Interview with Leilani972

We’re here today with a writer, graphic maker, reader and one of my favorite people in the fandom. I’m talking about Leilani972!

She writes, she creates amazing manips and banners, and she reads! She’s sweet, funny and very talented! I might not be very objective here because I adore her, but you judge by yourselves. Sit down comfortably and find out more about her… I can assure you it’ll be love at first word!

Q: I think we met around three years ago, correct me if I’m wrong. But you have been part of the fandom way before, right? How did you end up in the world of fanficiton?

A: I fell into the circle in 2001, right after the release of “Lord of the Rings”. I've read the Tolkien's saga right after, but I had no idea of what happened to Legolas, so I read a lot of fictions about him and Samwise Gamegie, too. Then I came back in the world of fanfiction right in 2009, after watching New Moon. I fell in love with Jacob and Leah's characters and that was it!

I guess I'm a creepy reader obsessed with secondary characters!

Q: Oh, my Lord… of the Rings! See what I did there? Lol. I love those books and movies too! Do you support any other fandoms apart from those you mentioned?

A: I'm a Twi-heart, I'm also a Ringer and I love reading fiction on Fringe, NCIS and Gilmore Girls (yeah I'm a hidden softie).

Q: Gilmore Girls! You’ve got to love that show! I always liked the chemistry Lori and Lorelai had. Best daughter-mother relationship ever! Talking about family, does your family know you are a fanfictioner?

A: They know about all my bad habits, and one of my sisters actually read one of my stories. She was shocked, to say the least, when she read a lemon. She was like “You know what sex is?”.

A little cousin also tried to read some of my stories, but I ratted him out to his mother because I didn't want her to think I was corrupting her 17 year old son with my lemons!

Q: On that note, your stories, you have many posted on fanfiction.net, but why did you start writing?

A: I started because I felt the characters I loved weren't treated as they should or at least not enough in my native language. For example, in Leah's case, we're actually 3 authors writing multi-chapter stories about her in French.

Q: You come up with amazing and really original ideas for yours stories, how do you come up with those story lines?

A: I usually dream about them, then I forget about the dream but I know it was special, so I become frustrated and I don't stop writing until I manage to make something that satisfy my brain enough to dream about something else!

Q: That is very frustrating! You have an amazing dream, wake up and forget about it… That brings me to my next question, how do you find inspiration when the ideas just won't flow?

A: I talk a lot with my friends. I ask them what they'd do if they were in my story. I gather as much advices I can and I try to work with that as I listen to “Eye of the Tiger” to motivate myself!

Q: Oh my God! I’ll have to try that some time! Lol. Now, what advice would you give to anyone wanting to start writing?
A: You're writing for yourself above all. Don't hesitate to do it if it's really what you want and put all your heart into it. Even if your grammar is poor, even if you receive flames, don't give up. Your writing will improve with time and you'll feel proud of yourself, whether you publish it or not.

Q: Are you working on anything right now you would like to tell us about?

A: I'm trying to translate all my French stories about Leah Clearwater in English. It's a hard task, but I think it will be a great accomplishment.

Q: Oh, that’s awesome news! Hear that, more Leah stories! Okay, which of your stories are you most proud of?

A: As a French writer, I'm really proud of “Curiosity Killed the Wolf”. It's really the first fiction I wrote in English without doing an outline in French. It's not over yet, but I can feel the improvement and I love reading the feedbacks of it. It's a good experience to write in another language, but it's also a tough cookie. Now, even at work I can't find my words in my native language. It's kinda weird because now people think that I'm showing off but I just can't switch my mind from English to French until my story's done.

Q: It’s funny you mention this! It happens to me too! Sometimes, after reading and chatting in English I can’t switch it off! And I agree on the writing in English part. It’s hard but I love doing it! Now, what’s your least favorite story?

A: I had a story about Jasper's life, from his transformation to his meeting with Alice. I've tried to explain his life as a newborn, and then The second life of Bree Tanner came out and I was so bummed that I gave it up.

Q: On that note, what would you have done differently if you could do it again?

A: I don't regret anything, because it showed how much I've progressed. Maybe I'd have tried to write in English earlier, but I think everything happens for a reason.

Q: What were your biggest learning experience(s) or surprise(s) throughout the publishing process?

A: There were two experiences that changed my way of writing.

The first one was when I received my first flame. I'm a very sensitive person and it really crushed me to read that someone was finding my work 'worthless and stupid'. I was depressed for a month or so and I thought about stopping right away. But then I read the other readers' reaction and their support made me overcome the pain. Now, every time I receive a flame, I just try to focus on my writing because I feel that if I make a single person happy with what I've written, it'll be worth it.

The second one was writing my first lemon. Oh my! What a ride! It took me almost a week to finish it, and when I updated the story, people said “That's a lemonade, not a lemon! You can do better than that!” And I did, but it took me two weeks!

Q: When we chat, you always tell me you’re writing. What’s next for you? Are there any new stories coming soon?

A: I have a lot of ideas! I don't think I'll stop writing anytime soon. The next one will probably be a Fringe fanfic, but I'll still write Blackwater stories, I swear!

Q: That’s good news for Blackwater fans! So, many people know you for your stories, but there's much more about you. You're also a graphic maker! How did you get started creating graphics?

A: I started banners when I learned that Julia Jones would be Leah Clearwater on Eclipse. I was so happy and excited that I wanted to show the world how perfect she was for the role. Manips came later, when my love for Blackwater pairing became insanity!

Q: How did you learn how to create banners? Have you taken graphic design classes or are you self-taught?

A: I use Photoshop and I learned it by myself. When I want to do something special I look for tutorials and I try until I succeed or I give up!

Q: How long have you been doing this?

A: Since 2010, but I'm doing it occasionnally due to health problems.

Q: Is there a particular genre, pairing or theme you enjoy making graphics for?

A: I love couple manips. Putting two characters who have nothing in common and trying to put some alchemy between them, it's a lots of work but if it's well done, you feel like a perfect matchmaker!

Q: Yeah, manips are really hard to create! Now, which of your designs are you most proud of and why?

A: I remember I've made a banner for one of my favorite authors for one of her story I fell in love with. Since she is also into graphics (and her work is wonderful), I wanted to surprise her and I was so happy when she told me she liked it that I felt I was the Queen of the World! You might know her, her name is dontcallmeLeeLee!

Q: That name sounds familiar to me! Ana amazing girl, I heard! Lol. Yep, I remember that banner you made for me and I love it! Really love it! Now, how long does it generally take you to make a graphic?

A: For a simple banner, a day or so. For a manip, usually a few days (I'm a perfectionist).

Q: There are so many artists in the fandom, do you have any favorites?

A: MelingQuimLover, dontcallmeeLeeLee, and for the drawings Nikitajuice is one of the best artists I've ever seen!

Q: Yeah, Mandy and Nikita are two rock stars in graphics! Apart from making banners and manips, do you create any other type of graphics?

A: I'm starting to try to make videos, but since I have a basic video editor, I only do it for fun.

Q: Okay, you've been working on graphics for a while now, would you mind sharing some of your wisdom? What do you recommend for new graphic makers?

A: Graphic is like sex, the more you practice, the more you'll get better at it (OK, I didn't say that. ^^)

Q: I've asked this same question to many people, but this has to be the best answer so far! *laughs* Okay, let's get serious for a moment. How do you handle negativity or difficult people on a request?

A: I can't handle being pressured. Fortunately, people I worked for were not too pushy. Most of the time a simple discussion on what I can or can't do, what I think is possible or not, is enough. If they don't like the way I work, I always try to redirect them to another graphic maker.

Q: Okay last question about graphics. If someone wants to request a banner from you, how can they contact you?
 
A: On my Facebook or on Photobucket. (http://s1104.photobucket.com/user/Leilani972/library/)

Q: Let's focuse a bit on your readings! What genre(s) do you like reading?

A: I'm a masochist. I love angsty stories, but I'm a sucker for happy endings. I want to see the characters struggle to have their HEA. I also love realistic fanfictions, even if it ends badly.

Q: What does a story need to have to grab your attention? And are there some type of stories you would prefer not to read?

A: It doesn't need an original plot, but the first chapter should be captivating enough to make me want to read more. I don't like short prologues because you can't make up your mind with a paragraph or two.

I don't like reading fictions with crude lemons on each chapter. Yes, I love reading lemons, but I'm also a prude when it's too much!

Q: Do you have any favorite stories? Books? Anything you recommend?

A: As I read a lot of Blackwater stories, I'd say 'The Alpha's promise' by Call me Mrs Meraz. Probably everything Lolabean07 has written so far, too. Same for Justagirl28. They made me fall in love with other characters!

As for the books, I think the 'Fallen' series by Thomas E. Sniegoski is worth reading. It's about angels, fallen angels and nephilims and it's very intense.

Q: I'm adding the Fallen series to my Books-to-read list! I think we all know the answer to the following question, but I'll ask anyways. Who's your favorite character and why?

A: I think everyone knows now that I love Leah Clearwater. She's unique, as a wolf, but she also has a background that makes her strong yet vulnerable. I don't know how to explain it, I just love her!

Q: What are you reading now? Fanfic? Book?

A: I'm reading two fanfictions right now. 'Found and Lost' by Zoe1078 (I don't think I've read a story so heartbreaking) and 'Dual Commitment' by Call Me Mrs Meraz (that story is original with the right amount of lemon to make me comfortable!)

Q: I'm adding those stories to my list too! Okay, you ready for the last questions? How did you come up with your penname?

A: Leilani was a pet name given by my cousin. It means “heavenly garland of flowers”. Even if I still don't know why she called me that, I found it cute. The '972' stands for the french zipcode for my native island, Martinique. It's one of the two french speaking islands in the West Indies. You should google it, it's a wonderful place to visit!

Q: Anything else you'd like to share? Any secrets?

A: Actually, I love reading lemons but I hate writing them.

Q: Have you met fandom people in real life?

A: I've seen French authors and we've travelled together to the Breaking Dawn premieres in Los Angeles.

I'm still planning to make a reunion of some authors living in Europe but for now, nothing is set in stone. I'm glad there's Facebook to socialize with them, though!

Q: Last one, I promise, could you write something in French? Maybe a saying, quote? Anything?

A: Haha! The first thing I teach in French is bad words, but I won't do that today! So I'll just say two mottos which define the undertone in almost all of my fictions.

“Tant qu'il y a de la vie, il y a de l'espoir” meaning “Where there's life, there's hope”, and “La vie est un beau combat” meaning “Life is a beautiful struggle”.

Oh, just an advice: I think you all know the French part of Lady Marmelade... (Voulez-vous coucher avec moi, ce soir...) Don't ever say those words to a French guy unless you really want to sleep with him right away!

Q: *laughs* Oh my God! Thanks for advice! Lol. Honey, thanks so much for doing this! It was a lot of fun to find out all these things about you! 

You can find Leilani972 here:
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