April 22, 2010

Mel's Interview with Laughable Lamb‏ about 'My Cowardly Lion'



Lions and Shyward and Bears, OH MY!

Hello again! It's been a while since I've been here, and I have returned to So You Think You Can Write to tell you about a story that is currently owning the crap out of me. Some of you may be reading this, but if you aren't, well, get ready to melt into a puddle of Ficcy-goo. It's called "My Cowardly Lion" and it's written by the adorable Jen (laughablelamb). The summary that peaked my interest and sucked me in, is as follows:

Edward Cullen is beyond shy, Bella Swan has similar issues, and Alice, given an opportunity she never thought possible, has a plan that she hopes will help them both understand the value of a little human interaction.

Did your eyebrow just quirk? Well, that's how I felt. I thought "it's only about 12 chapters in, I'm gonna tackle this." And boy, was I so excited and happy that I did! Super-ridiculously-adorable-and-awkwardly shy-Edward, shows up, much to equally awkward and adorably shy Bella's surprise. Their meet-cute? A snippet:

Peanut butter,"she quietly reminded herself before she set out across the room in hopes of finding said peanut butter and escaping back to her little bubble of happiness known as her bed for a few more hours.

"Mmumph."

Bella's head snapped up hearing the unexpected sound. No longer interested in watching her feet, she was surprised to see an unknown body lying on their sofa.

Blinking rapidly in an attempt to control the immediate rush of adrenaline and get her brain to focus, Bella slowly approached the covered form before her. She didn't know what to think but it seemed that her brain was only interested in the very worst scenarios.

There was a pale yet well muscled arm dangling out from under the blanket that was usually draped over the back of her favorite chair, but that was all she could see of the individual, as the blanket did a good job of hiding everything else. Upon further inspection she noted a generous amount of dark hair covering said arm and a large capable hand attached to the end. This was no doubt a man, and by the look of things one that she truly did not know.

Bella was stuck for a moment wondering what she should do. Flee the room and pretend she'd not seen him here? Go upstairs and alert Alice? Wake the man and send him on his way?

*smiles happily and knowingly* These two characters are destined into a shy-off. Alice turns out to be Edward's sister, and perhaps a potential matchmaker? *wiggles eyebrows* I don't want to give too much away because I really want you to go read the story *and don't worry, I'll include a link at the end!* but I will tell you that this story is just...heart melting and heart warming. Edward and Bella's interactions constantly make me say "aw" out loud, and the image that laughablelamb paints of him makes my heart want for him, too. The rest of the Cullens appear in the story, and help to make the humor and story well-rounded. I was lucky enough to get to chat with this lovely woman, and I wanted to share a few things with you that she said!

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Mels: How did you get the idea for your story?
Jen: The short answer is—I got the idea for the story when I decided that I liked the concept of a super shy Edward.
The longer version would be to say—I’m always thinking and writing about something—my brand of therapy you could call it. I was thinking about the “real” Twilight Edward and I determined that, to a degree, I always thought of him as being a little shy and without a doubt uncertain at times. So, I kind of took that thought process to the extreme and turned my Edward into the most outrageous version of that shy, uncertain Edward I could possibly come up with. From there, the rest of the story just sort of fell into place.

Mels: Do you relate to any of the characters in this fic?
Jen: I am a mix of Edward and Bella in this one! I have super shy tendencies—like Bella, avoiding people I don’t know. And I’ve been known to pretend like I’m not at home if someone were to ring the bell, just like Edward. I can’t say that I suffer from any of their extreme qualities but I’m still right there with them in most situations.

Mels: What's one of the best things about being a Fic author?
Jen: You get to take something you love (aka the Twilight characters/ story) and keep it going with your own ideas and creativity. Then you get to share your stories with like-minded people and hear how much they appreciate your effort—ego boost!

Mels: Do you have any advice for readers who want to start writing their own fic?
Jen: Stick with what you know! No idea is a bad idea, but if you want to write about living the highlife in NYC or living on a farm in Texas and you’ve never been to or experienced either place, you’re just going to end up giving yourself a headache. So either keep it simple or be prepared to do some research.

Mels: Are you a planner as far as the story goes, or do you wing it each chapter?
Jen: I’ve tried it both ways and I’m much better at letting the story write itself. I rarely know what’s going to happen from chapter to chapter; I usually get my ideas for the next one by seeing how the previous ended.

Mels: What made you want to post your own story?
Jen: If I feel like its something I would want to read, I will generally end up sharing whatever I write at some point. I knew that I hadn’t seen a story that was really like this one out there so I figured, why not.

Mels: Do you have any other story ideas that you think you'd like to post?
Jen: I’ve been thinking about a little one-shot that’s sort of autobiographical in a way. I wrote it a while back and it’s based on some of my job experiences, with co-workers, etc. It could easily be adapted to the known Twilight characters.

Mels: Will Shyward and Shyella ever get "together" ? (you don't have to answer, but I'd like to know!)
Jen: Hehehe….I’m SO answering this one! I believe people should take advantage of their strong points—that being said I have been told that I write intimate situations REALLY well. ;) The whole point of the story however has prevented me from going there—yet!

Mels: What are YOUR favorite kinds of fic to read? Do you have any you would reccommend to readers?
Jen: I will read ANYTHING if its well written, but I usually stick with canon pairings. Obviously I like the shy, awkward Edward, but I really don’t mind if he takes on other traits, since reading for me is all about emotion. If I get to be pissed off at the characters, it can be just as good as falling in love with them sometimes.
Some of my favs include—Bloodlust by Kalejay…for a neat twist on the original storyline.
The Red Line by WinndSinger…if you’re looking for something a little sad, a little sweet and a lot shocking!
Edward Wallbanger by feathersmmmm…is always good for a laugh
And absolutely anything written by vixen1836—amazing stuff!

Mels: Name your favorite Cullen, and tell us why!
Jen: Anyone who knows me would probably assume its Edward, but my favorite is actually Alice. She’s everything I’m not, but that I’d like to be. Not to mention she literally saved the entire series for me, while I was reading New Moon. When she finally popped up to save the day so to speak, I literally had a “jeez, I think I’m in love with a girl” moment. LOL!!

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So there you have it, friends! A little insight into the author behind the super cute! If you want to check it out, you can do so here: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5593612/1/My_Cowardly_Lion (make sure you leave her a review--this story is under loved in that department!)

Thanks for letting me share this with you! If you have some fics to share with me, or just wanna say hi, hit me up on Twitter @MelsVFP

until we meet again,
xx mels

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