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Ask An Author #30

Renee Stevens

Entry posted by Renee Stevens in Author Interviews

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The first Wednesday of the month, for anyone that follows the GA News Blog, you know what that means! It's time for another edition of "Ask An Author". For those new to the site (or to reading the blog), Ask An Author is our month feature provided by Dark. GA Members are able to send questions they'd like to ask their favorite author and Dark tries to get the answer and compile them in the monthly Ask An Author! Now, let's see what Dark has for us this month!

 

Ask an Author #30

 

Welcome back to another quirky question and answer session with your favorite authors!

 

In AtA #29, we had questions for authors Carlos Hazday, ColumbusGuy, and Timothy M.

 

In AtA #30, we hear from authors AC Benus, ricky, and wanda walker.

 

For their protection, the members who asked these questions shall remain nameless (unless they choose to reveal themselves). :lol: Please note that all author replies are copied as is, spelling errors and grammar eccentricities original to the individual.

 

All of today’s authors are new to Ask an Author. First up is San Francisco resident AC Benus, foodie and historian. In only 2 years AC has managed to accrue almost 2500 likes! Perhaps you know him from his poetry, or perhaps you’ve read one of his series, such as The Judas Tree Novellas. This author also likes to post poetry and trivia in his blog, and he’s responded to the poetry prompts. If you’ve ever wondered what a novel in progress looks like, go on over to AC’s gallery and check out the pics for his novel Dignity and its upcoming sequel Destiny. Jack and Dawn are the main characters (amongst an amazing group of supporting characters) in the first novel, but the second is going to feature Jack and Lincoln. Excited yet? In the meantime, we’ll just have to go re-read the original.

 

To AC Benus: I love your work and your recent piece, Bound and Bound is captivating. What were/are the challenges (historical research, literary,etc.), in bringing it to the page? Who or what made you want to write, and what do you like to read?

 

Being able to complete Bound & Bound represents a personal milestone for me. Although I did not get very far the first time (maybe about 1200 words), I began writing this story when I was fourteen years old – in the summer between 8th and 9th grades – and I dedicated the completed book to 'him' who first came up with it. That being said, the only things I remember from my original concept is that the opening would be the cursed young man first laying eyes on the castle (in the 'old country,' lol) on a stormy night as he was trying to solve the mystery of his inherited curse, and that he'd have a 'secret' (that's he's Gay, lol). As for research, I have always loved reading about paranormal and historical things, so I suppose the blend was a natural one, and when I was fourteen I loved to read gothic novels and ghost stories, so they were all very present on my mind. As for why I suddenly got motivated to dust off the cobwebs of this long-unwritten project, it was TV; in the last few years there have been several paranormal shows visiting Romania, and each time I saw one, a little itch in the back of my mind would say 'It's time to write your gothic book,' and each time I came a little closer to actually doing it. So, now that I've done it, it's great to hear that it's resonating with readers!

 

Our next author is ricky. For many of us, ricky was the first person to say hi and welcome us to the site. With kids of his own, he watches over our younger members and frequently responds to the teen forum. Last year, ricky traveled to Vienna and had a wonderful time, if his photos can be believe. :P Many of his stories highlight the adventures of his sons, so if you’re having trouble with your own kids, go laugh at ricky’s for awhile! Back around Thanksgiving last year (2014), ricky posted 3 new stories, of which A New Trek is my favorite. Ricky writes wonderful teenage characters, and main character Trek will make you laugh and cringe with the shenanigans he gets into. Or if you’d rather, ricky also writes poetry, like The Great Throupadore Hunt, which is written in the style of Dr. Seuss and will definitely bring a smile to your face.

 

To ricky: Have you ever had a close brush with death? Do you think there is life after death? Have you ever really saved another person from death or destruction? If so, have you shared a story about that experience?

 

Of this I have no doubt. But not in the biblical sense. Energy is never used, it just changes form. Ever meet someone you knew instantly? Perhaps you share like energy from a previous incarnation. Sometimes even enough to have memories. Yes many times. And since they are all still living, I choose not to share their stories. That's for them to share or not. But I can say this, pain and anguish is a temporary state. Hang in there, it does get better. Or at least it gets different.

 

And our third author today is Wanda Walker from Pittsburgh. She’s been writing off and on since elementary school and comes to us from fictionpress. Wanda also enjoys drawing her characters to solidify their appearances in not only her mind, but those of her readers as well, but she hasn’t posted any of them here yet. L And while it’s not yummy M/M fiction, congrats to Wanda on getting her novel The King and the Courtesan published! So far, Wanda only has 3 stories posted on GA, and I for one enjoyed Spiders and Snakes. This story is about dysfunctional couple Isaac and Vaughn who move to Pittsburgh where drama ensues. After being caught on the bridge with the crazy road construction where I-376 merges with three other freeways … omg! How do people live in Pittsburgh? After that experience, having a landlord who raises snakes and spiders could actually seem normal. :P

 

To Wanda Walker: What prompted you to write a story about a character with bulimia? Did you draw from personal experience (either yourself or friends/family)?

 

I have no personal experience with eating disorders, neither through myself nor through friends or family. But as I mentioned that my life thus far has been a pretty smooth ride, if I only wrote about things I had experienced in my own life or in the very small number of people I'm close to, all I could write about would maybe be social anxiety. So I try to branch out and write characters who suffer from disabilities-- either mental or physical-- because I'm interested in portraying these people in sympathetic, respectful ways. As I've always had a good relationship with food, I knew it'd be a challenge to show someone who didn't. So it was a way to challenge myself. I also make sure that my portrayals are the kind that people who actually suffer from the disorder can empathize with, so I do my best to avoid clichés. While I still struggle to wrap my mind around what it's like to see yourself as fat despite being thin, I CAN in a visceral way understand what it's like to use your body as the whipping boy for internal insecurities. Because it's much easier to control your body than it is what you feel, I could see how Isaac would essentially torture himself to punish some imagined crime he's concocted in his head. Considering he is male, I thought it was a more gender-appropriate approach, since boys are not under the same pressure as girls to be thin and beautiful all the time.

 

That’s it for now! For more info on these authors, go check out their stories, post in their forums, and/or catch them in chat!

 

See you next time, with authors Andrew Todd, Headstall, and Sasha Distan.

 

Want to ask your favorite author a question? Simply PM me (Dark).

 

Until next time!

 

Dark

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Carlos Hazday

Thank you, Dark! Another very interesting group of authors and questions.

 

I was hit with a thunderbolt yesterday when I realized today would be the first Wednesday of the month and I had AAA to look forward to.

 

Wish these entries would post under your name so you'd get the credit for all the likes! Share the wealth , Renee! :D

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Cia
  • Site Administrator

Thoughtful questions and great answers! As always, this is a great feature for the blog to share more about our authors with other members. Thanks to everyone who takes part, and Dark for organizing the posts time after time!

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Headstall

Great questions and terrific answers. I love the insight this concept provides, especially for those I have yet to interact with. Very illuminating. Thank you, Dark. Cheers... Gary

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AC Benus

Thanks, Renee and Dark, for the feature! I found the information from Ricky and Wanda really fascinating.

 

This is a great column, and please keep up the good work! 

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