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[mare]

Hello i'm back with this month's selection.

This story is very popular among the readers on AC so it deserves a month of it's own. Here is the link to the story:

http://absolutechaos.net/viewstory.php?sid=8947&warning=5

Feel free to pop in over this month and let us know what you think. I'm sure Darby will love to hear from you as well as answer any questions you may have.

Enjoy!

[mare]

1) Tell us one thing about your story that no one else knows?

2) How long did it take you to write this entire story?

3) Give us a summary different from the one you have posted on AC, with a few more spoilers to make people tune in.

4) If you could cast this story as a movie who would play the main roles and why?

5) Have you ever thought of giving up on the story and if you did what made you continue to work on it?

6) What was your writing process? (Outline, make it up as you go along, the characters wrote it, I am Tonja and plagerized lol)

7) Who was your favorite character in this story and why?

8 ) You had to know this was coming, who was your least favorite?

9) Are all the boys in this one? If not why did you choose to exclude them?

10) If we like this story...then we'd love what story? (Could be by you or someone else) and obviously tell us why lol
 

[Sakabelle]

Congrats Darby!  I'll be back with questions in a bit!

[honey]

Aww, YAY DARBY!!!   And just to let you know, I've actually started reading this! I'll be back when I'm feeling a little better, because I've been saving up lots of good stuff to say about it! Congrats hun!

[cabybakes]

Wow...what a nice surprise it was to see my story on the front page and come in here and see a featured story thread for Casual.  Thank you, thank you!  Now...onto the questions...

1) Tell us one thing about your story that no one else knows?
The initial premise of Casual was inspired by my personal experiences when I was single and dating and those of my girlfriends. Quinn, the main character, has some similarities to who I used to be as a commitment phobic, single girl on the dating scene. She carries many of the personality traits of my closest girlfriends.  If you have read Casual and have heard me talk about anything in my life now that may seem odd considering I have been married for almost 5 years and have a beautiful little daughter.  Everyone can change

2) How long did it take you to write this entire story?
I wrote the first chapter in February of 2008 and I started posting in April, I believe?  It actually isn't finished yet, we have 36 chapters posted and 14 to go! 

3) Give us a summary different from the one you have posted on AC, with a few more spoilers to make people tune in.
Quinn Mason is successful, beautiful and seems to have it all. After deciding to move her weekly column to Los Angeles, she vows that she will take a new approach to dating along with her. Through this experiment, she hopes to answer the question, "Can you really just have casual sex with someone without it turning into more?" Quinn never expected to come across a famous stranger that completely throws her approach and life into a tailspin of sex, emotions and...dare we say, LOVE?


4) If you could cast this story as a movie who would play the main roles and why?
I guess the person I see Quinn most physically like is Ali Larter...but with bigger boobs, fuller lips and a little more meat on her bones.  Personality wise, I can't think of who would play Quinn.  I have pictures of the other characters (outside of the boys) in my head, but I can't think of who would play them in a movie...they are all uniquely themselves in my mind.

5) Have you ever thought of giving up on the story and if you did what made you continue to work on it?
Yes!  I was so frustrated with Quinn after the whole Vegas thing because I had to write her in a way that brought out every negative perception how women screw up/act stupid in relationships.  I have been really busy lately so I have been having trouble staying motivated.  I think the thing that has kept me going is that I want to finish telling Nick and Quinn's story and all of the positive reinforcement I have gotten from my readers. 

6) What was your writing process? (Outline, make it up as you go along, the characters wrote it, I am Tonja and plagerized lol)
It started out as a random idea that I came up one day when I was feeling nostalgic about my single days.  I had stepped out of the FF world for a while, and had come back and read a ton of stuff, and much like when I had first started writing so many years ago, I ran out of things to read that held my interest.  So I wrote a couple of chapters, then jotted down my basic ideas and wrote the first five chapters.  By the time I was that far into it, I knew what my big events would be, so I started a detailed outline.  I tweak and change it frequently, keeping the major events in the story the same.  I have had to make a lot of changes in how I have gotten to certain events because the characters have a tendency to take over in this story! 

7) Who was your favorite character in this story and why?
I adore AJ and Riley...I think they both play an important role in the story because in a lot of ways, they are like Nick and Quinn's consciences... they are a good vehicle for when Quinn or Nick need an A-HA moment or when they need a good kick in the pants...

8 ) You had to know this was coming, who was your least favorite?
I have a love/hate relationship with Quinn. I hated her after the whole Vegas thing, that was the most difficult part to write because I did not like her very much during that time!

9) Are all the boys in this one? If not why did you choose to exclude them?
They have all appeared in some capacity.  Kevin has had a small cameo at Howie's wedding, then Brian and Howie have both gotten a bit of time, but not much.  AJ appears pretty regularly.  At first, I thought Howie was going to be Nick's "person", but then I wrote the scene with Nick and AJ in NYC and I loved writing their dialouge and I thought AJ's personality in this story is right for calling Nick out and keeping him motivated. 

10) If we like this story...then we'd love what story? (Could be by you or someone else) and obviously tell us why lol
One of my current faves is All Hail the Heartbreaker by TantilisinTeas er.  I think it has a really unique premise and isn't your typical, cheesy romance - real love stories have angst and moments of imperfection!!!

[cabybakes]

Aww, YAY DARBY!!!   And just to let you know, I've actually started reading this! I'll be back when I'm feeling a little better, because I've been saving up lots of good stuff to say about it! Congrats hun!

You have?  I'm glad you are liking it so far and could get passed the super sexified beginning, once you get in there you can see that it had to start that way.  I can't wait to hear what you think, Kelly!!!

Congrats Darby!  I'll be back with questions in a bit!

Thanks, sweet friend! 

[Chrissy]

Hey, Darby!

I'm gonna start reading this one    I feel like it's soooo hard to find quality romance, so I'm pretty excited about your fic!

[Carter-Orange]

Well done Darby

I'm gonna make a start on reading it.

[cabybakes]

Hey, Darby!

I'm gonna start reading this one    I feel like it's soooo hard to find quality romance, so I'm pretty excited about your fic!

Well done Darby

I'm gonna make a start on reading it.

Thanks, girls!  I hope you enjoy it! 

Random fact:  I HATE the first chapter...

[honey]

Lol Darby, the sex isn't so bad. Ok, I'll admit after that first chapter, I was wondering if I'd be able to make it through and I have skimmed over some of it, but I can see why it's there. Like you said, there's a point to it being in the story, and sometimes you've just kind of said "ohm and they're going at it again" and other times you really draw it out, so there is some variety in it.  Plus, it helps the way that you write it. Because you don't just have characters screaming out "Oh God baby! Nick! Oh Nick!" You know what I mean. I think a lot of times sex comes across so cheesy, or just kind of dirty sounding, but you seem to have a good grasp on it.

Anyway, I started reading Casual this week cause I've been too sick to do a whole lot else and I am enjoying it. I'm on the Christmas chapter now, and I think they're all about to go to Vegas?

I just want to say that I LOVE they way you handle Quinn's job. I Love her columns. And I can totally feel the difference between when you're writing the story, and when Quinn is writing her columns. But I must confess that Quinn drives me bonkers! Sometimes I just want to slap her around lol. At first I wasn't sure I'd like the story because I completely disagree with Quinn's outlook on the whole "Casual" thing. And I thought it might make me nuts to read about it, but you've managed with your writing, and your characters, to keep me involved in the story and even though I think Quinn is being stupid and stubborn and I want to kick her, I still care about her, and want to see her work everything out. And she totally won me over when she went to Howie's wedding, but wasn't afraid to be seen with Nick. (Now I'm completely worried that she's gonna screw it up because of what James said.)

I love how you've written Nick though. I love how he's kept her as his own little secret. And yet the way he doesn't deny it when AJ finally calls him on the fact that he loves her. That surprised me as much as AJ, but I loved it. It was very appropriate. I can completely understand why he'd be smitten with someone like Quinn too. They make sense to me, I just want her to stop being dumb. lol.

I think you've done a great job pulling us into Quinn's world, as well as Nick's. It's funny because the story is about Quinn, and not the Backstreet boys, but at the same time you've managed to follow the boys and what they are up to, and you've given us the feel of what life is like for Nick. Well done there.

So, congrats Darby, on being featured, you deserve it! It's very clear the amount of time and effort you've put into this story. It's creative, and well written and entertaining, and quite steamy, for those of you who like that. (and I know there are a lot that do!)

If you haven't checked out Casual, I'd totally recommend it! It's a great Nick fic, with a very unique and colorful main character and a completely lovable Nick! I'll come back when I get caught up! And I'll try to start leaving reviews. I normally do, I just haven't really been that "with it" this week cause I've been sick.

[honey]

Oh! And LAMO at Nick's shoe fetish! I love it!

[cabybakes]

Thank you, Kelly!  When you had mentioned you were going to read this, I was honestly most worried about you getting past that first scene with Nick and Quinn...this story LITERALLY starts off with a bang.  That said, I really felt like there had to be a lot of sex in the beginning because that was supposed to be all that there was to the relationship.. .but as you can see from where you are in the story, it doesn't stay that way.  I am not a fan of the "Oh baby, do me" sex either, so when I am writing those types of scenes, I intentionally try not to do that.  However, sex is a part of adult relationships, and in this story, the way they are intimate with each other changes as their feelings develop...so I thought it was important to describe some of it in more detail. 

The columns are/have been one of my favorite parts to write.   Little known fact, the subject matter of a few of them are actually taken from my old live journal I kept in college.  Specifically, the one about chivalry comes to mind.  Anyway, I write the columns differently than the rest of the story.  I am OCD, so I stop, read, change go back - but with the columns, I just put myself in Quinn's mind and just let it flow.  I only do grammatical corrections, I don't change the randomness or incompleteness of her thoughts...the columns seem very ADD to me when I re-read them, but that is part of who Quinn is so I have kept them rambly on purpose.

This story is about Quinn...which I know some people may not like.  Nick is the male lead but he has taken the backseat to Quinn in a lot of this because of her internal issues.  He becomes more a part of things as the relationship changes and progresses - especially after Vegas...and really, the last stretch that I have to write is more about how Quinn has effected Nick, how her behavior impacts him and how he reacts.  I can't give too much away, but I think that many people will be shocked at Nick's behavior and some of the stuff he will do right up to the very end of the story.  I have alluded to it here and there when I have written conversations between Nick and AJ about how Nick deals with relationships, how he has even been subtly derogatory to Quinn in some situations (sexual ones)...I can't give it all away, but I will say that Nick has taken the driver's seat in many ways since the resurgence of their relationship after Vegas and that he will continue to get almost equal time for the remainder of the story...

The reason I chose to follow the backstreet timeline is because I thought it provided interesting locations and opportunities for certain events.  Plus, part of the conflict in this story is Quinn's emotional unavailability and Nick's physical unavailability because of the demands of his job and chosen lifestyle...or Quinn's perception of it. 

Again, Kelly...I really appreciate all of your kind, honest words.  I hope Quinn continues to irritate you and that you will continue to follow this story! 

And P.S. - the shoe fetish continues...

[cabybakes]

Well done Darby

I'm gonna make a start on reading it.

Thank you!  And congrats on being the featured member...I will have to head over to your thread

[kevmylove]

Congrats Darby!!! 

[DaniGiggles]

Congrats Darby! I'm so happy for you I've heard so much about this story, it seems to be mentioned everywhere I look (and that's a good thing!), so it's been on my must read list for quite sometime. Seeing this featured has got me motivated! Yaaaay!

So I had the day off and decided to read a couple chapters aaaaand a couple chapters turned into 20. lol Literally. Not joking in the slightest. I had to stop though cause my eyes are about to fall out of my head from staring at the computer screen for so long lol! Basically what I'm trying to say is, I LOVE THIS STORY! Whole heartedly.

When I read the question and answer post at the beginning of the thread, I was interested to see that a lot of the story/personalities of the characters/circumstances are from your real life. While I was reading, I was wondering on several occasions how much of it relates to you personally. I had a hunch that some of it did, just not how much. I think putting your own personal experiences into your writing makes it better because you know the emotions first hand and can accurately describe them, which you've done.

I've seen a progression from the beginning to where I am now with your writing. I saw on your profile that you are mainly a reader and the only reason why you started writing was because you ran out of things to read (lol). I can tell that as the story progresses, so does your writing - you become more comfortable and confident, and it definitely shows, and it's great!

I love the characters and the progression of them. I love Quinn but dislike her at the same time. I feel like she should just give in to Nick already and just be HAPPY! He so obviously adores her, and you've hinted how he's basically shunned his past life of craziness to be with her (though he didn't realize it until recently), and it's clear she loves him or else she wouldn't be breaking every single rule she's set up for her 'casual sex' lifestyle. Gah!!! But what would a story be without all the dramz?

LOVE LOVE LOVE her columns! I think it's great how we learn more about her through her columns just as Nick is learning about her through the same venue. It's great how you keep her a mystery to us, where we discover more about her as the story progresses.

I can't wait to read more of this, and I'll definitely throw in more of my thoughts/opinions. I was going to wait until i've read all that you've posted but I couldn't help myself!

I love it Darby. I'm happy I finally started reading it Congrats again! You deserve it love.