Author Interview: Seventeen Questions with Americnxidiot

Seventeen Questions With Americnxidiot!

I'm americnxidiot. I've been lurking around fandom for 21 months, writing for about fifteen of them. I actually feel a little freaked out now having done that math. Yikes. Anyway my main stories have been You Get Me Closer To God, Cascade and Cyanide, Memoria in Aeterna, Beautiful Beat, and my current story Purgatory: A Love Story. When I'm not secretly writing fanfic, I'm a taurus who enjoys chai lattes, skinny jeans, and sneakily reading fic on my blackberry.

1. What is your idea of the perfect story?

The perfect story for me if one that is angsty, but because of the situation rather than the couple. I do not want super relationship angst in my perfect story - I much prefer ones where their connection helps them overcome some other problem. It has sweet moments, sad moments, and an HEA.

2. Which individual (reader or writer) in the fandom do you most admire? 

This is probably an obvious choice for me, but ElleCC. She does so much in this fandom: writes, betas, leaves amazing reviews, and now the ficster, too. And even though she's involved in a lot of stuff, she still manages to stay both on top of everything and a really sweet person.

3. So you write epic heartfail, but love light hearted and fluff. What gives woman?

Sigh, haha. I think I am able to maintain a certain level of distance from my own stuff because I know how it's going to end. Also there's just something about telling a story that requires angst for me. I've tried writing multichapter humor/fluff, and I can't do it. I read fluff because... well, life can be shitty. Fluff can make me smile no matter how the day went.

4. What do you consider the most overrated attribute of Edward Cullen?

Making me go after my favorite character. I see how it is, H. But seriously probably the cheese factor. I can let canon Edward get away with it because he's not from this time period. When AH Edward launches into an epic monologue about how meteors represent his love, I might roll my eyes a little.

5. What do you most dislike about your writing?

I have a lot of trouble balancing description and keeping my narrator genuine. At first I couldn't do imagery at all, so I'm still struggling with that.

6. Which character in FF do you feel the most empathy for?

I think I don't really feel empathy for a particular character, but I do feel bad for whatever character ends up the villain - unless it's one of the nomads, the Volturi, or Lauren. I'm guilty of making Mike the bad guy, because it just made sense at the time, but none of the other characters were ever really cruel in the books.

7. Under pain of death, you have to choose, which is worse, reading Jella or reading a secondary canon couple (say Emmett and Rose)?

Oh secondary canon couple for sure. I just get bored of secondary pairings. Jella makes me mad.

8. Who are your favorite writers?

My favorite fic writer might be Pastiche Pen. I think she has real talent and the ability to write something beyond this, maybe more than anyone else I've seen in fandom. She's a smart lady. 

9. What would you consider absolute torture to read?

Okay, scenario: Edward is dead. Bella decides the best way to grieve is to throw an orgy with Jasper and Jacob on Edward's bed. Maybe Edward comes back to life like Juliet, sees the whole thing, then dies of shock again. That would be pretty sucky.

10. What was the one single most unfortunate thing about New Moon (the movie)? How would you fix it?

The lack of convincingly sweet moments to show how in love they were at the start of the book. I think even something like a montage (but only if done well) could have shown that they spent the whole summer deliriously happy. I don't think nonreaders are going to understand why she picks Edward.

11. If you could have written one ff story, what would it be?

Behind Enemy Lines. Sigh, I really loved that story. Either that or something like Work in Progress because that's funny as hell.

12. If you were to die and come back as a character or place from the saga, what would it be? Why?

I think I'd probably come back as Bella honestly - but Twilight Bella, not weird OOC Eclipse Bella. I'd say Leah, but I don't think I'm outwardly aggressive enough. Leah's much cooler, though.

interviewer note: anyone surprised by the first part of this answer please speak up now...

13. What is your favorite cliché? Ever caught yourself using it?

I don't know if it's cliché, but I love when people cleverly work canon quotes into AH fics in particular. I've only done it in angst, so that's not quite as satisfying.

14. Can you listen to Nine Inch Nails Closer now and not think of You Get Me Closer to God?

Never ever ever. This Christmas I was driving my friend home. Closer came on the radio, and I practically dove to change it. Otherwise I would have started laughing or blushing.

15. On what occasion do you wish you could self insert in a story?

If I was to self-insert (and I mean this is a totally not creepy way), I'd want to be Bella in Maybe I'm Amazed. Our high school histories are so similar, but she got the total flufftastic and awesome ending.

16. What will turn you off in a story?

Bella or Edward cheats on the other one. I won't even start Deadward, so I'll stick with the cheating one.

17. Would you have forgiven Edward at the end of New Moon? Oh wait, this is you we are talking about, of course you would. Would you have forgiven Jasper or Rose?

Lolll, I'm just gonna ignore the first half of the question. I would have forgiven Jasper. He was only following his instincts, and he felt really bad about it. I would have a harder time forgiving Rosalie. Her phone call to Edward was purely for selfish reasons.

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