Farkle Pursued by CareMarie

* Author Name: farkle

* Stories: Art School Confidential, Don't Stand So Close to Me (on hiatus), Game Night

CareMarie: Tell us a little bit about yourself:
Farkle: I'm an artist and wife and mom to two gleefully feral children. I
grew up in Los Angeles, but I've lived all over the US and currently I live in the Midwest. Besides writing fan fiction, my only real hobby is knitting. If I could figure out a way to knit, sculpt, and write all at once I would be in heaven.

CareMarie: How did you get introduced into Fan Fiction?
Farkle: After reading Twilight I was browsing through a Ravelry group for Twilight fans and ran across links to two fan fic stories. I'd never heard of fan fiction before, and found it really amazing that something like that was out there. I read the stories and was totally hooked.

CareMarie: Do you remember the first story you read?
Farkle: Very well! The first story I read was The Arrangement by manyafandom. The second was Scotch, Gin and the New Girl. I loved how raunchy and erotic and emotional the stories were.

CareMarie: Is there a story behind your pen name?
Farkle: The Farkles were a family in a skit from the 60's show Laugh-In, and Sparkle Farkle was the daughter. My mother was a big fan and used to flash people and shout "Sparkle Farkle!" When I was looking at pen names I saw a lot of Sparkle variations, and every time I saw that I would think of Sparkle Farkle. So I picked farkle.


CareMarie: What story (ies) are you reading right now?
Farkle:  Fall to Ruin One Day by Sleepy Valentina and anything by Chicklette are about the only things I'm currently reading, but I'm woefully behind on those. Lately I haven't had much time for reading.

CareMarie: Do you have a favorite character and if so, why that character?
Farkle: It depends on who is writing. In SM's Twilight books I liked Edward best, even though I thought he was a controlling ass at times. Most of the fics I've read I liked Jasper best. He reminds me of my husband.

--Stories--

CareMarie: First off, tell us a little bit about your stories:
Farkle:  Art School Confidential is about an art student who has a rocky relationship with her emotionally unavailable model. Don't Stand starts with a graduate student having what he thinks is a one-night stand with a stranger, and becomes a story of forbidden love. Game Night is a fluffy smut one-shot with a surprise ending.

CareMarie: Why did you pick the pairings that you did?
Farkle: Edward and Bella are the classic, the hero and heroine coupling that brought me into fan fic.

CareMarie: Do you have a favorite point of view to write in?
Farkle: I write ASC entirely in Bella's point of view because I related to her best, and because I felt it was more interesting to write completely from one characters point of view, but I think that any future stories will likely be told in third person.

CareMarie: Was there a part in the Twilight Saga that inspired you?
Farkle: I loved the early relationship between Edward and Bella in Twilight, the way they dance around the things they are really thinking and feeling.

CareMarie: How did you decide to post your stories?
Farkle: Within a month of discovering fan fiction I realized that though some of the stories were really well-written, some were not, and I realized that all were written by people like me, people who just wanted to tell a story. I thought, I can do that. So I did. It never occurred to me to write and not post, it just seemed the natural thing to do. I've always wanted to write a story, I just felt I had nothing to tell. The great thing about fan fic is I discovered I can tell a story.

CareMarie: Have you ever changed your story outline based off of a review? If so, what was the review and what did you change?
Farkle: I've never changed the route of my story because of a review, though I do keep criticism in mind when I am writing. I really enjoy hearing what readers think, and what they expect. I have wonderful readers who give me a lot of great feedback, both what they think works and what doesn't, and I have learned a lot from both the writing and the reviews. I have two beta readers, MrsDazzled and Irritable Grizzly, and both give me feedback on the story. IG is brutally honest in her feedback, and knows the outline of my stories, so she helps keep me focused. Without a strong beta I think I would be much more dependent on reader feedback.

CareMarie: Do you have any new stories running around in your head that you're willing to share?
Farkle: I've had an idea for a Jasper and Alice short story set in Philadelphia, with Alice as a photographer and Jasper as a friend in need of some joy in his life, and I'm currently outlining an original erotica story, but most of my energy at the moment is going into ASC.

CareMarie: Do any of your characters in your story remind you of yourself?
Farkle: Yes and no. Canon Bella is about as close to me physically as you can get, which was a little creepy when I was reading the books. The only difference is I'm older. ASC Bella, being an artist, is a lot like I was at that age in terms of what she does and her viewpoint on the world, but I think I'm closer emotionally to Edward. Like him, I had a bad relationship and it took me a little time to get to a point where I was willing to be emotionally involved with someone again.