Today’s interview is with the resplendent rickyrodgers. My apologies for it posting late: I forgot to put it in queue and ran into some technical difficulties once I reached my camping spot.
FanFiction Name: rickyrodgers
Twitter or other: rangerbeckett (twitter), alwayswiththecoffee (tumblr)
Why did you pick the name(s) you are using? I chose rickyrodgers for ff because it makes me think of a young Richard Castle. I wanted to use the same username on twitter, but it was taken, so instead I went with references to Castle and the movie Pacific Rim.
Place of birth: Canada.
Where do you live now? Canada.
Anything you want to share about your life or family: I’m the middle child and have two brothers.
Job: Currently a university student. Though in the summer I work at summer camp or at a foster home.
What do you like to do in your spare time, besides writing? Fandom wise, I started out as a gif and graphic maker, which is what introduced me to writing. Spending time on photoshop is still one of my favourite things to do. I also love playing guitar, reading, and binge-watching shows on Netflix.
How did you become a fan of Castle? I saw a rerun airing one night after Doctor Who and couldn’t stop watching because I wanted to find out who the killer was. After that, I searched up the show and became hooked.
Favorite episode(s): Tick tick tick/boom, murder he wrote, a deadly affair, the good, the bad, and the baby, knockout, to love and die in LA, reckoning, flowers for your grave, home is where the heart stops. Wow, that’s a lot.
How did you discover fan fiction? I used to follow a bunch of Harry Potter fansites and found stories through those, and eventually found a website called harrypotterfanfiction which became my favourite thing in middle school. I moved on up to ff and ao3 after discovering other fandoms.
When did you start writing? VERY recently. I was always afraid to try (still am), but wanted to give it a shot. Emily (Oliviet) was a wonderful cheerleader and gave me the push to try and write.
Have you written anything for other fandoms? Okay, well, technically the answer to the last question is a lie. I attempted to write fanfiction for Harry Potter in the seventh grade, but that does not count.
Favorite place to write? A couch in the study next to ginormous windows.
Do you have a particular writing process? I still haven’t quite figured it out yet. Most of the time, it’s silently panicking while staring at a blinking cursor.
How do you come up with your story ideas? I really enjoy looking through the prompts blog and or imagining AU scenarios where caskett may fit.
Which is your favorite story that you’ve written and why? Ha. I’m still very inexperienced, having written only a couple one shots and half of a multichapter. The multichapter, Hall of Fame, is my favourite so far, because it combines two things I love, gymnastics and Castle.
What have you learned or improved on in your writing? I still have a lot to learn in the writing department, but I try to pick the brains of friends in the fandom who are writers and learn from them. Things like improving dialogue (which I do not enjoy writing), pace of the story, how to explain certain plot points, things like that.
What resources, if any, do you find helpful when writing? Mostly other writers! They can be very helpful for beginners like me. Also good 8tracks playlists to have playing in the background.
Last story you wrote, or current if publishing? I’m currently writing a multichapter (mentioned previously) called Hall of Fame. It’s an AU where Beckett is a gymnast vying for an Olympic spot and Castle is a journalist covering the Olympic team’s story.
Who are some of your favorite authors in fanfic? I love bravevulnerability, oliviet, alwayswritewithcoffee, morgangirl11, caffinate-me, jstar1382, and honeyandvodka. There’s probably a million more, but these are the ones I can remember off the top of my head.
Top 5 favorite stories, other than your own? No Sanctuary by bravevulnerability is one of my favourite stories ever written because Raina wrote it for me after we started talking about the idea. She wrote it beautifully and it’s just wonderful. Overlap by honeyandvodka is amazing as well. I’ve read it way too many times. I love all of Emily’s stories, but The Mating Game is lovely so far. Les Deux by alwayswritewithcoffee is so intriguing and has taken quite a few interesting turns, and so I get excited every time Dee updates. For All That You Are by morgangirl11 is absolutely adorable, and makes my heart ache in a good way.
Something you think will surprise most people about you? I still can’t drive! I’ve had my G1 (which is a learner’s permit) since I was 16 but it scares me.
Anything else you’d like people to know? Photoshop is my first love, so I'm known more in the fandom as alwayswiththecoffee on tumblr as a gif/graphic/fic cover maker, rather than for my writing. In the past, I've made covers for Oliviet and bravevulnerability, as well as a few others.
Finally, please name a few authors you’d nominate to be interviewed. If you know them personally, please ask if they’d like to participate. alwayswritewithcoffee (Dee) is lovely and wonderful.
End of Interview
Thank you, rickyrodgers! Stay tuned for an interview with I03I tomorrow.
