Dawn of Day by sunflower-queen
Summary: He loved her so much, even then, that he'd tried his hardest to hold them together... He'd tried. But in the end, it hadn't mattered. She'd left anyway.
'Dawn of Day' is an alternative Breaking Dawn story that keeps you guessing from the moment you begin reading. It’s mysterious and heartbreaking, and had me desperately waiting for updates. It draws you in and doesn’t let go, and you can’t stop thinking about what could have possibly happened to the characters. The author is wonderful and sweet, it was a great to have the chance to chat with her.
1. Where did you get the idea for this story? What was your inspiration?
SQ: I don't think I HAVE an answer, really. Other than, well... I like to play with relationships.I love Edward and Bella and their dynamic. It fascinates me.
Especially how fervently they try to protect each other...
And I guess I wanted to see how far I could push them... how far I could take that and still bring them back. As to whether I've succeeded or not... I guess we'll see.
SS: Their want to protect each other is a big issue in your story.
SQ: Yeah, exactly! I wanted to put them through hell. Absolute hell. And see if they could come back from it.
SS: I really hope they do! They deserve it
SQ: Thank you! Me too...! After what... sixteen chapters of the angstiest stuff I've ever written... I think we're all ready for some fluff.
SS: is that a promise? I'll hold you to it lol
SQ: LOL! Yes, that's a promise. I can't promise smut, but happy times to come... yep. Definitely.
Put it this way... I love the characters too much to not eventually put them back together.
2. Why do you think readers should read your story?
SQ: I suppose it will probably be a winner with anyone who likes angst, and anyone who disliked Breaking Dawn.
I mean, it wasn't my intention to re-write Breaking Dawn or anything, but it's definitely an alternate ending. Particularly for Jacob
I didn't HATE BD, but I didn't particularly like Jake's resolution, or Leah's. So putting them together was a conscious thing on my part.
SS: I love how you've twisted canon in your story
SQ: oh, really? Thank you! :)
3. Is there anything you would want readers to know specifically?
SQ: I guess I'd want them to know that there IS an end in sight - even though I've been saying that since pretty much the first chapter - and that it'll be a happy one, or as happy as it can be.
And that I'm not going to abandon these characters. If it takes me a year, the story will be finished.
SS: That’s always good to know.
SQ: I know it's been so frustrating hanging there for sixteen chapters, wondering if it's ever going to get better but when I started all of this it was really, really important to me to tell exactly the story I wanted to and my concept of 'the story' has changed so much along the way - due in a large part to the input people have given me - and at different times different characters have started shouting in my head, and... well, the result was the story as it stands. I find it really, really difficult to go back and re-read my own writing - I hardly ever do it - but I can genuinely say that there are particular lines or concepts in that mess that I am proud of... So yes. I guess my point is: The end is nigh, and I'm not going anywhere. ;)
4. Give us a Random Fact about yourself
SQ: Okay... you know how most people, when they're upset, get into their pyjamas and break out the ice cream and watch seventeen episodes of The Gilmore Girls?
SS: sure
SQ: Me, well... I get into my pyjamas, break out the ice cream and retrieve this book that I've had since I was thirteen in which I've written every poem I've ever come across that moved me in any way... and I read. And read. And read some more.
And yes, I know that I'm a massive nerd, but I study literature, so it's allowed. ;) And THAT is why there is a poem, or a snippet of a poem, at the start of every chapter.
5. Do 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…?
SQ: It really depends. Writing, for me, is... WEIRD. There's no other way to describe it. I will be... driving. Or walking. Or showering. Or washing up. Something completely mundane... and an entire scene will pop unsolicited into my head. Or a piece of dialogue, or a turn of phrase. And I HAVE to get it down somehow, or it disappears. I've sat myself down to try and force myself to write maybe three times in the last six months... and it's never really worked to my satisfaction.
But when I do that... yes, I have music. All the time. I have "Edward" and "Bella" playlists. ;) (for some reason playing solely male/female artists for either character works a lot better for me than a mix... which is harder to organise than you'd think)
SS: I always get ideas in the shower, without fail
SQ: YES! I don't know... maybe it's the repetitive motion or something. I cannot tell you the amount of times I've literally written a word, or a phrase or something on my shower door with soap because if I don't get it down as soon as i've thought about it, it falls right out of my head
SS: playlists really work too; sometimes they can inspire so much
SQ: definitely. I love music - it's a massive part of my life (I sing and play piano to earn a living) It's like poetry - it inspires a hell of an emotional response.
6. What do you do after you click the submit button for a chapter?
SQ: I bite my nails. And my lip. And pick at my cuticles. And sweat. A lot. Usually I need some kind of high-energy drink right after.
SS: awww, you're so sweet
SQ: I have to click that button with my hand over my eyes... and the wait between that and the first response is always freaking agony.
LOL! If you could see me when that happens, you'd be taking that back fairly quickly!
7. What actor/actress do you picture as YOUR Edward and Bella?
To be honest, I don't really work like that. There is a large, faceless character in my head labelled Edward, and another labelled Bella. That's pretty much it.
8. Is the story all planned out or do you do you create it as you go?
SQ: good god, there is no plan. I WISH there was a plan. I knew from the beginning what Bella's deal was - the reason behind her leaving. In fairness, I don't think I could write a story like this without knowing that from the outset.
But no, I write by instinct mostly, and at some point the characters start to take over and I just go with it. Ironically enough, the ONE THING I was sure about when I started this is now the one thing I'm panicking about: namely Bella's motivation. Everyone is pissed at her, or has been pissed at her so far, right now. Which I completely understand. She's done some crazy horrible stuff. But in my head, if I don't manage to redeem her to you guys - to give her enough of a reason to justify what she did what she did - then I haven't done what I set out to do.
I don't want to have written a story where Bella was a gigantic pain and left Edward, who was all broken and eventually forgives her and takes her back and they skip into eternity together.
To me, that would make both of my characters pathetic.
I want them to come together, but as equals. I never thought they were equals in the books -- that always really, really, REALLY annoyed me. So yeah. That's what I'm hoping for in this story; redemption.
SS: It's a really great goal.
10. Give me a list of your current projects.
I have an idea that's churning in the back of my head, and that might work out to be something eventually. I would really like to write a story with a human Bella/Edward that does NOT have a severely angsty undertone. That would be fun.
Just to prove to myself that I can write something that doesn't make people want to cry. ;)
11. What brought you to fanfic? To Twilight?
SQ: I've actually been reading fanfic since I was about twelve.Back then it was all about that old TV show... "Lois & Clark: The New Adventures of Superman".
(you are allowed to laugh and point.) I've always had somewhat of a thing for pretty boys with superhero complexes. Real or imagined. ;) I was TWELVE, though, remember...
SS: I'll let it slide then lol.
SQ: anyway, I eventually read Twilight - was actually brow-beaten into reading it - last year and was a VERY reluctant fan until little by little by little the characters started to rudely insert themselves into my thoughts. Very inconsiderate of them really. Eventually it got to a point where the original books weren't enough, and a-hunting I did go.
12. What is your background in writing?
Writing is something I've always done, since I was a tiny kid. But I've never published anything, or anything like that. I'm still in uni though, so you never know what could happen :)
13. FANTASY TIME
If you could have 15 minutes with any Edward FF or SMs which one would you choose and what would you do?
SQ: Edward from Eye Contact, and I'd want to talk to him about music. :) I've worked with kids with AS before and I know how passionate they are about the stuff that's important to them and yet I've never met one who was passionately interested in music, so that would be awesome.
SS: Anyone else?
SQ: Well, I'm obsessed with a story right now called "Love Amongst the Ruins" by theladyingrey
SS: she's a fantastic author
SQ: and I'd love to give her Edward a massive hug. Gah. He's breaking my heart. She really, really is. It's amazing.
16. What is your FF pet peeve?
I hate clichés. With a passion. To me FF is about exploring a character who's already been broadly sketched out, so massive deviations from that really irritate me. generally speaking, I want Edward to be a broody little drama queen and I want Bella to be gutsy and devoted, and I want Jake to be hopelessly caught in the middle or not present at all.
Generally I hate it when people paint Jake as the villain - but I can think of one exception, which is "The University of Edward Masen" by Sebastian Robichaud. Love that story.
I also hate vast amounts of mindless smut - sex that serves no purpose. And I hate it when authors hold back on writing/updating until they reach X amount of reviews. That really irritates me.
17. What is your Fandom pet peeve?
People who message me complaining about my spelling and grammar. That really irritates me. I also dislike people who comment for no other reason than to tell me they hate X,Y,Z... I don't mind constructive criticism, but this story is my baby, and someone just commenting to say "this sucked, that sucked" is like a punch in the gut.
18. Which RL author inspires you?
Jhumpa Lahiri. More than anyone. I have two books of short stories by her, and one novel, and... the things she can evoke with so few words... it takes my breath away. Every time.
I also love Roald Dahl - his short stories are amazing. Sara Gruen - Water for Elephants is just one of my favourite books ever... Lionel Shriver. Audrey Niffenegger. Daphne du Maurier. Emily Bronte.
It's such a cliche, but Wuthering Heights - my favourite book. :)
And I'm going to shut myself up there or we really will be here all night. ;)
19. Do any FF authors inspire you?
I adore windchime's work. Love it, love it, love it. It's the kind of stuff I wish I could write - so sad at times, but always so romantic. I love NomDePlume's stuff. Your stuff. Jen DeLucy's stuff. TalulaBlue, RiaMaria, tkegl, 107yearoldvirgin, stellalunasky, LolaShoes, anaismark, Snowqueen's Icedragon... so many others. I honestly couldn't count.
20. Do you have any recs for us?
- "How My Life was Ruined in 14 Days" by moon.witche.
- "La canzone della Bella Cigna" by philadelphic.
- "Blood Lines" and "Distractions" by windchime.
- "Eight Days a Week" by 107yearoldvirgin.
- "Girl with a Red Umbrella" by spanglemaker9...
I could go on, and on, and on. :) oooh! One more... "The Blessing and the Curse" by BlackArrow.
21. Anything else you would like to add?
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