WRFA - Author Interviews Jamie

Question: Is there anything you'd like to share about yourself? (i.e. where you live, profession, hobbies, interests, etc.)

Answer: Well, I'm a pretty boring person, so there's not much to say. I'm a newspaper copy editor and page designer, which can be a cool job or a major pain, depending on the day. I've been a bookworm since the time I learned to read, and a good story will have me up all night reading. I love movies, too, as long as it's not something depressing. Real life can be depressing enough. I'd rather see something that makes me laugh or is a great adventure. I know that's probably a huge shock to anyone who's read my stories. :)

Question: You're what many people would consider an "old timer" with regards to how long you've been around the X-Men Movieverse fandom now. When and how did you first get involved and what drew you to writing Wolverine/Rogue fanfic?

Answer: Well, sadly, I haven't been there from the beginning. I didn't even bother to see the movie in the theater, because I sort of turned up my nose at a "comic book movie." Stupid me! I missed seeing Hugh on the big screen that time!

Once I saw the movie on video, though, I was immediately interested in Wolverine and Rogue as a couple. They both had that outsider vibe, and I felt like they made a strange sort of sense. Their relationship struck me as one with a number of possibilities. I was a big fan of Elizabeth's Roswell fic, and I'd noticed that she'd written some X-men fic as well. That's how I got pulled into the X-men fanfic world.

Question: Do you have writing experience in other fandoms or outside of fan fiction?

Answer: My first fanfic was for "JAG," and I don't think it can be found anywhere. It certainly wasn't anything great, but the people on that list were so nice and encouraging that I continued to write. Soon after that, I became obsessed with some other fandoms ("Dawson's Creek," "Roswell") and started writing fanfic in those worlds. I tend to be a coupley person. If I find a couple I like in a book, movie, TV show, I'm all over it. And I often feel compelled to write about it.

Question: What do you find most and least enjoyable about writing fan fiction?

Answer: The most enjoyable part is the power trip! You know we'll probably never see Logan and Rogue hook up in the movies, but if you're writing the story, you can make them do whatever you want. (insert evil laugh here)

Least enjoyable? Well, I suppose the worst for me is when I get stuck or something isn't working out right. I don't have tons of time to write, so that can be totally frustrating.

Question: Do you prefer to write from Logan's POV or Rogue's? Is writing dialogue (speech or thoughts) easier for one than the other?

Answer: I tend to like Rogue's POV. I suppose I just understand her a little better than I do Logan. I've written Logan's POV, but I'm never sure if I got it right. I tend to write him foofier than he really would be, anyway. But like I said before -- power trip. He doesn't really have a say in it, anyway.

Question: Do you personally identify with any particular character or put anything of yourself into the stories/characters?

Answer: Not really. I suppose you could say that there's a little bit of a writer in every character they write, but I don't specifically write a Rogue or Jubilee that has Jamie in her. I'm nowhere near that cool. And I don't wear yellow. :)

I think what's so interesting about the whole X-men universe is that everybody can identify with the feeling of being different or feeling like a mutant among "normal" people. So, there's some of that in fanfic as well.

Question: You seem to have a flair for foofy, humorous stories as most of them contain some very funny moments (both subtle and blatant) and characters. Is this your favorite type of story to write...your specialty, so to speak?

Answer: Definitely. I don't take fanfic too seriously; I'm totally in it for the fun. At times I've started to write a "serious" story, and it's turned into something entirely foofy. There are people who are terrific at writing angst. I'm just not one of them.

Question: Where did you acquire your talent for writing humor? Is it difficult, or does it come naturally?

Answer: Awwww. That's so sweet! Frankly, I'm always a little surprised that anyone else likes what I've written, much less finds it funny. Writing humor can be difficult, but I find it much harder to write angst. Sometimes the dialogue in particular can be hard to write. Of course, one good thing about writing fic is that you have time to think of some witty comebacks that you can only occasionally come up with in real life. :)

Question: The character of Jubilee seems particularly suited to your humorous types of stories as demonstrated in "Trouble Comes in Threes" where she and Kitty did a fine job contributing to Logan's confusion. :) Are there any other secondary characters you particularly like to write or include in your stories?

Answer: Not being a comics fan, I don't know much about the other characters. If I knew more, I might try to include more comics characters in my writing. As far as Jubilee goes, I was highly influenced by other fanfic writers' interpretations of the character. I know there were several different authors, but of course the main one was Nancy Lorenz. Now *there's* someone with a talent for writing humor!

Question: "Aisle 15" is a cute story about Logan and Rogue making a late-night trip to Walmart, of all places! Where do you find the inspiration for your stories? Everyday occurrences?

Answer: Oh, sure. I spend an unfortunate amount of time at Walmart in the middle of the night. At some point that story just occurred to me there. A lot of times I get story ideas when I'm just driving to and from work, listening to music and not really thinking, exactly. Many times, a story idea for me will start with a little bit of dialogue, and then I try to figure out when/why this conversation would happen.

The whole story "Child's Play," for example, came from the scene of Logan and Rogue with a minivan full of kids, and the kids telling Logan that he had to listen to "Miss Rogue." Then I had to figure out how they got there and where they were going.

Question: In "Child's Play" Logan helps chaperone a group of young children, gradually warming up to them throughout the day. What's your take on how Logan relates to kids and why?

Answer: After the first movie, I would've said that Logan would not be good with kids, but the second movie changed my mind a little. He seems to deal fine with kids. He treats them better than he does adults, in some ways! Of course, that's one-on-one. I think he might be a little overwhelmed by the sounds and smells of a whole group of kids. It could make him a wee bit cranky, I think.

Question: Will we ever learn what plan Caroline and Logan cooked up to get back at Scott after "Child's Play?"

Answer: I would love to write a sequel. Especially since my friend named her adorable daughter Caroline! If I ever manage to think of a good enough revenge, I'll totally write it. Anyone with ideas can e-mail me. :)

Question: What was the reason behind Spark's actions in "Blackout"?

Answer: Wow. What a great question. Do you know how long it's been since I've even *read* that one? :)

I guess she's closer to being a Magneto-type of mutant, though she doesn't have the motivations that he has. I'd say she's pretty much mercenary. She's more powerful than normal people, and she doesn't see any reason why she shouldn't profit from her mutation.

Question: You created the character of Spark, who has power over electricity, for the story "Blackout." What superpower(s) do you wish *you* had and why? :)

Answer: I think it would be awesome to be able to fly. Not a very original answer, sure, but that's what I'd choose for my superpower.

Question: "Lost Souls" is an AU story about how things might have happened if Logan and Rogue had met under different circumstances--in this case, an older, non-mutant Rogue. Was it difficult staying true to the characters while messing around with the circumstances surrounding them?

Answer: I wanted very much for them to be recognizable as Logan and Marie, but having undergone different experiences, they couldn't be exactly the same. I'm not sure I succeeded in that, but I hope so. It's terrible to read an AU fic where the characters might as well be named Jack and Jill because they bear no resemblance to the movie characters at all. And "Lost Souls" is probably my least favorite of all my stories. Except for Fred. I heart Fred. :)

Question: One of the most memorable characters in "Lost Souls" was Fred the dog and you even wrote the epilogue from his POV. Did you always intend for him to be such a scene-stealer, or did he sink his teeth into the role and make his own in spite of your original plans? :)

Answer: Speaking of Fred ... I don't know why I decided to give Marie a dog. I guess I just felt like Fred was a symbol of her trying not to get attached to anyone or anything, but she obviously loved this mutt that she rescued. Plus, he was a way to get Marie and Logan talking and interacting. And I love dogs.

I never intended to write the epilogue from a dog's POV, but people seemed to love Fred, and so did I. There's also the possibility that I was on some serious cold medicine at the time. :)

Question: The Rogue in most of your stories is quite a spunky, strong character. How did you come to this characterization and how did you approach writing her this way?

Answer: After the first movie, I felt like Rogue was pretty strong. She'd been on her own for months, and she doesn't seem a bit intimidated by Logan even though he's not exactly Mr. Friendly and she's seen what he can do.

When I'm writing, I guess I tend to make her strong and spunky because that makes her a match for Logan, in a way. And making her kind of snarky sometimes is just something I can't seem to help doing. I realize that a lot of times my characterization of Rogue doesn't match the movie, but I suppose it's what I'd like for her to be. Maybe in X3.

Question: In "Past Forward" we find out that Logan and Marie are really from a parallel dimension/world...quite an original idea. How did you go about creating an entire parallel world/dimension and populate it with such interesting new characters? Was the other dimension/characters modeled on anything, or all from your imagination?

Answer: I was on a real fantasy kick at the time, totally into the "Lord of the Rings" movies and some books that I was reading. And I started to think that mutant powers wouldn't be out of line in some of the fantasy worlds I was reading about. That kind of nagged me for a while, and I considered a couple of possibilities for doing something before I finally decided Logan and Rogue would be from the alternate world.

There were a few people in the fantasy world that I decided I needed. Someone who pretty much knew what was going on (Sidre), someone who was related to Rogue and had the same power (Celeste), and someone who could befriend Rogue (Risa). But once I decided to include Jubilee in the adventure, I had to add a love interest for her (Alyn). Jubes needs love, too!

Starting from those people, and the idea that there was a whole village of people like Logan, the world sort of developed itself. I didn't intentionally borrow anything, except maybe "Alice in Wonderland" with the mirror thing, so I guess most of it just came out of my own weird head.

Question: "Stained" is your one and only angst story. What inspired you to write this--particularly the use of the color theme--and was it a one time shot to try your hand at angst?

Answer: I don't usually write angst, obviously, but I kind of became obsessed by the idea of what Rogue would be like if Logan had died saving her life. I don't think that's something you take lightly or get over quickly. I had this image in my head of Rogue off by herself in some corner of the mansion that nobody ever visited. Before long, I started picturing her staring at the stained glass window, and I had to figure out why she was doing that. The colors came as a way for her to reflect on her past and everything she'd lost.

Question: Which story are you the most happy with how it turned out? Looking back is there anything you'd want to change about any particular story now?

Answer: I'm pretty happy with "Past Forward," even though I still can't read it now. I spent over a year, off and on, working on it, and I'm afraid I'd start looking at it and immediately find a bunch of errors! Still, my favorite story I've written is "Blackout." That was my first X-men story, and I can still remember how Rogue hijacked my life and made me write the story. I had so much fun writing it.

As far as changes go, I'm sure there are things I would change in everything I've written, if I weren't so lazy! Just about anything I've written could use some work, but I don't see me ever taking the time to do it.

Question: Do you use a beta reader and if so, was it hard to trust someone to read your work, knowing that they were going to find errors in it and/or make critical suggestions?

Answer: I do use a beta, because they can catch some unbelievably stupid errors or inconsistencies or just things that you haven't totally thought through. My usual beta reader is someone I know in RL, and she's also a writer and a copy editor. I totally trust her, so it's not hard to let her at my stories.

Question: You wrote the story, "Connecting the Dots" as an interlude story in jenn's "Love and Lust at Mutant High" series. Was it hard writing a story to fit into someone else's tone, style, plotline?

Answer: It was totally intimidating to write that! I love the "Love and Lust" series, and when jenn asked if I wanted to write something in that world, I first said no because I didn't think I could do a good enough job. But then, as usual, Rogue started nagging at me with a fragment of a story, and off I went! It was great of jenn to let me play in that world, and there were only a couple little things in the original draft that she didn't feel fit in with the "L&L" universe.

Question: On the other hand, CJ wrote a sequel to *your* hilarious story, "Special Delivery". Was it hard to let someone else play in your sandbox, so to speak? Or did you recruit her because you didn't want to write a sequel yourself?

Answer: It wasn't hard to let CJ do a sequel because I knew she could write. A number of people had asked me for a sequel, but I just didn't feel that interested in writing one. When CJ sent me feedback, she asked for a sequel, too, but she already seemed to have a great idea for one herself, so I let her at it. And I was really happy with what she came up with.

If someone wanted to write a sequel to one of my favorite stories, though, I'm not sure how I'd feel about it, no matter who it was. That might not be so easy. :)

Question: What sort of feedback have you gotten on your stories, and how important is it to you? Do comments matter?

Answer: I don't really get that much feedback. Of course, I don't really write much anymore. But if I were one of the people who wouldn't write if I didn't get feedback ... well, I can tell you that I wouldn't have bothered to post most of "Past Forward."

Feedback is important, but ultimately, I think it's more important to be happy yourself with what you've written. Still, when my friend Cheryl told me she went without a nap so she could finish "Past Forward," that's about the best feedback I've ever gotten. It had me happy all day. :)

Question: What advice/tips would you give someone wanting to try their hand at writing fan fic?

Answer: It can be kind of intimidating to post a fanfic. I still get nervous when I do it, and I always think everyone is going to hate it. But if you're like me, and get attacked by stories that will not leave you alone, the best advice I've got is to get a beta reader or two. Someone you can trust to be honest with you. And then really listen to what they have to say.

And for the love of all that is holy, SPELL CHECK your story. Please. Pretty please.

That is all. :)

Question: With Christmas approaching--and shopping in full-swing--if you had to buy Logan & Rogue a gift, what would it be? What do you think they would get for each other?

Answer: Ooooo. Great question! Well, since we're talking about fictional characters here, I'm assuming money is no object ... for my gift to them, I would totally bribe Bryan Singer and anyone else I had to so we could have a L/R romance in the third film. Or at least, you know, a few scenes that we could twist to our evil ways.

As far as their gifts to each other, I think it depends on where they are in their relationship. Let's say we're talking about post-X2. I'd want Logan to get Rogue some kind of jewelry -- necklace, bracelet -- to replace the dog tag. And for Logan ... well, my dream is that she would buy him a few new shirts, since he is apparently color blind and without an ounce of fashion sense. :)

Hmmm. Maybe I need to write that story ...