June Featured Author: Marmalade Fever
Greetings and salutations and hello in general! I'm Marm, and I seem to be this month's featured author at H&V. First off, thank you for that! ^^
A little about me. I'm a young adult, one year out of college, and am currently in a state of dread while I wait for my grad school program to start in the fall and my bank account to take a nosedive. My BA was in Creative Writing, and I’m one of those weird people who think grammar is fun. I live on a farm in California with my parents, sisters, and a lot of cats. I also have a boyfriend whom I started dating about six months after I came upon the Good Ship Lollipop Dramione. And with that odd segue:
How long have you been in fandom?
I discovered Dramione in August of 2004-I was just about to go into my senior year of high school-which means I’m a few months shy of six years in. I don’t think I had any idea that I’d still be addicted this many years later.
How did you get into fandom? Why?
After my previous Internet addiction went the way of the message board deletion, I thought I’d turn my sights to fanfiction-something I’d played around with in my early teens with some fics of a different fandom-and I started reading HP fics in general. After I wrote a crazy and, honestly, bad HPHG “novel-length” *cough* over the course of a month, I stumbled onto a Dramione betrothal fic, found the concept mindblowing, and started seeking out any and all methods of getting our favorite couple to be a couple.
Was D/Hr your first ship?
Despite the HPHG, I didn’t really understand the concept of a ship until I got into Dramione. Before that, I was using fanfiction as a means to add to canon rather than tweak it. Back then, during the era of pre-HBP, I seriously thought Harry was going to end up with Hermione. I apparently was the only one who’d missed the Ron clues.
Do you read/write any other ships?
No, not really. I’ve read a couple fics here and there, but I know myself too well. I don’t want to make a habit of it and add another Internet addiction to my list.
What is your writing process like? How do you come up with plots?
That… is a very good question. It varies a lot. Sometimes inspiration/the plot bunny/the muse will strike and I just have to write whatever it is. Other times I won’t have an idea but still have the urge to write something, and I’ll just start out with a blank document and type the first sentence that comes to my head. With luck, another sentence will follow, and if I get a few hundred words in and haven’t lost my interest, then behold! a story is born. Just as often, it’s pulling teeth. DX I try to be original as often as I can, though that usually means that I have to tune my brain to forget every other fanfic I’ve ever read while I’m writing. Not the easiest thing in the world.
What is the most important thing to you while writing fic?
In my writing in general, and I do write original fiction as well, I focus on the way the words flow together; how they bounce off one another; how they taste and sound. Then comes the other important things like characterization, tone, plot, etc. Those last three are, of course, very important in Dramione since they’re what drive our interest in the characters.
What do you try to stay away from in your writing?
Well, for personal reasons, I don’t write anything over a T-rating. That limits me quite a bit and actually creates a pretty good challenge. It can actually get really difficult to come up with a "vanilla" plot that will still keep readers interested and remain plausible.
Do you have a favorite story that you've written, or one that holds a
really special meaning to you?
I actually can’t believe how hard that is to answer. All of my fics have been my baby at some point or another, whether or not I want to hide that baby behind my back now, maybe dress it in a fake nose and glasses. Anyway, though, I’m currently favoring Eight and Eighth-the last of my novel-length babies-and The Velveteen Noose. Good ol' Noosey.
What inspires you to write?
If I had an answer to that, I’d be a whole lot further along on my novel I’m working on than I am. Argh.
Working on anything now?
I announced my “retirement” last August, so I’m not writing any more novel-lengths in hopes that I can do more writing on the aforementioned original novel. I have started and gotten bored with a few pieces that I randomly started typing and didn’t continue, though! Does that, er, count?
A list of my fanfiction available at Hawthorn and Vine, in order of original publication:
Courting Miss Granger August 16, 2004-May 9, 2005
Sold May 13, 2005-January 20, 2006 (Sequel to CMG)
Blind Date October 21, 2005
The Witness and the Wife January 27, 2006-January 22, 2007
I'm My Own Grandpa January 31-February 10, 2006
The Price of Peace April 21, 2006
Her One Desire July 28, 2006
For That I Thank You August 7, 2006
Bus Stop Demember 1, 2006-March 30, 2007
General Feelings: Old, Very September 16, 2007
Are You Lonesome Tonight? November 2, 2007
Eight and Eighth March 1, 2008-August 1, 2009
The Subjunctive September 23, 2008
All's Fair November 8, 2008
Flattened U's and Thumb Dots December 24, 2008
We Won't Go Until We Get Some [Respect, Ingredients, or Smooches, But Not Figgy Pudding,] So Bring Some Right Here December 5, 2009
The Velveteen Noose January 26, 2010
Okay, now that that giant list is over, any questions? Let’s get the favorite color out of the way. It’s orange. ;)
A little about me. I'm a young adult, one year out of college, and am currently in a state of dread while I wait for my grad school program to start in the fall and my bank account to take a nosedive. My BA was in Creative Writing, and I’m one of those weird people who think grammar is fun. I live on a farm in California with my parents, sisters, and a lot of cats. I also have a boyfriend whom I started dating about six months after I came upon the Good Ship Lollipop Dramione. And with that odd segue:
How long have you been in fandom?
I discovered Dramione in August of 2004-I was just about to go into my senior year of high school-which means I’m a few months shy of six years in. I don’t think I had any idea that I’d still be addicted this many years later.
How did you get into fandom? Why?
After my previous Internet addiction went the way of the message board deletion, I thought I’d turn my sights to fanfiction-something I’d played around with in my early teens with some fics of a different fandom-and I started reading HP fics in general. After I wrote a crazy and, honestly, bad HPHG “novel-length” *cough* over the course of a month, I stumbled onto a Dramione betrothal fic, found the concept mindblowing, and started seeking out any and all methods of getting our favorite couple to be a couple.
Was D/Hr your first ship?
Despite the HPHG, I didn’t really understand the concept of a ship until I got into Dramione. Before that, I was using fanfiction as a means to add to canon rather than tweak it. Back then, during the era of pre-HBP, I seriously thought Harry was going to end up with Hermione. I apparently was the only one who’d missed the Ron clues.
Do you read/write any other ships?
No, not really. I’ve read a couple fics here and there, but I know myself too well. I don’t want to make a habit of it and add another Internet addiction to my list.
What is your writing process like? How do you come up with plots?
That… is a very good question. It varies a lot. Sometimes inspiration/the plot bunny/the muse will strike and I just have to write whatever it is. Other times I won’t have an idea but still have the urge to write something, and I’ll just start out with a blank document and type the first sentence that comes to my head. With luck, another sentence will follow, and if I get a few hundred words in and haven’t lost my interest, then behold! a story is born. Just as often, it’s pulling teeth. DX I try to be original as often as I can, though that usually means that I have to tune my brain to forget every other fanfic I’ve ever read while I’m writing. Not the easiest thing in the world.
What is the most important thing to you while writing fic?
In my writing in general, and I do write original fiction as well, I focus on the way the words flow together; how they bounce off one another; how they taste and sound. Then comes the other important things like characterization, tone, plot, etc. Those last three are, of course, very important in Dramione since they’re what drive our interest in the characters.
What do you try to stay away from in your writing?
Well, for personal reasons, I don’t write anything over a T-rating. That limits me quite a bit and actually creates a pretty good challenge. It can actually get really difficult to come up with a "vanilla" plot that will still keep readers interested and remain plausible.
Do you have a favorite story that you've written, or one that holds a
really special meaning to you?
I actually can’t believe how hard that is to answer. All of my fics have been my baby at some point or another, whether or not I want to hide that baby behind my back now, maybe dress it in a fake nose and glasses. Anyway, though, I’m currently favoring Eight and Eighth-the last of my novel-length babies-and The Velveteen Noose. Good ol' Noosey.
What inspires you to write?
If I had an answer to that, I’d be a whole lot further along on my novel I’m working on than I am. Argh.
Working on anything now?
I announced my “retirement” last August, so I’m not writing any more novel-lengths in hopes that I can do more writing on the aforementioned original novel. I have started and gotten bored with a few pieces that I randomly started typing and didn’t continue, though! Does that, er, count?
A list of my fanfiction available at Hawthorn and Vine, in order of original publication:
Courting Miss Granger August 16, 2004-May 9, 2005
Sold May 13, 2005-January 20, 2006 (Sequel to CMG)
Blind Date October 21, 2005
The Witness and the Wife January 27, 2006-January 22, 2007
I'm My Own Grandpa January 31-February 10, 2006
The Price of Peace April 21, 2006
Her One Desire July 28, 2006
For That I Thank You August 7, 2006
Bus Stop Demember 1, 2006-March 30, 2007
General Feelings: Old, Very September 16, 2007
Are You Lonesome Tonight? November 2, 2007
Eight and Eighth March 1, 2008-August 1, 2009
The Subjunctive September 23, 2008
All's Fair November 8, 2008
Flattened U's and Thumb Dots December 24, 2008
We Won't Go Until We Get Some [Respect, Ingredients, or Smooches, But Not Figgy Pudding,] So Bring Some Right Here December 5, 2009
The Velveteen Noose January 26, 2010
Okay, now that that giant list is over, any questions? Let’s get the favorite color out of the way. It’s orange. ;)