Geek Speak Blog Interview: Uncut (sort of)
As I was sayin' last night, The Geek Speak Blog just posted an interview with the True Blood Twitter Players. I'm gonna follow in the footsteps of @KitchenBitch and @JessicaHamby and release the partly-censored version of my OOC (out of character) interview after the jump.
(As a note to the readers: I hope y'all will understand that there are certain things we have to keep under wraps to keep this running smoothly, and that's why there are some answers missing).
Basic Mickey Mouse roll call - can we get (only) your real first names? Or do you have a specific preference for using only the character names?
First off, thanks for the interview! As far as the name goes, I'm a fan of keeping it under wraps, if that's alright. I'm speaking just for myself, though. Some of us may be cool with it.
What's the age range of the people behind the tweets?
Well I'm in my twenties. And that's all I'll be saying about that.
How about locale? Are you all in the same area? or all over the country/world?
Not sure I'll be sharing that one either.
What caught your fancy about Charlaine Harris' books, and True Blood? Did any/all of you find the series through only the show?
I found the series through the show. To be honest, I hated the show at first. I had only watched a few minutes, I think around ep. 3, and a character had just been killed. Blech. It took a friend of mine forcing me to watch the whole season before I loved it. And I did love it. I read the first book, and instantly fell in love with how Ms. Harris writes characters. She's able to write people that we as readers really, truly care about.
What drew you to the characters you're portraying on Twitter, now? For those portraying characters only found in the show, did you have a certain favorite character from the published books, prior to the telly show?
I was drawn to Hoyt's heart. He's just a nice guy. Sure, he's not out there saving the world, but he works hard, and he loves his friends and family. He'd do anything for them. I decided early on that I wanted to play a background character (he was at the time), and just really focus on trying to do it properly.
Did any of you know each other prior to becoming the faces of True Blood on Twitter? If not, how did you come together in the current group?
Nope! Well I didn't, anyway. We've met up at a few different events now. A lot of us have become quite close.
So what walks of life do you all come from? Anyone that might surprise us?
Not sure I can answer that one.
For fans curious about starting a cohesive fan group, and being successful, what tips or tricks would you each offer?
Play off each other. If the group gels, you'll figure out each other's strengths and weaknesses. Our group has been really good at covering one another. For example, I can't be around all the time, so I know that @JessicaHamby spends some time speaking to Hoyt as if he were there, when he really isn't. It's just the cost of doing business. Things won't go perfectly all the time, and your group can either pick up the slack and carry on, or it can't. It's a really great ensemble cast we have here, and we really work well together -- just like the show.
What's the best and worst thing your group tried, that brought you to the place you're at, now?
I think that TB Twitter Thursday was a fantastic idea, so Bravo to Sookie on that one. It's really got people hyped! The worst thing we've probably done was the TB Twitter Thursday that I had a role in. I couldn't possibly explain to you how hairy that one was behind the scenes, but I can say that I wasn't as prepared as I should have been, and I think it showed. Hopefully I'll get another shot in the future...
Any of you fans of any of the other big literary vampires, or other things that go bump (very bumpy in some cases) in the night? How about the monsters of other media, like movies or television?
To be honest, I'm not a huge monster/vampire fan. That's what shocks me so much about the hold that True Blood/Sookie Stackhouse Series has on me -- that it's not really my genre at all. Ms. Harris and Mr. Ball really have created a world that is so appealing to people across all demographics, which is incredible considering it really is very much within the vampire/monstery-thing genre.
What about Sookie Stackhouse/True Blood prompted this level of interest & devotion from you all?
I was inexplicably hooked. As I mentioned earlier on, I'm a big fan of how Ms. Harris developed the characters to create this rich world that we're all so addicted to.
What do you think you'll do for the next several months, before we see a Season 3?
I think we'll go back to creating our own storylines. I was really excited for Season 2, as I had never tweeted while the show aired (I came in after Season 1). It turns out that playing this role on Twitter gets especially challenging during a season, as we're all sort of in limbo between episodes. If Hoyt is stuck in the house with his Momma at the end of an episode, it's pretty much locked that that's where he'll be staying all week until the next episode. I think we're all looking forward to the freedom that hiatus will bring. I'm sure there will be cliffhangers, but I'm also sure that none of us will sit in limbo for months. You'll see us come alive on our own pretty quick after the season finale. If you ask me, there's nowhere better to get your True Blood fix between seasons, and it's my opinion that we're better in the off-season, so stick around...
Which leads to...what do a bunch of Twitterites do for fun when not tweeting? what do you hate to do, that tweeting might provide escape from?
Work. I can say that our group contains quite possibly the hardest-working people I've ever seen. I don't think any of us are trying to avoid work (well... maybe...) but this definitely makes it more fun.
How do you all schedule your online activity? Are there charts and graphs involved?
It was tough for me at first. I didn't know anyone, and I didn't know how this whole thing worked. When would people show up? What if I wanted to run a big story arc? Could I contact the other players? This all worked itself out pretty quickly. I think a lot of us know each other's rough schedules and when they may/may not be around. I've been a bit more of a wildcard in the last few months, as I'm not always available (and I thank the whole group for their patience there).
How about the Twitterwall competition? Were you all surprised by the activity, and the fan support showed by the voters?
I had no idea what that thing was or how I got there. I am, however, incredibly flattered to have made it so high up! I mean... really? Gosh... Thanks, y'all!
How about the Challenge issued by KitchenBitch/Lafayette to the fan base? How did that go? Anything about it you'd change in retrospect?
I wasn't really involved in that one too much, but it sure was entertaining to watch...
Any favorite "Twitter moments" for any of you? A Tweet that just made you laugh like mad, or tear up, or want to strangle or stake someone?
When you complete a storyline, that's pretty great. You can sit there all night playing a story out, hoping it's going to end up sort of how you'd like it. There have also been some great interactions with the rest of the crowd. And there have been some disaster interactions with the crowd. I'm just happy when I can close the laptop at the end of the night feeling like I accomplished what I set out to do with the character for the evening.
Okay, lightning round:
Fave songs from each of you
Really? Okay... #41 by The Dave Matthews Band. Or maybe anything by The Fray (Hoyt and Jess have been working around a lot of Fray music on Twitter, so it holds a special place in my heart).
Fave food
My mother's Caesar Salad (my real Momma, not Maxine...) It's got enough garlic in it to kill a horse.
Hated food
Olives?
If you were a fruit, what would it be?
I really don't know how to answer that one... A Fortenberry? There ya go.
If you were on a deserted island, without wifi, what 3 items would you want with you?
-a satellite internet box
-my macbook
-an espresso machine
Anything else you'd like to throw out...that you'd like people to know about your group, or about you as individuals?
It's been great having the opportunity to play a character that I love with characters that I love, and I'm thrilled that people have stuck around to watch. Come drop in and say hi. Even if you don't know how to use the twitter box thing, you'll figure it out. We don't bite... uh.... much.