The Harder They Fall by IronicTwist
OK. This fic, I KNOW, was rec'd to me by ABG. At least I think so. I do KNOW that I read about it in someone's authors note, so whoever told me about it THANKS!
IronicTwist such an awesome user name, btw, just wanted to point that out.
Here is her Summary:
Bella Swan had big dreams. When her life takes a sad turn she is forced to do whatever she can just to keep her head above water. Edward Cullen's life is perfect. Well, almost. Perhaps these two can help each other out in an unorthodox way.
OK so what is this fic about and WHY do I love it so??
Bella is not some weakling.
THANK YOU.
Edward does not fall in love with her at first sight. And she does not fall for him at first sight either.
The story is engaging and funny in parts, and kinda a Cinderella-ish thing EXCEPT, so far, it is no fairy tale.
Are they falling for each other?
Kinda, I mean they are attracted to each other but, well, it is hard to pinpoint.
My babbling about this fic will NOT make you want to read it. I will tell you what will make you wanna read it. HER INTERVIEW! YUP or perhaps Bella's outfit in chapter 13 cause if I could, I would wear stuff like that!!!
Enough of my mess of chitchat, check out her interview, leave me some lovin' and then GO READ!!!
You won't regret listening to me on this one!
Some pictures of objects mentioned in The Harder They Fall:
Bella's Necklace from Ch. 17
Bella's outfit from Ch. 13
Where did you get the idea for this story? What was your inspiration?
About 100 years ago I found a real honest-to-goodness-I-get-paid-to-write-smut author online. She was developing a site for people who wanted to get paid for writing porn. I never did more than read a few of her suggestions since, no sooner did I find her, than she decided she should be paid for her wisdom. While I never wrote any smut for money, I did develop the story seed that eventually became The Harder They Fall. The story seed was much dirtier; it was supposed to be porn, after all. I toned it down and The Harder They Fall is the result.
Is there anything you would want readers to know specifically?
People have compared my story to Cinderella, Pretty Woman, Maid in Manhattan and My Fair Lady. While there are elements of each in my story, THTF isn’t any of them.
Why should readers read your story?
Readers should read my story to see one where it’s Edward who falls hard and fast, while Bella remains professional. That’s a deviation from the norm that I enjoy. I’ve gotten many comments on this aspect of the story and they’re all positive.
So you do anything special while writing a chapter like listen to special music, need total silence, eat a bag of M&Ms, drink heavily, whatever …
My writing habits are weird. I’ll have absolutely no interest in writing a chapter or scene and then, all of a sudden, I’ll be struck with the need to write. I’ll write 4000 words in a matter of hours. When this happens finishing the chapter is easy. I can force myself to write, but I usually end up with a severe case of nerves when I do this. When inspiration strikes I’m full of confidence.
I tell people I’m allergic to noise. I don’t watch TV while I’m online or writing. From time to time I’ll plug my iPod in, but it’s not a ritual.
What do you do after you click the submit button for a chapter?
I subscribe to a lot of stories, but I can’t read when I’m seriously writing. Characteristics from other Edwards and Bellas bleed into mine and I start getting off track. When a fic I particularly enjoy updates while I’m writing I’ll hold off on reading the chapter—save it for a reward for myself. As soon as I hit that submit button, I go read the update. The last two times I did this my reward was the latest Clipped Wings and Inked Armor updates.
Do you have a soundtrack to your stories?
The song, Scream, by Timbaland is important in chapter 19:watch?v=Nl_K0YcDHMM&feature=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nl_K0YcDHMM&feature=related
THTF doesn’t have a soundtrack. I’m insecure in my music choices. I like pop music. I know that real music lovers look down on a lot of the music I enjoy—it’s too mainstream.
Having said that I have written a few songfics. U+UR Hand is one based on Pink’s song of the same name. Lips of an Angel based on Hinder’s song is another. I wrote a 24-page one shot based on Taylor Swift’s “It’s a Love Story” as a dialog exercise. I never published it, but I won’t say that I never will. It’s not complete. If I ever finish it I will probably post it. All these stories are available on my profile page.
What actor/actress do you picture as YOUR Edward and Bella?
I like Rob as Edward. There’s no actor who I think fits the bill perfectly, probably because the Edward in my head doesn’t adhere to Stephenie Meyer’s description of him. Mine tends to be a little broader across the chest and shoulders and his hair is a few shades darker. I’ve seen one picture of Taylor Kitsh, that fits the bill, except that he’s too old to play Edward.
Personally, I think that Kristen Stewart is too pretty to play Bella. I’m firmly in the camp that Bella really is a plain jane kind of girl. She’s interesting to the boys of Forks because she’s the shiny new toy. However, in Edward’s eyes she is the most beautiful thing to ever walk the earth.
Is the story all planned out or do you do it as a fly by the seat of your pants thing?
All planned out? No. I do have a time line that I adhere to pretty closely. It’s not unusual, though, for things to take longer than I planned. Also, I’ve added scenes to chapters at reviewers’ request. For example, the first time that Edward kisses Bella is at the Gala. I wrote the kiss and posted the chapter. When the reviews came in, people were clamoring for the kiss from Edward’s point of view. I added it to the beginning of the next chapter and got so much positive feedback that I’ve been careful to consider reviewers’ requests ever since. I don’t do them all, but I have done others, as well. If I had an ironclad outline things like this wouldn’t be possible.
Having said that, however, I know exactly where this story is going and how long it will take to get there. If you’ve read the prologue, you know how long it will take as well. No requests will make that change.
Do you have a posting schedule? If so what is it?
I wish I could commit to a posting schedule. I’m in awe of some writers who post like clockwork. My life is a little too unpredictable to make any guarantees. My kids are superbusy, I attend school part time and work per diem. However, if you look at The Harder They Fall you’ll see that I average a chapter every other week.
Do you believe in HEA?
I wonder if you mean this in the philosophical sense. I read fanfic to be entertained and want my entertainment to be lighthearted. Because of this, I prefer HEAs. However, I’ve read some powerful fics with decidedly unhappy endings.
Now, if you mean The Harder They Fall, specifically, I’d have to say, I’m not telling.
(Q courtesy of Mels)
Give us a Random Fact about yourself
I haven’t read a thing written by a professional writer since I discovered Twilight fanfiction. Sad, but true.
Give me a list of your current projects AND do you have any more fic plans in the future?
The Harder They Fall is the only fic I’m working on right now. I have a bunch of started fics that never went anywhere (Metamorphosis, Rejection, etc.) because there was no reader interest. I have full outlines for those stories and would continue them if there was interest. Another fic I wrote is based on the All-American Rejects song Gives You Hell. It has one more chapter, which I will write one day.
I already mentioned the “It’s a Love Story” fic. I have another one-shot that I wrote a good 20 pages on. I’m not ready to share that one yet.
And, finally, two plots wouldn’t leave my head a few weeks ago and I sat down to summarize them. I listed characters, settings, backgrounds and etc. I may dive into them when THTF is finished. One of them is fairly easy, the other may very well take a better writer than me to do it justice.
What brought you to fanfic? To Twilight?
I love to share my Twilight story! It was a cold and boring December back in 2008… No, seriously. In December of 2008 I started hearing about this vampire movie, Twilight. It was everywhere! I thought about seeing the movie, but knowing that the book is usually better, I decided to buy it first. I ordered it from Amazon along with several other books. When they arrived, I read one of the other ones first. By this time, it was closing in on Christmas. I complained to my husband that I was trying to read this new book I had, Twilight, but I was so busy with holiday stuff that after a week of reading I was only on page 14. It was frustrating. Exactly one week before Christmas I went to bed around 10 PM – very early for me – and took Twilight with me figuring I’d get a chapter or two read before falling asleep.
Six hours later – 4 AM, I put the book down, finished. I was hooked! I managed three hours of sleep before going online and ordering the rest of the series from Amazon. I’m cheap, though, and went with the free shipping. Imagine my horror when the estimated arrival date was 12/31 – 13 days!
I started rereading Twilight immediately. Two days before Christmas I snuck my boys out of the house to see Twilight. After seeing the movie I marched right across the parking lot to Target and bought New Moon, even though I had already ordered it online. I finished it on Christmas Day. The day after Christmas I went to Barnes & Noble and paid full price for (hardcover!) copies Eclipse and Breaking Dawn. By the time my Amazon ordered arrived on 12/31 I was rereading the entire series. The books I ordered from Amazon found a good home at a friend’s house.
I discovered Stephenie’s website and read the partial draft of Midnight Sun in four hours one night.
My intro to fanfic came two months later. I was on a Twilight Moms site and started reading fic recs. I went in search of fics that would fill in the fades to black in Breaking Dawn. I found the amazing stories, Isle Esme, The Second Night and Practice Make Perfect by nightdancers. They are fantastic! I highly recommend them. I swear nightdancers could be Stephenie Meyer. Every detail in these fics fits in the canon story. Links to these stories are in my bio on fanfiction.net.
After that I was hooked on fanfiction.
What is your background in writing?
I actually have been paid to write. I wrote articles for the now defunct website, Moms Online. The stories I have published on fanfiction.net and Twilighted, however, are my first attempts at fiction writing.
OK FANTASY TIME
If you could have 15 minutes with any Edward FF or SM's, which one would you choose and would you do? If you do not LIKE any of the Edwards, feel to substitute an actor here Rob, Kellan, PFach or Jackson.
Only 15 minutes? So, no time for a stimulating… conversation. That leaves out SebastienRobichaud’s Professor Masen. I’m going to go with I’mwiththevampire08’s manwhore Edward from Bittersweet Symphony. I’m in awe of what that boy can get accomplished in just a few short minutes.
What is your FF pet peeve?
Poor grammar? I guess that’s not earth shattering, but I’ve walked away from fics that were poorly written, even though the storyline was promising. Specifically, I don’t understand people’s fear to use the word “me.” Edward and me, Bella and me, Mike and me—they all have a place in a well-written sentence. Here’s the trick, if you can replace the “Edward and me/I” with the word “us” then use “me.” If you can replace it with “we” then use “I.”
Also, weary/wary. I don’t understand why writers confuse these words.
What is your Fandom PetPeeve?
I guess if I had a peeve, it would be non-reviewers. We’re all busy. If you think that authors are out there with nothing better to do than write, you are sadly mistaken. Chances are we’re neglecting our IRL homes/jobs/families/friends/responsibilities when we write. If we can make the time to write you can take 30 second to click a button and say, “Good job.”
Conversely, another pet peeve would be authors who drop off the face of the earth leaving their readers to wonder whatever happened. It’s frustrating in the extreme.
Which character do you identify with the most?
It’s a tossup: pre-Forks Bella and Esme. Bella seems to have been a nonentity in her life in Phoenix. I was the same in high school. Esme, because as the mother of sons, I can relate to her life.
Any character who would you like to see yourself with? Either as buddies or more?
Who wouldn’t want to be friends with Alice? Otherwise, I’d like to hang with whichever vamp would be willing to change me. Like Bella, I don’t care that they’re not human.
Which RL author inspires you?
Piers Anthony. I like his attitude.
Did any FF authors inspire you?
Too many ff authors to list inspire me. If they have a story in my rec list they inspire me. Of course, there are many not on my list who also inspire me. I’ve found something commendable in every story I’ve enjoyed.
AHizelm is a machine, I swear. She is juggling more WiPs than any other author I’m aware of, yet she manages to update them all regularly. I wish I had her ability and commitment.
Any recs for us?
How much time do you have? Read anything written by AngryBadgerGirl, AHizelm or skeezon. ItzMegan73 is my newest obsession. In the last week or so, I’ve read everything she’s published on fanfiction.net. I’m reading a bunch of WiPs: Breaking News, A Mzungu Oasis, No Place Like Home, Just One of the Guys, Twice as Long as Yesterday, Brown Study, Living Backwards, Hydraulic Level 5, Emancipation Proclamation, Rhapsody in B, Piano Lessons, Marked, Clipped Wings and Inked Armor, Caravaggio and, of course, the afore mentioned The University of Edward Masen, Isle Esme, The Second Night, Practice Makes Perfect and Bittersweet Symphony.
Not only are they interesting and fun stories, but they are well-written, examples of wonderful fanfiction.
If you could ask any Twilight Cast member a Question who would you ask and what would your Question be?
I doubt there’s anything I could ask a cast member that s/he hadn’t been asked before. My beta, Kristi, is obsessed with Kellan. If he’d give up his digits I’d pass them on.
Anything else you would like to add?
I was lucky enough to be asked to review a favorite fic, socact’s Same Time Next Year, by the Perv Pack’s Smut Shack. The fic touched me and I was honored by the request. You can read my review at the Shack (archived, August 2009) and then you should go read the story.
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