To start us off, tell us a little bit more about yourselves, other than what it says on the sidebar; i.e. family, interests, likes, dislikes, favorite music, etc.
Cullen818 - I'm a thirty something stay-at-home mom to two wonderful boys. I write for a Broadway website, reviewing shows and writing story synopsis. I'm married to a very patient man, who only mildly complains about my FF obsession. I'm currently working on a non-Twilight short story that I hope to submit to an e-books publisher.
Jasper's Darlin' Kathy - My name is Kathy and I love to read, write, listen to music, but my favorite thing to do is spend time with my daughter. She is a 10 year old and we have so much in common. She is as addicted to the Twilight universe as I am, but her favorite character is Edward and mine is Jasper. I listen to Nickelback, Daughtry, Kings of Leon, Shinedown, 100 Monkeys, and so much more. I love scary movies. Halloween is my all time favorite scary movie ever. I also love action movies and of course, vampire movies. I love the outdoors, but unfortunately I don’t always have time for outside. I also love yoga, but rarely get the chance to do my routine. So there’s a little bit about me. Wanna know more, feel free to ask and I shall answer.
How did you get into writing in the first place?
Cullen818 - I've always liked to write. I have tons of short stories just laying around, but I never know what to do with them. I have a degree in journalism, and maybe someday I'll use it. I've been out of it for so long and when I stumbled onto FF, trying to fuel my Twilight obsession, I thought maybe I should try this.
Jasper's Darlin' Kathy - I had the storyline for A New Love playing around in my head for a while, but I couldn’t bring myself to put it on paper. I was reading Fate Has Brought Us Here and I contacted Steph (Cullen818) and spoke to her about my story. She encouraged me to write my story and offered to be my beta. I was so excited that she wanted to beta for me that I think I squealed. In fact, I’m sure I did. Like a fangirl. So that’s how I started writing. If not for Steph, I wouldn’t have any stories written today.
Tell us a bit about your writing process and how you come up with your fantastic ideas…
Cullen818 - Jasper and Edward talk to me. That's the only way I can describe it. I find both of them to be such intriguing characters, especially when given the opportunity to tweak the original creations. An idea pops into my head and then I start running the scenarios and try to figure out how to make the fic work. I have so many ideas in my head, but enough time to write them all.
Jasper's Darlin' Kathy - My writing process is a bit odd, or it’s odd to me. I don’t write an outline or even know what’s going to happen from chapter to chapter most of the time. Usually, I sit down with my laptop and just start typing. Sometimes I’m satisfied with what I have and sometimes I’m not. There isn’t really a process to my writing except with You’ll Be Mine; with that story me and Steph put our heads together and we come up with the chapter that we are writing.
Do you ever base your writing on personal experiences (obviously not the vampire bits – LOL) and do you do your own research?
Cullen818 - No, since I like writing supernatural, I can't really base it on personal experience. I've always been a big fan of soap operas, and so much of my FF writing comes from that... paternity testing, kidnapping, breakdowns, cliffhangers. Now can you see where I get it?
Jasper's Darlin' Kathy - I do, do my own research from time to time, when the chapter calls for it. None of the things that my characters experience are from my own personal experiences. I don’t think I could incorporate into my story any of my own experiences, although it would be awesome if I did have an encounter with a vampire, preferably Jasper.
Which FanFic author do you admire the most and what are some of your favorite fics out there?
Cullen818 - LaViePastiche does it for me. I love her Jasper. And, her writing is just fantastic. Some of my favorite fics... Finding Forgiveness by TwistedforTwilight, The Dominant and The Training by Tara Sue Me, A Forbidden Love by Jasper's Darlin Kathy. There are so many more, but these are currently the ones I can't do without.
Jasper's Darlin' Kathy - The FanFic author that I admire the most is Cullen818. She is truly my inspiration, my idol, the one I admire the most, and my friend. She is an amazing writer and an even better person. She is a kind and gentle creature that I am honored to know. Some of my favorite fics, let’s see. I love everything that Steph has written, Colliding Meteors, Save a Horse, When Darkness Turns to Light, there are so many that are my favorite. It’s hard to name them all.
How does it make you feel when reviewers are unnecessarily rude, or try to correct you on plot issues, when it is clearly going to be different from the original, since you are writing your own story?
Cullen818 - The rude reviews are the hardest part of the FF process for me. I don't think that some readers understand how much goes into the writing process. We all love Twilight, but some of us just have a different view. I write FF because it makes me happy, and from what I can tell, 99% of my readers like it, but there are always a few who find it necessary to tell you how horrible you are. My advice to readers would be, if you don't like the direction an author is taking the story, then quietly move on to the next one. I'm not saying that you can't offer constructive criticism, but there is a way to do it without hurting the author’s feelings. We're writing for you!
Jasper's Darlin' Kathy - Sometimes reviewers can be downright harsh, and it hurts your feelings or makes you want to pull your stories. Sometimes these reviewers make you want to retaliate, but the way it makes you feel tends to leave a mark. I have spoken to Steph several times about harsh reviews that I’ve received, and it helps having someone to talk to because honestly, there has been quite a few times when I have received a harsh or rude review where I wanted to pull my stories and tell the reviewer to go fuck themselves, but I thought better of it. I know that my stories are my own, and there is always going to be someone who doesn’t like what I am writing. You just learn to deal with it.
What tips would you give any would-be writers out there?
Cullen818 - Follow your heart. It's your story and you need to write it the way you envision it. Get a Beta! I didn't have one for my first two stories, and I clearly should have. I'm now in the process of revising Fate (right, Carol!). It's a daunting task! A writer is too close to their own story and another set of eyes (or in my case two extra sets if eyes) can only make you look better!
Jasper's Darlin' Kathy - I would tell them to go for it. Don’t let the fear of writing stop you. Give it a try, you might like it and you may just have one hell of a story waiting to be unleashed. Find a beta and write, write, and write. Don’t let anyone discourage you from writing your story.
Let’s talk about You’ll Be Mine…
Cullen818 - When Kathy and I started this, it was only supposed to be Darksper. We found him extremely sexy and realized that there just wasn't enough of him out there. Then as we got going, we thought, what if Edward was dark too. Two times the fun! Bella is a lucky girl! I think a vampire should be dark. I'm not saying that he can't have redeeming qualities, but they're just sexier when they're rough, dominant and tortured. Think Angelus, from Buffy. (Sidenote from Carol : You had me at Angelus... mmmmm)
Jasper's Darlin' Kathy - Hmm, I think we decided to write a Darksper/Darkward fic because, well, they are just too sexy not to write. No, we like the darkness and we enjoy playing with Darksper and Darkward. They are two characters that you just don’t get to see enough of. Darksper appeals to me on so many levels. He’s dangerous already, but when you make him dark, oh what wonderful things happen. He’s sexy and irresistible. I want him for myself. Darkward, oh my damn, what can I say? He is fuckhot as Darkward. I mean give me a Darkward any day that says “I’m going to fuck you” and I just melt. I want to lick him. But when you put Darksper and Darkward together, I want to lick and nibble every inch of those sexy vamps. (Sidenote from Carol : You had me at lick and nibble... mmmmm)
Do you enjoy the collaborative process and how do you decide who writes what?
Cullen818 - I really do enjoy the process. We fuel one another, and Kathy gets my naughty side going. I've used words in this story that make me blush! We are very compatible. We get on g-chat and start throwing out ideas and before we know it, we have the whole chapter written. She does really well with Darkward, and I like writing the dominate side of Jasper. Occasionally we switch, but either way it always works out.
Jasper's Darlin' Kathy - I do very much enjoy the collaborative process. It’s a process that is fun and amazing. We get together and talk about what we want to happen in the next chapter and then we write it. As for who writes what, we just ask the other “do you want to write Jasper or Edward?” It’s as simple as that.
Are there any pitfalls that people should watch out for, if they thinking about collaborating with another writer? What would you advise?
Cullen818 - You have to be remember that it isn't just your story. You have to listen to what the other author wants or your flow won't happen. Like I said, Kathy and I work really well together and I think that's why this story works. We're on the same page.
Jasper's Darlin' Kathy - Collaborating with another writer can be an easy thing if you know the author. I wouldn’t advise writing with an author that you are unfamiliar with. You should know what their writing abilities are and what kind of stories they write best. I think the best advice to give writers wanting to collaborate would be, don’t take this lightly and go into this process with your eyes open, knowing what you want to do.
Do you have a preference for whose POV you write?
Cullen818 - I like writing JPOV, especially when he gets controlling and dark, but lately I've been enjoying playing with Edward. Making him talk dirty is fun.
Jasper's Darlin' Kathy - Yeah, I prefer writing Darkward. I think I write him better than I write Darksper and Steph has a knack for writing Darksper. Hell, she has that same knack for writing Darkward.
Any hints as to when we are going to find out what is going on with Darksper and Darkward, and what the hell is in Texas causing all this? I can’t speak for anyone else, but I’m DYING to know!
Cullen818 - Well... if you read the last chapter, you know that they are headed to Texas. We will reveal what is causing them to change, but first we have a road trip to write, and some pretty hot scenes between Jasper and Bella. Oh, and I think that we may have something big planned for Edward, concerning what he wants to do with Bella. Stay tuned...
Jasper's Darlin' Kathy - Well, I will tell you this, the next chapter will be a very fun and interesting one to write. Our favorite dark vamps will finally get back to Texas, but you’ll just have to stick around for the ride to find out what we have awaiting our hot and sexy men. I promise, you won’t be disappointed.
Thank you for taking the time to answer my questions, ladies. I had great fun doing this! I know I've said this before, but I'll say it again... I love being part of this blog with you both.
Stay tuned for more Author Interviews in the near future...
Thanks Carol for this fantastic interview! I love doing this blog with you guys too! Can't wait to see where we take it:)
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