Review of All the Difference: the Jericho Prequel

How long have you been writing?

19 years, off and on

What was your inspiration for this story?

A suggestion from my therapist – write a character with your problems being loved.

What scene was your favorite to write and why?

The fluff scenes are fun, but my favorites were the ones that went behind-the-scenes of Jericho itself and set up the story, such as what really happened to Jake Green 5 years before the show – and then the recovery from such incidents.

Did you make an outline or write as you go?

I originally wrote it in bits and pieces, then used that to put together an outline.  That outline let me see where I was missing pieces and let me re-write it as a whole, single story.

Is there any backstory to this fic you’d like to share?

Bill mentions a family in the show and a wife in a deleted scene – I wanted to fill that story in because I wanted him to have someone at home during the show.  He gets beat up enough he needs someone at home worrying about him! The challenge for writing the Jericho canon itself is having a compelling OC without having her change what happens in the show.

What was the most fun about writing this story?

I fell in love with the dynamic of Bill and Sarah!  I loved exploring their characters.

What, if anything, was the least fun about writing it?

As I said, this started as a therapy story, and as such, some of the depression/bipolar scenes were hard – not Sarah’s point of view, as I knew that intimately, but Bill’s.  When you feel unlovable, how do you write a character that loves someone like you?

What is your writing routine?

I’d like to say I have a cozy writing nook with hot chocolate and music, but more often than not, I write at my computer – which isn’t in a cozy nook, unless you count clutter.  I do always have a drink, but it depends on what I’m writing or how I’m feeling if it’s hot tea or alcohol or both. I’ve got to have either calm instrumental music playing or no music at all.  I write in Microsoft word and transfer it over to Google Docs as I finish a section, so that it can be read by my friends/betas right away.

Of all the stories you’ve written, which one is your favorite and why?

Bill & Sarah have my heart, but of my other stories, I’m most fond of the Claire Novak story I wrote, Saying Yes.   It was written long before she came back as a character on the show, so it’s not canon anymore, but I still love it.

Do you write commercial fiction? If so, please share links to buy them.

Not yet!  Someday, I hope.

How long have you been writing?

I’ve written fanfic for over three years now. I’ve always liked writing though, and I’ve written little blurbs here and there. I remember writing a lot as a kid too, and wanting to be a journalist when I grew up, which I’m most certainly not.

What was your inspiration for this story?

I’ve always had a fascination with parallel universe theories, and I started toying with the idea of Gabriel being powerful enough to jump into one. That, plus wanting something different than canon made this fic come to life.

I actually wrote this after I wrote Magic and Mayhem. I had to post them out of order because M&M was written for a Big Bang and couldn’t be posted until a certain date. After writing that fic, which is so super long, very involved, and written in canon, I wanted to write something kind of… canon adjacent, so to speak. One where I could play with the characters and not feel like I had to follow rules of the SPN verse. Across the Universe definitely hit the spot for that.

What scene was your favorite to write and why?

It’s a toss up between two. I think I have to put the hot air balloon scene slightly in the lead. I had that scene in my head so clearly. I loved writing it, but also felt like I wasn’t doing it justice. As Stephen King would say, it was so much bigger in my head, but words shrank it somehow.

My next favorite would be the scene with Gabe at the animal rescue, the one where he meets Abby and lays down on the floor with her. I love animals, and I love Sam and Gabe with animals, especially dogs. All the dog scenes made my heart ache but I love them.

Did you make an outline or write as you go?

If you know me you know I laughed at this question. I have absolutely zero structure to my writing. I typically get the idea for a scene, write it, and then start working out from that in spurts. Sometimes the original scene ends up in the middle, sometimes the beginning, end, or the original scene is completely deleted because it doesn’t fit once I’m done. I never know. I’m not an organized writer at all.

Is there any backstory to this fic you’d like to share?

I can’t think of any.

What was the most fun about writing this story?

I found it really fun playing with the idea if a world that didn’t have religion, magic, superstition, etc. How would it be different? Probably a thousand times more different than I made it.

What, if anything, was the least fun about writing it?

The end. My beta actually advised that I change it and not leave an opening for a reunion. She knew people would want a sequel. I *did* change it, but the wrong version got posted, and it lead to a lot of people wanting more from a fic that is just done for me.

Looking back, if I could go back and post the other ending I’m not sure I would. I like the ending as it is, it feels right to me. The reader has the space to create a future with them together, if they want. But I also feel like I let a lot of people down by not writing that sequel, and I wish I could give them closure for the story.

What is your writing routine?

Ha! I have none. Write when I can, I guess? Sometimes I go weeks without writing, sometimes I write hours a day. I’m awful.

What’s the weirdest thing you had to Google for this story or any story?

I Googled so many things. Religion was a big one. And hot air balloons. I never cared about them before and I learned so much.

Of all the stories you’ve written, which one is your favorite and why?

A fic no one ever reads. It’s a version of what happened between Dean and Rhonda Hurley called Wildest Dreams. I love that fic. And then it’s probably tied between The Angel Who Forgot What He Was and Paradise City. I love Sabriel, but for some reason my reader inserts are where I feel at home.

Do you write commercial fiction? If so, please share links to buy them.

I don’t. I’ve thought about it but outside of fandom I don’t have ideas.

How long have you been writing?

I’ve been writing since I was a kid and have always enjoyed it, but my fanfic is by far the longest work I have written, and is the only creative writing  I have done in around a decade and a half.

What was your inspiration for this story?

I honestly think a lot of this story was inspired not by my life experiences, but rather my life desires. It is a projection of what I wish would happen — perhaps as is the case with many works that include romance! It also held some emotional truths in the sense that even though the events themselves did not reflect my own life, the feelings associated with them did. Also, I read a lot of fanfic, and I thought, “Hey! I could tell a story in this setting.”

What scene was your favorite to write and why?

This is a difficult question! I honestly don’t think I have a favorite scene. However, I do have least favorite scenes — I think the first chapters were pretty rough while I was still acclimating to writing fiction!

Did you make an outline or write as you go?

I made an outline. I adjusted said outline as I wrote, but I planned ahead of time what scenes I wanted to include, what phrases I wanted to use,  when characters would be introduced, etc. If I’m not organized I lose focus. When I thought of a new scene, I put it in the outline!

Is there any backstory to this fic you’d like to share?

I attempted to portray a diversity of sexual orientations in my fic without commodizing the queer community. I have only encountered characters who feel and love similar to the ways I do in fanfiction — never in “respectable” commercial literature. I felt like, in writing these characters, I was able to have a voice and representation.

What was the most fun about writing this story?

Writing became my reward at the end of the day! I do a lot of academic writing, so it was so refreshing to be able to write humor or about awkward social situations instead.

What, if anything, was the least fun about writing it?

I began a routine of posting new chapters online every couple days. Sometimes I would feel stressed about making the “deadline” for posting, especially because I had lovely readers who would comment on my fic! I didn’t want to disappoint them. That being said, I also think posting my work online was the only reason it was actually completed. Having people read, comment, and want more was a huge motivator!

What is your writing routine?

Whenever I finish with everything else I have to do for the day, I curl up in bed with my laptop and start writing! This is generally pretty late in the evening.

What’s the weirdest thing you had to Google for this story or any story?

My story didn’t include much outside of my repertoire of personal experience — probably the most Googling I did was for recipe ideas!

Of all the stories you’ve written, which one is your favorite and why?

I have only written one story, so this is an easy question!

Do you write commercial fiction? If so, please share links to buy them.

Unfortunately I do not — yet!