Monday Meet & Greet with Crash Hale

CRASH HALE

Author of Be My Biggest Fan, My Brother's Wife, With You, I'm Me, Maybe, What Started in an Alleyway, Taken Away, The Third Woman, Undead Life, Second Time Around, House of Candy, Later, Tornado Meets Volcano, A Woman's Touch, Request Fulfilled, Cowboys and Indians, Given a Chance, Bright Fire et al, Crash Hale has also collaborated with her fic wife, courthale, on Your Best Kept Secret, My Guy, My Girls, Moments, and Just Like You under the penname Irenella Courmett.

If you haven't read Crash Hale's stories, then you're in for a treat. Sit back and get to know her a little better, and when you're done, click click click on her name above to enter the world of Crash!

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

Let’s see... I was born in Croatia. Serbian mother and Croatian father. English is my second language. I moved to Australia when I was six with my mum and spent most of my life there. It’s my favorite place in the world.






I now live in the States with my husband. He’s my American boy. We decided to live here since he already has a career and I don’t. My favorite place in the US is Princeton, we live pretty close so we always go for walks and dinner there.

I'm twenty-two. I work four days a week and attend college three days a week. Yes, you heard it. No days off, so if my writing starts to slow you’ll know why. Anyway, I major in graphic design and write fanfiction for fun. I’ve always loved creative writing and I believe this is the best kind.

Also, I have an unhealthy obsession with Blue October. I’m going to see them two nights in a row. PA and NY. That is the excitement in my life as of now, oh and I also found out I’ll be visiting home during summer break.

I feel very exposed right now... hehe...

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?

This is kind of funny. A male friend of mine was saying how bad it was, so I never gave it a chance, then, one day, I randomly looked it up on the net and fell in love with Kristen Stewart and Robert Pattinson (they are so beautiful, funny (Rob) and smart (Kris)). Then a girlfriend of mine started reading them and insisted I’d just LOVE it, so she gave me the first book and I read it in three days. I went out that day and got the other three. I read them all before Twilight (the movie) came out. By the time the movie was out I was already crazy obsessed.

My favorite book out of the Saga would have to be Twilight, simply because my favorite part of anything (books, movies.. etc) is the beginning. I love learning about a new character and setting and so on. Seeing how they first fall in love. Love is always the best when it’s new. Sad but true.

My all time favorite part from any of the books takes place in Eclipse when Edward shows Bella the uses for a bed. I read that seven times over my first time reading the book. No lie.

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

I remember a while back I came across a Dark Angel fic randomly when I first got a computer. I never really read any others since then, then one day I was just bored and decided to see if there were any good Twilight ones. I really had no idea how amazing and huge it would be. It was like I had found Heaven, I mean, Jake and Nessie lemons. I went like ‘DAMN, I need more!’ Been reading ever since.

And yes, the first fic I ever read was 7 Days by dakinevamp (it’s still not finished). It’s Nessie teasing Jake. She’s the reason my first two stories were Nessie/Jake. They are undeveloped as a mature couple in Breaking Dawn (obviously, she’s a baby) that it’s so easy to create whatever you wish.

Which are your favorite stories?

Not in order...

All Work and No Play by herinfiniteeyes

Fourteen by crimsonmarie

Little Red and the Big Bag Wolf by herinfiniteeyes

Shadowboxer by nobloodnofoul

Southern Comfort by courthale

The Submissive, The Dominant and The Training by tara sue me

The Ghost of You by crimsonmarie

Emancipation Proclamation by kharizzmatik

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

I’ll just do my favorites since I don’t really hate any of them...

Bella
Edward
Jacob
Emmett
Alice
Jasper
Charlie
Rosalie
Renesmee
Paul
Jenks

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

Honestly I'm not doing good on my readings right now, but I am reading Don't Let Me Go by Cydney94 and all the others I was reading seem to have stopped dead in their tracks.

What made you finally decide to start writing your own?

It was never really a question. I used to write just for fun before getting a FF.net account, so the only difference was that I actually posted it for others to read. Turns out it’s a lot more fun to share.

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 usually sit on the bed in the bedroom with my laptop, usually have one of my favorite bands playing. I have over 2000 songs so I’m never out of something to listen to... but sometimes quiet is just nice. And yes sometimes my husband is bitching about something or comes and sits next to me so I can’t write. Oh and I’m usually chatting with courthale - yes, we’re inseparable.

No, I do not spoke, and yes I do drink every once in awhile... Not an alcoholic or anything, surprisingly.

What else do you like to read besides Twilight?

My favorite book is The Host by Stephenie Meyer. I also love We All Fall Down by Robert Cormier. Other than that, just anything anyone may suggest to me, but I mainly have FF.net for when I’m wanting to read. I’ve recently gotten into The Host fanfiction. I’m thinking of writing my own some time.

What else do you like to do?

Anything with art. I love my Photoshop. I also love going out to eat, to the movies, and going for coffee with my friends (although I don’t drink coffee myself), hanging out with my nerd husband - he’s so weird it’s never boring. I also enjoy yoga every second day or so.

Tell us a secret.

At this point I'm going to be boring and say I really have no cool secrets to tell anyone. I am working on a sequel to Just Like You though. I'm about 9 chapters in, but I don't want to start posting it just to stop so I want to make sure I'll be able to finish it before I actually put it up. Also I'm trying to work on a Tornado Meets Volcano story because people seemed to like it a lot.

Monday Meet & Greet with Live720

with

Live720

Since it's Wolf Month, we decided to interview an author known for her love of Wolf fics - Live720. Author of Jacob/Bella fics Seventh Inning Stretch, Fall For You, and its Jacob POV companion, A Twist In My Story, she is also author to Edward/Bella fics Corner Coffee Shop and Love is a Circle.

Live720 also co-blogs with artbeatsandlife and Kay Cannon on new affiliate site Phase Fics, so if you enjoy your share of wolves, mosey on over and show those ladies some LaPush lovin'.

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

I’m happily married of 5 months (May 22, 2010 was our wedding date) to my fabulous husband who is part nerd, part stud muffin. No kids for us yet, unless you include our 7-year-old cocker spaniel, Toby, who thinks she’s our baby. She’s pretty much the cutest dog on the planet.

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?

Oh, yes, the good old days. Well, I actually found Twilight over 2 years ago. It was in the summer, and I recall my RL BFF calling me one evening and going on and on about this Edward character that she was totally in love with. She was even telling me detailed dreams she was having about this vampire babe, and to be completely honest, I began to be concerned for her mental health. She always had a thing for the vamps, but this was taking it to a whole new level. Anyway, time went on and one afternoon we were girl dating in our usual spot--Barnes and Noble--and it was around the time Eclipse was just released. Twilight books were EVERYWHERE. My friend basically threatened my life if I didn’t buy Twilight since I was, in fact, looking for a new book to take to the beach with my future hubby and his family that weekend. I bought Twilight that day, read it that night, went to Walmart and bought New Moon and Eclipse, read New Moon the next day, and then ignored my fiance (at the time) at the beach while reading Eclipse.

Eclipse was definitely my favorite book out of the Saga. I have a thing for love triangles, if that wasn’t obvious already.

What got you started reading Twilight Fan Fiction? Do you remember the first fic you read?

I actually used to read Otown fan fic back in the day (Liquid Dreams, anyone?), so I knew FFnet existed. After reading Eclipse, I couldn’t WAIT for Breaking Dawn to come out, so I checked out some Fan Fic about what people thought was going to happen in Breaking Dawn. Not gonna lie, they were pretty awful. I don’t remember specific titles. After that, I didn’t read anything for a while.

Breaking Dawn came out and I was pretty bummed about the outcome, so I started writing my very own “What if” Jacob/Bella story. I loved Edward, but he already got his happy ending, so I wanted to personally give Jacob his, as well. I wasn’t planning on posting it or anything, but I spent days looking up Jacob/Bella fan fic and found nothing worth reading (besides Breathe Again by Ysar, which was only a few chapters in).

Which are your favorite stories?

I hate to admit this because it makes me sound like a snob, but I am incredibly picky about what I read. Honestly, I don’t know what it is, but it is so difficult to hold my attention. I guess my favorite all-time story would be Suicide King by Racket Ghost. It basically has everything I look for in a fic. It is so unique from everything else out there. Some of my other faves off the top of my head include: What’s Lust Got to do With It? by my hubby is no edward (an Emmett/Bella fic), Wide Awake and CLM by Angstgoddess003, With Teeth, The Neighbor: Anytime, Anyplace by artbeatsandlife, Expectations and Other Moving Pieces by chrometurtle.

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

My favorite fic characters to read about are mostly Edward/Bella, but I do enjoy Jake/Bella fics, too. I have been looking for a Bella/Paul fic everywhere but have yet to find one! I really don’t have a character that I hate. They all serve their purpose!

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

I haven’t been reading many fics, sadly. When chrometurtle starts updating E&OMP, I will drop everything I am doing to read it. Same goes for anything AngstGoddess003 writes. As for most of the other fics I’m reading, I can live without the updates, but certainly don’t mind when they fill my inbox.

What made you finally decide to start writing your own?

I kind of touched on this already, but I wasn’t happy with the way SM dealt with Jacob in Breaking Dawn. I wanted to further explore the relationship he and Bella could have/should have had.

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

Usually I am sitting on my couch and it is on one of my days off, so my hubby isn’t depressed that I’m paying more attention to my computer than him. I am always listening to music that inspires me. I have a glass of diet iced tea within reach and a Gdoc open. More often than not, I have my ficwife, my hubby is no edward, on gchat helping me to get the writing juices flowing.

What else do you like to read besides Twilight?

My book collection is extensive. I’m pretty much obsessed with books. My husband wanted to buy me a Kindle for Christmas and I yelled NO at the top of my lungs because I like to actually have the books in my hands. It’s weird, but that’s me.

One of my all-time favorite authors is Jennifer Weiner. I love all of her books. I also love reading everything and anything by Jodi Picoult. Recently, I bought a book called “Let Me In” that sounded fantastic and is about a vampgirl. I’m excited to start it.

What else do you like to do?

I love my husband. He’s my best friend first, so spending time with him while just being silly is my absolute favorite thing to do. Just the other night, for example, we both woke up at 5 o'clock in the morning on a Saturday and my hubby looks over at me and says, “I’m hungry.” I said, “Me too,” so we both got out of bed and went down to the kitchen, Toby at our heels. We sat down on the couch in the lamp light and ate a Peach Yoplait Yogurt, then went back to bed. We’re just big goofs. We enjoy going out with our friends, going to sporting events (Lets go Pens!), and being with our family.

In my professional life, I am a pediatric occupational therapist. I work with kiddos in school districts in my local area. I absolutely LOVE my job, and I couldn’t be more blessed to be doing something so close to my heart.

What do you like best and least about this fandom?

I guess I would say I least like all of the drama. Sometimes it can get pretty ridiculous. I’m a very nonconfrontational person, so I usually try to avoid it and hopefully don’t have too many enemies.

With that being said, I love the unity and support in the fandom. I know that seems like a contradiction, but for the most part, most people are so friendly and supportive.

What have your experiences been like shipping for a non-Edward character?

Well, I guess it hasn’t been an easy road. Up until a few months ago, I had never even been recognized by a fic site that didn’t revolve around wolfpack or Jacob fics. I have been in this fandom for over 2 years and I guarantee you that many people still have no idea I exist unless I’m their beta over at Twilighted. I’m not complaining about that because I truly love the small group of readers and friends that I have established. The Jacob and wolfpack community can be pretty great! However, prior to the release of New Moon in theaters, Jacob writers took a lot of crap. I kind of felt like we were shunned from the major parts of the fandom. I mean, popular fic sites would come right out and say, “We hate Jacob, so we don’t want anything to do with those fics or fic authors.” Maybe not in those exact words, but you get the point. Thankfully, that has changed. Maybe Taylor’s abs are the culprit? :-)

Tell us a secret.

I have two, how about that?

1.) Jacob in Seventh Inning Stretch may not have been completely honest with Bella about all of the details of his past. It might come back and ruin everything if he’s not careful.

2.) I am working on a new fic idea that involves Jacob as a Marine who may or may not return home from Afghanistan to Bella, the love of his life, to find that in his absence she has moved on and kept a secret from him that will change his life forever.

Monday Meet & Greet with wonderwoundedhearers

A note from Mae:

Until now, we’ve been having a Lamb do the intros, but we are now taking special requests for Meet and Greets.  We received this one via email from Shilo and I can’t agree with her more!  Wonderwoundedhearers is an amazing writer, as evidenced by my numerous rec’s of her work and pimping her stories out to friends.   

As a side note, if any of our readers has a suggestion for an author they would like to see interviewed, just email us at the blog here or PM one of us (me) and we’ll see what we can do.  And feel free to include a little something that we can put as an intro so the author knows how much you appreciate them! 

Now, without further ado, here is this week’s Meet and  Greet!

with

wonderwoundedhearers

Hello, Lambchops! 

Hello :]

I love your blog so much, and I was having a peek at some of the most recent recs - as you do. I saw that the last Wednesday One-Shot rec'd was written by  wonderwoundedhearers. First of all I was a little like, 'Yawn, read that plot before,' but I got curious and had a quick read...which turned into a long read...which turned into going on her profile...which turned into reading one of her fics that I liked the look of...which turned into reading another...which turned into stalking her updates like some kind of update-fiend...

Basically, I'm already hooked on her stories (that I've read so far, but I'm sure the others are even better) and I was considering how hard I am to please and how awesome it would be to ask her to do the Monday Meet & Greet somewhen...

Just saying.

I'd love you guys for it...more than I already do :]

Shilo x

  

Lambs

Tell us about yourself.  Married?  Single?  Kids?  Age?  Whatever you'd like to share.

wonderwoundedhearers

I’m eighteen, I live in the South-East of England and I’m going to University in September to study Psychology. No kids but three tortoises, and I’m in a pretty cool relationship – one of the main reasons we’re still together is that he likes watching ‘New Moon’ as much as I do…which is a lot. He likes the wolves – pssh – and I like Aro *swoon* I have Michael Sheen fever…and the only cure is to watch him prance about in leather in ‘Underworld.’ Mmm…

Lambs

Tell us about Twilight.  How did you first get into the Saga?  When was the first time you read it?  Which book is your favorite?

wonderwoundedhearers

I got into it pretty late for my age, considering it’s meant to be read by almost every teenage girl in Western society, and beyond. I was dragged along to see ‘Twilight’ at the cinema by one of my best friends as soon as it came out, and I thought it was pretty cool afterwards – I didn’t rush out to buy the books or anything though. Then ‘New Moon’ came out and my friends and I went to see that – I loved it, but because I hadn’t read the book I didn’t know Eddie-boy proposed and I did that whole ‘gasp-and-flutter-your-hands-over-your-mouth’ thing. Dead giveaway. As soon as it finished, my friend turned to me and asked me if I had read the books, and there was that really awkward moment where you don’t know whether to lie or not. I lied – of course – and bullshitted my way through a half-hour conversation about it. After that I read them like a maniac, determined not to be caught out again. I don’t think I let the books out of my sight after that – in fact, if I turn my head just so…I can still see them. ‘New Moon’ is definitely my favourite. I really don’t like the wolves – even though they make up a very big part of the book – but finally meeting the infamous Volturi is so brilliant that I forget all about the puppies.

Lambs

What got you started reading Twilight Fanfiction?  Do you remember the first fic you read?  What are your favorite stories?

wonderwoundedhearers

I remember reading ‘Breaking Dawn’ and finally realising that Stephenie Meyer had no mercy – the Isle Esme scenes were the last straw, and I really wanted to know what could have happened when Steph thought it was going beyond young teen fiction. I Googled, and I found some terrible fics, until I finally came across the FanFiction site. I was like a kid in a candy store…or a hardcore fangirl in Jackson Rathbone’s underpants drawer. It was that kind of moment when you think, ‘What the fuck have I been wasting my time on before I found this?’ The first fic I ever read was a nice one-shot from Edward’s POV on Isle Esme – I haven’t been able to find it again though. It was right after that that I discovered the magic that is a non-canon pairing – I think I saw Jesus…beard and all. I love reading any kind of pairing, but my favourites are always non-canon – mostly Bella/Jasper, Bella/Volturi or Bella/Carlisle.

Lambs

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

wonderwoundedhearers

I was Team Volturi all the way a month or so ago, but now…Jasper has totally taken the top spot, followed closely by Aro, then Peter, and then Carlisle. Least favourite? That’s no problem – Alice. I can’t stand her – the wolves are bad, and they usually suffer some kind of loss or torture in my fics if I can fit it in, but Alice…she just…wears me down. Too happy. Too chirpy. Too energetic. I get a headache just thinking about writing her into my fics…

Lambs

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

wonderwoundedhearers

Ah, so many! But I always clap like a two-year-old when I see an update for The Quiet Room by givemesomevamp, Bella’s Heart Song by Carlisle’s Mate, Underneath Your Scars by HammerHips, The Appointment by miztrezboo, The Orbiting Meteor by IdreamofEddy, Just This Once by Sweet Dulcinea, Infection by Piper-Knight, The Deepest Sorrow is the Greatest High by siobhan2006, The Threads of Our Souls by Untamed Loner, Hit and Run by lifelesslyndsey, Holding a Scream by TicTocTicToc, The Warlord by amaris12345, that’s how you marry a lord by edward’me, and almost anything by ToryTigress92.

Lambs

What made you finally decide to start writing your own?

wonderwoundedhearers

I can be an impatient bastard sometimes, and when some of the fics I read weren’t updated for at least a couple of months or more, I got antsy – I thought, ‘Well, I’ll write my own story, and when I’m really late with my updates I can just make some space around me and I’ll kick my own ass.’ Plus, there aren’t many fics out there with the odd pairings I like to read – so, I just decided to write them myself. Like Bella with the Joker from Batman - I'm really into writing a fic with that pairing right now.

Lambs

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

wonderwoundedhearers

I always – always, always, always – listen to ‘I’m Gay!’ by Bowling for Soup before writing. It never fails to make me smile and feel good, and it always puts me in the right mood. My parents got a little worried when they heard me jamming out to it once, and my dad tried to tell me that being a lesbian was okay in that really worried and patronizing tone…but apart from that, there were no other casualties from my weirdness and there’s always some kind of music coming from my laptop. I don’t smoke, and I do drink – when I’m writing though, it’s mostly juice or water. I can drink a lot of that and then I get loads of bathroom breaks. So then, when I’m washing my hands, I get to have a fresh think about what I’m writing and I realise stuff like, ‘Fuck, I should do this…’ or, ‘Jasper needs to do that with his tongue…’ or, ‘I need Peter being an even bigger smartass…’

Lambs

What else do you like to read besides Twilight?

wonderwoundedhearers

I love the Southern Vampire Mysteries by Charlaine Harris, but apart from that I’m not a huge vamp aficionado – everything else I read is either sappy, gory, or classic lit. I love Thomas Harris’ Hannibal series, and getting books off of my friends to read – they always know what I’ll like.

Lambs

What else do you like to do?

wonderwoundedhearers

I love art – drawing, painting, sculpture… Name any kind of medium, I’ve done it and I loved it. My pretty, little sketch book is always in my bag or on the table next to me.

Lambs

Tell us a secret.

wonderwoundedhearers

I drew a picture of Major Whitlock – uniform, horse, smirking Maria in the background, and all – for my best friend’s last birthday, but she doesn’t know that the drawing I gave her is a photocopy because I couldn’t bear to part with the original. I’m sorry…but then I’m really not at the same time.

Monday Meet & Greet with PJJ0930

with

PJJ0930

I first encountered PJJ0930 back when I read her first story, Time Continues On last May. Pam is also the author of Finding Hope, as well as a very interesting story called No Looking Back, which is usually the kind of Jasper/Bella story I enjoy because our protagonists are given time to grow and heal after the New Moon debacle of Edward's leaving. What we're given is an incredibly matured Bella and a more independent Jasper, who has somewhat - although not entirely - moved away from the Cullen clan. I have really enjoyed this story, and if you haven't had a chance to read it, I suggest you do so as soon as possible.

But what I think I am the most excited about is Pam's first chapter to me of an Alistair/Bella multi-chap for which she asked me to be the beta. At the time, I don't believe there were any Alistair/Bella romantic fanfics out there. Now we have lifelesslyndsey's Hit and Run, so the addition of Pam's, when ready, will be spectacular. Pam has crafted a non-curmudgeonly old character in Alistair - instead he is young and sexy! Any non-canon lover will grab hold of this story with both hands and delve in once Pam begins to post. The preface alone is intriguing, and all I can say is that Pam is, as far as I know, busy writing the majority of it as I type this.

Alistair and Bella, Lambchops... Alistair and Bella! I give Pam kudos just for GOING there.

~Jaspersdestiny

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

OK… I’m 35 with two kids, married… Exciting huh. I am currently un-employed, a victim of company down-sizing… Sad huh?

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?

Funny story actually, my brother recommended Twilight to me, his teenage daughter had read it and enjoyed it. So I bought it, then went on a hunt for the rest of the series… I read all four of them at least twice in the first week. Although I have to say I hated Breaking Dawn... My favorite is New Moon, because it introduces lots of new characters to us… Not a fan of Jacob, but I have read parts of that particular book so many times I can practically recite some it… Pitiful, really.

  

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

Actually found out about FF from a message board on Amazon. I read When Darkness Turns to Light, followed by Colliding Meteors and that was the beginning of my non-canon days. I read some canon still, but typically only if they are AH.

Which are your favorite stories?

I have so many, but I love IDoE's stories. My favorite list is nearing 300 and really is out of control.

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

Favorite is Jasper, followed closely by Bella. I think both characters have so much room for development.

Least Fav – Geez, Jacob or Edward… They are equally close to last in my book.

  

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

Saving Bella has me enraptured… Also, The Orbiting Meteor and Breathless Hunger.. Hint, Hint update please… And of course The Last Mile, no list would be complete without catpire included.

What made you finally decide to start writing your own?

I was bored one day and started my first FF .. Looking back at it, I am not pleased with the story, but it was a learning experience.

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?

Lots of noise, kids, dogs, phones, tvs. I rarely have any peace so my writing as of late has been put on the back burner.

 

What else do you like to read besides Twilight?

I love to read anything that holds my attention. I have a huge collection of books that vary from mystery to romance to sci-fi to supernatural. Reading is my one outlet from RL.

What else do you like to do?

I have no life outside of my kids really but I do enjoy a good computer game. Currently I am playing one that has almost all of my attention – My family is convinced I am OCD, so I will probably complete it before I start writing again.

 

Tell us a secret.

I am currently working on a new story … With the wonderful Tina as my Beta … No one else has one for this pairing and the main character is completely undeveloped, I am looking forward to creating a new character that hopefully will entice many readers. I don’t really have any other secrets.