A Christmas To Remember - Contest Winners Announced!

This was such a fun contest to host and I know I speak for both Alex and myself when I say we really enjoyed every entry. We want to thank all of those that read the entries, voted and reviewed. Authors thrive on feedback and should be given major props for putting their work out there for all to read. It is no easy task to see it start to finish... Most of all we want to thank all those that entered...it wouldn't have been a contest without your hard work. So thank you !!!  If you have not had a chance to read the entries, please visit A Christmas To Remember FanFiction Profile to read all the awesome stories.  We hope you enjoy reading them as much as we did!!

With that I give you the Winner of the Public Vote

Please read interview below (under the cut) with the lovely authors of Willow jarkin33 & phoebes.promise.

Judge's Picks ~ Honorable Mention

A Christmas to Remember - Public Vote Winner Interview

Jaime's Answers --

When did you discover Twilight?

shit.. when... it was right around the time Breaking Dawn was released, THANK GOD cuz if I'd have had to wait to read them I might have literally died.  I devoured the series in 3 days and then read them again... and again.. THO I am not a fan of New Moon tend to only read the beginning and end of that one.. just am not.

Are you in the "closet"

nope.. absolutely not.  I have my Team Edward keychain on my keyring and I have Rpattz pics all over my office at work.  I think the only actor's name that my child officially knows is Robert Pattinson.  He gets just as excited when he sees something Rpattz.. I've trained him well!  As far as the writing.. some people know, some don't and I'm ok with that!

When and how did you find the Twilight fandom?

I think I was just starting out on Twitter and of course you see the blogs and tweets of people saying you should check this out so I did... and I haven't really looked back since. I don't know whether to laugh or cry somedays. I have made some incredible friends who will be around even after these movies and stories have disappeared so I am grateful for that. 

What made you want to start writing?

What or who??? I have an answer for both. Honestly, I love the song Breakeven by The Script and for weeks I was trying to get someone to just find some time and write me a damn story about it... and dispite all the begging and pleading, no one jumped. My lovely friend told me to do it myself... put the words down and see what I come up with.  I ended up writing the whole thing before posting ... which I might add is an excellent idea :)

I will add that Mary (Teambella23) had been telling me that I should be writing for a while. I even did an outtake for Closer for her, but I always felt I was just a reader... I think it even said that on my profile for a while!  Then I had this idea ... you know... the "what if..." kind of thing.  This is what i see when I hear that song.

So - long story short - I don't think it was ever a 'want' per se, more of someone pushing me to at least try.  I was stunned by the response that I got with Barely Breathing. I honestly thought the 10 people who like me on twitter were going to be the only ones who saw it.

What inspires you to write?

My lovely friend phoebespromise - she makes sure I'm still into it, but aside from that, it could be a song, or a picture or ... anything really.  Lately it seems like a fic world.. you know everything you see would make a good story! :) I think the twitter tag for that is #fichasruinedmylife

What inspired your story you wrote for our contest?

This is tough to answer - it wasn't any one thing... we  were skyping and talking about it throwing ideas around.  It was a Christmas contest so we wanted something light and fun and sweet, but we didn't want something that had them in the same kinds of jobs doing the same things and there had to be a reason these two me.  From there, we wanted to create characters that we liked and swooned over!   

How do you come up with your story lines?

Just plain old brainstorming for this one... we talk about story lines that haven't been explored yet.  Always looking for something unique.  With so much fic out there that can be tough to do.

How did I come up with TWSL... a conversation with my friend and she said "ok you have to write this story about Bella.. she runs a b&b... wait is there anything like that out there.. NO? ok.. you write it!" hahaha

What are your favorite fics? Either completed or work in progress?
UGH - I'm a fic h00r seriously.. so I am reading a lot of stuff that's in progress.. i absolutely adore a good Edward and unique storyline!  Current faves right now though include:

Dead on My Feet by cesca marie, The Companion & Ninety Days by samrosey, On Grey Mornings by littlesecret84, Love is the End by my soulmate phoebes.promise, My Viking (rec'd to me today - couldn't stop) by sheviking, We Come to Life Beneath the Stars by Lillybellis, All the Wild Horses by elusivetwilight... should I go on..

Drift by denverpopcorn is a newly completed fic that I just loved... it ended perfectly!!  An all time fave completed fic Somewhere Between Crimson & Blue by antiaol - just love it.

What do you HAVE to have with you when you write? Any particular place you need to be?

I'm not picky... I mean I wrote all the lemons for the last few projects I was working on over Thanksgiving with family surrounding me! hahah.  I suppose I only need my laptop and I'm good to go!

What is your favorite POV to write in? Which pairing is your favorite?

I'm an Edward/Bella girl all the way... I cringe a bit when I see them with others.  HOWEVER.. .I don't mind a little slash if I can admit that and that's a free for all!

I actually adore writing in EPOV.  TWSL was supposed to be alternating POV's in my original notes, but when it came to writing it, I just felt more comfortable doing it from his POV with the occassional BPOV popping up here and there.  I don't know why that is though...

Do you have any advice to give for anyone looking to start writing FanFiction?

find someone who will support you and give you good advice and good feedback and tell you when what you just wrote was shit and sucked donkey balls. phoebes.promise has really supported and pushed me and I adore her for it. 

How do you overcome writers block?

I usually go work on something else... and it's funny you should ask this today because I'm about 90% of the way thru a chapter and just can't figure out what the fuck I'm doing with the end... I know what I want to do but the words aren't coming.  So my focus goes to other things for a bit.. making banners, working on the blogs, editing stuff and just getting a clear head and then coming back to it.

If you could be any character from your stories, who would it be?
Fuck - I'd be Bella in a heartbeat, are you kidding me.  Edward adores her and UGH - I'd take it no question.  Yeah she had some shit stuff but no question.

Favorite book?

shit - that 's tough.. I want to put something all smart sounding here, but I know that isn't going to happen. Lately the ones I like are stories I can lose myself in and just read - no heavy thinking or anything.  The last series that gripped me like Twilight was The Hunger Games series or The Vampire Academy Series.  I probably don't have a single favorite book of all time. I'm honestly NOT a rereader.  I figure while it was good, there are tons of new things I haven't yet experienced out there yet!

Favorite musical artist?

TRICK QUESTION!! I know it!! I'm a music fiend... I can't pick just one... so you'll get a few of my top faves right now
The Script
Coldplay
Keane
Radiohead
Mumford & Sons
Beastie Boys
Lykke Li
Cake
Broken Bells
Muse
Phantogram
Metric
Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Fave song right now... Sweetest Disposition by The Temper Trap -- Love it .. go listen now! :)

Are you working on anything right now that you can share with us?

Sure - phoebespromise and I just finished  up an entry for the Pick A Pic banner / writing contest being hosted by TwiFicPics and then we have a few things up our sleeves.  She's of course got her lovely Love is the End continuing and I have a few more chapters coming of The White Swan Lodge ... and then... who knows!! :)  

Definitely more writing with my lovely friend if she'll have me!

A Christmas to Remember
phoebes.promise

When did you discover Twilight? 
I was quite late to the soiree. A friend asked me to go see New Moon with her after drinks one night. I was the lovely loser sitting in the back asking why Edward looked so pale. True story. Then I devoured the books in a matter of days and never looked back.

Are you in the "closet" 
My respect and love of Rob and Kristen’s work is loud. My writing of Twilight Fan Fiction is very much a discreet, private affair.

When and how did you find the Twilight fandom? 
Enjoying R/K and Twilight blogs, boards led to a MOTU link which led to The Gentleman from Washington State which led to The Guardian…

What made you want to start writing?
I sent Jaime a few lines of the Love is the End prologue and asked her what it made her feel. Her reaction was my goal, so I continued.

What inspires you to write?
I think writing is very therapeutic. It’s amazing that you can manipulate your characters into doing and saying things you wish you had. I enjoy developing characters through reactions and dialogue. It’s like an exploration into the human condition.

What inspired your story you wrote for our contest?
I have to say writing this story together was so much fun, it should have been illegal. Thank you for hosting the contest! Jaime and I brainstormed through many holiday themes. We focused on a cozy, small town idea. It was imperative our Edward wore snow boots and stood under twinkling lights at some point. We both enjoy a particular type of Edward, so we built from there. Jaime has a very large ‘basket of pretty’ that she draws from for our inspiration.

How do you come up with your story lines?
My imagination is in constant motion. There’s a story and character everywhere you go… the market, the office, a coffee shop. I love studying interaction, attitude, motivation. I really appreciate quiet, believable stories… tiny slices of life.

What are your favorite fics? Either completed or work in progress?
I love Jaime’s Lodge creation. It’s so sexy, sweet and smart. Adventureward is a gorgeous lover. samrosey’s The Companion is absolutely beautiful and lyrical. Littlesecret84’s On Grey Mornings is exceptional storytelling, and denver popcorn’s Drift has gorgeous, believable phrasing.

What do you HAVE to have with you when you write? Any particular place you need to be?
I try to write outside on the patio or by a large window… anywhere there’s natural light and peace.

What is your favorite POV to write in? Which pairing is your favorite? 
I absolutely love the challenge of writing from EPOV. It’s fascinating to explore a man’s mind, impulses and reason. I’m faithful to the E/B pairing, but I find it really important that they’ve had realistic past experiences. Those prior relationships make them grow and motivate what they do together. I love an Edward characterization with a mature past… makes him more confident, sexy.

Do you have any advice to give for anyone looking to start writing FanFiction? 
Don’t hesitate, just write. There’s no incorrect style. Write about topics you're familiar with, create characters that are believable and excite you, and make a support nest. I couldn’t and wouldn’t do this without my beta Jaime and my pre reader Renas40. Make an outline and go for it!! It’s a wonderful escape.

How do you overcome writers block? 
I read my reviews and messages. I consider readers my friends, they’re so incredibly supportive and intuitive. They motivate me to process, be honest in the words and write better than the last chapter.

If you could be any character from the your stories, who would it be?
I actually love this Bella. I wouldn’t mind consuming spiked egg nog and snuggling in with the sexy, capable, small town veterinarian.

Favorite book? 
The Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri

Favorite musical artist? 
Norah Jones, Natalie Merchant, vintage Santana…

Are you working on anything right now that you can share with us?
Jaime and I just completed another o/s for the Pick a Pic challenge titled, War Zone. I’m really proud of it and it was exciting to co-write with her again. The subject matter was a huge departure for both of us. We have a great time planning and detailing plots. Collaborating with her is serious bliss. We both bring different experiences and ideas into it. We mix and mold and laugh our way through to the end. Undoubtedly, we’ll do another in the future, I hope! Love is the End is my multi-chapter piece. It’s a raw love story that explores textured relationships and levels of love. Everyone and everything is flawed, such is reality. I’m really passionate about it, and so grateful for the positive, emotional response.

Thank you for voting!!