DESERTDRAGON

When did you begin to write? Why did you begin to write? What motivated you to put pen to paper so to speak?

I’ve been writing stories since I was very little. The first one that I can remember was called “The Horse and the Kite” and I had to have been 7 yrs. old or so. Maybe younger. But it wasn’t until I was 12 or 13 that I realized that what I was doing could be a career as well as a hobby. From that point, I knew it was something I wanted to incorporate into my adult life. How I wasn’t sure; it changed over the course of growing up. Still changing, actually. Novelist. Screenplay writer. Playwright. Children’s books. Hopefully one day I’ll figure it out and get published in one form or another.

As for what motivated me in the beginning … most likely reading books and watching movies. I was and still am very impressionable, and the whole idea of old fashion storytelling was something I was attracted to as a listener and a teller. Probably writing down dreams in my teens helped to get that pen on paper, so to speak, too.

Keeping motivated as an adult is much more difficult. It’s more of a personal dream, now. (whereas my career as an Illustrator has come more to the forefront.) Getting involved with fanfiction has helped me keep that storytelling muscle active. And writers groups and activities, like NaNoWriMo (my first year participating) are also tons of fun.


Do you write original fiction and if so which do you enjoy most, original or fanfic?

Yes, I have plenty of original stories, new and old, tucked away in many different folders. This year, NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writers Month) has helped me to dig some out of hiding, and to think about publishing again. I started writing fanfic back in 2001, and it’s certainly easier than writing original. It’s a wonderful exercise to come up with new ideas for my favorite fandoms and trying to make them fit into canon. It’s a great way to hone your grammar and style and get feedback and have some fun in the process. And you know; not take yourself too seriously.

But at the same time, it’s not nearly as challenging as original fiction. Or satisfiying. The worlds you create or yours and yours alone when the day is done and no one elses. (Hopefully!)


Who's your favorite author and does their style influence you?

I don’t have one favorite author. But there have been many who have influenced me over the years. Let’s see: Ray Bradbury, Stephen King, Douglas Adams, early LKH, Richard Adams, Tom Stoppard, Janet Evanovich, Juile Czernada, Banana Yoshimoto, Tanith Lee, Angela Carter, Daphne du Maurier, MJ Davidson, and the list goes on and on. There are probably several important children's author missing from the above.

Ray Bradbury and Douglas Adams are very high on the list as far as influencing my own style. They are both masters at the ‘turn of phrase’, whether humorous or not. Again, they’ve taught me not to take myself too seriously. My best writing has come from learning that. But when caught in a bout of writers block, it’s usually because I am taking my self too seriously – trying too hard for a ‘style’, and my writing always suffers for it.


Was ABVH your first fandom? What fandom do you enjoy writing and/or reading in besides ABVH?

No, it was not. I had many favorite fandoms growing up. (In fact, I think in my early teens I was writing something similar to fanfic without realizing what it was!) But I take it from the question that you mean a fandom that introduced me to fanfic. And that would be Star Trek: DS9, although I knew ‘of’ fanfic before that. I have not ever been a big fan StarTtrek fan. But I did love the look and idea of the Cardassian race. And I met a lot of friends online in person, and got to go on a cruise because of it! With the actors, too! Not everyone can say that about their first foray into a fandom, and I feel blessed because of it. Strangely, I have never written anything for this fandom or the others that followed – X-Men, Harry Potter. I just like reading the fanfic out there from these fandoms – so diverse and plenty of talented authors.

Eventually I tried my hand at it in some anime fandoms, and I was hooked. ABVH had this wealth of characters and possibilities to play with. But if it hadn’t been from my attachment to Edward in Guilty Pleasures, and my supreme frustration that he was only sporadically spread throughout the series here and there, then I may not have picked up a pen and started scribbling for this fandom.

Other recent fandoms I’ve been involved in are Firefly, Dawn of the Dead and V for Vendetta. Between ABVH and Firefly, it helps keep the writers block at bay (most of the time!).


Which, if any, of your plot lines would you like to see incorporated into an official ABVH book? Where in the series would said story fit?

Hmmmm, interesting question. Most of my earlier ABVH fics are vignettes and are incorporated between scenes in the books. Feral Demeanor is Edward’s POV in the latter portion of The Killing Dance. And Butterfly Eyes is another Edward POV piece set in the bathroom scene in Obsidian Butterfly.

I’d like to think that The Heart’s Hard Turning would fit nicely after OB or NiC. But White Picket Fence (aka New-Age Bride) is just a silly piece of fluff from a challenge. But I think it would go after OB, as well, if anywhere.


Your favorite LKH character and the one you think is least appreciated and why? What is it about Edward that draws you?

Edward, of course. There’s just so much hidden there. And if she’s smart, LKH will keep it that way, although I would like to see more of him. Even though I have fallen away from reading the later books, there are still things that remind me of Edward often; pictures, songs, other books, people. So it’s safe to say he got under my skin.

I used to know who in the books I thought deserved more appreciation, or page time, but now I am not sure anymore. Dolph and RPIT team, would be my first choice, I suppose. At least you know you have a chance at a plot if Dolph and the RPIT team are about. I love those guys. (Despite any weird, whiney thing LKH has turned Dolph into.) And I'd like to see more of Bobby Lee...


Does anyone know you write fanfiction? If so, what do they think about it?

Yes. Anyone who’s curious about my creative endeavors – family, friends, etc. - knows about my hankering for fanfic. I think they find it amusing. That, or they don't care! Co-workers also know, because I tend to use work time to write when I can. And because the guys I work with are Firefly fans, too.


What is the perfect environment for you to write in? What type of music if any do you listen to while writing? What helps you think when you are writing?

I usually like to be alone; have some privacy, although every once in a while a café or bookstore is an okay setting. Any music helps, and I have a ton of movie scores and soundtracks, although it depends on the story. I like techno for action, moody rock for angst, pop for the fluff. When I wrote White Picket Fence, for example, it was all Brazilian, bosa nova-type stuff, hence the party-theme at the end. I am not sure, even now, if that was intentional or not. But it helped with the ending! Rainy days are good, too. I have more creative juices flowing when it’s raining.

But I can only concentrate on a story when the mental To-Do list in my head is quiet. And, an outline of some sort is helpful. I almost always have notes; I never just wing it. I am a fairly practical person, so a checklist of certain elements I want to get across in a chapter is usually right next to my keyboard.


How much time do you spend writing and how much time would you like to spend writing? Do you feel writing satisfies a creative element in you?

Hahahahahaha! What I end up doing, and what I’d like to do is separated by a vast oceany mass! (Yes, I know oceany is not a word.) Again, it all about the ‘mental To-Do-List thing. Now that my thirties have hit me, real life keeps tugging me further and further away from my creative goals.

But, on other hand, if I am not accomplishing anything creative, whether it is writing or painting, I become very crabby and unhappy. (My family gets the brunt of this, unfortunately.) So being creative certainly satisfies my inner monster! :)

There’s always that bit of wisdom that pro writers like to preach – if you’re not writing everyday, you cannot call yourself a writer. I try to remember that and keep at it. I am lucky if I get to it more than every two days or so. But when I do, I can write for hours.


Do you incorporate any personal facts or occurrences into your stories?

Oh, I am sure I do, unconsciously. In original fic definitly. And I DO like to put my pets in the stories, or at least their names. I’m sure relationship stuff gets in there as well. I normally write about subjects or point of views that move me in some way, personally, even if it's fanfic. I don’t know if I can give any examples… There was a drabble or two that I did (Toll Booths) that hit very close to home. I’m scattered about here and there :)


Do you think your fanfic will change due to the change in LKH's books? What is you opinion on the new ABVH?

I think my views on the characters have certainly changed. But I don't think that effects my fic, necessarily. In my ABVH fic, I don’t really acknowledge anything after OB anyway. At the same time I try not to be oblivious to the later novels. I have read up until CS (which I skimmed through.) There are newer characters here and there that shine through. And for the most part, I still like her writing. And I may eventually get excited about Harlequin. It depends on how the Edward's and Olaf's storylines evolve.

But she's lost her focus, especially with Anita - so many discrepancies in personality now - that I just can't get attached anymore. Change isn't a bad thing in a series, but that doesn't mean that she shouldn't keep the characters consistent morally.


Weird question, How did you create your sig name? What inspired it?

Oh! I love this question. I don't know why, but I do. I so rarely get a chance to answer it. Ok. The name DesertDragon comes from the movie Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon. For those who have not seen it, (and why the hell haven't you??) the young heroine, Jen, runs away from an arranged marriage and disguises herself as a boy, roving about the country side, causing mischief and mayhem, challenging any poor schmuck she comes upon with her cool, stolen sword. In one showdown inparticular, she spews a whole list of interesting alias', refusing to give her name to her opponents. One of these is, of course, DesertDragon (a special meaning for her, as she has recently fallen in love with a bandit in the desert).

It seemed perfect to use for a fanfiction penname: girl in disguise - stolen sword (pen, whatever) - refuses to give her real name. It just made sense at the time. I guess it still does. But I do prefer to use my real name for original fiction. I have to take some responsibility, don't I?

Posted: December 10, 2006