Nothing is impossible to beatlechicksteph

Southern Vampire Mysteries is a growing fanfiction site on ff and other fanfiction sites as well. Today when I checked the main page of SVM fics I was like WOAH!!! 74 pages! 

So many wonderful writers contribute their work in this fandom it was really overwhelming. I am so proud. *wipes tears*

One of these wonderful writer, beatlechicksteph has been with fanfiction since 2003. She has written 4 stories for Southern Vampire Mysteries and agreed to be interviewed by mio. 

She is an excellent writer, she writes what she knows beautifully. Mostly she brings out historical events and places. Her stories, one shot or malti chaptered they are full of facts and research.

Recently she has started  writing a malti chaptered story Do Something That Scares You Everyday. If you haven't read it yet, you definitely should. A history professor Eric is just the right way to make you melt. And he has an active fascination with Alexander The Great. This Eric definitely makes you smile and giggle with his ninga sword skills. *giggles*

She has recently entered in The Age Of Eric's contest and she is also an honorable judge in the 7DeadlySinsContest. 

Thanks Steph for doing this with me, I am sure I will be a pain in the ass for you. Now lets begin.......

How did you get introduced to the world of fanfiction?

I got introduced to the world of fanfiction back in high school.  I am obsessed with The Beatles, and I would surf several Beatles fan sites, looking at pictures and stuff, and one day I stumbled upon a fanfiction site for the Beatles.  I read those, and then started wondering if there were other things like it. I was really into Roswell and Buffy in high school as well, and my first fanfiction I wrote was actually for Roswell.  I’ve written for Buffy, Happy Days and the Gemma Doyle Trilogy, all before finally stumbling over to SVM.

How did you find SVM fandom?

I found it after I read all 8 SVM books that were out at the time and craved more.  I was already a regular at FF.net, so I just went to the book section, clicked on SVM and began devouring all the stories I could find.

Do you remember which fanfic for SVM you read first?

I don’t remember which fic I read first, but I do know that “Dead and Dating” by EricDreamer was the first one I put on alert.

Was there any particular story in SVM fanfic that got you into writing SVM fandom?

There wasn’t any particular story.  I think just reading several stories, I started to think “Hey I can do this” and then jumped right it.  I had written for other fandoms, but I never got the support at any of the other ones like I did for this one.

Which are your favorite books? Other than SVM.

I love anything by Nicholas Sparks and Jodi Picoult.  I have read all of their books.  I also love reading the classics.  My two favorites are Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights. 

You seem to like writing about historical periods of times why is that?

I have a bachelor’s degree in history, so I have this huge passion for it.  I was always told to write what I know, so I try and incorporate history in my stories, since it’s what I know best, and what I’m most comfortable with.

“The Cowman and the Rancher's Sister Can Be Friends” is your first svm fic, so how did you get started on writing it?

I saw that there was a “Cowboy Up” contest going on in the SVM fandom, and I decided that it would be a fun contest to write for, especially since I would be able to incorporate history.  I sat down and brainstormed with my sister, and I told her my idea.  She encouraged me and helped me come up with some of the plot points.  I saw the contest as an opportunity to break into the fandom that I enjoyed reading so much.

“Brothers in Arms”, how did you get started with this?

I read about the “Age of Eric Contest” on twitter and decided, as a lover of history, this was the contest for me.  I immediately decided that I would write during the American Civil War, as it is my favorite period in history.  My next step was to try and find a premise that I could place Eric in.  I was flipping through one of my Civil War books and came across the story of two brothers who fought on opposite sides of the war.  Inspiration hit immediately.

As it is your entry for The Age Of Eric contest, are you expecting anything from it?

I’m not really expecting anything from it.  It would be nice to place, but I wrote it for fun.  I’m going against some very good writers.  I’m just happy to participate.

“Do Something That Scares You Everyday” is your first malti chaptered story. So would you like to tell us a bit about this one.

I hadn’t written a multi-chaptered story in years, and was kind of afraid to start one, for fear of not having time to update or finish the story.  Then one night I had a dream.  I was a teacher at a boarding school, and when I walked into my room, Eric was there as my roommate and we ended up teaching together.  I woke up, and that ended up being the rough outline of my story.  That same day I went to the public library with my class at work, and during story time the librarian read a book about Eleanor Roosevelt and it had the quote “Do something that scares you everyday and enjoy it.”  That afternoon I came home and wrote my first chapter.

DSTSYE is taking place in Europe mainly Italy. Why so?

I wanted to take Sookie and remove her from her comfort zone.  If I had her in the States she could have easily run home to Gran when things fell apart.  I researched American boarding schools and narrowed my setting to two places: Italy and Turkey.  I almost went with Turkey, since that’s where my husband and I went on our honeymoon and I knew more about it.  But when I thought about it more, I chose Italy because of Rome and I thought I could add a lot more romance to it that way.

Eric is a history professor in here any particular reason?

That’s easy.  My husband is a history teacher.  I like to write what I know, and my husband is a World History teacher.  We’re both history nerds, so I projected that onto Eric and Sookie.

I specially love the chapter where Eric scared of Bob with his ninja sword skills. How did you come up with that?

I work in an elementary school, and all the boys in my class were obsessed with ninjas. I took their obsession with ninjas and gave Eric ninja sword skills :)

Do you like writing canon or AU more?

I like writing AU more, because I get to play with the characters a little bit.  I get to take Eric out during the daytime and not limited by his being a vampire.

Did you get any harsh reviews or criticism? If yes how did you handle it? Did it affect your writing?

I’ve gotten only one harsh review/criticism so far * knock on wood * and I got a little upset by it, since it questioned a large factor in my story, and it was done in a mean way.  I vented to my husband and then shrugged it off.  I didn’t let it affect my writing though.  I didn’t want one person to ruin something I enjoy.

You are also a judge in the 7Deadly Sins Contest. Are you looking for anything

particular from the writers?

I’m looking for creative uses of the sins and for entertaining writing. 

You are also a beta reader. Would you like to tell us a little about that? 

My mom’s an English teacher, so she taught me how to effectively proofread growing up.  I wanted to be able to share my skills with other writers out there, since poor grammar in a story is usually what causes me to quit reading a story. 

Do you have anything special while writing a chapter, like listen to special music, need total silence, eat…

I don’t have anything special while writing.  I just sit down and write whenever I have time.  It does help if my husband isn’t looking over my shoulder reading what I write out loud in a dramatic voice…lol Because of that, I tend to write when he’s not around or when he’s busy. 

Do you have posting schedule? If so, what is it?

Right now I don’t have a posting schedule.  I’ve been very busy this summer with my summer job and with moving, so right now it’s a treat to be able to sit down and write anything for any amount of time.  But once school starts up again, and I have a more normal schedule, I hope to post every 1 to 1 ½ weeks.

What is your background in writing?

I have always enjoyed writing, it’s been a passion of mine for as long as I can remember.  In college, I minored in English, so that was a great outlet for my love of writing.

Which RL author inspires you?

Jodi Picoult and Nicholas Sparks both inspire me.  If I could be half as good as either of them, I would be ecstatic.  Especially if I’m able to write a love stories half as good as Nicholas Sparks.

Did any FF authors inspire you towards writing your own fics?

Seastarr08 and Lubadub are two that come to mind right away.  I love everything they write, and just reading what they wrote drove me to try and be half as good as they are.

Which ff writers do you religiously read?

I religiously read anything by seastarr08, Lubadub, makesmyheadspin, kjwrit, Suki59, afalcone and Lindsay K.

Who do you visualize (Eric, Sookie, Pam, Bill, Amelia, Jason) when you are writing?

I definitely picture Alexander Skarsgard as Eric.  As for Sookie, I picture no one specific, but someone close to like Sandra Dee (back in the 60s). 

Okay, I'm wondering, do you sometimes write on paper or do you always use your keyboard?

I almost always write on paper first.  I don’t know why, but I feel more comfortable writing everything down on paper, with a #2 pencil, first.  Then I sit down and type/re-write the story when it’s done.

If you had a date with Eric from any of the fictions (Vamp and Human both) in svm ffnet, which ones would it be and why?

I would choose Eric from afalcone10’s “Dead to My World.”  I don’t know why, but he’s quickly became my favorite.  He’s so sweet with Sookie, yet not too sappy.  He shows that he cares, but is still tough.  I love that even though he doesn’t remember the time he spent with her when he had amnesia, he was able to fall in love with her again.

Also Lubadub's writer Eric from the Danger series, bc he's so sweet, he's a writer and he's vulnerable so it makes me want to help him.

If you met ASkars what would you do?

First, I would freak out on the inside.  Then I would try and have some kind of conversation with him.  He seems like a genuinely nice guy, and I would love to spend 10 minutes talking to him.

What is the one thing that you wish that Sookie would do in this season of TB?

I wish that Sookie would stop being so single mindedly selfish.  I want her to open her eyes and realize what her actions are doing to those around her.  I want her to start acting like the Sookie in the books.

Amen to that.

Moving on to next questions.

Which character are you most looking forward to seeing more on screen in TB? And why? 

I’m looking forward to more Eric on screen in TB, especially with Pam.  I like how they’re evolving their characters and showing their maker/child relationship.  I want to see more of that.

You made a Rancher Eric, a civil war soldier Eric and also a teacher.

NOW If you were to give Eric another profession what would it be?

Funny you should ask that, a couple weeks ago, I woke up from another dream of a new fic idea.  This time Eric would be some kind of businessman, but I haven’t thought of specifics yet.  I want to finish “Do Something” before I think about starting anything else.

Where do you prefer as the perfect place for Eric and Sookie to consummate?

I’m old fashioned and I prefer the bed as the perfect place for them to consummate.  It’s classic and you can write it thousands of different ways.

Lols. True that.

Do you have any SVM rec’s for the readers that you think they should check out?

I think everyone should check out “April Showers” by kittensandcombatboots and anything by seastarr08Lubadub.  and

Anything else you would like to add?

I want to thank everyone for being so supportive and welcoming in the SVM fandom.  If you guys weren’t so welcoming, I don’t think I would have ever gone back to writing regularly.  So, thanks for being awesome!