get to know ames

oooh, look. a new friend. (aka "new friend amey")

Name:  Amey. My friends call me Ames.

Age:  Dirty 30

Status:  Alive?.... Oh. You meant... I see. I'm single. As in, not married.

Twitter: @ReneeGoetz

Do you blog? Why, yes, in a sense, yes I do. It's dedicated to original works of writing, just, you know, in case anybody is actually bored enough to want to read it. It gets updated once or twice a year. http://rengoe84.blogspot.com 

What other social media sites do you use? Facebook and Instagram, mostly. I think that's pretty much it.

5 little-known facts about you:

-I was born with my two lower front teeth on a Friday the 13, on a full moon, at 11:11.

-I had surgery to remove a double inguinal hernia at two weeks old. Still have the scars!

-I was a cheerleader in junior high school.

-I have been writing stories since I was five years old.

-I was writing fan fiction before I knew what fan fiction was. Seriously. I was seven and wrote a Power Rangers fic. Give me a break. I was seven. At ten I got sucked into X-Files and wrote TONS for that. My mom probably still has the notebooks in an air tight, climate controlled display case somewhere in her house.

Questions stolen from Twi-Between:

When/how did your Twilight obsession begin? I wouldn't call it an obsession, exactly, but regardless, it's my boyfriend's fault. We first began dating in 2008, not long before the first movie came out. We were still in that learning about each other phase, you know, favorite colors, favorite food, all that good stuff. So I think it was our first date actually, I don't remember what movie we were seeing but the Twilight trailer was attached to it and they were heavily playing up the fighting and the ballet studio scene, and he leaned over and whispered in my ear, "That. I'd see that. That's the kind of movie I like." So on our third date, Twilight had come out the week before and I asked him if he wanted to go see it. He said yes. We went. And were miserable the whole time. Him more so than I. I thought it was just all right. This poor guy was looking for any escape. Turns out Underworld is more his speed and when he saw the vampires and the fighting in this trailer, he thought it would be like that. When I bring it up present day, he denies that night ever happened. Anyway, I told a friend what happened and she insisted I read the books because "The books are so much better!" So I gave them a chance and they were pretty not bad. And here we are. (karen's note: all together now. "awwwwwww.")

What is your favorite Twilight quote?  "Face it, I AM hotter than you."

Who is your favorite non-holy twinity (minor) character? Holy Twinity? That's what we're calling them now? Okay. Hmmm... Well I guess I'd have to go with Emmett. He's just so great, the big goof ball! I also like Jasper a lot, but that may have been influenced more from reading fan fiction than the actual books.

Which is your favorite Twilight movie? Eclipse. Though, I am very partial to the "battle" scene of Breaking Dawn 2.

What is your favorite song from any of the Twilight soundtracks? Full Cheese Disclosure: If I were to ever get married, I would want A Thousand Years as my first dance song. The longer version. Who wouldn't, right? But overall, I really like Friends and Shooting the Moon. And I always love Muse.

Ideal vacay? Forks, set stalking, Brit Pack concert, or a non-Twi premiere? My IDEAL vaca would be Bora Bora, but if those are my options, I'd do Forks again. So beautiful there.

What is your favorite Non-Twilight film of a Twilight star? Pitch Perfect.

What is your favorite Twilight memory? As awful as that date was, it has to be when the boy and I went to see it in the theater. Six years later and he's still around! Second favorite would have to be when I went to Twi Fest this past September and met a bunch of awesome people. (karen's note: hey, does she mean US?)

new questions:

Who is your favorite Twilight actor? Have such a crush on Taylor Lautner. But talent wise, I'd go with Peter Facinelli. He's got great range.

What has being a fan of Twilight opened up for you? Friendships.

What is your craziest fangirl moment? I've never really been one to fangirl. I don't know if that comes from living in NYC or what, but celebs are just people. Some are cool, some are assholes (coughJamesSpadercough). If I had to pick a moment from my life, I guess I'd go with when I finally got to see Hanson in concert. I was 29, but standing only a few rows back from the stage, I was a squealing 13 year old girl again.

Who is your favorite NON-Twilight vampire?  Damon Salvatore. Yeah, definitely. And Selene from Underworld. Because, girl power.

Fanfiction questions:

What are you reading right now?  This email.

Oh. You meant what fan fiction am I reading? LOL sorry...

That Doesn't Happen in Real Life by lilhummingbird. A couple other WIPs.

I know it's almost impossible, but ~ what are your top 5 favorite fics?

In no particular order:

-Living in Death's Shadow by Kitty T's Keyboard

-Page Turner by Katty4Harry

-Her Keeper by 4MeJasper

-Whirlwind by Betterin Texas

-For A Reason: Inauguration by Mir Queen

Who is your favorite incarnation of Edward (specifically, from which story)? Any Edward where he is not moping or whining or telling Bella that he's "not good for you, but I love you! I can't be without you! But stay away from me." Not so much an Edward fan. In case you couldn't tell.

What are your fanfic hard limits? I don't want to set any because if the story is good, I'll read it. Not into slash or smut really, but if the story is decent and it's well written, I'll stick with it and skim over any parts that make me uncomfortable.

What is your biggest ficpeeve?  GRAMMAR!! You're a writer, learn how to use it! And spelling! I mean, my God! What computer does not have spell check today?? I understand things slip through the cracks, hell, I'm guilty of it, too. I know how it is, you get into a groove and your fingers are just flying away and you miss some things. But page after page of just blatant abuse of the English language... It hurts. Especially the your/you're and there/their/they're. Sigh. I should've been an English teacher. (karen's note: word.)    

Who are your favorite authors?

J.K. Rowling

Edgar Allen Poe

Ransom Riggs   

Why do you read fan fiction?  Partly because it's great for expanding a universe a reader may be interested in, but wasn't fully explored in the book or movie or whatever it was based off of. In the case of Twilight, that also applies (love reading about Jasper and his possible histories and AU's), however, I also find many of the Twilight fics to be better than the actual books. I don't remember how I initially started reading Twilight fics, but somehow I did and that's where I am with it.

What other fandoms do you count yourself a member of?  Harry Potter, for sure. And X-Files. Ohhhhh yeah. The truth is out there, bitches.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

how ames and i met: fun story. so jodi, who doesn't like people, decided that in forks she would be nice to one stranger. if she got her name, that meant she was in. we were officially introduced ("guys, this is amey.") and liked her and sort of stalked her the rest of the trip. 

this is how to react to your stalker.

get to know mandy

i was going through some stuff online and realized i never posted this one ~ a later addition to our group.

Name: Mandy

Age: 29

Status: Single and CMMC (currently missing my cat - he is at home until I find an apartment and my mom can fly out with him.)

Twitter: @agoodwitchff

Do you blog? Yes, I used to do the fic recs at www.twibetween.com but it has been a little while since I, or anyone else has posted to that blog, its been tough with the move. I also had a blog for my writing that like 8 people followed so I eventually closed that down.

What other social media sites do you use? Twitter and groupme. FB and I broke up years ago and tumblr was something I only did temporarily.  It's easier to focus on my writing when I'm not on a ton of other sites.

5 little-known facts about you: 

1. I remember just enough American Sign Language to make a deaf person think we can talk, and then I'm lost two seconds in. 
2. I make lists for everything (see Karen, not the only one), 
3. I'm a published poet, 
4. I went to college with Jason Zimbler (Ferguson from Clarissa Explains it All) 
5. When I say I'm reading "Gone with the Wind" on my kindle, that's code for twific...I have read that book, but no one asks follow ups so its the quickest way to deflect from the smut on the screen.

Questions stolen from Twi-Between:

When/how did your Twilight obsession begin? The October before the first movie came out, 3 people came up to me, my sister included (who rarely reads books all the way through) so my mom got me the series for Christmas. Then I saw the movie and thought it was okay. (I know that's blasphemy, but the first movie is my least favorite of the series, they definitely improved as they went on.) Then my sister got pregnant and stumbled upon fanfiction, so she badgered me until I read it too.  A week later I was posting my first chapter, 4 1/2 years later I have 45 stories posted and a couple more in the works.

What is your favorite Twilight quote? "Why am I covered in feathers?"

Who is your favorite non-holy twinity (minor) character? Carlisle

Which is your favorite Twilight movie? tie between Eclipse and Breaking Dawn Part 1

What is your favorite song from any of the Twilight soundtracks? Oh man...either "A Thousand Years" or "Turning Page"

Ideal vacay? Forks, set stalking, Brit Pack concert, or a non-Twi premiere? Forks has always been a dream, so I'm excited for that this year, and going to a movie premiere would be awesome, though I dream of a day when I would be on the other side of the barricade as the screenwriter of the movie being premiered.

What is your favorite Non-Twilight film of a Twilight star? "Remember Me" - I love a lot of them, but that movie still makes me bawl.

What is your favorite Twilight memory? It would have to be when I started talking to A Cullen Wannabe, because she was seed that started the mighty oak. It was when FDKK was still posting, before the prologue event had even happened, and her beta had gotten pregnant and wasn't able to do it too often.  I sent her a PM saying I would help out if she needed it and she took me up on it.  I did the chapters her old beta couldn't and before the end I was her set to help her on other stuff if her beta couldn't. Somewhere in there she had taken over Behind the Images, and was having problems with the NYC stuff, so I offered to help her with that, then she made me the beta for that fic.  Then I became her only beta. Writing with her came after that which was how I got on skype, which then led to WC's.  Posting a WC announcement on twitter was how Dee contacted to ask if she could join and I pulled her in.  Now, I'm sitting on a futon in her living room.  Meeting Dee would have never happened if I hadn't written that PM to ACW, and my life would definitely suck without her.

new questions:

Who is your favorite Twilight actor? Rob, Jackson (he is the person I would want to hang out with the most), Michael Sheen, PFach, Taylor, and Anna Kendrick.

What has being a fan of Twilight opened up for you? It made me a more confident author, it gave me a huge group of online friends, and a few that I've met in person, including Dee.  She's the first person I contact with almost any news, and we have spent over three years writing online almost every night.

What is your craziest fangirl moment? I've never been a hand trembling in front of my mouth, tears streaming down my face, kind of girl, but the first celebrity I met was John Stamos when I was like 11.  He was in "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying" and my sister had brought me to see "Cats" for my birthday and then walked me down the street to his stage door.  I looked up when he walked out, not knowing why we were there until that moment, and said, "It's Uncle Jessie," in a hushed voice.  He was so sweet, and five months later my sister brought me to see the show and we met him again to get my photo with him autographed.  The middle-aged women in the crowd parted like the Red Sea so that I could get to "Johnny" and once again he was so sweet.  Six years later, I had just graduated from high school and was going to school for musical theater, and I went to see him in "Cabaret" once again with that picture in hand, because I wanted a smaller one in my dorm room than the 8x10 I had gotten all those years ago. When I handed him the pic, he did a double take, and then I told him that when I met him back then, he taught me the kind of person I would want to be if I ever became famous, and he inspired my love in acting and singing to grow, and now I was headed off to college for it.  I made him cry a little and he gave me the biggest hug. It was just such a great moment.

Who is your favorite NON-Twilight vampire? JRM from the TV show Dracula. It's goofy as hell, but I love that man!

Fanfiction questions:

What are you reading right now? I'm playing catch up on fics I've put off for a while, but at the moment, the only current fic I'm reading is The Fox by capricapra.

I know it's almost impossible, but ~ what are your top 5 favorite fics? Never Sleep in a Strange Man's Bed, The Mail Order Bride Series, FDKK, Emancipation Proclamation, and Eight Days a Week.

Who is your favorite incarnation of Edward (specifically, from which story)? THAT is the impossible question, but I would have to say any of the Edward's from my top 5, or Edroar from Edroar, the Angry Lion, or Olderwards, it doesn't matter if its a few years or much older, I like Edward's that want to take care of their Bella's.

What are your fanfic hard limits? Violence just for the sake of it, rape as titulation, and things along those lines.  I'm not someone to set a lot of hard limits because if it's well written, it could open my mind to something new.

What is your biggest ficpeeve? Poorly thought out plots, poorly written stories, horrible grammar, or weirdly formatted stories.  And as an author, guest reviews that flame - put a name to your hatred so I know the troll I'm dealing with.

Who are your favorite authors? A Cullen Wannabe, Mizzdee, 107yearoldvirgin, Lady Gwenydd (Mrs Brownloe), Carano, pattyrose, there are others but those are the biggies!

Why do you read fanfiction? For the same reason I write it.  I love the characters, and I love the creativity that is in this fandom.  There are so many stories out there and each one has its own spin on the original.

What other fandoms do you count yourself a member of? Lord of the Rings.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
how mandy and i met: dee would always tell us about her bff, mandy. when she moved from new york to live in colorado (taking up residence on dee's couch for awhile), she added her to our group. we didn't get to meet in person until our trip to phoenix this past june. 

at the forever party in phoenix
uhh... alcohol was involved. that's my excuse. lol.

Fanfic Rec Wednesday – My Bella

I love when I can rec a fic written by a friend. I love it even more when I really love the story.

You may remember back in May when PurpleBrina guest rec’d Chop and Change by Krazyk85.  Krazy is taking a hiatus from the sequel, Chopping and Changing, but wanted to keep up her writing skills, so she had the brilliant idea of “fic-ing” the movie Wicker Park. How often do ALL of us twific fans watch a movie …or read a book, or hear a song, or even see a random picture of something… and think ‘that would make an incredible Edward/Bella story!’ and wish someone would “fic it”? (It’s a thing. Trust me.) That is exactly what happened in this case. She says it was the main character’s “desperation in finding the one girl that broke his heart. The suspense and confusion and the love he had for her” that drew her in. And that interest brought us My Bella by my friend Krazyk85 (@KrazyK85_). (Read it here on fanfiction.net.) 

For the record, Krazy also posted on Facebook that she “sort of" started My Bella because of me after we met in person this summer. Apparently, my dark and depressing sentiments are creative fuel. Lol. Well, if this is what my melancholic demeanour brings out of people… You’re all welcome!

When K first started posting the story back in late June, she said she was surprised at how many people had never seen the movie. Then she suggested we hold off on watching it until the story completed. If you have seen the movie or know anything about it, you will know that there is sense of suspense and mystery that permeates the plot. If you watch it before reading the story, that idea of a puzzle you need to crack will be missing – so I agree with KrazyK. You should wait. I did.

It was so fun trying to put everything together as the chapters went up. My Bella updated every Monday and it was hard to have to wait all week to get the next clue. There was even a weird sort of enjoyment that came from being proven completely wrong. The way the story progresses, your brain automatically questions every single little detail and K did an excellent job of bringing attention to those tidbits. I was personally convinced that Edward was insane.

For me, what makes this story SO great is Krazy’s unique writing talent. Since I knew that what I was reading was based on a story that was previously told only visually, I was blown away at the nuances she was able to bring to the character’s inner thoughts and the descriptions and explanations of happenings that you miss out on in a movie. She is unbelievably creative.  I did end up watching Wicker Park after I read My Bella. In my opinion, the fic is SO MUCH BETTER! Read it for yourself and see what you think.

It’s a on the shorter side of a mid-length story – just over 43,000 words in 15 chapters and was completed in September. 

AND, sidenote: Krazyk85 is up for 6 awards, including Favorite Undiscovered Gem for My Bella, in the 2014Twific Fandom Awards. The first round of voting ends November 8^th. Read it quickly and then go vote to help get it through to the next round.

I made this one this afternoon, especially for my blog.