Mrs. White Gets some buzzing with BittenBee

You know what always makes me feel better when I’m down? Unresolved Sexual Tension, or UST as it’s more commonly known. Also Patron, chocolate, and new panties, but that’s another issue. I love to curl up with my laptop, lock the bedroom door, and lose myself in a world where two people fight each other off, denying their true feelings for one another chapter after glorious chapter. When an author writes it, and writes it well, UST is an incredible thing. Luckily I stumbled across an amazing example of it, and I didn’t even do it while totally liquored up! Shocking, I know.

I Hate You, Kiss Me by BittenBee is the story of Bella, a young lawyer working her way up in a firm that she loves. Everything about her job is great, except maybe her boss Rosalie, who happens to be the Queen Bee of the office with quite a chip on her shoulder. Bella is single and loving it, opting to spend most of her nights out with her player best friend, Emmett, helping him pick his flavor of the week. One night she’s caught off guard and ends up going home with the most beautiful man she’s ever laid eyes on. After the best night of her life, she sneaks home, dwelling on the sordid details for the rest of the weekend. Hmmm, I do love it when details get all sordid…

Come Monday morning, Bella is back at work, ready to welcome the new lawyer coming into the firm. She can barely believe it when she recognizes the bronze sex hair of the man who spent hours doing incredible things to her only a few nights before…Edward. He makes no secret of wanting her, but she fights him off, determined to make his life a living hell. Will she give in to him? Will she continue to torture him? Will she pick up with someone new? And seriously, what’s all this Duckie #6 talk?

IHY,KM is a beautifully written story about two people, so obviously in love, that seem to thrive off of the tension between them. BittenBee words things in such a way that her descriptions are breathtaking, her characters are believable, and her storyline is exciting. I’ve loved this story for months and months, finding myself lost in the plot twists and hidden clues for more hours than the people at children’s services should really know about. This tale is captivating and fun, sweet and furious, frightening and endearing. This is one story you will love getting lost in, and you won’t even need any booze to get you that way. Trust me, I know. Don’t wait, run to read this and find out all the fun you can have with a little yellow rubber duckie. They’re not just for baths anymore…

*****

"Before you start jumping to conclusions," he said heatedly, leaning down to speak in my ear as we walked. "I'm not saying you aren't date-able, I'm just surprised you would waste your time on someone who's not right for you."

I turned to face him, but ended up speaking to his shoulder. "You don't even know him," I argued indignantly.

Edward pushed the door open to the restaurant, allowing me less than a second to enter in front of him. We seated ourselves at a table as a waiter handed us menus and iced waters.

Edward perused the menu, keeping his face carefully expressionless, but his flexed jaw was inclined toward me so I knew he wasn't ignoring our conversation. I pretended to look through my own menu while casting glances his way. The waiter came back and we ordered before taking the menus from the table and leaving.

I laced my hands together on the table and looked at him expectantly. "How do you know he's not right for me?"

Edward took his time shrugging his coat off and folded it on the seat next to him. I had thrown mine in a crumpled pile beside me.

"None of them are good enough for you, Bella. I doubt he's different from the rest." He paused before adding, "He sent you flowers," and gave me an even look, daring me to argue. And of course, I did.

"Last I heard, a man gives flowers to a woman because he's showing interest in her and they make her happy. Just because you've got the disposition of a six year old—"

"Let me guess, this was your first date with him?" Edward interrupted, smirking at me.

My brow furrowed. "Well, yes..."

"That's what I thought," he said smugly over his glass of water and took a gratifying gulp.

"What is what that you thought?" I leaned forward across the table, exasperated.

"He's obviously not convinced that you had a good time and sent those flowers so you'll keep him on the brain until his next call. He's trying to rack up brownie points with you."

"Or maybe I'll be waiting for his next call because I like him, not because I've been tricked into it. I don't know where you get these ridiculous ideas from, but you've definitely made it clear what you think of my intellect."

"It's not your intellect that concerns me. You analyze almost everything, but somehow miss what's right in front of you."

Mrs.White – Hey Bee! Kids are watching that Avatar movie so for 3 hours you’re all mine.

BittenBee – Dandy!

MW – Why do I get the feeling you’re being sarcastic?

BB – I’m monotone.

MW – As long as you haven’t got mono… *hee-hee* So how did you get started in fan fic?

BB - I used to read fanfiction a long time ago when I was in high school (fics from other fandoms). I left the fanfiction world for many years until Twilight. The books left me somewhat unsatisfied and I had such a craving for more Bella and Edward. So, one year later, here I am!

MW – Ahhh yes, other fandoms. Hey, what day does your trash get picked up? Do you have like a trash chute or something?

BB - Wow...I have no idea. In my apartment building, it just gets picked up by the city. Like an anonymous gift.

MW – I like gifts. Especially jewelry. So, what’s the first story you read?

BB - I can’t remember exactly. I’ll go with Never Happen To Me by tk-square as a pear and Physical Encounter by wolfpgirl.

MW – Ohhh, wolfpgirl. I love her!

BB - She’s such a good writer.

MW – I know it.

BB – Hey, who owns the Rolls Royce down the street?

MW – Oh, that’s the new neighbor guy. I’ve taken to calling him Glasses Guy. Now, back to business. What are your favorite fan fic stories and why?

BB – Healing by freakyhazeleyes is probably my first love. You never forget your first love. Her characters really sang to me. Black and White by Vixen1836. The character of Edward was very strong. He was complicated, his reasoning and thought process was flawed and dark--which I liked. Deconstructing Dracula by Hmonster4. It was so different and very well-researched. The plot was down to earth, yet exciting. The characters were really appealing. Volition by RochelleAllison. Another well-researched story in terms of historical accuracy, Ro's dialogue and characterizations were nice, and the intimate scenes were so tasteful. DID by dollegirl I love too. Usually I’m drawn to serious stories, but DID is just really funny. I never feel awkward like I do when reading humor in other stories (ironic since her characters are awkward!). It’s a difficult genre to write, but she does humor like no one else. Currently, I’m absorbed with Dark Games & Twisted Minds by Katinki and Living Backwards by ciaobella27. The plots are exciting and their writing plays out like a movie in my head. But really, there are so many good stories to choose from. This question is so unfair!

MW – Those are good ones. Now, how many days a week do you get full on made up?

BB – Twice a week. That’s the perfect amount of “I don’t care” and “does my hair look okay from the back?”

MW – Hmmmm, I like it. How did you come up with the idea for you story?

BB – After months of lurking in the fandom and reading countless stories, I was inspired to try, but most importantly, I wanted to write the things that I couldn’t find in other stories.

As for I Hate You, Kiss Me, I wanted to put a spin on the common love/hate romantic comedy. There are a lot of qualities I like about that dynamic, but I used this story as an excuse to explore a relationship in greater detail. The gray area that gets glossed over so much in stories. So, I rolled my sleeves up and thought I’d give it a try.

MW – Speaking of gloss, you bring any lip gloss with you? I think I have an idea for this afternoon.

BB – Nope, none at all. I don’t wear lipstick.

MW – None at all?

BB – Lip balm on occasion.

MW – Well, you can borrow mine, it’s cherry red, you’ll love it. Um, who is your favorite character to write?

BB – Yikes, I’m not sure since I haven’t tried writing from every POV. I do enjoy Edward, for reasons stated concerning Temptations of the Unloved. I like complexity of a broody nature. Other characters that I’d really like to try in the future are Carlisle and Rosalie. The real spirit beneath the cliché personalities :)

MW – Fun. Hey, let’s make cookies for the new neighbor guy.

BB - I smell chocolate.

MW – Hmmm, I make awesome Minty Chocolate Cookies, I’ll bet Glasses Guy might like those.

BB – Minty Chocolate Cookies for Glasses Guy?? I cannot wait to taste that. Him. Those. HAHA. What were we talking about?

MW – Yeah, I know. How did you meet and get your beta?

BB – I actually didn’t have a beta for most of my writing until recently.

Dollegirl stumbled upon me a year ago and we’ve been best friends ever since. She pre-reads almost everything I write and we bounce around a lot of plots and scenes in chat. She just ‘gets me’.

Nicnicd is a friend who came on recently to beta the rest of I Hate You, Kiss Me and she also beta’d Temptations of the Unloved. We met through the Twilighted threads and she’s always been as sweet as pie mixed with some homegirl. She knows how to nudge me in all the right places of a chapter.

IrritableGrizzzly has beta’d a couple things for me. She’s an IHYKM reader and one day lectured me on a common grammatical error, LOL. She’s an editing machine and knows her grammar. She won’t even let me get away with using clichés, even if I really want them!

Other betas that graciously came to my rescue in the past are Kimpy0464, VivaViva, and Vixen1836. Hopefully I’m not forgetting anybody. I suppose it’s uncommon for an author to have had so many betas, ha! They each have their own style too.

MW – Oh hey, you got any sunglasses? We might need some.

BB – Yeah, five pairs. Sunglasses are hard to buy, I grab them if they're perfect.

MW – Nice thinking. You melting that chocolate over there with all your hotness?

BB – Oh snap! Aren’t these cookies done yet?

MW – I wish, these cookies take all day.

BB – But...but...! You lured me here with cakes and sweets...

MW – Yeah, well, I gave them to the kids. I had to bribe them with something to keep them out of here. So, how does it make you feel when people gush over you and your stories?

BB – Talk about awkward, I actually do the Bella-blush and am pretty stunned. After that wears off, I’m flattered and humbled. Then I’ll grin like an idiot. I really appreciate people who enjoy reading my rambles that morphed into a serious hobby. If they love the writing, I’m glad that I could have an affect on their life like that.

MW – Oh, that’s so cute…you blushing. I didn’t think that as possible, you turning all pink.

BB - I'm olive-skinned, but I can blush. It's impossible for me to turn orange, like the girls on Jersey Shore.

MW – What is with that show? Everyone watches it!

BB – Yeah, well Mythbusters is my favorite reality show. I want to see stuff blow up and try on Jamie Hyneman’s beret hat.

MW – Ohhh, I just wanna speak French, like Edward whispers to Bella in that story The Office.

BB – I liked everything that Edward did to Bella in The Office.

MW – Hmmm, yeah, me too. So which Twilight saga book is your favorite? And what’s your opinion on Breaking Dawn?

BB – The first book Twilight and Midnight Sun (even though it was unfinished). I can’t help it, I’m a sap for the original love story. I did also like Jasper in Eclipse. Ha, Breaking Dawn… I’m sure my opinions are the same as most people’s. It was satisfying and disappointing. Delete the pregnancy and have more vampire Bella. *shrugs*

MW – Oh yeah, more sparkling is always good.

BB – I shimmered up Mr. Bee with sparkle lotion. I was gonna put him in a patch of sunlight... Unfortunately I only got as far as his forearm before he caught on to my scheme. Mr. Bee is understanding of my vampire love.

MW – You’re so smart Bee… It’s kinda hot. Speaking of which, if you could get it on with any character from one of your stories, who would it be and why?

BB – Probably Edward in Conversations with a Stranger. I think a lot of my characters are intense in some way, but this Edward is more…mellow and agreeable. I think most would assume that I’d be head over heels for Lawward in IHYKM, but if I step out of a role-playing mindset, Edward in CwaS would suit the real me.

MW – Speaking of role playing, I think we should dress up for Glasses Guy, what do you think?

BB – I really like the sound of that.

MW – I’m thinking leopard print stretch pants, corsets, kitten heels, and frilly aprons. I usually favor corsets with clasps, those lace up ones take too long to get off.

BB – Unless you have a vampire that rips right through them. * shivers *

MW – Oh, that is a nice thought. If you could give one piece of advice to a new author, what would it be?

BB – Write what you know, but most importantly: write what you are. This means that you take aspects of your personal life and heart and manifest them into fiction. You can have a formulated plot and an outline, but the story won’t really be original unless you look inside yourself. It’s people that are original and make interesting characters. Explore characters by studying yourself and the reasoning behind everything. Cookie cutter plots are useful to work off of and learn from, but if the story doesn’t develop beyond that, you have little chance of affecting your readers. Fixing grammar can come later on.

MW – Good advice! Man, you really are smart. Oh, I forgot to ask you before, what is your favorite ALMOST curse word?

BB – Shut the front door!

MW – Okay, is it gonna get awkward if I tell you that I’m starting to develop a girl crush on you?

BB – I think Mr. Bee might have issues with that.

MW – Oh, true. Okay, I can wait. Until then, what is your favorite part about fan fic and the Twilight fandom?

BB – The fandom is exploding with creativity about the one subject that drew us all in. The Byronic hero and love conquers all. I love learning as much as I love the silliness. It doesn’t matter what mood I’m in, I can always be entertained by reading a story, Twitter and the threads, or my own writing. I’ve also met some amazing women through feedback and friendship. Some of them are irreplaceable to me.

MW – Byronic hero? Oh, you’re killing me. *shakes head* How many purses do you have?

BB – Four. A green one with skulls all over it for casual. My messenger bag for work. A violet suede one that’s fancy-casual. A black petite leather one that’s fancy. Don’t ask why I have them categorized. I’m a freak like that.

MW – Seriously? Now with the freak talk… Okay fine, do you have a celebrity crush?

BB – I don’t really have crushes on celebrities. I guess Henry Cavill. He’s pretty to look at.

MW – Hmmm, yes, he is nice to look at. Though I personally like Rob, as you can see by my extensive Robporn collection. *opens back closet door*

BB – AWESOME!!

MW – Yeah, well, you know. Let’s plate up some of these cookies and get ready to go meet Glasses Guy.

BB – Yowza. I'm on the edge of my seat here, next to the window.

MW – Oh, is he out there? Here, throw on this apron. I have matching ones, mine is Minnie Mouse and yours is Daisy Duck.

BB – Sounds good. We'll need a team name.

MW – Hey, put on this lipstick and we’ll work on that name thing later. Oh, one more thing before we go. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?

BB – Well this is random. “Can I interest you in a fairytale ending and an eternity of eating chocolate?”

MW – Ohhhh, an eternity of chocolate. That does sound good. The only thing better would be an eternity of Rob with chocolate. Or Rob covered in chocolate.

BB – Do you have anything with Bee stripes? Wings? I just want to show Glasses Guy the real me.

MW – Well, that could be arranged. You know, one of the rugrats has some wings left over from a Halloween costume. :D

BB – I can definitely squeeze into them. :) And those cookies look awesome.

MW – Come on Bee, let’s go see if Glasses Guy is as hot as your Lawward. I think I need another swig of that liquid courage you’ve been nursing all day.

BB - The trick is to pace yourself.

MW – True, you don't want to appear too drunk.

BB – Although I was already drunk before lunch. No big deal though.

MW – Yeah, cause you're usually drunk before lunch?

BB – Hey, it's 5 o'clock somewhere.