Interviews with Authors Version 3.0 - Interview with NYCityGurl (3/13)

Sebulba did a great job compiling numerous wonderful interviews in the second edition of this thread. Now that the torch has been passed to me, I'm happy to continue the tradition. The first and second threads contain some awesome interviews with a variety of great, intriguing authors.

I would like to make this thread consistent, and would first like to complete interviews on the currently nominated authors before taking any new requests. Some of these people have been waiting a really long time, and I think we owe it to them and ourselves to hear from them. These interviews are always interesting and revealing, so I hope I can continue that tradition with this incarnation of the thread.

I'm excited about starting up this thread again. I really loved doing interviews and reading them. It exposes you to authors you weren't familiar with before and gives you new insight into authors you already knew. So please, let's bring back this old tradition with new gusto

Interviewers:
solojones
DarthIshtar
CodeName_Targeter
Knight_Dilettante

Upcoming Interviews (current nominees)
ThePariah
LuvEwan
Stacysatrip



Author Interviews in this Thread:
NYCityGurl
ophelia
Shaindl
solojones
ViariSkywalker

Author Interviews in Previous Threads:
Aanix_Durray
Amidala_Skywalker
ami-padme
anakin-girl
AngelQueen
ArnaKyle
Arwyn_Whitesun
BlindMan
bobill
CalaisKenobi
Calamity Jinn
Casper_Knightshade
CYNICAL21
Darth_Fruitcake
Darth Pipes
Darth_Tim
Darth_Lex
DarthBreezy
DarthLothi
DarthSnuggles1121
_Derisa_Ollamhin_
EmilieDarklighter
Excalibur2358
Gabri_Jade
[link=http://b

 

I already have three volunteers,which is awesome! Thanks so much guys. The sooner we get a crew together, the sooner we can start discussing how we're going to run this version of the thread, which means the sooner interviews will be up

-sj loves kevin spacey

 

Yay, starting up again.

 

ANNOUNCEMENT:
Thanks to the wonderful people in this community, it only took one day to get a new set of interviewers signed up! My tremendous thanks to DarthIshtar, CodeName_Targetter, and DCWiz00 for volunteering to help out now and to Knight_Dilettante, who will join us around January. I'm very grateful to you all It takes a team to do this.

We should be organizing things soon so as to begin posting new interviews ASAP. I'll be sure to keep you all posted

-sj loves kevin spacey

 

Ladies and gentleman, I am happy to bring you the first interview vic-....er, subject of this version. This esteemed author is a frequent welcomed contributor to Resource discussions and insanely dedicated to her outstanding fic Spirit Warriors of Angharad. It is my pleasure to bring you a *small* little chat with Ophelia!


---

1. Can you give us some background information on yourself? (Please feel free to include your legal name, date of birth, and social security number)

George Lucas, May 14, 1944, 555-22 . . .

Okay, that?s not true. I did dress up as George Lucas for Halloween once, though. Nobody knew who I was. They all thought I was a bum. If you ever meet him, you can tell him that.

No wait . . . don?t. He has lawyers.

The truth is I?m actually damned boring. I?m six credits away from state certification as a teacher of students with emotional impairments, and just got a permanent subbing job at the place I used to student teach. (Yay!) I?m either the oldest of five kids or the oldest of two, depending on whether you want to count my half-sibs (I pretty much always do), and I grew up in a very eccentric, political . . . annoying . . . family. They embarrass me when we go out to eat somewhere. We spent my sister?s last birthday bickering about the constitutionality of Roe v. Wade, which wasn?t very sensitive, since said sister works in an abortion clinic. The whole fiasco was partly my fault really . . . : (

My mother was an unpublished author who wrote a couple of novels when I was a kid, and I spent some of my formative years watching her plug away daily at our old IBM XT, then go over to her huge index-card plotline taped to the wall. She?d squint at her color-coded character notations, and go back to the computer and back to work. Sometimes when she ran out of note cards she?d stick random pieces of note paper up there, or even scribbled-on paper plates. She and that novel obviously had a love-hate relationship, something I don?t think I appreciated enough at the time. Watching her work did help me learn what it took to write a very long story, though.

2. How did you first become a Star Wars fan?

I saw the special Christmas release of ANH in December of 1978. I was six. Even though everyone on earth had already seen the film by December of ?78, my parents refused to take me before that because the title had ?war? in it, and they were deranged liberal fundamentalists. You know those hippie chicks who used to put carnations down the barrels of soldiers? guns during the Vietnam War? My mother was one of those.

Luckily for me, my dad finally came home from work one day and said, for no apparent reason, ?Hey, let?s go see Star Wars!? My mom gave him that, ?Oh, honey, do you think we *should?*? look, but he suddenly thought it was a fabulous idea, and would not be dissuaded. He had probably been temporarily possessed by demons. It happens.

So we went to see this terrible movie about war that worried my hippie mother, and I was absolutely transfixed. It think the appeal was partly because the evil was *so* evil that it made the good guys? victory that much more exciting. Darth Vader was the scariest thing I had ever seen on a movie screen--probably because my parents wouldn?t let me see ?violent? films where people threw cotton balls at each other and whatever, but still.

After the final shot in the Massassi Temple cut to the star field, my days as a pacifist hippie child were over. Every crooked stick was a blaster, and every straight stick was a lightsaber. The radio buttons on my mother?s truck triggered ion cannon blasts. My mom wondered if I couldn?t find a better hobby, like sewing or something. ?Don?t worry,? my dad said, ?she?ll grow out of it.?

3. How did you get into writing fan fiction, and Star Wars fiction in particular?

That started approximately the morning after I saw ANH. All my original works were ?graphic novels?--meaning that I did not actually know how to write. I also lived in the kind of house wher

 

ophelia, I want to thank you very much for taking the time to answer the interview questions so thoughtfully. As you know, though, I'm incapable of leaving thought-provoking commentary untouched, so I have... a few words in response

I did dress up as George Lucas for Halloween once, though. Nobody knew who I was. They all thought I was a bum.

Is it sad that I think this is a really funny idea for a Halloween costume? I actually suggested to my friends who are going to RotS in costume with me that one of them should go as GL. I have lots of old flannel.


You know those hippie chicks who used to put carnations down the barrels of soldiers? guns during the Vietnam War? My mother was one of those.

Well gee, now I know who to blame

My mom wondered if I couldn?t find a better hobby, like sewing or something. ?Don?t worry,? my dad said, ?she?ll grow out of it.?

How delightfully prophetic. It?s like when people say ?I?ll be right back? in horror films, right before being chopped to bits. Brutal murder, SW obsession, it?s pretty much the same.

Nobody understood my art. The fools!!

Well, I look back now on the Star Wars colouring book my friends and I made when we were 8, and I have no idea what it means. And I?m a SW nerd. And I drew them.

Khan showed that cheeseball science fantasy writing didn?t have to be hack work. Douglas Adams and Berke Breathed--creator of the ?Bloom County? comic strip?both had a lot of influence on the way I write humor.

Wow, you know, I can really see those influences in your writing, though. Graceful sci-fi/mythology combined with impeccable British humour. That?s really what makes the GFFA go round, I think. At least the vision I have of the GFFA.

the films of Akira Kurosawa

I have only seen Rashomon and Seven Samurai so far, but I?m hunting down others. I just love them. I wish more SW fans had studied some of GL?s influences. Partly because they?re great in and of themselves, but also because it helps you understand the nature and idea of SW better. For fic writers, I think it can lend a really authentic and cool feel to their SW stories.

The basic idea behind Spirit Warriors is very old?I came up with parts of it in high school. It?s been dogging me ever since.

Wow. That?s what I can perseverance. Maybe that?s why it?s one of the themes of SWoA itself

Your fic was this heavy and long seven Christmases ago, Ebenezer solojones!!

Ah! Ghosty old men are scary ? unless played by Alec Guinness, of course.

Now and again I?ve tucked in things on request, or as in-jokes, such as a small part of an earlier (scrapped) draft from 2002, or an anagrammatically-altered version of a reader?s JC handle.

Geez, your readers are pretty demanding .You are a very kind person to acquiesce to such requests. Bad readers. Bad. *cough*

I?ve had several people say that the between-posts dialogues are as interesting as the fic itself, which I choose to consider a high compliment of the dialogues, and not . . . you know.

Think of it as a director?s commentary. And you know, only really good films get the money to record commentaries. So you?ve got your inside story comments from George Lucas, your tedious comments about technical things that interest about 3 people from Ben Burtt, and great anecdotes from Carrie Fisher. Somehow, it all works.

I?ve always loved the Japanese arts. The style is so clean; everything unessential has been cut away, leaving this really provocative negative space that invites curiosity.

Definitely. Just think about Japanese music. They don?t use harmonies. A single melody with rhythmic accompaniment is all that?s needed. It?s different from what we?re used to, and maybe that?s one of the reasons it can be so intriguing. Sometimes simple is really beautiful. ?Negative space? is exactly the artistic concept to pinpoint there. Great point!

?Twighlight of the gods? can definitely be seen in Star Wars. I

 

Upping this so I'll be able to find it, I'm posting the next interview in a minute.

:Targeter:

 

The author of both humor and angst, she is known for her series In the Shadow of the Chosen. She has captured Obi-Wan perfectly many a time. So here she is, ladies and gentlemen, solojones

1) Well, solojones, how does it feel to be my first victim, errr- interviewee?

Oh I?m assured that you?ll do fine. And besides, if you don?t, I have the power to fire you, so it?s all good. I do feel a little weird being interviewed now that I?m organizing the thread, but I?ve been on the list for about a year now, so I don?t feel that bad

2) Alright, so my boss tells me that I?m supposed to actually ask some real questions here, so could you share some background information about yourself?

Yes I could.

Was that not the answer you were looking for? Oh, fine. Well right now I?m 17 years old and a senior in high school in the middle of the Midwest. It?s not terribly exciting, but sometimes that?s refreshing considering how neurotic I am without outside stimulation. I mean imagine if I lived in Vegas or something. I?d have to count all the lights and replace any burnt out bulbs. I?m just a pretty intense person, although sometimes in RL I can actually be pretty quiet. I just start talking when something of interest is brought up, though. Then, as people who know me here will tell you, I ramble on forever. This usually results in epic fanfic replies. It?s a new genre I?m thinking of creating. I have a really pronounced sense of humor, it?s just very dry so that doesn?t always transfer online. Or it?s just plain random, which only scares people?Oh, and just because so many people on the JC do get confused about this, I am a girl

3) When did you first become a Star Wars fan?

I don?t even know. I can?t remember when it was, because I don?t remember not being a Star Wars fan. I think it, along with Indiana Jones and Back to the Future, has always been a staple of my family?s movie watching. So I was brainwashed from a very young age. I had a Star Wars club in 3rd grade where I pretended to be Obi-Wan?s grandson? yes, I know this is confusing on many levels. I was a tomboy, what can I say. The next year I was Boba Fett, whom I was convinced was Han Solo?s brother, Jeremy. Don?t question it.

4) How did you get into the fan fiction aspect of Star Wars?

Sometime in the summer of 2000 I really started using the internet a lot. So naturally I used it to look up my great love, Star Wars. I don?t remember whether I found TF.n or fanfiction first. I just know that soon I was plugged into several great Star Wars sites and loving every minute of it. I started reading a lot of fics and it wasn?t long before I wrote one myself. I have always loved writing and had many stories already. So it seemed natural to mix those two passions and write my own stuff. My first few stories all focused on Han and Leia, with some Luke. I didn?t really become a PT fan until AotC. Then I started getting more interested in Star Wars as Anakin?s story. When I was a kid I thought all the Dagobah scenes were boring, what with all the babbling about Luke and the Force Well, you grow up, you think more deeply. And since I?ve always been an Obi-Wan fan, I?ve fallen into writing him and Anakin quite a lot.

5) Are there any authors, real life or fanficcers, who have influenced your writing style or things that have influenced your writing?

I really don?t know what my writing style is. I?m sure I could sit down and analyze it, because that?s what I do in English class all the time. (It?s a sickness, really.) The only things really marked about my style as it were are the characters, I think. I tend to focus a whole lot on characterization. Which, therefore, means that I have a lot more trouble with plot. I like to write a lot of introspection and scenes of character interaction, but it?s taken a lot more work to string together actual stories. And those tend to be varied, because I read a variety of books and watch a variety of films. Someone who loves both Kill Bill an

 

I'm so glad this is picking up again. I really enjoyed it.

 

OMG I remember the Indy story! I don't remember if I ever replied, but I so remember reading that!

Glad to see this thing lives again. Nice job, ladies.

 

We all know that the best part of Earth1939 is Obi/Han.

Great interview, guys. What sj failed to mention, however, is that that "best title evar" of hers was actually my idea. I should start demanding royalties. But...consider this a recommendation to anyone who hasn't read her stuff (especially SotC) that they should do so immediately.

PS: What happened to TST?

 

We're trying to keep up with it, flowerbee, because it is interesting and fun for everyone

Miana, I don't recall if you replied, but it's nice that you remember the story I still need to finish rewriting that one. The problem is that the ending had to be completely redone and I haven't had time

Greg, I am not paying you royalties on the grounds that I'm letting you come to the SW extravaganza of the century in May. Besides, we all know we both stole the 'Sleek Sexy Starfighter' thing from that one AotC spoof.

Oh, but I really do need to clean up and repost Earth 1939 to the new saga board (new, right ). There really isn't anything more fun that writing Obi-Wan and Han together. It's far too amusing.

-sj loves kevin spacey

 

Upping this. I don't know who's next, but in a couple of weeks, you'll be seeing the very fascinating interview I had today with ViariSkywalker. I can't wait to get the final product up here. You'll love her.

 

The next interview is with Shaindl. That will be up around Valentine's Day

We're having some nice success with interviewers being enthusiastic about their work and getting interviews done so far. Sorry about that lag between the first interview and this one, though. That was my fault, I wasn't paying close enough attention.

-sj loves kevin spacey

 

Lol, no worries.

 

Yes, sj, that was rather bad of you, letting there be a lag between interviews.

And I'm working on the questions for my second interviewee now.

~Jenn

 

Oh, come now, poor solojones is doing a marvelous job of this. I've even got a second interviewee, possibly, and i just finished the first yesterday. This is a well-run show.

 

Well really it's about delegation. Not only myself, but Targeter, K_D, and you Ish have all completed interviews. It doesn't matter how coordinated I want to be if I don't have good people who work hard working with me.

You know this, Ish- it's the Ender Wiggin strategy of organization


-sj loves kevin spacey

 

So, does that make me Shai? Or Bonzo? I've always thought of myself as Petra, but that's self-aggrandizing.

 

ishtar, I was just joking with solojones since she was the one I interviewed and I sent the interview back in December.

~Jenn

 

Ah, lol.

 

So, does that make me Shai? Or Bonzo? I've always thought of myself as Petra, but that's self-aggrandizing.

Hey, I related myself to Ender. Doesn't that count as self-aggrandizing anyway? Actually, I think I'm more like Bean... and now I'm a bigger snob

At least you're not Peter... although your poor, tortured characters might beg to differ on that one

-sj loves kevin spacey

 

Hey, can you also put up a list of upcoming interviews? Might help people wanting to nominate authors for interviews.

 

Sure, that's a good idea... nominations haven't been open for a bit because when this thread started we still had a number of nominees in waiting from the last thread. I plan on opening those up again shortly, though- probably when the next interview goes up.

-sj loves kevin spacey

 

I am pleased to be able to present an interview with Shaindl. Although her answer to the first question does make me wonder if I need to go into the Jedi witness protection program.

Shaindl has been a member of the boards for more than 2 1/2 years now. This award-winning author has stories in all of the four fan fiction boards and in the archives. Her archived vignette, This Is My Spot, See? is a perfectly voiced musing by a street resident of Coruscant that comments on the aftermath of TPM from a very intriguing angle. She is a frequent contributor to the Obi-Wan Character Workshop thread in the Resource Forum and has also added her wisdom to other threads within the Resource Forum over the years.

And now, without any more rambling from me, the interview:


Shaindl, can you give us some background information about yourself?

But then I?d have to kill you.

Okay, though a lot of people know this already?27, Canadian, currently working as a Cultural Arts Director for a Jewish Community Centre. What that basically means is that I?m an event planner ? I plan cultural events such as speakers, concerts, art shows, etc. for the Jewish community where I live. I?m married for just over a year (though we?ve been together for over eight), and have two black labs who are excessively energetic (read: hyper) but a lot of fun.

How did you become a Star Wars fan?

One of the only movies I remember seeing in a theatre is ROTJ (not because I haven?t been to the movies a lot, I just have a bad memory). We went to the oldest theatre in my hometown when I was six, and it had this massive curved screen with these red velvet seats. I remember perfectly the lights going down and the music coming on and the yellow SW logo coming on and then fading into the starfield. Took me a while to realise that the 20th Century Fox music wasn?t a part of the SW theme music, but to this day, I hear that and I think SW. And every time I see the opening of a SW movie, I think of that day (cue gagging over the sugary sweetness of that last line ).

After that, I was hooked. I beat up my younger cousin so I could play Princess Leia. She was cool because she was a girl who got to boss around boys and shoot a gun. Apparently, I had some issues with male authority?

How did you get into writing Star Wars FanFiction?

Found fanfiction quite by accident one day while I was at a temp job where they didn?t give me anything to do. To look busy I started playing on the internet and looking intently at the screen. I think I was looking for pics from the prequels, and I fell into a fanfic page. From there, I found that other site and then the boards here.

From there, all these nasty little animals (which I later learned were called plot bunnies) started biting. And here we are.

What or whom has influenced your style of writing the most?

I guess if anyone, it would be Spider Robinson (run to find his books ? they?re wonderful). He?s one of the few authors who I can read and they make me want to go RIGHT NOW to a computer to write myself. Amazing ideas and amazing command of language.

Of course, the lunatics in the asylum here on the boards have inspired me, whether they know it or not. Often, it?s a challenge put forth by one or the other of them, or an, um, quirky thing they?ve said. Sometimes it?s the teasing I take ? one vig I?ve written was done solely because of the teasing I got for being Canadian.

People should tease you more often. Eh? is great fun!

What is your favorite kind of story to write?

Don?t know that I have one. It?s whatever mood I?m in at that particular moment. I like a story that has stro