Content1's Cravings

I was honored to recommend Breathing Hope by the Joker's Daughter this Tuesday. She was kind enough to do a quick interview for me.

Tell us a little about yourself.

Um… I do not consider myself an interesting person, but I will try my best with this one. I am closer to 30 than I am to 20. I am from Georgia, so I say and write y’all a lot, and I call everyone hun/honey or sweet-pea, though I am trying to stop myself from using that last one, because it usually gets me weird look.

I have a few OCDs, and I am ADD and have a fear of speaking in real life, social situations. I can stand up in front of a crowd and sing, act, give a speech, but I tend to panic when I have to be “social”. I am a CNA, but I want to go back one day and get my RN license. I am finally learning how to cook, and I can make pancakes that would give IHOP a run for their money. When I am not obsessing over writing something to keep my hands occupied, I like to crochet. I come from a musical family, so I love to play the piano and sing. In reality, there is not a day that goes by where I do not burst out into random songs. Living in my family is like living in your own personal musical. I love food, particularly sushi, and good wine. I also love good tea and Starbucks.

What made you decide to begin writing Fan Fiction?

Well, I have actually been involved in fanfiction for years, just not in the Twilight fandom. I was writing Phantom of the Opera fanfic before I even graduated high school, even though I didn’t know what fanfic was or that sites even existed for it. I just knew that I could not stand that Christine left with Raoul, particularly in Susan Kay’s Phantom. Then when the Harry Potter scene exploded, I began look for HP fics that were written by fans and, lo and behold, I found the world of fanfic. So, I did Harry Potter fics for a long while and only deleted the majority of my stories back in October of ’10. I just got burned out on what I was working on.

As far as my involvement in Twilight fanfic, I did like what I heard about Jasper Whitlock, so I started reading fanfics about him and Bella. From there I branched into Bellisle and Bellaro, and I found that I really liked Carlisle’s character, so I just decided that I wanted to do one of my own, but give it a bit of a different twist. I did not want to do a Bella-got-left-broken-and-someone-came-back-to-pick-up-the-pieces story. Those are great, I admit, but there are just so many of them, and I wanted to have Bella passed that stage. So I started Washington, which is set about five years after New Moon. She had a fling with Doctor Fitch Cooper (PFach’s character on Nurse Jackie), had a baby with him and then moved back to Seattle, where she runs into the Cullens again. After that, I wanted to do a “darker” Carlisle fic, so I started the Feral Blood Saga.

Your stories revolve around Carlisle and Bella. What intrigues you about this pairing?

Honestly, I love Esme, really I do, but she and Carlisle are so much alike that I don’t see any sort of challenge between them. Yes, in couples you need to have similarities, but there is a reason that the phrase “opposites attract” exists. People need a slight challenge in their relationship. Also, when Bella is with Edward, she tends to act more like a doormat. So in the majority (note: majority) of my stories, I give her a backbone. I think that if she had been with anyone else, she would have been a stronger character and in most of my stories she and Carlisle have enough similarities to allow them to get along perfectly, but there are some differences, which allow them to challenge each other.

What do you love about Carlisle and conversely what do you feel is his greatest weakness?

I love his ability to love. There are very few people in this world who are as caring and forgiving as Carlisle. I think that if everyone had even half of the compassion and love that Carlisle does that the world we live in would be as perfect as perfect could possibly be. Now that being said (and this is going to sound so oxymoronic, I know), I think he is too passive most of the time…He is supposed to be the leader of a coven of vampires. Vampires are simply very advanced animals. Humans are animals as well, but we have suppressed a lot of our animal nature and behave in a civilized way. In my personal opinion, vampirism not only heightens things like brain function, speed, strength, but also that animalistic nature as well. With that in mind, he is far too passive to keep control of this large group of animals. He would have to be more aggressive and I don’t see that in canon-Carlisle.

What do you love about Bella and conversely what do you feel is her greatest weakness?

Well, first of all, I have to say that I have only completed book one. I’m not really a huge fan of the series. I have a lot of problems with Edward and, more importantly, Bella’s reactions to his personality. I think Bella is, in short, a doormat in the series. However, and this might be ever-so-slightly oxymoronic, I like that she is able to accept people for who and what they are.

What is the biggest obstacle you face in dealing with a non-canon pairing?

I don’t think there is one really. If you believe in what you are doing and handle it in just the right way, I don’t think it’s challenging at all.

What are some of your favorite FF stories?

Dark Moon by Seph7, the Recalcitrance series by Jamberine, Changes of the Heart by RachelxMichelle, Once Upon an Enchanted Twilight by I Need a Life Bad.

Who is your favorite author(s)?

Jamberine, I Need a Life Bad and RachelxMichelle.

Do you have any advice to those who are just starting out in the FF world? I would say to write what makes you happy. If you do not write something that makes you happy and if you let your readers influence you too much, it will show up in your work and that work will not be good. Writing, whether it is fanfic or original works, is exactly like anything else in your life. If you are not doing what you are doing because you want to, because it makes you happy, then it reflects in your work. I told someone on Twitter once that even if you get a bad review, it is still a review. You are still evoking an emotion that was obviously worthy of someone saying something to you. Yes, it might be a bit hurtful at first, but do not let it change your mind or stop you from writing what makes you happy. That is what really matters. Writing what makes you happy, no matter what the reaction, because if you are not then what is the point?

Do you have any plans to write any more dark stories? If so, please share some details!

Breathing Hope and Demonic Desire are my only really dark stories; although, the TwiMuses blog has added Feral Blood as a fixture dark fic. However, to me FB is more…feral that dark. Breathing Hope is dark, because it deals with the spiraling out of control and into a place where there is hardly any hope and Demonic Desire is dark, because…well, Carlisle is a sexual demon intent on stealing people’s souls through sex. *shrugs*

Here is a sampling of The Joker's Daughter's stories:

Demonic Desire—

I knelt down beside her bed and cooed in her ear, deceiving her mind into believing that everything she would experience was a dream before initiating my seduction. I had her entire being wrapped in my words and within moments, without having yet touched her, I had her writhing in ecstasy, the dreams that I induced within her arousing her spirit. When she was ready, I swiftly removed her clothing then softly gave her my command and watched her eyes fluttered open, a dazed look clouding their depths as I smirked down at her. I ran my cool palm down one heated breast, pinching and twisting her nipple, and my dick jerked in response to her moans. I slipped my other hand to the moist heat that waited for me and was pleased to find that she was already wet enough to be mounted. I gripped her hips firmly and aligned my engorged member with her dripping hole.

"Beg for it, my delicious treat," I teased her as I rubbed my length up and down her slit. "Beg for me to take you. Beg for me to fuck you senseless."

She did.

Virgin Madam—

"And you came back today, because…?"

"Do you want the more subtle and acceptable answer or the barefaced truth?" Well, that was surprising and more than intriguing. "Both?"

He shifted so his lips were nuzzling against my ear. "The subtle answer is that I wanted to make sure that you were okay with my presence and to see if you would accept any romantic advances. The blunt truth is that I am not human. I am a vampire. I am more in touch with my animal nature than a human male, so because of that, I have to be close to make sure that no other male comes sniffing around you. I also came back to show off, to prove that I am the more suitable mate, very much like a peacock parading around and displaying its feathers to a female."

Now he really sounded proud of himself. He chuckled at my stunned silence.

"You are speechless." He ignored my yelp as he suddenly pulled me over to straddle his lap, and he clearly enjoyed the fact that my dress had ridden up my thighs. I could only gape at his smug grin. "You know, I do believe it would be best if I had someone deliver food, because I have no plans of us leaving your apartment any time soon." He placed one hand on my hip and reached up to fist his other hand in my chocolate curls before he drew me in for a passionate kiss.

"I refuse to share you with anyone tonight, Isabella."

Washington—

I barely registered the squelching sound of the cupcake hitting the pavement as I stared at the ring. I blinked and the ring was no longer in my hand. I blinked again, thinking that maybe I had seen things, but to my surprise, it was back, only this time, it was not covered in chocolate, cherries and my saliva. And it was being held by a hand much bigger and somewhat paler than mine. His sculpted chest was abruptly against my back and one arm was securing my body to his, and I was vaguely aware of my box of cupcakes sitting on the back of the Mercedes, but that random thought was driven from my mind as he nuzzled the side of my head, his nose and lips burying in my dark curls as he held me for a few moments. Then his cool breath was tickling my ear.

"Isabella Swan—" his usually soft English tenor was heavy with emotion— "will you do me the greatest honor of becoming my wife?"

I wanted to say yes. Really, I did. My vocal cords, however, were not responding. Thankfully, my brain was, so I nodded. I nodded vigorously. I did not want him thinking I was saying no with my silence, did I? Although, I was fairly certain that I had given my answer a week ago. But this was an absolutely beautiful surprise, even if I had told him this morning that I was not in the mood for surprises. I really liked this surprise, but I apparently still could not talk. We both chalked it up to shock.

We were just pulling into the driveway when my voice decided to make itself known.

"You made me drop my damn cupcake!"

Feral Blood—

"Bella, bella mia... My feelings for you as my mate are vastly different from the desire I have for your blood."

"Please," I begged. "I promise that I won't get upset. Just tell me, please."

I felt him nod above me and heard his heavy sigh, before he started to speak again. "While you are like a drug to my son, to be devoured completely, to me you are like a rare wine." His fingers caressed my throat slowly. "You are something so rare and divine that it would be a sin to just drain you thoughtlessly... No, Isabella. I would only occasionally soothe my palette with your delicious flavor, for you, m'uzzola, are the most tempting delight. You-" he trailed his tongue over my fluttering vein- "you are meant to be sampled, mia cocca. That is what your blood is to me," he cooed. "I could never just drink of you so carelessly, until the last drop was pulled from you. No, no, no... I wish to savor your blood for years to come."

If readers would like to stay in touch, where can they go?

http://www.facebook.com/pages/JDs-FanFiction/160029570724233