Saturday Sit-Down with GemmaLisax!

Let’s start off with the basics…

What’s your penname?

GemmaLisaX

Where do you post most often?

I post on both FFn and Twiwrite, but I do have one fic that is exclusive to Twiwrite.


What’s your favorite pairing? Favorite genre?

Favourite paring….gah, that’s a hard one.  I love both Bella/Edward and Bella/Jasper; I’m an equal opportunities kinda gal.  But, I’ve found that I’ll give almost any paring a read.  Writing wise, I find it easier to write Bella/Jasper, but I do have Edward in the mix in my current multi chapter.

Genre wise, I love anything supernatural, not too much angst cause that can get annoying, and humour.  Really, I’m very eclectic in my tastes, and it depends on my mood at the time.


Is there a pairing or genre that you absolutely cannot stand?

Fluff…I hate fluff.  Yes I love a happy ending, but when it’s all saccharine sweet, I can barely stand it.  Paring I hate….well, I don’t hate it, but I have never and likely will never, read a Jasper/Alice fic.  Don’t know why, well I do, it’s cause I’m really not a fan of Alice and love Jasper with Bella. 


What got you into the Twilight Fandom? It’s all the hot guys, wasn’t it? Don’t lie.

LMTO!  Actually, it was my sister that got me into the fandom, the hot guys that kept me there, the Darkest Temptations blog that gave me the inspiration and Mynxi that ordered me to just write, Stitchcat that dragged me onto Twitter and me writing about period sex that got me my wifey <grins>

But, I gotta say, reading and writing about hot guys all the time….really not a chore <sighs and tries not to drool>



What do you find to be the most challenging part about writing your fics?

Not rushing the plot.  I have the first scene in my mind, and another one further down the road, my biggest challenge is making sure that I don’t rush to get there.  Recently, that’s ended up giving me writers block, and it’s really frustrating.



Best review you’ve ever received? Worst?

Best review?  Wow, I wouldn’t know where to start with that, people have been so generous in there reviews there’s no way that I can single one out.  I like the ones where the reader is so shocked they’re speechless, that always makes me laugh.  Then there have been a few that have reviewed every single chapter with a wonderfully descriptive review, and they’re just amazing to read.

I’m pretty damn proud (and more than a little relieved and thankful), that I’ve only ever had one negative review.  While it was aggressive and tactless, her problem was that she found the chapter to be confusing and thought that I was going to have Bella getting and staying with the bad guy. <shrugs> can’t please everyone, LOL.


How do you get into the zone? What’s your method for getting the creative juices flowing? Dancing around your living room in nothing but a baseball cap, weird shit like that?

Actually, lol, I do dance around my living room!  But that’s another story, and I don’t bother with a baseball cap <winks>. I pretty much wait till the kids go to bed, put something appropriate on TV or play some mood relevant music and pray to anyone that I can think of that I can think of something.  Really, most of my pings of inspiration come while I’m outside sneaking a cig.  Pretty boring really, I don’t have a pre-writing ritual or sacrifice chickens for a plot.  Though I have been tempted in the past.


Do your friends and family in your real life know about your fanfiction alter-ego?

They do, and they all think I’m batty and entirely too obsessed.  Thanks to my interfering Ex, my mum even staged an intervention a few months ago.  I kid you not, I was sat down and told that I was very loved and that this was about nothing but support and then informed that they were worried about the time I spend on and within the fandom.  <facepalm> Suffice to say, I keep it on the down low most of the time now.


What do you look for in a good fanfic?

Well written originality, character depth and a good plot.  I love to find and read something different, either a completely different take on the whole thing or some fantastic twist that takes me completely by surprise.  And I love to laugh, so a fic that makes me laugh is always a winner.


Tell us a bit about yourself…

Anything you’d like to share with us? Married, single? Kids? Covert CIA agent? Alaskan crab fisherman?

All of the above, LOL.  Though I retired from the crab fishing last year, instead I’m trying my hand at anaconda wrestling in the Amazon; I’m hoping that it provides some inspiration.

LOL

In reality, I’m single with two kids and a life that’s given way to my fandom obsession.  I smoke too much, don’t drink enough and get withdrawal symptoms if I’m away from my wifey for too long. Love you, Chick! MWAH.


Spill! What’s you guilty pleasure? I promise not to judge you, as long as it isn’t Justin Beiber.

Oh, sweet baby Jesus…it is definitely NOT Justin Beiber <shudders>.  My guilty pleasure?  I’m worried that the first thing that came to mind is Wolf Fics…I’m desperately trying to think of something in the RL, but it ain’t happening.  But, I have an unhealthy obsession with Paul <shivers in delight>


Do you have a favorite published author? Someone that actually has printed novels with a publishing house, like Stephanie Meyer.

No, lol, not just one fave.  I have a ton of authors that I will always buy their books, mostly supernatural and crime.  Anything that I can escape into really. 


Favorite musical artist? Anything we should definitely check out?

Wifey just introduced me to Dave Mathews, and while my music taste is as eclectic as my taste for what I read, this guy always gets me.  I love listening to his songs, they’re simply fantastic.


Time to spread the love…

Who do you drop everything for, including the urn with your great grandmother inside, and run to the computer when you get an update?

Conversations With my Killer by OracleVas owns me completely.  Nothing stands in my way when that fic is updated, LOL.


Do you have an author that you fangirl over? And do you squee? I do. Many times.

Who don’t I fangirl over?  Seriously, I think I have a fangirl problem, maybe I should start Fangirl Anonymous.

If you were to break someone into the Twilight Fandom, what fic would you give them to read first?

That depends on what team they’re shouting for, lol.  If they’re a Jasper girl then I would send them over to Idreamofeddy’s account and tell them to jump straight in.  For anyone that loves Edward, then I would have to trawl through my faves list. 


Can you suggest a fic to be recommended on the blog?

I think I’ll have to go with TheOneMama’s debut fic.  She’s just starting out, as you know, and has written a beautiful one shot, soon to be multi chapter, that really captured me when I read it.


And now for a bit of fun…

Give a shout out to your team!

TeamWhitlock!  BUT…I’m for aaaaaall the Twilight men, lol, all the vamps anyways.  And Paul <grins> can’t forget Paul.


Stephanie Meyer’s Bella… Strong, independent woman and a role model for all girls, or a sniveling, whiny, spineless twit? And do you that KStew makes a good Bella? Anybody you think could’ve done it better?

You know, I love Bella.  She’s my favourite character in the series, I really connected to her while I was reading and I’ve never understood why people think she’s spineless.  Yes she deferred to Edward sometimes, but most of the she stood up for herself and even connected the dots before the vamps did. 

As for KStew as Bella, I keep switching back and forth on that one.  Personally, I think the films make her out to be spineless, and she NEVER smiles.  They were all smiles and goo goo eyes, but that rarely comes across in the films, Eclispe got somewhere near it, but barely.  There are times that I like her and others when I want to smack her and jump on Edward myself…alright, so that’s less about not liking KStew and more about wanting Edward.


Ever imagine yourself in the place of a character in the fics you read? (It’s the lemons, isn’t it? Naughty naughty!)

<shifty eyes> The lemons?  No, of course not.  <coughs>  Yeah, I do actually.  I do that with anything that I read/watch, I do it with my own fics as well.  In fact, it’s what helps me most when I’m writing.  Personally, I think that when a story really grabs you, you can’t help but imagine yourself in their place.


Let’s say that your friends and family don’t know that you write fanfiction. You’re at the office, or the family get together, and someone mentions that they’ve be reading this fanfiction online. As you listen to them recount the details of this story, you realize with growing horror that this is your story! How do you react?

Oh shit, it would depend on what they thought about the story, LOL.  And which story it was.  If they were talking about Spontaneous Combustion, which is poorly disguised smut, I’d die of embarrassment. 

Thank you for participating!