| Taming the Wolff is avaliable from Bella Books and Amazon (US) |
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An Interview with
Del Robertson
1. What attracts you to a particular fandom?
Tuesday at 8, Wednesday at 9-it didn't matter the date or time, I knew when my favorite shows came on. Be it Charlie's Angels or The facts of Life, for that 30 or 60 minutes, I was fascinated by these women. When the show went off, I always waited for the blurb TO BE CONTINUED...because I didn't want the story to end that way. Now, when I write for my favorite fandom, I get to tell the story, to end the story my way.
2. Are there any fandoms that you'd love to write for, but for one reason or another have yet to tackle? Also, I noticed you mentioned Charlie's Angels and The Facts of Life, do you find older fandoms/shows pique your femslash curiosity more than the current crop of TV program?
Suburban Shootout. I've watched seasons 1 and 2, hoping there's a third. I love the characters, but I don't quite have the voices down yet.
Yes. I find a lot of the contemporary shows are more plot driven and focused on procedural crime analysis, forensics, etc, making it somewhat harder to get a feel for the characters. The classics shows may have had plot holes you can drive a mack truck through, but they had more emphasis on character development.
3. One of the fandoms I know you love is Xena, and in particular the Amazons. So, what's the appeal? Is it the leather? *g*
In an age where women were not given much independence, voice or even choices in their lives, Xena was a strong woman who made her own decisions - and had the strength to back up her convictions. And, the Amazons' independent, adventurous nature holds just as much appeal today. Without men to complicate the equation, they set up an entire community complete with craftswomen, philosophy, governing bodies and even a military force to defend their homeland. Oh, yeah; the short leather skirts don't hurt, either.....
4. Two of the Amazons to feature quite heavily in your Xena stories are Solari and Eponin, both of whom had very limited screen-time on the actual show. Do you find that kind of freedom from canon details is a hinderance or a help? Or perhaps a little of both?
For the most part, I think it's a help. With Solari and Eponin, they are 2 established Xenaverse characters, making them instantly recognizable as "brand-name" Amazons. But, since they weren't as developed as some of the other characters, I find I'm not as restricted by their back-stories.
5. Did the experience of writing semi-original characters like Solari and Eponin help you when coming up with fully original characters for your book? And, what's the biggest difference between writing known characters and original ones, besides the freedom of backstory?
Hmm, I'm not really sure. But, I guess any practice at writing with semi-original characters can only help with the process. When working with established characters, both the writer and the reader know what to expect as far as how a character acts, sounds, behaves, etc. With original characters, it's more the author's choice as to what is "in-character" and what isn't.
6. What came first, the idea behind Taming of the Wolff or the desire to write a book?
On some level, I've always wanted to be a published author and see paperback books on the shelf with my name on 'em. When the idea for Taming The Wolff struck me, I just started writing. I had no idea how long it was going to be or that it was going to be my first novel.
7. I must admit to a little bit of a fascination with fictional pirates myself, but what attracted you to writing them?
I've always enjoyed reading about pirates and watching movies about them. There's the appeal of lawlessness, adventure on the high seas, swashbuckling action. Something about pirates kept nagging at me until I just felt that I had a story to tell about them.
8. How much research did you do on the time period and pirates before you started writing the book?
A LOT. And even though I thought I'd read enough about them before I started, I found myself having to reference back to different sources as I went along. I thought I'd done a good job at researching the pirates, the timeline, weapons, etc. But, despite all that, my editor called me out on having a chase scene through a corn field in late winter. Luckily, that issue was solved by eliminating the corn field and replacing it with sugar cane and a warmer climate.
9. Once you'd finished writing your book, how difficult was it to get published?
It was not an easy process, let me tell you. Taming the Wolff was submitted to - and rejected by - several different publishers and went through many, many rewrites before being accepted by Intaglio Publications. Really, my partner deserves a great deal of credit for Taming the Wolff ever seeing the printing-press. She's the one that started cutting scenes, even whole pages, long before Intaglio received the first draft. We can laugh about it now, but at the time, I think I actually accused her of making the manuscript bleed she was cutting it so much. (still get scared every time I hear a pair of scissors being used)
10. On to the biggest question; what's next?
I had a project I was struggling with that just wasn't working out. So, it's been shelved for a little while. But, I'm starting to hear the characters' voices talking to me again, so it may be time to dust it off and revisit it again.
| Taming the Wolff is avaliable from Bella Books and Amazon (US) |
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Finally, I asked Del to name her favourite fan-fic story:
Fave story of mine? - The Xena fic "Walking Around In Warrior's Underwear". It was originally written in response to a Christmas Challenge issued by the Royal Academy of Bards. It ended up being loosely based on the premise of the movie "It's a Wonderful Life" in which the main character is given a chance to see what the world would be like without him. I did it Xena-style . . . and couldn't have been more pleased with the results. It was fun to write about characters we all know and alter the storyline so that they're no longer just as you remember them. As for the link; it's still posted at the Academy - and, of course, on your site, as well.