Ask the Author: Bethany M. Sefchick
Answered Questions (7)
Bethany M. Sefchick
While I'm a big fan of the traditional couples like Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy - and I do love a happy ending, after all - my favorite "couple" would probably be Sherlock Holmes and Irene Adler because they beg the question of "what if," even if there is no real "happily ever after" for them as such. I see Holmes as a man that, on the surface, seems to lack passion and values intellect above all else. And that's true. To a point. However Adler is something that Holmes' can't quantify. She's beautiful, intelligent and strong and that confounds him because few men are his equal. So how can a woman be as well? It's not meant to be a love story, but at the same time, it is and that's why they fascinate me. The potential for "what if" always there.
As for traditional couples? Beatrice and Benedict from Shakespeare's "Much Ado About Nothing" come in at the top. They are strong-willed people who are secure in themselves and eventually realize they are better off together than they are apart. A close second would be the Tristan and Isolde story from Arthurian legend. It takes a lot of twists and turns over the centuries, not all of them good, but at heart, it's the story of true young love in impossible circumstances.
And last but not least is my favorite "couple who never was." That would be Guy Montag and Clarisse McClellan from Ray Bradbury's "Fahrenheit 451." Again, it's not a love story but there is a fascination between the two that can't be denied. In that word, love isn't clean or neat or anything like what we would call love, and Clarisse opens Guy's mind to "forbidden" ideas. She is, ultimately, the catalyst for his change and though it's unlikely that they could ever share a traditional and passionate love (especially as she dies in the first version of the book, though she lives in later editions), Clarisse sees something in Guy that others don't and urges him to think differently, which is, in a way, it's own form of love.
I guess, in the end, I prefer my couples flawed and with a little bit of roughness around the edges. That's also probably why Johnny Castle and "Baby" Houseman are my favorite movie couple of all time.
As for traditional couples? Beatrice and Benedict from Shakespeare's "Much Ado About Nothing" come in at the top. They are strong-willed people who are secure in themselves and eventually realize they are better off together than they are apart. A close second would be the Tristan and Isolde story from Arthurian legend. It takes a lot of twists and turns over the centuries, not all of them good, but at heart, it's the story of true young love in impossible circumstances.
And last but not least is my favorite "couple who never was." That would be Guy Montag and Clarisse McClellan from Ray Bradbury's "Fahrenheit 451." Again, it's not a love story but there is a fascination between the two that can't be denied. In that word, love isn't clean or neat or anything like what we would call love, and Clarisse opens Guy's mind to "forbidden" ideas. She is, ultimately, the catalyst for his change and though it's unlikely that they could ever share a traditional and passionate love (especially as she dies in the first version of the book, though she lives in later editions), Clarisse sees something in Guy that others don't and urges him to think differently, which is, in a way, it's own form of love.
I guess, in the end, I prefer my couples flawed and with a little bit of roughness around the edges. That's also probably why Johnny Castle and "Baby" Houseman are my favorite movie couple of all time.
Bethany M. Sefchick
This one is tricky, because there are so many ways. Most of the times, I simply step away from the keyboard and focus on my other business for a time. It's a creative business, too, so often times, I find my mind wandering as I work on my jewelry, usually returning to the characters in whatever book I'm currently working on. Whatever my issue is, often times, it's enough to get me "unstuck." If that doesn't work, well, there's always a nice long drive to cure whatever is blocking my mind!
Bethany M. Sefchick
Hands down, the best thing about being a writer is the ability to tell my stories. When I worked in television, often times, I was telling another person's stories. Not mine. As a writer, I now have the freedom to tell my stories the way I want to without being constricted by a visual medium. All you need is an imagination.
Bethany M. Sefchick
Anything can inspire me. One of the last things I wrote, "The Magic of Christmas" was inspired by a billboard for a magic show I saw while I was out shopping in the Pittsburgh, PA area. One look and I had an entire story that was unspooling in my mind. It starts with a small seed of an idea, an image or a thought or a character and it goes from there.
Bethany M. Sefchick
Sit down and start writing. It doesn't matter if it's horrible and full of errors. Half the battle is actually finishing your book or short story. There are a lot of people who want to write "The Great American Novel," but never get past the first chapter or two simply because they don't know how to finish what they start. So if you're stuck, change gears for a bit. Write a short story that is in your chosen genre (or out of it if you're comfortable with that) and finish it. Then write another one and then another one. The more novels/novellas/short stories you finish, the easier the next one gets. Then, go back to your epic masterpiece, or if you've been working on it all along, finish it.
Bethany M. Sefchick
It's going to be a busy fall! I have the first draft of my next Ghosts, Inc. novel, titled "Time's Mirror" completed. It will be my first GI novel that doesn't take place on Earth as we know it, but rather in a world in between the living and the dead - and the rules there are a little different! I had planned for another couple to take center stage in this novel, but suddenly, there was Reed Talbott's mousy little assistant, Tesla Dane, informing me that it was her story. Not another character's. So hers it became. I'm also working on the sixth book in the Tales From Seldon Park serise, "The Secret Seduction of Lady Eliza." It's far more challenging than I had imagined because for once, I created a Regency heroine who doesn't need a man! She's perfectly in charge, thank you very much. And she's been a bit difficult to get a handle on!
Bethany M. Sefchick
The book fantasy romance I'm working on now started as a dream I had while on vacation. When I woke up, I got out my notebook and started making notes - lots of them! Now the difficult part is turning those notes and that dream into a cohesive story.
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