Hello, @madman007!

What first prompted you to take up writing fanfic? And, what was the first story you ever wrote?

Which story (or stories) are you most proud of?

 

I've been writing since the 4th grade. (my 4th grade teacher read one of my stories in class). I wrote an epic story in HS that has gone through some changes over the years. It's about a sorceress/witch who has been to a dark side of witchcraft, but is now tackling the evils of dating! But I never did get into fan fiction at first. Thought it was all "slash" and no substance. Then it was 2005 and I saw Revenge of the Sith, and I thought, "What if a journal of Palpatine's was found that details the last days of his manipulation of Anakin?" I decided then that I should write it. Palpatine's Journal became my first fan fic. And I haven't stopped since.

The epic story I'm most proud of is Traits Of Descent. It's a novel sized story set in Legends about a mysterious killer who is offing former members of Black Sun. Luke, Corran, and Mara Jade go to investigate. My "Mary Jane Skyler" epic is also a favorite. It has the spirit of Mara Jade after she dies travelling to our world in the grand city of Mobile, Alabama. Sounds hokier than it is. Another one of mine I mentioned earlier is Agharta, a Mara Jade and Jaina Solo centric story during the time Jaina was Mara's Jedi apprentice. I also have a Dark Knight trilogy that I still get praise from. I wrote the first part, Drawing Of The Masks, in 90 mins.

 

Hi!

Do you prefer to write in a particular place/time of day/anything like that, or are you more of a 'whenever, wherever' writer?

Do you have any songs or playlists that make you think of Mara and/or Luke/Mara?

 

In the beginning of my first stories, I wrote in private secluded areas always with my headphones on. As I began to be my mother's caretaker (stroke in 2009), those secluded times were far less. Now I am a "whenever, wherever" writer.

A while back on the old JCF I wrote a parody of Jack & Diane in the form of Luke & Mara Jade. Other than that, I don't associate specific songs to couples.
I guess the closest would be All I Ask from Phantom Of The Opera, the most romantic song ever written IMO.

 

favourite parings in SW?

favourite parings in non-SW fandoms?

favourite crack parings? In any fandoms.

any parings (canon or fanon) that have great chemistry but should not get together? In any fandom.

 

What now Legend non-jedi, non-sith Force tradition would you like to see in the new EU and why?

What, now Legend, non-humans species that have never gotten any real description would you like to know more about?

Which one/s of the new non-human races we have seen in ST and the NEU would you like to know more about?

Which background characters in ST deserve to get their story told?

 

I'd like to see more interaction between the Tuskin Raiders and the Force. We know Tahiri was raised by Tuskin Raiders, but she was adopted. Did the Sand People ever have Force users in their history, and if so, how did they treat them within their tribe? Many mysteries with the Raiders.

The Anzati were a dangerous and mysterious species with two tentacle-like proboscises that curled out and extended from their cheeks, with which the Anzati were able to feed upon the brains of their prey. I wrote an Anzat into my Traits Of Descent epic but never got involved with their history. They were barely mentioned in the movies, although there was one in the cantina scene in ANH.

The Caretakers on Ahch-To island. Lanai species, not much is known about them or why they were appointed to be caretakers of the ancient Jedi Temple.

Would like to see more stories about DJ from TLJ (Benico Del Toro) to see how he became who he is, working both sides of the war to his advantage.

 

What question, if any, do you wish someone would ask you?

 

Why do birds suddenly appear when I'm near?

All kidding aside, I thought the interview-ee wasn't supposed to choose their own questions. So, in that sense, if you'll permit me, I've prepared some quick question/answers:

What is your biggest fear?
Spiders! eeeeh!

What is your favorite family vacation?
Gatlinburg, TN Smokey Mountain

What is your favorite book to read?
Shoeless Joe (aka Field Of Dreams)

What makes you laugh the most?
Monty Python, Tim Conway & Harvey Korman

What was the last movie you went to? What did you think?
The Gentlemen. Great Guy Ritchie English gangster tale.

What did you want to be when you were small?
Baseball player

What is your favorite game or sport to watch and play?
Baseball to watch. Volleyball to play.

Would you rather ride a bike, ride a horse, or drive a car?
Drive a car. Never rode a horse. Haven't owned a bike since my BMX teen years.

What would you sing at Karaoke night?
My friends say I did sing karaoke one night. I think it was Hotel California, I don't remember.
I require a certain chemical imbalance to do karaoke.

Who is your favorite author?
(tie) Stephen King, Elmore Leonard

If you could share a meal with any 4 individuals, living or dead, who would they be?
Jerry Garcia, Sean Connery, Barack Obama, Henri Matisse

What's your favorite holiday?
Christmas

What was the last book you read?
Matthew McConaughey Green Lights

What's your favorite type of foreign food?
Mexican

Who would you want to play you in a movie of your life?
Chris O'Donnell (Scent Of A Woman, NCIS- L.A.)

What's your favorite fast food chain?
Wendy's

Do you love or hate rollercoasters?
Used to love them in my youth. I live near Kings Island in Cincinnati. The Beast is still the best!

What's your favorite movie?
Field Of Dreams. Close 2nd is Star Wars, of course.

What was your favorite subject in school?
English

Do you collect anything?
Baseball cards in the early 90s. Comics

Are you related or distantly related to anyone famous?
My great grandmother's maiden name was Jackson, and was related to the Civil War General Stonewall Jackson.

Who was your favorite teacher in school and why?
Ms. Woodring in the 4th grade. She kickstarted my love for writing when she read one of
my stories aloud to the class.

If you had a warning label, what would yours say?
WARNING: Madman007 comes with extensive use of sarcasm.

What song would you say best sums you up?
Life's Been Good - Joe Walsh


And anything else you want to know, I'm an open book.

 

An open book... I like that, particularly coming from a writer. Would you say you are an extrovert or an introvert? Or an ambivert?

 

I think I'm more of an ambivert, a mix of both. Of course, Covic 19 has prevented my outings (I miss movies) there are times when I like to do hobbies in seclusion.

 

I loved your "Ghost Hunt" fic from the Halloween challenge, so I have to ask. Do you like those types of shows? And do you like any other reality TV?

And from your above questions/answers: Would you ride a horse if you had the opportunity?

 

Not into reality shows at all, unless it's a parody of said shows. I based that Halloween fic on "Ghostfacers", a parody show within the show, Supernatural.

At my age and body shape, I wouldn't even be able to get on a horse, much less ride one.

 

So, @madman007 walks into a bookstore and... What do you do? Do you buy books on first inspection? Do you make lists of titles to check out on the next library run? And, in what section are you most likely to be found?

 

Best dressed in PT?

Best dressed in OT?

Best dressed in ST?

Best dressed in SW overall?

SW culture with the best fashion sense? And why?

 

Been a long time since I've been in a bookstore, even before the pandemic. When I did go to bookstores, I'd usually have one or two in mind already. And I do make use of my library on new books when I can as well. Once upon a time during the EU book series, I would head straight for the Star Wars section. That stopped immediately after I read Sacrifice (I won't go into details but my icon may give you a hint as to why).

 

Wow, you're asking me about fashion sense? That's funny, since I have none. But, I'll try.

PT? Padme has some of the wildest and mosr elegant outfits ever seen in SW

OT? Han Solo, since that's more close to my own. Basic pants, loose shirt and vest. All you need.

ST? Finn seems to be similar to Han in fashion. Casual.

Overall? I'll say Nubians from Naboo. Like Padme, they seem to keep with flowing elegant robes with extreme colors that mirror their dispositions
of peace and beauty of the landscape.

 

Podcasts! Any you recommend?

 

I've probably listened to a total of 3 podcasts in my life, so not the greatest judge. The subjects ranged from the jam band Phish to the now defunct show, Supernatural.

 

We know that many of SW's non-humans can be described as a humanised version of an Earth animal (cats are really overrepresented) and I was wondering what Earth animal/s would you like to see being turned into SW's non-humans? And why?

What non-SW but Disney created/owned non-humans would you like to see in SW?

What non-SW non-humans that are in the public domain would you like to see in SW?

 

Thank you to @madman007 for another fun and informative interview. You can feel free to answer the last questions from @Gamiel whenever you get a chance

Next up we have one of our most regular and reliable contributors to this thread and to the fanfic boards as a whole, @Gamiel.

@Gamiel:

1) What are some of your favorite warm winter beverages (tea, hot cocoa, cider, coffee, etc) and why?

2) Do you have any favorite holiday movies? If so, what are they and why?

3) You seem to be excellent at worldbuilding (coming up with details about new characters and places in stories). What are some of your worldbuilding techniques and strategies?

4) For your worldbuilding, would you say that you are more inspired by our real world cultures and places or do you prefer to invent everything yourself? Or is it some combination of the two?

 

Tea, black. I have grown up on it and (I'm losing Swed points here) I don't really like coffee. Hot cocoa, cider and other swet drinks are more of something you drink at special occasion for me.

There is also that my dentist recommended me not to eat or drink anything between my meals beside water and tea au naturel.

I like my tea black and a bit bitter, but not to bitter. I usually make a 50/50 blend of English Breakfast (or other bitter typ of tea) and another less bitter tea (Earl Grey, Söderte, Söderblandning, Christmase tea) but sometime put 3/4 bitter if the other tea is a bit to flowery/fruity.

I have no problem drinking green tea but often find red not that good.

I don't have a favorite holiday movies but I really like the Royal Swedish Ballet adaptation of Tjajkovskij's The Nutcracker where they fusion it with the classic Swedish children book Petter och Lotta firar jul by Elsa Beskow

Why thank you.

This is going to be a bit rambling answer so sorry for some jumping around:

When it comes to my worldbuilding I would say that I usually begin with a concept and then create from that.

If the concept is an Earth-culture/area (or established fantasy/SF one) that I want the characters to visit, or be “in spaaace” (like, say Meiji-era Japan) what I do is to try to keep the parts I find interesting (this case the culture and social structure) and move the other stuff around (katanas become sabres, people are dark skinned, they drink tea Tibetan style, other style of buildings, etc.) that make people not go “Japan!” at first description. The trick for me is to take what I want and change around the rest so it’s not obvious what they original was; I usually ask how the base concept is different because of them now existing in a different environment, technological level or are made up by non-humans (AtLA’s Ba Sing Se but as a gigantic space station means that the anything but pirate TV/radio/such send traditional theatre, traditional cultural expressions, documentaries about traditional handcraft, and very tightly controlled news, and similar; the Dai Li would possibly all be Force sensitive but in in either case be equipped with some very high-tech).

There is also that I work with the thinking that each world should be unique in at least some way, and that it should be mentioned in the description. So if a world is in practise small town and farmland USA (I think we have at least three SW characters whose backstory is that they are from such an world) should it have something that makes it different from other such world – like they are extremely proud and see no problems taking to violence but consider guns weapons of war only so instead they are all trained in crossbows and knife fighting; or it’s actually a swamp planet, with most of the natives being from amphibian species and instead of cows do they heard not-manatees; or the natives are all gamorreans (which leads to you having to take out anything from small town and farmland USA that don’t work with gamorrean psychology and focusing on the parts that do work); or all the houses are round and the food described is based on the one from the Euroasiatic steppe.

The same goes with warrior groups or Force traditions: what makes them different? I have problems with groups that in the end are just all the cool stuff but none of the things that ground them – I have seen way to many peoples idea about their Force tradition being boiled down to: Jedi but with another cool weapon instead of lightsabre that don’t answer to the government/similar or have any real restrictions on their members. Or warrior traditions that describe them as being cool/might warriors that follow their own code of honour without describing what their honour system actually is, meaning that the authors/player can put whatever they want there, or their own prejudices about what honour means (the Mandos suffer from this with fans complaining that they don’t act honourable when they do stuff we don’t see as honourable but most warrior cultures had no problem with).

Lacking something, being bad at something, and/or having ways that priorities things we don’t think as most important give character to groups. A rule I work with is that the stuff I create/expand upon is cool and unique but they are not top dog, GFFA speaking, they may be better in one aspect of things compared to other groups, or even the Jedi, but that’s at a cost at being bad at many other stuff.

With all that said so would say that my way of working is to start with a concept or two and then try to make it it’s own thing. And those things should be mentioned in the text. Also that just ending the description of something with “known for …” is a good way to give it character, especially if one of the things it’s known for is no way like the other, ex. “Known for their bounty hunters, fine crafted electro-harpoons, and belly dancers”.

I collect ideas/concepts from the real world and from others made up worlds. Really, I have a over 100 pages document with my own and other’s ideas, and real-world stuff for when I need it.

I’m a student of history so I often have an idea about stuff regarding what things affect other things and where I can find concepts for stuff. But I also know that a very good way to get ideas/concepts is to just type it in on Wikipedia and then copy what you find into a long list that you then take the best fitting ones from.

 

General questions:
Favourite SW non-human?

What other fandoms do you like or are part of?

Are you planning to be a historian or professor (for some reason I can only envision you being a great professor/academic )?

Cat questions!
Millicent needs a new hat---what kind of hat would you recommend for her? It can be from any Earth-era but it needs to capture her personality.

You mention cats are over-represented in SW and other fandoms, if you still had to use cats how would you make them more interesting so they're not basically straight up humanoid cats?

 

Favorite season of the year and why?

When you write, do you need a distraction free space or do you need something in the background, some kind of music?

Favorite era of SW?

Favorite SW character(s)?

When writing how much plotting and/or writing ahead do you do?