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TERI [TAP]
Writer
Links to Teri’s works online:
Who are you?
Tell us a little bit about yourself and your
interests in general.
Well, generals
first, I guess. Teri’s my nickname – my real name is Theresa. I just turned 48
in November. I was born in
My Mon was
homesick for her family, though, and she and my Dad moved us back to her home
state of
Being the
oldest daughter, I was the official babysitter, and felt like I did more
child-rearing between the ages of 8 and 18 than many parents usually did,
considering how many siblings I had under my care at one time or another. That
pretty much took care of any interest I had in having children of my own. I am,
however, the aunt (eccentric aunt! Of 35 nieces and nephews, and the fond owner
of 3 cats, all named after elvish creatures or
articles in Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings (One of my all-time favorite book series): Mithril, Luthien and Nenya.
I pretty much
have been a continuous student all my adult life until recently; after three
degrees, I finally decided I had enough (Chemistry, Chemical Engineering and a
masters (MBA) in Strategic Management and Marketing). I’ve worked for 3M
(makers of Post-It Notes and Scotch Tape, etc.) for all my adult life (26+
years), but quit in November to run my coffee
house and wine bar full time. I love being a small business entrepreneur.
What drew you to the Beauty and the Beast TV series, and why did you/do you feel the
need to write about B&B? Was writing something you had done before being
involved with Beauty and the Beast or something that developed out of it?
I began writing when the second season of batb ended and the rumors began as to the third season. My intent was to deep the classic universe alive, primarily, I must admit, for myself. Though I write for myself, I love that others have enjoyed my stories, and am really glad to have played a small part in keeping the batb fanfic alive for fandom.
How long have you been writing? If you started when you were a child/teenager, do you still have some of your work from that time? Did you share it with your friends then?
I began writing
in the 80’s and no, never shared my work with family, until I wrote my novel in
2000.
Who most influenced and/or encouraged your talent? What training have you had for writing/literary techniques, and where, if it was formal training - or are you self-taught, working from instinct and lots of reading?
I’ve always
been a big reader, but I can’t say that I was influenced by any particular
author. Probably more than anything I was influenced by the other fanfic I
read, some of which I thought was excellent, and some not so good. Sometimes an
author would write well, but not get the characters or world right (in my view
of both, of course, which is subjective) and sometimes the world would be right
but the writing bad. Both made me want to try and do both, and do them well,
especially during a time when some authors had stopped writing because they
were so devastated by the end of the televised story.
One of the
things that frustrated me most in reading fanfic was the use of recitation of
events without building a strong emotional component. It became a paramount
objective of mine when I began writing to always try and flesh out recitation
of visual events with an equal (and often greater) amount of emotional content.
When I was satisfied with the emotional content. When
I was satisfied with the emotional content of a scene, then I felt I’d gotten
it nailed, but if I wasn’t, then the editing usually continued ad nauseum until it felt right to me. I’m not formally trained
(beyond the basic literature and composition courses required for a college
degree), so most of what I do is from what I know of as a reader; but I do tend
to study things to death once I have an interest in them, so I suppose I’m
fairly well-educated on the topic of writing in general. However, I don’t think
studying writing can ensure that someone becomes a good writer – I believe that
a person has the capability for that within them or not, and then fine-tunes
their craft by constant attention to detail.
When you write:
Describe the space in which you do most of your
writing.
I like to write in a coffee house! I don’t like absolute silence, but need just a bit of background/white noise to keep me from feeling isolated, but also keep me engaged in the work. Also, I find it far too simple to stop writing when I get blocked at home, while when I’m ‘outside’, I try far harder to work through the block before I pack up my stuff and go. I wrote my novel in a coffee house, and liked it so much that I opened my own, in part to (hopefully) have a place to continue to write in that really suited my needs.
How do you work when you write - outline the story,
start from an image, a word, an individual section... have an idea that tugs at
your mind and practically writes itself...? Where do you start on a story...
beginning, end or middle? Or does it just depend on the story?
I never did outlines when I did short stories for fanfic, but I have become a strong believer in them for the novel format. I read a book once about 6 great American Novels (which included GWTW and The Godfather, among others) where the author broke down how the authors of each novel had written their books. All of them, with the exception of Margaret Mitchell, outlined their novels, most to an extensive state. Though MM didn’t, she did write the end scene first, then vigilantly wrote toward that ending, not allowing her story to get too far off track. It’s easy – and common = as an early writer, to prefer to ‘let the characters’ lead the way, but I’ve come to believe that that’s sort of a cop-out for a writer. Ultimately, no matter how much the characters speak to us/through us, we have the responsibility to keep the story flowing, to keep the dramatic elements in rein, to ensure that the readers get to use their imagination to picture scenes we write, but don’t have to use it to fill in blanks that are obvious to us, but less obvious to them (since they are not in our heads!). I think stories that are outlined are usually better dramatically then ones that aren’t, though again, that’s just my opinion.
Do you have endings in mind for works in progress
when you start them or do you just let the stories go where they take you? Do
you always know what you want to achieve at the end?
I don’t usually start off knowing the actual ending of the story, at least not at the point of inspiration for the story. Frequently, the inspiration strikes me as a visual scene (very short, almost a still picture). I often get these ‘images’ while driving, which is why I’ve taken to leaving my radio off in the car, so my mind can sort of free-range in the quiet. The image I get is just a snapshot, but more important is the emotional burst I’ll feel from the image. When I combine those, I’m usually able to quickly flesh out the picture to a plot scenario with a few questions to myself: Why are the characters where they are? What event could have caused such a scene and such emotion? Where is the story going/where should it go? I flesh out the big story almost completely in my head, then begin to insert the dramatic elements that are required for a good story (the primary and secondary conflict, the denoument/resolution, etc.). Within that bigger skeleton, I shape/map the smaller dramatic elements that I feel are required to leave a reader emotionally satisfied. Emotional satisfaction is a very big deal with me, both for what I read and what I write. Simple recitation of events and images are just not enough, imo.
How often do the characters take off on their own
once you've started writing? Do you ever end up with a story entirely different
from the one you started, or maybe two or three spin-offs?
I think I
answered this one somewhere above, but in short, though it’s easy to let the
characters go off ‘on their own’, I try not to let that happen. I want to
channel the characters, but ultimately, I need to ensure the story is done
right, and that means staying in control of what does and does not happen, and
when and how.
You are one of the most beloved and acclaimed steamy
fic goddesses. How do you feel about knowing that Teri means “hot” for most
fans, and why did you choose this special way to celebrate Vincent and
Catherine’s love?
Wow, and thank you! Those are some big adjectives to live up
to. I guess I write about V&C’s romance, using
erotica as a vehicle, because feel it suits them so well, and because it’s
where I saw the story’s natural progression. Romance is the key word for batb, for me, and erotica is a natural fit to the world
they’ve been placed in. Look at the two characters; Vincent, in his
mid-thirties, is obviously (at least to me) an alpha male at his sexual peak.
It’s true that in a ‘normal’ human male, that would be in the late teens or
early twenties, but Vincent’s physiology allows us to project a different
pattern unto him, and the development of his early life (i.e. repressed and or
delayed sexuality) makes for a perfect fit at the time we see him. Then there’s
Catherine, a well-educated, beautiful woman at the age where women are usually
at their physical and sexual peak (early thirties). Add in the supernatural
nature of the ‘bond’, the romantic ambiance they’re situated in, and voila, ‘soulmates’ is the obvious label for them, and sex is the
perfect vehicle (again, in my opinion ;>).
Where do you get the inspiration for those steamy
scenes? Or is that a trade secret?
Seriously, I think it’s just a matter of having a vivid imagination, and a healthy libido. It also helps to have a healthy, and I’d say fairly normal, view of sex in general. When you add those things, from a writer’s perspective, to the characters and world who already bring with them a strong degree of romance and erotic potential, the result is fairly easy to generate. It’s only when I’m talking about the process of writing those scenes (like now) that it feels in any way odd. During the process, once I’m in the groove, it comes fairly easily and naturally. I always thought it was primarily because the material was so easy to work with, so well developed when we came to it, from a fanfic standpoint.
You write a wide range of stories, from G to R and
beyond. Is one type of story easier to write than another?
I really do feel that R and NC-17 are very easy to do with these characters. I’ve written less evocative stories, but not often – it’s just far too easy to slide into erotica with them, and so very emotionally satisfying, that I by far prefer to place them in that setting. I also feel that it’s a very good fit for the continuing Classic venue. I do feel that characters must remain true to their roots for good fanfic, but I don’t feel there’s any conflict with a full, deep sexual relationship given the right amount of time and dramatic development – it seems a natural fit for C&V.
Is writing a “suggestive” sexual scene more
difficult than writing a scene that is more sexually descriptive?
In my opinion, yes it is. That falls into my earlier
discussion about emotionally evocative scenes vs. simple image recitation.
Description of sexual events is simple, but suggesting it, in a subtle way,
takes far more effort to write. Ultimately, I like a combination of the two.
Verity (from
When you're putting together a steamy fic, do you
ever chuckle as you work or proof read, knowing you're leaving your readers in
need of a cold shower? Dare we ask if you might need a cold shower, too, now
and then?
If I’m rereading my work out loud, especially for others, I laugh all the time! I hear the characters’ voices in my head when I’m writing, so hearing my own voice just throws me out of the drama completely, and suddenly it’s incongruous to me. If I laugh reading it silently, to myself, while editing, then I know that section needs to be reworked! If I feel the emotional content I had in mind while planning the scene, that I want the readers to feel, then I know it’s done to my satisfaction.
The Bond plays a great role in many of your stories.
Would you explain how you see it, and what importance it has for you?
The bond has and still does represent a key component in my fanfic for the batb universe. It is the medium that transports this couple to a plane beyond other romantic couples. It’s what allows us to take them places that ‘normal’ couples can’t go, and without it being laughable! It’s also one of those things that for me has and continues to undergo constant change. The bond is something that continuously evolves in my head. I’m not sure yet that I know everything I think it is or should be, from a fanfic standpoint. In my early work I treated the bond in a very substantial way, as a channel for communication in a non-subtle way. I prefer a bit more subtlety now, but still like it to be a supernatural force of sorts. It’s definitely something that gives a batb fanfic writer a lot of flexibility!
Do your stories ever include some of your own life
experiences? Have any of the characters you have created in a story been a
reflection of yourself or someone you know? If so, to what
extent? Do you adhere to any self-imposed set rules or boundaries?
No! I never, ever want to see myself or others I know in my “real-life” universe, present in my fanfic! I’m a real stickler for not mixing fictional universes with other things, and the minute I read that in other stories, I’m jolted out of the universe as I see it. That’s a bad thing for me as a reader, so I don’t do it in my fanfic. In general it’s why I don’t care for AU (alternate universe) stories. It’s also why I don’t accept the 3S events – they just are too contradictory to the fictional universe and character development I accepted in the first two seasons. The only boundaries I set for myself is to ensure that wherever I take the characters, it’s believable given the character development of the first two seasons. I don’t like to set stories outside the tunnels, and rarely do – because that’s where I feel C&V have the potential for the most romantic encounters. I don’t like to take Vincent too far from the tunnels, because I feel that’s where his character is the most romantic and mysterious, two things I think are very important in fanfic for this universe.
If you introduced especially painful developments,
were they a priority in order to make the story eventful, hook the reader...?
How did you feel about making the characters suffer - it would make them or
their determination stronger, eventually solve their problems...?
I have no problem with painful developments or making the characters suffer. Hurt/comfort stories are among the most popular in fandom for a reason – they work! And not only do they work in fandom, but on a more basic level, they represent the key to good drama; conflict and resolution. Conflict by definition, should be painful. But the resolution piece is critical! IMO, a writer should never build up a conflict so severe that it exists outside of the world view the readers have for that universe or its characters. Nor should they expose them to an over-abundance of pain without spending an equally large amount of time in resolving it. To build up a huge hurt/conflict and then take care of it with a quick write-off is really not emotionally satisfying to a reader. The degree of distress a reader goes through in ‘living through’ the conflict, should be matched by the degree of relief they feel in ‘going through’ the resolution! The resolution should be emotionally satisfying, not a cop-out. I never put my characters through the wringer without bringing them out of it again. And again, it’s very important that the characters stay in character - given the degree of trauma, of course - through a writer’s hurt/conflict scenario. Using pain to take them out of character is, imo, a mistake. They can act extremely, to match the extreme nature of the conflict, but it must be in character given that scenario!
What research, if any, do you do for your stories?
Not much for fanfic, basically because I feel that I know the fictional, classic universe very well. For non-fanfic, I do a lot of research and planning.
What is the hardest part of writing a multi-chapter
story? Do you prefer to post a completed story or a work in progress?
I definitely prefer not to post a WIP [ work in progress ]. The few times I’ve done that I’ve felt my stories ended up being the weakest I’d done. It’s too easy to write an installment and focus on that piece alone, to the exclusion of the big story. This usually results in poor dramatic mapping of a story, imo. I find my work gets sloppy when I do this, so I try not to. If I had to do it again, I’d probably try to outline more thoroughly, to try to keep those weaknesses to a minimum.
If you wrote "what-if" stories or stories
outside of your own preferred boundaries, how did you feel about those
developments? Did you write them just for fun, as an intellectual exercise,
some other reason...?
I’m really not sure of this. For fanfic, I don’t do AU. For non-fanfic, or my own character-driven stories, I already have a world-view in mind that I try to adhere to very strictly.
Do you have one or several favorite happy endings
and/or developments in the characters' lives? If so, have you written about
them yourself? Are there similar stories from other authors that you enjoy as
much as your own?
I’m all about V&C’s happily ever after, but I’m a true believer in the saying ‘it’s the journey, not the destination’, in that I’m really only interested in the fun along the way, not the actual end game. For me, the significant obstacle to be overcome in reaching their happily ever after, is Vincent’s past. He’s got to get past the long-held and erroneous beliefs about his destiny, about his potential, about his limitations. He needs Catherine to do that. With Vincent, it’s all about the sex. ;> Ok, that was a bit facetious, but nonetheless, it’s a key element imo. That’s not only a key obstacle to be overcome, it’s wonderfully dramatic and emotionally satisfying - far more so than watching them living their happily ever after (at least to me, that is). I like the drama, the high notes, not the fluid melody of the chorus. That’s nice for a breather, but not fun for the long haul. But that’s just me. ;>
Do you ever have a case of writer's block? If so, do
you have a technique to get past it?
Of course – I can’t imagine a writer not experiencing that occasionally. I don’t really have a technique. I don’t write in a disciplined way over the long term, but instead do so in short spurts. When I’m in the groove, I write intently, but even then can get blocked periodically. The best way I’ve found to deal with it is to eliminate the opportunities for distraction from the writing. That’s why I don’t generally write at home anymore. It’s a big deal to set up all my stuff elsewhere (or at least it used to be before I had everything sitting in the back office), and so once I have it all set to go, I don’t like to stop unless it’s absolutely necessary. That means I do whatever I can to work through the block. It doesn’t mean I’m always successful, though. When that happens, I just take a break for the day or so. It usually doesn’t last much longer than that for me, especially if I know where I’m going with the story. Another thing I can do if I’m blocked is focus on another area of writing that isn’t easily blocked – editing what’s recently been done. In fact doing that can lead me back to the story and past the block sometimes.
Is there any particular part of a story or poem that
you had an unusual amount of trouble getting the way you wanted it and how did
you resolve that problem?
I’m sure there
were many, but I can’t think of any one area in particular at this time, except
one that wasn’t fanfic related. When I was writing my novel, I wrote intensely,
finishing a 600 page manuscript in 4 months. I generally wrote about 50 pages a
week. One week I reread the material and realized I’d put far too much of one
given element into a particular chapter and that it needed to be spread out,
instead, among 3-4 consecutive chapters. It took me over a month to fix the
mistake it took just 7 days to make. That more than anything made me a firm
believer in planning out my work by outline. It’s very hard for me to discard
something I’ve written, even if I recognize that it’s bad or wrong in its
current form. In retrospect, I would have been smarter to simply have thrown
away that week’s worth of work and started over, but I just couldn’t do it.
It’s hard for me to let go of something I’ve created. This is also the reason I don’t write collaboratively – I have too strong a sense of ownership of my work. I’m uncomfortable having ‘my’ work become a part of a ‘group’ work – I lose all my creative inspiration under those conditions. It’s probably extremely egotistical of me, but nonetheless that’s the way my psyche works. I know some can write on request, or to fic challenges, but I have a very bad response to them – if I see a fleshed out idea by someone else, you can bet I’ll never be able to write it, basically because in my own mind it will never be mine. I once started a story, and was in the very early stages of writing it when during a regular discussion online someone mentioned a scenario very similar to one I’d used in the early draft. I couldn’t finish the story. I guess I thought ultimately someone would think I’d taken the idea from some other fan, and I just couldn’t do it.
If you could change one thing about your writing,
writing habits, style, etc, what would it be?
Be more disciplined! I’ve heard many authors say you should write every day, even if you’re not working on a specific project. I think they’re right. If you want to be a writer, you have to write. I tend to work in spurts, though, interspersing other, non-writing projects in-between. I have a wide range of interests and tend to get bored easily, so I like change and seek it out constantly. I’ve learned to accept that about myself, but it doesn’t stop me from seeing the weaknesses I have as a result of that. Unfortunately I’m just not the type of person who can get obsessive about things – probably because I am easily distracted if I don’t take measures against that. Still, I would like to do more writing than I do, and being more disciplined would no doubt help me in pretty much all aspects of my life in general, so that’s what I’d change if I could.
Tell us about the story/stories you are working on
at present, if any.
I’m currently working on the sequel to ‘The Marysburg Chronicles: Critical Mass’. It’s tentatively titled ‘TMC: Prodigal Son’. I’ve got a loose outline done, and am getting ready to start the serious work of the first draft. I’ve been wanting to get started on this part for some time now, but have had to spend the bulk of my time getting my business on solid footing. I’m close to that now, so the book is moving up my priority ladder. This story takes place 30 days after the first one ends, so there’s very little lapse between them. My plan is for a 3-part arc, and I have a loose outline for the whole arc completed as well.
After you've
written
Do you have your stories edited and proofread? Do
you consider this important? Do you involve beta readers? Do you have favorite
editors/proofreaders/beta readers?
I haven’t in
general used betas for my fanfic work, but did a ton of editing with
professionals for my novel. I write, rewrite, edit, re-edit my work
continuously, and though I probably should have it edited by other fans,
generally don’t.
You, as well as the other guest authors we are
interviewing, have allowed your work to be posted online for the enjoyment of
all B&B fans. Why did you decide to do it? How did you/do you choose the
sites to have your stories posted?
My stories mostly got posted by default. I was one of the 4 originators of the CABB group and website, so putting them there was an obvious choice. Ultimately I wanted my material posted together, and that worked well at CABB and the Steam Tunnels as well. I also wanted to know where it was, and need to ensure that the sites where they’re posted aren’t simply abandoned and left hanging. Long ago someone I don’t know posted one of my early stories, used my full name, then abandoned the site, or at least I could never contact them to ask that my last name be removed. That irritated the hell out of me (I don’t want my last name used online in association with my fanfic).
What do you like to hear from someone reading your
story? What do you find most helpful or rewarding when reading reviews of your
writing?
That they love it? Hehehehe! Seriously, though, what author doesn’t like to hear that about their work? Everyone needs constructive criticism, though. What’s not helpful is feedback from readers who simply wanted a different plot. That’s a matter of taste, and basically I write to my taste, and hope other readers will enjoy it as well. Feedback that means the most to me is about whether or not I managed to project the emotional state of the characters to the reader, whether or not they ‘felt’ the story, rather than simply reading the words. Grammar and tense usage is another thing that feedback can really help improve. Inconsistencies in tense or case can slip in, and it helps to get that feedback because fic can often be corrected, especially if it resides primarily in digital and not hard text.
What was the most interesting response you've had to
your work? What do you consider the greatest compliment you've received? Did
you ever get a review that really touched you? Something a reader wrote that
really inspired you?
I got an email from someone who said a story of mine really touched her because the relationship I’d drawn between V&C reminded her of that of hers and her now-deceased husband’s. That was really, really touching to me because I’d been worried that I might have trivialized or at least undercut the love/romantic aspect of V&C’s relationship in that story with an overweighting of the physical/erotic.
Which of your B&B writings do you like best, and
why? If you were forced to pick one passage, scene or line from one of your
stories as a favorite, what would it be? What are your favorites of other
things you've written?
At one point I might have picked ‘Checkmate’, but in retrospect, though there is much I like
about that story (my first), I really don’t like how I used the bond in it. ‘Your Pain is My Pain’
is a particular favorite of mine, but I don’t think I could pick a passage from
it in particular. Scars was better in
my head than it turned out on paper (I think I lost steam toward the end of
it), but in my head it’s still one of my favorites. ;>
Who are some other B&B
authors who might inspire you or whose work you particularly enjoy? Is there a
story of another writer’s you especially like?
Of the early
authors, I really like Pamela Garrett (‘One Day a Rapture’ is my favorite!, Lynette Combs ‘Promises Series’ and Linda Barth’s ‘Beyond Beginnings’ series. Of the latter authors,
I like Cathy, Jo, Pat and Verity’s work a lot.
Do you write in any other fandoms besides B&B?
I read Angel fanfic when I have a moment now, and tried my hand at what was to be the first part of a longer story, but never got around to the other parts. I hear the characters, but don’t have the medium of that universe down enough to feel comfortable writing them.
Any advice you would give to beginners?
Stick with it. No one reaches their potential with their first effort. Be thick-skinned. If you really want to learn and improve, listen to constructive criticism. Remember that listening doesn’t have to mean accepting what’s said, or changing what you’re doing, but listen and separate out the things that make sense to you, and discard those that don’t.
You are one among the many B&B writers that went
pro. Would you tell us how it happened in your case?
Weird story. I wrote about a history I
know well (family stories) but decided to put a quirky twist to it. My two
leads (Daniel and Catherine) were definitely inspired by the V&C
characters, and it’s obvious to any batb fan who’s
read my story that Daniel’s father, Joseph, was inspired by Vincent’s father,
Jacob. Anyway, I wrote the story in a coffee house, and when I was through with
the first draft, I decided to take a break before going on to the polishing
draft by writing a business plan to open a coffee house. The idea of opening a
coffee house was just a lark at first, and I thought I’d write the first draft
of the business plan then set it aside for a while, but I finished it quickly,
found a business partner, and before I knew it, the idea was in the process of
becoming reality. A key place of action in my story was a fictitious bookstore
with a coffee bar in back, called Marysburg Books. I
decided to marry that theme to my business, and called it ‘Marysburg
Books, A Coffee Emporium for Book Lovers’.
Once I was on
that road to opening the shop, I knew I had to have the novel ready
immediately, and the only way to do that was to publish independently so I
immediately discarded my plan to pursue the traditional publishing route, and
went the other way. Once the book was done, I had 6 book clubs chose it to read, and several bookstore inventory managers heard about
that and asked to carry the book! I set up an account at Amazon.com, right
away, but didn’t pursue other traditional lines of distribution, instead switching
my attention to the coffee shop itself. We’ve since added a wine and strong
beer component, and are now ‘Marysburg Books, Coffee
Emporium & Wine Bar”, but now I’m in the middle of developing that
particular piece of the business, which is primarily a night/weekend business,
with a different demographic market segment than our day business consists of.
Now that I’m
getting that set up, I’m again refocusing my attention on co-promoting the book
and the business together. I’m focusing on the region of the book’s setting; in
How is the coffeehouse going? Would you tell us a
little about it, for the fans who might not know of it?
Oops, see
above. ;> But it’s going well. Most
restaurant startups (75-80%) fail in their first year. Most that succeed, don’t
hit break-even (daily expenses covering daily costs until their third year.
We’re a few months into our second year, and hope to hit break-even sometime
during the first or second quarter (if were lucky – keep your fingers
crossed!). We have enough capital to stay at it through this crucial year, so
we hope we’ll be one of the lucky restaurant start-ups that succeed long term.
Again, time will tell.
We’re about to
launch a big PR campaign for this new part of the business, and our web page
will get a complete overhaul, which is good, since it’s been something I’ve
neglected terribly since starting the business. There is some info there for
you to see if you like, though it’s dated at this time. New stuff will go up
over the next few months. The site is at www.marysburgbooks.com.
I do have an
expansion plan for the business and plan to pitch the idea to several groups of
investors in about 6 months if all goes well. The replicated units would not be
like the original, which is large, serves quite a bit of food, and wine and
beer as well. Instead it would be a concentrated, solid espresso business, the
likes of Starbucks and Caribou, but inheriting the book theme distilled
throughout the hub. Like Caribou Coffee’s ‘rustic Alaskan lodge’ theme, the Marysburg theme would be typified by the book itself, and
the European-style circulating library we’ve developed.
Your commercial publications - Would you give us
titles and sources for ordering? Are those books anything like your B&B
writing?
Come to the
shop! Ok, for those of you who can’t, ;> you can always order it on www.amazon.com. For those of you who have already read it, thank
you! And for those of you who have left such wonderful reviews at the amazon
site, thank you from the bottom of my heart – this fandom is an amazing support
group! I will definitely keep you guys informed on any additional national
distribution sites I’m able to set up as time goes by.
Are there any new novels in the works?
Just the sequels to TMC at this time (see above).
Being a B&B
fan
In RL are you a closet "beastie" or do all
your friends and family members know you're a fan? How do they feel about your Beauty and the Beast
involvement? Do they worry about your sanity?
I’m afraid I’ve primarily been a closet fan. Before BATB, being involved in a fandom is something I could have never seen myself doing. But the show ‘captured my heart’, and I wouldn’t have it any other way now. Little by little, some of my family have heard little snippets from me about the show, and I know that mother, for one, has figured it out. We don’t talk about it overtly, though. She likes that I write, though, and despite the risque sex in the novel, especially in the first chapter, she liked the book a lot. I guess after 12 kids, sex isn’t a shocking thing. ;>
How did B&B affect your life?
In an amazing way, really. I did things I couldn’t imagine ever doing – going to cons! I met wonderful people I still consider among my best friends, and that was long after the show had ended. I began writing, something I treasure very much now. Fandom enabled me to see a creative side to my personality that I hadn’t really ever seen before, or at least perhaps only glimpsed, but never nurtured.
Are you or have you been involved with any other
fandoms in the same way?
Nope, never. Though I read Angel fanfic online, I’m not at all involved in the fandom.
Do you want to say anything else to the readers of
this interview about yourself, B&B, the writing art, or the fandom?
Not really – I’m afraid the readers will already be snoring over the length of my responses! Just to say hello to all my fandom friends out there, and to those I’ve never met as well.
Winterfest
Online, January 2005