Keviana: Hi! I’m grateful you’re taking time out of your day to talk to us!

The Prickly Pear: It’s my pleasure! This should be fun.

First, please tell us how you became a fan of NCIS LA.

I was introduced to JAG at a very young age (it’s still one of my all time favourite shows, particularly the earlier seasons,) came to love the original NCIS through the backdoor pilot and history repeated itself with NCIS LA. Legend parts 1 and 2 came at just the right time for me, some of my other shows had become most disappointing so I was more than happy to hop onto a new bandwagon, and was pleasantly surprised with the quality of the show and its characters.

Since then I’ve grown to thoroughly enjoy the program and it’s currently my favourite show on television. The undercover aspect of the show fascinates me, as do the type of people who are able to pull it off, and that sets the show apart from the other crime dramas on TV and keeps me coming back week after week.

So, who’s your fave character? If it isn’t Callen, you’re going to have to explain yourself…

Hmm… Good question… I guess the best answer I can give you is that I have a top three and one of them might come as a bit of a surprise.

I’m sure anyone who has read my fanfiction knows that I like Callen. He’s fascinated me since the first episode. The idea of a character who literally has no idea who he is or where he comes from, who doesn’t even have something we all take for granted, a first name, and yet still manages to function and contribute to society… I bow to whichever writer came up with that character sketch.

Then there’s Hetty, a former undercover specialist who happens to be one of the most recognizable people out there. I mean, come on, she’s all of four feet tall! But you know what, it works, somehow, and she’s one of the most entertaining characters on the show. I spend every episode trying to sort out the double meanings in most of her dialogue. But mostly, it’s so incredibly refreshing to see a powerful, confident, and intimidating woman who does it all without sex appeal and sexual tension.

Finally, the surprise and the character who has risen into my top three (and even the position of “favourite” during several episodes) faster than any of the others. Owen Granger. Yes, he’s (to quote Callen) a son-of-a-** and no, I don’t trust him fully, but then, I don’t trust Hetty (or even Callen some episodes) fully either. But that’s what I love about all of them. They know how to play the game, and they play it better than anyone else. The three of them, to me, have so much in common and I can only hope that the show chooses to address that at some point.

Fair enough. So. I am always on the lookout for fan fiction stories that take G Callen’s character through some interesting twists. Yours did that with vehemence- great vehemence, even. For those who haven’t read your fic “Falling Through Cracks”, can you give us a summary of what your story is about?

Set back in season one, “Falling Through Cracks” deals with some of the darker aspects of Callen’s past. After being confronted with an incident which took place in a former foster home (where one of his foster brothers was murdered) and arrested for the crime, G goes off the grid. While he’s out there attempting to go after the man responsible, the team is left picking up the pieces and warding off an LAPD detective intent bringing Callen in, dead or alive. But there’s far more to the story than the team knows and, despite their best efforts, G is taken to the very edge of his sanity during the final face-off. What’s left is a shell of the man they knew, trying desperately to rebuild his shattered walls and Hetty has no choice but to suspend her lead agent so he can heal. The story ends with the team assuring Hetty that they will not give up on Callen.

And it was that ending that caught my attention! So, tell us, what were you hoping to achieve in this story?

When I started writing this story, I’ll admit I didn’t have much of a plan. There were a few things I knew for sure, however. Callen’s history, for instance, I had completely figured out before I began writing as well as all of the Original Characters who made an appearance. I also knew all along that the ending would not be altogether happy.

I guess my goal was, in essence, to show Callen as I’ve always perceived him. He’s lived a tough life and, in my humble opinion, has showed a natural darkness in several episodes and I wanted to expand on that. I also wanted explain some of the little questions which have been raised over the course of the show. Things like Callen’s fear of needles, and the fact that math surrounding the number of foster homes he lived in (37) over 13 years doesn’t add up if the longest he ever stayed in one place was 3 months…

That, and it was an excuse to write angst, which I love.

You had some serious suspense, crazy action, and fun interaction in your fic. How did you come up with everything you took Callen and the Team through? What parts did you, as a writer, like best?

In all honesty, I just went where my muse took me. Admittedly, it took me there slowly, but I’m pleased with where I ended up. My aim (as cruel as it may be) was always to lead Callen to a breakdown, but he’s such a tough and resilient character that I knew in order to make it plausible, everything that could go wrong would have to go wrong, and then some, so I just let my imagination run wild.

As for which parts I like best, well, I love writing breakdowns. It’s something that’s always come easily to me. In fact, next to first person writing, it’s my favourite thing to write. Something about the altered perception and disjointed thoughts just appeals to me from an author’s standpoint because when you get it right you can actually suck a completely sane person into the insanity you’ve created. Or, at least, that’s what I’ve always aimed for.

I also very much enjoyed writing my OC, Jared Colby. He’s become one of my favourites.

(And Jared Colby was cool.) When you read your fic all the way through, what do you feel? What do you hope readers will experience through your story?

Pride. When I read my story all the way through the predominate feeling I get is pride. “Falling Through the Cracks” is the first story I’ve ever managed to finish and I couldn’t be happier about it.

As for my readers, I hope they descend into madness along with Callen, and then begin to rise back out. I hope they feel the same desperation, hurt, and confusion as the rest of the team as they discover just how much they hadn’t been told. I hope they laugh at some of the interactions (though humour was never the aim, nor is it my strong suit), and worry for the characters’ wellbeing. But mostly, I just hope they enjoy the ride as much as I did.

I know what I felt when I read it! It was a crazy roller-coaster of smiles, anxiety, terror, care, anger, sadness, and relief! I thank you for putting so much heart into this story. How long did it take you to write?

From start to finish, this story took me a little over two years to write. I’m a notoriously slow writer at the best of times, and because I started writing it without any sort of plan, my muse was inconsistent (to put it lightly.) In fact, there were several points where I seriously considered abandoning it altogether. But the reviews kept coming, all the words of encouragement, and I kept getting drawn back to the story. Needless to say, I’ve very glad I saw it through; if not for me, then for all the people who kept me going.

When you are writing Callen, how do you bring his character to life in your stories? Is there anything that you focus on, add, or try to enhance?

Callen is an interesting character to write. My main concern when writing him is keeping the hard edge which so often gets lost in fanfiction, but, at the same time, not allowing that edge to overtake him. There’s also the undercover aspect to work with, taking into account that for every situation, he has different mask up his sleeve. Basically, I try to emphasize the qualities which are needed to be the undercover legend that he is, while still keeping true to the playful banter of the show.

Still, I know my version of Callen is generally slightly darker than that of other fans I’ve spoken too and I’m just fine with that.

Any chance of new stories from you? Or, will we maybe see a sequel to “Falling Through the Cracks”?

I’m currently working on a few stories, three of which are collections of related one-shots and one is another team-centric, multi-chapter story.

As for a sequel to “Falling Through Cracks,” well, that’s still up for debate. I have a few basic ideas floating around, but I refuse to make the same mistake twice and start another story without planning it out first. There is one thing I know for certain, however, and that is there will be an epilogue. It won’t be posted for a while, but when it is, I will let you all know. I’ll also let you know if and when a sequel will be on its way.

I’m grateful we were able to catch up with you!

Thank you for taking an interest! This was actually quite fun!

Any parting words for aspiring fan fiction writers?

Plan out your story before you get started. That was the single most important thing I learned while writing this particular piece because I hadn’t done it and it came back to bite me. Now, I’m not saying that you have to have every little thing planned out and then follow it to the letter, not at all, but at the very least know where you’re headed and have a few stops pre-planned along the way. Apart from that, say true to the characters and let them dictate where the story goes. Don’t try to bend a character’s personality just to fit into a certain situation. Each one of them is complex enough that there’s more than enough you can do with them without having to resort to that sort of thing.

Oh, and trust your instincts. Write what you believe in. If you see something clearly in your head, chances are, we readers will, too.

This has been an interview with The Prickly Pear about her NCIS: Los Angeles fan fiction story “Falling Through Cracks” which can be found here: http://www.fanfiction.net/s/5832255/1/Falling-Through-Cracks

Don’t forget to thank The Prickly Pear for joining us!