Mrs. White reads some Letters to a Soldier by TLCullen132!

Here I am again...only a week after my last posting. You're gonna get used to seeing me this much, aren't you? I'm spoiling you, right? Hee-Hee!! Don't worry, there's plenty of Mrs. White to go around. Trust me... :D You'll be excited about what I have for you today. Seriously, what's hotter than a Marineward? Not much, that's for sure!

I was diving back into the FAGE2 stories again – you remember them, I mentioned them last month – and I found another gem. It's only 3 chapters so far, but there will be more, don't worry. And you'll love it...I know. :)

Letters to a Soldier by TLCullen132 is the story of a devoted sister, Bella Swan, who wants to do something for the soldiers deployed along side her brother Emmett. After receiving a list of names and addresses for soldiers in his camp that need a little more attention from home, Bella is drawn to one certain name, and happily sends a care package to him. Not knowing much about him, she simply sends the things Emmett suggests, but is pleasantly surprised when she receives a letter back.

*****
Dear: 1st Lt. Edward Anthony Masen;

Hi Lt. Masen! Is it alright is I just call you Lt. Masen? I should probably come out and introduce myself, my name is Isabella Swan, but I rather like going by just Bella. I received your name amongst many names that my brother, Cpt. Emmett Swan had collected of soldiers over there in Camp Leatherneck that could perhaps receive a little something more from home. I chose yours, because to be honest it just called out to me. It said, "Bella this soldier is the one who should receive your special chocolate chip cookies." So I sent all the ingredients in the jar with also very descriptive directions for you ;). I believe you should be able to bake them outside if need be on a piece of tin, but I can't guarantee the deliciousness of them after that point. I tried cooking them in my car a few times and they turned out just fine…so it's been tested and Bella Swan approved.

I have also included some manly magazines for your enjoyment. Emmett says with those titles I can't go wrong…so please use your Maxim to your maximum enjoyment.

*****

1st Lt. Edward Masen is stationed at Camp Leatherneck, and to say he's surprised to get a care package from home would be an understatement. Edward is a fighter pilot, striving to be the very best he can, and is quite excited about the things Bella has sent him. After penning her a kind thank you letter in return, Bella writes back, thereby starting their correspondence. Will Edward ever get any of Bella's special chocolate chip cookies? Will Bella ever get to discuss books with Edward? Is there a chance that Bella knows Edward's foster sister, Alice? And seriously, what are the guys in Edward's unit doing with that Maxim magazine?

*****
Dear Bella;

First I must thank you for the package as well as your letter. I suppose it would be alright to call me Lt. Masen. Normally the guys in my unit call me Masen, but just between me and you, I kind of like it when girls refer to me as Lt. Masen.

I must say I was quite surprised to even receive a package, because I wasn't even aware of my name being on that list. The thought that was put into it is what gave me the initiative to respond. Most of the time, as I am sure you know, we are quite busy and have very little down time, but I have to give recognition when it is so justly deserved.

The Maxim seems to be a huge favorite in the tent right now, actually I haven't seen it since I first took a glance through it, but I know its floating around somewhere. Maxim seems to have a variety of uses, so I am kind of scared of its condition when it's returned to me.

It's a funny thing about those cookies though. I wanted to hoard them for myself so I hid them in my locker until I had night duty. So while I had a moment on break I went back to the barracks to dig them out and sneak them over to the galley to make them. As I was getting ready to pull them from the oven, I was startled by my commanding officer, the incredible hulk himself, yelling, "Is that cookies I smell?" I about jumped out of my BDUs and almost dropped the pan as well. After I saluted my CO, I was formally introduced to the incredible hulk that seemed a bit familiar, otherwise known as your brother. He proceeded to tell me he could have smelled and recognized your cookie recipe 3 miles out. Needless to say I only got one cookie because by the time I went to grab another one they were all gone, with a big cheesy grin on your brother's face. By the way he asked me to ask you, why you haven't sent any to him, and now I think he may have teamed up with my CO to have it out for me as punishment.
*****

I have really enjoyed this story so far. The conversation between the two characters, as they get to know each other, is fun and witty. They seem to have so much in common already, and I can't wait to see their friendship grow and blossom as time passes. TLCullen132 is doing something a little different with this story – it will all be told through letters. Interesting, right? I'm curious to see if these two start to get a little citrusy in their writings to one another... :D I'm excited about the direction this story is going, and I can't wait for more!

Now, I'm off to read more FAGE2 entries, as well as TheNeverEverHEAContest entries. I kinda, sorta know the girls that won that baby... It's awesome. :) I do love me some angst... :D


Mrs. White: Hey TLCullen132! I'm glad you could come over today and help me with all these boxes.

TLCullen132: It’s my pleasure...I got some more out in the jeep in case we need them

MW: Nice. You can never send care packages to too many soldiers. There are some hot ones, and I'd hate to miss any of them!

TLC: Ain't that the truth... They all deserve something from home as much as possible...its not like they can go to the desert Wal-Mart and pick up what they need or want.

MW: True. And you know, for some reason the post office frowns upon people sending themselves, or at least that's what they said when I tried to ship myself to Afghanistan a few months ago...

TLC: Damn they did that to you too! Well, at least I don't feel quite as bad now, like I was being singled out or something. I feel a bit better knowing I wasn’t the only one that got the rejected sticker.

MW: Like we could ever be rejects. :D I wonder if they'd let us go together...in the same box...hmmmmm. Well, in the mean time, how did you get started in fan fic?

TLC: Just kind of stumbled across it while looking up Twilight related stuff after reading the series for the 5th time. I don't remember what blog or forum it was but it was like 2 am after reading BD for the 5th time that I came across it and was like whoa what is this... That was almost 2 years ago...

MW: Nice. You know, we could be our very own USO Tour. Have you ever sung karaoke?

TLC: Yes… Project Graduation, Senior Year. I might break all the windows out in the room though...

MW: That's okay. I think as long as we're wearing low cut shirts and mini skirts, they won't care. :D

TLC: Oh I got some special BDU minis... I wonder if that will get some attention.

MW: Yeah, pair those with a black lace thong and you're good to go. So, what’s the first story you read?

TLC: Umm really can’t recall, but the first one I reviewed that I can remember was Bronzehairedgirl620’s Yes, for Forever… It’s currently pulled at the moment but I saw on her profile that she’s editing and reposting.

MW: On, nice. I do so love when stories get reposted. Hey, if you could move anywhere, where would it be?

TLC: New Zealand or Alaska or maybe South Dakota… I think all three would be beautiful to live at, and another extremely interesting especially New Zealand.

MW: Oh yeah, they would be pretty. And doesn't South Dakota have Mount Rushmore? Those are some giant faces... :D

TLC: Those are pretty big...

MW: Yep...I like things big. Oh, so what’s your favorite fan fic story and why?

TLC: Can I give 2? AU Dead Confederates…well GoldenMeadow pretty much blows me away every time, and AH- Heart Break Remedy by Dariachenowith or SG&TNG by Jandco and WTVOC. And I do love me some Mafiaward… It’s really not fair to have to choose one...I have read probably close to 300 ffs in the past 2 years, but those three hit the top...

MW: Yeah, I know the feeling. I could never choose a favorite story, it'd be like choosing between children, and being that I'm not quite sure how many of those I have...it's probably better to leave that issue alone for now. And only 300? Goodness, I think I read too much. :D Though I gotta say, I do love me some Jasper in SG&TNG. Him and all his "La Bella" talk...I was swooning for sure!

TLC: That’s over 2 years and a rough estimate...it’s probably lower because I read at a sloth’s pace...and I tend to read fics of Epic proportions. And IKR! Gin definitely gave me a new outlook on Jasper.

MW: Yeah, I agree. That Jasper was something special... Hey I'm thirsty, you want something to drink?

TLC: Pepsi, or if it's made right, Strawberry Lemonade. That would be awesome.

MW: Yeah, I make it right. You should see all the liquor I put in that pink stuff. Yum! So, how did you come up with the ideas for your stories?

TLC: Letters to a Soldier is a part of FAGE 2 for FFA and I have never really seen a whole fic done in letters so I figured that was something a little bit different that I could bring to the table, mind you I have seen letters in a fic, but never the whole thing. The Quest, if I ever can get myself back into it, was wanting to do a really good road trip story based in the US that wasn’t necessarily a crackfic or something…

MW: Ohhhh, so is LtaS gonna be ALL letters? Like maybe some lemony letters???? That could be fun...

TLC: The possibilities are endless…but yes the whole thing will be in letters. I might include a few "sour" moments.

MW: Ohhh, I'm excited for it. :D I mean, I like it anyway, but now...yeah, I'm even more excited. :D Hey, what’s your favorite movie?

TLC: That is a trick question… Can I just say anything by Kevin Smith? And perhaps The Godfather series… That’s like choosing your favorite fic... Things I tend to mention in my stories are a lot of things I like personally as well.

MW: Man, I've never seen any of the Godfather ones, but I hear there's something about a horse head in someone's bed? Ew. :D Cool, so who is your favorite character to write?

TLC: Bella… I tend to “hear” her better I guess you can say… I constantly struggle with Edward. Edward often alludes me and it takes me forever to "channel" him per say.

MW: Hmmmm, "Edward" tried to allude me once... Oh no wait, that was my Neighbor Guy. It didn't last long, and now he can't get enough of me. :D Ohhhhh, if you could make smexy times with any character from one of your stories, who would it be and why?

TLC: Edward does seem to runaway a lot or play hard to get. Besides Lt. Masen, perhaps I’d want Jasper from The Quest…

MW: Nice... :) Your Lt. Masen does seem to be somewhat of a hottie. :D

TLC: Why thank you...

MW: I do so love an Edward with dog tags. Just sayin'... So, while we bag up all these cookies we made for the pretty soldier boys, how did you meet and get your beta?

TLC: Udo Blick aka Mephis1 is my beta extraordinaire for LtaS. She is like my soul twin, or I think of her that way, we have so much in common its scary, but she’s much more eloquent then I am. Been FB bbs for a good while and when I got my FAGE prompts I discussed with her my idea b/c well I really value her opinion and she’s not afraid to tell me like it is either, and its kind of sprung from there… The Quest has had two betas... ClosetTwilighter, who wrote Angel in the Attic, and you might have heard of QuantumFizzx...she had that fic called The Plan.

MW: Oh fun. Yeah, I think I might have heard of that story...somewhere along the way... :P So, do you listen to music while you write?

TLC: I tend to only be able to write when I have absolute quiet. I can listen to songs before I write but not during… I have a super long playlist for LtaS...mostly classic rock but also some stuff from today like 3 Doors Down, Nickleback, Stained and of course the cock rock. ;)

MW: Nice, I love classic rock. My dad's a rocker, so I was raised good. :D And cock rock? I need an explanation on that one... :D

TLC: Cock Rock...like GnR, Def Leppard, Poison, Bon Jovi...big hair bands of Rock.

MW: Ahhhhh, the rock bands of my teenage years... I love them so. So, since we're gushing here, how does it make you feel when people gush over you and your stories?

TLC: Super stoked…Fawesome! Really I try to curb my enthusiasm b/c I would be constantly pulling a Tom Cruise on Oprah in my living room, which I have been known to do, over it…so I usually contain to a small fangirly squee when I see things in my inbox for it. I have been getting more then I have hoped for from LtaS so far and I am really just super stoked to be honest. And hearing about the personal experiences from the readers just makes me all warm and squishy.

MW: Sweet. So, since we're throwing some "reading material" into these boxes, which Twilight saga book is your favorite? And what’s your opinion on Breaking Dawn?

TLC: Hands down New Moon… I know a lot of people don’t like that book but call me a masochist or whatever, it’s my favorite. Breaking Dawn I am more Switzerland, I see both sides of people’s likes and dislikes, but overall I did like it, but with the world of fanfic I have read what could be better, more realistic versions then the actual book itself. Yeah I think that pretty much covers it.

MW: Nice, I totally agree. Hey, speaking of this "reading material" we're sending, if you were in a beauty pageant, what would your talent be?

TLC: Real talent or one I wish I could do… RT- baking something? And Wish- play my own song on the guitar. So maybe we can send them a video of me baking or playing the guitar. ;) That will certainly boost moral.

MW: Oh yeah, that sounds good. Ohhhhhh, maybe we could make it somewhat of a combination between the baked goods, the musical entertainment, and the "reading material"... That might be fun, and you KNOW they'd love that! :D

TLC: Anything to keep them busy when their hands are actually idle. ;)

MW: Hee-hee! Yeah, their hands won't be too idle after they watched THAT video. :D Now, back to business, if you could give one piece of advice to a new author, what would it be?

TLC: After having a Beta or at least a prereader, do your research, that is a thing that irks me. I am not so much a Grammar/Spelling Nazi as I am having things somewhat realistically true. Like be familiar with where you have your characters (setting/time/place) and what your characters are doing-how they talk, their actions, things of that nature… I can plow through a story with some grammar and spelling mistakes but it throws me completely off track when people at least can’t be bothered to finding out what the weather is like in the middle of September in the Northeastern United States or they are back in the 1800s but act and talk mostly how people do today…

MW: Ohhhh, I love a well researched story. It's like the best thing ever!

TLC: Definitely. :D

MW: So, I wanted to ask how did you choose your pen name?

TLC: TL are my first two initials in RL and who wouldn’t be a Cullen…132- 13 is in my lucky number and at some point in time the 2 got added on at the end… And I kind of have a thing when I was growing up of always wanting to have my initial be TLC... So there you go. ;)

MW: Nice. You know, I love the number 13 as well...we have that in common. So, what's your favorite part about fan fic and the Twilight fandom?

TLC: You have a scenario you want to put the characters in, so you can either find something similar or have the freedom to write it yourself… And the fandom- all the people I have “met” along the way. I have "met" some of the best people being part of this fandom... All the fundraising, bonding, just everything... We kind of have it all.

MW: We kinda do have it all. Hey, I got these slutty Princess costumes, we could get some more pictures for the boxes... Who do you wanna be?

TLC: Probably Aurora from Sleeping Beauty, she's always been one of my faves and my first kiss with Hubmett was a real eye opener, he definitely woke me up from a deep sleep…and slayed a dragon to get to me. ;)

MW: Oh dragon slaying...I've done a little of that in my time. :D

TLC: Dangerous stuff right there. Well, since they’re slutty, I may have to change to Princess Jasmine...she was my second choice. ;)

MW: You know it. :D She's a good one. I think I'll go with Snow White, myself. I'm pretty pale...kinda vampirish, really. Ow! Paper cut! Stupid Architectural Digest magazine. Hey, you know there's SOME guy there that's interested in home design. Oh! What is your favorite ALMOST curse word?

TLC: Damn… I really, really try really hard not to curse that much, but I tend to use them a lot more then I should. Frack would be my almost other curse word...it was the replacement word they used for FUCK in Battlestar Gallactica.

MW: Nice. Oh, I always have to know this... Who is your celebrity crush?

TLC: Outside of Rob… Next would be Ian Somerhalder then Wentworth Miller & Brendan Fehr…sorry I can’t just pick one…

MW: Hold the phone...Brendan Fehr? Um, are you by chance a Roswellian worshiper? Or a Candy Shipper???

TLC: Roswellian... Just actually finished all three seasons... Yeah I think I have a serious thing for characters named Michael... I was super pissed when Maria broke up with him... He was soo HAWT... He made it up to the top 3 with Rob and Ian tied for first.

MW: Ugh, I know!!! What was she thinking??? Poor boy... I'm a Max girl, myself, but oh...Michael was kinda wonderful. I can even see where the Polar shippers come in. :D

TLC: <3 Michael... My heart broke for him... :(

MW: You know...they have Roswell fanfic... I'm just sayin'... :D Alright, well I think these boxes are about done. I don't know how much more we can stuff in here, now that we've got your favorite chocolate chip cookies all packed up.

TLC: I get lots of letters sent back on those cookies...they are certainly craving them over there. It’s a dangerous thing...fic diving, but I may have to give it a shot...perhaps when FanFicAholics Anon has it for the fandom of the month.

MW: Ohhhh, are they gonna do Roswell one month? I'd love me some of that!!! Oh, and I have a site with AWESOME Roswell fanfic on it, I'll link you. ;) But before we head over to the post office to send these boxes, and maybe check on shipping rates for large crates...let me ask you, if Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?

TLC: We’re happy to have you and since you have been a good girl, you can have an ever changing reprogrammable Edward… So I could have any -Ward that I want at any given time… Does that sound good?

MW: Hee-Hee!! That does sound kinda wonderful. :D

TLC: I could have Vampward, Mafiaward, Domward, Dickward, and most definitely Soldierward from Letters to a Soldier.

Mean Mrs. Mustard sits down with RosaBella75 and TwiliteAddict for The Face I Can't Forget!

Happy Monday! I hope you all had a great Easter, if you celebrate, and not too stuffed with jelly beans like I am. Starburst and Jolly Rancher are the best.

Two weeks ago, P.I.C. was taken over and adorned with the color for Fandom for Sexual Assault Awareness. So, just a friendly reminder…Please check out the F4SAA website to show your support! I’d also like to remind you that April is Autism Awareness month. Please check out the Fandom Gives Back website on how you can “Light It Up Blue” with a Scentsy Piece by Piece Cause Warmer and give to Autism Speaks.

On with this week’s rec…

Nowadays, you can put absolutely anything up on eBay to sell. Things ranging from pet rocks to a serial killer’s fingernails to a ghost in a jar, but I found that probably the most interesting thing to be sold on the internet is ones virginity. I think that Bella, in The Face I Can’t Forget by RosaBella75 and TwiliteAddict, has one of the greatest, and fairly realistic, reasons on why to sell her virginity.

I cringed. It had taken me a few days to gather the courage to tell my roommate and closest friend about my desperate plan to pay my looming second semester college tuition – not to mention room and board expenses. I had eliminated all other options and if I wanted to stay enrolled in Seattle University, or any college for that matter, I had no other choice.

But Alice would not relent, "Put your virginity up for auction? Sold to the highest bidder like some prize broodmare or something! That's just…so wrong!"

In the face of her harsh assault on my last ditch effort, I tried to appear confident, but I could feel the sting of tears forming in my eyes.

Alice's apparent fury melted as she read my emotions as usual and pulled me into a tight hug. "We'll find another way to keep you here, Bella. Don't cry."

Feeling a surge of determination, I pulled away to defend my decision. "Come on Alice, you and every girl I've spoken to have said the first time sucks. So I may as well kill two birds with one stone: get the awkward, messy, and most likely painful event over with and make some tax-free money to pay for school," I said in the most matter-of-fact tone I could muster.

Bella decided that she would invest all the money she saved for college with hopes that she could return a great profit but guess what? The “company” that she invested in was all a sham and Bella lost everything. Afraid to tell her father because he has very little money, Bella is determined to give up the one thing that she really has to offer. Her virginity.

Emmett comes across Bella’s internet auction and shows Edward, his adoptive brother, the website. Edward immediately recognizes Bella’s face in the picture but keeps it to himself, knowing that Emmett would remark on Edward paying for sex and expose Bella, who happened to be Edward’s high school crush. Edward never had the chance to tell Bella that he loved her in high school because she threw away the only letter he ever wrote to her. Now, Edward knows that he has to place the winning bid, but it is not because he wants to take Bella’s virginity.

This story made me swoon because Edward is so romantic, still vying for Bella’s heart even though she broke his in high school.

"It's YOU Bella. Not something as superficial as mere appearance. I love that about you too, don't get me wrong, you're beautiful but that only compliments the rest. I want you, Bella, I want to claim all of you. You have no idea how much," his voice caught momentarily, causing a reciprocal twist in my belly, "but not like this…Not for money."

"If I win you, I want your heart and soul, the prize of your companionship, and the gift of your intimacy to be given freely – never under duress from needing money or out of some contractual obligation. I could never demean either of us that way!"

He took my hand, placing the check gently in my palm, "But I do want you to have the money. Consider it a gift or an interest-free loan if you must, but don't throw away your future when the means to stay in school are in your hand, no strings attached."

I could see the sincerity in his eyes as he turned to leave and as much as it killed me, I almost let him go. My pride and fear almost won out, but just as he put his hand on the knob to open the door, I knew if I let him leave, I'd regret it for the rest of my life. I would regret it far more than I had regretted how I handled the situation surrounding the letter.

Edward has to make the decision of whether he gives Bella the money and doesn’t let a romantic relationship start or have the relationship, but Bella can’t have the money for her tuition. It is a “You can’t have your cake and eat it, too” situation.

RoseBella75 and TwiliteAddict have a way of pulling you into their story with the ideal flow of the plot. The Face I Can’t Forget is mostly sweet but has its brief moments of angst. There are only eleven chapters and it’s very easy to read.

Go. Read. Enjoy! Don’t forget to leave a review for these lovely ladies I had a chance to chat it up with…

MMM: Welcome, RosaBella75 (RB) and TwiliteAddict (TA)! Thank you both for taking the time to be here!

RB & TA: Our pleasure!!

MMM: Now, do you both know each other in real life or did you meet through fanfic?

RB: We met through PM’s that started from her lovely responses to my reviews of TA’s fic, “Honeymoon Suite”.

TA: I though Di's reviews were so well written and articulated, when she said she wanted to be a writer, I said, "hell yeah!"

RB: I approached her to take a look at my first chapter and possibly be my beta. I think it’s fair to say, I kinda surprised her with what I came up with.

TA: Yeah, I'd agree with that! I was still pretty much a fanfic virgin and within the first few sentences of RB’s fic, well, let's just say, I was sprayed with lemon juice!! I remember telling my husband, "What did I get myself into?"

RB: LOL! She was awesome about it and soooo helpful. A fast friendship was formed and we finally got to meet for the first time in RL last summer -- we actually live across the U.S. from each other. Now I have the best “Twife” around and the best Best Friend of my life to boot!

TA: *blushes* Oh, gosh! I love ya too.

MMM: I can honestly relate. I met a great friend through Fanfic PM’s! How did you get into fan fiction?

RB: After having continuously read the four Twi books from November to March (about 10 times I think) I wanted more. I’d found “Midnight Sun” and thought maybe others had wanted more and turned to the internet, too. Then I remembered that there was a Sci-Fi/Fantasy Author who suddenly died and a final book was published of the “Best of FanFiction” for the series. So I Googled, the “best of Twilight fanfiction” and found Twilighted.net March 10th of 2009. I came for what I learned were lemons and stayed for the creativity.

TA: I was backward of course. Never heard of fanfiction until I wrote my own version of the honeymoon night and then decided to see if others’ did the same – in other words, I Googled it too. And wham! I discovered a gold mine! And learned very quickly what a "lemon" was. Squeezed a lot of them in my early fanfic journey!! I quickly posted in March of 2009.

RB: I just went and looked at our “join up” dates on Twi’d and yours is March 11th, TA! *laughs*

MMM: Can you remember the first fan fiction you read?

RB: I don’t remember for sure, but I know it was a honeymoon missing-moments story – I was delighted to see I wasn’t the only perv who wanted to ‘see’ that! But I think it was either the “Acclimation Diaries” by Booboo_kitty or “Perspective” by Ekkimuh.

TA: I believe it was Unwanted by BloodRedLust. I was riveted by this AU/canon story.

MMM: What made you start writing?

RB: I’d been wanting to think of something that hadn’t been done for a while, but couldn’t think of anything canon or AU. Inspiration hit when I started to get tired of all the AU-Human fics taking 32 chapters to resolve the UST and then only supplying one lemon. I decided to write a fic where the gang was constantly surrounded by sex – even if our fav two had to go through the typical UST process to find their own… mutual release. *mwha*

TA: Yes, RB, you give this cougar plenty of fodder for my aging imagination.... I had never written creatively before, but the fade-to-black scenes in Twi just kept irking me. So I pretended to be SM writing for a more adult audience. I wanted to be true to the characters though and imagine my writing was actually part of the books. So, I began writing for my own pleasure actually....

RB: I’d say she’s channeled SM quite well, too!

MMM: Do you get ideas for your stories from real life experiences or just random things that you think about?

RB: Both, and even if I use something from RL as a springboard point, there’s very few times that even anyone in my RL would recognize it as having been what happened to us. I use RL events to help me understand the feelings, sensations, and emotions to extrapolate from in what I’m imagining, rather than literally making anything purely semi-autobiographical.

TA: Both. Ideas could be random, but I usually tap into feelings/emotions I have experienced to write a convincing fic. I use writing fic as my emotional outlet -- fear, anger, darkness, jealousy, love, lust -- you name it, are all acceptable in fanfic, but not so much in RL as I’ve learned...

MMM: When you’re writing, do you listen to music or have to have silence?

RB: I usually am in the room where my husband is watching television, and having a distraction when I’m trying to get my brain to kick in with the word or concept I’m after seems to help. I can’t write to music, their lyrics overwhelm my own too much for me to write to anything not instrumental, and I tend to be too lazy to seek out good writing music. If I were to start out wanting to write a fic based on a song, I think it might work for me though. And trying to write to porn – nope, can’t do it… the moaning you know. ;D

TA: You watch porn when you write, RB? *cocks eyebrow at Twife* Um, what's the question again? Oh, music influences my writing, but when I write and have the luck of falling "in the zone," where the characters are showing me in my mind's eye what is happening and I am transcribing the action, I need silence to hear what they are saying. It's almost like a writer's high when that happens! Although, it may be the white wine too...

RB: Oh, yeah… “the zone”. I miss that! You’re right, it’s sooo awesome when you’re there as a writer.

MMM: Currently, what is your favorite fan fic?

RB: Bella?Marie? by Nyomi, Surviving Bella by Savage (and her other work), and SheViking’s work are kinda tied for me at the moment. I’m reading so many at any given time, it’s hard to have a clear favorite. You can’t imagine how hard it was for me to not go on, and on, and on… and then there’s my fabulous friends who I LOVE to pimp, Goldenmeadow, RowanMoon, Winterstale, Katinki, BilliCullen, TwifanUK, GasawayAlley, AmeryMarie, just to name a few.

TA: *hangs head in shame* I don't read as much as I'd like to. RL is very busy, and with the time I do have, I work on my stories, and I beta for 3, sometimes 4 other writers and support their fanfics. *whispers* But I do love My Viking – it’s like a Harlequin romance novel – without Fabio on the banner.

MMM: Do you have any fics that you drop everything you are doing to read the update?

RB: “So Cruel” by Demosthenes91 (And hoping there really will be more updates for me to drop everything and run for.) :D It seems the majority of the stories I ADORE don’t update very frequently (yeah, but better than I have for some of my stuff *blushes*), though some of the other ones I can think of off the top of my head are: “Watch Over Me” by Chrystelle_bell, and “The Sheik” by HopefulWager. They’re really different and get me thinking. Love it when stories do that.

TA: For me, it’s my beta-lings work. *Shout out to RowanMoon, TaintedDarkInuShemeeko, and Fuzzltlwingedthing*

MMM: Top 5 Fav Fics

RB: Can I have a top 50 please? It’s just so hard to choose, I kinda have top favs for different categories in my head. There’s my top favs for being best written, top for most fun premise – writing style aside, top AU-human, top canon/au, top favs written by friends, top big name fics, that sort of thing. So here’s my top five favs that recently updated (and who aren’t already over the top popular).

“Dead Confederates” by Goldenmeadow

“Divinity” by booboo-kitty (complete)

“Night Must Fall” by Katinki

“I Only Want You For Your Body” by FatallyObsessed

“Dirty Little Secrets” by LazyKate and Brits23

TA: Well, RB, now I know why you haven't been updating your stories *shakes finger at RB*. My faves are usually those written by my Twi-friends, although I have read a few of the fics it seems everyone reads. My other faves are The List, The Arrangement, Broken Doll, and My Family and I. I enjoy the fandom for all the support it provides, and I try to pay it forward whenever I can. Finding myself here has been a blessing and I try to spread the love by helping those just getting started in the Fandom.

RB: Gosh, we really do love the same things, T!

MMM: Are there any types of fics you absolutely will not read? Like Jasper/Bella fics.

RB: No, I’ve yet to find any pairing that made me not even read beyond the description. Sometimes the unusual pairings are what draw me in. I look more for signs that something will be intriguing or well written that draws me in. I’m Team Everybody. ;D Though I do have to say a fic where all the characters are ugly in their behavior or the story doesn’t set me up to examine anything about my own human existence – that would probably make me flounce.

TA: I’m a canon couple girl. While I haven’t read any slash fics, I enjoy reading a good threesome!

MMM: I am with ya, TA! I’m going to give you a list of words, what is the first thing that comes to mind?

MMM: Banana

TA & RB: Edward!!! 

RB: …well and a close second is Carlisle. But I think that’s from the contest about Carlisle showing Bella how to use a condom with a banana, but then again I think Carlisle has a nice banana, too. *mwha*

MMM: Paint

RB: Body Paints?

TA: Finger-painting with body paint!

MMM: Tree

RB: Tall, strong, beautiful.

TA: Oh, RB, you mean Emmett!

RB: Oh yeah, I do! Thanks, TA!

MMM: *laughs* Next word…Morning

RB: A glorious time of day, I’d be more than happy to miss most days -- if I could have my way.

TA: What's morning? *smacks snooze*

MMM: Flower

RB: Georgia O’Keefe

TA: Who, RB?

RB: Well, let me enlighten you… she is a lovely artist who’s print we had on the wall in college. It was pastel and my roomie was told it was a flower. We hung it in the bathroom over the commode. I guess to men it looked more like an, um… feminine flower. Guess we put it in the right room after all. *mwaha*

MMM: Blue

RB: A color my twi guys (well, except maybe Edward) aren’t very familiar with?

TA: LOL!! I get it RB (well after a reading it a few times....)

MMM: Pet

RB: Hmmm, I like to be petted. Or wait, um... pussy, oh! I mean Cat?

TA: "Good, Edward. Sit, Edward -- now STAY!"

RB: I thought you’d ask him to come too, TA. *sly smile*

TA: *shakes head* Now you know why I let RB write all the lemons in The Face I Can’t Forget!

RB: Yeah, but you were the one making all the funnies in that one!

MMM: Cake

RB: What Edward feeds me while I lounge on my divan?

TA: Weddings

MMM: Elephant

RB: Hmmm, I think all the Twi guys tend to come to mind… but probably mostly Edward. Or at least I read he’s hung like an elephant! ;D

TA: Rob Pattinson stroking a long trunk...hey, no pun intended! I just saw a WFE preview! Shame on you all!

MMM: Oh, don’t get me started on a stroking Rob. *dies* Last word…Kite

RB: Mary Poppins

TA: RB, I think that is the purest thought you've had today! I'm proud of you!

RB: *laughs loudly* Hey, thanks! :D

It was so much fun interviewing you two! Thank you!

Mr. Boody lets us know Love is but a Memory by Domysticated!

Love is but a Memory by Domysticated is a short tale originally written for the Pick a Pic Challenge, and then extended to five chapters and an epilogue.

Domysticated does a wonderful job at packing such a punch into those six chapters. We get mystery, suspense, angst, smut, love, devotion, heartache, reunions and maybe a HEA?

The summary for LibaM: You were gorgeous, mysterious, haunted. I wanted to save you; I wanted to give you something you would take with you forever. I didn't know I was giving you my life.

It begins with a young Bella in Europe:

When I was sixteen, my parents sent me on a year-abroad exchange program to Europe. They were hoping that, away from our rainy small town, I would lose my social awkwardness and my shyness, and that I would escape the bullying and alienation of my all-American high school.

Their plan didn't quite work out. I ended up in a rainy small central European town where the skies were as grey and oppressive as our own, but without the ocean nearby to escape to. And high school… well, let's just say I exchanged an all-American hell for an all-European one. I remained shy, awkward and isolated, although mercifully the popularity of my host "sister", Alice, protected me from bullying.

That year abroad would have been a completely unremarkable blip in the sad and forgettable tale of my adolescence, had it not been for my abysmal sense of direction and my apparently non-existent sense of self-preservation.

I knew nothing of life outside the elite international school I attended, and barely paid attention when Esme and Carlisle, my host parents, discussed politics and current affairs at the dinner table.

I dutifully took the bus to school and back; I reluctantly followed Alice on her Saturday afternoon shopping trips to town; I wished the days to go quicker so I could go home and hide in my room, cocooned in familiar and comforting loneliness.

Until one day everything changed.

Then Bella gets lost on the street and we’re introduced to our leading man:

The flicker of a cigarette to my right distracted me.

Sitting on a low wall a feet away from me was a hunched figure. I couldn't make him out for sure, but I thought it was a man: he was sitting just outside the cone of light cast by the nearest lamppost. I jerked away, scared. I could feel his eyes staring at me intently, could guess the slow, deliberate way in which he was sucking on his cigarette; God knows how long he'd been there, observing me. He was unnaturally still. I wanted to run, I knew I should run—the dark streets were deserted— but I stayed rooted to the spot.

And right there on that street things changed. Neither one of them will ever be the same.

Occasionally, we turned toward each other and smiled awkwardly until finally, he spoke.

"You found me, see? You're a smart girl. Also crazy—you're not supposed to go after boys like that, especially strange boys you meet in the street after dark." His face became suddenly serious. "Promise you'll never do this again."

"What? Find you?"

"No… trust strangers… especially boys." His tone was solemn: it was something that my dad could have said to me. In fact, it was probably something that my dad had said to me in the past.

"Does it mean I shouldn't trust you?"

"You probably shouldn't, no."

"I want to, though." Who was this bold, brave girl speaking? Was it really me? Where did she find the courage and the determination?

He looked at me, nervously, and in his eyes I saw thoughts and emotions that I couldn't read, couldn't understand. I was in uncharted territory, and it was disorienting and intoxicating, like a new drink or a new food, and I wanted to taste it, savor it. Devour it.

Then, without notice or further words, he leaned in and kissed me.

I’m not going to give anymore away. You simply must read to find out what happens as these two become adults. It’s not all pretty, but it’s only six chapters, you won’t have to read that much to find out!

Throwback Thursday! Late Night Encounters by Kyla713!

Hiya! So we're going to test something out with you guys this week. Every once in a while we're going to take a trip down memory lane and bring you Throwback Thursday! This is when we will repost one of recs from way back when. 

Our first throwback is from December 2009! In honor of  Kyla713 posting Late Night Encounters' epilogue, lets go back and see a rec done by Coldplaywhore during Guilty Pleasures Week!

Ok, so I was the genius (hahahaha) that threw out the idea to Tilly and Nikki about doing Guilty Pleasures week and the more I thought about it, the first story that came to mind was Late Night Encounters by Kyla713. Unfortunately, I don’t feel the least bit guilty about reading this story in fact, it’s one of the only stories I rush off to read the moment there is an update, that’s how much I LOVE THIS STORY, which is saying a lot because I consider myself a fic elitest!

So let's get on to some of the goodness. Kyla713 graciously agreed to a quick little interview, so enjoy!

Interview:

 
1. How the heck did you get started in Fan Fiction?

I’ve been writing fan fiction and off for about 10 years or so, in several different fandoms. But I came across this one after reading the Twilight Saga in the summer of 2008, and after being thoroughly disappointed in Breaking Dawn, thought I might check out what other people had written. Started out on http://www.fanfiction.net, and then my best friend introduced me to Twilighted, and told me I needed to check out the AH stories. My initial reaction? “What is Twilight without the vampires? Come on!!!” … and now that’s all I write is AH. Funny how that worked out. And I had already planned out the entire storyline for Anything but Conventional (and now Don’t Ever Forget) for a book idea, and after reading several AH stories, thought it might be interesting to try and merge ABC into the Twilight universe. And the rest is history, I was hooked. :)

2. Where the hell did you find the inspiration to write Late Night Encounters?

Do I really have to say? haha

Actually, I initially got the inspiration for Late Night Encounters about a month or so after I pulled out of The Office with Christina. While I enjoy writing ABC, I wanted to write something completely different from anything I had seen out there, and so help me, I missed writing smut on occasion. I am one of those people who needs to have multiple projects going on at once, or else I get bored. And I didn’t want to lose interest in writing ABC and needed something completely different to throw myself into. As of that time, I had heard of stories where Edward and Bella met online, but never in a sex chat room and thought it would be interesting to see what would come out of such a situation. So on a whim, I typed out the first chapter of LNE one night and just saw these characters so clearly in my head that I sent it to my cohort in crime, Christina, the next day, and I will not repeat here what she said… but it was encouraging. I still had some hesitation in posting it, but she kept on me until I did. :)

And I have found it such an adventure to write. Truly having a blast writing it.

3. If you could beat the shit out of one Twilight character, from the book or movie, which would it be? How would you do it and why?

Oh wow, that’s a tough one. There are a few, believe it or not. And I honestly have to admit… Bella. As much as I may have also disliked Jacob, and I have said on many occasions how much I do not like that character beyond the end of New Moon. But Bella was the one who instigated so much of it. And I could go on and on about all the things I disliked about Bella, which is why I try to make her a little different in every story I write, while still holding onto the little things that made her endearing to me in the first place. And as to HOW I would do it?? I would have let Paul eat her when she pissed him off. That would have been interesting. Too bad Jacob stops it *snaps fingers*

And, as many people know, I am talking about Bella in the books, not necessarily Kristen Stewart. I love Kristen as an actress, did NOT like her in Twilight (she was not MY Bella I imagined when reading the books), but she’s redeeming herself for me in what I have seen of New Moon.

4. What is your favorite snuggie sexual position? www . thesnuggiesutra .com for quick reference

Haha!! That is actually really cool, never saw anything like that before. But my favorite would probably be the Pigs in a Blanket position.

5. What does Kyla713 prefer... cyber sex or phone sex?

Well both have their perks obviously, but I would have to say cyber sex. You have so many more options through the internet than the phone… as my story has shown, I supposed lol

6. What is your favorite curse word?

Probably fuck. I have a seriously bad habit of dropping f-bombs, as poor Christina has been subjected to relentlessly through our hours upon hours on Skype.

7. If you believe Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say to you when you get to the pearly gates?

Hmm… well I know what I DON’T want him to say, does that count?

“Ok so… you wrote WHAT?!”

Review:

The summary on Kyla’s ff.net account describes to LNE as the following: Lonely ER doc Edward Cullen goes online one night to relieve some tension, never expecting to find what was awaiting him. Let me tell you, this is such a major tease. When Edward meets Bella on line, sparks immediately fly and they are drawn to each other even though they haven’t seen one another.

Perhaps this story sparks my interest so much because my husband and I met online, but I honestly think it’s simply Kyla’s superb writing and vivid imagery that holds my interest.

I began working my hand faster over my cock, rubbing my thumb in circles over the head. I was so very close, I was finding it difficult to type one handed. But I also didn’t want to stop. Something about this woman I couldn’t see, hear or touch was bringing me to the brink of ecstasy. Never again would I scoff at the idea of cybersex. It has turned out to be one of the most erotic experiences of my life.

Even though you know her Bella aka BellaNova and her Edward aka Grneyeddoc1981, meet in unusual circumstances, you can’t help but find yourself rooting for them to talk on the phone, play with a webcam and eventually meet. The reluctance and confusion is there on the part of both participants and when they second guess their decision to spend time together, you want to slam your head against the desk and yell at them. Is that just me? No? Good.

They seem to go through the usual motions of a long distance relationship like the loneliness and the constant desire to talk to the other, but in their case, they aren’t really in a relationship. They are basically just cyber sex buddies, who turn into phone sex buddies and I can only hope as the story progresses they become a lot more than that. However, with Bella based in Los Angeles and Edward in Chicago, you know it won’t be smooth sailing, but I am looking forward to the potential angst, tension and heart fail that this story my feature. However right now, I am enjoying moments like this one, where Bella and Edward finally see each other online:

"Open your eyes, Bella."

Here goes.

With another long draw of breath, I finally brought my gaze back to the screen to look at him, watching as his Adam’s apple rose as he swallowed loudly. His eyes flickered slightly over the screen, the silence driving me insane. Anything would be better than nothing right now.

"Hello gorgeous," I said with a nervous smile, running my fingers through my hair, brushing it back from my face.

He grinned before covering his mouth with his fingertips. Shaking his head, he rested on his elbows in from of him. "God Bella. You're fucking beautiful."

The great news is that if you aren’t reading Late Night Encounters, it’s only six chapters in, so there’s plenty of time to catch up on the marvelous tale that Kyla713is weaving for us. The bad news… well shit, there is no bad news. Now click on the link above and get your ass on over to LNE and let her know CPW and the girls from P.I.C’s Fan Fic Blog sent you!

Oooh and here's a little visual inspiration to get your ass over to LNE sooner:

Mrs. White welcomes us back with KitsuShel and her Rabbit Heart!

 

Well, as you may have noticed over the past few days, our little site here has been a bit under the weather. Hopefully that's all behind us now, and we're back just as strong as ever. And, just think, it's your lucky day. Mr. Green was supposed to be here today, but wouldn't you know it, he got caught in all the green Easter Basket grass at the store and he was unable to drag himself away. You should have seen it...Mr. Green rolling around in the aisle of the store, green plastic grass all over the floor, clinging to him... A few children ran away screaming, not gonna lie, but I got some lovely pictures for my personal album. Good thing Neighbor Guy has a friend that works there and he tipped me off to the spectacular display of Green Lovin'. :)

Anyhow, since Mr. Green is preoccupied with all those pretty green Easter decorations, I'm taking over for the day, and you're really in luck, let me tell you. I've got a story to rec that you will love. I know I do.

Rabbit Heart by KitsuShel is the story of Izzy Dwyer, one of the worlds biggest rock stars. Having been whisked away from her home after her father's death, Izzy's mother took her to California and turned her into a superstar. Izzy was broke hearted to leave her childhood home and friends, but soon embraced her new life, falling in love with the music after a little blackmail from her mother. Flash forward a few years and Izzy's on her own, her mom and step father having been killed in a car accident. Izzy is trying to make the most of her life, until an unwanted stalker begins to threaten her, as well as the lives of those around her. After the stalker manages to get inside of Izzy's house, she runs away, headed for Forks and the only family she has left. She goes straight to Mac's Bar & Grille, hoping to find her makeshift brother and father.

*****
"What's going on, Jazz? Is someone looking for me?"

Bella felt a jolt of nervousness shoot through her at the sound of his voice. It was deeper and more manly than it had been at fourteen, but it was still definably Emmett. She turned in her seat slowly and looked over toward the new comers. Four people stood just inside the entrance: two men and two women. The women were polar opposites: one barely over five feet with short, dark hair and the other closer to six feet with long, blonde hair. Behind the women was a tall, lanky man with bronze hair. Leading the group, front and center, was her Emmett, no longer the scrawny kid with braces. He was now tall and muscular, his resemblance similar to a linebacker.

"This young lady here was asking for you or your dad, Em," Jasper replied, watching the scene unfurl with intense fascination.

The tall blonde woman stiffened and shot the stranger a menacing look, as if trying to mark her territory. Without hesitation, Bella slid off of the stool and walked closer to Emmett, pulling back her hood and removing the baseball cap.

'This is it,' she thought. 'All or nothing.'

She reached behind her head and undid her braid, running a hand through her hair and shaking it free. The women gasped and covered their mouths in surprise. Emmett narrowed his eyes until his face went slack.

"Izzy Dwyer?" he asked in shock. "Why are you looking for me or my dad? I don't understand."

She swallowed and bit her lip, before looking him directly in the eye. She saw the moment that he began to recognize his long lost friend.

"No," he whispered. "No fucking way."

"Hi, Shaggy," she replied, her voice quavering with emotion, tears stinging her eyes.

"Scrappy," he sobbed brokenly, before pulling Bella to his chest.

She automatically wrapped her arms around his waist, squeezing him with all of her strength.

"Emmett," she cried. "I've missed you so much."

As she clung to her pseudo brother for dear life, Bella Swan felt like she was finally home after all of these years.

*****

Izzy soon takes on her old name, Bella Swan, as she decides to stay in Forks and take a break from her hectic life in California. She's instantly embraced by Emmett and his friends, one of which is a handsome, bronze haired man that she feels oddly drawn to. Friendships begin to form and grow and soon enough Bella is unsure of what to do – return to her old life or try to stay hidden in her new one. She knows that eventually she'll have to go back, but until something is done about her stalker, she's afraid. What will Bella do? Why is Alice threatening her? Is Bella really going to work in a bar? And seriously, how hot is carpenter Edward as he struts around lifting up his shirt to wipe away the sweat on his forehead and unknowingly showing off his amazing stomach?

I'm in love with this story. You probably know KitsuShel from her big hit story Parachute, or maybe one of her wonderful o/s's, but Rabbit Heart is kind of new. It's nine chapters in right now, with updates coming every Friday. And, as if a regular posting schedule isn't awesome enough, she also has a blog for the story, AND she post teasers for each chapter. Oh goodness...I think I might feel an author crush coming on. :D Trust me when I say this is a story you don't want to miss. The excitement is just starting to really build, and with the end of chapter 9, I can feel some angst coming soon...and I love it. :D

Run on over and spend some time with Rabbit Heart. You're sure to love it as much as I do.

Now, speaking of rabbits, I gotta get busy on some Easter gifts for all the kids running around my house. They seem to multiply faster than bunnies, and no matter how many years I wait for that big, floppy Easter Bunny to stop by, he never does. Men... Ooooh, I wonder if Neighbor Guy will let me hop on him this weekend... Happy Easter Morning to me!!

*****
She felt a hand touch her hip and looked over, startled. Edward's green eyes were dark and the skin around them taut.

"Hey, Edward, what's up?" she asked in confusion.

"The crowd's gotten pretty big, so Em asked me to hop in and help you guys out."

She arched a brow and put her hand on her hip, playfully shooting him an incredulous look. "You?"

He placed a hand on his chest in mock-offense. "Really, Bella? Such little faith you have."

He leaned his hand against the bar and turned to a woman with dark, red hair. "What can I get for you, sweetheart?"

The woman smiled and her eyes roamed down his body. "Well, you, if you're on the menu."

Edward laughed. "Sorry, not tonight, ma'am. But I can get you a drink."

The woman laughed simperingly and batted her eyelashes. "I'll take a Sex on the Beach then."

Edward turned away from her and rolled his eyes in Bella's directions, causing her to stifle a laugh. She handed off a couple more beers, watching him expertly mix the drink from the corner of her eye. She stopped mid-reach when she saw him flip one of the liquor bottles ala Tom Cruise in the movie, Cocktail. She was close enough to hear the redhead mumble about how hot that was. Bella couldn't help but find herself agreeing.

Edward placed the drink down in front of the woman and shot a smirk at Bella.

"How did-" she stuttered out. "How did you do that?"

*****

Mrs. White: How did you get started in fan fic?

KitsuShel: Little over two years ago, I followed a link to a story on Twilighted and the rest is history.

MW: What’s the first story you read?

KS: It was an Isle Esme honeymoon continuation, I’m sad to say that I don’t remember much more about it or who wrote it.

MW: What’s your favorite fan fic story and why?

KS: Ahhhh! I hate that question, lol. There are too many to pick from. Each story that I allow myself to sink into ends up owning a piece of my heart. My top three would have to be Tropic of Virgo by in.a.blue.bathrobe, Tides of Fate by SparklingTwilight and I’ll Be Your Lover Too by EdwardsBloodtype.

MW: How did you come up with the idea for your stories?

KS: I don’t really know. My mind spins in all sorts of directions and occasionally an idea will just hit me and it’s like I need to write it down at that very moment.

MW: Who is your favorite character to write?

KS: I’ll have to say Charlie. I grew up without a father, so I love writing him and portraying him as the dad that I’d always wanted.

MW: How did you meet and get your beta?

KS: At the moment, I have two angels: LaMomo and busymommy. I became close to both of them thanks to Facebook, but I “met” them back when they were readers of my first story, Parachute.

MW: How does it make you feel when people gush over you and your stories?

KS: It makes me all warm and tingly inside, lol. I adore and appreciate my readers so much and I hope that I’m successful at making them feel that way.

MW: Which Twilight saga book is your favorite? And what’s your opinion on Breaking Dawn?

KS: Twilight will always be my favorite. As for Breaking Dawn, I don’t hate it, but I’m also not in love with it. Kind of ambivalent towards it actually.

MW: If you could give one piece of advice to a new author, what would it be?

KS: Find a good Beta or pre-reader who can help you flesh out your ideas and help bring them to life. I’ve learned and grown so much over the past year or so thanks to my Betas and readers.

MW: What is your favorite part about fan fic and the Twilight fandom?

KS: I love how it can bring people together. I’ve gotten the chance to meet a good number of ladies from this fandom in real life and have actually made some real friends.

MW: What is your favorite ALMOST curse word?

KS: Mother Fudger

MW: If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates?

KS: “Not too bad, kid.”



Randomness with Mrs. White

MW: If you were in a beauty pageant, what would your talent be?

KS: Not a clue. Does storytelling count? My son says that I’m an awesome storyteller. ;-)

MW: What’s your favorite drink?

KS: Non-alcoholic: Coca-Cola

Alcoholic: Fuzzy Navel

MW: If you could make smexy times with any character from one of your stories, who would it be and why?

KS: Edward, because he’s attentive and a quick study.

MW: Have you ever sang karaoke?

KS: Yes! I love to sing! Unfortunately, I sound like a cat dying, LMAO!

MW: Which Disney Princess most closely resembles you and why?

KS: I’d say Mulan. She’s strong, yet vulnerable and has a strong sense of family and obligation.

MW: Do you ever use any people from real life in your stories? If so, who and how did you choose them?

KS: Ha! Not really. I’ve borrowed names here and there and gave a character in Parachute my birthday, but that’s about it.

MW: If you could move anywhere, where would it be?

KS: I’m leaning towards Italy. My grandfather was from Calabria and I’ve always wanted to go there.

MW: Do you listen to music while you write? Does music inspire your stories in any way?

KS: I always, always, always have music playing. Especially while writing or doing chores. And yes, absolutely music can inspire or influence my writing.

MW: What’s your favorite movie?

KS: The Princess Bride

MW: Where you involved in any extra curricular activities while growing up?

KS: Not really, I was a homebody, although I was part of the Literary Magazine in High School.

MW: Who is your celebrity crush?

KS: Robert Pattinson

MW: What’s your favorite item on a relish/vegetable tray?

KS: Celery

MW: Have you ever been skiing? (snow or water)

KS: Nope

MW: How did you choose your pen name/username?

KS: My nickname is Shel and Kitsu is a family name in a game that I used to play years ago called Legend of the Five Rings.

MW: What’s your favorite cookie?

KS: Chocolate Chip, unless you want to count cannolis.

Fandom For Sexual Assault Awareness: Facts Friday!

Sexual Violence affects more people than we can fathom. According to statistics by RAINN (Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network), in 2007, there were 248,300 victims of rape, attempted rape, or sexual assault. (These figures do not include victims 12 years old or younger.)

Every 2 minutes, someone in the U.S. is sexually assaulted.

Here's the math. According to the U.S. Department of Justice's National Crime Victimization Survey -- the country's largest and most reliable crime study -- there were 248,300 sexual assaults in 2007 (the most recent data available).
There are 525,600 minutes in a non-leap year. That makes 31,536,000 seconds/year. So, 31,536,000 divided by 248,300 comes out to 1 sexual assault every 127 seconds, or about 1 every 2 minutes.

Sexual assault has fallen by more than 60% in recent years.2 Had the 1993 rate held steady, 6.8 million Americans would have been assaulted in the last 13 years. But, thanks to the decline, the actual number of victims was about 4.2 million. In other words, if not for the historic gains we've made in the last decade, an additional 2,546,420 Americans would have become victims of sexual violence.


*~*~*
Women

1 out of every 6 American women has been the victim of an attempted or completed rape in her lifetime (14.8% completed rape; 2.8% attempted rape).1
17.7 million American women have been victims of attempted or completed rape.1
9 of every 10 rape victims were female in 2003.2
While about 80% of all victims are white, minorities are somewhat more likely to be attacked.

Lifetime rate of rape /attempted rape for women by race:1

• All women: 17.6%
• White women: 17.7%
• Black women: 18.8%
• Asian Pacific Islander women: 6.8%
• American Indian/Alaskan women: 34.1%
• Mixed race women: 24.4%

Men

About 3% of American men — or 1 in 33 — have experienced an attempted or completed rape in their lifetime.1

• In 2003, 1 in every ten rape victims were male.2
• 2.78 million men in the U.S. have been victims of sexual assault or rape.1

Children

15% of sexual assault and rape victims are under age 12.3

• 29% are age 12-17.
• 44% are under age 18.3
• 80% are under age 30.3
• 12-34 are the highest risk years.
• Girls ages 16-19 are 4 times more likely than the general population to be victims of rape, attempted rape, or sexual assault.

7% of girls in grades 5-8 and 12% of girls in grades 9-12 said they had been sexually abused.4

• 3% of boys grades 5-8 and 5% of boys in grades 9-12 said they had been sexually abused.

In 1995, local child protection service agencies identified 126,000 children who were victims of either substantiated or indicated sexual abuse.5

• Of these, 75% were girls.
• Nearly 30% of child victims were between the age of 4 and 7.

93% of juvenile sexual assault victims know their attacker.6

• 34.2% of attackers were family members.
• 58.7% were acquaintances.
• Only 7% of the perpetrators were strangers to the victim.

Effects of Rape

Victims of sexual assault are:7

3 times more likely to suffer from depression.
6 times more likely to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder.
13 times more likely to abuse alcohol.
26 times more likely to abuse drugs.
4 times more likely to contemplate suicide.

Sexual assault is one of the most under reported crimes, with 60% still being left unreported.1
Males are the least likely to report a sexual assault, though they make up about 10% of all victims.1

What happens to Rapists When They are Caught and Prosecuted?

60% of rapes/sexual assaults are not reported to the police, according to a statistical average of the past 5 years.2 Those rapists, of course, never spend a day in prison. Factoring in unreported rapes, only about 6% of rapists ever serve a day in jail.

* Facts above courtesy of RAINN

• Acts of sexual violence are vastly under-reported. Yet, data show that our nation’s young students suffer from acts of sexual violence early and the likelihood that they will be assaulted by the time they graduate is significant. For example: Recent data shows nearly 4,000 reported incidents of sexual battery and over 800 reported rapes and attempted rapes occurring in our nation’s public high schools.
   
• Indeed, by the time girls graduate from high school, more than one in ten will have been physically forced to have sexual intercourse in or out of school. When young women get to college, nearly 20% of them will be victims of attempted or actual sexual assault, as will about 6% of undergraduate men.

• Victims of sexual assault are more likely to suffer academically and from depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, to abuse alcohol and drugs, and to contemplate suicide.

*Facts above courest of NSVRC

You can do your part to help bring awareness to this case by donating to one of the dozens of worthy international charities listed on the Fandom For Sexual Assault Awareness website at: http://fandom4saa.wordpress.com/where-to-donate/

Impact of Sexual Violence!

Since we began organizing the Fandom For Sexual Assault Awareness Fundraiser in late February, we have been shocked by the number of people who have come forward and advised us that Sexual Assault Awareness is a cause that hits home for them - either they have been assaulted or know someone who has. It’s because of these brave people that we have organized our little fandom fundraiser and are doing our best to promote it and the causes we urge you to donate towards.

** The following information is courtesy of the National Sexual Violence Research Center Factsheet on the Impact of Sexual Violence**

Sexual violence occurs whenever a person is forced, coerced, and/ or manipulated into any unwanted sexual activity, including when s/he is unable to consent due to age, illness, disability, or the influence of alcohol or other drugs.

Sexual violence includes rape, incest, child sexual assault, ritual abuse, non- stranger rape, statutory rape, marital or partner rape, sexual exploitation, sexual contact, sexual harassment, exposure, and voyeurism. It is a crime not typically motivated by sexual desire but by the desire to control, humiliate, and/or harm.

Sexual violence can violate a person’s trust and feeling of safety. It can, and does, happen to people of all ages, races, genders, sexual orientations, religions, professions, incomes, and ethnicities. Sexual violence affects all of us: survivors, significant others, communities, and society.

Impact on the survivor
Each survivor reacts to sexual violence in her/his own unique way. Personal style, culture, and context of the survivor’s life may affect these reactions. Some express their emotions while others prefer to keep their feelings inside. Some may tell others right away what happened, others will wait weeks, months, or even years before discuss- ing the assault, if they ever choose to do so. It is important to respect each person’s choices and style of coping with this traumatic event.

Whether an assault was completed or attempted, and regardless of whether it happened recently or many years ago, it may impact daily functioning. A wide range of reactions can impact victims. Some common emotional, psychologi-cal and physical reactions follow.

Emotional reactions
• Guilt, shame, self blame • Embarrassment • Fear, distrust • Sadness
• Vulnerability • Isolation • Lack of control • Anger • Numbness • Confusion • Shock, disbelief • Denial

Psychological reactions
• Nightmares • Flashbacks • Depression • Difficulty concentrating • Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) • Anxiety • Eating disorders • Substance use or abuse • Phobias • Low self esteem

Physical reactions
• Changes in eating or sleeping patterns • Increased startle response • Concerns about physical safety • Physical injury • Concerns about pregnancy or contracting an STI or HIV
Some health outcomes can be fatal such as suicide, homicide, maternal mortality and AIDS related deaths.

Impact on significant others
Sexual violence can affect parents, friends, partners, children, spouses, and/or co-workers of the survivor. As they try to make sense of what happened, significant others may experience similar reactions and feelings to those of the survivor. Fear, guilt, self-blame, and anger are but a few reactions they may experience.

In order to best support the survivor, it is important for those close to them to get support. Local social services providers offer free confidential services to women, men, and children who have been affected by sexual violence. This can include advocacy-based counseling in an individual, family or group setting; information and referral services; and 24-hour crisis intervention assistance.

Impact on communities
Communities also feel the effects of sexual violence. Schools, workplaces, neighborhoods, campuses, and cultural or religious communities may feel fear, anger, or disbelief if a sexual assault happened in their community. As with any form of violence, sexual violence tears at the fabric of community well-being. Additionally, there are financial costs to communities. These costs include medical services, criminal justice expenses, crisis and mental health services fees, and the lost contributions of individuals affect- ed by sexual violence.

According to the U.S. Department of Justice (1996) the cost of crime to victims is an estimated $450 billion per year. Rape is the most costly to its victims, totaling $127 billion annually.
Impact on society.

Sexual violence endangers critical societal structures through climates of violence and fear. According to the 1995 U.S. Merit Systems Protection Board, sexual harassment alone cost the federal government an estimated $327 million in losses associated with job turnover, sick leave, and individual and group productivity among federal employees.

Fifty percent of rape victims lost or were forced to quit their jobs in the year following their rapes due to the severity of their reactions (Ellis, Atkeson & Calhoun, 1981). Scholars at Johns Hopkins University School of Public Health indicated that development of Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is likely in 50 to 95 percent of rape cases (1999). Lifetime income loss, due to sexual violence in adolescence, is estimated at $241,600 (MacMillan, 2000). The contributions and achievements that may never come as a result of sexual violence is a cost to society that can’t be measured.

You can help
The healing process after sexual violence is often difficult and may take a long time, but with support, healing can occur. Visit http://www.nsvrc.org to find out more about how you can help support survivors, or to learn more about preventing sexual violence in your community.
The NSVRC website also provides a listing of sexual assault programs and other resources. In an immediate crisis, callers can connect to the closest participating center by dialing RAINN’s national routing number: 1-800-656-4673.