Author of the Month~September

It's with great pleasure that I announce that this month's AOTM is none other than xxxTailoredDreamsxxx!

We sat down with TD and did a little Q&A:

Q: How were you originally introduced into the Twilight Fandom?

Back in the days I would get all my Twilight Saga movie/cast related info from a blog called Newmoonmovie.org and was a frequent commenter over there. People would always post stuff like “Cookies for you” or stuff about unicorns, so one day I asked what the hell they were always talking about because it was obviously some kind of inside piece of information within the fandom. That’s when I was first introduced to Wide Awake, and given a link. So yes like so many others, my FanFic cherry was popped by that classic story.

Q: How did you decide on your Fan Fiction penname?

I’m one of those people who wake up in the middle of a dream and try their hardest to fall back asleep in hopes of picking up right where the interrupted dream left off. I’ll lay there and focus so hard on what was happening till I finally drift back to sleep, and although it’s never works I still do it on a nightly basis. Also, when I was younger I used to lay in bed and make up stories in my head, hoping it would trigger a dream to follow the plot line I‘d created… those plot lines would almost always involve my most current celebrity crush and a smutty situation. So yeah, when I would tell my friends about this they would tease me and tell me,  “tailored-made dreams“ were impossible, but I never listened. It’s always kind of stuck with me I guess. it’s a romantic idea in a way I guess… wishing and hoping you could have that much control on your subconscious. I suppose my stories have become my own “tailored dreams” using two of my most favorite characters and putting them in situations I would love to see them in.

Q: Who are your top 5 favorite Fan Fiction Authors?

That’s tough… and these are in no particular order because they’re all wonderful to me for their own abilities when it comes to their creativity.

AngstGoddess

HunterHunting

WinndSinger

Jaxon22

ItzMegan73 

Q: What are your top 5 Favorite Fics?

Can I just list 3, because this list is ALWAYS changing but there are 3 that will always and forever be a part of my top 5. Those 3 stories are:

Wide Awake

Clipped Wings & Inked Armor

The Red Line

Q: Do you remember the first fic you ever read? What was it?

Yup, Wide Awake. Which is why it will always hold a very special place in my heart.

 Q: How did you decide that you wanted to write Fan Fiction?

When I was in middle school I started writing for fun. Creative writing was a hobby of mine because I grew up in a very strict, religious home where I wasn’t allowed much of an outside life till my parents divorced when I was 14. So my writing was basically stuff I wished I could experience. It was my creative outlet to having a life. Sad but true, and that’s where my writing started years and years ago. When I stumbled upon the world of Twilight Fan Fiction I was in my mid-late 20’s and hadn‘t written a thing since early High School. My first story, Two Makes Three, was actually a plot I had written out for an original story but had never gotten around to writing it. One day I suddenly decided I needed a nice distraction from “real life” again and decided to dig all my old journals out to see if I could find any inspiration and thankfully I did. I remember going to CC, my AMAZING beta, and telling her I had something I wanted to try and put out there but I needed her help to find the courage, especially with the smut at first! Prior to Two Makes Three I was the only person who had ever read anything I’d written so it was extremely nerve racking at first, and I was definitely shocked when people actually started to take a liking to my story telling and my characters.

 Q: When you’re writing, do you imagine the Twilight characters as your own characters, or are there other people you imagine to play the part?

To be totally honest, I don’t necessarily imagine the Twilight characters… its more the actors… and the way they portrayed the characters. Does that make sense? I am a HUGE Rob and Kristen fan and think they’ve made the perfect Edward and Bella. In my opinion, their chemistry is amazing.

 Q: You have written so many great stories.  Which one in particular, are you most proud of? Why?

Of course Two Makes Three because it’s my “first born”. I love Care Bear, Stalker and Princess Bree so very much. It’s almost scary how three characters could become so important to you. They’re unbelievably special to me and I am very protective of them. At first I would get so defensive when I’d receive a review from someone calling my Bella a slut, or a whore, but I always had to remind myself that it was because I was the writer so I knew better as to what she was always thinking, feeling, and why she did the things she did. Perhaps as my writing abilities grow I’ll start to do a better job at portraying that in the story lines and not so much just in my head.

 Q: Two Makes Three was an amazing story, very well written.  What was your inspiration behind that story? What made you want to write it?

Aw, well written? I cringe rereading those first 15 or so chapters. Haha! Someday, if I ever have the time, I’d like to go back and do some serious editing in the grammar department, but I’ve ALWAYS said, I don’t pretend to be a “good writer”, only a decent story teller.

As for what made me want to write it… to be honest, I think it was a number of things. I was obsessed with bad drama filled day time talk shows growing up. You know, the “who’s your daddy”, “Joe you ARE the father!” type of shows. So the plot had originally gone in that simple direction. A love triangle that goes horribly wrong because of one bad choice that inevitably effects the lives of everyone involved. Then when I was in college I was in some sort of Child Development class when we learned that it was possible for twins to have two different fathers. That always kind of stuck with me so I decided to add it into the plot line when I sat down to really work on my story again. I think it’s what gave it that special WTF twist that grabbed my readers… and initially really pissed a lot of them off.

 Q: If Rob Pattinson asked you to give him the name of one fic, that would change his life… What would it be? Why?

I’m going to go back to Wide Awake again. For one it’s almost everyone’s “first”. It eases you into the Twilight FanFic Fandom, and in my opinion the story is captivating. Although… I just started reading Emancipation Proclamation, (yeah yeah, I’m extremely late to the game but the length of that story has always frightened me.) and it’s pretty much owning me at the moment and I could already see it being a film someday.

 .

 Q: Out of all the “Edwards” you have created … which is your personal favorite? Why?

I really love Stalker, my Edward from Two Makes Three, and it’s sequel Two Makes Five. In my opinion, he comes very close to being the perfect most ideal man. Understanding, caring, thoughtful, protective, a provider. Everything most women want in a man. He knew/knows how to take care of his Care Bear Bella. When it was necessary to push and when to take a step back and let her breathe. I think as a woman that’s very important while you’re searching for your partner in life. He helped put her back together again when she was unbelievably broken, but he never tried to change her.

Q: Can you tell us anything about any new projects you might be working on?

I’m currently working on TMT’s sequel, Two Makes Five, and another WIP, It’s Real Life. Sadly my writing has been taking a back seat these days because of my pregnancy (17.5 weeks with a my first bun in the oven). Writers block, and preggo brain have made sitting for long periods of time and focusing on one thing extremely difficult for me, but every day I try to write at least a few hundred words. Slowly but surely I’m getting back in the game and hope to update both IRL and TMF in the next few weeks.

 Q: Are there any other pairings that you could see yourself writing for?

I dabbled in a collab with some of my LGR girls and wrote some fem slash. That was fun but the project kind of died out when a few of the other authors jumped ship. I don’t think I could ever write a story where Bella and Edward were with someone else of the opposite sex throughout the plot. Just… no. Haha! Not-gunna-do-it.

 Q: Writers often look up to the styles of others, before finding their individuality.  Who has been an inspiration to you and your writing?  Why?

I like to think my style is unique. I have a habit of using a lot of inner dialog and line breaks. Especially in, It’s Real Life. I’ve never really thought of myself as a writer who looked for inspiration in another writers style. That’s what makes my story mine in a way… at least to me.

 Q: Who are your “Go To” people when you need advice or opinions when it comes to your writing?

 That list could be endless. I’m a member of the LGR, those girls are my everything and I’ve often gone to many of them for advice on plot points to see how they would react to certain “events”. My first beta, and someone who has become a real life best friend of mine, CC, is always my number 1 go to girl when it comes to TMT and TMF. She’s been with me since day one and TMT never could have been what it is without her. DiamondHeart78 (another amazing author whose fics you need to check out!) was my other main go to person in the beginning. She helped me get my story out there and guided me through the fandom.  Lolypop82 has created countless manips that help tell my stories in ways indescribable, and Stella helped make the ending of TMT so so very special with her “drawings” from Bella’s POV told throughout the story. I literally had tears in my eyes the day she shared them with me because of the way it brought my story to life. ClaraBella75 is my beta for It’s Real Life and she’s definitely helped me grow and become a better writer, not just a story teller. I learn from her with almost every chapter she beta’s and I’m thankful I haven’t driven her to the madhouse yet. Basically my stories couldn’t be what they are without the help I’ve received from these people and I will forever be thankful that they entered my life and that I’ve developed such amazing friendships with them.

Links:

 FanFicton.net profile

Care Bear's Sketchbook

Congrats xxTailoredDreamsxx! 

***We will be tweeting out TD's story links all this month from our twitter, so make sure you follow @ASliceofLemon to keep in touch!  Also, I (Jordan) realize that this post is six days late...I was hit pretty hard by Hurricane Irene and was without power for four days...now I'm trying to play catch-up, so please excuse the lateness***