Combs & Underland Down The Rabbit Hole With...

A fabulous story teller and supportive member of other Vocal writers. Her comments are always thoughtful, perceptive and kind. An all round lovely human being, Stephanie not only writes on Vocal but also weaves the words for a living. How cool is that?

(All the usual hello, how are youing)

MC: So, Stephanie, what drew you to writing?

Stephanie: As cheesy as it sounds, I've just always been drawn to writing. I grew up in a household that was very focused on reading and the world of imagination, so I was naturally drawn to that form of expression. I found that it was much easier for me to express myself in writing than in any other form of communication, especially talking, so I just took it up and rolled with it. It was a way for me to express the insanity and multitude of worlds inside my head without sounding, well, crazy.

Underland: So you write on Vocal, but you also work as a writer, right?

Stephanie: Yes. I'm a ghostwriter.

Underland: How does that work? I mean, I know what a ghostwriter is, but how did you get into that, and what gets ghostwritten?

Stephanie: Well, I kind of got into the work by accident. I was looking on Indeed for work related to writing and found a company looking for ghostwriters for online paranormal romance novels, and so I applied with them and was accepted. I can't get into too many details about who they are because of some confidentiality details in my contract, but I get paid by the chapter, and I write primarily paranormal romances with them. It's decent work, but it can be a bit of a pain at times (hence the inspiration for my story, The Ghostwriter).

Underland: I enjoyed that so much! It is super cool though- doing that for a job! Is that your genre of choice, or do you have another preference?

Stephanie: I prefer fantasy, honestly, but I like anything under the umbrella of speculative fiction, which includes fantasy, paranormal, science fiction, horror, etc., anything that really bends reality.

Underland: Which piece on Vocal would sum up your style overall? Or where do you lean most?

Stephanie: That's a bit of a tough one since I think that all of my stories represent different aspects of my writing. If I had to pick one, I think I would go with Red Shift. It shows off most of my preferences for genre, style, character development, theme, and symbolism.

Underland: That's definitely a favourite of mine - it's so cleverly done and I love the way you weave in symbolism so seemingly effortlessly! What advice would you give to young writers starting their Vocal.an.or writing journey generally?

Stephanie: I would tell them to not give up just because you got some negative feedback. There's always going to be somebody out there that's not going to like something that you write, whether it's because it's not their taste, because it "offends" them somehow (even if it's not really offensive), or because they're jealous of how well you're doing. Consider the feedback, think about whether you truly believe that it applies to your work, and then move on. Your work is worth pursuing.

MC: Favorite author?

Stephanie: Anne McCaffrey, author of The Dragonriders of Pern series. She was a groundbreaking fantasy and science fiction writer who really made me think about the world-building side of fiction as I grew up, and that's affected me as both a writer and a person over the years.

MC: I've read her books, and they're great

Underland: I have not - I'm pretty new to fantasy

Stephanie: That's surprising, Celia. Based on your writing, I would think that you're a veteran of the genre!

Underland: Aw thank you - I Don't know why it never really appealed but that's changed now thanks to Vocal and creators like you, Amanda, and Matthew!

MC: What is your favorite book?

Stephanie: Another tough one...as far as a singular book goes instead of a series, I would say that it's Black Horses for the King by Anne McCaffrey. Funny, out of all her science fantasy books, it was her one historical fantasy book that I would say is my favorite.

Underland: What do you think it is about Fantasy that appeals to you so much?

Stephanie: I think that it's the combination of potential for escape and the ability to hold up a mirror to our society that appeals to me. It allows me to escape whatever is bothering me at the time while also letting me process it to understand what's going on in the world with a degree of separation that feels safe. That way, I can understand what is going on around me without getting burned by it, like being able to stick my hand in the fire without coming out with third-degree burns.

Underland: That makes complete sense! Is your process different when you settle down to writing different styles/forms? Like the more personal v fantasy, for example?

Stephanie: In general, no. At least, when it comes to fiction, not really. When it comes to nonfiction vs. fiction, the process is a bit different. Fiction comes more easily for me. Nonfiction, though, especially something more personal, takes a lot more conscious thought. I have to force myself to delve into thoughts and memories that I might not want to interact with without that degree of separation that keeps me safe, so it takes me longer and feels a bit more forced. Fiction comes more automatically for me, even when it's based on personal experiences, but nonfiction requires a lot of planning and forethought.

Underland: Yeah, I find anything that is personal takes a lot longer and gets a lot more editing So when you are not writing, what do you like to do to relax?

Stephanie: Relax? Is that a thing? LOL...I generally just watch TV, occasionally go out for a movie, and hang out with our dogs. They're a demanding trio, so it's hard to do much else than give them attention sometimes.

Underland: What kind are they?

Stephanie: The oldest is a toy fox terrier, and the other two are a double doodle (two generations of golden doodle) and a cavalier King Charles spaniel.

Underland: Aw cute! Names?

Stephanie: Bubba for the toy fox terrier, Luci for the double doodle, and Sophi for the cavalier King Charles spaniel

Underland: Awwww, did you name them?

Stephanie: I named Bubba, my mom named Luci, and my dad named Sophi (with some "gentle guidance" from my mom).

Underland: Do they all have a favourite human?

Stephanie: It's supposed to be that Bubba is mine, Luci is my mom's, and Sophi is my dad's, but it's more like Bubba is mine, and Luci and Sophi belong to my mom. My poor dad kinda gets left out.

Underland: Aw that's cute though, even though your dad got the short straw...So, swinging back around, do you have long-term goals...novels in the working?

Stephanie: I have a lot of ideas for novels, but none of them are really panning out at the moment. I want to make The Guardian into a full-blown novel, but I'm still working on the plot. I think that my longest-term goal right now is working on my La Belle Fatale series on Vocal. Who knows, I might flesh that out into a novel someday.

MC: Favorite color?

Stephanie: Blue, but purple comes in as a close second.

MC: What work of yours on Vocal would you say best describes you?

Stephanie: Best describes me? Well, like I said before, Red Shift most encapsulates my writing style, genre, etc., overall. As far as which describes me, though, I would have to say Dates, Not Dating. The main character is most closely based on me, so I think that if anyone really wants to get to know me, they should try and read that to get a taste.

Underland: I always like whatever I read of yours - it's so difficult to keep up with notifications and stuff though, so most 'discoveries' have come from sharing on Discord/FB.

MC: What are your hobbies?

Stephanie: For hobbies, I have the usual reading, writing, and watching paranormal shows on TV...I also like to just look up random facts and get lost in the rabbit hole of research.

MC: I love looking up random facts and falling down the rabbit hole!! Strangest fact you can remember finding?

Underland: You can still legally shoot a man on a Sunday on a certain bridge in Wales..just saying

Stephanie: Hmm, let me think...I think that it's that the term "rule of thumb" came from some obscure old law saying that you couldn't beat your wife with anything bigger than your thumb. I can't remember where this was for, though.

MC: I remember reading that rule, too, but not where it was for. Now I'll have to look it up

Stephanie: That and the fact that I'm related to people who were on the whaling ship that sank and resorted to cannibalism that later inspired Moby-Dick.

MC: Hmm, let me think...I think that it's that the term "rule of thumb" came…Old English Law. Hmm, let me think...I think that it's that the term "rule of thumb" came…Here

Underland: It's always the bloody English.

MC: How'd you find that one out?

Stephanie: My mom is really into genealogy. After I won a prize for an essay that I did on Moby-Dick back as an undergrad, she told me about it as a matter-of-fact sort of thing. She likes these random facts, too, and thought that I would find it funny. Which I did.

MC: I love that your mom told you this

Stephanie: Yeah, she's great.

Underland: I feel like I should know this but where are you from in America? America, right? Time zones are so confusing!

Stephanie: Yeah, America. California, Northern California.

MC: What do you consider a great night out?

Stephanie: I'm not a big "going out" person, and I don't drink, but just going to the movies, driving around a bit, and maybe hitting up an In-N-Out for some shakes and burgers would be a great night for me. (We don't have a lot to do in my neck of the woods.) Something low-key that still gets me out of the house for a while.

MC: Now, that sounds perfect to me.

Underland: What kind of movie are you likely to go out for?

Stephanie: A lot of times, it'll be a Disney movie, but lately I've been in the mood for horror films, like tomorrow I'm going to go see the new horror film Imaginary, so probably something like that.

MC: Let us know how good Imaginary is!!! I want to watch it, too, lol

Stephanie: I definitely will! It looks like it's going to be a blast.

Underland: Not me

MC: Yes, it does!! Poor, Celia...Favorite food?

Stephanie: It's hard to say. For just something that I could eat every day, I'd have to say pizza. It's delicious and not hard on my stomach, so long as I avoid red sauce. Stuff that I really savor, though, is Cajun food. I love me good jambalaya and beignets. Nice and spicy.

MC: Yum. I love Cajun; it doesn't love me

Stephanie: That's part of the reason why I have to savor it. I love it, but it doesn't always love me.

MC: What's your favorite TV show?

Stephanie: Bob's Burgers. It's hilarious, and I can easily either be fully engaged in it or just have it on in the background while I'm doing other things.

MC: I find Bob's Burgers very enteraining. My youngest usually watches it while I'm cooking dinner. Favorite movie?

Stephanie: I don't know if I have a single favorite movie. My latest favorite movie would have to be Joy Ride. It's absolutely hysterical and completely inappropriate, just a great movie overall.

MC: I'll have to check that one out, don't think I've seen it

Stephanie: It's more than a bit blue, I can tell you that much, but it's a great girl's movie.

Underland: Sorry, I was just thinking about the poem you kindly let us share on our website, 'In the Between' where you explore some of your own feelings regarding sexuality, what advice would you give to anyone else going through similar?

Stephanie: I'm still going through some of this exploration myself, but I think that what I can say is that you should not be afraid to admit to yourself who you are. No matter what chaos is going on in the outside world, don't be afraid to be true to yourself with yourself. That is the one person you should not be afraid of. Before I could even think of telling anyone else who I was, I had to be honest with myself, and that was the biggest hurdle for me. I still have a hard time with it sometimes. We need to be our own biggest supporters if we are to survive in this world.

Underland: Completely agree!

MC: 100%

Underland: What songs/music inspires you?

Stephanie: I'm mostly inspired by Stevie Nicks and Fleetwood Mac, but lately songs by musicians like Pink and Shinedown have been influencing my writing as well, especially Shinedown's "A Symptom of Being Human".

Underland: OOO, I will check them out - Shinetown, the others I love! In what way do they influence your writing?

Stephanie: In the case of Stevie Nicks, I actually wrote one story on Vocal, Dreams Unwind, based on the lyrics of one of her songs. Other times, I just zone out to their music and find myself having inspiration for stories while I'm listening to them. They relax me enough to let the scenes and imagery come through.

Underland: Aw, I love that! Do you write with music on?

Stephanie: Typically, no. Oddly, it distracts me while I'm actually writing, but when I'm not writing, it gets me in the mood to write.

MC: That's a neat fact about you

Underland: Not odd, well maybe it is but that's why I was curious - has to be silent for me! I think Amanda Starks said somewhere that they have a playlist for when they're writing and I was kind of like...you…you have a what now?

Stephanie: Well, everyone has their own process.

MC: Spring is almost here, and with Spring, there are flowers; what is your favorite flower?

Stephanie: As cliche as it is, I'd say it's the rose. It's beautiful and romantic, and there are so many different colors that each have a different cultural meaning.

MC: I love roses, and they smell so wonderful. What hobbies do you have?

Underland: You already asked that!

MC: I haven't been up from my nap long, lol

Underland: So, thoughts on Vocal overall? What's good, not so good? What would you like to see?

Stephanie: I think that Vocal is doing pretty well overall, but I think that it needs some work on weeding out the bots and spammers. I would like to see fewer of the random links and people fishing for money in the comments, as well as bots stealing other people's articles and claiming them as their own, especially top stories. I think that it would also only be fair if we had some more challenges that belonged to more categories than just fiction and poetry. Even though they would be outside of my expertise, I think it would be better for the community as a whole because it would give everyone more of a chance to compete.

MC: I so very much agree with you on all those points

Underland: Me too! We are huge fans, so it made our month when you agreed to it! We've loved getting to know you a little more and thank you so, so much for taking the time!

Stephanie: I'd just like to say once again how honored I am that you invited me to do this. Thanks again!

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