Hello everyone. ::mrgreen:
Before I get to the interview, I'll tell you: a) where you can recommend other authors for me to interview as well as what you'd like to know about them (your own personal questions), and b) where you can find all the links for the interviews. I will always put this reminder here at the start of every interview for all of you to know. So, here's the link.
ATTENTION: The link above has been changed so the links that take you to the ''Interviewing Mibbian Authors'' in the previous blog entries aren't working anymore. But, from now on I will be linking you to the new one. I hope that's not too much of a trouble.
I'm sorry for not posting any interviews lately. I am really troubled over my mini netbook not really functioning so I won't be online that much from now on. I'll try to get on from an internet cafe like I used to but I won't have much time for that either, since I'm job hunting (interviews, fixing papers and what not). Whenever I have something written one of my friends that have access to my account will post the chapters for my stories and everything else that I may have written. I'm sorry for the trouble everyone.
With that being said, today's first interview is with Ragdoll.. Karina is an original fiction writer with some amazing pieces being already complete for your enjoyment. My favorite story by her is Devour My Soul and I hope she will start writing the sequel. I'm really eager for it. I also adore Hourglass which hasn't been updated in a long while. I really recommend those. :)
Now, I did a little digging. I can't stay away from blog entries, so this is what I found.
Why Do You Sign Up For Contests?
Aspiring Authors
And with this, we reached questioning time. ::coffee:
01. Would you tell us your full name?
The parentals named me Karina Irene Crandon... buuuut I will soon be a Walker 'cause I'm getting married in October! Super excited! ::cheese:
02. How long have you been on mibba?
I first found Mibba when my sister, aka TaraJanee, introduced me to it! That was back at the end of 2012! So I haven’t been here as long as a lot of these veterans!
03. Are you posting your writings on other writing sites?
Aha no! I'd feel too much like I'm cheating on Mibba!
04. Since when have you been writing?
I wrote a story when I was younger and told it to Tara. Needless to say, it was absolutely awful. Thinking about it embarrasses me! Though I wish I still had it! It wasn't until 2012 that I actually started and finished writing a novel. It has been rewritten many, many times and is in the process of another re-vamp!
05. Could you tell us a brief summary of your stories.
I’ve got a few stories up on Mibba now, but the very first story I began posting was the novel I had written. (The novel that is now being rewritten – ‘cause I’m like that!)
Hourglass tells the story of Olivia Amour, an inherited Reaper that stalks the night with her father, Alphonse. The supernatural world is filled with monsters that wreak havoc in the human realm, and it is the Reaper’s job to hunt these creatures and send them back to the Netherworld. Problems arise when Olivia’s father mysteriously vanishes, and Olivia is accidentally pulled into the Netherworld with her arrogant and self-important neighbouring Reaper, Sam Brooklyn. Olivia’s mission is to get back to her world and find out what happened to her father. Meanwhile her city has been left without protection, and the creepy crawlies of the Netherworld begin to notice.
Red’s Heart is one of my favourites. It’s about a wolf who becomes obsessed with a girl he finds in danger in his woods. After saving her, he begins to stalk her, obsessing over his desire to devour the girl’s heart. Wolf and Red soon get to know each other, but their relationship is not as you might think.
I Am Here is the shortest story I have written, and one that hits close to home. Grace is an orphan girl who is living on the city street. Ignored by the rush of the city, Grace is surprised to find attention from a sweet boy named Leigh. She quickly becomes attached to her new friend, learning about him and enjoying company she hadn’t felt in some time. But it all comes to an end too soon.
I’ve always wanted to write an apocalyptic story so I was excited when I got the idea for a story. In a post-apocalyptic world, Harley has made home in a jungle. Apocalyptic Love is about Harley and a journey she makes after discovering a group of survivors. The world has become Mother Nature’s domain, the trees overgrown, and all signs of human domination wiped out. The animal kingdom has risen. A large lion prowls the jungle. Wolves and bears wage war in battle for dominance. The group of survivors have made it their mission to reclaim human domination over the world and enlist Harley’s help to kill one of the Kings.
In most of the novels that I had begun writing, I often found myself twisting their relationships into some sort of ‘soul mate’ kind of thing. My problem was that I loved the idea of soul mates so much that I wasn’t finding the right place to insert the concept until I started Devour my Soul. It’s about a world where soul mates exist and are known to everyone. Most people go years without ever finding their true love, but Selena knows exactly who hers is. The story revolves around Selena fighting against her nature to be with him because of what he is. Evan is a Soul Reaper, an assassin who kills to claim the powers of gifted souls. It becomes difficult for Selena to resist though.
One of my other favourites is Tin Soldier. Tin Soldier was based off of Hans Christian Anderson’s ’The Steadfast Tin Soldier’ for a fairytale competition. Flynn, a soldier in tin armour, is awaiting his death on the battlefield when he is approached by a girl. The girl as he comes to realise, is a nymph, and upon request, she heals him. The story follows in the same footsteps as the famous fairytale, where Flynn somehow winds up lost. His mission is to find his way home and back to the beautiful girl.
My most recent and ongoing story is The Lake. My first horror story and probably my last, The Lake starts off as a typical horror movie. Billie has broken up with her long term boyfriend and has taken drastic measures to ensure she starts fresh. She moves to a small town called Brookwater, and into a home on the lake. On her arrival, however, strange things occur, and Billie finds herself in a tough situation. Children are dying and the town blames her. Now she’s trying to figure out what happened, and stop it before anyone else dies.
06. What inspired you to write each story?
Most of my stories were written for competitions because the ideas that they gave me were simply inspiring. A simple picture of a red knitted heart became a twisted story of a wolf turned man and his obsession with a girl lost in his woods. Entering a competition about the apocalypse inspired me to think of a new way to mark the end of the world. Even a simple line of a forgotten child inspired a story that hits close to home for me. I have so many thoughts in my head, and I often find that the little push that has me putting my pen to paper, has nothing at all to do with what it started out as.
07. Which characters did you like more from each story you created and why?
My favourite character of all my stories would be Wolf from Red’s Heart. There’s just something so raw about him that makes me want to delve deeper into his story. I want to find out more about him, and he was so fun to create because of it! He’s blunt. His emotions expressed so easily, that even when you start to doubt he could truly be so dark, you’re shocked back into reality.
There’s something about writing in a male’s point of view that I find interesting. Another favourite character of mine is Flynn from Tin Soldier. I’ll admit that his story became rushed in the end, and is due for a rewrite, but I’m glad because I enjoyed writing his story. His love for Scarlet is endearing. Still, I’m not even sure if it’s really just a strong infatuation. Flynn confuses me. But when I rewrite his story, I feel like he will become more solid for me. I want to give him a proper ending.
I try to make all my girls different so I tend to like and hate different aspects of their personality. Normally with stories, I start to like the secondary characters a lot more. I really like Phillipa in The Lake. She’s so bitter and confusing. You’re instantly suspicious of her. Scarlet in Tin Soldier is so innocent and otherworldly. She’s so alien. Even Avery in Maleficent is someone I like, and she doesn’t say a word! My main protagonist can be annoying! But I won’t lie, I make my girl protagonists that way for a reason. They need flaws. They need to grow. So by the end of my story, I end up liking them all anyway!
08. Do you do research before writing?
I try to research what I can, but usually I make a lot of things up. I’m guilty of making up towns and cities to suit my needs. Sometimes I might research history, like supernatural beings, and I’ll either go with it or twist it into my own creation. I try not to go too overboard when it comes to elements I don’t know. I steer from medical sides of things and technical things unless I draw it from experience. Mostly though, I create a supernatural world so that everything is possible. I can do what I want and it doesn’t have to make sense. Pictures are a big factor I take into things. I’ll google a forest, or horizon, or landscape, because it helps me when I try to describe it.
09. Is there an author on here whose work you like or is your inspiration?
I particularly love the works of my sister, TaraJanee. She has such beautiful writing. Her descriptions are flawless, and I find I draw my inspiration mostly from her. She knows how to keep a reader hooked. My favourite of hers was My Heart is Filled with Hate. She captured the Joker so perfectly and used descriptions I never would have thought of.
I also like Deus Ex Machina[b/]. She writes an amazing twisted romance! I like me some romance! And I'm currently obsessed with her stories.
Honestly, there are a lot of inspiring authors on Mibba and I would love to name them all! I’ve found so many stories that I love, and I hate to see them end! There are a few stories I like to read over again, just because I like them so much!
10. Do you like experimenting while writing? Writing about stuff you haven't experienced and genres you never thought you'd write about?
Definitely. Horror is one that I never thought I’d write. Apparently I’m not too bad either! I’m one to sit behind a comfortable genre, but I do like the thrill of writing outside of my comfort zone and seeing how it pans out. Experimenting is the best part of writing! I write because I dream of a world that I don’t live in. I write about the impossible because I can play with things I can only do in my head!
11. What's the hardest story you've ever wrote?
Maleficent, by far. I started writing it with a solid idea in my mind, and then I lost it. I can’t for the life of me write about a non-supernatural world. I had the greatest ambition with it. I wanted to turn it into a mystery drama, but wound up swerving violently back to magic. I have plans to go over it and tweak it heavily!
12. What does writing mean to you?
Writing is one of my forms of release. Writing a life, or many lives, makes me feel more important. Makes me feel in control of something. I feel the freedom I don’t have. I feel the heroic events that don’t happen. And I keep track of the special things my partner says to me, because more often than not, I’ll include our conversations into the story.
13. About what was the first story you ever wrote? Could you tell us a little bit more about it?
The first story I wrote doesn’t even have a name, so let’s call it Lame! From what I can recall, it was about a haunted house that was for sale, and my protagonist was going to buy it. Some weird stuff happened when she was talking to the sales lady, and the lady disappeared. There was a gross pool in the house, I think. There may have been a little girl in it somewhere. Maybe a carousel. I don’t even know anymore! It was so long ago!
14. What's the story you're most proud of?
My favourite story I’ve posted on Mibba would probably have to be Red’s Heart. It was the most fun to write and it honestly surprised me with where I went with it. After writing Hourglass, Red’s Heart was definitely a step in a whole new direction. My whole writing style changed dramatically. I think it’s the story I put all of myself into. I felt so deeply attached to Wolf and his emotions that the words flowed so easily from me.
15. What is your biggest writing weakness?
I can’t really pinpoint the biggest weakness. I have many problems that arise when I write. I normally start a story out well, but as I continue it, I start getting off topic. I find that I end up rewriting chapters more often than not, especially when it starts getting to the plot. Filling in plot holes and writing the peak of the story is a difficult task for me. I just never feel like it’s climatic enough.
16. Are you more of a writer or a reader?
I have a lot of books! 99% of which I have read, the other 1% are the end of series that I haven’t been bothered to read over again. I love reading. There’s no denying that. But there’s a part of me at the moment that refuses to read another book until I have finalised my novel. I guess it’s a fear that I’ll subconsciously steal an idea or something. I keep up to date with all the stories I’m subscribed to though!
17. Do you read all kinds of fiction?
I’ll read what I can get my hands on, as long as it is interesting! If it has a romance, then I’m instantly intrigued.
18. Do you prefer original fiction or fan fiction?
I much prefer reading original fiction. I love unique concepts and characters that the mind creates. Especially when I read something someone has written and I think ‘how the hell did they think of this?! It’s amazing!’ I find myself thinking about it long after I've read the latest chapter! I read fan fiction as well, but it's gotta be done well or I'm turned off!
19. Do you write stories with all kinds of ratings?
My stories tend to play along the safe side of ratings but I do like to add a few little sick twists! Red's heart has played further into the blood and gore than the rest of my stories. Normally I stay away from anything sexually graphic. I prefer detail on pain and blood.
20. What's the genre you are most comfortable with?
Romance is something I find easy to write, but I don't generally do a good job of it. I just love interactions between people. Creating lives and futures. What an amazing power! I also like supernatural since it’s so easy to manipulate!
21. Which genres and ratings do you prefer when you pick a story to read?
Definitely romance! I'm such a sucker for a great love story. Sad or happy ending. It don't matter! I'm one of those people who smile when I read that first kiss. Or get butterflies when he admits he likes her. Don't get me wrong, the story has gotta have some interesting plot... but I stay for the love! ::inlove:
22. What's the hardest character you've ever wrote?
Alphonse Amour was a tricky one. When delving deeper into his story, I kept having to fill in little details that would otherwise foil his backstory. Also, Olivia Amour was a hard one. I’ve changed her so many times, and because of this, the whole novel needed to change. I think I’m happy with her now. I want her fierce and feisty, but if she comes out as this superwoman, I know I’d be unhappy. It’s hard to find the balance.
23. Is there a certain place you like to be when you write? Something you have to do in order to concentreate on writing?
As weird as this sounds, I write the best when I'm at work. During my lunch breaks I would pump out a new chapter or a few paragraphs and it would be amaze-balls. Lately though, I've been so busy that I work through lunch. Writing at home just isn't the same. My laptop is tiny, and I'm currently addicted to COD: Ghosts. ::shifty:
24. In which of the characters you created, do you see yourself? (If there is a character like that)
I like to put a piece of myself in all of my characters. Little habits or sayings. Small traits that make my characters just a little more realistic. But I'd say Fiona in The Lake is probably most like me. Billie's thoughts of Fiona derive from little comments people have made of me!
25. When you have writer's block, what do you do to get back to writing?
It depends on what kind of block I have. If I'm stuck on a particular story, then I'll move to another. I think I have about 7 novels in the making, and a few Mibba stories incomplete. I jump from work to work to keep myself going and if I'm stumped altogether, then I'll let it rest for a while and do something else in the meantime. Like plan the wedding!
26. If you were a character in a novel, how do you think you would be? Is there a character of a published novel which could be you?
I've actually come to realise that I would be quite weak in a story! I try to make the females in my stories feisty and headstrong, which is the complete opposite to me! If I have my girl out there slashing zombies like a pro, you would find the real me struggling to get my sword to cut something. If I were to be anyone in a novel, I’d probably choose Rose Hathaway. But she is nothing like me!
27. Which is your favorite character from a published novel?
There are a few characters I particularly like. Rose from the Vampire Academy books was one of my favourites. I'm definitely not going to see the movie, because they have not done it justice. I'm a sucker for Dimitri, and they've destroyed him. ::sorry: I also like Elena from Kelley Armstrong's Bitten. And Paige from Dime Store Magic... but that is possibly because I love her relationship with Lucas!
28. How often do you update?
I try to update as often as I can, but lately I've been so busy with everything. I'm planning a wedding, building a house, writing 7 novels and working full time! It's so hectic, I'm stressing to the max! I do have something I could put up for Hourglass since it was finished... but I'm rewriting it! ::twitch: I’m hoping to have a new chapter for The Lake up soon!
29. Any words for your readers?
Your thoughts. I love your thoughts! It's you guys that have improved my writing and I'm so eternally grateful! I love your support and your criticism. I love hearing it all!
30. Any authors you like and inspire you? (novels/graphic books)
Kelley Armstrong is an author I love simply because her books transcend to a more mature level. The characters aren’t seventeen year old kids fresh out of high school. They’re developed. They know their powers. They’re comfortable with it. And the plot revolves more around something other than discovering gifts, or realising the world isn’t what it seems. I’m trying to make my stories more along those lines. Olivia isn’t becoming a Reaper. She already is one.
OW! That took some time to go through! Hope you didn't get too bored! ::tehe:
-Thank you for this!. ^-^
-You're welcome, dear.
Moving on to today's next interview, we have PorcelainTears. Alexandra is a girl who writes romance/drama stories either fanfiction or original fiction. Her newest story, Alive or Just Breathing is my favorite story of hers and you should all read it. Her other original fiction story is pretty good too. :)
Starting with the questions, finally. ::coffee:
01. Would you tell us your full name?
Alexandra Conde Nieves
02. How long have you been on mibba?
Almost four years I think.
03. Are you posting your writings on other writing sites?
For awhile I posted my stories on quizilla under the name Serenety and Medialuna but after a while I took them down. Mibba is much more organized.
04. Since when have you been writing?
Since seventh grade. Not well if I may add, but I was tired of forgetting and decided to finally write everything down.
05. Could you tell us a brief summary of your stories.
“Always back to you” Is an arranged marriage story with a little twist. Helena’s abusive and money hungry father got her in this since her mother was no longer in the picture; Helena agreed thinking that any life outside her home would be better. When she meets and later on marries Jake she starts to notice some undeniable similarities to her, by now, two year old deceased boyfriend. Jake thinks Helena’s crazy but even he can’t explain his sudden urge to be with Helena. His parents say there’s a reason why they are together and it may not be what anyone thinks.
“Just another fan girl” is a fan fiction of Andy from Black Veil Brides. It’s a little embarrassing but the story consists of an exaggerated ‘what if’ with my point of view. When Andy notices me and what happens when I’m reckless enough to do something about it.
“Alive or just Breathing” I’m currently writing. It’s about a post-apocalyptic world where the infected individuals run the land. Ren is thought of being “immune” and volunteers to be her colonies scavenger. With her new job she can finally search for the one she lost. But what if she is not immune? What if every exposure to the deadly fumes and direct contact with the virus only brings her closer to death? Will she ever find him?
06. What inspired you to write each story?
Mainly “Always back for you” is a collage of ideas that I had saved up. When I decided to write an arranged marriage story, since by then it was all I read about, I put a few of the ideas I had to make it a little interesting. “Just Another fan girl” was inspired by Black Veil Brides and all the daydreams I had put together. “Alive or just Breathing” was inspired in part by the Walking dead and 28 weeks later, along with my own input and views about a zombie apocalypse.
07. Which characters did you like more from each story you created and why?
Ren from “Alive or Just Breathing” because she is a person that has seen and felt horrible things, things that can change or even break a human being but she is still struggles to stay herself. I think what I like the best is her ability to not bend on difficult circumstances.
08. Do you do research before writing?
I do a little research when it comes to weapons, laws etc. but since most of my stories are fantasy I don’t really have to most of the time.
09. Is there an author on here whose work you like or is your inspiration?
Deredece who wrote Lock and Key. The way that she writes always keeps me wanting another update and that’s something that I admire because selling a story about vampires and humans is pretty hard without it being compared to others out there.
10. Do you like experimenting while writing? Writing about stuff you haven't experienced and genres you never thought you'd write about?
I sort of have a goal. I want to write a story for every kind of love; happy, tragedy, unrequited etc. and having to make different stories and characters to fit the overall story theme is a well-received challenge. Right now I’m writing a story in third person which is a first for me so I hope it goes well.
11. What's the hardest story you've ever wrote?
I have been working on a story since the eighth grade but I still can’t get it right to even start publishing it. It’s by far the most ambitious story with all the details and storyline so I’m still trying to get everything organized before writing everything down.
12. What does writing mean to you?
Writing I an escape for me. I used to daydream a lot but it came to a point where I had to write it down and from then on the spoken word didn’t mean much if it wasn’t written. Is more than a hobby for me because I really love putting the ideas that float around to pen and paper creating another world that if I’m good enough can take you in it.
13. About what was the first story you ever wrote? Could you tell us a little bit more about it?
The first story I ever thought of or even wrote is the one that’s giving me trouble. In a nutshell the story is about the princess of a neighboring planet named Desiree. Desiree inherits a power that for centuries hasn’t been seen; power that not only doesn’t belong to her kind but power that is very corruptible and dangerous. Ira, the person who was “supposed” to inherit it destroys Desiree’s kingdom trying to find and kill the person who took it from her, so the power will go back to the rightful owner. So Desiree, to save her life had to abandon her planet, family and few friends she had to survive. She arrived on earth alone and unaware of the situation going out of control in her planet. As she lost faith in going back she falls for Daniel, a man that has lost everything. But fear grows between both as they realize that Daniel may be more connected to her situation at home than anyone else, even her. Maybe he’s the reason why the power she has ended up on earth.
14. What's the story you're most proud of?
Right now all of them. Because I tried something different in every one and I’m proud of them.
15. What is your biggest writing weakness?
It can be considered good but I am a perfectionist. I tend to re-read chapters and correct them almost four times before I upload them therefor taking a lot of time. It can be good but when you finish a chapter and keep changing words, sentences and even the order every time you read it, it can get really annoying.
16. Are you more of a writer or a reader?
I’m more of a writer. Even if I read something I’m always going back to a scene and change sides or even a whole new ending. But I do really enjoy reading.
17. Do you read all kinds of fiction?
You can say that. I have read a little bit of everything but it all comes down to the way it’s written for me.
18. Do you prefer original fiction or fan fiction?
I do prefer Original fiction because you can make up anything you want. I think that fan fiction gives you a lot of restraints when it comes to the characters therefore making some choices somewhat predictable.
19. Do you write stories with all kinds of ratings?
Not really. I like to stick with R and NC-17 so I can be as free as I can without worrying if a scene is too graphic or bad mouthed.
20. What's the genre you are most comfortable with?
I really like romance. It can be a little repetitive so that’s why I like it when its mixed with horror or even fantasy, but I’m always drawn to love stories.
21. Which genres and ratings do you prefer when you pick a story to read?
I tend to go for the PG-13 and up. Because, for me, makes the story (depending on the theme) a little more believable.
22. What's the hardest character you've ever wrote?
Daniel. He’s from my first story I’ve been working on and haven’t published. His personality is very conserved and closed from showing too much emotion. Making someone like that slowly change has been really hard for me.
23. Is there a certain place you like to be when you write? Something you have to do in order to concentreate on writing?
It’s going to sound weird but the louder the better for me. I tend to write with the TV on or waiting for an order at work where everybody is yelling and making noise (kitchen cook). Oddly enough I cannot write in silence, I get really distracted.
24. In which of the characters you created, do you see yourself? (If there is a character like that)
Other than the fan-fiction all of the characters have something of me. Whether is the sense of humor or just the music that they listen to. But some characters like Ren “Alive or Just Breathing” or Desiree (unpublished story) are an alter ego of me. Or just making them make decisions that I would never have the courage to make.
25. When you have writer's block, what do you do to get back to writing?
To get over my writer’s block I sometimes have to read the whole story all over again just to get into it. But sometimes all it takes is a few days apart and a right scene from a movie, series or maybe a song to make my brain snap out of it.
26. If you were a character in a novel, how do you think you would be? Is there a character of a published novel which could be you?
I really believe I will be the cowardly girl that everybody feels they need to protect until she has a chance to lead instead of follow. I haven’t really read that much to find someone like that.
27. Which is your favorite character from a published novel?
My favorite character is Hanna Baker from the novel “13 Reasons Why” She’s brilliant in how she managed to do so much even after she died that it just amazes me.
28. How often do you update?
Not as often as I should. But every time I update I start working on the other chapter, so having a schedule is hard for me. It varies from a month to a week to a few days.
29. Any words for your readers?
That I love them! Every comment and every reader makes me happy. Every time I see that someone commented or just read the story my heart jumps and just makes me want to update another one. I may not have a lot but I appreciate every single one of the people that read what I have to offer. So thank you guys, as always!
30. Any authors you like and inspire you? (novels/graphic books)
I’m always drawn to Ted Dekker. His work is awesome and I loved most of what I’ve read. The way he gets the imagery across without too much talk is inspiring for me. Many of his works have gone into movies and I think that’s amazing for a writer.
And with that our interviews for the day come to the end. ::cute:
~Marian.
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