Monday, June 14, 2010

Monday Meet & Greet with ahizelm




 
with
ahizelm
Author profiles: FFn and TWCS

Hello, Lambchops!

One word to describe Ahizelm? Variety! The girl can write it all. Want an all-human Jasper/Bella? Try "He & She". Want a Vampire Jasper/Bella? Try her 5-chapter short story “Completion” More of a traditionalist? There's "Aurora Borealis" for you Vampward/Bella fans.  How 'bout a little Jasper/Edward slash – she's got that, too, in “Ink Street”, a story she continued from her one-shot submission for the Tattward & Inkella Contest.  Angst? Another slash – J/E – "Whiskey at Midnight". Anybody for an Emmett/Rose pairing? OK, I admit I haven't read "Balancing the Scales" yet, but you know what, if anybody could have me enjoying that pairing in a fic, it would be Ahizelm. Fem slash? Check. Wolf? Check. Angst? Romance? Drama? I'm telling ya, variety. I haven't read them all yet, but everything I HAVE read has been fantastic. Her favorite guy is Jasper, and she ALWAYS does him justice in her fics. 

You'll find Ahizelm here at Fanfiction, and here at The Writer's Coffee Shop Library. Drop by, give her fics a try. She's got 26 on FanFicNet alone, so there's plenty to choose from. Whether its a one-shot before bed, a short multi-fic for the evening, or a longer novel-length for the weekend, it'll definitely be worth your time.


Merina


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

I am married with a little girl who is actually named Isabella (yes, we call her Bella for short. That was always planned). She's 18 months old, and I had her before I'd read Twilight, though people often don't believe me. ;) I just turned 27.


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?

Actually, one of my closest friends was reading it, and said, "I think they're making a movie. You should really read it," and I refused to for a while, thinking a YA novel that wasn't Harry Potter couldn't hold my interest. Ha! I was obviously wrong. This all happened around August 1, 2008, a handful of days before BD came out.

My favorite book is actually Twilight. This is because it's the only book that doesn't include something I sort of despise. I hated Edward's absence in New Moon. I thought the love triangle was overdone and could have been easily avoided in Eclipse, and Breaking Dawn was simply too anticlimactic for my taste. That said, I do enjoy all of the books, but if I had to choose a favorite, Twilight would be it.


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

My best friend and I were at Starbucks one night - we met because of Twilight, but that's a long story - and she mentioned something about 'shipping' two characters. Naturally, I asked what the heck she was talking about, and she directed me to FFn and the rest is history. One of the first fics I read was "Campus Liaisons" by Isabel0329.


Which are your favorite stories?

Well, there are quite a few that I really love, but my all time favorite is "A Murmur of Fire in the Vein" by ElleCC. Aside from being my introduction to the wonderful world of Jasper/Bella fics, I just really love her characters - Firesper is beautifully broken and works so hard to repair himself with the help of Bella and a cast of people who truly love him. It's fantastic. Aside from that, my favorites list on FFn is actually comprised of fics I consider a favorite for one reason or another. There are quite a few, but Elle's fic reigns supreme.


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

This is going to sound ridiculous, but I really like them all. My favorite male character is Jasper; Although I love Edward, I have to admit that Jasper's history and extraneous ability make him infinitely more interesting in my mind. In truth, my favorite female character is Alice, but she's so often maligned in fic, I have grown to hate most characterizations of her outside of the four published books. I already ranted about that, though, so I'll leave it alone.


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

I'm writing so much that I actually keep track of very few stories these days. My updates folder is appalling. Currently, I am up to date with: "The First Breath" by ElleCC and LaViePastiche, and that's it. But, there are a zillion other stories in my inbox that are waiting for me to have time to read again.


What made you finally decide to start writing your own?

I just got a random idea that centered on Bella being a food critic and it took off from there. My best friend (FFn Author MPants) happens to be a copy editor by day, so she said she'd beta for me. :)


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?

Music is always playing. The type really varies - I have a playlist for one of my fics ("Ink Street"), but aside from that, what I listen to all depends on what I need to accomplish for the evening. Angst generally translates to grunge rock. Fluff translates to pop. That kind of thing. If my husband is in the room, it's rare that I get a ton written, but most of the time, he lets me be, and I generally write when my daughter is asleep. If there's some adult beverage in the house, and it sounds tasty, I'd probably enjoy a glass or two while writing. I do not, and have never, smoked.

 What else do you like to read besides Twilight?


I liked the Harry Potter books a lot. I'm also enamored with The Hunger Games series, as well as The Black Dagger Brotherhood books. Basically, if it's vamp-centric, I am probably interested. Aside from that, all I require is an intriguing plot and for the piece to be well-written. My favorite kids book is A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle. I also really love Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro, The Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri, Michael Cunningham's work, and Holy Cow, a non-fiction, diary-type book by Sarah MacDonald about a two year period during which she lived in India.


What else do you like to do?

I enjoy a well-made cocktail, spending time with my best friends, plotting to paint my house when my husband is away, hanging out with my kid, and traveling. Also, I enjoy live music and singing. I sang in a band up til a few years ago when we parted ways, but I still love to see a killer live band of almost any genre.


Tell us a secret.

Well, I suppose this isn't a secret, but: Too much smut bores the hell out of me. I think the overabundance of it in TwiFic may have desensitized me or something. Sex is a big part of the BDB books, but it's not dull, and it always drives the plot, so it is important. This is not usually the case in fic. Shrug. Give me an awesome, well done, smut-free plot anyday.

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