Annie Sewell-Jennings

"Stealing All the Stars" is one of the best Buffy-as-vampire stories I've ever read. Spike is still chipped, and Buffy is just pure evil. What was the inspiration for this fic?

Well, I think that the inspiration for this fic came from reading a few too many Buffy-as-vampire stories in which Buffy was basically Angel. Not that there's anything wrong with that; some of those stories are very good. But reading a slew of them made me wonder what it would be like if Buffy, the heroine, became a villain. I decided that with the Slayer's strength and battle skills, all of her training and foes conquered, she would be the most formidable enemy that the gang had ever faced. Throw in Spike, and you've got an unstoppable duo.

I quote: "I'm not big on Buffy and Spike as a couple, but there's enough heat between them that it's plausible." (from the Author's Notes to "Substitution") So, what the hell happened to change your mind? Not that I'm complaining...

First of all, heehee. <G> When I first wrote that story, I was a Buffy/Angel girl. I started watching the show when "Amends" first aired, and that meant that I missed out on a lot of Spike. In fact, I never really saw the wonder that is Spike until "The Harsh Light of Day", when Spike was shirtless and crawling into bed with Harmony. Shirtless James... Oh, I was instantly addicted. I went back and dissected all of the old episodes, and I decided that they were the couple for me. They're perfectly destructive together.

I have no idea how you're going to answer this, but I've noticed that color is a powerful tool for you. Lips are vermillion, Buffy is golden, Drusilla is mocha velvet. It's a beautiful method of description.

Color is definitely a big tool for me. I love using color in whatever I write, if only because it describes the character better than mere words can. Buffy's always golden, from her skin to her hair, and that somehow gets across the heroism inside of her. It makes her glow. Spike is more of a metallic creature, with that lightning hair and the white-gold skin. He's something dangerous and sharp, electric. Color sets mood, sets characterization, and it helps me get into the story. Whether it's twilight purples and blues or red-gold candlelight, I love using color in my stories.

Who are your favorite characters to write? You write Spike beautifully - are there characters whom you just can't seem to capture?

Aw, thank you! I love writing all of the characters, honestly, though the characters that often puzzle me the most *are* Spike and Buffy. Perhaps it's because I write them with such frequency. I also love writing Dawn. She's a multi-faceted character that I never thought I'd like, but the writers and Michelle Trachtenberg have really made the character into something special. She's wonderful. Oh, and there's just endless fun writing Giles. I adore him.

What draws you to write Buffy fanfiction?

What draws me? The show itself is wonderful. The characters inspire me and make me want to explore certain aspects of the show. First of all, there's a never-ending plot that gives both questions and answers, and I love how the show moves so consistently and with such a sense of continuity. There are a good number of characters to work with, all well-developed and interesting, and the language and slang is so unique that it's fun to dive into. Plus, there are a number of metaphors and multiple levels of the show to explore. Everything about "Buffy" is fun, from the silly episodes to the heartbreaking ones, and I love writing about the show.

What do you like to see in fanfiction? What sets your teeth on edge?

I love to see well-written explorations of character. Any character-driven work is intriguing, especially when it makes me think of a character in a new light. I won't lie; I love reading Buffy/Spike fic, but only when it's true to the characters. I also seem to have a thing for character death pieces, and I love reading stories that take place after apocalyptic situations and pieces that take place years into the future. Also, I love to read Wishverse fic. I can't help it.

What sets my teeth on edge in fanfic is poor characterization. I hate reading dialogue that I can't hear coming from the characters' mouths, and I hate reading fanfic that doesn't seem to have some deeper meaning. Also, and this is just me, but if I read one more Spike as Billy Idol pop culture reference... ;-)

So, Annie, what are you reading these days? Fanfic and other, of course. Favorite mailing lists? Websites?

I'm naturally reading a lot of Buffy/Spike, and for that, I go to authors like zero, Rowan, Yahtzee, and the delightful MustangSally and RivkaT, who have recently started writing in the Buffyfic forum. I swear, finding "The Heart's Filthy Lesson" on the newsgroup was like getting an early birthday present. I adore The Darker Side of Sunnydale (plug, plug), addictive stigmata, eterniata.com, and the USCL archive. I'm on the BBETA list, the BSUA, BetterBuffyFics, and I'm looking to join the BuffyAngelImprov list, since I've heard wonderful things about it.

As far as non-fanfic reading goes, I'm a huge fan of Pat Conroy for his lyrical, rich style of writing and his view of the modern South. I also love Stephen King, particularly "Bag of Bones", "The Stand", "Hearts in Atlantis", "The Green Mile" and "The Dead Zone". All of these works were absolutely wonderful. I'm currently reading Arthur Golden's "Memoirs of a Geisha" for the third time, and I just finished "Atlas Shrugged", by Ayn Rand.

Standard question: fave characters, authors, stories?

My favorite characters are fairly obvious - Spike and Buffy, along with Dawn and Giles. Some of my favorite writers in fanfic are zero, Rowan... I adore Mustang Sally and RivkaT's "The Heart's Filthy Lesson". Again, I was absolutely thrilled when two of my favorite writers from the XF fanfic community started writing Buffyfic, much less B/S fanfic.

Some writers need absolute silence to create. Some can scribble merrily away on a subway, taxi, or at work. What's your scenario?

Music. I absolutely need music to write. When Napster closes down, I don't know what I'm going to do. When writing smut, I listen to things like Pulp, Portishead, Moby, Bis, Radiohead, and the guilty pleasure of some old Chris Isaak. Angst is all about Sarah McLachlan (trite, perhaps, but there's a reason why so many writers love her), Grant Lee Buffalo, a little bit of Janis Ian and Simon & Garfunkel, and my beloved REM. I'm also a big fan of Beth Orton. Music creates atmosphere, helps me get into the scene.

You can read more of Annie's fanfiction at her site The Buffy Fanfiction of Annie Sewell-Jennings.