Absolute Chaos Discussion Boards
Fic Talk => Featured Story of the Month => Topic started by: mare on September 01, 2013, 03:39:32 AM
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Happy September everyone!
It's time for a new featured author/story and this month it's Emily's "Run"
This is a sequel to her story "Falling In Love Again" but it takes a turn and goes the suspense route.
Here is the link: http://absolutechaos.net/viewstory.php?sid=11128
Feel free to read along or if you are already reading, drop in and ask Emily anything you'd like about this story or any of her others or if you want to just leave a comment, that's okay too!
Happy reading! :)
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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) What made you come up with the concept of this one?
5) Who was your favorite character in this story and why?
6) You had to know this was coming, who was your least favorite?
7) Are all the boys in this one? If not why did you choose to exclude them?
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Well, you did this bright and early this morning! I don't know the answers to all of these questions, so I'm probably going to get back to this later this evening after I get off work (when my brain's completely fried instead of incredibly sleepy-- I totally just typed brian instead of brain. lol. Then I did it again!) If anyone happens upon this before I get the answers to Mare's initial questions typed up, please feel free to discuss/ask anything about anything I've written. And, this is a bit of a shameless plug, but this is a little something I wrote up last night. I'd be honored if you read and share: http://bsbmda.blogspot.com
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I always do everything bright and early, most of the time even before the 'bright' part happens. LOL
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Congrats on being featured, Emily! It will be interesting discussing Run in here as you're writing it. I loved Falling in Love Again and am really enjoying Run too, although I need to catch up on the last chapter you posted.
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Congrats Emily, as you know I loved Falling In Love Again and am also loving Run. I can't think of any questions right now, but I'm sure I'll be back :)
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I have a question for you. I try to space my questions out over the month so you don't get bombarded with a ton at the beginning and then nothing, but I' also afraid I'll forget what I was going to ask. lol
Did you always intend on writing a sequel to Falling In Love Again? And if so did you always plan on moving it to another genre like suspense?
What made you decide to take such a drastic turn from romance to suspense for the sequel? Were you afraid your readers wouldn't adjust to the switch?
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Well, here I am, and I have all the answers. They may not be good answers, but they're my answers, nonetheless :) I'm honored to be featured this month, and I'm hoping I'm able to get a lot of writing on "Run" done this month. However, a Disneyworld vacation is happening in a week, so I'm sure I won't get any done then.
1) Tell us one thing about your story that no one else knows?
How it ends! ;) One kind of interesting little piece of trivia is that the detective in the story, Kendall Jones, is named after two physicians I work with at the hospital where I am a pharmacist. I have a love/hate relationship with them both. More about how that ties into the character later.
2) How long did it take you to write this entire story?
Who knows how long it will take! I've been working on it for about six weeks, and posting for about a month. I'm planning to have it finished by the end of the year, and hopefully sooner.
3) Give us a summary different from the one you have posted on AC, with a few more spoilers to make people tune in.
Nick and Annie are planning on "together forever," but someone from the past has other plans. There's murder, there's action, there's suspense, there might even be a ghost!
4) What made you come up with the concept of this one?
I have no idea. It came to me in the shower, as most of my "brilliant" writing ideas do. Honestly, after participating in the summer reading challenge and in the "Question of the Day" board, I was inspired to try stepping out of my "romance" comfort zone, and this is what I came up with!
5) Who was your favorite character in this story and why?
Hmm... I feel like I should answer Nick or Annie since they're the "stars," but Howie has had some really great moments so far. I have big plans for Kevin, too.
6) You had to know this was coming, who was your least favorite?
I'll say Kendall, and I'd bet a few of you who are reading this story agree. He's a little too cocky for his own good, and he's getting a little sloppy. He may or may not have a redeeming moment coming up later. I had two people in mind (as I mentioned above) as loose inspirations for this character, and like I said before- love/hate relationship.
7) Are all the boys in this one? If not why did you choose to exclude them?
They are all there, but Nick is the main character. The other guys play some big supporting roles at certain points, though.
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I have a question for you. I try to space my questions out over the month so you don't get bombarded with a ton at the beginning and then nothing, but I' also afraid I'll forget what I was going to ask. lol
Did you always intend on writing a sequel to Falling In Love Again? And if so did you always plan on moving it to another genre like suspense?
What made you decide to take such a drastic turn from romance to suspense for the sequel? Were you afraid your readers wouldn't adjust to the switch?
I went back and forth a lot on whether I was going to write a sequel. Originally, about halfway through "Falling in Love Again," I thought I was getting a little long-winded, and that maybe there would be more story to tell, so I toyed with the idea of a sequel. I had several readers who were begging for a sequel at the end of that one. "FILA" was about "the chase"-- the boy meets girl and they fall in love type of story. (It was so much more than that to me, but that's the general premise of a romance). The original sequel was just going to be an add-on telling about Nick and Annie's life together- the every day type of obstacles they face, babies, etc. In the end, I decided that was kind of boring and scrapped the idea of a sequel altogether.
Then, I got to thinking about writing something in a different genre, and the Annie and Nick characters, because of their backgrounds, lent themselves really well to the plot in my head. I told Julie once that Nick and Annie were kind of like my version of her "Nick and Claire" in the Broken series. I love these characters. One big problem I'm having with this story is introducing my characters (namely Annie) to my NEW readers. My "FILA" readers know them (well, her) really well from that story. I fear that my new readers just don't get her at all. I'm working on trying to develop the characters a little better in this story as it goes along.
As an aside, I considered a sort of companion piece to "FILA" that delved deeper into a little Kevin subplot I had going on in that one, but I decided it would have been too depressing. Maybe one day if I'm feeling particularly angsty.
Wow, that was long! What are we going to talk about for the rest of the month? LOL
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Speaking as one of the people who only know her from "Run" I can honestly say, I do get her just fine. At least I believe I do. What I love most about this story is the fact that Annie is an important character but so far anyway, it feels like a BSB story. Nick seems to be the lead even though it's Annie's parents who were killed. I think the people who didn't read the first story and chose to read this second one was because of the genre change and not so much the characters. It makes sense for the people who loved FILA to move to this one but the new reader's most likely are reading more for the suspense element and aren't as interested in Annie.
I know that's what kept me reading, is the fact that it was centered around Nick who happens to be engaged to this girl Annie. I probably would have lost interest if it was about Annie who happened to be engaged to this guy, Nick.
Anyway this is turning into a long winded thing where all I'm trying to say is, you have done a great job introducing us to Annie and letting us know what her deal is by the small flashbacks and little scenes with her in them. Coming at it from a strictly suspense reading, non romance caring angle, that's all we really need. It's almost nice to not know too much about her because she can definitely be in the mix as a possible bad guy to us whereas maybe everyone else is like awww poor Annie. Does that make sense? LOL
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That's good to know, because that's actually what I'm trying to do! (Make it more about the Boys this time around). I like that you're liking making her a suspect. LOL. But I've worried that the new readers think she's a little weird-- which she's not- not really. Does that make sense?
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I'm not picking up 'weird' at all from her. She hasn't done anything weird or quirky, to me anyway lol but that's also coming from someone who is kind of quirky so...
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Here are the featured forum member questions for you!
1. Real name:
2. How long have you been on AC?
3. How long have you been writing fanfics?
4. Give us a list of stories you have written.
5. List some of your all time favorite stories you have read.
6. Do you have your own site?
7. What are your favorite types of stories to read?
8. Who is your favorite BSB?
9. Do you find yourself writing about him more than the others?
10. What do you want to do with the rest of your life?
11. Where are you from?
12. What kinds of hobbies do you enjoy?
13. What's your favorite movie?
14. What's your favorite book?
15. Any hidden talents?
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Here are the featured forum member questions for you!
1. Real name:
Emily Michele- I'm very creative, see?
2. How long have you been on AC?
About two years
3. How long have you been writing fanfics?
I wrote just to share with my closest friends (who also wrote at the time)- from about age 13-15 or 16. Then, didn't start back up again until a couple years ago. I did write one Grey's Anatomy fic on ff.net around 2007 or so.
4. Give us a list of stories you have written.
-Forever (which is sort-of a culmination of all those stories from my teen years), Mr. Brightside (unfinished), Falling in Love Again, Sisterhood of the Ugly Red Sweatpants (unfinished), Run (I'm sensing a theme here..... No new stories until Emily finishes some!)
5. List some of your all time favorite stories you have read.
-Where Can We Go From Here? was the classic I remember reading back in the day.
-The Broken Series by Julie (also loved Secrets of the Heart)
-The Coaster Series by evergreen Jen (Also loved Life's a Dance and The Ghost of You and Me)
-The Protect and Serve Series by Mare (also really enjoyed Why I'd Do it All Again)
6. Do you have your own site?
No, but once upon a time, I had one called "Kisses for Kevin" on Angelfire.
7. What are your favorite types of stories to read?
I'm still a sucker for your "romantic dramedy," but I'm branching out and liking suspense as well.
8. Who is your favorite BSB?
Kevin
9. Do you find yourself writing about him more than the others?
Not really- In the past year and half or so, I've written a lot about Nick
10. What do you want to do with the rest of your life?
Probably what I'm doing now- working part-time, mommy, wife (with possible switch to full-time when the little guy goes to kindergarten- or maybe I would volunteer at the school or something). I did make a promise to a couple people (my dad and my AP English teacher in HS) that I would write one day- I'm not sure fanfic was what they had in mind, so who knows? Maybe an OF novel someday.
11. Where are you from?
Elkhorn City, Kentucky- you've never heard of it- population 850, one traffic light, on the border of Kentucky/Virginia. I spent some time living in Lexington and currently in Hazard, Ky (which you've also never heard of, but it's a little bigger than EC).
12. What kinds of hobbies do you enjoy?
Reading/writing. I spend some time helping our church youth group with drama team, choir, etc.
13. What's your favorite movie?
I'm not sure I can pick just one- but they range from Grease to Love Actually to Man on Fire, to choose a few different genres.
14. What's your favorite book?
That's a toughie- there are so many. As far as classics go- Little Women. Rebecca by Daphne DuMaurier, then Dan Brown (namely the DaVinci Code and Angels and Demons).
15. Any hidden talents?
I sing, though I used to be a lot better than I am now- I guess it's one of those "Use it or lose it" scenarios. I also love to cook without recipes- just throw some stuff together and it usually turns out good. (usually)
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I've posted a new chapter for this one! It's a big!
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I don't really want to say anything because I'm afraid I'll spoil it for people, but I'm curious to see what you're thinking lol
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Well I'm glad you're curious. Another little twist in the next chapter.
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Congrats Emily! I will read as soon as I have some free time!
I loved "Falling In Love Again"
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Thanks, Erika! I'm interested to know what you think of this one!
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So, how are you enjoying writing suspense? How different is it from writing romance? Are you finding it easier or more difficult?
Are there any other genres you want to tackle?
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Honestly, I'm having a hard time with it! I know the plot, and I think it's good, but I'm having a hard time with transitioning from point A to point B, if that makes sense? I feel like maybe it's not "suspenseful" enough, yet? Romance definitely seemed easier, and "Falling in Love Again" is kind of "my baby," so I'm worried this one isn't going to live up to that one. Of course, it was a Nick romance, so I'm already expecting that the response to that one will be bigger than this one. I'd like to try other genres, though, if nothing else than to just stretch my writing chops a little. I'm still feeling a little rusty.
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I just posted chapter 15. I've been sitting on this particular chapter for a while, writing then re-working it. Something about it just didn't feel quite "right." It was an attempt at some more "bromance," which I was excited to write, then kept feeling like I was coming up short. I think maybe I've finally gotten what I was attempting to do, so I'm interested in your feedback. Switching gears a bit in chapter 16, coming up in a few days.
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I'm sorry I've fallen behind. I've been leaving my house for school before 7 am and getting home at 9 at night. By the time I get here all I want to do is shut my brain off and watch TV. I'm going to read on Saturday morning, then I'll let you know my thoughts at least. lol
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I finally caught up, yay! I think you did a great job with the bromance in the last chapter. I loved the tender Kevin and Nick moment and that he confided in Kevin because Brian had his head up Leighanne's Ass. Maybe one day he'll take that thing out of there! LOL in the meantime, I do have some more questions for you:
If you could do this all over again, would you have still chosen to make this a sequel or do you wish you had just created brand new characters to draw from?
In your head did you always know you were going to create Frank or did he just pop up while you were writing this?
Now that Frank has taken his revenge and it seems like he has achieved his goal, is this story going to still go suspense or are you now going to focus on the after affects of what happened?
You had him staying in Pennsylvania, is he coming to kill me next? ??? LOL
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Mare, you ask hard questions! I'm going to do my best here... :)
If you could do this all over again, would you have still chosen to make this a sequel or do you wish you had just created brand new characters to draw from?
-For this particular story, I still think I'd write it as a sequel because there are aspects (both things you've read and things you haven't) that really incorporate a lot of the backstory from the last one. The idea came to me as an Annie and Nick story, and if I'd made new characters, it wouldn't have been the story I was aiming to write.
In your head did you always know you were going to create Frank or did he just pop up while you were writing this?
-Honestly, Frank is a subplot. Without giving too much away, he's relevant, but he's not the whole story. He's a character I came up with while trying to bridge some of gaps I was finding in my original plotline.
Now that Frank has taken his revenge and it seems like he has achieved his goal, is this story going to still go suspense or are you now going to focus on the after affects of what happened?
-We're still going suspense. The story definitely isn't over.
You had him staying in Pennsylvania, is he coming to kill me next? Huh? LOL ...
-Maybe I'll plead the fifth on that one? LOL
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So, what scenes have you enjoyed writing the most in this one?
Have your reader's enjoyed the transformation to suspense for the sequel? did many of your readers from the first story hop on board for the second one?
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So, what scenes have you enjoyed writing the most in this one?
Have your reader's enjoyed the transformation to suspense for the sequel? did many of your readers from the first story hop on board for the second one?
My favorite scenes to write have been the one with Nick and Howie when Nick finds out about Annie's parents, and the chapter after, when Nick meets Annie at the police station, and-- the proposal. I'm still a romance fan :)
The majority of my readers have actually stayed on board for the sequel. I did lose few and pick up a couple, so it sort of evens out, I guess. I feel like most have enjoyed the transition, but I do think I might be losing some who were expecting a different kind of story.
I am glad I decided to go this route with the sequel. I think a typical continuation of the original story would be one of those unsuccessful sequels that made me think "Why did I write that?" Maybe I have some readers thinking that about this one, but I'm excited to write something in a different genre, and I'm still excited about this one and where it's going-- just having a hard time finding the time to sit down and write it! Hopefully, I can get another chapter out before September is over while it's still the featured story. I was hoping to get more accomplished with it this month, but I ended up being a lot busier than I anticipated!
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I love your Howie and Nick scenes. I generally enjoy your version of Howie, period.
Real life getting in the way of fanfic writing does suck, doesn't it?
Are you working on any other stories? Anything new in the works?
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I can't write anything new! I have three that are unfinished! That being said, yeah, something new will probably pop up right when I don't need it to-- sort of like this one did. I am not writing on anything other than this one at the moment, because I want to try to keep the momentum going for Run, but I am definitely thinking about "Forever" and "Sisterhood of the Ugly Red Sweatpants," and have plans for those as well.