BeElleGee

How did you get the idea for Green-Eyed Monster? Someone had emailed me about my fic "Entre Vous" which re-ignited my interest in the early rivalry going on between JC and Richard. I thought about a lingering jealousy they might have and then thought how everyone--including Anita--is probably harboring some jealousy just because of their situation. I got the idea to write a story around one of those rare times they all let their jealousies show.

What's your favorite story, written by you? I don't really have one in particular, but rather several personal favorites that I'm more pleased with than others. "Asher's Kiss" would definitely be one. Others include "Full Circle", "Pieces of Always", "Mastering A Vampire". There's also some I like just because they were so much fun to write like "The Lieutenants", "Entre Vous", "The Art of Seduction", and "Boys Night Out".

If you could go back and change just one thing from the first fic you ever wrote, what would it be? The first ABVH fic I wrote was called "Winter's Descent". In it, I had speculated about the way Jean-Claude might have bargained for Damian's freedom. I believe now, it would have been better if I hadn't been specific and had chosen some random visiting vampire instead of Damian's mistress.

Do you still follow the series, or have you moved on now? Yes, I still follow it although I haven't read Micah or Danse Macabre yet. I recently purchased Danse Macabre at a close-out bookstore for practically pennies and am planning on reading it soon. I've heard from both sides of the camp about it, and believe I need to read it for myself before coming to any conclusions about it. Nothing is more bewildering to me than these people who trash it who haven't even read it.

Do you write in any other fandoms? In the past I've written fanfiction for Star Wars, Jedi Apprentice, Beauty and the Beast (TV series), X-Files, Quantum Leap, Phantom of the Opera, and The WB's Tarzan series. I still knock off the occasional Star Wars fanfic, but mostly just write ABVH now.

How does it feel to be an icon in the AB fanfic community? If anything, I'm more of a lurker: surfacing now and then to post the odd fic and then retreating back into the shadows till the next idea rolls around.

How long have you been writing? What encouraged you to start? Since I was in elementary school. I come from a family who liked to write professionally or otherwise as a pastime. It was hard for me not to jump on the writing bandwagon.

Did you start with fanfic or original material? I started writing original stories first. When I was just as kid I would write stories about my pets or other animals. I wrote this hundred page novella about a wild horse when I was in the sixth grade. As a teenager I got into sci-fi/fantasy and started to write stories set in different galaxies. I started writing fanfiction when I was in my late teens and have ever since, but I still write original stories if I get a good idea for one. Now it's mostly historical romance, horror, or erotica.

What drew you to fanfic in general and ABVH in specific? Getting into fanfiction is a result of being a fan and simply wanting more--of my favorite characters, of scenes, backstories, etc. that are never expanded on in canon. With ABVH, it was the frustrating habit LKH has of dropping little bombs of fascinating information and then never going into detail about them or even mentioning them again. There's a lot of fanfic fodder in this series for that very reason.


Do you have a favorite character in the series? And is that character the one that you are the most comfortable writing for? If not, who is? I would have thought the answer to this question is obvious lol. It's Jean-Claude. He's featured in, or makes an appearance in, just about everyone of my fics. I am the most comfortable writing him. His voice and mannerisms come very easily to me.


Is there anything or a direction that you, as a reader, would like to see in the ABVH series? I would like to see all powers and relationships simply level off at this point. Meaning: no more new powers, no increase of powers, no twists to old powers, etc. The same thing with relationships. I wish the series would develop the established relationships now instead of forging new ones.

How do you handle writer's block? I usually try to write through it. If I stop writing because I'm convinced anything I write is no good, then I won't be motivated to go back and write more and the problem only gets worse. I always figure I can rewrite a bad scene after I've gotten past it and am writing good again. More often then not, I simply get stuck on a scene because I don't know how to resolve it. That happened a lot with "The Vampire Suicides". I would write different resolutions to work the scene out and keep writing until something clicked with me.

How do you choose the point-of-view you do, for your stories? It depends on the idea of the story and whose POV I think would be best to tell it from. Sometimes it's not the most obvious POV that works best either. An example is "Interrogation With the Vampire" which is told from Zerbrowski's POV although Jean-Claude's would have been more obvious. In a lot of my earlier ABVH fics, I used Anita in first person just because I didn't feel I knew the other characters enough to give their perspectives. Again, it depends on who I think would tell the story the best.

Do you prefer to write one-shot stories, or longer tales? I would much rather knock out a one-shot in a matter of weeks as opposed to laboring for months over a novella, but it depends on the story I'm writing. If it has to be twenty chapters to adequately tell the tale, then I'll make it twenty chapters. If I can get away with saying what I need to say in twenty pages--great!

Are there any characters that you can't write? There's a lot of characters I haven't even tried to write, but one I've tried and decided I couldn't is Edward. I stay away from him now and leave him to the vast number of Edward fans to write.

What is your ideal writing environment? I prefer to write in a spiral notebook while basking in the sun on the beach watching the surfers. (I've actually written a number of my fics that way lol.) Unfortunately, I can't always be oceanside, so I just hide away in my spare room with my computer. I like to have time to write once I start however, so I won't even attempt it if I know I'll be interrupted. Ideally then, I write on my days off work or in the middle of the night.

Have you taken any writing courses? I took creative writing in high school and journalism and exposition courses in college for one semester.

I actually became aware of you from your photo albums posted on this site. You seem to be very active and well traveled. How do find the time to write? Do you set aside personal time, take it as you can get it, or maybe utilize time otherwise spent waiting - like at the doctor's? Um, you might have me confused with someone else as I don't have a photo album on this site--just art. As for making time to write, I don't write if I don't have the time to. When I get an idea for a story and start working on it, I tend to do nothing else but write: no going out, no reading, no TV, no housework--my husband always knows when I'm working on a story! lol. I write as continuously as I can in marathon stretches and probably wouldn't stop if I didn't have to go to work. I can easily write 24/7 if I'm allowed to, and have done so in the past. "Asher's Kiss" was the result of being holed-up in a hotel room for three days while my house was being tented for termites.

As I have never chatted with you on the board, I am curious as to your other interests and how they figure in to your writing. Is there some hobby or aspect of your life that you draw on for research or inspiration for your stories? My artwork actually plays a part in inspiring me. Certain drawings I do will spark an idea or vice versa. Another aspect is probably my traveling. I get ideas just people watching or seeing new places and experiences new things. Also my relationships with my friends and my husband--things happen between us that give me ideas for stories.

How heavily do you research while writing a story and what are your favorite sites to find facts to include? I research as heavily as I need to in order to make the story work. I tend not to write anything I have to spend more time researching than writing however just because I'm lazy lol. I did do quite a bit of research for my fic "The Witching Hour" on forensic evidence which in turn developed my interest in the subject. I usually just "Google" whatever I need information on or if it's ABVH specific, I do check in on the PDS message board. It's an invaluable tool for writers.

Is there any story posted on PDS or SDS that you just so clicks with you that you feel you could have written it? There are lots actually, but most recently "1749" by Ruas. I loved this fic and would have loved to have written it myself. I haven't had a chance to read any of her follow-ups to it yet, but I fully intend to and am certain they are equally impressive.

Who are your favorite characters and why? I have a thing for the vampires actually. Jean-Claude is my favorite. He's very complex and his past is intriguing. How he came to be the person he is now is a truly fascinating story. Asher is my second favorite for basically the same reasons. I like Damian too, but his character has changed so much from when we were first introduced to him I'm not really sure who he is anymore. Other favorites include Nathaniel--again because he's so complex really, and Zerbrowski just because he's like a breath of fresh air by not being supernatural, or gorgeous, and hasn't changed one iota in the series.

If LKH were to write a spinoff book about a character, who would you like it to be and why do you feel this character has a story of their own to tell? I would love to read a spin-off about Asher (despite my love for JC). Asher, for being as major a character as he is, is not very well fleshed-out. He also has an incredibly interesting past and has been through so much in his life/existence. We know so little about him. Same thing for Nathaniel. We don't really know what makes him tick, how he thinks or feels about things. How did this teenage prostitute become the portrait of domesticity that he is now? These characters are so complicated, she really could write complete books about each one.

I know your a talented artist as well as writer. Which art appeals to you more? How does your ability to give faces to the characters help or hinder your writing? Writing and drawing appeal to me equally. Writing takes more time and effort on my part than drawing does, but both are wholly consuming of my attention when I get an idea in my head. Drawing the characters never hinders my writing. If anything, it helps, especially with physical descriptions. Lots of times I'll draw something that will inspire an idea for a fic and vice versa.

What would you consider the main phases in you Anita Blake fanfics? Probably developing and creating different relationships between the characters--some canon, some not. I tend to write slash more now than I used to only because I feel the characters' relationships have become more receptive in the later books as opposed to the earlier books.

What stories would you attach to those particular phases? I was already pushing the envelope with my early fics like "Asher's Kiss" and "Mastering A Vampire" as far as going beyond the relationships laid out in the books. I liked having free rein by writing backstories for JC and Asher in fics like "Lissette's Vampire" and "The Lieutenants". My later fics such as "Primeval", "Addict", and "The Detente" are more speculative as far as relationships go.

What characters do you prefer drawing? Jean-Claude. I have such a precise mental image of him I can draw him without using any kind of reference now.

How has the ABVH books changed your drawing style/writing style? I used to make my drawings more realistic-looking. Now I purposefully make them surreal to better express the fantasy realm they take place in.

What's your favorite AB era? Probably between "Bloody Bones" and "Narcissus In Chains". Most of my stories take place in that period of the books, although as mentioned earlier, I do delve into Jean-Claude's and Asher's past from time to time.

What do you use for research, besides the books? Other fan sites, PDS message board, and search engines. I also talk to other fans and other writers.

What advice would you give those beginning to write fanfic? The best advice I could give would be to write for yourself and write what you want to read. Get a beta and take pride in what you present to your readers--as nothing takes someone out of a story faster than blatant mistakes. Learn fanfiction lingo so you can write headers and categorize your fics to better target the readers your stories will appeal to. Try to keep the characters as true to form as possible and learn canon although you don't have to follow it to the letter, it will help keep your facts straight.

Are you aware what a wonderful writer you are? Thank you. It's comments like that which make me aware of the fact there are fellow ABVH fans who read my fics and enjoy what I write.


Posted: February 1, 2007