Before we start I have to tell that I am super excited about this post. Today I have fragile little human here and she agreed to talk to me about Breathe Me.
Don’t know about what I’m talking about??
Breathe Me is a fanfiction story which takes place after Edward left Bella in New Moon. But, instead of coming back, Bella started a new life trying to forget Edward and find new peace in her life without her big love. What makes the story even more interesting is that it is a crossover story between Twilight and Moonlight. What the heck is Moonlight you might ask?
Moonlight was a really cool Vampire TV show some time ago, unfortunately they stopped the show after just one season. Fragile little human includes now these two Vampire worlds and creates a world of her own.
Why am I so excited about talking about Breathe Me? I started reading Breathe Me right from the beginning, and I was immediately hooked. Fragile is a wonderful writer and she is super talented. New Moon is my favorite book because it’s on one side so heartbreaking when Edward leaves Bella and on the other side I was super angry with him doing something so extraordinarily stupid. Breathe Me is a wonderful story with a grown up and mature Bella and I love her. Let’s talk about this with fragile, but first I have a little surprise for you from my wonderful Twincé Betti, she made this just for you :
Warning: This post is full of Breath Me Spoilers, so if you haven't read it, don't read on!!! Why the heck haven't you read it yet anyway?
Enough introductions, let’s start!
Welcome fragile, I am so excited to have you here. I was in love with Breathe Me right from the beginning. But let me ask you, did you write stories before Breathe Me? Maybe not Twilight fan fiction but something else?
Thanks for asking me and for loving my story so much! Nope, I've never written anything before...unless you count computer software manuals :)
Why did you choose that your story take place in New Moon just after Edward left? Was it because you love New Moon so much or because you was so frustrated with the book?
While I love New Moon, I was very frustrated with how easy Edward got off in the end. He lied, he broke Bella's heart, and he deserted her. But Bella never really made him pay for that. Sure, I understand that she had to save his life in Italy (after all, how boring would Eclipse and Breaking Dawn be without Edward? *grin*), but, when they returned to Forks, she should have kicked his ass, at least a little. That frustrated me to no end. Oh, and the "I can't believe you believed me when I said I didn't love you" crap made me want to throw my book across the room. Good thing I'm very careful with my books ;)
Oh I totally agree with you with this quote from the book " I can't believe, blah" But I remember your Bella handled that a bit different in Chapter 13. "How dare you pretend to be wounded because I trusted and believed you? You don't get to play the victim here." This was awesome! Although I felt a bit bad for Edward, he truly deserved that!
Yeah, my Bella totally wasn't going to let him get away with that!
Where does Moonlight and Mick come in?
First, I LOVE Moonlight, and I was terribly upset when it was cancelled. In the story, however, I thought it would be interesting to mix the two canons. Plus, I wanted a more interesting reason for Edward's return than "he changed his mind" or "oh, no, here comes Victoria again!" Mick was the perfect reason: a vampire who, while completely harmless to Bella, would seem very threatening to Edward. Plus, I just love Mick *swoon*
Yes, I can read that in your story, you put in quite some love creating Mick as a character for Breathe Me. As you mention now the mix of the two canons I found it pretty clever how you did that. The Cold Ones being an older form of the Vampires, how did you came up with this idea?
I like the idea that, over the millennia, the vampire could evolve, taking on characteristics that made it a more effective hunter. If you compare the Twilight and Moonlight canon, it's the Moonlight vampires who could blend in and hunt more effectively. That allowed there to be a built-in tension between the two vampire lines, one thinking they're more advanced than the other. After reading the chapter where Mick describes the differences, my lovely beta said that she pictured Edward in a loincloth. That's when I started all the caveman references; I knew it would make her laugh.
Your Bella is so much different from the Bella we know from Stephenie Meyer; she is mature and grown up. Is your Bella just different because you wanted her like that or is your Bella so strong because of the things she had to go through to reach the point where your story starts?
It's a little of both. I didn't want my Bella to be the standard damsel-in-distress. I wanted her to stand up, brush herself off, and move on with her life without Edward. I also wanted her to become strong enough to be able to take Edward back on her terms, not his.
Oh yes the Reunion didn't went so smooth like in New Moon, when Bella first saw that Edward came back she was furious instead of just happy to see him. But she had to go through a lot because of him. Actually I loved the part where Bella told him to breathe in her "Now you know how I felt." You made it not easy for Edward. How did you feel for him while writing those chapters?
I love Edward; I'm Team Edward all the way. But that doesn't mean he should always get away with his bull$hit. I love that scene because it gave Bella some of the power and allowed her to turn the tables on Edward, who was always getting her hot and bothered then turning her down in the books.
Talking about Edward, I smiled so many times reading about him in your story. Here Edward reacts much more like a teenager. Did you miss that in the Twilight books?
In the books, Edward is always worldly and wise, and, even though he's been 17 "a while," he never acts 17. However, he's a virgin and never had a relationship with a woman. I think it's reasonable that, in those respects, he would be unsure and a little awkward. After all, we all had health class, but I'd hazard a guess we weren't experts in the sack, no matter how old we were when we finally got there.
You created quite a thick bond between Edward and Mick. It feels like Mick acts more like a mentor to Edward and a good friend. Edward doesn't really have friends; he has his family but no friends. How do you see the relationship between Mick and Edward?
That's exactly how I see it. While Edward is unsure and virginal, Mick has definitely had experience with women, both as a human and a vampire. He's already trudged through the doubt of his relationship with Beth, and he knows exactly how Edward feels, what his concerns are. And, if you've seen the TV show, Mick always tries to help the people and vampires around him. He's just that kind of guy.
We have to talk about this, although it broke my heart: Charlie's death. On one hand I was extremely upset about this, but on the other hand his dead made it easier for Bella to move on with Edward. What was your reason behind Charlie's death?
I love Charlie, and I wanted to redeem him after SM had him be an ass and basically congratulate Jake for assaulting Bella in Eclipse. I always see Charlie as Billy Burke/movie Charlie, which is so much more than book Charlie. That said, his death was planned from the very beginning, as was Renee's.
There was two reasons for that. (1) One of book Edward's arguments against turning Bella was that she'd have to leave her family behind. Making her an orphan took that argument away. (2) Most importantly, seeing Bella lose Charlie allows Edward to see death and loss as something real and tangible rather than some lofty, romantic notion. Seeing Bella's grief makes Edward realize that he'd do anything to keep her with him.
Those chapters have been pretty tough to read, but you did a wonderful job there and you spoke right to my heart during these chapters. How hard was it for you to write?
Very difficult. I cried a lot writing it. Having lost my mother suddenly when I was in my early 20s, I remember very clearly what that first night and days after were like. Writing Bella's feelings in those chapters are probably the closest I've ever come to explaining how I felt then.
However, I thought that the Cullens would come to the funeral. Why didn't they?
In the wedding chapter, Edward says that he doesn't have the family at the wedding because "we need to do this our way, Bella and I." I wanted the story to be about Edward and Bella coming to terms with their past and the things that happen to them once they reunite as adults and as a couple. If the Cullens come into the story too soon, the decisions begin to be colored too much by the input of the family. The Cullens are giving Edward and Bella their space, and Carlisle only comes towards the end when he's called.
A really tough thing was when Bella went out to kill Charlie's murderer, but I could understand this easily from her point of view. But then you let Edward kill him instead. Not just killing him but ripping his heart out, this was really hard! Why did Edward just not bite and drain him?
Wow, um, I just liked the visual of him ripping someone's heart out and it still beating in his hands. Plus, I think Edward wouldn't want to drink a human's blood; it would kinda set up a bad precedent ;)
Then you surprised the hell out of me by Edward's request that Mick changes Bella! Clever! Did you have this in mind right after starting the story, or did this idea came up while writing?
That was planned from the beginning. It only made sense to me that Edward would want Bella's existence to be easier than his. One reviewer said they couldn't understand why Edward would trade the ability to survive on animal blood and never having to sleep for a dependence on human blood and a body that's not indestructible. As Mick and Edward explain in the changing chapter, however, Bella doesn't have bloodlust, she doesn't have to kill to feed, and she can blend in with humans if she needs to. Edward's thoughts say it best, I think. "If anything ever happened to him, Bella would be able to blend in with humans and live a life of freedom he'd never know."
What I really loved was that Bella told Edward that SHE wants to marry him! Wonderful! I found it super confusing that Bella reacted so stupid in New Moon and Eclipse about Edward's proposal. Why does your Bella now want to marry him?
Book Bella is such an idiot about that! "I'll give up my life and possibly my soul for you, but marriage is too big a commitment." WHAT?! How does that even make sense? My Bella sees Jackson's and Angela's marriages, and she understands the meaning of that kind of commitment. She wants it for herself, and she wants it with Edward. She doesn't see anything wrong with letting him know that.
Ok, I don't tell a secret that I am a big crier. But I cried like a baby during the "changing" Chapters. Thank you for bringing in some erotic moments, I always pictured it like that.
Thanks! I was worried about the change scene, how people would react to what Mick and Edward do. I'm very glad to know that you didn't dislike that part, because it was important to me that Edward have something of Bella since he wasn't the one changing her. As Mick thinks in chapter 12:
Irregardless of the circumstances in which it occurs, drinking the blood of a lover is the most erotic experience a vampire can have. He imagined the same was true for a Cold One, except that their lovers tended to not survive the feeding. It must be agonizing, he thought, to know the one thing you crave the most is the one thing you can never have. Edward's guilt over feeling such pleasure in the midst of such a horrible situation must be tremendous.
In the change scene, Edward has one last chance to feel pleasure and not guilt when he drinks Bella's blood. He might be ashamed, but, ultimately, it is a gift he's been given by Mick and Bella.
Oh my goodness, but we are coming to the end now. This makes me so incredibly sad, but let's talk about the last chapters.
You described the moments when Edward was there sitting beside Bella and waiting for her to wake up really emotionally. His desperate wish for her to wake up. Honestly shortly I thought you might let her die!
No no no no no, I'd never kill Edward or Bella. I'm a faithful E & B shipper, and, no matter what hell I put them through, I'd make sure they ended up together.
You surprised me once more, when he could hear her thoughts and when she "talked" to him. How did this idea come up?
There were two scenes in Breaking Dawn that I really liked. The first is when Edward can hear the baby's thoughts in the womb, and he realizes that she loves Bella. The second is when Bella is able to drop her shield and let Edward hear her thoughts. Since Bella wasn't changed by Edward, the shield power didn't materialize, but I still wanted them to have that mental connection they have at the end of Breaking Dawn. I thought having her be able to at least communicate some of her thoughts to Edward would be cool.
In the end it was great leading towards a happy ending, she met Charlie and Renee and could get her peace. I think that was your intention?
Absolutely. When you lose a parent, you often end up wondering what they would think of the choices you've made, would they support you and be proud of you. I gave Bella the opportunity to know those answers, because, after all, forever would be a long time to have those questions.
But finally she woke up - thank you! I was so happy it all went well in the end.
*sniffles* Ok we are really close to the end now. It was a bit sad when they all went to the airport to say Goodbye. Mick and Beth both won my heart and now they go.
I was so sad when I wrote that scene. They all had created this new little family in the void left behind by Charlie, and then they had to go their separate ways. *sniffle*
You gave us another surprising moment when you revealed Jackson's wife being a vampire! Why did you do that? Is there a special reason behind it?
I actually had a whole scene in my head where Mick and Bella go to buy retail blood and run into Jackson's wife there, but it didn't really fit into the story. Instead, I decided to have her reveal herself to Bella at the end. It's kinda of my way of showing that the elite community Josef talks about is bigger than anyone knows, that their bloodline can blend in with humans so well that Bella couldn't tell Jackson's wife was a vampire.
And just as a sidenote: I love that Josef wrote the letter to Bella and Sparklepuss (hilarious) and gave her the Jaguar as a gift! You know I love these exclusive cars.
You're not the only one - Greta, my lovely beta, loves Josef. No, you don't understand, she LOVES Josef. :)
The end of the story was absolutely perfect, Bella and Edward at the Meadow!! So wonderful, and actually here we have my favorite quote from Edward: "Lead the way, love." Absolutely fantastic! If he would have let her lead right from the beginning so much wouldn't have happened, and they would have their happy ending so much earlier!
Exactly! It took Edward a while, but he finally figured out that he can't just control and decide everything and expect Bella to follow along. In the end, their relationship is becoming a partnership, and Edward realizes that he makes better decisions when he lets Bella be a part of them.
Ok, I have to, I really have to ask this one burning question. I think I'm not the only one who would beg you for this, but is there a possibility that we might see Edward, Bella, Mick, Beth, and maybe Josef again??
Well, tomorrow (December 1st) I'm posting the first chapter of an AH Alice-centered story titled Spell My Heart. It's only five chapters long, so it will end the last Tuesday of December. Also, I'm starting a new AH Bella/Edward story titled Not That Cool (Bella's a geek, and Edward is the non-geek that maybe kinda loves her), and the first chapter of that is tentatively scheduled to go up December 11th. Then, in Spring 2010, I plan to write a Breathe Me sequel. I know my major plot points, but I don't have a detailed outline yet. I can give you two "spoilers" though:
1 - You'll get to see what the Cullens are up to in Anchorage.
2 - There will be lots of Josef. I mean LOTS of Josef :)
So everyone go and add an author alert, pretty please!
*jumps up and down in excitement* OOoooOOoooO really??? I'm freaking out!!! Girls, did you all read that ?? We will get a sequel!!!!! This is awesome! Thank you so much!
Thank you! I've gotten so much support from my blog and Twitter friends and my readers/reviewers! I won't go through my epic A/N again, but I'm really thankful for all my wonderful friends in the fandom! *hugs* *kisses*
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