Introduction (01-03)
Taleweaver's Head (04-100)
Taleweaver's Stories
Acknowledgements
Articles
Biography

Introduction

^[01] Taleweaver, Tale, Carolyn. She is called them all. Tale has many talents in all sorts of fields. She writes fiction, she writes articles. She raises children, she is a pet caretaker. She is an artist. In short, she has many skills. Her partner Betty is quite the talent too. Tale is also a good friend who gives a person a shoulder to cry on or just an ear so they can vent. How she has the time to do all she does, plus write, I will never know. So, let us get to know Tale.

^[02] Tale's website: www.geocities.com/taleweavermcb

^[03] Tale's address is: taleweaver@hotmail.com

Taleweaver's Head

AMY MURPHY:
^[04] Why did you start writing?

TALEWEAVER:
^[05] A friend gave me the idea to write a fan fiction story after I b*tch*d about an unsatisfactory ending to an episode of Xena: Warrior Princess

Are there unsatisfactory endings to XENA episodes?>

MURPHY:
^[05] If you had to do it all over, would you be a bard? Would you write?

TALEWEAVER:
^[06] Definitely!

MURPHY:
^[07] Give us a brief day in the life of Tale?

TALEWEAVER:
^[08] I wake up with the baby at 6, settle in front of the computer, and work on the mail and my lists for a couple of hours. When Betty gets up, I give her the computer, feed the kids, take our beagle (Freckles) for a walk, go for coffee with a friend, come home and either do beadwork or write (depending on my inspiration) for a little while, run some errands and generally struggle through my day. At night I write better, so I might work on my writing, either my murder mystery in the works or one of many articles that are on the go. About 10:30 we'll take the dog for his last walk of the day, I'll have my last cigarette, and go to bed. I read a few pages, Betty will have to wake me up to shut the light out, and then fall into an exhausted sleep.

MURPHY:
^[09] How do you handle stress?

TALEWEAVER:
^[10] Not well.

MURPHY:
^[11] Years from now, how would you want to be remembered?

TALEWEAVER:
^[12] I'd like to be remembered as an outgoing, passionate person who believed in herself. I'd like to be remembered as a good mother, a friend, and a caring person who stood up for her beliefs.

MURPHY:
^[13] What is your pet peeve?

TALEWEAVER:
^[14] People who don't call back after I've left messages, bad drivers, and people who hurt their kids.

MURPHY:
^[15] Who is Tale?

TALEWEAVER:
^[16] Tale, which is short for Taleweaver, is a sum of her experiences. She's a creative person, a passionate and emotional person. A mother, a partner, a friend, an educator, and an animal lover.

MURPHY:
^[17] What do you see yourself doing in the future? Future projects?

TALEWEAVER:
^[18] Well, I see myself writing a murder series if I can ever organize my writing time. I see myself joining a billiards league. I can see myself writing some Babylon 5 fan fiction, some more Xena fan fiction that focuses on Ephiny, and more freelance articles. I see my dream of publishing lesbian literature being realized, and I see myself producing a writer's newsletter.

MURPHY:
^[19] How do you handle depression?

TALEWEAVER:
^[20] Badly, but with St. John's Wort.

MURPHY:
^[21] What advice can you give to future writers?

TALEWEAVER:
^[22] Dedicate yourself to improving your writing, but be patient. Always try new things and be open to new ideas, no matter where they come from.

MURPHY:
^[23] What is your greatest wish for your children?

TALEWEAVER:
^[24] That they live to a ripe old age, they make safe, secure career choices, and they grow up happy.

MURPHY:
^[25] What is your take on Subtext?

TALEWEAVER:
^[26] It's not subtext to me, it's maintext, but I believe that we've not seen enough of it. I wouldn't want them to go and make it ALL blatant and obvious, but a little more subtext would be nice.

MURPHY:
^[27] What has the show Xena meant to you?

TALEWEAVER:
^[28] It's taught me a lot. Everything from the fact that I am capable of things I had not realized before, right down to never taking television seriously. I'll be sad to see it end, it was a unique show.

MURPHY:
^[29] How do you feel about its end?

TALEWEAVER:
^[30] I'll miss it. I'm sorry to see the show go, but I understand how Lucy [Lawless] and Renee [O'Connor] must feel, they've given us 6 years of enjoyment for the most part. Even B5 didn't live that long. I can assure you though that Betty and I will be watching our tapes over and over again.

MURPHY:
^[31] What are your dreams? Hopes? Wishes?

TALEWEAVER:
^[32] I dream of someday running a successful publishing house. I dream of a big farmhouse with enough room for everyone to have their own space, there are 5 of us here after all. I dream of a lot of dogs, being a successful writer, and being as madly in love as I am right now.

MURPHY:
^[33] Who do you trust?

TALEWEAVER:
^[34] I trust my close friends, my partner, and the Universe.

MURPHY:
^[35] What would you say every writer needs?

TALEWEAVER:
^[36] Time to be alone, time to write quietly, a good set of reference books and a d*mn good computer.

MURPHY:
^[37] Do you believe in prayer?

TALEWEAVER:
^[38] Absolutely! I pray to the Universe every day and I always get what I need. It may not be what I want, but it's what I need.

MURPHY:
^[39] What theme would you like to tackle in your next work?

TALEWEAVER:
^[40] Abuse. It's powerful, it's moving, it's still a mystery to some folks and I believe I could do a good job.

MURPHY:
^[41] What was the last thing that made you smile recently?

TALEWEAVER:
^[42] My baby clapped all by himself a few minutes ago. I smiled then.

MURPHY:
^[43] What made you angry?

TALEWEAVER:
^[44] Dictatorship. It infuriates me.

MURPHY:
^[45] How would you categorize your best writing, and give the URL's for them if posted?

TALEWEAVER:
^[45] My best writing? I would hope that I'm improving all the time. I feel fondly about my first Xena fan fiction stories. They can be found on Herbard's Fan Fiction Page http://www.geocities.com/TelevisionCity/Studio/7915/taleweaver.html.

MURPHY:
^[46] What stupid thing did you do as a teen?

TALEWEAVER:
^[47] I got drunk with an acquaintance, went back to school during school hours, and made an ass of myself. I was eventually asked to leave the school. It's a shame I did that because it was the best school I ever attended. I definitely learned THAT lesson!

MURPHY:
^[48] What, if anything, can stop you writing, if only for a while?

TALEWEAVER:
^[49] My busy schedule.

MURPHY:
^[50] In your opinion, do you fit your astrological sign?

TALEWEAVER:
^[51] My temper and passion, not to mention my wandering feet, all fit the profile of a Sagittarius.

MURPHY:
^[52] How does it feel to be published?

TALEWEAVER:
^[53] It's a great feeling. It's reaffirming, it heartening, it's powerful...h*ll, it's almost a drug-like state!

MURPHY:
^[54] What makes a great article?

TALEWEAVER:
^[55] Information, humor, style, and readability.

MURPHY:
^[56] If you had to choose between sex and chocolate, which one would win?

TALEWEAVER:
^[57] Can't I have both?

MURPHY:
^[58] Is there one part of the writing process where you usually get stuck?

TALEWEAVER:
^[59] Dialogue. It doesn't come easily to me, so I struggle with it.

MURPHY:
^[60] What have you tried to change that, successful or not?

TALEWEAVER:
^[61] I read the advice from authors that write good dialogue, and I envy those that can write it. I'm not sure if the latter helps at all, but there it is.

MURPHY:
^[62] Which part of writing do you enjoy most and why? (e.g., Taking the original notes, final rewrites...)

TALEWEAVER:
^[63] I enjoy the whole process. My best writing comes from a flow when I'm in THE space and it seemingly writes itself. I write to get the idea out first, and then go back and polish the setting, the scene, the emotional uumph and dialogue after. I might do four rewrites before I'm happy with it, but I'm picky that way.

MURPHY:
^[64] How often do you think about a piece when you're working on it and when do you think about it?

TALEWEAVER:
^[65] If I'm having a hard time with a piece, whether it be a story or an article, I think about it until the problem is resolved. I think about it when I'm doing mundane work, or riding in the van with Betty. There's not much else for a passenger to do, ya know!

MURPHY:
^[66] When someone walks into your bedroom, what are the first five things that they're likely to notice?

TALEWEAVER:
^[67] The disorganization, the fact that Freckles would likely be on the bed, the books, the video tapes, and my crystals.

MURPHY:
^[68] Do you feel in control of your writing, or do you get carried away by your inspiration or characters?

TALEWEAVER:
^[69] They're always taking over I tell ya!

MURPHY:
^[70] What books are you reading now? What about it/them is holding your attention?

TALEWEAVER:
^[71] I'm reading a bunch of Babylon 5 paperbacks, a couple of forensics books, and a Star Trek: Voyager paperback. The forensic books are educational and the others are "fluff for the brain".

MURPHY:
^[72] What would your friends say is your worst trait?

TALEWEAVER:
^[73] My quick temper, I guess.

MURPHY:
^[74] What is the longest any plant in your home has been with you?

TALEWEAVER:
^[75] I've had an Aloe plant for about 5 years and an Orchid Cactus for 6 or 7 years now.

MURPHY:
^[76] Have you ever smoked cigarettes--explain

TALEWEAVER:
^[77] On and off since I was 12. I had quit before I got pregnant with the boys, but I'm smoking again ever since the shelter.

MURPHY:
^[78] How has online writing affected your life and how you see yourself, your goals?

TALEWEAVER:
^[79] Writing online has given me the faith and confidence to write, and then branch out. Without the www, I wouldn't be trying to write at all today.

MURPHY:
^[80] What fan fiction story touched you so much that you still remember it vividly?

TALEWEAVER:
^[81] Most of Bat Morda's (http://cousinliz.com/fanfic/fanfic.html) writing, and most of CN Winters' (http://cnwinters.tripod.com/images/front.gif) writing. I remember storylines better than titles, unfortunately.

MURPHY:
^[82] Where do your ideas come from?

TALEWEAVER:
^[83] Everywhere. My friends, the news, television, and the list goes on.

MURPHY:
^[84] What are the three things you enjoy most about writing?

TALEWEAVER:
^[85] Watching my brain-f*rts come to life on the monitor, making the characters real, and getting fan mail.

MURPHY:
^[86] How real is your fiction to you?

TALEWEAVER:
^[87] Real enough to name my fish after my favorite characters of my own making.

MURPHY:
^[88] Who do you read for inspiration?

TALEWEAVER:
^[89] I read Anne McCaffery, Missy Good (http://www.merwolf.com/), TNovan (http://ausxip.com/tnovan/index.html), CN Winters (http://cnwinters.tripod.com/images/front.gif), and anything to do with Babylon 5.

MURPHY:
^[90] What's your favorite website?

TALEWEAVER:
^[91] The Bardic Circle webpage, http://www.geocities.com/thebardiccircle/ and Wordscapes Original Fiction, http://www.geocities.com/circlefiction/.

MURPHY:
^[92] When you were a kid what did you want to be when you grew up?

TALEWEAVER:
^[93] A writer, a musician, and someone famous. One out of three isn't bad I guess.

MURPHY:
^[94] What have you learned from your animals?

TALEWEAVER:
^[95] Freckles has taught me this, never bite the hand that feeds you. Steal the bed early so that you don't have to compete for space, and the best person to beg from is the Blonde alpha. Oh, and watch out for the dark, grumpy Alpha. She won't let you have bacon. The fish have taught me that happiness is clean water and being fed.

MURPHY:
^[96] What is your motto?

TALEWEAVER:
^[97] "If you don't want to know the answer, don't ask the question!

MURPHY:
^[99] Is there a question I forgot to ask?

TALEWEAVER:
^[100] Nope, I think you got them all.

Taleweaver's Stories

Shades Of Immortality Xena and Gabrielle live on! They're still righting wrongs and saving women in distress, but they can't always save the ones who need it most. Warning: small sensitivity alert!

A Thousand Shades Of Feeling A writer's life is threatened and finds herself sharing her home and life with a mysterious raven-haired bodyguard. They each feel an attraction to the other, and must rely on their feelings to get them through a dark, confrontation filled with torture and pain. Along the way they each learn the value of love, trust and the power of the human spirit.

Eyes Of the Past A sleep-robbed lawyer and a brutalized psychic come together and discover a bond neither expected. Xena and Gabrielle help them bring up a son who changes their lives. Warning...tissue alert here!

Stirrings Of A Dark Heart A beautiful piece about Gabrielle's yearnings for Xena. A must read!

To Love A Dark Heart A wonderful sequel to Taleweaver's story, Stirrings Of A Dark Heart

A Day In The Daycare What if Xena had met Gabrielle when they were younger? Much younger!

Acknowledgments

Thanks to the Bardic Circle for a few of the questions. http://www.geocities.com/thebardiccircle/. Thanks to Kamouraskan for the beta.

Articles

L. J. Maas and Murphy Wilson [Amy Murphy]. One Step Beyond ... Uber, That Is. WHOOSH #49 (October 2000)

The "Inside the Head of…" series in Whoosh issues #58, 61-63, 65-

Biography

Amy Murphy
Twenty-nine-year-old Amy Murphy resides in Indiana, and is an avid reader of Xena: Warrior Princess Fan Fiction. If it exists in the Xenaverse, chances are she's read it! Murphy has also tried her hand at writing FF, turning out two very nice pieces that reside on a couple of web sites throughout the Xenaverse.

Favorite episode: IS THERE A DOCTOR IN THE HOUSE (24/124)
Favorite line: "I Have Many Skills" Various episodes
First episode seen: TITANS (07/107)
Least favorite episode: LYRE, LYRE HEARTS ON FIRE (100/510)