Interviewer:  Techtra Tronical 

Interviewer: Tell us a little about your writing history. Did you enjoy compositions and short stories in school, or was this a later life passion? Have you previously written fanfiction?

Good question! I remember the first short story I ever wrote was in grade one or two, it was about two animals, and it was just four or five sentences. But I believe it was in Junior High, once I had learned the 'mechanics' of writing, the passion took hold. Through the years I had enjoyed assignments like [writing essays on various topics, and reading comprehension] - and some of these books inspired me to write stories of my own. One year my high school hosted a writer's club, and at the end of it, those who were a part of it were allowed to submit a short story and we created a publication as a memento.

Star Trek was the first fandom that I grew up with, and I was a huge fan back then, still am to some degree. For a time I also [was] a member of a local speculative fiction organization. So, in turn, my first fanfictions were written in that genre. However, instead of using the characters on the TV show, I made up my own, inspired by my friends at school and from the organization. Some of my stories even got published in the organization's newsletter.

Admittedly, since this was my first foray into writing, my early stories reflected my inexperience. Soon I grew out of that 'phase' and made more attempts [at] writing stories that had more substance to them. Several years later I self-published (with the help of my husband) a Star Trek story (with my original characters) to give as a holiday gift to a few friends.

What inspired you to write MCU fanfiction?

To this day, I still find it hard to explain. You see, due to life getting in the way / other things seemed to take priority, I had what you could call a 'writer's draught.' Sure, I would get ideas and jot them down, but as I made the attempt to make it into a story, the interest just fizzled, it just seemed [too] difficult to continue with the plot.

Then a few years back, a loved one had to be admitted to the hospital. It was a really trying time. After paying them a visit, when I got home, "The Avengers" (2012) were playing on TV. Something just clicked. After the countless times I've seen this film, I realized I could relate to Loki's situation. Soon I began to jot down little snippets/vignettes of things that I found amusing or things that Loki and I had in common. And then I saw 'Thor: Ragnarok.' (2017). At the end, Loki asks Thor, "...do you really think it's a good idea to bring ME back to earth?" For me, believing that it was - that's how the inspiration for "My Friend Loki" took place. (He's kind of been my muse ever since.)

You are also an admin for a fanpage of the hit Canadian drama 'Murdoch Mysteries', as well as co-admin for actor fanpage 'The Peter Keleghan Connection'. Have you written any Murdoch or PK fanfiction? Might you?

It's been a real blast being an Admin/Co-Admin for those pages. I'm a Creative Communications grad, a two-year course that had a curriculum immersing me in areas of learning advertising, journalism and public relations. Being able to flex those skills on this and other social media platforms, it's just honed my abilities for seeking out articles (to share verbatim or put my own spin on), and creating better social media content. (One day I hope to get a job helping a company with their social media, but for now this will suffice.)

As for writing fanfiction in those genres, there's been some dabbling. An MM serial story was composed on the fly and run on the fan page, as well as a vignette about Loki learning who Peter Keleghan is. More recently, however, although still in the brainstorming stage, a collaborative effort has been taken with a dear friend. Two characters from Murdoch Mysteries, well actually their descendants, are working together in modern times in some division of law enforcement, entitled "Meyers & Murdoch."

With my writing about my mischievous friend taking precedence. I'm planning sometime to introduce these characters in a vignette or future book, and then... write an original adventure about them (with my dear friend).

With multiple platforms out there, including Facebook itself, what drew you to Wattpad as the place to host your stories?

When I joined Instagram, I met up [with] a fellow fanfiction/Loki fan. She told me she posted her stories [on Wattpad], and since I was new to all this, I thought why not try it too? In fact it was [the] first app I ever heard about to publish stories, asides from joining a blog. When I published my first book, "My Friend Loki: The Price You Pay," she helped me promote it, and I got 1k readers in 5 months. I was floored by that. So for now, Wattpad remains as [the #1] platform I post on - although I am now eyeing other sites to get some more coverage.

Putting yourself out there on any kind of online platform often comes with the challenge of the comments section. I'm sure you and your readers know what I mean. How have you found that environment?

Surprisingly, more positive that negative! It just makes my day when someone reads any of my works and leaves a comment about how they enjoyed it. When this occurs I usually ask them [what] they liked about it. So far, responses have mainly been about appreciating the chemistry and loyalty between Loki and his friend, the lack of profanity and... even how I don't 'ship' the friends.

The negative ones are from those who have wanted me to ship them. I remind them there's a reason why the stories are called "My FRIEND Loki." One even said they weren't going to read the story, because they didn't like Loki being permanently in the friend zone... then ended up doing so. LOL! Couple weeks ago, I cross posted a link to a recently written story on a Facebook page, and got a comment that the vignette was "rubbish" and a "joke" - but didn't say why. I have learned not to engage trolls, so immediately alerted the Admin/Moderator and they deleted the comment. But it certainly was a shock!

When I get negative comments, this advice comes to mind (can't remember the source), "ask yourself who is giving this advice. Do you respect them? Is the criticism valid?" And so far, each time those answers [have] been "NO."

Besides the MCU, I understand much of your story content, like many authors', comes from real life. If you can, tell me a little about your process converting life into art. Is there a "self-helping" aspect to it?

Kind of - in two ways. If you've ever seen the movie "Working Girl" (1988) the character of Tess McGill has a knack of finding/remembering and putting information together to create robust ideas. This is how I write, as well as how I manage the pages on Facebook. It's all about the connections we have/make in life. For an example, when I learned my uncle in Toronto had passed away, it was a rude awakening to see it as a post from someone on social media while I was at work. It made me remember when Loki lost his mother in the movie Thor: The Dark World, as it was after her funeral a nondescript guard tells him what has happened while he is in his cell. It inspired me to write a vignette where Loki and his friend come together sharing their feelings on the lack of proper delivery of such information.

The other way is having previous experience (or getting experience) with locations and procedures. An example of this is [the aforementioned time a] loved one was in the hospital some time ago, and they spent two weeks there. I got to know how things work in a hospital and other certain details, so when I have to write about such things, it's not that difficult to describe. In my stories, there's usually a moment where Loki, his friend or both of them are visiting the resident doctor in SHIELD's Med Centre. Also in the story, 'I Die Without You," Loki's friend is taken to a New York hospital and he stays with her, keeping her calm for the several hours it takes to get processed at triage, taken to a room for examination and treatment.Sometimes you can make this stuff up, I mean the stories are fiction - but I still will do my homework/research. I want the reader to feel a realism/truth when it comes to a scene or a location. Like it could have happened/existed.

Are there any writers, either traditionally known/published ones or fellow Wattpadians, from whom you draw inspiration?

There's a quite a few, but the highlights for traditional ones would be Maureen Jennings, Neil Gaiman and Diane Carey. (But a special mention about Maureen Jennings - those that have read a certain Murdoch Mysteries book, it's that moment where a constable shares his cheese sandwich with the Detective, because nothing is open on a Sunday. It's little details that make a moment that much more real.)

As for Wattpadians: Sumi_245 (a writer who is on the same wavelength as me and a very sweet individual), Aeneth9731 (a writer [of predictive text], and another sweet like-minded individual) Loki-The-Trickster (for his daily posts and his ideas on our mischievous friend in roleplay mode), aprilloveschocolate (the person who introduced me to Wattpad, and writes some good poetry), and loki_sherlock_loves (a writer who is always quick to read my work and leaves good comments)!

Some writers designate a specific time of day for their writing, or a specific length of time they must write each day. Do you have any writing routines or personal rules?

At the moment I've been taking a break from writing, preparing for my third book of 'My Friend Loki.' But I've been doing some other projects that flex my writing muscles (along with some vignettes when 'the muse' calls upon me). However, when I do get back into my routine, this is how it usually goes: whenever the time is available, and when I am inspired.

I don't really have any hard or fast rules, except for one. I write in what I call 'plateaus.' When I start a chapter or scene, like a TV show or movie, I know where a scene begins and where it has to end. I find the writing process less overwhelming this way - just one step at a time. You can't rush good work.

You recently submitted your stories to the Wattys, Wattpad's site awards. What has that process been like? As a relatively new writer onto the scene, did you feel totally ready or "ready as I'll ever be"?

Ready as I'll ever be, I'd say. Asides from school, I hadn't entered any writing contest in my adult life, so I thought it would be worth making the attempt. For me, the process to enter these Watty Awards was educational - I learned how to write better, honing my grammar/punctuation skills and how to put together story summaries. I also became a believer of the Grammarly keyboard!

But I'd be [remiss] if I didn't mention the assistance from my friends reading these summaries to make sure they sounded right. Putting this all together took about 3 weeks and took me away from projects I wanted to [write], but delaying my schedule was all worth it.

When the winners were posted - I was not one of them. However, gaining more experience [towards] becoming a better writer, well I believe that is a better reward.

Finally, as we've already touched on how sharing online can be a vicious experience, what advice would you give to writers just considering posting their work on Wattpad, Facebook, or otherwise?

The truth is not everyone is going to appreciate your work. Don't worry about it. Write for yourself first. And don't write a half-assed story. I've read my share, and seriously, if you're not going [to] give it your all, why are you even doing this in the first place? New writers, who have to start somewhere, their story may reflect their inexperience, but you can tell the difference in their effort. For those who believe they've written a good solid story, done their homework and it reads well, with proper grammar and punctuation, be brave and just post it (on your most preferred social media platform), get it out there for people to see.

I use Wattpad because it's user friendly, and for the most part good community depending on who you follow. If you're on Facebook, it's easy to share Wattpad links to your work on your personal page or pages that are like-minded (for me, I'm able to share to two groups on Facebook for more readership). Once your work is out in public - then the fun begins!

What's your favourite and least favourite "scene" / passage to write?

Favourite scenes - dialogue/interactions with characters. For me, it's fun trying to come up with clever conversations, especially when writing about my favourite duo, Loki and his friend. You also have to keep track of things depending on where they are talking, like if they are eating, drinking, holding hands - so one action can lead naturally to another.

Least favourite - dark, sad scenes. You really have to prepare yourself mentally - well at least for me I do. Upon writing "I Die Without You," the last few chapters, I had to explore a deeper kind of darkness, something visceral. You see this was about a character dealing with the loss of someone they cared for deeply. As I wrote those chapters, I found myself crying, and quite a lot ([a] box of Kleenex was by my side). It certainly took a toll on me, but despite how hard it was, I feel enriched for doing it. It made me have a new and better respect for writers/authors and actors. And now that I am aware I CAN do this... I won't be afraid of venturing into those places again. But hopefully not too soon!
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Thank you for taking the time to answer these questions, Masada42!
Best of luck with your future stories and aspirations!

To end with some fun, allow me to repeat two of my favourite parts from this interview:

"... a special mention about - those that have read a certain Murdoch Mysteries book, it's that moment where a constable shares his cheese sandwich with the Detective, because nothing is open on a Sunday. It's little details that make a moment that much more real[.]"

"... don't write a half-assed story. ... New writers, who have to start somewhere, their story may reflect their inexperience, but you can tell the difference[.]"