Monday Meet & Greet with JamesRamsey

It’s here! Our Meet and Greet with JamesRamsey, the author of Insecurities! Is anyone as excited as I am? Hmm, probably not. Which is why it was left to me to do the introduction! *claps*

JamesRamsey is the author of this little fic called Insecurities, which is so utterly amazing that I hump that shit at just about every update! It’s one of the very few fics that I’m still trying to keep up with even though I’m not reading as much (and that short list is very short at the moment, let me tell you!).

This amazing author is one of my favorites because she is able to take something that’s been done before and put an original twist on it. She’s also able to develop a wonderful story with such good characterization that it makes me envious!

If that isn’t enough to make you fangirl squee over her, she’s also up for not one but FIVE awards in the Darlins' “Everything’s Bigger In Texas Awards”:

Most creative way to get rid of Alice/Edward
Best use of scars in a fic
Best AU Jasper fic
Best original storyline
Best vamp Jasper

I’m pretty sure I picked Insecurities for most, if not all of these. If she doesn’t win a few of these awards then I’ll be quite surprised and it just goes to show that the voters must not have read her fic yet!

On a side note: James has informed us that she has sent another chapter to Chris to be beta'd and she is hoping to have it out in the next couple of days!

Now, without further ado *drumroll* I give you JamesRamsey! *cheers*

~Mae

Tell us about yourself. Married? Single? Kids, age, ..whatever you'd like to share.

I live on the west coast of Canada in a little town about an hour outside of Vancouver. I am 30ish, married with 2 dogs, a crazy cat, and a horse that thinks he's a dog.




Love kids but have no desire to have any of my own. The Husband and animals are more than enough to handle as it is. By day, I am a part time bookkeeper/housewife, but at night I immerse myself in all things literary. I love to read and write. My favorite book genre right now is fantasy and I can' t seem to get enough of it. Vamps, witches, werewolves, fairies, elves - you name it and I am pretty game to read it.

I spent 3 years in college and earned honours diplomas in Legal Secretary, Business Administration, Computer Business Skills, and Travel and Tourism. I decided that being a personal assistant didn't leave me with enough time to do the things that I wanted to do. Now I work part-time and enjoy life a lot more.

Tell us about Twilight. How did you first get into the Saga, when was the first time you read it, and which book is your favorite?

I first went looking for the book when I saw the trailer for the first movie. I finished it in a day and then went back and bought the other three. Lucky for me, Breaking Dawn was already out or I think I would have lost my mind waiting for it. Since then, I can't tell you how many times I have read them, not to mention I have the first three on audiobook.



Now, before you go thinking I have lost my damn mind (which I have), I originally bought the audiobooks for a friend of mine who recently lost a good portion of her eyesight. I knew how much she missed reading and how much she would love the series. Of course, that didn't stop me from listening to them all the time too. LOL

As for my favorite? Hmmm...probably Eclipse. It's where we learn more about the rest of the family. *cough* Jasper *cough* And I like how Bella starts setting boundaries with Edward and standing up for herself more. Although I did throw my book across the room and fume for an hour when Jacob manipulated her into kissing him. I was so pissed with the two of them! Twilight would be a close second. And no matter what side of the fence you fall on, when it comes to Breaking Dawn, I loved the introduction of all the new vampires: Garrett, Kate, Benjamin, Peter, Charlotte - way more interesting then most of the Cullens (although I love them all).

What got you to start reading Twilight Fanfiction? Do you remember the first fic you read?

I stumbled across Twilight fanfiction after finding out about fan fic on another website. I had never heard of such a thing but figured, what the hell! I couldn't afford any new books, so stories online sounded pretty good.

I started reading Southern Vampire Mystery fan fic first because that is what was on the website I was on. I quickly read all of that and then I did a google search looking for more fan fics, and found fanfic(dot)net.

The rest is history. My husband hasn't been able to get my attention since. Poor man. As for first twilight fic.....hmmmm...I really couldn't tell you because I have read so many. I know I stayed true to Edward and Bella for a really long time before I read Colliding Meteors - from then on I became a die-hard Jasper fan.



Which are your favorite stories?

As I said, I LOVE Colliding Meteors. Others would have to include: Clipped Wings and Inked Armor, The Trip Home, Shadowboxer, Worth the Pain, If Every Word I Said Could Make You Laugh, Bella Swan: Kidnapper, Wide Awake, Long Tall Texan, When Darkness Turns to Light, First Love Lost. There are so many more but these are the ones that stand out. I can read them over and over and still love them.

Who are your favorite characters, from who you like the most to er...who you would like to kill right off the bat?

Favorite character is, of course, Jasper. I thought he was the most interesting in the whole series and yet we know the least about him. Small wonder there are so many fan fiction stories about him. I also love Peter and Charlotte, Garrett, Rosalie, and Alice. More characters we know very little about but who have fascinating back stories.



As for one I would love to see dropped off a very high bridge, it would have to be Jacob. I love how loyal he is and how much he loves Bella but come on people, he forced her to kiss him to the point where she had to break her hand on his face to get him to lay off. Never mind the manipulation! Take a hint already! Charlie also irriates me for supporting Jake and basically telling him it was okay for him to force himself on Bella.



Which fics are you reading right now, and which ones have your complete attention whenever they pop with an update?

Yeash!! What am I not reading?!! I have something like 150 story alerts going on right now. Granted, not all of them are still updating but hope springs eternal and I live for the day some of the authors take up their pens to post again.

But ones that are 'Drop Everythings'? Hmmm...Show Me A Garden that's bursting into life, Clipped Wings and Inked Armor, Master of the Universe, The Last Mile, Gateway to the Rockies, Saving Bella, Unfathomable Bonds, A Change in Course, Running - not to mention all the Southern Vampire Mysteries stories that I am following.

What made you finally decide to start writing your own?

I was sitting in my favorite chair reading and it occured to me that Jasper has such a hard time dealing with his thirst because he is probably feeling the thirst of the other 6 vampires in the house as well. Jasper being my favorite, I couldn't help but think that everyone jumped to the conclusion that Jasper was attacking Bella. What if he wasn't? Of course, my mind started roaming the way it tends to do and I ended up with the first chapter of Insecurities.

It wasn't a matter of "I think I will write a story today." It was more like, "I can't get this thought out of my head!" Once I wrote it down I wondered what happened next. Most of the time I am just as surprised as everyone else.

What's the atmosphere like when you're writing? Music.. quiet..kids screaming and ripping each other apart, or husband bitching in the background? Do you drink and/or smoke?

I have a really comfy overstuffed chair in my bedroom and most of the time I can be found 'nested' in it (my husband's word, not mine). Normally, my iPod is playing and I am under a blanket with the laptop and tapping away. My husband has a huge snoring problem, so rather than lay there at night trying to sleep, I stay up writing or reading. By about 1am he falls into a deeper sleep and quits snoring and then I can go to bed.



I love to have a few drinks when I am out with the girls. We have been known to get into trouble from time to time. Smoking is a HUGE no no for me. Never had the desire and really don't care for it.

What else do you like to read besides Twilight?

I am a huge fan of the Rachel Morgan books by Kim Harrison. I also love the Southern Vampire Mysteries by Charlaine Harris, some of the classics like Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility, and I recently read The Eragon Trilogy, Harry Potter, and I loved the Lord of the Rings books.

What else do you like to do?

I love to ride my horse. I compete in Reining every now and then (Google it - it's so fun!). I love to watch movies, read, talk on skype with all my long distance friends, go out dancing with my friends, and take vacations with my hubby.



Tell us a secret.

No one that I actually know face-to-face and interact with on a daily basis has ever read any of my writing. I have a friend in Toronto who is a big fan and is hugely supportive, but none of my close friends or family have read anything that I have written. My husband is good for bouncing ideas off of, but he hasn't actually read my stories.