Ask an Author #5
Welcome back to another quirky question and answer session with your favorite authors!
In AtA #4, we had questions for authors comicfan, Cia, C James, and Comicality.
In AtA #5, we hear from authors wrathofmagneto, naptowngirl, and C James.
For their protection, the members who asked these questions shall remain nameless (unless they choose to reveal themselves). 
Please note that all author replies are copied as is, spelling errors and grammar eccentricities original to the individual.
Today’s first author is wrathofmagneto. Sworn enemy of OSU (Go Buckeyes! LOL), Michigan-dweller wrathofmagneto sports a sexy mustache goatee and loves comic books and video games. He’s also lately become something of a journalist, check out his stuff here: examiner.com. For fiction, try his latest, Footsteps of Giants, a sci-fi story about a doctor reminiscent of the classic Sector General stories by James White.
To wrathofmagneto:
Has writing journalistic articles affected your fiction writing
?
Writing journalistic articles has given me a whole new outlook on and appreciation for researching different subjects. When you're reporting on something, you have to make absolutely sure that your information is 100% correct. Journalistic writing is a completely different style of writing than fiction, in that with fiction, if one or two details aren't correct, it doesn't matter as much, but in journalism, one wrong fact and you could lose readers, or even your job/position.
I actually haven't noticed all that much of an impact yet, other than the fact that it's been making me want to write more. Like I said, it is a completely different style. But I've noticed that if I start to feel fatigued writing one style, switching to the other seems to help a lot.
My writing speed is something I've noticed too. With journalism, Google will only put a news article in their Google news section if the article contains information 48 hours old or less. So it forces you to find the most up to date information, and write it as fast and accurately as possible. I've already noticed that my writing has gotten much faster. (it might not seem like it on here, haha)
(I'm doing like fifteen different things, not least of which is trying to get Google Analytics to work correctly so I can track my pageviews on my articles, lol)
Today’s next author is Naptowngirl. This beauty is a kind and loyal friend. She loves the forums and can usually be found there replying to the latest random thoughts. Her writing is far from random, however. Naptowngirl’s stories make you re-think the world and the people here with us. Her series Shades of Gray is a true love story with a touch of drama, but it’s not what you might think, as lawyer and main character Chase Montgomery has a lot to learn about love.
To Naptowngirl:
Do you tell people in RL what you write about?
Hahahaha....really great question. We writers discuss this often and the answer for me is a simple Yes and No. I don't hide what I write, I do however fill people out first. My children know that I write M/M stories, LOL even my 10 year old son, believe it or not. It's not a big deal to them. A few friends and co-workers know, oh and the cable guy knows also. My mom knows I write, but she doesn't know what. LOL
Last time, Hosted Author and perpetual King of Cliffhangers C James had a brief reproof from the member question regarding his story “For your Love.” C James finished this story in Feb 2011, but still continues to torment us with the 150 chapters-long uber-novel Circumnavigation. Now let’s see what else our dear goat had to say.
To C James:
What types of things do you do, if any, to get into the mood to write?
Hrmm.. Basically, get all my work done, so I have free time. That;s about it. Writing is recreation for me, so it's a bit like getting into the mood to watch TV for most people. (and I almost never watch TV).
To C James:
In all of your travels, where is the one place you never tire of returning to other than home?
That's a tough one!! I don't go anywhere frequently so burnout isn't an issue. Once I feel I've seen enough of a place, I don't go again; there are too many other places to go.
I'm going to have to list several. The Falkland Islands, Italy, and the Austrian Alps. I love them all, for very different reasons. (I've only been to the Falklands twice, but I'm itching to go back. I've been to Italy and Austria quite a lot, but love going back.)
There are places I went once and didn't want to go back. The time I took a vacation in a war zone comes to mind (if at this point you're wondering if I'm insane, well yes, of course I am...) It was during the fighting in Croatia and Bosnia, and at the time you could still get vacation packages out of the UK to resorts in the region, and due to the fighting, they were cheap. So, I went, but it was not a relaxing trip, and the shelling kept me awake sometimes. (it was distant, but the small arms fire often was closer). I went back ten years later and had a much better 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!
Coming next time: FishWings, Libby Drew, and Mark Arbour.
Want to ask your favorite author a question? Simply PM me (Dark).
Until next time!
Dark
Please note that all author replies are copied as is, spelling errors and grammar eccentricities original to the individual.
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