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bookaholicgirl:
What was the starting point for the Darkness and Light trilogy? (In other words, why did you write it?)
It was really started out as a vehicle for my Grand Unified Snape Theory. I hadn't paid much attention to Snape in the first three books of canon, but as soon as I read that scene near the end of GoF -- where Snape rolls up his sleeve to show Fudge the Dark Mark and delivers that impassioned speech -- the penny dropped. Finding out that he'd turned spy against Voldemort "at great personal risk", and that he might be expected to act as a double agent again now that Voldemort had returned... it changed my whole perspective on his character. I remembered how JKR had practically dedicated the whole first book of the series to showing that Harry's interpretation of Snape's thoughts, motives and actions was not always reliable; and it made me wonder how different Snape might look through the eyes of someone who came prepared to believe the best about him, rather than the worst...
Also, Snape In Love seemed like an interesting challenge to try and tackle. There weren't very many romantic Snapefics out there at that point (indeed, there didn't seem to be that many Snapecentric fics at all), and the one or two I had read didn't strike me as very plausible. So I started wondering, what kind of woman would be a good match for Snape? What qualities would she need to a) win his respect, b) put up with him, and b) balance him out? It seemed to me that with his many and varied faults, some of them serious and not all of which can be explained away by him being "undercover", it would be difficult for anyone to just fall in love with him in the traditional romantic sense. So that got me thinking about agape love -- one of my favorite themes -- and the way JKR connects love and mercy and self-sacrifice, and, well, the rest of the trilogy sort of tumbled out of that.
If you could only listen to five songs for the rest of your life, which ones would you pick?
If I think too much about this one I can't answer it at all, so I'll just respond with songs that come to mind as ones I especially like:
"Without You" by Talk Talk
"Wanderlust" by David Sylvian
"Time and Again" by a-ha
"Then They Will Know" by Michael Card
"Walking on the Spot" by Crowded House
...and tomorrow I shall be annoyed with myself for not picking different answers. I would have included a favorite hymn or two, but I can sing those to myself, so I wouldn't need recordings of them. :)
If you had a daughter, what would you name her?
I like the name Taryn, but my husband thinks it's weird, alas. So that's out. We have a couple of names that we both like reasonably well (and it took us forever to find those), but you'll have to wait until we actually have a daughter (or give up on the idea of having one) to find out. :)
Do you know anyone by the last name of Behrenwald in your home town?
Not where I'm living right now, no; nor in any of the other places I've lived over the years (our family moved every 5-6 years on average while I was growing up, so I've been in quite a few).
When was the last time you had eggs for breakfast?
This morning. I eat a three-egg omelette with cheese and bacon for breakfast every second day. Mmm, eggs.
Fromrose_in_shadow:
Who is your favorite Bible character and why? (besides Jesus)
Daniel. Daniel is so amazingly cool. Courage, integrity, wisdom, intelligence, and total commitment to the Lord -- what's not to like?
How did you become a Christian?
I was bored one summer afternoon, and followed some other kids up the street to a neighbourhood church that was putting on a Vacation Bible School. The lesson that day was about sin, and how our guilt separates us from God. That was the first time it had ever really hit me that I was a sinner, that I'd deliberately done things I knew to be wrong, and that a perfect God could never accept a sinful person like me. I'm sure somewhere in the lesson they talked about hell, but it wasn't fear that overwhelmed me -- it was guilt, and shame. I knew Christ had died for those sins I committed -- I'd grown up hearing Bible stories and lessons at home -- but I'd never before recognized or acknowledged my personal need of Him. So as soon as the lesson was over, I ran home and begged my Mom to tell me what I should do. Then I hurried up the stairs to my room and prayed, telling God I knew I was a sinner, that I knew His Son had died and risen again to save me from those sins, and asking Him to forgive me and change me. I know now that I was saved before I even prayed those words, because God knew what was in my heart already; but it was a good way of making it official in my own mind, so to speak. That was more than twenty-five years ago... it seems hard to believe it's been that long.
You have "Fanny Price" listed as an interest; why do you like her? (I don't care for Mansfield Park very much myself so I'm curious)
Mansfield Park is probably my least favorite Jane Austen novel, and I've only read it once. But I was surprised when I discovered how many people strongly dislike Fanny and think she's a self-righteous little prude. I didn't get that impression from her at all myself, so that made me feel like defending her. And when I saw she was listed in somebody else's LJ interests I added her to my list as well. Mind you, I could never be bothered to get involved in any of the Austenite flamewars on the subject, so I'm not that much of a Fanny Defender. (Doesn't that sound like a kind of football padding? Hee.)
What does your husband think of your online marauding?
He is amazed that I actually enjoy spending time on the computer when I don't actually have to. He knows how to use one, and in fact uses one all the time for work, but he sure doesn't enjoy it. Other than telling me I'm nuts, though, he humours me. :)
What is the air-speed velocity of an unladen swallow?
I don't know.... aaaAAAAAAAARRRRGggggghhh!!!
Thanks to all of you for your questions. I'll take more if anybody's got 'em.
bookaholicgirl:What was the starting point for the Darkness and Light trilogy? (In other words, why did you write it?)
It was really started out as a vehicle for my Grand Unified Snape Theory. I hadn't paid much attention to Snape in the first three books of canon, but as soon as I read that scene near the end of GoF -- where Snape rolls up his sleeve to show Fudge the Dark Mark and delivers that impassioned speech -- the penny dropped. Finding out that he'd turned spy against Voldemort "at great personal risk", and that he might be expected to act as a double agent again now that Voldemort had returned... it changed my whole perspective on his character. I remembered how JKR had practically dedicated the whole first book of the series to showing that Harry's interpretation of Snape's thoughts, motives and actions was not always reliable; and it made me wonder how different Snape might look through the eyes of someone who came prepared to believe the best about him, rather than the worst...
Also, Snape In Love seemed like an interesting challenge to try and tackle. There weren't very many romantic Snapefics out there at that point (indeed, there didn't seem to be that many Snapecentric fics at all), and the one or two I had read didn't strike me as very plausible. So I started wondering, what kind of woman would be a good match for Snape? What qualities would she need to a) win his respect, b) put up with him, and b) balance him out? It seemed to me that with his many and varied faults, some of them serious and not all of which can be explained away by him being "undercover", it would be difficult for anyone to just fall in love with him in the traditional romantic sense. So that got me thinking about agape love -- one of my favorite themes -- and the way JKR connects love and mercy and self-sacrifice, and, well, the rest of the trilogy sort of tumbled out of that.
If you could only listen to five songs for the rest of your life, which ones would you pick?
If I think too much about this one I can't answer it at all, so I'll just respond with songs that come to mind as ones I especially like:
...and tomorrow I shall be annoyed with myself for not picking different answers. I would have included a favorite hymn or two, but I can sing those to myself, so I wouldn't need recordings of them. :)
If you had a daughter, what would you name her?
I like the name Taryn, but my husband thinks it's weird, alas. So that's out. We have a couple of names that we both like reasonably well (and it took us forever to find those), but you'll have to wait until we actually have a daughter (or give up on the idea of having one) to find out. :)
Do you know anyone by the last name of Behrenwald in your home town?
Not where I'm living right now, no; nor in any of the other places I've lived over the years (our family moved every 5-6 years on average while I was growing up, so I've been in quite a few).
When was the last time you had eggs for breakfast?
This morning. I eat a three-egg omelette with cheese and bacon for breakfast every second day. Mmm, eggs.
From
rose_in_shadow:Who is your favorite Bible character and why? (besides Jesus)
Daniel. Daniel is so amazingly cool. Courage, integrity, wisdom, intelligence, and total commitment to the Lord -- what's not to like?
How did you become a Christian?
I was bored one summer afternoon, and followed some other kids up the street to a neighbourhood church that was putting on a Vacation Bible School. The lesson that day was about sin, and how our guilt separates us from God. That was the first time it had ever really hit me that I was a sinner, that I'd deliberately done things I knew to be wrong, and that a perfect God could never accept a sinful person like me. I'm sure somewhere in the lesson they talked about hell, but it wasn't fear that overwhelmed me -- it was guilt, and shame. I knew Christ had died for those sins I committed -- I'd grown up hearing Bible stories and lessons at home -- but I'd never before recognized or acknowledged my personal need of Him. So as soon as the lesson was over, I ran home and begged my Mom to tell me what I should do. Then I hurried up the stairs to my room and prayed, telling God I knew I was a sinner, that I knew His Son had died and risen again to save me from those sins, and asking Him to forgive me and change me. I know now that I was saved before I even prayed those words, because God knew what was in my heart already; but it was a good way of making it official in my own mind, so to speak. That was more than twenty-five years ago... it seems hard to believe it's been that long.
You have "Fanny Price" listed as an interest; why do you like her? (I don't care for Mansfield Park very much myself so I'm curious)
Mansfield Park is probably my least favorite Jane Austen novel, and I've only read it once. But I was surprised when I discovered how many people strongly dislike Fanny and think she's a self-righteous little prude. I didn't get that impression from her at all myself, so that made me feel like defending her. And when I saw she was listed in somebody else's LJ interests I added her to my list as well. Mind you, I could never be bothered to get involved in any of the Austenite flamewars on the subject, so I'm not that much of a Fanny Defender. (Doesn't that sound like a kind of football padding? Hee.)
What does your husband think of your online marauding?
He is amazed that I actually enjoy spending time on the computer when I don't actually have to. He knows how to use one, and in fact uses one all the time for work, but he sure doesn't enjoy it. Other than telling me I'm nuts, though, he humours me. :)
What is the air-speed velocity of an unladen swallow?
I don't know.... aaaAAAAAAAARRRRGggggghhh!!!
Thanks to all of you for your questions. I'll take more if anybody's got 'em.
