| Interview with the Bloke: the Ed Ainsworth Interview |
[Jul. 5th, 2011|06:23 pm] |
So, a few years ago I kept seeing this guy, Ed Ainsworth’s name popping up quite literally all over the place; on the List, at all the Sites, everywhere. Except at JLU: 2001…
Needless to say (and I think this was how it happened) I was happy as hell to get an e-mail from Ed saying that he wanted to write DC and he wanted to do it at JLU. He had an idea for the Flash, which was great (as Flash at JLU seems to be a jinx), so having read his stuff, he got the green light…
Now, years later he is doing Flash, GLC and Authority (at Wildstorm) for JLU and doing all very well. I’ve chatted with Ed many times and he is not only a great and innovative writer, he’s also a great guy. Now, take the opportunity to learn a bit about the guy from Kent who is affectionately known as the Bloke…
***
To start, tell us a bit about yourself; family, job, things like that. Whatever you would like to comfortably share…
Well, my name is Edward Ainsworth, but most people call me Ed, or some variation therein. I live in the county of Kent in England, but I’ve lived in Cambridgeshire, Bristol and also in Killara, Australia. I get around a bit. I think everyone would rather I didn’t talk about my work – possibly the most boring work in existence. I have a brother who is currently studying his PhD in Particle Physics, and my mum is a botanist. So, we come from a scientific stock in my household, well, except for my dad who is a business brain.
What Sites are you currently writing for?
I write for pretty much all of them. I have my fingers in a lot of pots because apparently, I have some sort of writing ADD. Marvel Omega, Altered Visions, JLU (Obviously) both MA and DCA, DCInfinity, where I first started out, FDC, and M2K. I love writing and I love comics, so this is sort of me filling my time appropriately, although my girlfriend might disagree. My real problem is that even when I am writing something, I am constantly generating new ideas in the back of my brain. It’s a tad irritating.
What Titles are you working on? Tell us about them. How did they come about?
Wow. Well, I am working on a lot of titles. I won’t go into each one individually but I’ll give a basic overview. I love all of my titles for different reasons; because they involve characters I care about and love, like Animal Man or Defenders. Or because I had a concept that I felt needed to be told or needed to be explored, which is what Young Avengers and Ex-Man are. Then there are the titles that are a bit more personal for a patriotic or personal point of view, like Excalibur, or my Animal Man title at DCA which will be exploring animal rights and that sort of business. As far as JLU goes – The Flash was my first little exploration into a main-stream superhero. I’ve always felt more at home writing DC, because of the bigger concepts, I guess. Something I’ve never really shied away from, but Flash really was about seeing what I could do with a character, a concept and a clan – because we all know that the Flash isn’t just Wally West. It’s Barry, Bart, Jay, Jessie and Johnny. It’s everyone who ever rode the lightning.
Would you like to write professionally- maybe you do already, or is this just for fun- a hobby?
I’d love to write professionally. I still have a long way to go, unfortunately, or fortunately depending on your outlook. I’ve submitted a few things in the past but they didn’t take because I have a fair bit to learn about grammar and other areas of writing. The more technical aspects, really. Comics are pretty much my main hobby, mostly everything else I do is related to them, or stems from them – so writing a comic, or comics professionally would make me up really.
How did you get into writing Fanfic? Through comic books, or some other media? A few people have mentioned getting into Fanfic through movies like Star Wars.
I’ve danced around the edges of Fanfic for years. I was a comic-book roleplayer for the longest time. I spent 8 years developing my own character, but also playing and creating storylines for Marvel characters. I spent a long time playing as Doctor Strange, and interestingly, Man-Thing. From there I went on to message board role playing but ultimately, I never really got into writing issues properly until I came on board into the Heroes Community.
How did you find our Fanfic community? Google? Word of mouth? What led you here to HEROES?
Tony Thornley is responsible for my drivel. I found him asking for writers for a site that never did launch, DC Revolution, on a JSA Message board. I emailed him, said I was interested and from there I continued to spread my own brand of poorly written insanity over the internets. From there, I was introduced and joined into heroes through DCI really.
What other things do you do in your spare time? Any special hobbies or interests you care to share?
I have a lot of hobbies. I write, obviously. I like to draw things, mostly superhero/fiction stuff. I find that my art is more influenced by British comics than American superhero stuff. I want to draw people wearing clothes, and aging and reflecting the culture around them. I know that really dates things, but it gives it a location in time. It gives it a certain something. Constantine has a truly memorable look, and that’s basically a crappy coat and a suit. I read a huge amount of comics, and magazines about science. I have a lot of RSS feeds for a variety of different scientific subjects, from physics to biochemistry and stuff. I try and do different things as well, my friends and I have a project for this year, we’re going to fix up my old 2CV, learn to horse ride and I’m probably going to attempt a musical instrument. I go to a fair amount of gigs with my friend’s bands and enjoy the ancient English art of drinking until walking in a straight line is inconceivable. I have a lot of games consoles, so I play those a fair bit, and I like to go out and do stuff in nature. I don’t use my degree in Zoology that much, but I still enjoy the subject as a whole, so going to the Zoo, or natural history museum, or pond dipping are all equally fulfilling.
Is there any certain Title that you would like to write down the line, or any specific Site that you might want to write for?
Well, I think I probably write for pretty much most sites these days, judging by the list above. However, there are a few things I’d love to write. As you can see from the list above, I most favour lesser known, lower tier characters, but I’d love to have a go at Legion. I think they’re a fantastic group of characters. On top of that…Doom Patrol, Challengers of the Unknown, Aquaman, maybe Martian Manhunter or Firestorm. I’m a big DC guy. I’d love to have a little go at an espionage title as well, like Checkmate, or something to that effect.
Outside of Fanfic, what are your reading habits? Who’s your favorite author or series, or book?
I dunno if I actually have a lot favorite authors. I tend to see stuff in shops and buy it. I read a fair amount of science fiction, both old and new, and I tend to gravitate towards that. Aside from that, it’s mostly comic books – Not just superhero comics mind you, I read it all. Vertigo and independent publishers. One of my favourite things to do is when we go to comic conventions in the UK is just to buy as much indie stuff as humanly possible. There’s a lot of super hero stuff, but there’s also a lot of beautifully bleak and interesting stories. Cancertown is a good example of that, a guy with a tumor in his brain that makes him a sort of Constantine like protector of both the tumor world and ours. Mr. Glass is a beautiful story, told without words, about a boxer who falls in love, or from the same company, the story of a werewolf scar-face like gangster. So, I guess my habits in fiction are fairly eclectic. Otherwise, there’s lots of non-fiction science bits in there as well, in both magazine form and online.
What’s your favorite comic book title, story, or storyline?
My favourite ever storyline really is Earth X. I read it, and read it and read it over and over. My copies are falling apart from over use. I love the art, the content of the story, and all the characters involved. It’s probably the first comic that made me the continuity freak I am today. I do love Jack Staff, Hellboy and its related titles and also am totally in love with Hotwire. Anything she is in belongs in my heart. My favourite characters however, are Animal Man and Doctor Strange, so I will read anything at all involving them.
How about in Fanfic?
Woo. Difficult question, this one. I like Excalibur and Force Works over at M2K by Dan Ingram. New X-Men by Cory Weigel. Mike Hinzte’s 52 is a triumph of writing. Neil Gow’s Ultimate Fantastic Four. Derrick Ferguson’s Ka-Zar, Brent Lamberts American Eagle, Jamie Primas’ Avengers, Outsiders and Doctor Fate, Ultimate titles by Dino Pollard. Really, I could go on and on. I don’t have a favourite as such, but I have a lot that I read and enjoy constantly. The whole community is full of talented people who really produce some amazing content, especially with the obscure guys!
What’s your favorite movie?
Ha. Okay, well I don’t tend to watch too many movies really. I have a little selection of movies that I love and don’t mind watching over and over; Ghost Busters, District 9, Starship Troopers and Old Boy.
Where do you get your writing inspiration?
Not entirely sure, to be honest. I read an unhealthy amount of comics. I’ve said before that there is something slightly slanted about my brain. I can hear certain phrases and see certain things and there’s an idea in it, a germ that can become the body of something else. I spend a lot of time staring out the window at work, or daydreaming while I’m driving (Not that great a thing to do...) So, I guess it comes from everywhere?
Do you have a Blog or LJ? Any other Internet activity you would like to share?
I have a LJ. I don’t use it that much anymore, but its link is http://bkole.livejournal.com/. I’ve posted some short and badly written stories on there as well as my usual whining about comics and my favourite characters getting treated badly. Otherwise, I’m always on gmail and floating around in the ether of AIM.
Do you like to listen to music as you write? If so, what and which, or some other background noise, like the television or DVD’s? Or maybe you prefer silence when writing?
I don’t really like too much talking when I am writing, mostly because I am unable to write and listen to words. This is my curse as a man. Multi-tasking is not something that happens. So I listen to a wide variety of music, heavy metal, a bit of folk, some “emo”, electro-pop, funk, jazz, acid jazz, fusion, uhm, Dub-step, Dance music, whatever-the-hell the prodigy class themselves as…and Professor Elemental. Not even sure what he is. Gentlemen rapping? He’s the only words I can listen too when I am writing.
What book are you reading now? Fanfic, Mainstream, pocketbooks, etc?
Currently, I’m working my way through the new Richard Dawkin’s book, The Greatest Show on Earth, finishing up James Pattison’s Maximum Ride, and reading Scott McCloud’s Understanding comics/Essential Defenders #1 and the Knights of Pendragon, as well as every bloody Thursday reading a complete boat load of new comics.
How long have you been writing stories- Fanfic or otherwise?
I’ve been involved in Fanfic since 2006, which was basically when I started to give up Roleplaying. Before that I’d been doing a live action chat Roleplaying game for…I dunno, eight years? That was creating stories from nothing for years and years. So that was cool. In the interim I’ve done some DC roleplaying message board groups, but they never really capture the fun of Fanfic, and they eat up huge amounts of writing time, by requiring constant activity and attention.
What Title/ Site was your first in Fanfic?
My very first title was at DCInfinity. It was the Ultra Marine Corps – I had a fantastic time plotting it and gathering together a weird selection of characters. Around the time of writing it, I’d only just recently got into DC Comics. Late in the game, I know. So a lot of things were new to me – I also remember it was when Seven Soldiers was coming out so that was a huge inspiration. Yeah, so I remember it wasn’t THAT well received by some people, because understandably, it was rough and not particularly well thought out. I did enjoy a lot of what I had planned, and maybe one day I can go back to it. Such fantastic characters – Knight and Squire, a colour blind Green Lantern, I even inserted myself as a character in there – the writer who knew what was coming, until it changed entirely from what he was writing.
Where about do you live? Be as specific as you like or as vague: town, state, time zone, continent, etc.
I live in the arse-end of a town called Sittingbourne, in Kent. Which is in England, I don’t know if there’s a Kent in America. Probably. It’s not a great a place to live, but we live off the main road, and next to some fields, so it’s quiet and it’s pretty good. We got a flat topped roof as well, so sometimes I go up on that and look out over the fields and watch birds and stuff. I am a nerd.
What’s your favorite color?
Don’t have one, Colour blind, ain’t I?
Give us a closing and any words of wisdom you care to share. Any 'Shout Outs' or Plugs, now's the time...
Nothing special really, just if you read my stuff, or even if you don’t and you just want to chat and shoot the breeze. Drop me a line and I’ll be happy to respond and talk to you.
Thanks, Ed. A truly great interview and glad you shared.
Curt
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| The Incredible Derrick: The Derrick Ferguson Interview! |
[Jun. 23rd, 2011|07:14 pm] |
The Derrick Ferguson Interview…
So, I had heard about Derrick Ferguson for awhile after I came to Fanfic and Heroes. His name kept popping up on the Boards and the Yahoo Group, and I read a few of his writings (Silver Age Doom Patrol at DC Legends), and thought, he’s good and obviously knows his stuff (or something like that). Then to my surprise one day out of the blue he did a review for my Black Canary Maxi at JLU: 2001- and better yet, he liked it!
I forget exactly (as it’s been years) but either through Chat or e-mail we got to talking. Seems he lives just a few blocks from where I work. He stopped by one day not long after he published his first Dillon novel, then I went to a Book Fair where he had a table and sold for good solid cash his first autographed copy (I believe). I also met Mike McGee, Mike Exner III, Tom Deja and Russ Anderson at that gathering. A ‘Red Letter Day’!
Later in 2006 after my girlfriend passed away, Derrick came around my place a few times and hung out, drank a couple beers and offered much needed friendship. If for no other reason, I will always love him for that.
But we got a chance to collaborate too- a Thing VS Hulk smack down that was a blast over at Marvel Omega. Hopefully soon… Round 2!
So without further gilding the lily and with no more adieu, may I present: a fantastic writer, a great person and a damn good friend…
The ‘Incredible’ Derrick Ferguson…
***
To start, tell us a bit about yourself; family, job, things like that. Whatever you would like to comfortably share… (Also give us an update on your Florida move)
To be honest, I really, really, REALLY hate talking about myself. Why? I don’t think I’m all that interesting. The most interesting thing about me is my writing so go read it, awreddy!
However, I do recognize the fact that folks like to know all that boring personal stuff so here we go: I live in Brooklyn, NY with my wife Patricia. I retired early, due to health reasons. I suffered a second pulmonary embolism a few years ago. My first was fifteen years earlier. My doctor says I’m highly unlikely to survive a third so there you go. I’m now focusing primarily on a writing career while doing some property management on the side. My days are not the stuff of excitement. I live a really quiet life doing pretty much the same thing the rest of you guys do…shop, go to the movies, play video games, read…
My parents are both still alive and I have two sisters. One lives in Brooklyn, the other in Georgia.
Ah, the Florida move…Patricia and I were all set to sign on the dotted line but the hoops these banks want you to jump through to buy a lousy house…. And for some reason, real estate agents in Florida are obsessed with wanting us to sell our house in Brooklyn which just ain’t happenin’.
So for the time being, we’re still in Brooklyn. We’re looking at renting down in Jacksonville now. I’ll keep you guys posted.
Sorry to hear that Derrick. Hope things work out…
What Sites are you currently writing for?
For Altered Visions I’m writing AVENGERS and THE PROWLER. PROWLER has been stalled for a long time due to professional writing commitments but I hope to get back to work on that really soon.
For Marvel Omega I’m writing HULK. For Marvel Anthology I’m writing KA-ZAR and for JLU2001 I’m rewriting my DC Legends MON-EL series.
I got AVENGERS at Altered Visions because the EIC Doug Bookey asked me to write it. I had a successful run with The Avengers at Avengers2000 and Doug wanted to give the AV series a real jumpstart and felt I was the writer to do so. His only insistence was that I continue the storyline started by the previous writer. Which I was only happy to do.
THE PROWLER is a series that I’ve wanted to do for a long time and fan fiction is probably the only place I could get to do it as I have no desire whatsoever to write comic books for either Marvel or DC. I wanted to write a black street level hero and I simply wasn’t feeling Luke Cage. Not because I don’t like him or don’t have stories to tell about him. But I think that writers forget there are other black Marvel superheroes besides Luke Cage and The Black Panther.
HULK has had a very convoluted history as it started out as a Marvel2000 title. Due to creative differences with the EiC at the time, I had the series removed. A few years later, Dino Pollard asked me to bring it to Marvel Omega where it’s enjoyed the respect I feel it deserves.
KA-ZAR actually started out as an INHUMANS/KA-ZAR mini-series for Marvel2000. Again, due to creative differences I aborted the series and it sat around on my hard drive until I rewrote it as a KA-ZAR series for David Golightly’s Marvel Knights. David had to close down the site and thinking that it would be permanent, I moved the series over to Marvel Anthology.
MON-EL was either the first or second fan fiction series I wrote and I wrote it because of one simple reason: I love Mon-El and realized that unless I wrote stories about him, I’d never get to read any. So I wrote that series for myself, really, as I believed that no one would ever read it. I’ve been pleasantly surprised over the years as every so often I’ll get an email from a Mon-El fan who thanks me for writing a fan fiction series about their favorite Legionnaire.
Would you like to write professionally- maybe you do already, or is this just for fun- a hobby?
I do consider myself a professional writer. Why? I get paid for my original fiction. Not a lot, I admit. But for me, that’s the dividing line between being an amateur and professional. Once folks are willing to hand over hard earned cash for what you’ve done, you’ve made it.
How did you get into writing Fanfic? Through comic books, or some other media? A few people have mentioned getting into Fanfic through movies like Star Wars.
I got into writing fanfic by reading it first. I found MV1 which back in the day was THE fanfiction site. Everybody and I mean EVERYBODY wrote for that sucka back then and I was extraordinarily impressed with the level of talent writing there. To this day it’s a big regret of mine that I never got to write for MV1 as just about every friend I’ve made in the HEROES community wrote for MV1. I’d have liked to be among their number. I know that most fan fiction active in the past few years who don’t know their history yawn when MV1 is mentioned but once upon a time MV1 was like the Camelot of fan fiction sites.
How did you find our Fanfic community? Google? Word of mouth? What led you here to HEROES?
Google didn’t even exist back then, that’s how long ago it was. To be honest with you, I really don’t remember how I found the HEROES community. I suspect it had something to do with Russ Anderson as he was the first person to email me and tell me how much he enjoyed MON-EL. At that time he was writing a kickass CHAMPIONS series for MV1. So yeah, it probably was Russ who brought me in.
You and me both, brother. I think Russ had a hand in more than a few of us, though he would never admit it.
What other things do you do in your spare time? Any special hobbies or interests you care to share?
Everybody knows I’m a total movie freak and usually when I’m not writing or reading, I’m watching a movie. As for watching sports, I’m a baseball and tennis guy. I also enjoy playing games on my Xbox360: SoulCalibur IV, Mass Effect, Fight Night, Batman:Arkham Asylum are my favorites. I also enjoy cooking.
Is there any certain Title that you would like to write down the line, or any specific Site that you might want to write for?
I’ve never had a particular site I wanted to write for, outside of MV1. For me, it’s all about the relationship I have with the people associated with a site. Since I’m not getting paid for this, the only inducement I have for writing at a fanfiction site is if I like the people there or not. It may sound like favoritism but that’s only because it is. Why would I want to write for a site where I don’t know anybody or get along with them?
As for a title…I would like to take a shot at X-MEN only because I’ve gotten this reputation as hating The X-Men which isn’t true. I love The X-Men. I hate what they’ve become. But it would have to be an X-MEN series I do from the ground up. I’d also like to write MASTER OF KUNG FU. I’ve got 9000 words of a first issue on my hard drive somewhere.
I started writing a CHAMPIONS series at AV that is made up entirely of black Marvel superheroes. That’s my dream series that I had to give up because I had two novels I was writing and something had to go. And as the saying goes; “Last hired, first fired” CHAMPIONS was a series I was only two issues in so it was the easiest to give up. But Brent Lambert picked up the ball and he’s rockin’ n’ rollin’ with the title now.
Outside of Fanfic, what are your reading habits? Who’s your favorite author or series, or book?
I usually read early in the morning while having my morning coffee as I’m simply unable to do anything until the caffeine kicks in. I may read for an hour or so while lying in bed as I can’t just flop into bed and go to sleep just like that. I have a lot of favorite authors; Lester Dent, George C. Chesbro, Robert R. McCammon, Michael Moorcock, Robert E. Howard, Chester Himes, Elmore Leonard
What’s your favorite comic book title, story, or storyline?
My favorite comic book titles are:
The Lee/Kirby run of FANTASTIC FOUR. It took me years to collect the 100 issues they did. And I do mean years. It’s among my most prized possession. I consider those 100 issues to be The Bible of The Marvel Universe and any writer looking to write for Marvel should be made to sit down and read those 100 issues.
The Marv Wolfman/Gene Colan TOMB OF DRACULA. The finest, best horror comic ever produced by any company and you can’t argue different with me. I just won’t listen.
The Steve Gerber/Gene Colan HOWARD THE DUCK which was the best comic book of the 70’s. PERIOD.
NICK FURY, AGENT OF S.H.I.E.L.D. by Jim Steranko. If I have to explain why then there’s no hope.
You don’t have to explain to me. Steranko and Lee/Kirby are generally my greatest inspiration in comics.
How about in Fanfic?
My favorite all-time series has to be Mark Bousquet’s ALL GOD’S CHILDREN. That sucka is like “Gone With The Wind” “Roots” and “The Ten Commandments” all rolled up into one with superheroes. The sheer creative power Mark demonstrates in that Epic has to be read to be believed.
For me, the game changer in fan fic was Mike McGee’s WEREWOLF BY NIGHT. I remember its original run when everybody and their brother waited for the next issue. Mike really raised the fanfiction bar with that series.
Today some of my favorite series are: A.R.M.O.R. by Dale Glaser at Marvel Omega. HERALDS by Meriades Rai at Marvel Omega. Anything Chris Munn writes. BAD BLOOD by Dale Glaser at FauxDC. YELLOWJACKET by Anthony Crute at Marvel Anthology. There are others but those are the one that come to mind right now. Check back with me in a couple of weeks.
What’s your favorite movie?
THE TEN COMMANDMENTS
Where do you get your writing inspiration?
Everything I read or see or hear. You gotta take in to put out. The more you read or watch or discuss or listen to is more fuel for the machine.
Do you have a Blog or LJ? Any other Internet activity you would like to share? (Do tell us about your Podcasts with Tom Deja)
DERRICK FERGUSON’S NOTEBOOK…
http://dferguson.livejournal.com/
is my LJ. But if you’re going to go there for personal stuff about me, you’ll be disappointed. No disrespect to those who use their LJ for therapy but that’s just not me. Occasionally I’ll discuss something personal there but that’s not what my LJ is for. If you want to know something personal about me, email or Skype me and ask. I’ll either answer you or tell you it’s nunna yer bidness.
DILLON…
http://dillon-dlferguson.blogspot.com/
is the blog dedicated to my signature character. Everything and anything you want to know about Dillon is right there on one site.
THE FERGUSON THEATER…
https://derricklferguson.wordpress.com/
is where you can go for my movie reviews, past and present. I used to post my movie reviews of my LJ but I got requests from readers to put the reviews on a site by themselves so that they didn’t have to go hunting through a whole bunch of unrelated posts to read the reviews.
BiTD CENTRAL…
http://sites.google.com/site/betterinthedarkcentralsite/
is the fan site created by Kelly Logue. He enjoys the movie themed podcast hosted by myself and Tom Deja so much that on his own time he created and maintains this site. It’s the official site for everything about BETTER IN THE DARK. You can download all past episodes as well as get to the BiTD Message Board and keep up with the various projects both Tom and I are involved with separately or together.
PULPWORK PRESS…
http://www.pulpwork.com/
is where you can stay up to date on all my other original writing projects as well as those of Josh Reynolds, Joel Jenkins, Russ Anderson, Tom Deja and Dino Pollard.
Whew.
Do you like to listen to music as you write? If so, what and which, or some other background noise, like the television or DVD’s? Or maybe you prefer silence when writing?
When I’m writing a first draft of anything, whether it be fan fiction or original, I write in silence. I have to because I’m actually listening to the voices of the characters. Just not what they’re saying but how they’re saying it, the inflections and the nuances and I really need to pay attention. Now second and third drafts, sure, I like to have music playing softly in the background. Just loud enough to hear but not loud enough that the paint is peeling off the walls.
When I write movie reviews, if I have the movie on DVD or the DVR or can Netflix it, I like to have it playing on the TV while I write the reviews.
What book are you reading now? Fanfic, Mainstream, pocketbooks, etc?
I’m re-reading Paul Malmont’s “The Chinatown Death Cloud Peril” right now. I’ve also got all of Karl Edward Wagner’s “Kane” books on my Kindle and I’m going through them one after the other. I used to own all the paperbacks and haven’t read these in years. Damned good ol’ fashioned sword-n-sorcery like they don’t write anymore.
How long have you been writing stories- Fanfic or otherwise?
Since I was 12 years old. I used to write stories in school using my classmates as the characters.
What Title/ Site was your first in Fanfic?
Either MON-EL or DOOM PATROL: THE SILVER AGE was my first fanfiction series. I honestly don’t remember which was first. DC Legends was the first fan fiction site I wrote for and in many ways, it remains my favorite. Tim Hartin didn’t know me from an open can of tuna fish and when I came to him with my ideas for fan fiction he simply said, “Yes.” Tim has left fan fiction behind but if at anytime he ever contacted me and said he was going to crank up DC Legends again and wanted me onboard, I’m there.
Where about do you live? Be as specific as you like or as vague: town, state, time zone, continent, etc.
Brooklyn, NY
What’s your favorite color?
I have two: Purple and Black
Give us a closing and any words of wisdom you care to share. Any 'Shout Outs' or Plugs, now's the time...
I’d like to thank you for this opportunity, Curt. You’re one of the true gentlemen and stand-up guys of our community and you don’t get nearly enough credit for the tremendous work you do with JLU2001 or the amazing stories you write.
Thanks for that Derrick, and thanks for the fantastic Interview!
Curt
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| The Writer that Time Forgot: The darren Burr Interview |
[Apr. 10th, 2011|05:32 pm] |
I was approached by an author that had a dream…
His name was Darren ‘Dhee’ Burr and he presented me with one of the best Props I have ever received. I was quite taken with his ideas; a story that not only crossed through Time and Reality, but through other Sites and Continuities as well. You all know me and I love, love, love the HUGE cosmic opus. Here was a story to feed my desires, and best of all he had several issues done.
Well if the Prop was great, the story was fantastic! If you haven’t read it yet, DO so, right after you read the Interview with Darren Burr: The Writer that Time Forgot…
To start, tell us a bit about yourself; family, job, things like that. Whatever you would like to comfortably share…
Well, I’m fast heading towards forty, and I have been a jack-of-all-trades over the years, still looking for what I want to be when I grow up! I’ve been a trainer in industry, a survey Project Manager, and a comic store manager. That was bliss, but poorly paid. Recently, I’ve been working in new media for charities and research projects; I also used to have a show on Radio23 ( http://www.radio23.org/ ) all about U.S. politics; which as a Brit I am fascinated by. In fact, whether in fiction or in the real world, politics is a passion of mine,which is why I will plug Babylon 5 as an excellent series.
The unfortunate news is that I was recently credit crunched, so any job offers out there? Send them my way.
LOL, sorry. No jobs here either. What Sites are you currently writing for?
So far for fanfiction, JLU2001 (http://www.carnaj.com/JLU2001/main.htm ), that’s it. I also blog about comics on ForeverGeek (http://www.forevergeek.com/ ).
Hopefully that will change as soon as people see your work. What Titles are you working on? Tell us about them. How did they come about?
Now I have always written fan fiction, not that I have ever shared it with the rest of the world, and there are so many manuscripts lost to the mists of time, which is partly the reason for the title of my first arc under the banner of The War That Time Forgot.
Naturally born as a Marvelite at the age of nine, I didn’t really discover the DC universe until the Crisis On Infinite Earths, which even to this day in my eyes is the best series ever, without a doubt. There were so many new characters, so many slices of stories that I wanted to know – who are all these people? That wonder has never left me, all the way through the discovery of Valiant, the Ultraverse, Broadway, CrossGen and all the other universes we have seen come and go over the years.
So, back in 1999, I set myself the challenge of trying to write a good crossover fiction that included everything. And I mean everything. Now crossover and good are not words that are naturally related. I’m not the first to have the idea, and there are plenty of attempts out there online, some a lot better than others.
This story was entitled ‘In Darkness Collide’, and I found that I was doing a lot more plotting than actual writing. Using a fantastic free piece of software called WikidPad (http://wikidpad.sourceforge.net/), I created my own Wiki that co-opted every piece of fiction that I got my little hands on.
I loved the challenge of making the different universes become coherent in terms of one massive multiverse, utilizing for example how time works differently in say Doctor Who than it does in Marvel, or the difference between pre-Crisis and post-Crisis DC timestreams; and trying to define a common origin to the whole shebang.
My Wiki now has like, 23,000 pages in it, so I think I can quite safely say I have done the background for the stories I intend to put out there. My friends do not call me anal retentive for nothing! The plotting aspect would be something I would do to relax at the end of a day, while for years the actual writing got out on a back burner.
The War That Time Forgot is my way of getting that story out there, using In Darkness Collide and the JLU2001 continuity as a backdrop. My partner (and first stage proof-reader) challenged me to start writing an actual story, and so here we are today. #1 has just gone live, and I am working my way through #12 currently. My poor partner must wonder what he started, he is a sci-fi geek, but rather comics illiterate, and so is reading about all these characters that he has no idea who on earth they all are! But that has been a fantastic bonus, as when he asks “What’s going here?” I know I have not written clearly enough, so I can go back and do it better.
The overall idea is based on a Gnostic model of the universe, not that I am forcing that down the reader’s throats. There is an original universe, that which was created without divine fiat, which was later replaced by one that was authorized by the Presence. The first one, existing prior to Nekron or Amatsu Mikaboshi, despite the fact that it is dead and gone, is not happy and is rising up to destroy its successor(s). Yet after the creation of whole multiverses, divergent timelines and reality reboots, it has its work cut out for it. If you want to know more, Google ‘Yaldabaoth’ and consider that to be the ‘previous universe’ model.
There are some core events that occur as a backdrop that we shall slowly see revealed, but I want to start small and slowly increase the scope. It must never go so cosmic that it loses that personal touch. With the cosmology I have created, it’s a story that could just carry on forever, or at least until I get sick of it and want to draw it to a close.
Well, you’ve obviously done your research and it shows in your writing. Would you like to write professionally- maybe you do already, or is this just for fun- a hobby?
This is for fun, although the chance to write professionally would be fantastic.
How did you get into writing Fanfic? Through comic books, or some other media? A few people have mentioned getting into Fanfic through movies like Star Wars.
I received my first copy of a British Fantastic Four reprint back when I was nine years old. It all went downhill from there. I mean, as a child or an adult, how can one look at these characters (toys!) and not want to write about them?
Indeed. How did you find our Fanfic community? Google? Word of mouth? What led you here to HEROES?
I first found JLU2001 via it’s JLA/Avengers crossover I think, but by that time, I was already deep into fanfic as a reader, following Marvel Volume One and Marvel Dark Lore to name but a few. Everything else was discovered as an outgrowth from that.
What other things do you do in your spare time? Any special hobbies or interests you care to share?
Do I have any other spare time? As I have stated, following politics, creating short films and volunteering for a few projects have got me out of the house. As a victim of the credit crunch however, what ever I do currently has to be cheap or even better, free.
I hear you. Is there any certain Title that you would like to write down the line, or any specific Site that you might want to write for?
There’s no end of titles I would love to do, including the Titans, the Legion Of Super-Heroes, and some X-titles. However, I have a passion for the more obscure characters. Remember the Legion of Legions in Grant Morrison’s Flex Mentallo? (Hallowed be his name. Grant that is, not Flex.) Let me at them.
Outside of Fanfic, what are your reading habits? Who’s your favorite author or series, or book?
I love, and highly recommend the BBC Doctor Who Missing Adventures and Eighth Doctor Adventures, not so much the newer stuff that has become family friendly. I could add Virgin’s New Adventures of Doctor Who to the former list as well. Also, Greg Bear (whose material I am pilfering in The War That Time Forgot), Will Greenway’s Ring Realms books that I am working through, and Simon R Green.
Of course, my favorite books have to be the Dune series by Frank Herbert, which were absolute masterpieces, and the Darkover series from Marion Zimmer Bradly, both of which I feel have been very influential on my work. (My work! Get me! One story out there published, and I’m doing the pretentious stuff already! I would like to thank my parents, my high school English teacher………)
What’s your favorite comic book title, story, or storyline?
Crisis on Infinite Earths. And coming a close second, the Legion Of Super-Heroes, both the Paul Levitz and the Keith Giffen eras. I loved Volume Four, the Five Years Later era.
Of course, I have an automatic loyalty to the Fantastic Four, but then who doesn’t?
I agree on the FF and the Legion. Five Years Later was great. How about in Fanfic?
Over at Marvel Cosmic Powers Unlimited, I would like to highlight both Cosmic Union (http://marvelite.prohosting.com/surfer/fanfic/cpu/cosmicunion.html ), and Shards of Destiny (http://marvelite.prohosting.com/surfer/fanfic/cpu/dccosmic.html ). I’ve already plugged JLU2001’s and M2K’s JLA/Avengers (http://www.carnaj.com/JLU2001/JLAVindex.html ) crossover. And if I was to say any particular fanfic author inspired me, then it has to be Dark Mark. His Supergirl: Hellsister and the Apokolips Agenda (http://dark_mark.tripod.com/darkmark1.htm#DC%20Multiverse ) are what really inspired me to start ‘In Darkness Collide’.
Thanks for the plug. What’s your favorite movie?
Dune.
That had its moments. Sting was great, though I preferred the SciFi mini series of a few years ago. Where do you get your writing inspiration?
I think my greatest inspiration are those throwaway lines in fiction, where I suddenly think – Oh! I can use that!
Do you have a Blog or LJ? Any other Internet activity you would like to share?
I think I mentioned ForeverGeek (http://www.forevergeek.com/ ), and also soon I hope to return to broadcasting on Radio23
Do you like to listen to music as you write? If so, what and which, or some other background noise, like the television or DVD’s? Or maybe you prefer silence when writing?
I’ve actually started having lots of cartoons or sci-fi series on in the background while working. I’m slowly going through the anime Bleach, Voltron (that I missed the first time around), and the entire Silverhawks series that I have been lucky enough to find (although the quality is abysmal!).
Oooo Silverhawks! That was a fun show. What book are you reading now? Fanfic, Mainstream, pocketbooks, etc?
Will Greenway’s Ring Realms series, Reality’s Plaything. I’ve read the very last (fifth) book, now I’m going back to read the first four.
I read using my fantastic e-reader, which I would not be without, It’s great to have a library in my pocket (and makes my luggage a lot lighter). I can read several books at one time, on it currently I have lots of JLU2001 material to catch up on, Brian Lumley’s Necroscope series, Simon R Green; oh and the Weather Warden series, which is surprisingly a lot of fun.
I will have to get an E-Reader eventually, though I confess to loving the feel of a pocket-book in my pocket. How long have you been writing stories- Fanfic or otherwise?
For the moment that I stopped playing with action figures, I think. This is the only way I can get away with it as an adult.
LOL! What Title/ Site was your first in Fanfic?
Elseworlds Presents #21, The War That Time Forgot: Mists Of Time Chapter One.
Where about do you live? Be as specific as you like or as vague: town, state, time zone, continent, etc.
I live in the North West of the United Kingdom, which as I write this, is surprisingly blessed with sunshine. I can’t type fast enough so I can get out into it.
What’s your favorite color?
Blue is better, blue is best!
Give us a closing and any words of wisdom you care to share. Any 'Shout Outs' or Plugs, now's the time...
Well, now I have exposed my geeksoul to the world. I think my largest shout out, apart from to the entire creative community, has to be to whoever invented the concept of the Wiki and hypertext. Without that, I would be buried under reams and reams of paper.
And if I have mentioned your work in my words above already, that’s your shout out. Be satisfied.
And I am. Thanks for the great interview, Darren! Looking forward to reading more of your work.
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| Whatever Knows Fear... The Chris Munn Interview! |
[Mar. 7th, 2007|06:48 pm] |
I forget exactly where or when I first met Chris Munn. Odds are it was in one of those massive Chats that we used to have on occasion with 10-20 odd folk carrying on an equal number of odd conversations. Like seeing a movie, not really the best choice for a first date. Of course I ran across his writing all over the community, and of course was impressed. He definitely had a leaning to Horror, spinning a great, if not chilling tale, which is not as easy as it might sound. Definitely someone I wanted to work with, and of course I got my chance…
Chris and I worked together on Avengers VS the JLA a couple years back now, what became a monster crossover between M2K and JLU 2001. Scheduling and coordinating aside, I learned just how sharp the man is, and got to experience his creative process and abilities first hand. I was not disappointed. And you won’t be either. If you haven’t read any of Chris’ work recently, go do so and soon. You’ll like it and learn just why we all call him… The Munn Thing!
To start, tell us a bit about yourself; family, job, things like that. Whatever you would like to comfortably share…
Well, I’m a 27 year old college grad working in a behavioral health hospital, which guarantees that my job is at least always interesting. Same old, same old I suspect.
What Sites are you currently writing for?
Oh, jaysis, let’s see here: Strange Tales, Marvel 2000, Avengers 2000, Marvel Omega, and DC Omega.
On top of all the writing I’m doing, I’m the executive EiC for Strange Tales. I’ve also taken over “editorial advisor” roles for M2K’s Avengers books and DC Omega’s Wildstorm imprint. Obviously, I am insane.
What Titles are you working on?
Everyone’s going to think I’m a madman when they see this list, ha!
Strange Tales: Werewolf by Night, Defenders (co-written with Mike Rasbury), Foolkiller, and the upcoming Son of Satan title.
Marvel 2000: Avengers Immortal and Thunderbolts.
Marvel Omega: Ghost Rider (co-written with Tom Deja), X-Men, and an upcoming arc on Iron Man.
DC Omega: Wildcats (co-written with Dino Pollard)
Avengers 2000: Ghost Rider for the Ignition imprint
You recently restarted Strange Tales. Tell us a bit about that...
As anyone who knows me can attest, Strange Tales is my baby. I’ve also been a huge fan of Marvel’s horror characters from the 1970s, and that site is my love letter to that era. As most know, the site fell onto hard times about a year ago – brought on by failing servers and a general malaise that had fallen on the writing staff (myself included).
And then came the site’s messiah, Mike Rasbury, who convinced me through many talks to resurrect the site and keep it going. And through his efforts, the site is now flourishing like never before. We’ve got some absolutely killer new titles in the roster (along with most of the old favorites), and we celebrated the site’s return to life with a special event this past October called Black Mass. The event was a great success for the site, and every writer involved just knocked things out of the park with each new story that came to me. I’m so proud of that site, and things just keep getting better about it!
Do you write for any Sites outside of Fanfic, or our group of Fanfic Sites, i.e. other types of Fanfic, Writing Clubs, etc.?
No, I haven’t stepped outside our community for many years. Why should I? I’m happy right here with all of the great company I get to keep!
How did you get into writing Fanfic? Through comic books, or some other media?
Blame the X-Files for starting my Fanfiction habit. Back in 1998, I started up an X-Files Fanfic site based around the idea of a “virtual season” of episodic stories. The site ran for a little over two years, and was pretty successful…though not due to MY OWN stories, which were terrible, lol.
I didn’t get into comic book Fanfic until around the time of the first X-Men movie. I’d been away from comics for a good number of years, and that film rekindled my love for the medium. When I was experiencing my comic rebirth, I stumbled (completely by accident) upon the dearly departed Mutant Underground: Revolution Fanfic site. It was there that I got my start in the community, and I still consider a few of the writers I met there as personal friends (cats like Ian Astheimer and Ryan Krupienski).
We assume that you enjoy the writing and Fanfic, but are there things you would like to see done differently or changed in Fanfic?
Well, there are two things that I’d like to see changed, but really don’t see happening. First, I’d love to see a stop put to all of the mindless bickering and arguing that creeps around and in the various groups…arguments that, 9 times out of 10, spring out of cases of inflated egos. I mean, I’ve had a few knock-down, drag-out fights with people in the past, but all they do is serve to hinder relationships in what should be a supportive, collaborative venture between ALL of us.
Secondly, I’d like to see more writers branch out with projects that you wouldn’t see in mainstream comics. Sure, every site is bound to have its X-Men and Avengers staples, but what really excites ME is stuff like Super-Villain War at Avengers 2000 or the upcoming Conspiracy at Marvel Omega. Yowzers!
What’s your favorite color?
As stereotypical as it sounds, I’ll go with good ol’ black. Because it’s EVIL!
Outside of Fanfic, what are your reading habits? Who’s your favorite author or series, or book?
I enjoy the classics – anything by H.G. Wells, especially my favorite book The Time Machine; Mary Shelly’s Frankenstein; Lord of the Flies – more so than anything written in the past several decades. I am quite a bit fan of both Neil Gaiman and Chuck Palahniuk, though, both of whom are incredible idea men.
What’s your favorite comic book story, or storyline? How about in Fanfic?
My favorite comic storylines come from a lot of different genres: Preacher by Ennis & Dillon; Avengers Forever by Busiek & Pacheco; Ghost Rider by Stern, DeMatteis, & Budiansky; X-Men by Claremont & Smith. As for fan-fiction, that can be narrowed down to one: Ghost Rider 1957 by Mike McGee, which originally went up at MV1 a hundred years ago but is now being re-posted in serial format at Strange Tales.
What’s your favorite movie?
I actually have a “holy trinity” of favorite movies: Se7en, Memento, and Fight Club. I call them the “Mind Fuck 3”.
Where do you get your inspiration?
I get inspired by almost anything in a given day, believe it or not. There have been times when just seeing a man walk down the street is enough to get ideas rolling. Inspiration for ideas is the easy part for me – it’s actually writing the darn stuff that’s the tricky part!
Do you have a Blog or LJ? Any other Internet activity you would like to share?
I have an LJ that can be found at…
http://www.livejournal.com/users/ixnaybynight/
I also run a Ghost Rider comic review site called Vengeance Unbound, that can be found at…
http://ghostrider.omegacen.com
That site’s my baby, even more so than Strange Tales, I think.
What book are you reading now?
Ha ha, don’t laugh at me for this…I’m reading the novelization of the Ghost Rider movie, written by some guy who’s name I can’t remember.
What Title/ Site was your first in Fanfic?
That would be Generation X from the dearly departed Mutant Underground: Revolution site, where I met some of the guys that kind of “grew up” with me in the community – Ian Astheimer and Ryan Krupienski. After that I branched out to Marvel X – where I wrote a horrible book called Midnight Son and first met Mike Franzoni – and Marvel Dark Lore – where I wrote Darkhold and encountered Josh Reynolds for the first time.
Where about do you live? Be as specific as you like or as vague: town, state, time zone, continent, etc.
I live in Kentucky, one of several armpits of America.
What’s your favorite Title to read currently in Fanfic?
I love Meriades Rai’s Super-Villain War at Avengers 2000! It’s such a neat little concept, and I’m a big fan of all the underused and obscure villains he’s pulled out of the woodwork. Plus, he’s a helluva writer, which doesn’t hurt things either.
If you feel like it, write a closing note - anything you'd like to say or share. Plug your own upcoming events!
Curt, you’re the bee’s knees for doing these interviews, and I’m sorry it took so long for me to get the thing done for you! Now everyone do something productive and go read some Strange Tales stuff!
Thanks Chris. A GREAT Interview and well worth the wait! Keep up the fantastic work. |
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| Goin' Back to Ohio - The Kim Johnson Interview! |
[Jan. 19th, 2007|06:03 pm] |
I first met Kim Johnson through one of her Halloween Specials at Omniverse. I was one of the lucky ones to answer the call for writers and my story got chosen. Well, I think they all did, but I was lucky because I got to know Kim. We corresponded for a time, and eventually I talked Kim into becoming the Assistant Editor at JLU: 2001, which was one of the best decisions I ever made. Kim is not only a truly dazzling person with a sparkling wit and personality, she knows her business and is not afraid to Edit or Critique.
Last year when I was going through hard times she stepped right up (with Jae Lizhini) and kept JLU going, and for that, and many other things I am grateful. Kim is a good person and friend. Take a moment and get to know her…
To start, tell us a bit about yourself; family, job, things like that. Whatever you would like to comfortably share…
My immediate family consists of my husband of 14 years, one hyperactive dog, and five attention demanding cats. To quell any fears that I’m in the early stages of being the crazy lady with a house full of cats who talks to herself - for years, we only had two cats and then picked up the third cat one winter as a stray. She was in the snow, crying at our door. Earlier this spring, we got the last two when my dad died.
What Sites are you currently writing for? We all know of your great work as EIC of Omniverse, so tell us about what's happening there as well.
Thank you but great work or not, I couldn’t get any writers interested in writing for it. I’ve passed Omniverse back Gregory Hernandez with intention of closing it down. I believe he intends to finish some of his titles and then is planning a major event for Omniverse’s end.
I have a preference for writing… not obscure characters really but underused characters. I’ve started writing Hellcat for Doug Bookey at his great site Altered Visions. Patsy is a lighthearted woman who sees the absurdity of her reality – vampires, mad world conquerors, and giant robots from space. After being married to the Son of Satan and coming back from Hell, nothing surprises her.
The next title I’m writing is at JLU: 2001 – Owl Woman. She was the Native American woman in the Global Guardians. I decided to take a more mystic path with the character that was never explored by DC.
You know I’m looking forward to that. Do you write for any Sites outside of Fanfic, or our group of Fanfic Sites, i.e. other types of Fanfic, Writing Clubs, etc.?
Matt Pierce asked me to join a superhero role-play board. Unfortunately, the administrators had real-life conflicts and the board had to close before I had a chance to play. I really enjoyed the role playing that some of us did with Meri’s extremely creative Cougar Ridge and wanted something like that again. Someone else from the defunct role-play board and I decided to start our own RP board. We’re currently creating the world and fine-tuning the character creation system.
Would you like to write professionally, or is this just for fun- a hobby?
For me, it’s just a hobby. I’d like to improve my writing, each story being better than the previous one but unfortunately, the amount of feedback I’ve received can be counted on one hand. I think I was improving with my Clockwork Chronicle stories before Meri’s site was closed. That was a harsh blow. Perhaps I can someday find a place for those stories and continue them. Definitely contact Mike RAZbury…
How did you find our Fanfic community? What led you here?
It was Omniverse. The site came up doing a search and I read one of Gregory Hernandez’s stories and was hooked. We talked and I ended up taking over Omniverse. Actually ‘how’ I was roped into it is a mystery; it could be that Gregory worked some mojo on me. So, without having written a single fanfic story, I became the editor of the site. In retrospect, I think that was a mistake.
We assume that you enjoy the writing and Fanfic, but are there things you would like to see done differently or changed in Fanfic?
Yes. But I think the vast majority of people are too entrenched in the way things are and resist any change. When there have been people who tried to change things, their enthusiasm burns out quickly when they realize that people would rather bitch and moan than help.
What other things do you do in your spare time? Any special hobbies or interests you care to share?
Video games. I play a lot of video games. I’m particularly drawn to the games that have an in-depth story and not merely level after level of killing hordes enemies. My favorite games (Elder Scrolls, Thief, Neverwinter Nights) are capable of using and creating mods, the video game equivalent of fanfic.
In a more artistic vein, drawing is close to my heart. I hope to be good at it someday.
What’s your favorite color?
Green
Outside of Fanfic, what are your reading habits? Who’s your favorite author or series, or book?
I prefer listening to stories rather than reading; I can do other things such as cooking dinner or fall asleep while enjoying the story at the same time. I mostly look for: Stephen King, H.P. Lovecraft, Terry Pratchett, Rex Stout, and P.G. Wodehouse.
How about in comics- do you have a favorite Title, author or artist?
I like the dark humor and occult flavor of Steve Nile’s Cal MacDonald and Mike Mignola’s B.P.R.D. series and the richness of Kurt Busiek’s Astro City.
Do you like to listen to music as you write? If so, what and which, or some other background noise, like the television or DVD’s? Or maybe you prefer silence when writing?
I’ve tried to write with background noise playing but I find it too distracting. I also have to turn off my Instant Messenger; the interruptions keep me from getting into the flow on the story.
What book are you reading now?
I’m listening to Rex Stout’s League of Frightened Men.
What’s your favorite reading genre?
I think it depends on the writer. I love Stephen King’s horror but I can’t say that I would like another writer’s work just because it might be horror too, that said, I generally like horror and detective/mystery stories.
How long have you been writing stories- Fanfic or otherwise?
About a year and a half
What Title/ Site was your first in Fanfic?
It was Constantine at Omniverse.
Where about do you live? Be as specific as you like or as vague: town, state, time zone, continent, etc.
I’ve lived in Ohio for the last 6 years. Before that, I spent most of my life in Oklahoma. Of the two, I prefer Ohio.
Any dream assignments in Fanfic that you would love to tackle like a massive crossover or reinventing a character?
No, not particularly. One of the best things about being an editor is that I could do any title or project I want. More often, it comes down to the time and motivation to simply do it. I think the third element is encouragement, hearing from other people that your words aren’t merely disappearing into the void.
Give us a closing. Now's the time for final words and pimping! Go for it!
With the imminent closing of Omniverse, I hope to start two new series very soon: Hellcat on Doug Bookey’s Altered Visions and Owl Woman at Curt’s great site JLU: 2001.
Thanks, Kim, for everything! You’re the best! |
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| 'With a Name Like Smuckers...' The Megan CURTIS Interview! |
[Jan. 4th, 2007|08:10 pm] |
Hopefully you’re either old enough to remember the commercials, or you’ve seen the SNL reruns to get the joke there…
I first met Megan Curtis in one of the wild Chats that popped up one night, probably thanks to James Hickson. Imagine 15-20 people all typing at once, talking at once, the conversations flying. Megan came on and said something like ‘Curtis… Great name!’ I had read a couple of her stories by then, and of course they were fantastic, but being an old time RPG player, the novelty was that Megan was female. A woman in ‘Man’s World’ so to speak. We’ve interacted a few times since, though unfortunately never had the chance to work together. Maybe at Strange Tales. Let me tell you though, Wonder Woman ain’t got nothin’ on Megan Curtis!
Read on…
To start, tell us a bit about yourself; family, job, things like that.
Whatever you would like to comfortably share…
Right now I work for a company that books flights and hotels and car rentals through Bank of America card redemption programs. People call in and I find them flights. I hate it though so I'm hoping that won't be my job for much longer as I look for a new one.
Family is me and my brother and sister-in-law. We are actually roommates, which sounds bizarre but works rather well. Our apartment is huge so we don't step on each other's toes. I'm actually dating a terrific guy right now, also a comic fan, and that is what is going on with me!
What Sites are you currently writing for? What Titles are you working on?
Mean question! I would say that I am currently writing Witches at Strange Tales. I have some books that are work in progress's but they are still in the thinking stage of development and I'm hoping I will one day find the time and inclination to bring them into the light of day.
Do you write for any Sites outside of Fanfic, or our group of Fanfic Sites, i.e. other types of Fanfic, Writing Clubs, etc.? How are you keeping busy, writing wise?
I'm essentially trying to finish a book I've been working on forever. My writing goal is to actually break into the romance novel market. Seems silly, but there are actually some quite good novels out there they just happen to have romance as the main theme. Since most of my stories seem to have that overlying feeling about them, at least in my opinion, I decided to embrace it. I love romance novels so I might as well write what I know.
Would you like to write professionally, or is this just for fun- a hobby?
I would really like to write professionally. There are some great writers in our community that could be the next "big" name in writing. I don't want that kind of notoriety. I don't want to write the next Da Vinci Code. I want to write my books and have people enjoy them and be excited for the next one, but I don't need to be known by hundreds of people. I just want to write well in my little niche and be successful in that.
How did you get into writing Fanfic? Through comic books, or some other media?
Comics is what led me to Fanfic. I wrote a script for an X-Men movie but then I found a lot of Generation X Fanfiction online and I fell into that. That was my first Fanfiction on my personal Generation X Fansite. I got into serial Fanfiction after that and enjoyed it so much I decided to stay.
How did you find our Fanfic community? What led you here?
I wrote a Domino series at Marvel X, finished that and faded away. Then I received an e-mail from Tony Thornley inviting me to write something for his Website. I wrote Shield at a perfect time because the site was getting reviewed by Sophism and getting a lot of attention. Then Mr. Derrick Ferguson wrote a terrific review and really complemented me about SHIELD. I started going to the Heroes Chatroom back when there was a specific day and time. I mean here I was a girl in this world of guys, so I was something unique, a tourist attraction. I started finding certain authors that I liked to talk to and liked to read their stories. Chris Munn invited me to write Witches at Strange Tales and Mike McGee invited me to do something at Frontier. I don't seek out titles it's just if something sounds interesting. Chris Munn also had me write an X-Men series with him for a little bit. Really those guys, Munn and McGee brought me fully into Fanfiction and kept me in it by late night AIM chats over story ideas and constantly pitching ideas and thoughts at me to keep me thinking. Plus I was just trying to bring my writing up to par with the amazing stories they were spinning.
What other things do you do in your spare time? Any special hobbies or interests you care to share?
I scrapbook and make cards, like greeting cards. I also play video games. In my limited spare time I sleep or hang out with friends. Nothing special, just run of the mill type of stuff.
Is there any certain Title that you would like to write down the line, or any specific Site that you might want to write for? Anything that you haven't done, that you want to do?
Wow, I think I'd like Frontier to come back, but every thing I want to write I am or I have been. Really I wish I had more time and motivation, that's the only thing I wish for!
What’s your favorite color?
Easy one, blue.
Outside of Fanfic, what are your reading habits? Who’s your favorite author or series, or book?
I mentioned romance novels but I also love historical fiction, I'm stuck on Phillipa Gregory and fantasy for which I read Anne McCaffrey's Dragonriders of Pern series.
What’s your favorite comic book story, or storyline? How about in Fanfic?
I'm a sucker for any storyline that involved Gambit and Rogue. X-Men 45 is one of my favorite comics for the simple tragedy of their relationship. The drama that just won't end!!
What’s your favorite movie?
I had to think about this for a long time but... Pride and Prejudice.
Where do you get your inspiration?
Life in general. I just get little story ideas and I try to weave them into whatever story I'm writing or thinking about at the time.
Do you have a Blog or LJ? Any other Internet activity you would like to share? Give us the Links if so...
I have a Live Journal…
http://mcurtis.livejournal.com
…and of course I'm on Myspace.
Do you like to listen to music as you write? If so, what and which, or some other background noise, like the television or DVD’s? Or maybe you prefer silence when writing?
I listen to instrumental music or CD's that I've listened to a few hundred times so it's just in the background as noise.
What book are you reading now?
I'm not reading anything actually. I read the 300 today, but that's been it.
What’s your favorite reading genre?
Fantasy. It's amazing the worlds that people create in their minds and put into words.
How long have you been writing stories- Fanfic or otherwise?
Since I was little. I wrote this story, my own version of the Gemini Twins myth and my teacher ripped it apart. Broke my heart because she graded it on grammar, and if there's one thing I suck at it's grammar. But I kept writing little stories. I have notebooks full of stuff from when I was in junior high and high school and other stories.
What Title/ Site was your first in Fanfic?
Echo's Generation X Page!! My own little fan Website. *sigh* It rocked.
Any upcoming events in your life you’d like to share: births, marriage, graduating college, etc.?
Um… moving in? But that's not for the next few months so if you read my LJ you'll learn more about that.
Where about do you live? Be as specific as you like or as vague: town, state, time zone, continent, etc.
I live in Boise, Idaho. Our Boise State Broncos are in the Fiesta Bowl!!! College football for those confused.
Any dream assignments in Fanfic that you would love to tackle like a massive crossover or reinventing a character? Any title you would like to see done 'YOUR' way?
I've really faded out of the Fanfic and current comic scene. I would love to do a Fables Fanfiction series. I would like to take on something like Wonder Woman or Supergirl but I don't think I'd ever be able to what with time and knowledge. I really like to research my characters and with those two there is such a history behind them.
What’s your favorite Title to read currently in Fanfic?
Defenders at Strange Tales! Raar!!
When I first came into the Community, you were one of the BIG names out there, along w/ the likes of Mike McGee, Derrick Ferguson, Will Short, Russ Anderson, etc... A lot of us still whisper your name with much love and respect - really! You left a BIG mark in Fanfic. And seriously, any words of wisdom you care to impart to the up and coming writers of our community?
Form friends in the community. I don't think I'm a big name, I think it's more the fact that I'm a woman in this community. I was younger or the same age as most of the guys, hell I'm only 25 and I think I'm an elder in this community now. But it's because of the older guys that I stuck around so long and really tried to be a better writer. Look for these mentors and be a mentor yourself. My old Fanfiction is horrible! It was rough but I got enough encouragement that I improved my writing. Show that same kind of support to someone new who stubles in. And really, don't worry about how many titles you are writing, just write a few, but write them well!!!
So give us a closing. Any Links, best wishes and Shout-outs should now be given as well as a final 'Yo' to all us fans...
I think I already pimped everyone but really, check out Strange Tales for some good quality Fanfiction. It's not your run of the mill but with the terrific writers and with our awesome leader Chris Munn at the helm, it's going to be entertaining. I mean hell, there's you, Mike Rasburry, Mike McGee, Meriades Rai, Josh Reynolds, Derrick Ferguson, Tom Moses, Ian Astheimer, Dino Pollard, and Michael Franzoni (If your name is Mike, you should be writing at this site.)
Keep up the GREAT work Megan!
Thanks Curt, you rock!
-Megan
And thank you Megan! Fantastic interview! |
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| Interview With a Vampire! Mike Rasbury - AKA: RAZ |
[Dec. 27th, 2006|07:13 pm] |
I met Mike Rasbury when I was still getting my feet wet as EIC of JLU: 2001. He came to the Site with a Prop - A REAL Prop mind - to write Young Justice, and did so for a few issues with great success. Shit happened however, and one by one dominoes tumbled. Mike has since moved on to bigger things, but I'm glad Raz and I remain friends. He's helped me Web Wise a time or three, and hopefully, in some way, I've reciprocated to some extent. Anyway, read on, and find out why Mike is what he is as he tells all, or most of it anyway...
To start, tell us a bit about yourself; family, job, things like that. Whatever you would like to comfortably share…
Name’s Mike Rasbury and I’m a would-be dictator. Would-be because my satellite death-ray got lost in the mail. In the meantime I play graphic and web designer, tutor and teacher in the same field. I live with two dogs and my dad. I’m miserable if I’m not cold or wet. Weather, people…
What Sites are you currently writing for? I know you had a BIG hand in Munn's Strange Tales. DO give us the lowdown on that.
As far as Fanfic is concerned the only site I’m actively working for is Strange Tales…and that’s being generous. As for that site, I wouldn’t say I had a big hand in anything there.
Before I got intimately involved there, the entire framework was already laid by one of the most talented staffs around. It was some time after the Digitally Mystic crash and the crash of Munn’s own server when Fanfic sites were re-shuffling that I even got “involved”.
It pained me to see Strange Tales absent as other sites found life again (my admiration for ST was immense), so I took it upon myself to do a site redesign that I pitched to Munn as a way to relight the fires if you will. I had figured that was the end of my involvement. Because I always admired ST so much I never thought myself talented enough to write there, however, through the combined effort of Megan Curtis and Chris Munn I came on as scribe of Doctor Strange.
I suppose that helped some Strange Tales some because word of the book spread pretty quick for our community (no doubt because of Munn’s own love for the book). I guess if you throw sensory abuse at a reader, they respond well. Masochists.
Now I’ve fallen into another role, I like to call it “The Bouncer at ST’s Door,” meaning that I actively scout writers—especially our younger ones (in terms of time in community)—and pass the names along to Munn. I also like to “workshop” with writers to help develop ideas to bring to ST. Also, if you’ve had a proposal accepted or rejected chances are I’ve at least said something about it to Munn.
So, yeah, I’ve certainly contributed but I’m not so certain how much that led to ST being rejuvenated and healthy. The phrase “most exciting site in fanfic right now” has been tossed around recently and I think all of that is owed first of all to Munn and how the site is approached. ST writers are allowed a certain freedom that just can’t be matched. That level of freedom can allow writers to get awfully personal, or experimental and that’s where the fun comes in. Plus, while our writers stable is small, it makes up for it in talent. My contribution only comes in because I didn’t want the site to disappear.
What Titles are you working on?
Doctor Strange, Defenders (with Chris Munn) and Howling Commandos, all at Strange Tales. And that’s where I’m at right now. I’m not sure I’m capable doing anything more right now. My interests have shifted some toward more original fiction. I’m currently on the third chapter of a caper/adventure entitled Johann Margrave: One Night at the Opera, which will be released soon.
Do you write for any Sites outside of Fanfic, or our group of Fanfic Sites, i.e. other types of Fanfic, Writing Clubs, etc.?
Man, did you see that killer segue? Woo! Most of my meager time writing is spent on a site I’m helping develop with the most capable hands I’ve ever worked along side. It’s probably my worst kept secret, but it’s going to be an original fiction site akin to Frontier Publishing, if you will.
It will include beloved projects from around the ‘net including book(s) from Meriades Rai’s soon to expire website as well as new original creations from a most talented roster, names of which we’re all familiar. So, be on the look out for that.
I think it’s an extremely exciting time to be working on “Tree Root” (some of us are skeptical about referring to the site by its real name). We hope to open (re-open) another avenue to writers that has kinda gone away as of late. It’ll be coming to a Serial Prizes server near you soon. Which reminds me to thank Jason Kenney whom without we’d be stillborn.
Would you like to write professionally, or is this just for fun- a hobby? I know for awhile your main drive was in the technical end of webwork. Are you still doing that?
Hobby mostly. It’s fun for me and that’s why I do it, but also, I’m a wildly imaginative person in that I can’t turn it off. Writing keeps me sane.
Writing professionally hasn’t been on my radar since I was a child. I don’t think of myself as skilled enough, or nearly as skilled as I can be to seek publication for my prose work. However, I do fall into a strange hole of being published, but for something entirely different. That being some really, really bad poetry that found it’s way into some small publications that paid chump change.
How did you get into writing Fanfic? Through comic books, or some other media?
I think like ant child writer, we wrote about (or crafted stories with toys) about all the things we enjoyed. What got me to this point more specifically, however, was the tried and true path of online role play featuring X-Men characters (that’s right X-Men. I was Exodus, ‘natch).
After that well dried up three of us RP’ers (then known only as “Xan”, “Meta” and “Smash”—plays on our email addresses) got together to write Fanfic in a shared universe. Somehow we built a staff around us and the now long-deceased NeoMarvel was born. After a few years (which I’d like to note I produced something like forty issues in) and several Editor-in-Chief changes (myself included) NeoMarvel ran its course. Thanks to some good word and even more well-deserved criticism from Derrick Ferguson, I ventured out to Marvel Dark Design where I pitched Deadpool. That was my coming out party as a writer to the “Heroes” crowd.
How did you find our Fanfic community? What led you here?
Above, I explained how I got into our community, but that’s not how I found it. While still RP’ing, Meta and I had discussed doing Fanfic. We searched the web and both found Marvel-X (Moreel’s days). After consuming it all, we were rather enamored. We even templated NeoMarvel after it (with an Ultimate spin).
We assume that you enjoy the writing and Fanfic, but are there things you would like to see done differently or changed in Fanfic?
Oh, man…do we have all day? In no way is any community perfect (especially with this level of assumed anonymity) but I think we could make some key changes. For the sake of brevity, I’ll only high light a few:
In-fighting: In no way do I claim immunity from this, in fact I’ve been one of the worst candidates but this community can be a bit insular, a bit vain and a bit mean (see, ME), can hold a grudge and dwell too much on the routine shit-talking that happens. We need to just shut up and write.
Inversely, I think the community (speaking in blankets) could benefit from some thicker skin. I don’t know if I want to call it “professionalism” but writers need to make sure to keep some indifference about their work. If you’ve chosen to publish your work, or share your ideas, you need to expect (and be willing to accept) a negative opinion of them. Don’t take it personal.
Tutoring/Mentoring/Writer’s Workshop: I know that I wouldn’t be the fraction of the writer, or will become the writer I can be without the likes of Derrick Ferguson, Ian Astheimer, Matt Pierce and Chris Munn pushing me along the way. They’ve always been willing to inspire me, or push me through a block and that’s something I take A LOT of time out of my day to do for other writers.
However, there doesn’t seem to be a whole lot else. There’s no dedicated mailing list as a writers workshop where writers can work on prompts, or get critiques, or bounce ideas. There’s HEROES and WORDS, but those get swallowed up by releases. This is a trend we are working hard to rectify at “Tree Root.” Because an open dialog between creative folks is the best and quickest way to grow and expand your own talents.
Experimentation: I’ll be the first to admit that I’m not a real big comic book fan. I know, I know, the term is “fanfiction” and is built on a love of characters and all that, but when I read just ANOTHER traditional fanboy story where Iron Man throws down with Mandarin or Reed Richards saves the world from a evil pocket dimension, or Batman whines about his parents, I am bored out of my freaking skull.
Sure, there are writers out there who really take creative license, but not a whole crop of them, which I find unfortunate because I don’t really see the point in writing these characters if you won’t take them somewhere fresh. Then again, I’m not really the target audience for fanfiction and I don’t expect anyone to hear my cries.
What other things do you do in your spare time? Any special hobbies or interests you care to share?
Writing is my spare time, scary as that thought is. Another benefit, I suppose, is that my profession is my hobby, and so I’m constantly designing something. Other spare moments are spent playing video games (I’m a junkie) and illustrating.
Is there any certain Title that you would like to write down the line, or any specific Site that you might want to write for?
Cloak and Dagger and Magik are at the top of the list. I’ve always wanted to write Aquaman too, especially with the Sub Diego plotline (which, interestingly, was pitched to me and I turned it down). Along those lines Namor would be a blast to go back to. Part of me wants to try and get Moon Knight right this time, too. I think Dino’s got something with DCO’s Vertigo imprint, too.
As for sites, I’d like to write at the ones I’ve constantly crapped out on, most notably Altered Visions. Honestly, though, if I were to come back to Fanfic in more than a one-off here and there and my Strange Tales commitments it would have to be a site that brought something “unique” to the foray. A Steampunk M, where our Marvel heroes are re-imagined for a steampunk Victorian England, an “Enigmarvel” where only second string characters could be the focal points or a “Ultimate Alliance” where squads of four written by several scribes scatter across the Marvel globe to battle a common foe and would be conqueror. For you DC cats, the same could be applied for each, I’m just more familiar with Marvel.
Outside of Fanfic, what are your reading habits? Who’s your favorite author or series, or book?
I read a whole hell of a lot…I mean, as a writer I’d be a fool to think reading wasn’t important (even more so than actually writing). To that, I feel it necessary to read all styles; classic lit, history, nonfic, mystery, children’s books, anything. When I don’t travel by foot, I’m on a bus and that gives me about 35 minutes to read both ways, plus, I’m always 30 minutes early to anything, so I have even more time to read. Unless it’s a book I’m not thrilled with (but will finish anyway) I can plow through a book in a week. I also will read books several times over if I enjoyed them and eill certainly re-read books/magazines if they relate to something I’m writing.
As for my favorite book, it’s not a huge surprise…Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland/Through the Looking Glass. I read those once a year.
How about in comics- do you have a favorite Title, author or artist?
Moon Knight, despite its bumps (Dixon, Kavanaugh). I really like Fables, too and Usagi Yojimbo. I’m a constant reader of Aquaman for whatever reason also. I will admit that the superhero fanfare has lost its luster on me and so I tend to steer clear of Marvel/DC and opt for the smaller, independent houses. Some of my favorite writers are JM DeMatteis, Doug Moench and Osama Tezuka. The artists include Tommy Lee Edwards, Niko Henrichon, Josh Middleton and, heh, Osama Tezuka.
What’s your favorite comic book story, or storyline? How about in Fanfic?
Comics: A fill in arc of Marc Spector by JM DeMatteis entitled “Scarlet Redemption.” It was wildly entertaining, eerie, personal and focused on two favorite characters. One of the bright spots in that series.
Fanfic: The one that sticks out right now is Greg Hernandez’s Shade mini at Omniverse; bizarre, creative, and a writer expressing some true emotion. It was simply genius…and criminally overlooked.
What’s your favorite movie?
I’m a big movie buff, I’ll watch anything. I even watch movies every night. The films I tend to clump together as my favorites display my wide array of tastes. Those favorites are: Ichi the Killer, Edward Scissorhands and the Creature from the Black Lagoon. Gotta admit though, Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang is now right up there. How can you go wrong with Kilmer and Downey, Jr. (two of my favorites). That’s a whole lot of smarmy going round.
Where do you get your inspiration?
I have the fortunate gift of being insanely imaginative. I’m not saying that I’ve alone in that, but my mind seriously works over drive and it helps me to be inspired everywhere. Plus, I see the world differently than everybody.
One day as I sat waiting for the bus, I was captivated by a crow picking through cracks in the sideways for whatever nasty meal it could find. I instantly thought what if there was a guy, hunchback and armless? He could only pick up things with is teeth. Well, that would quite the intriguing visual. A perverse, and shit mottled grin popped into my minds eye as the character took life before me, dutifully snacking on trash can scraps, and finding solace with his birdly-bretheren as the human world dejected him.
As highlighted previously, movies, books and songs are all inspirational to me as well. The most vivid example of that was while listening to Blondie I thought, what if a character could assimilate into their body as skin, arms, weapons, whatever anything that they ate? Again, it’s a rather entertaining visual, and as a victim of “style over substance” that’s what keeps me interested. And for those of you wondering if I’d really name the character “Man From Mars” the answer is yes. Eating cars would be a must.
One thing that is not just being gifted with an imagination, is that I take time out from life to observe anything and everything so that I can call on it later. I’ll stop to take notes on how paint peels under years of tough wind, for instance or I’ll sit in a park in the pouring rain and remark out it bounces off roves, or beads down a certain fabric, or collects in a puddle. Maybe I’ll go to a park or coffee shop and just watch people talk, or drink, whatever.
However, I don’t want to just see phenomena, I want to taste it, smell it, touch it. It isn’t until I do that I feel I can truly write the physical manner in the lucid style that I hope to achieve.
Do you have a Blog or LJ? Any other Internet activity you would like to share? Now's the time to drop us some Links...
I have two sparsely updated Livejournals.
http://morlocks.livejournal.com (“personal stuff”)
http://razurrection.livejournal.com (a catalog of writing and writing related thoughts)
Also, for you poor souls who aren’t aware of http://projectrooftop.com really should be. Fashion design for superheroes.
Do you like to listen to music as you write? If so, what and which, or some other background noise, like the television or DVD’s? Or maybe you prefer silence when writing?
I’m probably one of the few writers that thrives on organized chaos when he writes. Not only do I tolerate TVs, DVDs and music when I write, I prefer it. For me, I’m more productive when I can set a “mood” for whatever I’m writing. That means selecting DVDs to play that are in some way related to my topic (and for me, this can be in the most inconceivable relation ever) AND I’ll also have music on that works as a soundtrack for what I’m writing.
Due to the fact that I’m a frustrated director, and that’s how I approach writing (even going so far as to write from “camera angles”) all these additions help frame in and flesh out the scenes to completion.
The one thing I CANNOT have on while I write is video games…man does that kill me.
What book are you reading now?
The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor; it’s a retelling of Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland but it really lacks imagination which, you know, is kind of important given the subject. The next two books in my queue I’ve read before but not it a good while…The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler and Kiss of the Spiderwoman, Manuel Puig.
What’s your favorite reading genre?
Without question children’s literature; fables, fairy tales and nursery rhymes. That’s probably not the most normal thing for a 21 year-old to admit but I’m mesmerized by the escapism and sublime reverie. The genre shapes me completely as a writer. While I don’t write the genre, I try to plug in that sense of bizarreness and absurdity into otherwise traditional plots. I’m also captivated by a sense of “romantic melancholy” that permeates those stories. For that reason my own character tend to be tragically flawed or “maimed.”
How long have you been writing stories- Fanfic or otherwise?
Here’s my only short answer: Forever.
What Title/ Site was your first in Fanfic?
Moon Knight, NeoMarvel. I’ve never been able to write my favorite comic book character correctly and this was a vivid illustration of that. I tried to take all the things I didn’t like about the character, own them and fix them. It didn’t work. Plus, I tied the story too much to real events in history—as a crutch—and it came out dry as the Sahara.
Any upcoming events in your life you’d like to share: births, marriage, graduating college, etc.?
I’ve given up on the thought of graduating. I’ll be a student forever, I like learning far too much. My personal life (beyond being extremely dull) is exactly that, personal. So, there’s not much else to add (not that any of the above apply anyway).
To reiterate, though, watch Serial Prizes for a new original fiction site in the near future.
Where about do you live? Be as specific as you like or as vague: town, state, time zone, continent, etc.
I hail from Seattle, Washington in the great Pacific Northwest of the United States. It does rain a healthy amount—although not everyday (even if it did today)—and I LOVE that. Rain is, strangely, my wonder drug. It lifts me up, helps express myself. In fact, the city and I are soul mates, kindred spirits. Strange, huh?
What’s your favorite Title to read currently in Fanfic?
No single title is really my favorite. I’d say on the whole I like the bulk of Strange Tales equally. Tom Moses is showing folks how Moon Knight, can and should be done. Curt Fernlund’s Dracula Lives! Is simply spellbinding. Chris Munn continues to show that he’s one of the best writers we have, and among the best “freakout” writers I’ve come across in his multitude of books. The rest of the crew, Mike Franzoni, Megan Curtis are there and consistently solid. Dino Pollard has come on, and will certainly hit his stride with Blade. Oh, and don’t forget we just acquired one of my favorite books…Brother Voodoo by Meriades Rai which just drips with cool. All the contributors for Black Mass were top drawer and just knocked it out of the park (big thanks to them!).
However, I think perhaps one of the most prolific writers there, and among my favorites is Josh Reynolds. He’s gonna take Morbius on, and trust me kids, it’s gonna be good. Plus, his Man-Thing (insert joke here) is pure gold and criminally ignored by and large. It has been in both its iterations, a strong and creepy book with one of the strongest voices in Fanfiction, and possibly fiction. Period. Go love you some Man-Thing, okay?
You've been a driving force in our little community, whether you care to admit it or not - Outspoken and controversial. Looking back, is there anything you might have done differently?
Driving force? I don’t really think so. I don’t know how anybody with my lack of production can drive much of anything (except for maybe Miss Daisy). Controversial I’ll take though, it’s a sexy term. The short of it is, no, I wouldn’t take anything back. Is there anything in my history to really to take back?
Heaven forbid I be controversial for simply speaking my mind and giving EVERYONE the simple truth (as I see it) when asked for anything. I only wish more people were brutally honest, I think we all could improve if that were the case.
The only real times I’ve gotten into some trouble, especially as of late is when I’ve gone “above and beyond” and extended myself as a mentor for other writers. And there’s nothing in that to be ashamed of. Just when you get me (a strongly opinionated character) with fiercely prideful people, something is going to break. I’m aware of that and something I’ve been dealing with all my life. It happens and it’s no skin off my back, or however the damn saying goes.
I try just to be faithful to myself and honest (to a fault) with everyone else. Damn the consequences.
Now's the time for closure. Give us a final bit of wisdom. Pimp your projects and say 'Hi' to whoever. Don't forget the links...
“if you drink much from a bottle marked `poison,' it is almost certain to disagree with you, sooner or later.”
-- Lewis Carroll, Alice’s Adventures from Wonderland.
The greatest quote ever.
In closing, I’d like to thank Curt for this exercise in vanity and thank anyone who was unfortunate enough to slog through it at all, greatly appreciated. I’d thank other individuals, but they know who they are. Also, again, for the 40 millionth time…watch http://grapefruit.serialprizes.com
Thanks Raz. A truly unique step through the corridors.
Next time: One more for 2006. A very special interview with someone with a truly GREAT name!
Be here! |
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| Simply Marvelous: 2000 - the Cory Wiegel Interview! |
[Dec. 8th, 2006|06:52 pm] |
I first heard of Cory Wiegel from Chris Munn when he and I were doing the Avengers/JLA Cross-over that ran between JLU: 2001 (Where I edit), and Marvel: 2000, which Cory just took over the reins of EIC back then from, coincidentally, Chris. There was a bit of friction then, between Cory and I, mainly due to miscommunication and my overreaction. Thankfully the hatchet was buried long ago, because I have since learned that Cory is a good guy and doing a helluva job on probably the hardest Site to control this side of the late MV-1. There have been a couple opportunities to work with Cory since, though they did not pan out in the end. Hopefully, one day, but for now read what makes the man behind Marvel: 2000 tick!
To start, tell us a bit about yourself; family, job,
things like that. Whatever you would like to
comfortably share…
Currently, I hold an Associate's Degree in Criminal Justice from Woodland Community College, but after I finish up my transfer requirements I'll be heading over to California State University, Sacramento in order to pursue a Bachelor's Degree. After that it may very well be law school for me. As for the work I do, I've worked at a Quik Stop convenience store for about three years, and before anyone asks I'll say yes, it's exactly like in Clerks. The only difference is that the store is owned and operated by Indians (with the exception of me), so the clash of cultures and social norms definitely adds to the day to day hilarity.
Oh, and since she always complains that I never introduce her to my friends or drop her name in conversation, I've been dating my girlfriend Arielle, whom I love very much, for almost a year and a half now. She's a Photography major who loves bizarre pieces of art, such as fetuses in jars and butt impressions using paint. A few writers in fanfic have wondered what type of woman would love a bizarre guy like me; now they have their answer.
What Sites are you currently writing for? We all know
you're the EIC at M2K (Marvel 2000), so DO tell us how
that's going, and give us an update, ie what's
happening, what's in the future? Bare your soul, in
other words...
I'm only writing for Marvel 2000 at the moment, but I'm hoping to change that soon. In the past, I've written for such sites as Marvel: Revolution, My Marvel, and Marvel Underground, all of which unfortunately went belly-up in a relatively short amount of time. I'm hoping to try my hand at a DC site in the future, preferably on a Robin or Nightwing.
Well, you know you’re welcome at JLU: 2001 (free plug!)
As for what's going down in M2K's part of town, there's actually too much to list! Bowie Sessions, David Golightly, and myself along with a few others are putting together a Holiday Special (which is still accepting submissions) set to release sometime in late December. It won't be for just Christmas related stories, by the by, but for every holiday associated with the winter season. Then launching in January we have a limited anthology title for the site's Alternate Branch entitled, "AMALGAM REVISITED," which will bolster one-shots starring characters from the Amalgam Universe written by Meriades Rai, Tony Thornley, Barry Reese, and numerous others. Also, I feel that the upcoming "KANG/ULTRON WAR" crossover headed up by Chris Munn, Steve Crosby, Jeff Melton, and the other Avengers writers is definitely worth mentioning. We're hoping to see that kick off towards the summer of 2007, but nothing's set in stone at the moment.
Do you write for any Sites outside of Fanfic, or our
group of Fanfic Sites, i.e. other types of Fanfic,
Writing Clubs, etc.?
I'm ashamed to say no. I've always wanted to write my own original fiction, but I've rarely had the time or opportunity to try my hand at it. Fan fiction is my only venture into writing, and the more I think about it the more I realize it's a little embarrassing as a writer to always be playing with others' creations and not my own.
How did you get into writing Fanfic? Through comic
books, or some other media?
As a kid, I was into a lot of the Marvel and DC cartoons, specifically the Batman, Spider-Man, and X-Men shows. That led me to reading their respective comic books, which led me into other titles, and then when the proliferation of the Internet hit, I found my way onto a few comic book related message boards. This brings us to...
How did you find our Fanfic community? What led you
here initially?
Sometime back in 1999, Dino Pollard was recruiting for a Fanfic site that he was getting ready to launch - Marvel 2000 - on a message board the two of us frequented. We were buds and he knew of my love for Spider-Man, and so the rest is history.
We assume that you enjoy the writing and Fanfic, but
are there things you would like to see done differently or changed in Fanfic?
Oh, damn. I know I'm going to sound like a bit of a hypocrite, but… Sometime between age 18 and present, I leaned back and took stock of my life, including the There are people in Fanfic who are in their late twenties, mid thirties, and even early forties.
What other things do you do in your spare time? Any
special hobbies or interests you care to share?
As funny as it sounds for those who know me, I've kind of become a workaholic as of late. I wake up, eat breakfast, go to the gym for a couple of hours, do homework, go to class, eat lunch, go to work, come home and do more homework, and go to bed. The few spare hours scattered here and there throughout the day are typically spent drinking with friends, lovin' on the girlfriend, and/or tinkering with Fanfic (writing, editing, webmasterin' it up, and just general chatting). However, I do manage to work in going to the movies and going to the shooting range every week or so, and there's always the occasional reading (comics, Fanfic, and of course actual books).
Is there any certain Title that you would like to
write down the line, or any specific Site that you
might want to write for?
Though I'm not very familiar with the DC universe, I really do want to hop on a DC series and try my hand at writing for a DC site sometime. JLU 2001 and DC Infinity are the big name sites today, and I specifically have my eyes on titles like Nightwing, Robin, Green Lantern, and The Flash, all which I think would be a lot of fun.
Outside of Fanfic, what are your reading habits?
Who’s your favorite author or series, or book?
To be honest, I haven't sat down and read for my own pleasure since the Da Vinci Code (which was quite a while ago). I get my reading fix through this Twentieth Century Multicultural Literature class I'm taking, and so there's a good variety of books, authors, and genres involved. However, I have taken an interest in Linda Brent ("Incidents In The Life Of A Slave Girl"), Louise Erdrich ("The Bingo Palace"), Lorraine Hansberry ("A Raisin In The Sun"), and a number of other authors and stories covered in this class.
How about in comics- do you have a favorite Title,
author or artist?
My two favorite currently ongoing titles are "Y: The Last Man" and "100 Bullets," in that order, but - late as always - I'm also checking out the back trades of Preacher, which totally surpasses both titles. When it comes to comic authors, Garth Ennis and Warren Ellis always have my attention, but recently I've become interested in this Mike Carey guy's work, specifically Lucifer and X-Men. And I know I'm going to get lynched the moment I say this, what with the mad hate for the '90s era of comic books, but I've always really liked Joe Madureira's art, as well as Jim Lee's.
What’s your favorite comic book story, or storyline?
How about in Fanfic?
In mainstream comics, I can't get enough of "Preacher." That counts as a story, right? Considering it's completed? I haven't read all of the trades yet, but these first four have been awesome. I really have to thank Logan Polk for pointing this series out to me as it is some of the best stuff in comicdom I've read ever. As for fan fiction, X-Corp by Brad Horton at Marvel 2000 (as I've said elsewhere in this interview) is definitely my favorite title out there. The story's just about up, but it's been an awesome ride so far.
What’s your favorite movie?
I go through phases where I love different movies. Right now, I'm really diggin' The Departed, but in recent months I've also fallen in love all over again with American Beauty and Ghostbusters. Pretty diverse three movies, but that's just how my interests are. I also have a feeling that Casino Royale is going to be my new favorite, but we'll see.
Where do you get your inspiration?
I like to think that a lot of the characterizations and synergy, as well as personal and lifelong themes, that I explore in my writing are influenced by real life in general. The people I meet and know, what I see and experience, the things that happen in my life and happen to me specifically, those largely play a role in how I write and what I write... Well, with the exception of action scenes. Those come largely from action movies!
What are your writing habits? Do you write every day, many hours, once a week, or what? I know running a site takes time. How do you balance your schedule?
Seeing as how things have gotten so busy in my life, I usually try to be a very gradual writer. I'll spend about a week on one issue, with one day plotting it out and every day after that writing about two or three pages a day. Though I'm only technical writing one title right now, I've also tackled plotting, scripting, and general wrap-up duties for a few other titles at M2K, and I have a few things on the side (such as a Spider-Boy story for Amalgam Revisited and an Iceman story for M2K's 2006 Holiday Special).
So, I average about an issue a month, sometimes two, and likewise I work on the site's updates gradually. Read and edit an issue one day, HTML it and post it the next, move on to the next issue on the third day, etc. It's a nice way of making sure I have a little bit of everything going on in my life, but also keeping it all under control.
Do you have a Blog or LJ? Any other Internet activity you would like to share?
Everyone can find my MySpace at…
www.myspace.com/colove
And my LiveJournal at…
www.evil_snowman.livejournal.com
Aside from those links, I'd also like to take this opportunity to pimp out Marvel 2000's message board, which can be found at…
http://corywiegel.proboards91.com/
Where a lot of great conversation goes in regards to... well, just about anything comic book and Fanfic related.
Do you like to listen to music as you write? If so, what and which, or some other background noise, like the television or DVD’s? Or maybe you prefer silence when writing?
I can't stand to have television or DVD's playing while I write as they're such a huge distraction, but I love listening to music while I write, particularly rock. I like a lot of high energy stuff and I jump around a lot from more modern bands, like Disturbed and System Of A Down, to '90s punk rock and grunge like The Offspring and Rage Against The Machine, and down to the '80s Ozzy Osbourne and Guns 'N Roses. I like to keep things fast paced and exciting in my writing, and I a lot of times when I put on slower, mellower, and/or more dramatic songs it can really kill my inspiration and mood to write.
What book are you reading now?
"The Bingo Palace," by Louise Erdrich. It's definitely filled with some very engaging characterization and beautiful narrative all throughout the book.
What’s your favorite reading genre?
Despite the fact that most of my writing combines coming of age, comedy, and action-adventure in some form or another, I actually love noir above and beyond any other literary genre. I've only had the chance to write in the genre a couple of times and I pussied out both times, intimidated by the idea.
How long have you been writing stories- Fanfic or otherwise?
Since I was 13, about to hit 14, which means that I'm approaching my seven-year anniversary here in January of '07.
What Title/ Site was your first in Fanfic?
Amazing Spider-Man at Marvel 2000, and I think the above question mostly explains why it sucked so much. Mostly.
Any upcoming events in your life you’d like to share:
births, marriage, graduating college, etc.?
Can't say that there's much going on in my life right now aside from getting ready to transfer to a University from my JC and getting ready to tackle on some more responsibility, hours, and yes, pay, at my current place of work. Oh! But my girlfriend is spending Thanksgiving with my extended family and I, and so gets to meet a lot more than just my parents and sisters. That should definitely be a fun experience.
Where about do you live? Be as specific as you like or as vague: town, state, time zone, continent, etc.
I live in a small Northern California city called Woodland, which is about twenty miles from the state's capital of Sacramento. I've moved around a lot as a kid and I always preferred larger, more active cities, but I've really settled down here. Everything's real low key and mellow around here, and that makes it all the more easy to just do my own thing. Plus, everything I could want or need is less than half an hour's drive, which is what it would be like in most large cities anyway, so no problem all around.
What’s your favorite Title to read currently in Fanfic?
Though it's about to end very soon, the first thing I'll always read the moment it shows up in my e-mail box is Brad Horton's "X-Corp" series at Marvel 2000. As soon as that series wraps up, I'm certain that Brad's "Cable/Deadpool" will replace it as my absolute-no-comparing favorite. Unfortunately, Brad's largely underexposed as a writer in the Fanfic community today, but he really is one of the best out there!
Give us a few closing words. Now's the time to drop some Links and pimp your site, dude. Go for it!
David Golightly says that I'm his biggest hero for this, so I just thought I'd share it with all of you. Under my bed is a briefcase containing a Beretta 92FS, one hundred bullets, and a manila folder. I don't have any enemies, no one's really fucked up my life or done anything bad to me, so the folder's mostly empty. No, wait, there is some returned homework from my old Criminal Investigations class detailing the various methods of torture. I don't think the bullets are untraceable, either, but it's a pretty cool thought, nonetheless.
That said, I'd like everyone to drop by Marvel 2000 at…
http://m2k.omegacen.com/
if they haven't already and take a look around at some of the awesome, diverse work that's been coming out of the site lately. Also, be sure to swing by the message board and tell everyone what you think of their work. They work hard for themselves and to give everyone countless hours of free entertainment, and so constructive criticism is always welcome and desired. And of course, thanks for interviewing me, Curt!
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Cory
It was indeed my pleasure, Cory. |
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| Resurrected Man: The Jae Lizhini Interview! |
[Nov. 27th, 2006|07:10 pm] |
I forget the circumstance exactly, but Jae Lizhini popped up at JLU: 2001 one day with a desire to write. And he did! He took Resurrection Man and made him something. His Green Arrow is acclaimed in our community, and the League of Kingdoms Annuals are all his; plot, ideas and flavor. Too, Jae (along w/ Kim J) stepped up and kept JLU running through my dark time a few months back, and for that I am in his/their debt. About time I give something back. Enjoy…
***
To start, tell us a bit about yourself; family, job, things like that. Whatever you would like to comfortably share…
Well I was the second of three children, sisters on both sides of me, born in this little town called South Haverford in Wales. I was a military brat so I did a lot traveling, growing up going from school to school, my Dad left early on and my mom had to work a lot so I was essentially raised by my eldest sister. Umm job... I work for Jewelry Television.
What Sites are you currently writing for?
Fan fiction wise, just JLU200l.
What Titles are you working on?
I'm still writing Green Arrow, and trying my best to finish up League of Kingdoms at the moment for JLU2001. I have stuff on the back burner, I want to get to it some point, but it'd be silly mentioning all of those, in case I flake out and what I said is on the web forever to taunt me.
Do you write for any Sites outside of Fanfic, or our group of Fanfic Sites, i.e. other types of Fanfic, Writing Clubs, etc.? Give us some Links...
I've written a few pieces over at the Cornstalker forums…
http://www.cornstalker.com/forums/
I also take part in a writing community, called Handbag Demons.
Would you like to write professionally, or is this just for fun- a hobby or something to help along other aspects of your career. I know you do fantastic Web comics, and want to get into the Film Industry. Tell us how it all ties together.
What a good question Curt, and the short answer is that it’s just a hobby. As in the method in which Fan fiction is written, I don't see myself wanting to peruse writing in that form. That is if I ever do any professional fiction writing, I'd want it to be something I can create from the ground up. I would not want to write for Marvel or DC.
The sure answer about writing in general is a bit of a strange conundrum for me. See I love the idea of disposable media. I like doing web comics, posting fiction on the web, writing songs and putting them on the web as MP3's, and things such as that. It’s brilliant, I can create things I want to create without a worry. Yet one can not help but wonder what it'd be like to get something published? it'd be a bit of an ego boost I think, to create something that people would both market and pay you for. And what can I say.. of all the things I do from playing piano to illustration, the one skill I have the most faith in is my writing ability, and I've thought about doing a novel at some point with an aim of getting published.
Now to tie it all up, I don't know I mean, sure there are elements of writing when you do a comic, and also in the movie making business, but I don't really consider what I do in fan fiction, to really be that helpful in those forms of writing, beyond the obvious, learning of grammar. as writing a comic script, a screenplay, and a serial fiction (fan fiction or otherwise) are different beasts entirely.
How did you get into writing Fanfic? Through comic books, or some other media?
Well I was doing chat Role play pretty hard core in those days, and it got kind of slow so I started doing these really long stories as posts, for characters I played. It was around this time that someone showed me fanfiction.net, and I thought maybe I should be doing that instead of writing these long posts that just get erased when the server reset.
My first attempt at Fan fiction was a Vampire the Masquerade serial, about a Gangrel Private Detective. Also around the same time I did an original team of New Mutants set in the universe portrayed in the TV show Mutant X, called Mutant Zero.
Cool. I’ve played the Masquerade a time or two in my RPG days. I’d like to read that.
How did you find our Fanfic community? What led you here?
Well I actually don't recall how I originally found out about the Sites doing Comic Fan fiction, I know early on in my days at Fanfiction.net I found that MV-2 (?) site, and read through some of it. It was later on as I was looking for more comic fan fiction I stumbled onto the HEROES page. I looked through and read a lot of fiction, some sites like Unstable Molecules really peeked my interest but they were no more, then I stumbled on this little site called JLU2001, and the rest as they say... was history.
We assume that you enjoy the writing and Fanfic, but are there things you would like to see done differently or changed in Fanfic?
I honestly do harbor a love for the community. But there are some things, some of which I've been vocal about in the past that I would like to see changed, or improved upon. There's a lot of potential in the community, yet at the same thing, there's so much weighing it down, both as a stepping stone for writers as well as those who do it for fun. However for sake of space I'm just going to address three concerns of mine.
Firstly, and to me the most important is the way people act and treat others. I quit the HEROES yahoo group because of this, but I still see it all the time on Live Journals and it bothers me. I understand the need to be vocal about things you don't like, I've been an activist most of my natural born life, however pointing fingers and bashing people openly and without concern doesn't help anything. If you don't like someone then don't speak to them, if you don't like how someone does something either talk to them privately and explain your situation, or speak of it without pointing fingers. It’s so very destructive when people openly flame people for their thoughts, opinions, and skills in writing. It doesn't help as we've seen so many times before. I know were not all adults, but we can at least pretend to be when were in an open forum.
Secondly, The lack of options in fan fiction. I mean how many ways can you write spider-man or superman. Don't get me wrong, I understand that most people are Marvel and DC fans, as they are the most popular companies in comics. And there are sites out there that do give us a few options, there's the 2099UGR site, Multiverse, image reborn, and original sites that are ran by people in the community. However the options at least to me seem really limited. Its not so much the fault of people wanting to make the sites, as much as there are problems actually getting people to support the sites. Most fiction writers appear to only want to write spandex, and very popular titles. I'd think that there are people out there that do enjoy other titles, as Darkhorse, Tokyopop, IDW, DDP, and so on seem to be getting pretty good numbers all things considering, and it'd be nice to see more of it. Not just as a writer but also as a reader. I mean does anyone want to read six different universes' adaptation of the X-men every month? I know I don't.
Thirdly, education. As a whole there is a lot of complaining about not enough reviewing and critics. Now this is true, but more so I think that there isn't any open forums for writers to ask questions, get critiques, and learn from people who are good at specific things. I am lucky and have a few very good friends like Steve Crosby and Mike Rasbury who will look at my work and tell me what sucks. This helps a lot. Not everyone can deal with this though. So I wonder if there was some sort of voluntary committee set up where people with the skin to do so could take part in. And sure there will be a few sour apples who think that this kind of committee would stroke their ego. in every other community I'm in those type of people are shunned, until they can grow up. And no, I'm not taking back my first point... you don't have to be mean to these people, just simply let them know if they can't act with tact when people critically review their work, then they are not wanted in the community, and that if they can get past their insecurities they are welcome back.
A good point Jae. Anyone up for this?
What other things do you do in your spare time? Any special hobbies or interests you care to share?
Hi my name is Jae I don't believe we've met [laughter] Just kidding, I actually do a ton of things in my spare time. In music I play guitar, and piano plus I'm classically trained in singing; there's also my mad obsession with my music collection that continues to grow to obscene proportions. As guessed I also enjoy visual arts, though the last couple of years I've stuck mainly to drawing, I also have a love for the finer arts like painting, and sculpting. I've also recently found a returned passion for photography, both modeling and taking photographs myself. We can thank my girlfriend, Carina for that one.
Also I enjoy watching films (been just devouring golden age cinema lately), animation, comics, Clothing, Makeup, Reading, and of course activism.
Is there any certain Title that you would like to write down the line, or any specific Site that you might want to write for?
Of course there's a few. Characters Lobo (which you know about), Hellboy, Morbius, Zombie and I've always wanted to do a Devil May Cry series. Sites, well I'd love to do something for Strange Tales, at some point in the future.
Outside of Fanfic, what are your reading habits? Who’s your favorite author or series, or book?
This past year I've read more books than I have in the last three years, around fifty books or so. My favorite current writer is probably Clive Barker. Older stuff I love Charles Dickens, Ernest Hemingway, William S Burroughs, and Jack Kerouac probably the best, but there are SO many. My favorite book ever is The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde. Favorite series currently the Vampire Hunter D series by Hideyuki Kikuchi.
How about in comics- do you have a favorite Title, author or artist?
Without a doubt its Fables. There are other good stuff going on right now like what’s happening in Daredevil, and Hellblazer. My favorite comic’s writer I'm going to have to go with Ed Brubaker, or Harold Sakuishi. On the artist side of things, old favorites Mike Mignola, Yashiro Nightow and Jae Lee. However I've really been digging Mike Lark, and Leonardo Darco here recently.
What’s your favorite comic book story, or storyline? How about in Fanfic?
Favorite comic book story... I'm going to have to go with Frank Miller's 300 or the march of the Wooden Soldiers story in Fables.
Fan fiction, that’s a tougher question, probably a toss up between Steve Crosby's Joker's bane in Batman @ JLU, and Steve John's Reaper miniseries at Altered Visions.
What’s your favorite movie?
Just one? Oh I don't know. Tron is up there, as is Dark Crystal, and my first real film love Universal's 1933 adaptation of Dracula. And I can't mention movies without mentioning the works of guys like Tim Burton, Christopher Nolan, and David Lynch.
Where do you get your inspiration?
I get inspired by a lot of things: friends, an interesting day, random people, strange events, a falling apart building, words whispered to me in a darkened theater, the way things make me feel, the sensations of a touch, a new part of a city, seeing something truly extraordinary for the first time, the way a piece of art touches me. And of course these emotions are usually cross referenced with an idea that really makes me think or excited, sometimes these ideas are found in a book, or a movie, or sometimes just somehow populate naturally. There's a lot of ideas I get, and I have no idea how it got there, I just get this intermingling of pictures, and emotion that just seem to scream out at me from the void that is my brain.
What are your writing habits? Do you write every day, many hours, once a week, or what?
I try to write a few times a week, but lately my “sittings” have been quite scattered, I really write when I can and feel comfortable doing so.
Do you have a Blog or LJ? Any other Internet activity you would like to share? Again, give us Links...
My Live journal is under the name Phactorri. My webcomic is at
http://www.decypher.comicgen.com
Do you like to listen to music as you write? If so, what and which, or some other background noise, like the television or DVD’s? Or maybe you prefer silence when writing? Who's your favorite band/artist?
I can't write with music, it’s impossible. If music is on, I'm concentrating on the music, more than I am the writing. Sometimes the TV will be on but it'll be something random that I have just forgotten about.
Favorite Band/artist... Well I'll do another short list, Wolfsheim is an amazing German Synthpop band who I've been desperately in love with for a number of years. Giuseppe Verdi was an amazing composer and I'll always have a soft spot for him especially the Opera Rigoletto. Hot Water Music, has this corrupted beauty which I've never been able to fully comprehend. Sarah Brightman gives me weak knees. Marc Almond (of the Soft Cell Fame) also makes me want to love everything. Social Distortion somehow put music to my youth. And I can't really leave out Funker Vogt, one of the greatest EBM acts in the history of Mankind.
What book are you reading now?
The Crisis of Desire by Robin Hardy (with David Groff).
What’s your favorite reading genre?
I don't have one. I tend to move around the spectrum. Lately I’ve been reading a lot of biographies, and 19th century Literature, however.
How long have you been writing stories- Fanfic or otherwise?
I’ve been writing since I was allowed to do so, which was when I was seven years old or so. Fan fiction, three years now I think.
Any upcoming events in your life you’d like to share: births, marriage, graduating college, etc.?
Let’s see, me and my girlfriend's anniversary is coming up New Years Eve, I have two friends expecting sometime in January. And November 25th is the birthday of one of my dearest friends.
Happy birthday to them. Sorry this got posted after.
Where about do you live? Be as specific as you like or as vague: town, state, time zone, continent, etc.
Currently I'm living in Knoxville, Tennessee in the United States.
Any dream assignments in Fanfic that you would love to tackle like a massive crossover or reinventing a character?
I suppose there's always a little of that somewhere deep in one’s mind. As mentioned earlier I'd love to do a Devil May Cry series. In comic Fan fiction, there's a few characters that I have an inkling to tackle, but the pull has never really amounted to the time I don't have. I would love to work on an updated version of Adam Strange. There's the pull to bring Timothy Hunter into adulthood, as well as the revamping of Bushido from Teen Titans into a more Vertigo like realm.
As to massive crossovers I don't really think in those terms. My mind is usually set telling stories about fractured people, and when there's a ton of characters it makes it hard to really fully identity with the individuals. When I wrote the arc in the Titans, the one thing that really bothered me was the fact I didn't really get enough character development going, especially for the “Atom's Teen Titan's” group, many of which who died. More often than not the things that drive me in stories are the characters. And if there are too many characters than either people get overwhelmed by each character, or the characters get lost in the plot. I know my limitations, and I don't want to write Fan Fiction's Grapes of Wrath.
What’s your favorite Title to read currently in Fanfic?
As mentioned earlier I haven't been getting out to read things as I should, but from those few titles I do read, I'm really enjoying Bertham Gibbs' JSA at JLU2001, Your Fantastic Four at Omega, Mike Rasbury's Dr Strange at Strange Tales, as well as the old favorite Steve Crosby's Batman at JLU.
Give us a closing. Now's the time to hype and shout out to all your peeps. Pimp yourself...
Making me get in before the buzzer. Okay lets see. First off I'd like to thank you for everything Curt. If it wasn't for you, I don't think I'd still be doing this Fan fiction thing, along with all the great people at JLU2001 who really make everything fun. Chris Munn and Mike Rasbury as well deserve a round of applause, I really find them second to none in keeping me in some what of a Fan Fiction circle when I really seclude myself from the community like I have the last little bit.
I want to thank all the people who read my stories, the buzz I tend to get with Green Arrow, from people have always been a heavy drive for me to continue doing it. And it does mean a lot even if I don't always show it, every time people mention it being great, or when I see people replicating the styles I use in writing. It’s amazing to me the way people respond to my writing, I can't believe it sometimes.
Also I want to mention how great it is that Bowie Sessions is out there doing Fan Fiction, now. He's a friend of mine from ages ago when I first started doing a lot of the intraweb stuff, and seeing him out there amongst the pastime is quite nice.
And in closing thanks for asking me to do this interview Curt. It was a bit of a shock actually, being how I do one ongoing series at the moment. And to those reading this, thank you for lending us some of your time.
Not a shock at all, Jae. You’ve been more instrumental than you realize I think, in the Fanfic Community. Thanks for participating, and everything else!
Curt |
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| 'What are the Owls, really?' The Meriades Rai Interview |
[Nov. 13th, 2006|08:54 pm] |
I first came across Meriades Rai through a link either of Derrick's or Dino's LJ. Said link said in a round about way to definitely check out this 'new' guy that seemed to have something to say and a rather unique way of saying it. I checked out 'The Owls Are Not What They Seem...' (which I thought was a Blade Runner reference)and Derrick or Dino (whichever) was right.
Meriades Rai is a helluva writer and has a damn lot to say. As you are about to learn, he's all over the place in Fanfic, with an impressive number of stories to brag about, and an even more impressive bit of content. I haven't had a chance to work with Meri on anything yet, but I hope that will change. We've been playing e-mail/LJ tag for awhile now. Hopefully we can kick it up a notch. For now though - Enjoy!
To start, tell us a bit about yourself; family, job, things like that. Whatever you would like to comfortably share…
H’okay. I’m Meri, I’m 32 (33 on January 5th), and I’ve been married to the lovely Emma for 7 years. I have one daughter, Francesca Rose, who is 18 months old. She’s wonderful beyond words, but in the interests of sanity we’re stopping at one. I’ve worked in bookselling since I was 18, at times at management level, but I’m currently taking some time off to care for Frankie (Emma is also a bookshop manager and she was on a far better salary so I had to be the one to take the plunge as main carer). It’s interesting, but I get less time for writing than when I was at work and I’ll be happy to get back to the real world next year some time, if only so I have some money to start buying comics again…
I have a motley collection of siblings, nieces and nephews, and my parents are great. I’m lucky in that I come from a very stable background. I’m abysmal at staying in contact though; I keep myself to myself. Miserable old git that I am.
Where about do you live? Be as specific as you like or as vague: town, state, time zone, continent, etc.
I live in a arsehole town called Northampton, located mid-way between London and Birmingham, England’s two biggest cities. Northampton is actually about as close as you can get to the middle of the country, geographically, which is a shame because I love the ocean. Then again, England’s pretty small compared to the US – we’re only talking 100 miles or so away from the coast in any given direction.
I lived in and around London for 8 years, working in the West End – Piccadilly, Leicester Square, Trafalgar Square, Oxford Street. It’s an expensive city, but great when you’re young and single. Not so much when you hit family and mortgage stage. I’m more of a country lad and will probably never go back to living in a city, but I’m glad of the experience. Unlike Northampton, people in London aren’t in-bred fuckwits.
What other things do you do in your spare time? Any special hobbies or interests you care to share?
Spare time? Yeah, right.
Aside from writing and reading I love football and support Wolverhampton Wanderers, a team who were the best in the world back in the 50s but who haven’t really achieved anything in 20 years or more. They currently play in England’s second tier, below the level where the famous clubs such as Manchester United and Arsenal compete. I enjoyed the World Cup, even though England were crap, because I was also rooting for Italy, the eventual winners.
There’s comics, of course, but I haven’t had the money or space to collect seriously for a number of years now. I was a huge collector back in the 80s, twenty-plus titles a month for 10 years.
I’m also a bit of a Rain Man. I love numbers and number puzzles. Give me any kind of Su Doku or bastard derivative and I’ll crack it.
I used to play a lot of computer games – we’re talking original PlayStation era, not PS2 – but I’m looking forward to Marvel Ultimate Alliance and Final Fantasy XII.
How did you get into writing Fanfic? Through comic books, or some other media? What Title/ Site was your first in Fanfic?
Definitely comic books. I went online for the first time in 2002 and started hanging around various comic message boards, and in March 2004 saw a post on one advertising for new writers for a site called Alternate Marvel. It all looked very nice, but the choice of characters to write for was severely limited. I submitted a handful of issues of a Silver Sable series and was accepted. Joel McCrory thought it was boring, but he came around eventually, possibly when he realised I was just as abusive and foul-mouthed as he was.
How long have you been writing stories - Fanfic or otherwise?
I started writing stories when I was about 7 or 8. I was always creating superheroes and villains and built my own universe that I was still tinkering with 10 years later. I also wrote a lot of sci-fi and fantasy, including a series called The Space Demons, inspired by Star Wars and Doctor Who, about a band of renegade space pirates on the run from the intergalactic militia. I loved those characters, especially one called Harry, who was a raving Cockney lunatic in a trench-coat, very similar to John Constantine actually although it would be a good decade before I read any Hellblazer. I eventually killed them all off and felt really sad about it afterwards.
I’ve written six novel-length stories, all between the ages of 14 and 27, all of which were good in some ways but arse-clenchingly awful in others. I need to get disciplined and try again; I think I could do better this time.
I’ve been writing fanfic for 2 ½ years and have been fairly prolific in that time. In a year-and-a-half at AltMarvel I wrote Silver Sable (7 issues), Brother Voodoo (15), Amazing Spider-Man (15), Spectacular Spider-Man (9), Topaz (12), AltMarvel Fanfare (3), Slyde (3) and a fill-in issue of Uncanny X-Men. I’ve also written Dansen Macabre (6) at Avengers 2000, Batman (8) and Doctor Who (4) at DC Omega, and Ghost Rider (6) and Ultimate Avengers (6) at Marvel Omega. That’s 95 issues in 30 months, which (if you couldn’t already tell) I’m extremely proud of. As someone who used to procrastinate terribly when it came to writing, fanfic has really helped get me moving.
How did you find our Fanfic community? What led you here?
I was lucky enough to receive a couple of good reviews from Derrick Ferguson and Des Davies, for Brother Voodoo and Silver Sable respectively, and that led me to the Heroes Yahoo group. My first experiences there were pretty awful, though. One week in and I decided to respond to a message posted by Mick Edwards in which he had made some derogatory remark about AltMarvel and one of the writers there, Kenn Beck, with whom Mick had issues. I was promptly scolded for airing dirty linen on the board. Then, being under the impression that Heroes was similar to AltMarvel’s Yahoo group, where banter was the order of the day, I made a few light-hearted posts and was promptly told off again. I thought, “Fuck you, then,” and didn’t really participate for a few months after, other than to post release information. Looking back, I can see that the regulars were just annoyed (understandably) that posts about writers’ work were being buried beneath frivolous crap. Fair enough. It’s just a shame no one at the time thought to themselves, “Hey, wait a minute, this guy’s new, we’re an intimidating crowd, and he doesn’t know how we work here,” and had taken a moment to explain. But, whatever. I didn’t run away for good, although I spend far more time on LiveJournal than Yahoo these days. And I always try to be nice to new writers when they join the community.
'The Owls Are Not What They Seem...' is a definite stop on the LJ trail. Tell us about that title, and your experiences with the LJ interactivity. Any other Internet activity you would like to share?
The title’s a quote from Twin Peaks, an early-90s tv show (for those miscreants who don’t know) that has governed far too much of my life to be healthy. I’m a Twin Peaks nut. I bore people to tears about it, but I don’t care. I love it. I quote it. I breathe it.
My LJ was originally supposed to be just for my comments on writing, comics and fanfic, but sometimes I post personal stuff there. I don’t bother with much else on the Net in terms of interactive stuff, although this time last year I attempted to run a RPG-type game on LJ called Cougar Ridge. Set in a small, strange US town where there had been a murder (the Twin Peaks influence again), I invited fellow LJ users to create characters and participate anonymously by posting replies in the voice of their character to the main LJ I was writing. Most of those who played seemed to really enjoy it, although lack of participation saw it tail off after a month or so. Unfortunately, only a tiny fraction of those who I thought might be interested in such a project – ie, writers – decided to play in the first place, which was extremely dispiriting. Still, at least I tried. And, if I could somehow rouse interest in another similar game I’d definitely try again.
Do you write for any Sites outside of Fanfic, or our group of Fanfic Sites, i.e. other types of Fanfic, Writing Clubs, etc.? And DO tell us about Revenance and Castavel. Now's the time to drop a LINK...
Unfortunately the sites you mention have reached a hiatus. I set up meriades.co.uk back last February with three imprints: Revenance, a shared universe for superhero and adventure series, Legends of Castavel, a shared world for sword and sorcery fantasy, and Diabolique, for erotica and romance. I thought there was an opening for an original fiction project, but there was little interest initially, with a lack of time on the part of prospective writers being a key flaw. Diabolique died quickly because it was met with awkward silence and I lost my nerve, but a handful of writers – Kenn Beck, Kim J, David Wheatley, Mark Walsh and Brent Lambert – all produced some good work for the other two imprints.
Unfortunately, during the summer my enthusiasm waned when I had zero time for writing and editing (the huge amount of time I ended up investing in this surprised me). It may have been different if more writers and readers had been interested but the site just wasn’t on the radar. It sounds defeatist – well, it is defeatist – but I gave up; when you have such little time for writing you need to feel it’s worth it and I was struggling with that by the end.
What Sites are you currently writing for? What Titles are you working on?
My current haul:
Supervillain War is a 16-issue series for Avengers 2000, telling the story of forty classic and underused villains kicking the crap out of one another on a faraway battlefield world at the behest of The Grandmaster. The series is 95 per cent finished, I’m just going through each issue with a final edit, making sure there are no snags or loose ends.
Ultimate Avengers is being published at Marvel Omega, although it was originally released on my own site under the name Avengers Regeneration this summer just gone. The first arc is six issues (the last to go up at MO was # 3, I believe) and I’m currently working on the second. This is my re-imagining of The Avengers, very different from The Ultimates.
Ghost Rider has one issue left to be written and released at Marvel Omega. This is the story of FBI agent Rebecca Lockwood, the latest innocent to fall under the curse of Zarathos.
Doctor Who has just started at DC Omega-Vertigo and will be ongoing, featuring adventures of the 10th Doctor (David Tennant from the tv series) and a new assistant, Audrey.
The Brother Voodoo series that was originally at AltMarvel is being heavily re-edited two years on and will be re-released at Strange Tales. It’s Hellblazer meets Walter Moseley, with a heavy noir feel.
Is there any certain Title that you would like to write down the line, or any specific Site that you might want to write for?
I love comics and comic characters. Honestly, I’d write anyone and everyone if I had the time (Marvel, at least. I have very little knowledge of DC characters, apart from Batman, so I tend to steer clear of them). Every six months or so I post a whole list of ‘proposed projects’ on my LJ, some of which I get around to but most of which I don’t. I’ll most likely be writing something else for Avengers 2000 after Supervillain War, and maybe something for their Other World or Marvel X imprint, most likely a Victorian-era ‘Elseworlds’ Spider-Woman series. I’d also like to do more for Strange Tales, original fiction rather than fanfic. There’s a Catwoman series I’d like to do, which would have a home at DC Omega (thanks, Dino).
At some point, years from now, I like to think I’ll have written Hellblazer, some form of X-Men (my one issue at AltMarvel was a lot of fun), Femmes Fatales (a Marvel version of Birds of Prey / Charlie’s Angels with Silver Sable, Black Widow, Elektra and Mockingbird), Doctor Strange, and Captain Carrot And His Amazing Zoo Crew (honestly, I would). Maybe Ultimate Spider-Man, just so I can re-imagine all those classic villains…
Any dream assignments in Fanfic that you would love to tackle like a massive crossover or reinventing a character?
I’m lucky in that I’m already working on my two dream projects, Supervillain War and Ultimate Avengers, and that I’ve previously written my two favourite characters, Spider-Man and Batman. Although Ultimate Avengers has had a stuttering start I’d really love it to be my magnum opus, my equivalent of Pendragons, maybe even reaching the magic 100 issues mark in a few years time. We’ll see.
Dream assignments otherwise would be in original fiction. Despite Revenance failing I still believe there’s an original superhero universe project out there waiting to happen, with up to a dozen writers all chronicling the old-school adventures of their own heroes and villains just as Marvel and DC did when they started out. I’d kill to be a part of that. Mike McGee was also once pondering the notion of a group of writers working on an original series split into ‘episodes’ like a virtual season of a television show. I’d also kill to be involved in that kind of project. Hell, I guess I’m happy to kill to get what I want…
We assume that you enjoy the writing and Fanfic, but are there things you would like to see done differently or changed in Fanfic?
The sheer number of different sites is mind-boggling, especially as so many writers write for more then one of them. One day I’d like to see some merging going on, to consolidate the talent, but it’ll never happen.
I’d also like to see a greater influx of new writers on a regular basis and less titles with a release schedule of one issue every six months or more, which can look a bit tatty.
I’d like to see a greater diversity of titles, especially solo female series. There’s Black Widow, Silver Sable, Elektra, Mystique, Spider-Woman (Jessica or Julia), Catwoman, Black Canary and The Huntress all waiting for a major new series somewhere, off the top of my head. More villain-centric series would also be good, and more with a crime or espionage bent.
What’s your favorite color?
I’m an ex-Goth (ex because all my hair fell out and because I had to remove all my jewellery so the child couldn’t yank it out and eat it). So, black. I also like blue and green and the whole turquoise spectrum in-between.
Outside of Fanfic, what are your reading habits? Who’s your favorite author or series, or book?
I have oodles of favourite books. In fantasy I would choose the original Dragonlance Chronicles by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman, anything by the late David Gemmell, especially the Jon Shannow trilogy, Robert Rankin and Neil Gaiman. In crime I like Robert Crais, Caleb Carr, Fred Vargas and Michael Connelly. In horror I read Stephen King, Dean Koontz, Poppy Z. Brite and James Herbert. In modern fiction and non-fiction I like Nick Hornby, Mark Haddon, Matthew Reilly and Bill Bryson. In kids fiction I like S. F. Said, Justin Richards and the old Three Investigators books. Then there’s Charlotte and Emily Bronte and Arthur Conan Doyle in classics…
My favourite book ever is High Fidelity by Nick Hornby.
What book are you reading now?
I’m just about to start Mark Haddon’s A Spot Of Bother, a tragi-comedy about a man who believes he is dying and his dealings with his dysfunctional family .
How about in comics - do you have a favorite Title, author or artist?
Again, oodles. My favourite writers over the years have been J. M. DeMatteis, Tom DeFalco, Roger Stern, Gerry Conway, Peter David, Mark Gruenwald, Mike Carey and Neil Gaiman. Favourite artists are Tim Sale, Jackson Guice, Adam Hughes, Gil Kane, John Romita Jr, Dave McKean, John Byrne, Sandy Plunkett and John Bolton. Probably others I’ve completely forgotten.
What’s your favorite comic book story, or storyline?
Favourite comic ever is a tie between three very different books: Preacher, by Garth Ennis and Steve Dillon; Secret Wars, by Jim Shooter and Mike Zeck; and The Official Handbook of the Marvel Universe Deluxe Edition by everyone. Others I’d loved are Kraven’s Last Hunt by J. M. DeMatteis and Zeck, DeMatteis, Keith Giffen and Adam Hughes on Justice League International, Hulk by Peter David and Dale Keown, Spider-Man: Blue, Batman: Dark Victory and Batman: The Last Halloween by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale, Tom DeFalco and Ron Frenz’s run on Amazing Spider-Man, John Byrne’s West Coast Avengers, Sandman by Neil Gaiman and various artists, Lucifer by Mike Carey and various artists, Avengers by Roger Stern and John Buscema, PSI Force by Steve Perry and Mark Texeira… and, again, lots I’m forgetting.
What’s your favorite Title to read currently in Fanfic?
The best fanfic titles I’ve read are Supervillain Team-Up at Avengers 2000 by Steve Seinberg, Werewolf By Night by Mike McGee and Thunderbolts at Marvel 2000 by Chris Munn, which I’m currently enjoying. Strange Tales is probably the site with the highest quality of writing overall. I’m looking forward to reading Michael Franzoni’s The Fence sometime soon (I like the villains, as if that wasn’t obvious) as well as Jeff Melton’s 60s Avengers, Mike Rasbury’s Doctor Strange and Steve Crosby’s Captain America.
Where do you get your inspiration?
Reading, one hundred per cent. Be it books, comics, magazines, newspapers… stories are out there, everywhere. Also, most stories are inspired by characters and the best way to build characters is to read about them. Everything I’ve learned about writing – everything – has come from reading.
What are your writing habits? Do you write every day, many hours, once a week, or what?
When I don’t write I get frustrated and depressed and I’m hell to live with. I try and write for an hour a day, every day. Or at least every other day. I can write about 750 – 1000 words an hour, so a 7,500 word week is a great week for me.
Do you like to listen to music as you write? If so, what and which, or some other background noise, like the television or DVD’s? Or maybe you prefer silence when writing?
I always used to need complete and utter silence, but since Frankie came along and hijacked my life I’ve had to learn to block things out. It’s not ideal, but I’m getting there. Give me complete silence and I can write like a demon. The worst thing is trying to write when someone else – usually my wife – is in the room, especially if she has the temerity to talk to me! I find it impossible to concentrate then. But, hey, she’s more interesting than fanfic anyway…
Rumor is you're undertaking a new endeavour, something like the 'HEROES BOARD' of old. If the time is right, give us some hype on that project...
I’d really like to try and put together a monthly online newsletter type project that collects together the disparate releases and reviews sent to the Yahoo group board, plus a few articles from writers and editors thrown in for good measure. I have no idea if it will work but it’ll be nice if it does, especially when attempting to attract new readers and writers from outside the community.
A Question from Mick:
If you had your way exactly how would the clone saga have ended? Would there have even been one?
I never liked the idea that Peter Parker from Amazing Spider-Man # 150 onwards was a clone – that was just stupid – but I was completely in favour of Peter being replaced by Ben Reilly. When I wrote Spider-Man at AltMarvel I hated the fact that Peter was still risking his life all the time when he had a wife and kid at home. That, to me, went against the whole idea of responsibility established in Amazing Fantasy # 15 way back when. Mary Jane? Fine. She chooses to be with a guy who could be killed any second, that’s her lookout. But Peter has consciously made the decision to be a father and his first responsibility is therefore to his child, regardless of what has come before. When I finished my series I put Ben back in the suit, and Marvel should have had the guts to do the same.
Norman Osborn coming back? Second worst story ever. Worst was Sins Past. After almost 30 years of reading Spider-Man, I quit soon after that load of bullshit. For me, Spider-Man from the mid-70s to the late-80s was the real deal, nothing has ever come close to those heights.
And now's the time for closing. Any last words or Shout Outs, any Hot Links to share or whatever, now's the time.
Um… read Ultimate Avengers, if you aren’t already? That, Supervillain War and Brother Voodoo, they’re my babies. And, please, someone get that original superhero universe going (and invite me along)!
Thanks for opportunity, Curt.
Thank You Meri. That was most excellent!
Curt |
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