Hello C.C readers,
Welcome! This is a December 2016 interview of the 2nd place winner of our Christmas contest. Have a lovely time reading this interesting conversation from the past. =)
We are here to interview S-S-Long (aka Alpha) near her characters' coffee and pie stores. Chris and Karl are both vampires, who seem to be easy going, but just don't tempt them or they will retaliate against you and you'll be 'dead meat'! And we literally mean it!
Being just in between these stores makes us nervous!
We also wonder do the vampires even cook with garlic? Hmm ... How does that work?
(Turns face to the audience.)
And now the author has now arrived. So, let us start this interview.
C.C.: Hello Alpha!
Alpha: Hi! Sorry I'm late.
C.C.: It isn't a problem. We were just starting. *smiles* May I call you Alpha for short?
Alpha: Thank you for waiting! Yes, you can call me that.
C.C.: Thanx Alpha. Now, can we start the interview?
Alpha: Of course, but first wouldn't you like to meet Chris and Karl?
C.C.: Um ... that's not necessary.
Alpha: C'mon C.C., after all you're interviewing me. Why not meet the cast? I'm sure the guys won't mind.
(C.C. is thinking very hard on how they should answer S-S, but comes up empty)
Alpha: Or are you afraid of them because they are vampires? I promise you they won't harm you. I'll be here with you all!
(C.C and Author negotiate a deal and soon the vampires enter to say hello)
Karl: Hello C.C.! I heard you are interviewing Alpha who created us!
C.C: (Nervously shakes hands with Karl) H – Hello! Yes, she is the second-place winner of our Winter Contest.
Chris: Groans.
Karl: Oh, yes, (Pointing to his sidekick) This is my husband, and partner in crime -> Chris.
C.C.: (Gulps! Especially at hearing the phrase 'partner in crime'!) Um. Hi Chris. It's nice to meet you.
Chris: Second-place huh? We're only second-place? Why don't I get ready to bite your ...?
Alpha: Chris, please! Is that anyway to treat our guests? Now, they came to interview us so settle down. Why don't you go back to what you were doing and I'll tend to you both later?
(They both nod, but some mumbling can be heard in the background)
Alpha: I'm so sorry for that outburst that Chris made, they are really nice guys! They just can be annoying at times.
(C.C gives a breath of relief.)
C.C.: That's okay. Now can we start the interview?
(Alpha agrees)
~~~
(Alpha and C.C. sit on stools drinking coffee in the cafe)
C.C.: Your story Of Christmas Hampers and Coffee Makers was quite interesting. But can you explain to us and to the rest of the Wattpad Community what Christmas Hampers are?
Alpha: Okey-dokey, Christmas Hampers are either boxes, or wicker baskets, which are filled with lots of yummy Christmas food, such as mince pies, Christmas puddings and cakes, and chocolates. Some may come with crackers (both the edible, savoury kind and the kind you pull, with the toys and party hats and whatnot), while other hampers may come with alcohol, such as bottles of wine and whiskey. In my story, Chris and Karl are stuffing their hamper with gingerbread men and pies, and other delicious goodies.
C.C.: Would you dash to the store to purchase an appliance right before Christmas time as your characters did to obtain a coffee maker? Why or why not?
Alpha: I would not want to do that, in all honesty! I'm not a fan of crowds at the best of times, and in my part of England at Christmas, it's worse than ever. It's like getting involved in a rugby scrum just to get the potatoes. I would buy any appliance I might need online, and just hope that it reaches me in time!
C.C.: What other authors are your friends with, and how do they help you become a better writer?
Alpha: I only have one close writer friend, and she is from Germany. She has written (and posted) a story already on Wattpad, which is in the German language! (I think it's a great story!) She is also the most consistent commentator on my stories and she provides a lot of encouragement to me, too. She has often made me think quite a bit with a lot of her comments, too, regarding plot-lines and whatnot.
C.C.: Do you hide any secrets in your books that only a few readers will only know about? If so, can you explain?
Alpha: I usually base a lot of the scenarios featured in my stories on real events, which could be things that I've experienced myself, or have been told about by others. In other cases, it might be based on a news article I liked. I use my stories kind of like a diary, in a way, documenting the things that happen (to me and to others) that I find interesting or funny or just random. I never use real names, and I might change some of the facts to suit the nature of the story or simply to protect those involved. Probably in those cases, only a few people would know what I was referring to, if they were involved in some way or if I'd told them about whatever it was I was writing about at the time. To anyone else who's not in the know, it would probably be just another story! I suppose that would count as a kind of secret!
C.C.: What's the most difficult thing about writing characters from the opposite sex?
Alpha: In all honesty, I don't think I experience any difficulties at all. Not that I can really think of, off the top of my head. I've been writing stories about Chris and Karl for about five years now, and it's been easy to write about them throughout those five years! I am what most call a 'tomboy', though. I don't act or think like a girl at all, so it might be a little bit easier for me to write about male perspectives than female. Most of the characters that I write about are male, with only one exception and I don't really write from her point of view. (That would be my Alpha Bloodlines series, which is a series about a female-fronted symphonic metal band!)
C.C.: And lastly, what do you love about the Wattpad Community. Is there anything you would like to share with your friends and fellow writing buddies?
Alpha: The only thing that I really enjoy about Wattpad are the challenges! I think they're great, and have probably pushed me to try things I wouldn't ordinarily have tried, or even thought about. The challenges also are a good encouragement to continue adding more stories to a certain sequence I might have started (such as my 'Tales of the Georgia Vampires' series or my 'Dragons of Fire and Ice' series, among others).
As for what else I'd like to share, now is my chance to come out of the coffin and say - I am, actually, a vampire! 'I write at night, and I like to bite!' Also, my poetry skills are not very good. XD
(Yikes! C.C. just interviewed a vampire author! Thanks to our neighbors WattVampires , we've conquered Dracula!)
(WattVampires: We heard that!!)
(C.C. [shocked] Our deepest apologies, dear community neighbors! We didn't mean it in a bad way![Smoothly pats WattVampires])
C.C.: And that now ends our interview with S-S-Long! Thank you again for participating in our Winter Contest! And just to let our readers know, you are also the author who wrote Tales of the Georgia Vampires – at the Coffee House ... which was a story that was written for the Halloween contest we collaborated with Wattpad Vampires with. You must love these guys if you continue to write about them. winks*
Chris and Karl both yell: Hey, what about us?
C.C.: Oh yes, it was nice meeting both of you too! Thank you, S-S! (Steals a clove of garlic for protection and runs)
~~~
And ladies and gentleman, that concludes our humorous meeting with Alpha! Our apologies to all the vampire lovers out there ... but we just needed to make you laugh!
If interested in reading Alpha's work, please check here.
Hope you too enjoyed it!
~~ Coffee Community