Ashlyn K. Toliver

Author's Journal | Author's Stories

Title/Keeper of: also known as Vixenne Victorienne, The Salon Diva
Age: 39 - And I still get carded at bars
Gender: Female
Relationship Status: In a committed relationship with a long-haired metalhead technophile vampire
Home: Los Angeles, CA
Occupation: Paralegal student, legal support staff, writer, and public relations for the band Hydra
Hobbies: Avid reader, writing, politics, collecting antique Victorian jewelry and fountain pens.
Dislikes: Racism, sexism, homophobia, apathy, thug/gangsta rap - too easy for stupid people to stereotype my community based on what they see or hear on television instead of looking at us as individuals; bad fashion, Paris Hilton, Jessica and Ashlee Simpson, reality television, and much of what supposedly passes for music these days.
Seen LOTR/TTT/ROTK in cinema how often?: All three films, a combined total 12 times

*****

Favorite Story in Archive: Blood and Fire by Sairalinde and anything by Alexa Bond. Both writers have the deep emotional resonance that makes for great storytelling. Even though they’re not archived, Brenda’s Welcome to the Playground Series is well-written smut and a whole lot of fun.

Favorite Character (real / fictional): I’ve been a Sean Bean fan since I saw Sharpe’s Rifles. Then again, there aren’t too many European actors I don’t like. Fictional – from LOTR, it’s a tie between Boromir and Faramir.

Most Hated Character: Denethor – the ultimate Daddy Dearest.

Favorite Movie: Four - Diva (a killer French film), The Star Wars Trilogy (both of them), the LOTR Trilogy and Excalibur – not in any particular order.

Favorite Book: LOL – you’re asking a voracious reader to name her favorite book? If I had to choose ONE, it would be The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley. Personally, it’s one of the greatest works of fiction of the latter twentieth century. No flames, LOTR was written in the first half of the twentieth century.

How did you come to fan-fiction writing? A friend got me hooked on her Devil May Cry fiction and I thought I’d try my hand at writing Robotech stories. I also penned a Jane Austen piece which got really great reviews because of how well I mastered Austen’s style. I discovered Slash fiction just this year and was amazed at just how good the caliber of writing was. A lot of the writers I’ve read are better than some established authors out there.

How do you come up with ideas for stories? I don’t think about it. Something pops into my head – a poem or song or something I overheard – and the stories sort of write themselves.

What do you do to overcome writer's block? It depends. I work on other stories if I feel blocked on a particular one. I take time off from writing to catch up on reading – and reading always inspires me.

Have you written in any other fandom? Yes. Robotech and Jane Austen – poles apart but my interests are wide.

If yes, where can your stories be found? On www.fanfiction.net under my pseudonym Vixenne Victorienne.

Do you use music as a soundtrack for your writing? If yes, what kind? Oh yes! I love listening to Nightwish, Tristania, Black Tape for a Blue Girl, Lycia, Kamelot, Symphony X, Blind Guardian, Pain of Salvation, The Black Crowes - Like everything else in my life, my musical inspirations are varied.

Is there a certain time of day you usually sit down to write? Two or three o’clock in the morning.

Have you or would you write stories "on request" for readers? I don’t think I could. My mind doesn’t work that way.

Which of your own stories do you like best? Breathe is my favourite. It’s short but powerful. I dedicate it to my first submissive who entrusted me with his training.

Do you have muses who help you with your stories? If yes, who are they? Yes. Jane Austen, the Bronte Sisters, Octavia Butler, Oscar Wilde…in spirit.

What do you think is your trademark in stories and why? Passion. I like bringing passion to anything I write. I want people to feel it and to remember it.

What part of your writing do you think still needs improvement? Writing itself is a growth process and I’ll never be satisfied. I could win the National Book Award and still think there are better writers than me. Even in this archive I run across writers so phenomenal that I’ll say to myself, “I wish I’d written that.”

Is there something you would never write? I don’t like limits. But I don’t like Chick-Lit either.