duckprintspress

Vee Sloane has been working with Duck Prints Press since our second anthology, when they contributed to And Seek (Not) to Alter Me: Queer Fanworks Inspired by Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing.” Since then, they’ve been a frequent contributor to our collections, and are always a delight to work with and read stories by.

Author Biography: Sloane has been writing in fandom as Vera/Vee Dragonmuse for twenty-five years, along with some traditional publications. They particularly concentrate on themes of found family in modern AUs.

Links: Tumblr

An Interview with Vee Sloane

What do you consider to be your strengths as a creator?

I love to write dialogue and I like to think it’s my biggest strength! How characters communicate means a lot to me.

What do you consider to be your weaknesses as a creator?

Plots! I tend to be more interested in how people talk to each other and interact, so it’s easy to lose track of pesky things like major events and clues (I persist in writing mysteries even though I like to throw the actual mystery in as a b-plot).

Are you a pantser, a planner, or a planster? What’s your process look like?

I’m a total pantser. I very very rarely move around scenes once they’re done being written. I write in long linear stretches, often thousands of words at a go (with long dry spots between major projects) and for better or worse, I usually think my first take is the best take. I’ll trim back afterwards, make adjustments to wording, on a second and third pass, then off it goes into editing where it will get it’s just desserts and then a freshening up.

Which of your own creations is your favorite? Why?

I have some recency bias, but for original work, I am very pleased with the short story I wrote for the Aim for the Heart Anthology which feels very close to how I write in fandom. In fanfiction, I’m incredibly proud of the OFMD modern drag AU Leda House and the Kraken verse. It feels like the most mature version of my writing to date. (Editors note: these works are linked below!)

Which of your own creations is your least favorite? Why?

I wrote a piece of fanfiction twenty years ago that still occasionally gets attention. I keep it posted under my name because I don’t believe in abandoning work. But I know I failed while writing it. The comments just reflect a very different take away than I intended. It’s a good object lesson to have though that if you want readers to have a certain conclusion, you have to put in the work to make sure they can arrive at it without spoonfeeding them.

Do you like having background noise when you create? What do you listen to? Does it vary depending on the project, and if so, how?

I’m a parent, so I’ve just learned to write with whatever is happening in my house. When I’m alone, I listen to blessed silence. Sometimes a Southern Gothic playlist if I need some good ambiance vibes.

What are your favorite tropes?

Found family, established relationships, noir, and gothic horror. I write the last one the least often, but I love it so.

What are your favorite character archetypes?

Grump with a heart of gold, hands down. Tell me how this grumpy person is secretly the kindest one in a group or at least far kinder than people would guess. Bonus points if the person who figures this out is a jaded romantic match that is just more naturally charismatic so people tend to prefer more, but deep down is more cynical than the grump.

Share five of your favorite books. (You can include why, if you want!)

Imajica by Clive Barker: It’s a strange epic of a fantasy/horror book and I don’t even know if I’d recommend it, but it sank into me at a young age and never let go. It’s something about the fullness of the world envisioned, the intricate plot, and soulmates transcending time not always being a good thing.

The Golden Key by Kate Elliot, Melanie Rawn, Jennifer Robertson: Also a fantasy epic that spans generations, having three different authors gives the book a realistic feeling of moving through time. The magic system is fascinating and the play painting as a metaphor is really great.

The Lioness Quartet by Tamora Pierce: Alanna’s play with gender tapped unconsciously into feelings that I wouldn’t be able to identify for another twenty years.

Watership Down by Richard Addams: Rabbits struggling to survive and telling stories to comfort each other is just part of my writing genetic makeup now.

The Callahan Chronicles by Spider Robinson: Comic science fiction that concentrates on a found family brought together by story telling in a time traveller’s bar. Some of the morality and themes haven’t aged well, but there’s an overarching desire to convey that the secret to life is being kind to each other and I love that.

What are your goals as a creator?

My main goal is to provide somewhere to escape to for a bit as a reader. That’s how I prefer my reading and I want to give that to anyone who wants it. Everything else is gravy.

When you look at your “career” as a creator, what achievement would you most like to reach – what, if it happened or has already happened, would/did make you go “now – now I’m a success!”?

I thought once I published my first novel, I’d feel like I’d finally succeeded as a writer, but what I realized is that I value the community and connection in fandom more. There’s something about the immediacy of publishing and commenting that feels like a shared activity. Writing is very lonely as a hobby, so getting that instant feedback feels good. I have stats I can point to that feel like ‘success’ (here’s my big brag: one of my fics is still in the top ten most kudo’d for Destiel), but really it’s every time someone tells me they enjoyed something I wrote. The high from the big wins never last as long as you think they should. 

Tell us about your pet(s).

I have an elderly cat called Bea for Bea Arthur. We adopted her already fairly old (age unknown) and she has no teeth. She still likes to play and gets the zoomies, but in between, she would prefer a long nap in the sun and head scritches.

If you could give one piece of advice to a new creator who came to you for help, what would that advice be?

I wrote a whole screed about this on Tumblr called ‘How to Be a Dirtbag Fanfic Writer‘ where I basically advocate that perfection is the enemy of done and if you’re struggling to write, drop your desire to create the most perfect thing ever and just post up whatever you have. Ugly, raw, but it’s finished. Every time you finish something and put it out into the world, you’re a step closer to becoming the writer you want to be. Holding on and polishing drafts can be a valid process, so this advice does not universally apply, but I would still encourage everyone to try it at least once.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever received?

I got a lot of notes on my novel that the epilogue felt too sudden and neat. It’s better to leave a little ambiguity at the end of a story.

What’s the worst advice you’ve ever received?

Make an outline. It’s great advice for a lot of people! I’m not against outlines, but whenever I thought I absoutly had to have one, it’s tripped me up to no end. They just don’t work for my style. Best and worst advice is so dependent on the person!

Works Vee Sloane Wanted to Share:

• How (thanks to Gabriel) Dean and Castiel (accidentally) raised each other (and Sam). Fandom: Supernatural. Ship: Castiel/Dean Winchester and Gabriel/Sam Winchester. Summary: In which, Gabriel meddles with the time line and Castiel becomes Dean’s angel rather sooner than intended.
• What is True, But Not Ideal. Fandom: Game of Thrones. Ship: Jaime Lannister/Brienne of Tarth. Summary: In which Brienne meets the other Lannister first, becomes a bartender, makes a best friend, buys a convertible, and accidentally lives her best life.
• Kiss My Lipstick On. Fandom: Our Flag Means Death. Ship: Blackbeard (Edward Teach)/ Stede Bonnet. Summary: Ed stumbles into a drag bar, then a relationship. He might as well fall into a fresh understanding of himself while he’s at it.
• Stories Beneath Our Skin. Original work. Summary: Tattooing might have once been Liam’s passion, but he left it all behind along with ugly memories when he went to college. When his uncle’s health fails, Liam must come home at last to say his goodbyes. His days are spent at the hospice, leaving his nights to rake over the past. To fill those empty hours, he takes a job at Great Sin Ink. The close knit friendship of the workers there both intrigues and shakes Liam, who has spent the last four years keeping everyone at arm’s length. Neither Deb, the no-nonsense piercer, nor Goose, a manic tattoo artist, will let Liam get away with his isolationist ways for long. If it were just those two, Liam might have stood a chance — but there’s also Ace, the owner of Great Sin. He hires Liam despite a thin resume, and that is a kindness Liam can’t forget. The two start up a tentative friendship, learning about each other as the summer days melt into each other. Slowly, Liam reveals a tender heart underneath the wall of quotes he uses to keep everyone out. Unfortunately, life doesn’t stand still, and both Liam and Ace have hard struggles before them that might break them up before they can even get together.

Duck Prints Press Projects that Vee Sloane Contributed To:

• And Seek (Not) to Alter Me: Queer Fanworks Inspired by Shakespeare’s “Much Ado About Nothing.” Story Title: The False Sweet Bait.
• He Bears the Cape of Stars. Story Title: Escape Velocity From Fear.
• Aim For The Heart: Queer Fanworks Inspired by Alexandre Dumas’s “The Three Musketeers.” Story Title: Wait and Hope.
• A Truth Universally Acknowledged: Queer Fanworks Inspired by Jane Austen’s “Pride and Prejudice” (forthcoming). Story Title: The Iron Rose.