Chaos Dragon

How has the sabbatical been going? And are you going to come back and play with us again?

The sabbatical has been frighteningly productive! But (and I’m sure some people are going to stalk me until I live up to the next statement) I’ve been feeling a faint urge to work on my AB stuff again. It’s faint, but it’s there, which is more than I’ve had in ages and ages. Who would have guessed that walking away from the fandom for a while would really do the trick?

Have you read the last few books, and what did you think of them, especially the direction LKH has taken Edward?

I read NIC. Then I stopped reading AB and took my brain elsewhere. Honestly I have to say that from what I’ve heard I’m disappointed in the way the series is going. I’ve no inkling of how she’s taken Edward about, but I’m sworn to read whichever book she brought him back in. eventually. In all honesty I have to admit that I wasn’t entirely happy with the way she steered Edward in OB, though having him so abundantly in the entire book helped make up for it.

What are you working on now, and will you share it with us?

I’ve been writing for Danny Phantom, though my brainstorming currently crosses from Harry Potter to Naruto. More than willing to share—I thought I’d linked it in my profile in an attempt to convert people to my new haven.Chaos Dragon Always up for sharing fic, more so since I feel like I’ve made even more progress with my writing since moving. I’ve got some truly amazing pieces there, and it’s no conceit to say that. It’s the readers’ consensus. I’m also working on a novel that is tentatively titled Abby Road It’s about a girl who’s a witch and doesn’t want to be. Alas, she’s tugged into her family’s world against her will and amidst a murder for which she is framed. But isn’t that always the way of it? There’s a vague blurb for it on my ff.net profile. I’d toss it in here but it’s kind of long.

What draws you about the A/E pairing?

You know, I have no idea. Let me think on it… I think I liked Anita a lot through the beginning of the books; she was something that I’d found hard to find all those years ago: a strong female who was the main character and wasn’t… well, what she’s become I suppose. I didn’t even like Edward until I read TKD for the second time (after reading everything else in order for the second time). OB hadn’t yet been published and somehow I took it to mind that they’d be perfect for each other. That led to me finding other fans and long role-playing games via ICQ with Senna Ran, though I know no one here will remember her. That led to me actually writing the pairing.

When did you first start writing?

I can say without hesitation that my first story was written when I was in first grade. We had an in-school publishing deal run by the PTA. They selected one book a month for each month we were in school and typed it, bound it, and illustrated it. Out of nine months and in a school that held more than six hundred students, I took three months all by myself.

What inspires you to write?

To write at all I am inspired by this burning desire to share the stories in my head. To write the things I write… Well, it depends. Escape came from my desire to maim Anita, kill Richard and Jean-Claude, get Jason with Cherry, and Anita with Edward. One of my DP fics, Riding the Edge, I wrote because it was an insane idea that made me want to show people how dangerous the practice of cutting can be. Sometimes I’ll hear a song, a lyric; sometimes a news story. Sometimes dreams, and those are always the truly crazy ones. I think that I just tend to get my inspiration from anywhere I can. My muse runs on automatic.

Where'd your name come from?

That there is a secret. Well, half of it, but I’m old enough I shouldn’t be embarrassed anymore, so I’ll fess up. The very first fanfic I ever wrote was, and don’t tell anyone, a Backstreet Boys fic. I’ve written two of them (gasp) and I was so totally in love with Nick Carter when I was sixteen. And his nickname was Chaos. So I used that for months. But in a different area of the nets I used the handle Dragon because I adore them. So when I actually turned fifteen (because I came up with my handle before I wrote those nonexistent fics) I thought it would be stupid to have the two and made them one. Chaos Dragon. Of course, now I tell people that it’s because I love wreaking havoc… But there you have it.

Have you taken writing classes or is it just something you do for fun?

I’ve taken a few creative writing classes. One in middle school, one in high school. Then I became editor of the literary magazine. That was about the time I realized that you don’t need to take a class to know how to write. Or even to write well. You either have it, or you don’t, and if you don’t sometimes classes can help. I, she says with no conceit, have it. Of course if you compare the things I wrote ten years ago with what I write now… Let us only say that my old stuff makes me cringe and wish to rewrite it. But I’ve always written because I have to. There’s this need inside me to tell my stories, whether they’re original or borrowing from other authors. I don’t think that it makes me less of an author to write fanfic. In fact, I fully admit that I’ve written fic for ten years to people at work. I won’t let them read, but I’m proud of it.

Do you find yourself writing characters similar to Edward or Anita in your original pieces or other fanfictions?

That isn’t an easy question to answer. There are hundreds of characters in hundreds of fandoms that are similar. I do find myself writing characters that have some of the same personality traits a lot. I do enjoy making my female leads strong willed and self-sufficient. I’d say that they’re more reminiscent of Anita at the beginning of the series, when she had to ask for help. I don’t want any character I write to be in the Power of the Month Club. But there is usually a fundamental difference in my males. Edward = Bad Guy. Admittedly, even. Mostly I have my males as good guys. However there are two exceptions to that rule. One is named Matt Linney. He’s a bad guy, though for a good reason. And the other is Mercy (Mia) Alverado. She’d bad. Not even for a good reason. But she did try to change. It just didn’t stick so well. I’m sure one day I’ll share more.

You've written two slash pieces here on PDS, is it something you find yourself experimenting with outside of this fandom?

If the mood strikes me, I’ll do it. So far the mood has only been written in Anita world. It’ll happen elsewhere eventually. But I’ll admit that usually I stick with heterosexual couples. This is only because, for some reason, my brain resonates with certain things. I’m a huge fan of unlikely matches. Anita and Edward; Draco and Hermione; Sakura and Kakashi. In fact, there’s only one canon pairing that I enjoy. (That would be Sam and Danny in DP, because Mal and Inarra haven’t actually gotten together in Firefly…) But there’s more slash brewing inside me.

If you could give one piece of advice to someone starting out what would it be?

I know that everyone says it’s bull, but that old adage, “If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again.” Just more modern and me. You aren’t going to write like Laurell K. Hamilton overnight. Seriously, it just isn’t going to happen. BUT you can get to the point where you write that well. Practice makes perfect, and if writing is your passion you’ll practice it regularly. Beyond that, talk to the people you admire in the world of fanfic. It’ll help. Read, too, because that’s another excellent way to learn to write better.

Do you spend ages plotting out a story, or do ideas just seem to pop into your head, as your work always seems of a high quality and unpredictable?

You know it’s really funny how I do it. I find something that I want to happen, one of those momentarily brilliant flashes of inspiration, and then I build a fic around it. Strange, huh? That’s the usual run of the mill plot storming. I’ve turned to drabbles for the things that I can’t build a plot around. Or am just too lazy to, because my friends point out that I have the strangest knack for making anything plausible given enough motivation.

As someone you made fall in love with the A/E pairing, what draws you to this pairing over all the others?

I’d love to tell you some amazing story, or point out an epiphany that made me think of them as perfect, but I really have no freaking clue. I hated—I mean hated—Edward through book seven until the second reading. So go figure. I have no idea what got me into it. Let’s just call it serendipity and leave it at that.

What made you write your first slash story?

Darth Maul and Obi-Wan Kenobi. Not even joking. I used to read these funny stories at the Sith Academy, and for some reason I found myself very in love with the idea of Maul and Obi. Go figure that I managed to apply it somewhere else. If I recall correctly, I’d just read one fic or another and I wondered if Edward had ever done such a thing. Since I didn’t see him sleeping with any of the males in Anita’s life who were ‘monsters’ I hit on Burke. I often enjoy thinking of what Anita’s reaction would be to them in bed.

What do you wish to leave your readers with? or what do you hope they take away with them?

Nothing? Kidding. The only thing I want for my readers to get and take is having enjoyed the fic. I used to want to convert people to my ships, but I got past that. I really just want my stuff to be read and liked.

What published author takes your breath away?

There are far too many for me to regularly name one. Over all, it’s Mercedes Lackey right now. I’m on a big reread kick for her books right now. But if it’s just for one book, it’s tied between Orson Scott Card for Ender’s Game and Dean Koontz for Watchers. Both of them are amazing books for completely different reasons, and I recommend them to anyone.

What direction would you avoid in writing at all costs?

That can only be claimed inside fandom because I tend to allow my original stuff to go as it will if it refuses my set guidelines. I refuse, absolutely refuse, to let Anita and the Boys be happy and together in my fics. It will never, ever happen. And seeing as how I hate Richard with a passion, he will never play a large role unless he’s bad. In my Danny Phantom fandom… I’m hardcore Danny/Sam. Totally canon with that; can’t stand to see them paired with anyone else. Other than that I think that’s I’m unusually open minded with the plots and pairings. It gives me more room to be evil.

What would be a shining moment in the literary world for you?

To land a publisher who would give me an open ended contract for my Fractured Angels series. That would be the best thing in the world. Next to that it would be getting published. Period. I don’t need fame for my writing, though I won’t deny that I’d enjoy it as much as I do my notoriety in fic-land.

What would you change about ABVH world or Merry-land?

Anita would be yanked out of the Power of the Month Club in a freaking heartbeat. And Edward would ditch his little goody two shoes Donna (unless he’s already done it) and… I’d try and steer it back to the way it was before. Strong woman, self reliant, but still needs help every now and again. As for Merry… Less like soft core porn? I have no idea. I don’t mind reading about sex, but sex in every chapter is a little much even for me.

What is your personal watermark of excellence for writers?

Well, currently it’s if I ask them to coauthor a fic with me. Inside ficdom, at least. But my faves list is a pretty important thing, also. Outside of fic… well, and inside. If I can read what you’ve written repeatedly, then you have my commendation as an outstanding writer.

If you could live one scene or segment in the series, what would it be?

Truly there’s no one part that I’d like to live. Matter of fact, I don’t want to live any of it. I’m a wuss with pain, though I’m a hardcore bitch like Anita. And I just couldn’t deal with Richard like she does, though Jean-Claude is marginally more tolerable. I think. Now unless she’s gone and gotten cozy with Edward or Jason, that’s how it stands. However, if either of those happened and I’ve not read it, I’d go for that scene!

What would you like your legacy to be to the world of literature? and the world in general?

Again I think that leaving stories that have been well-enjoyed is the best thing I could ever do in the world of literature. As for the world in general, I intend to make my mark in the political scene, even if only by voting. I want to always speak my piece and advocate for things that need it. I’m very political for some reason.

What is the most painful thing for you to write? to read?

I think that the most painful thing to write is something I can’t save them from. I don’t, for the record, enjoy killing Edward and Anita off, alone or together. Not unless there’s some way for a happy ending. I’m a sucker for the sap, though I enjoy the angst that takes me there. Writing things that I know will never get me a happy ending are just painful and hard and I hate doing it. Reading wise I don’t like, honestly, reading anything but Edward and Anita fics in the AB fandom. I’m a snob about it. Rarely read anything outside of that pairing.

How much influence does music have on your writing?

Unless the thing I decide to write is a song fic that was inspired by a song, then absolutely nothing. I usually start writing with one ear to the music, but then I go completely into the story and really don’t hear anything unless my son interrupts me. But I’ll admit that mostly I listen to alternative rock when I head into a writing session. If not that then a Josh Groban mix.

Why angst? Are you drawn to it in general or does the A/E pairing bring it out in you?

Actually I’ve discovered I am just good at angst. I’m kind of evil anyhow, but I get to torment and torture the characters who can’t stop me or fight back. It’s a good outlet, I find, and then I get to try and make a happy ending. It’s just my thing.

What is it about Edward that makes him intriguing to you?

Umm…. What doesn’t? I mean, he’s gorgeous (and damn Anita for never realizing it) and there’s just something… intense about him. From the self-control to his obvious talent for violence. I’ll own up to being a firearms and blade enthusiast—had I not been a woman I’d have been a sniper in the U.S. Army. That certainly helps me enjoy him so much. And the apparent lack of conscience is the enigma that keeps me there. is he really as cold blooded and evil as he seems? Or is that a good heart buried in that dark exterior? There are too many arguments on both sides and I love every single one of them.

What are your methods for 'getting in the characters heads'?

I don’t actually get into their heads, per se. If I write third person I tend to have it like a little mental movie, writing it as I see it in my mind’s eye. And if from first person then I write in that format. Sometimes I have to actually get into their heads for reactions sake, but usually when I do that digging up past experiences and talking to random people helps. I’ve been known to, and mind you I’m an introvert in person, stop strangers in the café to ask them what they would do in this or that situation. Believe me, there’s nothing like asking someone what they would do if confronted by a blood-covered assassin with a Beretta trained on their head. I’ve done that one actually. They, ah, told me to leave before they called the police. (But see? That was still an answer… of sorts.)

How much of real-life experience influences your writing?

I don’t know whether it’s lucky or not to be able to say that for a time I could compare certain things to Anita’s life. My family is a long line of law enforcement types, and I was around a lot of nasty elements. When I was in college I ended up involved with (working, nothing more) a guy that forcibly reminded me of Edward with that enigma quality and the steel will. I used him often as a measuring pole for my fictional Edward’s. So yes, real life does influence it a great deal since I’m able to draw in the follies of my youth.

Do you think or wish that there was any hope for Edward and Anita in canon?

I wish that there was hope, but I know that there’s not. Especially not with the mess Anita’s life is now thanks to LKH. I believed that there was a moment, back in TKD. There he was, protecting her, and then it withered and died. I gave up true hope after that and started writing fic. It helped.

Character deaths - how do you write them so well (make them feel so.... right)?

I’m not exactly sure. I think that because it’s the last moment of that character’s life (whether for real or I’m tricking you) it needs something more. And there’s a certain respect to the character that I want to pay because it’s really me doing the killing. So I try and make it as good as I can. But then there’s also a very high threshold of angst and drama in death scenes, and that brings my muse out in force. I’ll credit the writing well to that, but making it feel right is dependent on the plot I’ve worked around it. If I’ve done my job, then the death should fit seamlessly into the fic and there should be nothing more than the reader’s want for the character to live, the shouts of denial and how could you’s. There should never be a reader saying, “That wouldn’t happen. There was a way out.” So in truth, I never know if it feels right until you readers tell me. Sure, it feels great to me. I’m evil and I enjoy tormenting the characters. But the real realization that I’ve done good comes in the reviews.

How do you picture Edward in your mind (do you have an actor/model you imagine)?

I tried for years to find someone who worked as Edward. Ryan Phillipe worked for a few weeks, Thomas Jane lasted a month. I never really found anyone that fit. Then I found a magazine add that had this gorgeous man that could have been Edward. I don’t know his name, but he worked. He was exactly as I pictured Edward from the shock of barely curling golden hair to the piercing electric blue eyes and the whipcord chiseled muscled on his lean frame. I could write sonnets to that nameless man’s body.

Any works in progress that you intend on finishing/posting?

I’ve every intention of finishing anything that is not complete. I’ve never left anything unfinished, even if it took me three years to finish All I Want for Christmas. There are a few additions to the Unexpected series, and four more for Under the Influence. I have two more volumes for The Elevator Diaries that still need to be written, but those are completely plotted. Well, mostly completely. As for the rest, Dreamscape and The Ghost of You take precedence and unless something strikes my fancy, they’ll go first with something else titled Spellbound. I might even toss the first chapter in with the interview.

If you had to pick one song that just IS Edward, what would it be?

I still have to go with Crossfade’s Cold. I think that it works for the way I usually write Edward.

Any original work down the line? If so, what genre?

My original work is quite firmly ensconced in supernatural and occult romantic thriller types. There are a few that are vaguely reminiscent of Anita and her life, but nothing too similar. I’ll admit that most of my female leads are strong willed women, there’s no getting around that. Abby Winthrop is a mage-powered girl who never wanted it. Mercy Alverado is an ex-assassin who left the business for someone she loved. Jess Kelly is a good girl who happens to have a talent for violence and gets caught up in something way over her head. But I’ve got my sexy male leads too. Matt Linney, I mentioned him before. He’s a witch hunter and executioner who is sent after Abby. I don’t know much about Mercy’s male counterpart, but he’s a hunk and a very good man. And Jess’s co-lead is Joshua, also known as Mr. Enigma. And I can’t begin to talk about him because then a great deal of what Jess doesn’t know for more than half the first book would be out of the bag. I plan on publishing under a pseudonym, Nat Porter, but if that changes I will be sure to share.

Spellbound

Chaos Dragon

0

Ordinarily Edward wouldn’t have been worried about his current situation. It wasn’t often that anyone got the better of him in a gunfight, but Anita had never specified her trouble as humans with guns. She’d just asked for his help and he’d said yes, packing for were—bear so to speak, and ready for fun.

Instead of hunting preternatural creatures, bullets were flying past his head while he tried to get Anita back into his line of sight. She’d disappeared seconds before trying to get a better angle for returning fire. Edward himself was laying cover fire. He was also cursing her name for running off. Her last firefight had been ugly, but she’d lived by the grace of God.

Or rather, his experience.

The gunfire ceased abruptly, though he could only tell by the lack of vibration-his hearing was deafened by repeated fire, and Edward took a moment to sneak a peak around the corner he was crouched in. He extended a small mirror attached to a rod past the edge and saw nothing but dust and splintered wood. There was no sign of Anita, no bodies on the ground-which was odd because he knew he’d hit at least three.

He adjusted his grip on the thin piece of metal and tilted it to show the room as it was directly behind him where he crouched on one side of the wall. His jaw clenched and he bit back a curse as he counted several bodies down, yes, but one still standing, and he eased around the corner on his knees.

One still standing and still holding his weapon, a sleek and deadly Smith & Wesson M&P45 .9mm, the cold barrel pointed directly at the base of Anita’s skull. She was kneeling, execution style, hands crossed at the small of her back, eyes closed.

His hearing came back just in time to hear her say, “Well, shit,” and then the sound of a single gunshot was reverberating through his skull as he yanked himself back behind the door. Edward was on automatic as he dropped the almost spent clip in his Beretta and slid a new one home.

The gun was a comforting weight in his hands and he pressed the top of the barrel against his forehead, hoping the cool metal would help him focus. He didn’t dare look now, not even to make sure Anita was dead. If he did, chances were he’d end up dead too.

Though that was wildly preferable to what he knew was coming. Maybe not now, maybe not tonight. But sometime soon. It was coming.

For another few moments his mind was blessedly empty, clean and blank and not reminding him of what he’d just seen. And then he broke years of training and a screaming sense of self-preservation. He crawled forward and looked beyond the doorway.

The sight was what he’d expected and had desperately hoped he wouldn’t find. Anita was lying there, thick curls spread around her face, hiding the gaping wound he knew would be there instead of her lower jaw and throat. All he could see was a spreading pool of deep red, slick and steaming against the cool wood that her body lay on.

Flecks of blood had somehow sprayed up her face so that a line of spattered red crept up her face, bright red against the pale ivory of her skin. Her eyes were wide and surprised, staring at nothing but seeming to see everything, him included. Accusations sprang from the depths and he lurched back to lean against the wall, eyes closed and throat working convulsively against his fear.

A slight shift in the air in front of him made him open his eyes. For a fraction of a second he only felt the warmth of a recently fired gun against his forehead. In the next fraction he thought maybe he should be afraid.

And then he thought nothing. He never even felt the bullet as it entered his brain.

/////

There were only a few hours left in the night when Edward strode across the lobby of his hotel. At the time, the clerk on duty contemplated calling the police. Instead he picked up the phone intending to call the hotel manager down from his room on the second floor, where he was having a quickie with a maid.

But within moments of Edward's passing by, the wave hit and the clerk was left staring at the handset wondering what he’d been doing with it. It never occurred to him that anything about his perception of reality had been altered, so he placed the phone back into its cradle and continued on with his business.

He was not alone in the elevator. A handsome couple was also on their way up to the eighth floor, but for now they slipped to the far side of the elevator, terrified of the man they rode with. Edward was not covered in blood, but there was enough running down his face to give a frightening visage.

When the wave passed them as they were somewhere between the sixth and seventh floors, a blank look came across their faces for a moment. Edward was watching them, and saw when it happened, and his expression darkened. Instead of a frightening visage, he now looked like a pagan blood god as they stared without recognition, no longer remembering when he stepped onto the elevator with them.

The woman gasped and her hand went to her throat, fingers spread over the jeweled choker that perfectly accented the royal blue cocktail dress she wore. The man next to her only tightened his hold on her and eased them closer to the door. Seconds later it slid open and they exited.

Edward was still on the elevator on his way to the twelfth floor when the man called the front desk and asked for the manager. When he explained about the blood covered man in the elevator the manager laughed. He had been called down from his jaunt to take the call.

He called up the list of registered visitors and told the man there was nothing to worry about. Ted Forrester was a guest of the hotel and often stayed there when working with Anita Blake.

Suitably mollified, the man and his wife went to bed, the manager went back to his whore, and the desk clerk never knew anything was not as it seemed. Edward’s passing from one wave of reality to the next was unmarked by anything or anyone of importance, and no one even knew that something was not right.

Not even the woman who was waiting for him in his room.