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My No Cap Interview With Capone

Not My Shoes Interview: Turned World Domination.

By Vonne VantablackPublished 2 years ago Updated 2 years ago 12 min read
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From ballet, the FBI, to savior of animals, and always authentic writer; let's all have a conversation with my soulmate: Courtney Capone.

Upon meeting Courtney through Vocal, I have to say, I was intimidated initially. You would be too, she's a powerhouse.

She comes off as this monolith of fearlessness, and has zero issue telling anyone where to go and how to get there. However, after a few interactions, I chipped away at her with my undeniable awesomeness and quick wit. If she doesn't mention that in her piece, she's not telling you all the whole truth.

Her fearlessness is not just a random genetic sequence. She has earned every bit of her unshakable attitude and determination. Overcoming the worst the world has to offer, she is not just a fighter, she is an overcomer. She fought against a path that was paved for her, and has forged her own way in this world. Sometimes, we have to learn the art of Faking a Smile, as Courtney says in her story of the same name. With that in mind, let's see how she makes the magic happen.

So, here's how our conversation flowed: from off- record to on-record, disagreements over pizza, and two women lifting one another up and becoming soulmates.

How long have you been writing, or when did you start? For as long as I can remember. I honestly don't remember a time that I didn't do it in some capacity. Whether it was journaling or writing stories, it was always a part of me—a personality trait more than something I DID. Being a writer is how I define myself more than anything else about myself.

A writer, indeed! Courtney is a prolific writer who always keeps it 100% with her audience.

What do the words writer's block mean to you? How do you deal with it? It means I'm freaking out, losing my mind, my head is full of clutter, and I'm probably throwing things. How do I fix it? I usually write a stream of consciousness. My every thought, I just put it into writing, and usually, I publish it—Because I can. Otherwise, I color, do a puzzle, or something that's mildly creative but essentially mindless to clear my head.

How do you process and deal with negative emotions when it comes to your writing? Usually, I write them too. I get insecure about my writing a lot because I never win challenges. Or even contests on Medium. It destroys me and sends me into this whole spiral of feeling like I'm just not good at writing at all and should give up completely.

Then I write about that feeling which is very contradictory—writing about giving up writing. It makes total sense, right? I'm not normal. But it's cathartic. I don't do it for pity (I HATE pity), attention, or fish for compliments. I do it because it's how I process my feelings.

Tell me know how you deal with that negativity surrounding your work, whether losing a challenge or people's negativity. Losing challenges and stuff like that upsets me a lot. I get super down on myself. When it comes from other people, though? That just fuels me. I grew up in a cutthroat world (ballet), so I'm used to back-stabbing and jealousy, and it's more of an annoyance than painful. Sometimes I find it downright amusing. If I took the time to worry about other people's thoughts, I wouldn't have time to do much else.

In our conversations, you said there is always a character based on yourself in your stories. Are there therapeutic benefits to modeling a character after yourself/ someone you know? Oh, for sure. I put pieces of myself into all of my stories. If there's a female lead, her name ALWAYS starts with the letter C. Parts of her personality will come from me, and parts will be traits that I wished I possessed. Parts will just be made up. But when I write fiction that isn't ENTIRELY fiction, i.e., based on real things in my life - sometimes I change the ending. Sometimes I change how I responded to it. Sometimes I change where it took place and nothing else, but I call it fiction. It lets me tell my story without having to admit it's my story. In some ways, that's healthy, I guess, but in most, it's probably not. I have been through the fires of hell, and I have the ashes to prove it... I don't think I need to narrate every flame as non-fiction to find the therapy.

What, to you, are the most important elements of good writing? Feeling like you're part of it. A good narrative makes you feel like you're part of a private conversation. A good tale makes you care about the characters and want.... no, NEED, to know what happens to them. A good review gives you just enough of a taste to want more but doesn't give enough away that there's no need for you to watch/read something. Every style has a separate way of pulling a reader into it, but I can tell you one thing, at least for me, it's never been about perfect grammar. I certainly don't use it. I know how, but it's a purposeful choice. I write how I speak.

What comes first for you — the plot or the characters — and why? Generally, the plot. I HATE writing dialogue, so characters in my stories are described but will often not even have names. It's their story that matters. What is happening around them, to them, because of them. I'm writing a story, not a human. They're like furniture to me. They are essential to making a room complete, but they're not the reason the room exists.

How do you come up with so many ideas for your writing? We know you have a vast collection on Vocal, so where do these ideas come from? I write about my life more than anything else. I see something; I experience something, I hear something... it sparks a story. I tell that story. Most of the time, if I write fiction on Vocal, it's for a challenge or a prompt that I asked for from other creators. I keep my fiction off of Vocal for the books I want to write and publish as actual books, not article format. Those stories... generally come to me title first. I come up with a title that I love and build the story around that. I write the ending first. The rest falls into place.

What was your most challenging article or story to write and why? The story I wrote for the Barn Challenge—Bleeding Innocence. I had written that one before. Changing it to fit a word count was like pulling pieces of myself apart. It was not fiction. It just didn't happen in a barn. Changing that part was not a big deal. But so much of the story was lost to the word count; in the end, I hated it and hated myself for doing it.

It was here where the interview hit a snag, and I could tell there was a closing off of sorts. If anyone has not read the story, Bleeding Innocence, this may not make sense. However, upon reading, and knowing that Courtney is often imbedded in her characters, I moved towards a more lighthearted question. She was still as kind and open, but to those reading this interview, this is a vital part of her story.

If you could spend a day with another author, who would you choose? Either Lisa Regan - who I know online and speak to frequently and is an amazing friend that I would LOVE to meet in person. Or Chuck Palahniuk, because he's amazingly twisted, and I feel like it would be a fabulous conversation.

If you had to be shipwrecked on a deserted island, but all your human needs—such as food and water—were taken care of, what two items would you want to have with you? A boat to get the hell out of there, and something to use to write about it on my way back!

How would you define success? Being content. That's something I've never been. I always want MORE. I always want to go somewhere else, to do something else, see something else. I want to be in one place and want to stay there. I mean, sure, still, go on vacation, but stop moving around. That's the goal with Rhode Island.

Tell me about the thing you're most passionate about. Animals. Always animals.

You can see my favorite photos of Courtney's pets in her story below. Adorable doesn't cut it.

Tell me a conspiracy theory you believe in. That the moon landing was staged, I mean, there's no gravity. How was the flag flying?

What is something that bothers you that other people enjoy? Getting flowers as a gift. I think it's such a waste of money. They just die. Buy me shoes! Or better yet... chocolate!

What's something you love others hate- and don't even say Hawaiian pizza! Hawaiian pizza is a DISGRACE. But FINE. Caramel. I HATE caramel. It's too sweet. I also hate pumpkin spice. I think its take over of all food this time of year is just ridiculous and disgusting.

Here, we had an argument, as I think Hawaiian pizza and caramel are fan-fucking-tastic. Do not judge me.

Tell me about the moment that you realized you had the ability to do something meaningful. When I saved the opossum, that changed my career path. There was this little life, a creature that most people just don't care about, and he was hurt, and no one but me was around. But I got him to a wildlife rescue, I held him all night until they opened, I was part of the rehab process, and I was there (crying like a baby) when he was released back into the wild. I knew then that my purpose in life was not to interview serial killers, as I was on track to do. It was to be there for the voiceless creatures that couldn't ask for help. And doing so is everything to me.

A savior to our pets and wildlife. Courtney in action, baby!

If your pet could talk, what would they say about you? I dress them up and drive them crazy, but they absolutely adore me because I keep them healthy and happy and throw my husband in front of zombies to save them… except for Kudu. She'd say she hates me. But I'd still save her little butt from the zombies.

What are the least-likely three words someone would use to describe you? Serious, normal, boring.

Do you believe in soulmates? Why or why not? Yes, because I found you! I do believe that there are people that are simply meant to be part of our lives. I also believe that the animals in our lives choose us. It's a form of a soulmate, but different... but certain people you just click with instantly, and you know they are there for a reason. Sometimes the reason isn't immediately obvious, but you figure it out in time.

Rob and Courtney, married October 27. For someone who is seemingly unsure about the existence of soulmate, these two seem to be as close to the term as I've seen. Time brought them together time and time again, and through bouts of insecurity and fears we may have crumbled under, these two flourished.

Do you believe in ghosts and the paranormal? Why? There are times where I wonder because my animals will all be staring at the same place, and there's NOTHING there. If there are ghosts, animals would be the ones to be able to see them. But I'm also an atheist, so really... I believe in essentially nothing. Essentially. Since that just completely contradicted my answer about soulmates... but I'm a walking contradiction. Ya, get used to it.

RAPID FIRE ROUND! I like to keep Courtney on her toes, you know.

By Yaoqi on Unsplash

What is your favorite word? TADA! I say it a lot. Probably too much.

Pepsi or Coca-Cola? Pepsi.

Winter or Summer? WINTER. I absolutely HATE being hot.

Vampires or Werewolves? Werewolves. Obviously.

What is your hidden talent? I'm the cat whisperer. Cats come into the vet angry, hissing, growling, swatting... enter me. They are purring in minutes. I'm that good.

What never fails to make you laugh? My dog trying to stand on her head. Which she does, literally, every single day.

Dream job or win the lottery? My dream job is to run an animal sanctuary which would be way easier to do if I won the lottery. So, I get both. I'm Veruca in Willy Wonka— I want the world. I want the whole world. I want to lock it all up in my pocket; it's my bar of chocolate... give it to me!

Night in or Night out? In. I'm a homebody.

Travel to the future or the past, and why? Neither. If you go to the past, you risk changing the present. If you go to the future, you learn about things that you shouldn't know. It's just bad. All around bad. Stay present.

In closing, I asked the most important questions I could think of. The real burning questions that keep us all awake when the lights are out.

Are you in the profession you dreamed of when you were a child? One of them. I had a lot of dreams when I was a kid. One of them was to be a waitress. I wish I was kidding. Then I became one. That dream died FAST.

Would your 15-year-old self think you were cool? No. My 15-year-old self would think I am fat and wonder what happened because she was a bitchy ballerina.

Finally- Are adverbs really evil? Obviously, completely, totally, and utterly. You see what I did there?

I did see it, and I happily and wholeheartedly dig it.

Creators
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About the Creator

Vonne Vantablack

An unreliable narrator with a knack for telling tall tales.

IG @vonnevantablack

“In sterquiliniis invenitur”

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