So, after much begging, pleading, and barbequed chicken, I bring you Mrs. White's extended interview with LaViePastiche, author of Son of a Preacher Man.This chicken is really good...
Mrs. White: Hey LaViePastiche! Welcome to Arizona! You like the heat? LaViePastiche: I’m likin’ the heat, girl! I just need to learn to apply more than SPF4…
MW: You should feel right at home here since your story takes place in the Valley of the Sun.
LVP: Well, over the last year, it’s certainly begun to feel more like home… I’ve grown rather attached to the place.
MW: So, how did you get started in fan fic?
LVP: I had some ideas after I read the series (in like a week and a half) and so I decided to see if there were any sites where people wrote fanfic. (I knew of the concept but I'd never actually been involved in any other fandom) I discovered FF and the plethora of Twific in Jan 09, and read some while I waited for my acct. to validate so I could start writing/posting.
MW: Fun. Sorry about all that noise next door. My neighbor guy is having a barbeque tonight, though we might find some Jasper’s or Edward’s there. He’s got some hot friends. What do you like to barbeque?
LVP: Steak. I love me some red meat. Sausage is pretty good too. God, I just love meat.
MW: Well honey, there’s plenty of meat over there. We can watch from the window. Now, what’s the first story you read?
LVP: Hmm...no idea. It probably wasn't very good. I read a lot of subpar stuff before I stumbled on to the better stories. I did read Let Your Light Shine by Lolashoes very early on when it was first being posted, and I really enjoyed that one.
MW: Yeah, subpar is never fun. I know. What’s the last movie you saw in a theater?
LVP: Hmmm... The Fantastic Mr. Fox, I think.
MW: Ooo-kay. What’s your favorite fan fic story and why?
LVP: I have a few for different reasons.
- Scotch, Gin and the New Girl by jandco and wtvoc, for obvious reasons - Jaspery goodness and it was just lots of fun, like a good teen movie. I also love everything I've read by jandco, but particularly Mutually Assured Destruction.
-Cascade and Cyanide by Americnxidiot was another one that really captivated me when I read it. I like really angsty, serious stuff, but with some kind of hopeful ending - so all the fics I read bear some similarities, I guess.
MW: Oh, those are amazing stories! I named a cookie after Smooth Jasper in SGatNG. They are almost as yummy as Jasper is…
LVP: Hmmm, I’d like a taste of him…I mean those. Never mind, back to the subject.
-Oh and I can't forget A Murmur of Fire in the Vein by ElleCC - because it's about my husband. (Alison is going to fire me for saying that...)!
MW: Husbands…I don’t have to worry about that anymore. Oh hey, do you own any animal print clothing?
LVP: Yeah I have some zebra/tiger stuff. I don't love animal print but I wear some accent stuff sometimes just for fun. I do have some zebra print pants that are pretty hot.
MW: Ohhh, sexy. How did you come up with the idea for you story/stories?
LVP: I won't bother with my first story or its sequel because I never liked them that much and have since pulled them... But for Son of a Preacher Man, I got the idea from watching Joel Ostein on TV one day. I thought of this like really corrupt, creepy, overly plastic/handsome televangelist and at first I wanted it to be Carlisle...but the roles of the son/daughter just seemed SO much better suited to Jasper/Rosalie, particularly in the context of the story, so I created Reverend Hale instead...and the idea just blossomed over a few days until I couldn't ignore it anymore.
To Get Back Home came from the song "Golden Slumbers" by the Beatles - but more inspired by the feeling than the lyrics. Sad and sweet...and I just thought it would be nice to show the blossoming of something between two best friends. And of course it was for Love through Lemons (contest hosted by LolaShoes and tby789) so it was formed around the idea of that love being conveyed through a lemon.
Pine Lake came from a dream at first I think... and I just wanted to write about the 70s in a southern state like Georgia and incorporate all kinds of nostalgic things... So I started with those ideas and it just grew from there.
What We've Got was a collab with ElleCC and we used Bon Jovi's "Livin' on a Prayer" as inspiration - it was for the anonymous 80s contest.
The First Breath was supposed to be a collab with Oohlalaaah but she flounced and though she was still committed to doing the collab with me, it was hard to mesh our schedules. So I kind of fired her, and since Elle and I had been discussing the story from the start (I had a rough version of the first 5 chapters written before she officially joined in) and since I knew JAustenlover loved Elle's work too, it made sense for us to work together on that one. The idea kind of came from three songs JA gave me as prompts: The Long and Winding Road by the Beatles, Possession by Sarah Maclaughlin, and Slow Dancing in a Burning Room by John Mayer. We just kind of got inspired to write a certain mood from those, and the ideas came from there.
I can’t remember if I have any other stories - hehe - that seems like enough blabbing about stories for now, anyway...
MW: Alrighty then. Oh, let’s make a salad for that barbeque. I think those boys are getting in the pool.
LVP: Salad? I guess, but wow that sounds awfully healthy. Let’s go with potato salad at least? I’ll grab the mayo.
MW: Hmmm, this will be yummy. You like pickles and celery, right?
LVP: They are my favorite items on a relish tray…
MW: Perfect! What self respecting girl doesn’t like pickles? Really. So what’s your favorite board game?
LVP: I like 80s girl games like: Girl Talk, Mall Madness, Dream Phone (or Dream Date or whatever it was called), etc. Classic games? Clue and Trivial Pursuit. (Notice I can never just pick on thing...)
MW: Interesting…I like Clue too. *hee-hee* Now, who is your favorite character to write?
LVP: Jasper, Jasper, Jasper. I like writing his friends, too. My favorite stuff to write in SoaPM was Jasper with all his homies. I like a good Peter or James or someone like that.
MW: Do you ever use any people from real life in your stories? I mean, maybe we can wrangle us up a new Jasper next door.
LVP: Nope. I mean my experiences probably shape some pieces of some of the characters but not outwardly. Although, I did use Sheriff Joe Arpaio in SoaPM!
MW: Oh yes, I’m a fan of Sheriff Joe. His guys are always pitching tents. Oh hey, do you like to camp?
LVP: No...I'm really not good at 'roughing it'. I mean I like the idea of bonfires and beers and smores and stuff.... but I also need a proper bathroom, shower, and bed. So maybe I'd be better at RVing or something.
MW: I’m with you, sweet cheeks! No need to rough it when there are hotels available. But smores? Really? Ewww, that’s just wrong. So sticky and gooey and sweet… Well, maybe I’ll rethink my stand on that. Speaking of sweetness, how does it make you feel when people gush over you and your stories?
LVP: Sometimes it's really nice - especially when it's a sincere compliment about the writing. The fandom is really into hype though - like bandwagons and the next big thing and all that - so I really try not to buy into it too much, or take it all too seriously. I've recognized that more people care about SoaPM Jasper than about me or any of my other stories. :)
MW: Oh, that’s just wrong. Who wouldn’t care about you? You give me names, I’ll take care of it. Hey, do you have a Twilight shirt?
LVP: God no. No one in the RL knows of my addiction. Even if they did - it does not extend as far as actually wanting any merchandise. I barely even like the movies... or the real books anymore for that matter.
MW: *grabs a sweater to cover her “I Love Edward” tank top, even though it’s 95 degrees outside* If you could give one piece of advice to a new author, what would it be?
LVP: Get a beta, have your WHOLE story planned in detail before you post, and ideally have a lot written before you even begin posting, if not all. Pay a lot of attention to characterization and keep it consistent for the love of God. Oh wait, that was more than one...
My beta Alison (Legna989) just answered the plea I left on the first chapter A/N of SoaPM. I didn't have my previous stories betad because I just thought "Oh it's only fanfic, why waste the time..." but I learned that it's important to care about your work and to post your best stuff, so that's when I asked for a beta. I got lucky, she's awesome and truly knowledgeable about grammar and writing style and she's made SoaPM and everything I've written since infinitely more fit for public consumption. She also lived in AZ, and she's a lawyer so she's helped me so much with a lot of the content in SoaPM in terms of making sure it's all accurate.
Everyone should have a beta and there are a lot of people out there who SHOULDN'T be betas... so it's important to be selective.
MW: True dat! Oh yeah, which Disney Princess most closely resembles you?
LVP: I love Jasmine, I'd like to say her, but she might be too dark. So maybe Belle. I WISH I could say Ariel, but nope. Not unless I dye my hair red, get blue contacts, and a purple shell bra!
MW: Hmmm, shell bras... Haven’t worn one of those since college. Well, I mean, when I went to the college last month to look at the pretty 21 year olds. Anyway, which Twilight saga book is your favorite? And what’s your opinion on Breaking Dawn?
LVP: I liked Eclipse because it was very Jasper-y - but overall I think Twilight was the best one. It kind of just kept going downhill from there. New Moon bored me to tears. Breaking Dawn was entertaining, but also ridiculous and I can't believe they let her publish it.
MW: Do you check out any of those FanFic blogs? *cough* like the one here *cough*
LVP: Well... sometimes people rec my stories in some of them *cough* like the one here *cough* and send me links so I try to check them out and comment when they do. But the only blog I visit with any sort of regularity is TLYDF. I really try not to get caught up too much in the sites and being on twitter constantly and all that.... I do have RL to attend to and I like not really being involved in any of the drama that frequently arises.
MW: Oh drama. Speaking of which, I think someone just got thrown in the pool over there. We need to get a move on, check those potatoes. What is your favorite part about fan fic and the Twilight fandom?
LVP: Learning from other great writers, getting feedback on my own stuff, getting to talk to fun people, and catching glimpses of so many people's incredible imaginations.
MW: And if you could be on any reality tv show, what would it be?
LVP: Jersey Shore. I want to tan and work on my hair bump all day.
MW: *glances out the window* Oh look, the blonde surfer boy just took his shirt off. Oh my… Speaking of which, if you could get it on with any character from one of your stories, who would it be?
LVP: Hmm. It'd have to be Jasper from SoaPM, obviously. That or Colonel Whitlock from the First Breath, lol.
MW: Yes, your Jasper was nice. So hot. One of only two Jasper’s in all the fan fic I’ve read that I actually wanted Bella to be with. Hey, do you think your Jasper could wash his own laundry?
LVP: I think SoaPM Jasper could manage, although he'd probably use too much soap and maybe he'd shrink some stuff.
MW: Ohhhh, no! I don’t like skrinkage! *sticks fingers in ears* La-la-la-la-la!!!!
LVP: *shakes her head* Oh, sweet Jesus. Hey, in my apartment I probably have over 30 purses, and there more stored at my parents house. I have a handbag fetish.
MW: Did you say fetish? Hmmm, lovely. What 3 things can you not leave the house without?
LVP: Blackberry, wallet, i-pod. I guess I'd realistically need my house keys the most, but not if I have to forsake one of those other things.
MW: And, more importantly, who is your celebrity crush?
LVP: Hmmm... I don't think I'll ever stop loving Johnny Depp.
MW: Oh Johnny…he’s yummy.
LVP: Like cheesecake yummy.
MW: Oh yeah. Hey, what’s your favorite almost curse word?
LVP: I use ‘damn’ and ‘hell’ a lot., and when I remember I like to say ‘balls’ or ‘bollocks’. Makes me laugh.
MW: And if Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?
LVP: I forgive you.
MW: Ohhhhh… So you ready to crash a barbeque? *glances in the mirror to check out her new “Edward Cullen Owns My Ass” bikini*
LVP: Sure! *poses in the mirror while checking out her new “J.Whitlock Private Parking” bikini*
MW: I’m glad I remembered to have you bring a swimsuit. edwardsbloodtype didn’t get so lucky. Good thing my hot tub is warm…and private. Hmmmm, that girl… How many days a week do you get full on made up? Make up, hair, jewelry, perfume, everything!
LVP: Pretty much every day. I don't wear a ton of make up, but always at least mascara and a bit of eye shadow and powder. Always have some kind of perfume (not heavy though, usually just body splash or Abercrombie perfume) and I'm big into accessories so I always have about 37 bracelets and necklaces on.
MW: Abercrombie… I think a few of those boys next door could work there.
LVP: Oh nice, I love me some fresh young abs, I mean, faces.
MW: Oh heck yes woman! Abs… Wonder if any of those boys could do our laundry on their washboard abs? Oh hey, one more thing before we go, how did you choose your username?
LVP: Well, I was thinking of some kind of play on ‘pastiche’, which basically means when someone imitates a renowned artist’s work, intentionally mimicking their style, generally in homage… seemed fitting. I threw in the LaVie just to stick with the French, and there you go. Later on I discovered PastichePen, and so then we began to refer to each other as “The Other Pastiche”. Hehehe.
MW: Sweet. My boobs look okay in this top? I don’t want them falling out…yet. Let’s go find us some men!
LVP: Your boobs look fab. Nothing wrong with them falling out just a little. *winks as she checks out her ass in the mirror one more time before flinging the back door open* Oh boys! Lookie what we got! It’s your lucky day!
*******
Mrs. White: Sorry the potato salad was all gone, Bee.
beegurl13: That's okay, this chicken is good.
MW: Yeah, you should have seen their barbeque grill, it was great, though I'm getting bored with neighbor guy.
bg13: What, did he find a girlfriend? *snickers*
MW: *glares* Oh no, honey, he was perfectly happy with both me and my potato salad.
bg13: Wait, I thought LVP helped you make that.
MW: She did, but then her and that blond surfer boy disappeared...I thought I heard her yelling "Park it here, Mr. Whitlock." Must have been mistaken.
bg13: Okaaayyy. Sounds like a good time.
MW: Oh you know it! It's never a party until I show up!
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