Twilight Fanfic: Interview with author ilsuocantante

In my Wide Awake stupor, I went in search of more...luckily, on The Lazy, Yet Discerning Ficster (TLYDF) blog there was a little fanfic called Answering Bell featured in their Dumpster Dive Treasure Find. Here is what they had to say about it:

Mission: Find a story that doesn't require a bleach chaser.

Parameters: New, Intriguing, Under Appreciated
The Pearl: Answering Bell

Summary: After her divorce, Bella is broken. She moves away from Forks and resolves to move on with her life. With the help of some new friends, can she find love again? AU/AH, slightly OOC. I suck at summaries, but give it a shot.

Twilight - Fiction Rated: M - English - Hurt/Comfort/Romance -

Why I Read This: First of all, even though this summary contains those words that I typically run away from, I gave it a shot. What I found was a well-planned, well thought out story that deserves far more attention that it has. I do admit to being confused in the beginning, but by the time I got to the second chapter, things made much more sense. I like a Bella who has the strength to make changes in her life and plow forward, doing what she needs to do even if that means leaving her comfort zone. After 5 chapters, the author has introduced us to the main players in the story and I'm more than just a little bit interested in seeing where she intends to take the story. It is definitely worth the read and the time.

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Well, that peaked my interest and I was quickly hooked. Answering Bell's author, ilsuocantante, granted me a little interview.

How long have you been writing and what led you to focus on Twilight related fanfiction?

When I was in middle/high school I would write really bad short stories and angsty poetry. This is the first time I've written anything and actually let other people read it though. It's been a little nerve wracking for me, but overall a good experience.

Before Twilight, I really had no idea that fanfiction existed. I'd heard murmurings of Harry Potter stories, but figured it was mostly Snape on Harry smut or something, which I had no interest in since I thought of those characters as kids.

With Twilight... well, I'm probably going to take some heat for this, but I really didn't enjoy the books that much. I got bullied into reading it by a coworker, and became fascinated by the concept but found the writing in general lacking. I was left with a lot of questions, and started making up stories in my head to answer them. Then I stumbled on fanfiction, became obsessed, and decided to try my hand at writing them down. And there my first two short stories were born.

Who or what has been your biggest inspiration?

Character-wise, Edward. I find his mind fascinating; so dark and tortured. I really wish Stephenie Meyer had expanded on him in the books. Midnight Sun was great, but again I was left with a lot of questions. I really hope she finishes it.

As far as inspiration from the fanfiction world, the first fic I read was Spiral Static by Coquettishness. I found it and thought, hell yes! Someone else who needed the 'fade to black' parts filled in. That really inspired the first one-shots I wrote.

Overall all, I find AngstGoddess003's Wide Awake incredibly inspiring, as well as tara sue me's The Submissive/The Dominant... and of course, anything that Withthevampsofcourse and Jandco have written. Mskathy's The Discovery of Bella Swan and The List by Laura Cullen are also favorites.

What have your stories and growing fan base brought out in you personally?

I think it's a little too early to say I have an actual fanbase, but thanks haha :) the process in general has reaffirmed my love of writing, and the response I've gotten has boosted my confidence in my ideas and technique more than I can say. I was really nervous when I started Answering Bell; I'd never written anything more than a few thousand words other than for school, so it was definitely a big step for me and I'm really enjoying the experience.

What do you hope to accomplish through your stories?

To be honest, I'm just having fun testing my creative waters. I dont have an agenda with my stories, other than hopefully entertaining the reader.

You're putting a lot of heart and soul into Answering Bell right now. Do you intend it to be a long story or do you already have other storylines swirling in your head fighting to get out?

Like I said, this is my first time attempting anything like this... so i'm kind of flying by the seat of my pants here! I have a definite direction that I'm heading in, but can't tell you for sure how long or short this is going to be. I am estimating about 20 chapters at this point. I do have a couple other storylines that I'm kicking around at the moment. One will be canon, post-BD, but may turn into a one shot since it's a very specific scene I have in mind. the other could be either AU or AU-AH, I haven't decided yet. i will most likely wait on those until Answering bell is completed.

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Well, just to let you know, you ARE building quite the devoted fanbase here with The Twilight Sisterhood & Team Moose! Keep up the great work and thanks for taking some time out to talk to us.

On her profile you can see her cast of characters for Answering Bell as well as what they're wearing throughout the story. It's still a work in progress, but she just posted Chapter 8 yesterday and is working diligently on more. You can also find her one-shots there, The Good Fight and Sex On Fire, but keep in mind these stories are written for Mature Audiences and RATED M for a reason!