Okay, so, I am quite pleased to be helping Dana bring back the Interview with the Author section. I hope everyone enjoys reading the interviews just as much as I do.

And, it was, of course, a pleasure to conduct this one with our very own Blondie. So, before I start gushing about her talent and perfection (no doubt i'll add a reply with that. haha) I shall post the interview.

Oh, and Blondie's story, Spilled Coffee, will be pinned for the next two weeks in The Lads section, for those of you who have yet to check it out. And, trust me, you totally should! :)





Interview with the Author

1. So, tell us who Blondie is.....

Well, it is me, silly! Alright, alright, I'll go a bit more in depth than that. Blondie is a girl who likes long walks along the beach, cuddling with baby kitties, relaxing with a good brew with some friends and her number one biggest turn off is smoking.

Oh...sorry, wrong interview. *grins* Okay, I'll be serious for a moment. When I said earlier that Blondie is me, it is the truth. Many people have manifestations of themselves on the internet which allow them to be someone outside their normal self. For me, that isn't the case. Blondie is me through and through. For example, Blondie is actually one of my many nicknames in real life. Yes, if you were to call out the name Blondie on the street, I would turn and wave. The persona that I am in the world of online is essentially my every day persona. There is no holding back with me, granted I do withhold some information, not everyone needs to know that I like to coordinate my undergarments (just incase I were to be rushed off to the hospital, I would hate to be known as the blonde girl that was wearing lime green knickers with an orange polka-dotted bra! Oh the horror!) If I had to sum myself up in a few words, I would say that I’m a very good natured (think the girl next door nice type) out going individual who loves to laugh and make others chuckle on a regular basis. Oh, and I have a hard time saying no to a good beer.

2. When and why did you decide to start writing fan fics? Did you have any sort of experience in writing before this? Tell us a little bit about the story you are currently writing....

Funny story, okay, maybe not so funny but somewhat entertaining about how I got into this whole fan fic writing deal. A while back I joined an Elijah Wood forum, it was my first experience in the whole fandom and fangirl world and I was just amazed at what there was to offer. Being a reading enthusiast, I felt like I had died and gone to heaven when I realized that there were tons of people out there writing stories that revolved around my LOTR loves. I dove head first into this world of fan fics and couldn’t get enough of it. I was reading two or three completed fics (and I’m talking monsters here, very long) a day, not to mention keeping up with all the ongoing fictions. It was during that time that I stumbled upon an amazing writer *cough*Amber*cough* who captivated me with her stories. As time moved on, I began to think about different things that characters in my favorite fan fics could do, or say. That is when it hit me. Hey, I could do this. I could write a story about Viggo falling madly in love with me and entertain some of my girls with my silly antics. With the encouragement of previously mentioned author, I set off on this great journey of writing fan fics. Not only did writing fan fics allow me to spell out some of my fantasies on paper but it proved to be an excellent diversion from studying.

Previous to my fan fic writing years, I had dabbled here and there in writing short stories. I used to be really involved in it when I was younger, grade and middle school. I’m not really sure what happened, why I sort of lost touch with this small creative side of me, but I did. It was very invigorating, exciting and challenging to awaken this side of me that was buried so deep beneath layers and layers of scientific and logical thinking.

*laughs* So you want to know a little bit about the never ending story I am writing. Well, it is called Spilled Coffee and it is my baby. It is the story that brought me back into the creative world and into the world of fan fics. It is a very very long story and one that I will probably still be writing when I am 100. Partly due to my love of running dialogue, the fact that real life always seems to interrupt my writing flow and I am extremely long winded. As you can see from this interview. Other than that, if I were to tell you any more…I would have to kill you, as it is top secret information (aka if I were to try and explain it more in depth we would be here for days).

3. You have a unique and extremely humorous style to your writing, where does your inspiration come from?

*blushes furiously* Wow, unique and extremely humorous. *snorts* I don’t know if I would go that far, but thank you. I’m flattered. To be honest, a lot of my inspiration comes from my daily life. My life is rather plain (or at least I think so), and so I like to spice it up by looking for drama and humor in every little detail. I’m also a klutz, and somewhat ditzy from time to time, so that gets me into some rather humorous situations. Also, I look toward my little fantasy “perfect” dream world for inspiration. You know, create situations in my head that I would like to see, be a part of, etc, etc.

4. Which authors do you admire? (Real life and on this site)

Wow…how long do we have? This could take a while. I’ll be brief…try to at least.

Let’s start with real life first. I absolutely, 100% adore Stephen King. He is like the ultimate author for me. I read my first King novel when I was like 11 or so and I was instantly enchanted. He just has this flow, this cadence if you will, that hooks you and takes you on this amazing wild ride. His descriptions are so descriptive that they are bone tingling. Gah, I’m gushing here. Seriously, he is the man.

As far as EWAC authors…another tough one. So many amazing authors who all have their own flair and individual writing style. I am enraptured by Mena’s amazing skill with weaving metaphors into her story. Ambrosia, aka The Material Girl, wows me every time with her characterization. No lie, every story of hers makes me want to be best friends with her characters. JaimeGirl is outstanding when it comes to juggling multiple story lines and for her dry, sarcastic wit. Elijahfan14 is killing me with mystery and suspense in Vampirism. White Andie is another favorite, for her silly light hearted all around fun stories. Um...um…gosh, there are so many more. I’m going to stop here before I have named every author at EWAC.

5. How big of a place does writing have in your life? And, other than writing, do you have any artistic sides?

I wish I could say writing has a huge place in my life, but compared to other things writing seems to take the backseat as opposed to the driver’s seat. Sad, I know. Writing is my little past time, my hobby, my little secret indulgence to help me stay sane while dealing with all the rigorous and *naughty word* university has to offer. In other words, while I am in school, writing is my number one procrastination device and is done as frequently as possible. But during summer time, my writing seems to get shoved aside and real life takes over.

*laughs out loud* An artistic side other than writing? Don’t I wish! I’m probably the least artistic person around. I don’t play any musical instruments (although I wish I did), I can’t draw to save my life (even my stick people are horrendous), I sing horribly off key at all times (I’m decent at karaoke if I do say so myself), and I do that silly white girl type of dancing. So in other words, no, I do not have any other artistic sides. Unless you count decorating my house, but trust me, I wouldn’t win any awards for that either. *shakes head* Geez, that is depressing.

Moving on…

6. I've often heard you say that you use writing as a study break...does it relax you, or is it like a fun escape for you?

Well, I’ve already briefly touched on this. Writing is one of my favorite study breaks, well that and having my very own private dance party. I look at writing as something that not only relaxes me, but as you said, it is an escape for me. I can lock away all the crazy knowledge that I am expected to retain regarding the endocrine system and lose myself in a world where two incredibly hot actors are lusting after me and willing to fight to the grave for my affection. :)



7. What methods do you have of dealing with writer's block?

Ugh…writer’s block. Or as I like to call it, my muse going on an extended hiatus. *shudders at the very thought* For me, I usually just take some time and roll with the inability to write. I find that if I force myself to write through a block I end up writing all rubbish and I delete it all anyway. So for me it is best to just kind of ride it out and hope and pray to the gods for some inspiration. If it is a really bad case of writer’s clock, I will go back and analyze my story and see if I can change the direction. Sometimes I am just hung up on a going in a specific direction and my muse just doesn’t love that idea. Changing the story line can refresh the story itself and make writing fun and exciting again.

8. What different genres, if any, would you like to attempt writing? What do you feel would challenge you the most?

HA! How about anything other than comedy?! I find that I am really challenged when it comes to stepping outside of the boundary that I like to call comedy. I get all nervous and shaky if I attempt “serious” writing and I usually avoid it because I get uncomfortable. That would be the “avoidance” factor in my personality shinning through.

As far as challenging me the most, it would be a tie between hard core mental angst combined with some drama and sexy smut. Also, I think doing a joint fic would be a challenge for me. A fun thing, but a challenge none the less. It would be difficult to adjust to not having complete control over all the characters. As challenging as it may be, I think it would be fun to work with someone else, share ideas, and see a work of art meld together despite coming from individuals with different writing styles.

9. Do you consider yourself an organized writer (make outlines and notes) or do you have a more whimsical, creative approach?

I’m a very structured and organized person when it comes to university, so when it comes to writing I like to break out of my mold. I’m a fly by the seat of my pants kind of girl. In other words, I like to wing my stories. I will just sit down at the computer and see where the words take me. I leave it in the hands of my characters. Once I have an idea of where I would like to go, I will sometimes jot down some notes to help me keep my timeline straight and just other miscellaneous facts so that I don’t get things jumbled in my mind.

10. Do your characters set where the story is heading, or do you find characters that match the storyline you already have in your head?

When I think up a story line, I’m already formulating how my character is going to deal with certain situations and a basic idea of their personalities. I like to think of situations and then come up with emotional responses and the dialogue. But occasionally I will have a situation in mind and I find I need another character, an accessory character, and I will match that character’s personality to the situation that I am trying to create/deal with.


11. Are the characters you create inspired by people you already know or are they just a creation of your mind? Basically, what shapes them?

My characters are a little bit of both. Like most authors I pull inspiration from my own life and the lives of my friends. Certain personality types or ways of dealing with things are definitely taken from the people that surround me. But at other times, I will create a character so unlike anyone I know, and I run free with that and give them a life of their own.

I like to include traits and characteristics of my friends in my characters as a little tribute to them. *shrugs shoulders* I don’t know, I enjoy reading stories and seeing myself or a semblance of myself in them, I figure other people like it too. If not, oops, sorry girls!

12. When I'm reading your work, I always find myself laughing aloud, how do you think make your characters so funny and interesting?

And again, I’m blushing, really you are too kind. Thank you. *whispers* Feel free to keep throwing compliments my way, I like ‘em. *looks around innocently* What was that?

Anyway, to be honest with you, I’m not sure how I make my characters so funny and interesting. By nature I’m a silly girl, so I guess it is just natural for me to try and make my characters the same way. Usually what I do is write, write and write, and then I go back and read what I’ve written. If I manage to make myself smirk once or twice or even giggle out loud, I consider it a success and move on. Essentially, I’m my biggest fan. I like to laugh and so when I write, I try to capture moments that I think are funny, silly or interesting. And hope to the high heavens that it translates the same way to others.

13. Is there anything you would like to share with us, you think is important/ funny/ handy to know?

Well, first of all, I encourage everyone who hasn’t made it to the fan fic section to go and check it out. EWAC has some pretty amazing authors and I think you would be seriously missing out if you didn’t at least read one story.

Second of all, just for reference – I enjoy karaoke and beer. If you are ever in my neck of the woods, give me a call and I’ll take you out for some of Milwaukee’s finest beer and some not so good but at the very least entertaining karaoke.

And lastly, the roar that we hear when we place a seashell next to our ear is not the ocean, but rather the sound of blood surging through the veins in the ear. Any cup-shaped object placed over the ear produces the same effect. True story. Give it a try.

Okay, so, uhhh, yeah, I am going to comment on the interview I conducted myself!

:laugh:

Ah, I loved reading this so much...it was soooo Blondie! I had a huge grin the whole while, you know. See, even in a interview you make me laugh! I wuv my Blondie bear so much!

Okay, must tell you thanks for the compliments you snuck in for me in that interview...tsk tsk, it was supposed to be about you! ^_^ But, honestly, I never knew that I had a big influence on you starting to write Spilled Coffee, and it pleases me greatly, for, obviously, that is one of my favorite fics ever. Speaking of....update? For, you know, your fic is going to be pinned for the next two weeeekssss. Oh, I guess I forgot to mention that. hahahaha!

Again, fabulous interview, it made me all happy...it was almost like having a real conversation with you!

*hugs*

I really enjoyed reading this interview ^_^ they were great questions and your answers were awesome Blondie! I haven't read Spilled Coffee, up until now the size has intimidated me a little, but I'm definitely going to try and catch up now :)

:love:

LMAO!!! Oh honey, I love you!!!!

Seriously, when I saw the heading "Interview With Blondie" I went "squee!!!" You're beautiful, wonderful, smart, funny, sweet, boisterous...all the things I love in a person! And that was a great interview, you really are a unique person, and I love you (and your writing!) for it! *hugs*

Jaime

Amber first of all big compliments for this interview!!
You really did an awesome job with it.
Thanks for such a lovely beginning to what I hope will be a long line of great interviews!!!

Blondie...it was great to read morre about you!
I do know your fic of course, I enjoyed reading it so much and I hope we will be getting loads more of it *hint nudge hint*
But it is really nice to get to know more about the person behind the fic, behind the author.
In many ways you remind me of your lead character in Spilled Coffee...and that can only be a good thing because I think she is adorable, funny and witty.
Great reading this...and I hope you will b staying on ewac for a long time!
:hug:

*nods furiosly*
eaven knows you deserved an interview, babe!! Ad, I was so excited to read it!
Amber, you made an outsanding job with the questions!

Yes, it was funny to read it, because you got some special talent to make people smile, Sunshine. I was noddin and giggling, but also scrolling my head: too many blushes!! Gee, you're one of the best writers this board ever hosted, will you ever admit that?

It was fat luck when you joined, otherwise I would have missed a great story, and most of all a great person!

:hug:

Hey Blondie,

It was great to read about you and your inspiration for writting. Spill Coffee is a brilliantly funny fic and I hope you can get some new writer. Thanks for doing the interview, feels like I've got to know you a little better.

With love
Anneka

:blush:

Oh ladies, thank you all for the wonderful compliments. You are all too kind.

Thank you again for the opportunity for the inteview, I really am honored and it was a very pleasant experience.

Yay!

Blondie! Fabulous interview girl! You had me giggling more than once while reading. Heehee...
Thanks for the shout out to Vampirism and it mystifying you! ^_^

LOL! Only you would come up with something outrageous like this to end an interview with. That was awesome.

:yay:

~Stacy~