Denverpopcorn bears her SOUL

You like what I did what that? See what I did there? 


So, I haven't done an author interview in a while, but I decided, why the hell not? Too many awesome authors out there and I'm always interested in picking the brains of the writers of my favorite stories... You know, author to author, KWIM?


So, enter SOUL, one of my favorite WIPs. I started reading this because I thought DenverPopcorn's Drift was awesome. So after a pretty fucking spectacular WC with her and a few other fantastic authors, the lightbulb appeared and I got her to answer some questions. And since she just updated SOUL today, I thought it would be great to post this along with it.

DH78: Where did the inspiration for SOUL come from?

DP: The Cherry Exchange contest held in 2010. To the uninitiated, the contest required Edward and Bella to both be virgins when they gave it up. I was wrapping up "Drift" when the contest came out and I considered entering with the premise based on a college-aged Edward and a very mysterious, older Bella. I had a ton of drafts but they all read like an outline to umm…a larger story. I never entered the contest. 

DH78: What made you want to start writing ff?

DP: Another contest – Age of Edward. I had a story to tell, that's all. I had been reading fanfic for so long, I was loving every minute of it. Maybe some great authors inspired me because I started to imagine little stories, too. I saw the contest and thought I can write about one of my favorite eras – NYC in the 70s. I wanted to write an Edward who worked as projectionist in a seedy, pornhouse, but doesn't participate in the lewd activities in any way. He has to navigate all the temptations and, of course, he meets a brown-eyed girl in doing so.

DH78: SOUL is very different from a lot of fic out there at the moment. Some of your readers may find it difficult to even describe your story to someone who asks about it. Is it purely a love story, or is there more to it?

DP: It was supposed to be so simple! But, yes, it turned out to be more than a romantic love story. It ended up being Edward's journey into maturity, the kind of man he needed to be, and the kinds of platonic love he finds along the way to romantic love.

DH78: If you had to convince someone to read your story, how would you describe the plot (w/o giving away obvious spoilers, of course)?

DP: First of all, yeah, I know, I know it's hard to describe the plot. What plot? Kidding. It's a boy meets girl story, except he's a virgin and she likes spiders. Okay, it's more than that. He was abandoned by his mom and is struggling with it. He loves his friends. He's a writer, and a fighter, and, and… I've lost you, haven't I?

DH78: Do you have a set writing plan? Outline? Do you write organically, or is everything perfectly planned?

DP: "Drift" was well-outlined and planned. That one was easy in that way. Follow the outline aaaand done, right? SOUL, not so much. The outline is amorphous and I've scrapped so many scenes, it's ridiculous. With SOUL, I have a general character outline. The rest, I'm winging it. It's thrilling and it's gotten me into plot, word-count trouble. 

DH78: Who’s your favorite character in your story? Why?

DP: Rose. She hides her vulnerability behind street smarts and she was once a child beauty queen. I found her voice fun and easiest to write.

DH78: How long have you been in the fandom? 

DP: 2009? I think? 

DH78: What was the first ff you ever read?

DP: Wide Awake. I haven't read it since but I love everything about my memory of it… the discovery of this hidden where women, talented women, wrote these stories for free and the characters have sex, and drama, and, sometimes-ridiculous premises, but I fell for it. Also, did I mention sex? 

DH78: Are you reading any ff right now?

DP: Oh, boy. I don't have much for this one. I'm not reading too much ff at all. There are a lot of good stories out there, though, that fit specific moods. For fluff, I was enjoying katiewinkle's, Playing It Straight. For a bit of kink and mild angst, I've liked Beegurl13s, Constant Bearing, Decreasing Range and PrincessRachel's, My Mate. There are more, more but those are a few recent ones. 

DH78: Edward’s a very complex character. Certainly, very different from the usual Edwards of his age group in other fics. Is there any particular reasoning behind making him much younger (or Bella much older) in this story?

DP: I just thought it would be fun. Which is stupid. I had no idea how ambitious the project would be. I freaked out when I started writing it because, what the hell do I know about male virgins, right? And, of course, because of that question, I just had to pursue it. It took a very long time to understand this Edward since he's opposite my concept of a strong, romantic lead. And, yet, I have to try and sell him as such. He's a challenge. As for Bella, someone has to educate the boy in bed, right?  

DH78: Is there anything you can give away about Bella’s past that will wet readers’ appetites?

DP: Awesome question is awesome. Not even Faireyfan knows yet. I can tell you that she was smuggled away from the wedding altar once. It's character-relevant. Don't worry; we won't be seeing that guy any time soon. Ha.

Thanks for asking me to do this! It was fun. 

No, DP, Thank you!!! :)

-DH78