Monday Meet & Greet with aerialla1

This week’s Meet & Greet is with Heather, aka aeriella1, and I have the honor of writing this intro for her today. I’ve been going back and forth all day trying to decide what to write about this incredible woman and I hope that I do it some justice.

So, our story begins sometime last year. One Friday night, I was on the couch reading Fan Fiction on my iphone while trying to avoid the hubs, when my phone buzzes signaling a new email. Wondering what wonderful new update I would be receiving, I peeked into my email and then promptly had an orgasm. I got a PM from Heather and it changed my life. She stated that she was sending a file to my regular email because she wanted to give me a special treat for leaving her such wonderful reviews. I told her that when I got her email, I let out an Alice-like scream. She wanted MY opinion on her brand new story, Love, Lies and Lullabies.

After much squealing and kicking my feet like a little kid - and more than one or two “Are you fucking kidding me?” - I opened the email to find…an Edward/Bella story. Well, as you can imagine, my joygasm faded…BIG TIME. But since Heather is my favorite writer, I decided to suck it up and deal and I’m so glad that I did. It’s a great story, and if you haven’t read it, you should. She has a wonderful background love story and lots of current day drama going on. Before I even finished reading it, I sent Heather a quick email with my thoughts so far. The next thing I know, Heather is sending me another email with the title Second Chances. My joygasm came back to life! Heather said that I had sent her an incredible review and my conclusions were very astute for Love, Lies and Lullabies, so I was rewarded with the rest of what she had written for Second Chances….51 pages of JasperGoodness. I think I literally passed out because Second Chances is my ALL TIME favorite story. Once I came to, I dove right into the story, smiling like a fucking idiot the whole time I was reading. That night a beautiful friendship was born. Well, for me, my aeriella1 obsession grew even more. I guess you really can’t call me a Stalkward because technically she came to me and I just latched on to her like a baby sucking on a boob.

Over time, Heather and I have had many discussions about all the Twilight books, and I think we bonded over our mutual hate of Breaking Dawn. I won’t get started on that rant today, but just know that it’s coming - and soon. Ohhhh, maybe I can talk Heather into writing a blog post with me about it. Hmmm, that could be… Sorry, off track. Anyway, we email back and forth, use chat a bit, and we seem to be able to talk about anything. It was getting to the point where we were developing a really supportive friendship and not just fangirl stuff on my part. I was completely digging our friendship and all our talks...and then she had to reveal that she was a Buffy the Vampire fan. I fell in love right then and there.



Fuck me, but aerialla1 owns me. I bow at her feet and worship the ground she walks on. Even though she’s always telling me to get up, I’m still crawling after her. She is always laughing at me and calling me a naughty or bad girl *wiggles eyebrows*, which I have no problem with. But then she spouts off crap like, “I’m not worthy of your praise”. The hell she isn’t. She is SO worthy. Heather is an incredible writer, a highly intelligent and well-spoken woman, and she totally rocks. I’ve tried to keep Heather and her greatness all to myself but now the other Lambs have gotten their hooves into her. But I’m still her favorite (I hope). I love that there is a dark side to her - just like me - and that she seems to fit in with my fellow Lambs. But I think I need to make her my ficwife before someone else comes along and tries to take her from me *glares at JaspersDestiny and sets MissMaj’s snuggie on fire*

*drops down on one knee and takes Heather by the hand*

I love you and your fics so much, Heather. You’re not only my favorite writer, you’re my friend. We can share fond memories together whilst you write, and I promise to offer you guidance, support, and fuckery until your dying day. As much as I love you, those two alone are not enough. I want you for ficternity; not only as my friend, but as my fic-wife too.

Please ficmarry me, my Darlin’ Heather?



As I wait for her answer, please go and enjoy the greatness that is aeriella1.

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

I’ve been married to my best friend for the past ten years. We have two girls ages 10 and 7. I work as a Barista to help pay the bills. Buddhism keeps me sane and my favorite place in the world is Disney World in Orlando with the Maharaja Jungle Trek and the fruit bats being my favorite attraction. I’m a goth-punk kid at heart, though I try to stay normal for the kiddies.

I got into vampires at a very early age, age 4. I remember quite clearly watching a movie of the week with my mother. The movie was Love at First Bite and the vampire was George Hamilton. From that point on, I was hooked. Jasper, Blade, Spike and Mick St. John are my favorite vampires.

I have an intense love for Star Trek, CSI, Highlander and X- Men.



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 actually didn’t start reading the books until I heard about the first movie. I always try to read everything in the vampire genre as soon as I can get my hands on it. My favorite book in the series is Eclipse. It was the first time I got a look into Jasper’s character. Hope for his character was the only reason why I read Breaking Dawn.

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

I’ll never forget it. It was Lillie Cullen’s A Lesson in Release. That story made me fall head over heels for Jasper. I haven’t looked back.

Which are your favorite stories?

A Lesson in Release - Lillie Cullen
Colliding Meteors- IdreamofEddy
I’ll Find You - Shirley007
Redemption - Lillie Cullen
A Light in the Darkness - mrsalreyami

...and too many more to mention. They are on my favorites list on fanfiction.net.

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

My favorite characters are Jasper, Emmett, Alice and Carlisle for the vamps and Mike and Jessica for the humans. The only werewolf character I liked out of the series was Leah, mostly for her tenacity and sheer stubbornness.

Jasper I loved because I have a thing for Texan cowboys and a massive love for Gone with the Wind... Jasper reminds me of Rhett Butler. There is such darkness to Jasper’s character and history and it draws me in.

I have always believed there was more to Carlisle’s history with the Volturi than met the eye. There had to be a reason, why he alone was allowed to leave, and why he is feared. I think Carlisle has a past that he doesn’t want his family to know and I always wanted Carlisle’s monster inside to come out to play. He could be a formidable foe between his age and his medical knowledge. I think given the right scenario, Carlisle could make nightmares a reality and become the ultimate executioner. It is his faith that keeps him in check. For some odd reason I listen to a lot of Rob Zombie when writing Carlisle. Strange I know.



Emmett is just such a big teddy bear that it’s hard not to love his character. He is the ultimate protector and reminds me of the X-Men character Colossus.

Last but not least, Alice. There is so much that could have been done with her back story that should have been done. She has a huge love for her family and would stop at nothing to protect them.

The character that I’ve always wanted to kill, right off the bat was Jacob, especially after Breaking Dawn. I believe his self-righteousness is what killed his character for me. I have a love/hate relationship with Bella. In the books, I wanted to smack her silly, which is why I try to make her character stronger when I work with her in stories. The low self-esteem of her character was too depressing, and it got to me after the second book.



Edward’s character for me is all about redemption, but I like to put him through the wringer first. Jasper to me has fought hard for his redemption, yet Edward just always seems above it all. I like to bring his character to his knees and off his self-proclaimed pedestal of piety.

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

Insecurities - JamesRamsey
Saving Bella - mynxi
Atmosfear - Rath101
A Reason to Exist - cullen818
Broken - WendyAnn
Just the Three of Us - kuntrygal

I sit on pins and needles waiting for kuntrygal’s Just the Three of Us. I have a tendency not to read any All Human stories because they just don’t hold my interest for the most part. I like my vamps, but this story kicks total butt.

What made you finally decide to start writing your own?

In all honesty, and this may get me killed, maimed and most definitely booed, I was left very unsatisfied and in distaste with the series in character representation, and as a whole. Breaking Dawn just gave me fits and my office wall bears the repeated mark from my throwing the book. There were so many things I wanted to know about the other characters, and questions that were never answered. The few characters that I had grown to love were reduced to nothing but cannon fodder in some respect, and others given bigger roles. Not to mention some things that just seemed to jump the shark, and go against everything we’d already read.



I’d already written stories for Buffy the Vampire Slayer in recent years and Jasper was begging me from the recesses of New Moon. Out of all the characters in Twilight, Jasper’s and Carlisle’s characters called to me the most. I live for the tortured man who fights and strives to go against his baser instincts. My first story for Twilight was One Drop and it started Second Chances. What was supposed to be just a one shot for one character has changed my life.

Writing for Twilight and for Jasper has given me the final push to do what I’ve wanted to do since I was a child and that is to write my own fiction with the hopes of someday being off the internet and onto bookshelves.

In all honesty, I fell in love with Twilight through and because of fan-fiction. My dissatisfaction with the series left me searching for more. It was through the wonderful writers of fan-fiction that I fell in love with the characters. My love has everything to do with the characters and nothing to do with the books.

Don’t get me wrong, I am grateful that Stephenie Meyer created these wonderful characters for me to play with. I just need more than she was willing to provide.

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?

My atmosphere is my office. I took our formal dining room and started giving it an overhaul last fall. When painting is finished this spring it will look like a castle dungeon, complete with my collection of vampire figurines, Buffy cast signed mementos, and my hundreds of vampire books. There is a TV and DVD player with stacks of vampire movies. When inspiration is really lacking these get played continuously.

When I listen to music on my own, I listen to everything from Opera and Classical to Punk, Heavy Metal and 80's ballads. When I’m writing, the music is mostly Hard Rock and Goth Metal. I have a thing for European Goth Rock. Listening to Breaking Benjamin’s Dance with the Devil and Breath were the inspiration for Jasper in One Drop and Second Chances. Music is my greatest inspiration when my brain is stuck dead at the starting block.



I usually write late at night once the kids and hubby are in bed. I light about a dozen candles and get to work. I find the darkness and the candles give me a lot of inspiration and put me in the mood for delving deep into the recesses of my insane asylum of a brain. Lately, however, with my job that starts at 5am, I have to find time to write whenever I can.

I am a huge drinker of herbal tea, mostly my own blends and sucking on peppermint sticks. Red Bull comes in great for those late night writing marathons.

Basically when I’m at home and not cooking, cleaning, or child rearing, I’m in my office - it’s my fantastical world away from the mundane. I’m very grateful for my indulgent hubby, who does laundry and makes the occasional meal when I’m in a good zone.

What else do you like to read besides Twilight?

I read everything from Anita Blake, Charlaine Harris, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Amanda Ashley, Kerrylyn Sparks to any other vampire fiction that I can get my paws on. I also am a huge reader of non-fiction history books. If I didn’t want to be a writer, I’d want to have a degree in Medieval History. Right now I am reading a book on the fall and rise of ancient Alexandria and Edward Lee’s “City Infernal”.

My favorite authors are Stephen King, Edgar Alan Poe, Clive Barker, Laurell K. Hamilton, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, J.R.R. Tolkien, and last by certainly not least, William Shakespeare. Bill Shakespeare can write murder and mayhem like no one can.

My favorite books are “Fahrenheit 451" by Ray Bradbury, “Murder on the Rue Morgue” by Edgar Alan Poe, and “The Old Man and The Sea” by Earnest Hemingway.

Hmmm...all of these guy writers just might be why I always feel like I can write men better than women.

What else do you like to do?

I do community theater when I get the chance. After writing, acting is my love. Voraciously reading is my greatest activity after writing. TV now sucks so I mostly watch DVDs from days gone by.

Tell us a secret.

Man, this is an embarrassing one. I had one total fan girl moment five years ago. It was at a Buffy Convention. I jumped the stage in order to get James Marster’s “Spike” set list because I saw someone else going for it. As I leapt the three foot high stage my black skirt rose, baring my behind to a few hundred people. I did get the set list though and a huge smile from James who auto’d it for me and I also got to hang out with him. The set list is one of my favorite possessions, even if the memory still makes me blush.