am really interested in R&E. Their relationship is built on trust and intimacy and Rosalie inserts herself as the dominant one, all good looks and no soul while Emmett is the teddy bear but it’s got to take a really special guy to take down Rosalie’s defences. They intrigue me.
Chantel- Definantly Alice and Jazz after Ferals great APOV in our last chapter. I think their connection is not only made of magic (with Alice's gift) but they're really the epitome of the perfect couple. They look out for each other, Alice looks out for Jazz with his weakness with the smell of human blood, and he looks out for her when she's having a vision. They're just the same but different and they complement each other completely. Their respect for each other is paramount.
1. Is there a Fanfic you have written that you are especially proud of and, if so, please tell us a little about it?
Claire- I completed Enigma which is based on memory loss and love conquering all including time, space and the unconscious mind. I’m proud because I finished it and I never thought I would finish anything. I think the plot is interesting and I was able to answer all questions by the end, tie up all loose ends, you might say. But I am most proud of Spellbound. It’s so dark and torturous and whilst I hesitated in Enigma to write certain things, with Spellbound I can be as “out there” as I like because it’s about darkness and desperation and animal instincts and mostly smut! I think I’ve grown as a writer, you can really see it when finishing Enigma and starting Spellbound.
Chantel- Although I'm not the author I can proudly say I'm one half of the mastermind behind Bella Down Under. It seriously just started as a discussion between friends and then before we knew it we had 5 great chapters and we didn't want to stop writing so we put it on FF.net. The plot is based on an Australian born and bred Bella. She grew up in the outback of NSW and has a drunk for a mother, so she begs her father to get her away from home and he moves her to Forks, Washington to live with his brother Billy and nephew Jacob. While there Bella goes through a lot of emotional turmoil trying to fit in where she doesn't feel like she belongs, dealing with her sordid past. Then she meets Edward Cullen, soon she's not only dealing with her broken soul and life she's also dealing with a broken heart. We have so many ideas for this story and I can't wait to show them to everyone and complete the story!
2. When first writing your fics did you takedown notes, or was there another method you used to sort out your thoughts?
Claire- One method I used was talking to my-self! I would walk to work chattering away, running ideas past myself with the IPod on full blast. I’d get home and write it all down. I had to with Enigma because otherwise I would’ve lost the plot entirely, it’s too complicated not to have made notes and done research on Edward’s blood condition.
With Spellbound, I also made notes and I have it all planned out. I love reading the reviews because people have no idea where this is going and I’m proud to say, I will surprise you!
Chantel- Oops I kinda already explained this haha. We chat on MSN and brainstorm into the wee hours. When we're not on the computer together we're writing in our own little note books which we have names for haha. My notebooks name is Steve and anyone that's seen the Australian movie The Castle will know that Steve is an ideas man LOL
3. Have you ever used real-life events as inspiration for your own Fanfics? How do you find that inspiration generally comes to you?
Claire- I am a hopeless romantic so I don’t tend to use real life experiences as real life is not romantic at all, I just use my imagination, my fantasy’s and my wishful thinking.
Chantel- I don't really need to use real life experiences as my mind works overtime and I see things I shouldn't and some stuff just comes to me in a rush and it's weird I can't really explain it. Poor Feral gets a sore hand writing down some of my ideas. I just have to say the words Pink Pens for anyone that's read BDU to understand what I'm talking about. But for some upcoming chapters, where some characters are in Australia, I have ideas that are loosely based on real life events, being that I live in Australia and understand the lifestyle in the country.
4. Do you have any tips for other Fanfic authors on how to deal with a pesky bout of writer’s block?
Claire- Music – music is all inspiring. Be it background noise or lyrically correct for the part you’re trying to convey, if you’re stuck just pop on any song and write what comes to mind. I often start to write a chapter then find what I started with is actually the end or the middle or not even in that chapter at all but for another one. Just write anything, once you start the flow takes hold. I also bounce ideas etc off my friend’s, Tanya or Julia (AcrossTheSkyInStars and Malmo722) they really help me out a lot.
Chantel- Take a break! Try not to stress so much! Get out and take a walk around the block, laze on the couch and watch a DVD. Anything to take a breather. I'm constantly telling this to Feral and she's found that most of her ideas now come to her in the shower. That's right, the shower! She'll probably kill me for telling you this but it's a good example! I find that when your mind isn't so focused on one idea, a million ideas come to you and you can then work through and find the best one for you! Also there's inspiration everywhere you look, you just need an open mind!
5. Do you currently have any ideas for future projects you may work on and, if so, please tell all!
Claire- I currently have 3 ideas. One is to continue with my one shot “Bittersweet”. It was for a contest and it’s about Rosalie and the night she got her revenge on Royce. I would love to develop that one shot, she still has a lot to say.
The other is called “Forever Young” and it’s a short story about 5 chapters or so about Edward nursing an old and dying Bella because he never changed her. It’s about their memories over the years together, and their promises for when Bella is gone. What I have written so far is heart breaking and it was inspired by a conversation I had about “if you die, who will you be with in heaven?”
The last idea is a Jake story and this one is more fore-front, I broke a friends heart with my version of Jake in Enigma so I promised her a fic where Jake is the good guy. It’s about werewolves and ghosts and of course, as true to my form, will include lemons but no Bella and Edward.
Chantel- I'm really just spending all my time on BDU atm and this group. My main goals are to get this group to become something that people don't just talk about but hype about like crazy! I have so many ideas for this group and I can't wait to watch it grow! I can't wait to watch all the aspiring authors grow and encourage them along with all the creative writers and people that write just for the fun of it. I of course expect that any published author's out of this group to send me a signed copy :P
I also want to do my very best to keep doing what I'm doing with Feral and hopefully one day become published ourselves and get a joy ride in a limo and a helicopter, just because!
Claire:
1. Where and how did the idea of Spellbound manifest?
Haha, I seriously had a sexual fantasy which included bars in a prison cell and I moved on from there.
2. We can see that so far the fic is all in Bella’s POV, but in your stories (not just Spellbound) whose POV do you prefer to write in and why?
Spellbound will continue in BPOV but I prefer Edward.
3. Spellbound, unlike Enigma, is very graphic and violent. How do you find the motivation to write something so gritty?
I honestly have no idea. I am not violent or dark, or even angsty at all. I’m bubbly and light hearted and funny. I just write and then James comes in and I think “How far would he go?” Then I go further because he always crosses the line. I surprise myself every time with the things he says and does. I wish I could tell you where it comes from, I just don’t know. I think I write what shocks me because then it’s going to shock others too.
4. What helps you to write your lemons, both of violent and non-violent nature?
Lol I was about to ask if I write violent lemons then I remembered James!! So yeah, hmmmm violent lemons. What can I say? I’m a pervert! The non violent lemons I base on the people making them, for example Edward is romantic and in my head, masculine and domineering, but he’s also enamoured by Bella so with her he is intimate and gentle. The violent lemons come from the complete opposite to Edward. If Edward is gently caressing her cheek, the complete opposite is James smacking it!
Chantel:
1. How did you (and your co-author) come up with the idea for Bella Down Under?
I've kinda already spilled this answer hehe. Feral loves to write and I wanted her to get writing again, life gets tough with 3 kids you need a hobby right? I could have used one so I offered to help by editing and I ended up coming with a solid base for a plot so instead of just editing I became the 'Harry Plotter' as she often calls me.
2. How does the writing process work for the two of you?
We brainstorm like crazy most nights, cramming as many ideas as we can onto the pages of MSN. Feral writes a few pages I go over them then we repeat the process. In the words of Feral 'you plot, I write it and fill in the cracks'.
3. In BDU Jacob is Bella’s cousin. Do you prefer Jacob in fics as someone who can’t pursue Bella as a love interest, or do you like when Jake gets in the way?
OK this is going to be a long answer as I'm an avid Jake Vs Edward fan. In BDU, although Jacob is not a love interest he still very much gets in the way of Bella and Edward. He has his own rights to, and we wanted it to be seen that Jacob is not the bad guy here! He just carries it on a little longer than it should have gone, but teenage boys can't help it when their ego's been hurt. They always turn into testosterone charged animals. Not only do I believe that without Jacob, Twilight wouldn't be the story it is today, but I'm a huge fan of biff, as long as no one gets too hurt. Not only is it hot having 2 buff guys brimming with testosterone throwing a few words and punches at each other but a guy with a split lip or eye just kinda does it for me especially when he's all sweaty and furious looking. Does this make me ill? Anyway in answer to your question haha, I think ANY story with Jake trying to mess things up a little for Ed and Bells is great and adds depth to a story.
4. After BDU is finished, would you write another fic in collaboration?
If so do you have any ideas of what your next fic would be about? If she would have me I couldn't think of anything better I'd rather do! For 2 completely opposite people we share an amazing chemistry and an utterly bizarre amount of similarities, it truly astounds me sometimes! Even though we've never met personally we finish each other’s sentences all the time. It's all kinda freaky! We have thrown around a few ideas and thinking possibly an AU story but we really want to put all our effort into BDU and make it the story we know it will become!
Other Q’s:
1. What is your favorite book of the series?
Claire-I used to like Twilight the best but after reading them all again, I really like New Moon. We get introduced to so many new characters, and it’s full of tension, heart ache, love, betrayal, split loyalties, adventure. Yeah I’d say New Moon. But ask me again when Midnight Sun comes out because the small amount she’s written so far is awesome!
Chantel- My fave is definitely Eclipse. Purely for the Ed Vs Jake banter. It's funny and hot and frustrating and I just love it! The way Jake plays hard ball but Ed plays it all a different way. He's had many more years’ experiences in life in general and I love that he's just so calm about things. I mean at first I was angry and I wanted him to yell at Bella and call her every name under the sun, but reading it the second time round I understood his POV more clearly! This guy's not going to get down to the same level as a 16yo boy! He has 109 years of existence to draw inspiration from on how to handle this kind of situation. It just proves that calm and steady wins the race.
2. Who is your favorite character of the series and why?
Claire- Oh man. I want to say something original for you but it’s Edward! It’s always been Edward and it will always be Edward. I want him! But a close second is Rosalie. Her story is just amazing. I would love to read a book on her and her family relationship, how she met Royce, how he made her feel. The night he proposed and the night he attacked her. When she changed, how she has always resisted human blood. What she did when she destroyed the men who destroyed her. Finding and saving Emmett, falling in love with him, trusting him. It’s epic and she has so many layers. She’s not selfish and self obsessed, she’s been hurt, betrayed and had her true need ripped away from her. To be human and vulnerable and above all a mother is her heart’s desire, I don’t doubt that if given the choice she would give Emmett up for the chance to have a baby. She is amazing.
Chantel- Mine would have to be Carlisle. I don't think I've ever read of such a compassionate character. I mean he went through the change all on his own, from the get go he knew he didn't want to be a monster and set out to prove to all the others that there is a different way of life for their kind. He saved 4 people from death and in the process building himself a beautiful family that would do anything for each other. And the way SM explains his demeanour, people stop and listen to him and he doesn't need to raise his voice or a fist. He has a truly beautiful soul and I love that about him.
3. What is your top ten playlist when writing/reading fanfics?
Claire- It’s more than 10 I’m afraid. This is the official playlist I listen too when writing ALL my chapters for any of my fics. I sometimes add more when a new tune is introduced to me. Most of these are acoustic.
Evanescence – Broken, Yiruma - Kiss the rain, Dido – White flag, Evanescence – Breathe no more, Leona Lewis – Run, Aqualung – Strange & Beautiful, Kings of Leon - Use somebody, The Fray – How to save a life, Leona Lewis – The first time, Elisa – Rainbow, Robert Pattinson – Let me sign, Kate Walsh – Your song, Elisa – Dancing, Hinder – Better than me, Nickleback – Far away, Coldplay – Fix you, Matchbox Twenty – Unwell, Leona Lewis – It’s all for you, Blue October – Knocking on Heavens door, A fine frenzy – Almost lover
This is all under FanFic playlist on my laptop and Ipod.
Chantel- Hmmm k here we go it may be more than 10 though.....mind if I share something from the song or why I like it? Sorry if it's too long please skim over it but music is my life!
*The Black Ghosts- Full Moon & Face “don't slow down, it is around the corner, Don't look back, you got to give what you got....face the music” all about not dwelling on life and moving on.
*Cascada- Every time We Touch~slow version. “ I still feel your touch in my dreams, forgive me my weakness but I don't know why, without you it's hard to survive. Coz every time we touch I get this feeling, every time we kiss swear I can fly....” awwwwwwwwww
*Paramore-Decode & Misery Business. “how can I decide on what's right when you're clouding up my mind?” speaks the words of love, it's truly blind and leads you on one hell of a ride. They're also my daughters fave band haha she goes nuts when they're on.
*Mute Math- Peculiar People, Picture & Control (hard to pick one from this group they're just awesome musicians and their songs rock my world)
*Robert Pattinson- Never Think (wanting nothing but the best for the one you love) & I'll Be Your Lover Too (purely coz his voice is bloody hot!)
*Blue Foundation- As I Moved On. I highly recommend this song, the melody is just awesome and it's got some great lyrics!
*Iron & Wine- Naked As We Came. Beautiful song about life and death with the one you love. I highly recommend that you listen to this song! “one of us will die inside these arms....eyes wide open, naked as we came. One will spread our ashes round the yard. She says if I leave before you darling don't you waste me in the ground....” beautiful. Some would say morbid but I say beautiful haha.
John Mayer- Dreaming With A Broken Heart. Omg this song is just so sad and truly fits New Moon when Ed leaves Bella but you need to replace the 'she' with 'he'. “roll out of bed and down on your knees and for a moment you can hardly breathe. Wondering if she's really here, is she standing in my room. No she's not coz she's gone, gone, gone, gone, gone.” :'(
Hmmm i could go on and on and on haha.
4. What do you really think of the name Renesmee?
Claire- I actually think it was an original choice and her reasons for choosing it where justifiable. That child is unique and she deserved a name that was the same. Think off all names you possibly can and you will be hard pressed to find one that will fit with her.
Chantel- Ummm if I were to be honest I think YUCK YUCK YUCK! But I get Claire's point but YUCK! LOL
5. If Twilight had worked in reverse – Bella being the vampire and Edward being the human – how do you think it would have played out? Do you think the storyline would have been similar?
Claire- I think that would’ve been one sexy book! Sexy Vampire Bella would’ve had Virginal Edward in those woods with his pants down within the first 3 chapters. Ok, I now have a fourth idea for a fic!
I don’t think she would’ve been as angst ridden as Edward or as unwilling to change him. She knew all along he was the one for her and I doubt a Vampire Bella would think any differently.
Chantel- Oh the last question :( it's only taken me a few hrs haha between editing and dealing with Alexis. Trust you to talk bout pants-down-ward in the forest Claire PMSL.
Ummm I think it would have been a very different story, not only the dynamic but I just think that a teenage boy might not have been much of a turn on for a 109 yo vamp girl. Unless of course he seemed older and wasn't an egotistical horny teen like most of them are. But I spose I kinda agree, had Bella not been able to handle herself and Edward was a horny egotistical teenager she would probably have him at the back of the art block with his pants down and probably accidently bringing the building down as she went then sadly at the end I think Edward would have come to his demise. Death by vampsex at 17 what a way to go!
The End
Monday, August 24, 2009
Rob Porn, probably the sexiest video you'll ever see!
Hey Guys
I had to share this video (again) because it truly is amazing. It was made by a young lady called Wideyezz and in my opion, she is genius! Thanks Wideyezz for the Rob Porn, we bow down to you!
Check it out HERE
Claire x
I had to share this video (again) because it truly is amazing. It was made by a young lady called Wideyezz and in my opion, she is genius! Thanks Wideyezz for the Rob Porn, we bow down to you!
Check it out HERE
Claire x
Interview With AccrossTheSkyInStars ~ Tanya Zedor ~ Author: Last First Kiss
Tanya Zedor - penname AcrossTheSkyInStars is a 19yo English Major uni student. She lives in Canada with her family and two dogs, Oreo and Maxx. Tanya has one completed TwiFic, which you can read here, as well as a TwiFic in progress.
Tanya is obviously a huge Twilight fan who joined the group not long after it started. She has now become a very important part of the group, and as Officer Alice's Gift, you will be seeing alot of her around here as well as on the page at FB.
So we thought it'd be great to get to know her a little better by asking her the following questions!
Interviewers: Chantel Chambers-Adams & Claire Guyan
Interviewee: Tanya Zedor aka AcrossTheSkyInStars
Get to know you better Q’s:
1. What’s your favourite colour?
Green, and no, it’s not because it’s the colour of human Edward’s eyes. Green has been my favourite colour since I can remember. I love it.
2. What’s your favourite food?
Hmm, I really love pasta – hot or cold. It can be spaghetti or pasta salad, anything, lol.
3. Who are you currently listening to on your iPod?
Well right now I would be listening to iTunes, which is the same thing and right at this moment I am listening to Cobra Starship – Snakes on a Plane. But right now I’m really into Cute Is What We Aim For, Billy Talent, Metric, Blink-182, and Spill Canvas. Just to name a few.
4. Who is your Girl crush & why?
Haha, I love this question. I really adore Ashley Greene, of Twilight, I think she’s gorgeous and humble and sweet. But the one that I absolutely love is Ellen Degeneres. She’s the funniest woman in show biz, in my opinion, and watching her show makes me giggle myself retarded.
5. What book are you currently reading?
Well as of right now I’m not currently reading an actually published book. For now its fanfic, fanfic, and more fanfic. I’m hopelessly addicted to reading and writing fics, so for now that’s what I’m reading. The last book I read though had to be City of Glass, by Cassandra Clare. AWESOME series that I love just as much as Twilight (please don’t chase me down with pitchforks and torches!)
6. Do you have a tattoo? If yes what is it and if no what would you get?
Sadly, I do not have a tattoo. I’ve always wanted one, just something tiny. I really would love to get a small quote, maybe on my ankle or on the back of my neck. But I can’t think of anything I would want to get written on my body for life. So I’m thinking it through and making sure I know what I want before I jump in and ink my bod ; )
7. What is your real life job?
Oh dear, well as I am only 19 years old, I only have a part time job. I work at a Tim Horton’s *rolls eyes* I’ve been there for 3 years, and it’s the easiest job you will ever do. It stresses a lot of people out because of the customers, but I know enough about my job and the rules there that I can deal with them. Other than that I’m a student at university (English major).
8. If you were asked to write a motto for your life, what would it say?
“Nothing will come of nothing”. I chose this from Shakespeare’s King Lear because it is personally one of my favourite quotes in the play, and also because it has so much truth behind it. If you don’t try it, who’s to say you wouldn’t be able to do it? That’s kind of my philosophy; nothing will come of your actions if you don’t put them into action.
9. Before Twilight what was your other obsession?
Lol, I really don’t think I had an obsession before Twilight. I watched a lot of movies and watched TV like there was no tomorrow. I most likely know every episode and line of Friends because I’ve watched the seasons so many times it’s not even funny. But the closest thing to an obsession...would most likely be the Harry Potter books. Which I wasn’t obsessed over; I just liked them a lot.
Last First Kiss Q’s:
1. Did you make notes about LFK before starting?
In all honesty, not really. I jotted down a few ideas for characters and their traits, but I didn’t have much in the way of notes. In hindsight I should have, and I do with my other fic ‘Forgive Me, Please’. But with LFK I was very new at the whole thing, and was a major NOOB. I still kind of am, but as a writer I think I’ve grown a lot since the beginning of LFK. I’ve learned that making notes is extremely helpful.
2. Was it deliberate that Jacob was not involved in the story?
Yes, it was a deliberate choice that Jacob was not in my fic. I like Jake as a character, but in some fics he tries to stir shit up, and to just avoid meeting him at all I simply didn’t put him in. My story (which I haven’t even put in the fic) is that Billy’s wife died in a car accident years ago that left Billy paralyzed from the waist down. They had 2 daughters, Rachel and Rebecca, and when Billy’s wife died she was pregnant with Jacob.
3. Do you prefer to write in one POV & if so whose?
In LFK I really don’t have a preference, although I did write a lot more in BPOV. I began writing the fic in her POV, and a little ways in decided to shift them. I love writing in them both, but for LFK I enjoyed writing in them both equally. Now for FMP it’s a different story. I much prefer writing Edward in my other fic. It varies depending on what I’m writing about.
4. You say Chapter 11 “Violated” was in the inspiration behind the story but what helped you lead up to that?
Yes, chapter 11 was sort of the basis for why I wrote it. I had this idea of Bella being attacked, like she would have been had a vampire Edward not been there to rescue her. I had originally set it in Port Angeles, but when I gave the story more thought I wanted to make it a college story. So to lead up to it I began with Bella and Alice at college, meeting two strikingly handsome roommates. The first chapter was not in there to begin with (the Mike date and the acceptance letter). I decided that it needed a bit more background and changed ‘Floor Meeting’ to the second chapter. When I got the idea for the fic, the first line of chapter two is honestly the thing I wrote down to begin with. It just came to me and I was like, okay?
5. What helps you write your lemons?
Haha, oh dear. I really, honestly have no clue. I listen to music, mostly upbeat stuff that gets me in a giddy mood. Being all hyper and shit helps me to write something a bit more out there. But other than that I really do nothing except write what I feel like writing. I get myself into that dirty mind-set (which I’m normally in anyways...) and write what comes to me.
Other Q’s:
1. Name 3 things you find annoying when reading other fics.
Mistakes. That’s why I love being a Beta. I can’t stand seeing small mistakes that could have easily been avoided. If it’s something barely noticeable I can tolerate it, but blatant spelling mistakes and wrong word choice drives me up the wall. But I know I’m not perfect, and my fics have mistakes. It also annoys me when some authors excessively use a phrase or word without knowing it. If I Beta a chapter of something and a word is used too much I make sure the author knows. It’s better to widen your vocab and use flowery words. They make it more interesting. Oh, it also bothers me if authors use too many exclamation marks in a row!!!!!! Some do it to accentuate how loud or obnoxious a character is being, but I think it’s kind of unnecessary. I don’t mind if it’s used at the end of a sentence where its needed, but using 20 in a row to show that a person is yelling kind of doesn’t make sense to me.
2. What do you prefer to read AU or AU-Human?
I really don’t have a preference, although I have read more AU-Human fics. I love to see what they go through with nothing but their human emotions and hormones hindering them. But with AU I love to see what would happen with Bella and Edward and the gang in a different situation – such as ‘As Fate Would Have it’ by into.scrapes, and ‘Spellbound’ by Claire.
3. Do you prefer canon pairings or when writers break away from the norm?
I’ve really only read canon pairings, for the most part. ‘Star Mile’ kind of breaks away from the norm in the beginning, but sticks to mostly canon up until now. I love Bella and Edward together, so when they aren’t paired together I’m not sure I’d be able to read it. Not that a fic with them not together wouldn’t be good, I’ve just never had the heart to read one.
4. Do you have any other ideas for fics up your sleeve? And if so, can you share with us what they are?
*does awkward laugh, shifting slightly* ...uh yeah. I kind of do. Sometimes when I write, genius ideas pop in my head. In reality I have 3 fics with 1 chapter because when I get an idea I write whatever floats into my mind. When I get the vision on the computer I take a step back and think through what the story would be. But for now I’ve got an Alice/Bella idea I’d really like to pursue. It was originally going to be A/J, but it made more sense for it to be A/B – it would be in their POV’s and go through their story together. It would be supernatural, with Alice’s ability coming into play and Bella having one of her own, but it would be AH.
5. What is your top ten playlist when reading or writing Fanfiction?
Spill Canvas – This Is For Keeps. Spill Canvas – Polygraph, Right Now. James Morrison ft. Nelly Furtado – Broken strings. Metric – Gimme Sympathy. Foo Fighters – Everlong. The Midway State – Change for You. Panic At The Disco – When The Day Met The Night. 3OH!3 – Don’t Trust Me. Anberlin – Dismantle. Repair. Taking Back Sunday – My Blue Heaven. With some of these, don’t question me. I have no reason at all for listening to some of them except for the fact that I like the songs. Some don’t have shit to do with what I’m writing with. Also, if an author mentions an inspiring song I will most likely check it out to get a feel for how the chapter is supposed to be read.
6. If you were to write a Charlie only fanfic, what would your basic storyline be? Give a summary.
Hmm, never thought of writing one. I’d maybe do one of him being a big time cop in Seattle or something. Maybe he finds an estranged girl names Isabella that reminds him of someone he’d lost? He could go through the motions of trying to care for her when she’s weary to accept his help. I don’t really know, just throwing something out there, haha.
7. If there was no Edward (God forbid) which other twilight character would steal your heart & why?
Jasper. I really just love him oodles and oodles. He’s such a complete sweetheart in Twilight, even though it’s very difficult for him to control himself. What he has with Alice is the most adorable thing and Jasper is awesome in both the story and in fics. He’s my second favourite Twilight guy : ) Edward being the first.
8. What do you really think of Jacob?
In all honesty I HATED Jacob, but now I don’t mind him so much. He was pivotal in New Moon, and I’m STOKED to see it in November, but in fics he’s sometimes portrayed as the bad guy. I’m really not here or there with him, but his character is laid back, and in fics if he’s that kind of guy then I’m happy. I also don’t like when he tries to go after Bella in fics as a romantic interest, it makes my blood boil ; )
9. You’ve won a trip to Isle Esme, what 3 things would you bring & why?
*squeals* ME? REALLY! How exciting. I would bring my iPod, because I would need music and um, my boyfriend? Is that an option, and if so, then I would definitely bring some type of contraception. I don’t think that needs an explanation ; ) But I wouldn’t want Isle Esme to do the same to me as it did to Bella.
10. If you were a vampire what would your power be?
I think my power would be getting people to tell me their thoughts, or the truth. I have this habit of making people talk to me when something’s wrong. I never really get into fights with people, and if I do I don’t sulk like a child and wait until they apologize first. I literally sit there and make them tell me why they’re pissed and make it all better. As a result I don’t think I’ve ever been in an actual fight with my boyfriend, haha. We bicker like an old, married couple, but I’ve never fought with him until the point that I didn’t want to talk to him, because I MAKE him tell me what’s wrong. So that would be my power, getting the truth or thoughts from people. Not mind reading per say, maybe a Persuasion type of thing.
11. Which was your favourite Twilight book & why?
I think my favourite is Twilight. When I read Breaking Dawn I had a dilemma because I loved it just as much as the first one; I think vampire Bella is completely awesome. But re-reading Twilight I realize why I fell in love with series, and watch as Bella goes through something totally new and bizarre. It’s the rush of new love with a combination of the mysterious and supernatural. I think it’s fascinating.
12. If your life were a fanfic what would the title be?
“A Long, Strange Road” ...don’t ask. My life has been relatively normal thus far, but as nobody knows what they could be doing in five years I think it’s fitting. I mostly chose it because of my past. My parents divorced when I was 7 and we moved around a few times. We moved to the city we’re in now (me, my brother, and my mother), and she got engaged; as did my dad. When I was 14 they got back together...I know? Crazy, right? After being apart for 7 years they got back together and we’ve lived in the house we’re in now ever since. So...it’s been a long, strange road so far; I only wonder what will happen next.
Don't forget to check out Last First Kiss if you haven't already, and don't forget authors of fanfic don't get paid! All they ask for is your time to review!
Till next time....
penning off
Chaz x
Tanya is obviously a huge Twilight fan who joined the group not long after it started. She has now become a very important part of the group, and as Officer Alice's Gift, you will be seeing alot of her around here as well as on the page at FB.
So we thought it'd be great to get to know her a little better by asking her the following questions!
Interviewers: Chantel Chambers-Adams & Claire Guyan
Interviewee: Tanya Zedor aka AcrossTheSkyInStars
Get to know you better Q’s:
1. What’s your favourite colour?
Green, and no, it’s not because it’s the colour of human Edward’s eyes. Green has been my favourite colour since I can remember. I love it.
2. What’s your favourite food?
Hmm, I really love pasta – hot or cold. It can be spaghetti or pasta salad, anything, lol.
3. Who are you currently listening to on your iPod?
Well right now I would be listening to iTunes, which is the same thing and right at this moment I am listening to Cobra Starship – Snakes on a Plane. But right now I’m really into Cute Is What We Aim For, Billy Talent, Metric, Blink-182, and Spill Canvas. Just to name a few.
4. Who is your Girl crush & why?
Haha, I love this question. I really adore Ashley Greene, of Twilight, I think she’s gorgeous and humble and sweet. But the one that I absolutely love is Ellen Degeneres. She’s the funniest woman in show biz, in my opinion, and watching her show makes me giggle myself retarded.
5. What book are you currently reading?
Well as of right now I’m not currently reading an actually published book. For now its fanfic, fanfic, and more fanfic. I’m hopelessly addicted to reading and writing fics, so for now that’s what I’m reading. The last book I read though had to be City of Glass, by Cassandra Clare. AWESOME series that I love just as much as Twilight (please don’t chase me down with pitchforks and torches!)
6. Do you have a tattoo? If yes what is it and if no what would you get?
Sadly, I do not have a tattoo. I’ve always wanted one, just something tiny. I really would love to get a small quote, maybe on my ankle or on the back of my neck. But I can’t think of anything I would want to get written on my body for life. So I’m thinking it through and making sure I know what I want before I jump in and ink my bod ; )
7. What is your real life job?
Oh dear, well as I am only 19 years old, I only have a part time job. I work at a Tim Horton’s *rolls eyes* I’ve been there for 3 years, and it’s the easiest job you will ever do. It stresses a lot of people out because of the customers, but I know enough about my job and the rules there that I can deal with them. Other than that I’m a student at university (English major).
8. If you were asked to write a motto for your life, what would it say?
“Nothing will come of nothing”. I chose this from Shakespeare’s King Lear because it is personally one of my favourite quotes in the play, and also because it has so much truth behind it. If you don’t try it, who’s to say you wouldn’t be able to do it? That’s kind of my philosophy; nothing will come of your actions if you don’t put them into action.
9. Before Twilight what was your other obsession?
Lol, I really don’t think I had an obsession before Twilight. I watched a lot of movies and watched TV like there was no tomorrow. I most likely know every episode and line of Friends because I’ve watched the seasons so many times it’s not even funny. But the closest thing to an obsession...would most likely be the Harry Potter books. Which I wasn’t obsessed over; I just liked them a lot.
Last First Kiss Q’s:
1. Did you make notes about LFK before starting?
In all honesty, not really. I jotted down a few ideas for characters and their traits, but I didn’t have much in the way of notes. In hindsight I should have, and I do with my other fic ‘Forgive Me, Please’. But with LFK I was very new at the whole thing, and was a major NOOB. I still kind of am, but as a writer I think I’ve grown a lot since the beginning of LFK. I’ve learned that making notes is extremely helpful.
2. Was it deliberate that Jacob was not involved in the story?
Yes, it was a deliberate choice that Jacob was not in my fic. I like Jake as a character, but in some fics he tries to stir shit up, and to just avoid meeting him at all I simply didn’t put him in. My story (which I haven’t even put in the fic) is that Billy’s wife died in a car accident years ago that left Billy paralyzed from the waist down. They had 2 daughters, Rachel and Rebecca, and when Billy’s wife died she was pregnant with Jacob.
3. Do you prefer to write in one POV & if so whose?
In LFK I really don’t have a preference, although I did write a lot more in BPOV. I began writing the fic in her POV, and a little ways in decided to shift them. I love writing in them both, but for LFK I enjoyed writing in them both equally. Now for FMP it’s a different story. I much prefer writing Edward in my other fic. It varies depending on what I’m writing about.
4. You say Chapter 11 “Violated” was in the inspiration behind the story but what helped you lead up to that?
Yes, chapter 11 was sort of the basis for why I wrote it. I had this idea of Bella being attacked, like she would have been had a vampire Edward not been there to rescue her. I had originally set it in Port Angeles, but when I gave the story more thought I wanted to make it a college story. So to lead up to it I began with Bella and Alice at college, meeting two strikingly handsome roommates. The first chapter was not in there to begin with (the Mike date and the acceptance letter). I decided that it needed a bit more background and changed ‘Floor Meeting’ to the second chapter. When I got the idea for the fic, the first line of chapter two is honestly the thing I wrote down to begin with. It just came to me and I was like, okay?
5. What helps you write your lemons?
Haha, oh dear. I really, honestly have no clue. I listen to music, mostly upbeat stuff that gets me in a giddy mood. Being all hyper and shit helps me to write something a bit more out there. But other than that I really do nothing except write what I feel like writing. I get myself into that dirty mind-set (which I’m normally in anyways...) and write what comes to me.
Other Q’s:
1. Name 3 things you find annoying when reading other fics.
Mistakes. That’s why I love being a Beta. I can’t stand seeing small mistakes that could have easily been avoided. If it’s something barely noticeable I can tolerate it, but blatant spelling mistakes and wrong word choice drives me up the wall. But I know I’m not perfect, and my fics have mistakes. It also annoys me when some authors excessively use a phrase or word without knowing it. If I Beta a chapter of something and a word is used too much I make sure the author knows. It’s better to widen your vocab and use flowery words. They make it more interesting. Oh, it also bothers me if authors use too many exclamation marks in a row!!!!!! Some do it to accentuate how loud or obnoxious a character is being, but I think it’s kind of unnecessary. I don’t mind if it’s used at the end of a sentence where its needed, but using 20 in a row to show that a person is yelling kind of doesn’t make sense to me.
2. What do you prefer to read AU or AU-Human?
I really don’t have a preference, although I have read more AU-Human fics. I love to see what they go through with nothing but their human emotions and hormones hindering them. But with AU I love to see what would happen with Bella and Edward and the gang in a different situation – such as ‘As Fate Would Have it’ by into.scrapes, and ‘Spellbound’ by Claire.
3. Do you prefer canon pairings or when writers break away from the norm?
I’ve really only read canon pairings, for the most part. ‘Star Mile’ kind of breaks away from the norm in the beginning, but sticks to mostly canon up until now. I love Bella and Edward together, so when they aren’t paired together I’m not sure I’d be able to read it. Not that a fic with them not together wouldn’t be good, I’ve just never had the heart to read one.
4. Do you have any other ideas for fics up your sleeve? And if so, can you share with us what they are?
*does awkward laugh, shifting slightly* ...uh yeah. I kind of do. Sometimes when I write, genius ideas pop in my head. In reality I have 3 fics with 1 chapter because when I get an idea I write whatever floats into my mind. When I get the vision on the computer I take a step back and think through what the story would be. But for now I’ve got an Alice/Bella idea I’d really like to pursue. It was originally going to be A/J, but it made more sense for it to be A/B – it would be in their POV’s and go through their story together. It would be supernatural, with Alice’s ability coming into play and Bella having one of her own, but it would be AH.
5. What is your top ten playlist when reading or writing Fanfiction?
Spill Canvas – This Is For Keeps. Spill Canvas – Polygraph, Right Now. James Morrison ft. Nelly Furtado – Broken strings. Metric – Gimme Sympathy. Foo Fighters – Everlong. The Midway State – Change for You. Panic At The Disco – When The Day Met The Night. 3OH!3 – Don’t Trust Me. Anberlin – Dismantle. Repair. Taking Back Sunday – My Blue Heaven. With some of these, don’t question me. I have no reason at all for listening to some of them except for the fact that I like the songs. Some don’t have shit to do with what I’m writing with. Also, if an author mentions an inspiring song I will most likely check it out to get a feel for how the chapter is supposed to be read.
6. If you were to write a Charlie only fanfic, what would your basic storyline be? Give a summary.
Hmm, never thought of writing one. I’d maybe do one of him being a big time cop in Seattle or something. Maybe he finds an estranged girl names Isabella that reminds him of someone he’d lost? He could go through the motions of trying to care for her when she’s weary to accept his help. I don’t really know, just throwing something out there, haha.
7. If there was no Edward (God forbid) which other twilight character would steal your heart & why?
Jasper. I really just love him oodles and oodles. He’s such a complete sweetheart in Twilight, even though it’s very difficult for him to control himself. What he has with Alice is the most adorable thing and Jasper is awesome in both the story and in fics. He’s my second favourite Twilight guy : ) Edward being the first.
8. What do you really think of Jacob?
In all honesty I HATED Jacob, but now I don’t mind him so much. He was pivotal in New Moon, and I’m STOKED to see it in November, but in fics he’s sometimes portrayed as the bad guy. I’m really not here or there with him, but his character is laid back, and in fics if he’s that kind of guy then I’m happy. I also don’t like when he tries to go after Bella in fics as a romantic interest, it makes my blood boil ; )
9. You’ve won a trip to Isle Esme, what 3 things would you bring & why?
*squeals* ME? REALLY! How exciting. I would bring my iPod, because I would need music and um, my boyfriend? Is that an option, and if so, then I would definitely bring some type of contraception. I don’t think that needs an explanation ; ) But I wouldn’t want Isle Esme to do the same to me as it did to Bella.
10. If you were a vampire what would your power be?
I think my power would be getting people to tell me their thoughts, or the truth. I have this habit of making people talk to me when something’s wrong. I never really get into fights with people, and if I do I don’t sulk like a child and wait until they apologize first. I literally sit there and make them tell me why they’re pissed and make it all better. As a result I don’t think I’ve ever been in an actual fight with my boyfriend, haha. We bicker like an old, married couple, but I’ve never fought with him until the point that I didn’t want to talk to him, because I MAKE him tell me what’s wrong. So that would be my power, getting the truth or thoughts from people. Not mind reading per say, maybe a Persuasion type of thing.
11. Which was your favourite Twilight book & why?
I think my favourite is Twilight. When I read Breaking Dawn I had a dilemma because I loved it just as much as the first one; I think vampire Bella is completely awesome. But re-reading Twilight I realize why I fell in love with series, and watch as Bella goes through something totally new and bizarre. It’s the rush of new love with a combination of the mysterious and supernatural. I think it’s fascinating.
12. If your life were a fanfic what would the title be?
“A Long, Strange Road” ...don’t ask. My life has been relatively normal thus far, but as nobody knows what they could be doing in five years I think it’s fitting. I mostly chose it because of my past. My parents divorced when I was 7 and we moved around a few times. We moved to the city we’re in now (me, my brother, and my mother), and she got engaged; as did my dad. When I was 14 they got back together...I know? Crazy, right? After being apart for 7 years they got back together and we’ve lived in the house we’re in now ever since. So...it’s been a long, strange road so far; I only wonder what will happen next.
Don't forget to check out Last First Kiss if you haven't already, and don't forget authors of fanfic don't get paid! All they ask for is your time to review!
Till next time....
penning off
Chaz x
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