MHALACHAI

Of all your stories, which one is your favorite?
Oh, the hardest question ever. That changes often, as I re-read my various stories... but the story that always sticks with me is Inevitable. Anita Blake v. Harry Potter, with the character development of both Anita and Harry. I think it's because both Anita and Harry are so very alike. They're damaged heroes, and that's what appeals to me. The desperate urge to save the world, having lost their family and creating new ones... The world-building, the combination of the two books, making them mesh into one mashy place.

Plus, I've been writing this story since August 2005 and it's almost half a million words long. It's like a child.

What was the worst (weirdest/least likely to work well/whatever) idea for a fic you ever had, that didn't get written?
So many bad ideas have popped up. There was this Anita Blake/Stargate/Mummy crossover that I started to write, then I was hit in the head with a dose of common sense and abandoned that like whoa. Luckily, I do try to map out the story before I start writing, and run it through the Mary-Sue-O-Meter. So most of the really bad ideas are stalled before they get off the ground.

That did?
Again, so many of them. In the Anita Blake world, Reap What You Sow is the oddest idea. John Winchester pulled into Peter Parnell's body by a pissed-off Reaper? Yeah, a bad idea on paper... but the little synergies between the fandoms and the fun connections I can make, those were what kept me at it.

I guess those qualities can work with my best crossovers, too

Who is your favorite male character in the books?
Nathaniel all the way. He has developed as a character; rather, how Anita sees him has changed so dramatically that it makes him a bit of a puzzle. We all know how he started off in Anita's eyes, and every revelation that she had about him changes everything up. Add to that, he's a master manipulator, and he is slowly moving Anita in the direction he wants. It's subtle and I love it.

Female?
Anita. I have a soft spot for tortured young women with dark hair, I'm starting to realize. She also has the most potential, I feel, to do things right and to also mess things up. At heart, she cares so very much, and the complications with her obliviousness and selfishness and arrogance make for a fascinating character to read, and to write.

What's your writing 'schedule' is any? How many hours a week do you write?
It really depends. Recently, my work has been insane. I tend to try and get about half an hour on a weekday, and three hours a day on the weekends. Some days, when I am struck with inspiration, I can get in a couple of hours on a weekday. Or, if it's last Friday, I steal an hour at work to write. Don't tell my boss.

Has a comment or review ever changed the direction of any of your stories?
Many times. Most recently, in the latest chapter of Dawning Light, there was a fight between Micah and Anita, and Dawn decided to make things all better and that was the end of the scene. I initially had no intention of playing out the reconciliation, but after someone said that they wanted to see what Anita said, it occurred to me that showing that scene would really flesh out the characters and their continuing problems with relationships: between Micah and Anita, and between Dawn and Anita, and even Dawn and Micah. This is the sort of thing I tend to do when I receive comments -- add more fleshed-out scenes.

Where do you get your ideas for Crossovers?
The prelim: I came to the realization a few weeks ago that the reasons I love crossovers so much is that I love the unusual. You'll never see the sorts of pairings I come up with in canon (for the obvious reason), but I also love to see what sorts of unusual connections I made create. Taking tiny plot details from two different fandoms and putting them together (like in Inevitable, playing off the colour of Damian and Harry's eyes, and Damian and Lily's hair, *of course* means that they're related) is what makes me gleeful inside.

The answer: This means that I've taken to watching/reading shows with the idea that I need to make them into crossovers. And as long as the idea is plausible and unboring, I'll run with it. I try and make relationships between different characters based on tiny hints. For example, Anita might have a connection with Dawn Summers due to the losses of people they love (their mothers), or Anita and Harry Potter having a saving-people thing/hero complex.

What has been your favorite series to cross AB over with?
Probably Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and mostly that has to do with the character of Dawn. It's great to put together characters that know about vampires and the supernatural, and just have that as part of their lives. They know all this crazy monster stuff, and they still have other crazy stuff in their lives, and bam. Even though it's hard (see next answer).

What series has been the hardest to crossover? What was the easiest?
Hardest: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, because of the disparate vampire mythology. And that is tied with Supernatural. SPN's the hardest these days, I think, because in SPN all things supernatural are hidden, while in AB it's all out there. Using my old stand-by of "ignoring the issue" is harder than you'd think.

Easiest: Harry Potter. Everyone knows about magic, and the tiny discrepancies are easier to ignore.

Impossible: Anita Blake/Merry Gentry. It's never happening. I have wracked my brain for a hook to tie the series together... and I failed.

What series would you like to crossover with in the future?
I'm working on a Sookie Stackhouse crossover, as well as a House MD crossover. There are going to be some strategic issues I plan to ignore, and play with... I just love my crossovers and I seek to cross AB with every 'verse I read. I'm trying to figure out a way to have an Anita Blake/Gilmore Girls crossover, but the connections are proving elusive.

What 'published' author do you most like to read? What are you favorite types of things to read?
Agatha Christie all the way. I love mysteries, the psychological aspects of human relationships, which she has in spades. Other mysteries include those old standbys of the Sherlock Holmes books, Anne Perry, the Brother Cadfael books. Anything psychological and mystery.

Do you have any favorite fanfiction authors?
Several. Most are crossover writers. The first three that pop to mind (who have written AB): Jinni (BtVS and SPN crossovers), Sabriel (AB), Houses (BtVS and MG crossovers). I have a host of other faves, and I keep rec'ing several on my lj. I do love a good fanfic.

What do you do when a. you have writer's block b. when a story is taking a direction that you had not originally intended.
a) I mope for a while. Then I re-read the story and see if I can get back into the groove. And when *that* fails, I often try and write a missing scene of the story, to look at the story from a different angel (and a different POV, as my readers will know I usually keep one POV in a story).

b) The directional changes my stories take usually come organically from feedback and character growth. It usually works out for the best, but there have been times when I've written myself into a corner and I have to backtrack to the turning point. It's annoying to delete hours worth of work, but luckily I write such long chapters that I can usually avoid getting to the point where I have to pull down material I've already posted.

What do you attribute your success at writing crossovers to? What about them appeals to you?
Every story needs a hook. In single-fandom stories, the plot has to take precedence, but in crossovers, you can cheat a bit and have the crossover itself be the hook. The crossover has a slight air of implausibility to it that lets you get away with a bit more.

That said, at the same time, the crossover relationship has to seem real. To me, if I want to cross two fandoms, I have to make it seem real (organic, to use a granola hippy term). That realism is entirely based on the characters. The crossover is the gimmick to draw people in, then I have to sell them the story based on the plot and characters.

So it's both easier and harder to write a crossover. Never let it be said that I'm an uncomplicated person.

You have so many different stories in progress. How do you keep track of them? And do you have a timeline for completion when you start writing?

When I start a longer story (i.e. not a one-shot) I try to have the entire story sketched out in my head. So each story has its own little chunk of my brain where it sits until I'm done with it. Then I forget about it entirely and am pleasantly surprised when I go back to reread the story. This means that I have Inevitable sitting next to Dawning Light, which is kiddy-corner to Switchback and all the other non-AB stuff I'm writing. It's a complicated place.

The only problem I have sometimes are my different Anitas. Switchback Anita is so very different from Inevitable Anita, who in turn is different from Dawning Light Anita. I sometimes have to have a bit of a re-read to get myself into the various Anita's heads before I tackle a new chapter.

I don't have a timeline for writing. It would be better if I did, I know, but I have a horrible habit of saying I'll write something by X date, then miss the deadline. I've learned that it's best when I don't try and finish anything by a certain date. The muse jumps ship when she has to perform on demand.

Do you start with a idea and jump right in or do you do a complete outline before you start writing?

Sometimes, when it's for a one-shot, I'll jump right in and write until I'm done. When it's for a longer/bigger story, I make myself think the thing though and plot it out to the end. The outline is in my head, and it's the general path the story will take, any big plot twists. Then, for each chapter, I'll map it out in greater detail before I write that chapter.

What would you say inspires you to most to write?

The feeling of "I can't believe I'm pulling this off" is what makes me write most times. It's no secret that I tend to write some obscure crossovers, and the idea of putting the characters in new situations is what appeals to me.

Plus, the interaction I get with my readers after I post a story is what I live for. I do love to talk about my writing.

Have you ever wished after completing a story that you could go back and make a major change to it somewhere?
Indeed. I have had a couple of times when I missed certain plot angles, or had some weak endings, that would have been better for me to go back and rewrite... but that desire to re-write doesn't really move me to action. I'm more apt to shrug, accept the past occurrence as part of the learning process in writing, and move on.

If you could kill one character in Anita's universe, who would it be and why?
A very good question. I'd kill off someone like Larry, or Zerbrowski, because they're not part of Anita's dangerous world, but they are part of her life. It would be unexpected and, in my mind, would pull Anita into a very different mindset. I can't really explain why I want to kill off some of Anita's core support group... Maybe because they are not "the monster". Anita walks around in life expecting to die, or for the vampires and werewolves around her to be caught up in the maelstrom of her life. At this point, the humans in her life are more removed from the danger, at least in her mind, but they're really not. The cops, her co-workers at AI, are all front and centre in the danger of their own lives.

I have a policy - never kill off a character that I hate. Only kill off a character that I love, and I have a lot of love for both Larry and Zerbrowski.

If you could become a character in one of your stories, which one would you choose and why?
I think I'm stumped. I write tormented characters and I'm not sure I'd like to be any of them. But if I had to choose, I'd pick Anita in Dawning Light because she's going to get a happy ending, damn it, and it's not something I can say for any of the other characters I write.

What is the greatest reward personally that you get from writing your stories, AND I bet you have an original work in progress. Can you tell us what it is, and if you hope to get it published sometime in the future?
Honestly, the biggest reward I get from my writing is feedback. Talking about my writing with people, hearing what people think like and what they don't... That is what I live for.

And yes, I'm writing an original story. It's on the backburner, but I have done a bit of research on the story and am working on characterization. And yes, I would like to have it published, as one of the current glut of psychological supernatural thrillers. Never say never, is my motto... actually, that's someone else's motto, but it holds true. As a writer, the main point (to me) is to write and have that writing read. I'm interested in having people reading my writing in any way.

But I'll let you know if I ever get that book published. Or if I ever get more than the outline written out!

Posted: March 5, 2007