We at TFA are proud to announce our first ever Author of the month is none other than Maniac Motherland! Here are the questions she graciously answered for our inquiring minds. Please be sure to stop by her facebook page or her fanfiction profile to read her stuff and giver her your thanks!
1. Tell us as much about yourself as you would like to share.
A friend asked me recently when I was going to move up to the Pacific Northwest, and I answered: “Oh no. Oh no. Bury my bones in Arizona, and cover my heart with cactus when I die.” That pretty much sums up huge chunks of my personality and history.
2. How and when did you become aware of Twilight?
I was born and raised (but am no longer) a Mormon, so I heard about it through some family members at first, since Stephenie Meyer is LDS. Then one evening in December 2008, I got online and saw a publicity still of Bella and Edward at prom. It literally took my breath away. Still reeling from the impact of that image, I had a dream that night where I was at the Forks prom with Edward (yes, lucky me, I was Bella) and I can still remember the feel of the fabric of Edward’s coat as we danced. It wasn’t until June 2009, however, that a friend convinced me to see the movie, out on DVD at that point, and gave me a copy of the first book to read. Sure, yeah, whatever, not the best thing I’d ever read, but by the time Edward sauntered into the cafeteria, I was hooked. Big nasty drooling addiction. So the next day, I bought the entire series on Amazon, with overnight express shipping, and then gave away my first copy to another friend. Then I read the series over and over and over and over again until August 2009 when there was nothing left to wring out of the narrative and I started to jones for something more.
3. When was the first time you came across FanFiction?
See answer to #2, August 2009. Truth is, my own personal story is the story of a thousand other writers and readers as well. I was frustrated with the fade to black in “Breaking Dawn” and desperately needed something to feed my Edward Cullen obsession. So I typed a random line from the first Twilight book into Google and POP! found a story entitled “The Boy in the Window” (which sadly isn’t up at FFNet anymore). From there, it was only a matter of time before I started writing my own stories. My first piece was set on Isle Esme, alternating EPOV and BPOV in jump-cuts back and forth, on their wedding night. It was entitled “Something Pretty, Delicate, and Preferably Blue.” It got some buzz in contests and on blogs, but is not currently available anywhere online to read. Maybe some day, quien sabes?
4. Where do get your inspiration for your stories?
Music mainly. Sometimes a line from a book or TV show or movie will prompt me as well. Beyond that, when I sit down to flesh out the characters, I rely on my several decades of living to make it all seem real. And whenever I write Charlie Swan as a crusty old cowboy from Arizona, I always fall back on my dad’s personality and history.
5. Do you write for any other fandoms or just Twilight?
Harry Potter, Harry/Cedric slash fic. I adore Ginny Weasley, but I truly think that Cedric was Harry’s first love. You can find “Same Time, Same Place” at TWCS.
6. Who is you favorite character to write?
I write third person mainly, so I hop back and forth and get a chance to visit everyone’s mind at some point. I like writing Bella, but only my particular brand of Bella whom I have dubbed Arizonella. Of course, Edward is a great character… but only if he is fairly canon. I don’t mind fiddling around with other characters, but for me to enjoy Edward, he cannot be a man-whore. I call him Nobleward. Beyond all that, I would have to say Charlie is my absolute favorite character to write, as a grumpy and rude and protective cowboy daddy. In fact, I have just written a new story about Charlie and Sue, set in a small town in Arizona where Charlie is the football coach. It is fluffy not smutty, and so I will post it at FFNet as soon as I finish it, since I now make a distinct division on which stories get posted at which location.
7. Who would you say is the easiest character to write for you?
Again, I slip into Charlie’s head very easily, but Carlisle’s as well. I probably have unresolved daddy’s issues. So sue me.
8. Who is your favorite Twilight character?
Do you mean my *second* favorite character after Edward Cullen? That would probably have to be Charlie. Then Jasper and Alice, as a couple. There is so much potential there to be relegated to mere supporting characters. Stephenie Meyer should write an entire series just about them instead of the short and unfulfilling life of Bree Tanner, or even “Midnight Sun” at this point (please don’t shoot me for saying that).
One brief addendum, my version of Angela Weber, whom I christened Agnes in “Bella’s Cowboy Romance”, was crafted as a loving tribute to my Mormon grandmothers and great-grandmothers who all died and were buried in Arizona, like I would like to be one day. If I were to say which is my favorite Twilight character of my own interpretation or making, it would have to be Agnes the good little Mormon girl, then Madeleine the French prostitute. So it was very sad that they were the two characters that drew the most ire from my haters on FFNet. Then again, I think that at least two of those haters were the same person. And one of them might have even been an ex-friend with a grudge.
9. Which character would you identify with the most?
In the books? Probably Carlisle. But, then again, my personality is much more Alice. It really annoys me how little room for humanity she is granted in the bulk of B&E twific. Just a stock character, the comic relief. Instead, I like her tough and smart. And Bella needs a major make-over from the novels for me to like her as well. I also feel a strong connection to Sue Clearwater because of her native heritage, and the fact that Arizona has huge tracts of Indian reservations. She reminds me of Thomas’ mother from “Smoke Signals”, which was a great movie.
10. How has your experience with the posting sites been? i.e. Fanfiction.net, The Writers Coffee Shop, Twilighted or any other sites you may post on.
I have only posted stories at FFNet and TWCS, never Twilighted. The latter’s process of review just seemed like too much work for a hobby.
As stated previously, FFNet was the first fanfic site I encountered, and it is huge and easily accessible. Which was very helpful for a newbie like me, back in August 2009. Now I realize that more controls would have been better. For example, I didn’t really understand the difference between M-rated and MA-rated material when I first started, so I read some M-rated stuff at FFNet and said, “Okay, I will just copy that level of sexuality.” Turns out, that the vast majority of M-rated stuff on FFNet is against the rules but since nearly everyone is doing it, how is a newbie to know they are breaking the rules? And who decides who gets targeted and pulled? It all seems rather random and capricious to me.
Which means, now older and a little wiser, I amputated my FFNet account down to just a few stories and moved everything else to TWCS. I get fewer reviews there, which was a hard blow to my ego, but the site has better features, plus a MA-rated (i.e. NC-17 rated) category, so I am now legal. And it feels good to be legal.
11. Do you have any grievances with your experiences?
FFNet does not monitor its site enough. It’s like the Wild West. Anything goes, most people don’t follow the rules, and so there is vigilante justice, and you can get attacked just for walking down the street. Which is why I only post fluff at FFNet and all my smut-fluff is at TWCS.
12. What do you prefer writing--fluff, angst, smut?
I used to write a fair amount of smut, but lately I have drifted more towards fluff. And my smut was never that smutty to begin with, so I now call it smut-fluff. Beyond that, I am a real stickler for being historically accurate. I don’t really care for angst too much; I would rather read tales of honor and courage and lust and sacrifice and incredible acts of derring-do.
13. Do you bring personal experiences into your stories?
I was told by a hater that my story “Bella’s Cowboy Romance” was meta-fiction; that is to say, it was writing about the writing process itself with a strong inclusion of my point of view. And they were completely right, to a degree. That story was immensely personal for me. It took a lot of persuading to get me to consider reposting it at TWCS. See #19 for when that will be. I am only waiting for a banner. And, of course, I am trying to finish “Just Like a Woman” as well.
14. What kind of research do you do for your stories if any?
Aye carrumba! I research all kinds of things like: were there Sharpies around in 1968? How about ultrasound machines? when was the Hotel Tucson built? when was the Tucson Airport built? what are some major streets in Chicago? what are the correct titles for various ranks in the Roman army? And I antique all the names in my stories. So Angela because Agnes, and Jessica and Lauren become Edith and Edna (or vice versa, I can’t remember anymore).
15. What is your favorite book and part of the Twilight Saga?
I felt a strong emotional connection to “New Moon” the first time I read it, but since I am not Team Jacob (he’s a nice enough guy, don’t get me wrong… but Edward Cullen is S-M-O-K-I-N’), the second time around I had to skip through all the werewolf stuff and was kind of bored. So I would have to say the UST of “Eclipse” was ultimately the best part of the series for me.
16. What is your least favorite?
Although, once again, I found him extremely sympathetic, the shift to Jacob’s POV in the middle of “Breaking Dawn” was uneven and confusing for me. I mean, if a writer is going to alternate POV, they should do it from the get-go and not randomly at the end. Plus, the “epic” battle at the end of “Breaking Dawn” was lame (can I get an Amen?), and I look forward to the movies improving upon the books in this regard. So I would have to go with “Breaking Dawn” after Isle Esme as my least favorite. Not that I’m going to miss the movie or anything. Because G-damn-it, I want to see buttcheeks in that movie! You listening Summit?
17. Which was the first fanfic story you read?
Like #3 says, the unfinished twific “The Boy in the Window” was the first story I read. After that… I think “Sacrificial Lamb.” Then I strayed into Harry Potter for a bit before returning to Twilight. I confess I am not that great of a reader. It fogs up my own vision, and makes me feel less sure of myself as a reader, to be honest.
18. If you write multiple fics, which one has been the most enjoyable for you to write and why?
I only have one WIP currently, “Just Like a Woman” at TWCS, which is in its final chapters. And the last chapters are always the hardest, with all those loose ends to tie up. The best part of that story, for me, is the music.
“Bella’s Cowboy Romance” meant a lot to me because it was my first twific WIP and dealt with a lot of issues with faith and religion and sex and marriage and Western living and Twilight. In some ways, it was me dealing with the fact that Stephenie Meyer and I both grew up in Arizona, both went off to school at BYU (me 1988, her 1991) and I was jealous that she got the Edward Cullen dream on June 3, 2003 and not me. Then again, that is the day I came home with my precious baby girl (another strange coincidence with me and Twilight), and I wouldn’t trade my daughter for anything in this world. Not even Edward Cullen.
I also wrote a story about Edward stationed at Hadrian’s Wall in the 3rd century A.D. but that one will not ever be reposted. That is my ace in the hole if I ever want to file off the serial numbers and publish a “real” book instead of giving away my words for free through fanfiction.
19. Please list your links for FFNet, TWCS, Twilighted, Facebook, and Blog if it applies to you.
I don’t blog, and I don’t tweet. I just don’t have the time. But I have some M-rated fluff posted at FFNet at the following profile. On that page, there are links to my MA-rated smut-fluff posted at TWCS. I am planning on reposting “Bella’s Cowboy Romance” at that location, as soon as my awesome banner maker Ima Twi Tard finishes it for me. Because my twifey Onesweetbell says she will cut off my beer allowance if I don’t.
And, besides, screw the haters. It wasn’t *that* bad of a story. It came from the heart, and I ran a spell-check and the dates all line up. So what if I am “morally bankrupt” according to their particular standard of morality? I am not ashamed to be different. Besides, I got compared to Steinbeck and Hardy and Dreiser, so yay me! For a full account of my response to my first hater, then add me as a friend on Facebook and look in my Notes.
20. We here at Twilight Fanfic Advocacy want to thank you for taking the time to answer our questions. We have enjoyed working with you.
I am flattered to be asked, and thank you in return.
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