Whoosh! Issue 65 - February 2002

INSIDE THE HEAD OF JAMIE BOUGHEN
By Amy Murphy
Content © 2002 held by author
WHOOSH! edition © 2002 held by Whoosh!
4717 words


Introduction
Jamie's Head (01-70)
Jamie's Stories
Acknowledgments
Articles
Biography



INSIDE THE HEAD OF JAMIE BOUGHEN



Introduction

[01] This is another old-timer bard. He has been here for a while now. He is a great writer, and I love his work.


Jamie's Head

How is it that you can spell Joxer's name correctly 
but you spell my name A-R-S-E?
Gabrielle was severely bitten by the writing bug.

AMY MURPHY:
[02] Why did you start writing?

JAMIE BOUGHEN:
[03] I literally read one too many badly written stories and decided I could do better. Okay, I did have a big fat ego but it does appear that I made the right choice because my writing has lead me along paths I might not have taken otherwise.

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

BOUGHEN:
[05] Yes and yes.

MURPHY:
[06] Give us a brief day in the life of Jamie?

BOUGHEN:
[07] I stagger, half blind and barely awake to the coffee pot, (warning: do NOT speak to this shambling creature until after coffee!), pour out the first 20oz mug, then stagger off in a not much better state to my computer and work, work, work. Anywhere from 14 to 20 hours later I get off the computer and stagger back to bed. When the boss hasn't got me chained in servitude vile to my computer and telephone, I might find a bit of time to jot down a few words or even (happy happy joy joy) read a story or a few pages of a book. I have to go to many meetings (I work for a convention company) wearing a suit and tie. (Yuk) Every so often, I run around like a demented chicken at an actual convention, wondering why I do this for a living.

MURPHY:
[08] How do you handle stress?

BOUGHEN:
[09] I was fortunate enough to be born with the famous Australian "laid back" gene, so stress really doesn't get to me. On those few occasions when it does, I have some kill-everything-in-sight games I use to lower the stress level. The fact that I drink my coffee out of a 20oz mug, and smoke two packs of cigarettes a day doesn't come into it. (laugh)

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

BOUGHEN:
[11] I'd like to be remembered as a man who always honored his word, no matter what. And perhaps as someone who did great things with chicken! (laugh)

MURPHY:
[12] What is your pet peeve?

BOUGHEN:
[13] Partners who think because I work from a home office it also makes me somehow available to do housework and cooking throughout the day!

MURPHY:
[14] Who is Jamie?

BOUGHEN:
[15] Just another being following his own path, hoping to grow and be the best he can be. Honor, courage, and truth are the three principles I live by in all things. I don't beat up on myself TOO much when I fail at living up to those principles.

MURPHY:
[15] Do fans expect too much from stars?

BOUGHEN:
[17] In a word, yes. Stars are just people like the rest of us. They are simply a little more visible due to their profession.

MURPHY:
[18] What are your feelings on censorship?

BOUGHEN:
[19] Some censorship is necessary...For example: Kiddie-porn. However, in most instances it really isn't needed. Adults have enough life experience to decide what they will and will not look at. Any truly caring adults with kids should be taking the time to oversee what their kids are doing on-line or with their friends.

MURPHY:
[20] If you can cure one disease, what would it be and why?

BOUGHEN:
[21] Cancer, because it really is one of the nastier diseases to have. Not so much the cancer itself, but the fear involved with it can just as often kill you off as the illness itself.

MURPHY:
[22] Do you believe in capital punishment? Why?

BOUGHEN:
[23] Yes. Let's remove those influences from the gene pool.

MURPHY:
[24] What is the most sensitive part on your body?

BOUGHEN:
[25] Sweet Artemis!! You really want to know?

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

BOUGHEN:
[27] As far as my writing goes ... I'd like to be published in a main steam kind of way, but I'd still be writing no matter what else is going on around me. I have an idea or two for original novels hidden away in my PDA, as well as some other jottings on my big box. As far as my future goes, well ... I kinda like working for the convention company because it really does use my skills in new and unusual ways. I love the challenge of that. I get as much satisfaction from putting together a really good convention as I get from writing a really good story. But...Maybe I am easily pleased too.

MURPHY:
[28] How do you handle depression?

BOUGHEN:
[29] Good drugs. (laughs)

MURPHY:
[30] What was the hardest thing you ever did?

BOUGHEN:
[31] Leave the country of my birth and actually LIVE in a foreign country for the last 3 years.

MURPHY:
[32] What was the easiest?

BOUGHEN:
[33] Falling in love with cable TV.

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

BOUGHEN:
[35] Ooooo, I could go on about this for days. Believe me on that. But the best advice I can give to anyone looking to be a writer is simply this: Write. Don't talk endlessly about writing. Don't sit around thinking about writing. Don't bore your friends telling them about what you are *going* to write. You need to get your behind in that chair, turn on your computer (or put the paper in front of you) and WRITE! Only by doing will you improve.

[36] And be realistic about your writing goals. You are NOT the next Ernest Hemmingway or Gloria Stein. You are you and ego management is a gooood thing to do at all times.

MURPHY:
[37] What has the show (Xena) meant to you?

BOUGHEN:
[38] It actually got me started on TWO whole new careers (at the same time!!), so I am grateful to have stumbled across the show on TV one night. I had just left my previous profession of 12 years and was kinda lost and adrift, not really knowing what to do with myself next. Other than that, it is just TV, not reality. (Something that some folk seem to forget at times.)

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

BOUGHEN:
[40] I haven't seen it because work had to come first...But I do know how it ends. As I said before, it's just television and not something that is going to devastate the rest of my life. World War 3 would be traumatic. My house burning down would be traumatic. Xena dying in the last episode doesn't even rate on my scale of bad-things-that-can-happen.

MURPHY:
[41] What are your dreams? Hopes? Wishes?

BOUGHEN:
[42] Next question please. This is the kind of question I will openly discuss with a partner but the rest of the world is just going to have to guess.

MURPHY:
[43] Who do you trust?

BOUGHEN:
[44] My very best friend back in Australia. We've taken each other through hell and back over the years so there are no secrets between us any more. She is also the only person in the whole world who will taste ANYTHING I cook when I am being experimental in the kitchen! That's gotta be worth something!

MURPHY:
[45] If you are a parent, what is the greatest wish you have for your child?

BOUGHEN:
[46] For them to grow and be the person they want to be.

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

BOUGHEN:
[48] A dictionary, a thesaurus and an understanding partner.

MURPHY:
[49] Do you believe in prayer? Explain.

BOUGHEN:
[50] I don't actually pray. I more have conversations with my goddess. All the answers I need to any question I could ask are already inside me. Sometimes talking to her helps me find them.

MURPHY:
[51] How do you feel about subtext?

BOUGHEN:
[52] Love it!!

MURPHY:
[53] What makes your best friend your best friend?

BOUGHEN:
[54] Aside from eating my cooking, you mean? I am a good cook, really! (laugh) She has seen the ugly side of my personality and is STILL my friend anyway.

MURPHY:
[55] Could you or have you ever experienced, you or someone else reading one of your stories aloud in the public?

BOUGHEN:
[56] Not to this point. Although I tend to read my writing aloud as I am working on it just to make sure the dialog sounds true to life.

MURPHY:
[57] What did / would you feel?

BOUGHEN:
[58] Guessing here....If I had given it my best, and done all in my power to present a good story, then hearing it read aloud in public is not going to make me cringe....much.

MURPHY:
[59] What's the most romantic thing anyone has done for you?

BOUGHEN:
[60] Someone preparing all my favorite dishes, and then feeding them to me while I sat up in bed. (I'd been sick for days and really felt like crud.)

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

BOUGHEN:
[62] Looking to find the hero inside all of us. Sometimes the most ordinary people can be such amazing heroes and I really want to address that theme in a story.

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

BOUGHEN:
[64] At the end of the last convention, I did...Hearing all the good things people were saying about how well organized things had been. That brought a real smile to my tired face and made me feel great for days afterwards.

MURPHY:
[65] What made you angry?

BOUGHEN:
[66] You really don't want to go there!!

MURPHY:
[67] You now have absolute authority over the world. Omnipotent in all areas. (Congratulations) What's your first move?

BOUGHEN:
[68] I would link everyone's feelings. If someone made you feel bad then they would feel it too. If you caused someone pain, then you would share in that pain. It certainly would stop an awful lot of the nonsense we have been experiencing.

MURPHY:
[69] Do you have stalkers? If so, how have you handled them?

BOUGHEN:
[70] Yes, I have had stalkers over the years. Usually, I do my best to ignore them. Failing that...then I will call the proper authorities to deal with it. That usually solves the problem.

MURPHY:
[71] How would you categorize your best writing?

BOUGHEN:
[72] The best story I have written is not on-line yet. (It's still not completed. Work can really get in the way of the writing sometimes!!) It's not an alternative reality...more a 'this could be happening and you might never know it' reality. The story is actually the third in my Diana and Rell series.

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

BOUGHEN:
[73] What didn't I do, more like it. I drank too much (mostly underage), smoked (legal and illegal), indulged in unsafe sexual practices and skirted along the edge of the law on more than one occasion. (A few years in the military soon stopped the unlawful behavior but that was about all.)

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

BOUGHEN:
[75] In a word...Work. The convention takes over my life completely for 6 months of the year and everything else is just put aside until it over.

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

BOUGHEN:
[77] Mostly.

MURPHY:
[78] What to you is the worst feeling in the world?

BOUGHEN:
[79] Remorse...especially when I can do nothing to make amends for my behavior.

MURPHY:
[80] The best feeling in the world?

BOUGHEN:
[81] The satisfaction of knowing I gave something my very best effort. No one needs to know what I have put into a story (or in organizing a convention.) If *I* know I gave it my best, then I am satisfied...and that really is the best feeling in the world.

MURPHY:
[82] Favorite song of the moment?

BOUGHEN:
[83] Enough of Me by Melissa Etheridge.

MURPHY:
[84] What is the first thing you think of in the morning?

BOUGHEN:
[85] Coffee...cigarette...mail. In that order!

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

BOUGHEN:
[87] I usually get stuck about 3/4 through a story because I can see my ending coming, but get jammed up on how to get there. It is especially difficult when I have multiple subplots in a story and I have to bring them all together.

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

BOUGHEN:
[89] I've tried writing from the end and going backwards. (Didn't work!) Plotting out each scene in advance. (Didn't work.) Starting something else and coming back to the original story later. (Oh, how THAT didn't work!!!!) Now, I just struggle with my 3/4 mark and eventually get to the end. (That does work...at least for me.)

MURPHY:
[90] What is gossip mean to you?

BOUGHEN:
[91] Not much. I usually don't listen and almost never do it myself.

MURPHY:
[92] Are people easily swayed by 'hear say'?

BOUGHEN:
[93] Yes. Lies are far easier to listen to be because to find the truth of something usually means doing some work.

MURPHY:
[94] What are your feelings about people who use others for personal gain?

BOUGHEN:
[95] I dislike them. I generally refuse to deal with them if possible. (Although, in my line of work sometimes I HAVE to work with them. Then I just watch my back a lot!!)

MURPHY:
[96] What is a hypocrite?

BOUGHEN:
[97] Someone who has no understanding of honor.

MURPHY:
[98] What kind of doughnut do you eat?

BOUGHEN:
[99] I don't. American doughnuts are nasty things.

MURPHY:
[100] Does the best writing flow for you, or does it come from rewrites?

BOUGHEN:
[101] The best writing comes from me when I do not have to think about the words and it somehow just flows directly from my brain and onto the computer screen. It's almost a zen experience. I'm here, but not here either. Reflections of An Old Woman (an early Xena/Gab end of life piece) was written in one single 24 hour sitting and I barely remember anything about the actual writing of the story. I sat down and suddenly it was just there. Totally zen!

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

BOUGHEN:
[103] The part I enjoy most is sitting here, staring at nothing and listening to my characters tell me their story for the first time. Or....at least the parts they are willing to show me right away. *They* get me excited about the story and I usually can't wait to get it down in words so others can enjoy it.

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

BOUGHEN:
[105] All the time!! I live, breathe, eat, and sleep a new piece. It obsesses me to the exclusion of all else. Which is why I recommend any writer who works the way I do have an understanding partner.

MURPHY:
[106] When someone walks into your bedroom, what are the first 5 things that they're likely to notice?

BOUGHEN:
[107] I don't have a real bedroom. (I sleep on a blow up mattress on the living room floor. Don't ask...Long story.) However, if someone was to walk into my office (where I spend most of my time anyway) they would notice the HUGE desk I have, covered with piles of paperwork...some for my writing (research material) and other piles for my real life job. They would immediately see my dictionary and thesaurus atop my computer (for easy access.) My massive map of the world is impossible to miss as it covers over half the wall above my head. There are also several bookcases filled, and overfilled with books. (This is in addition to all the ones I have stacked in the closest that can't be seen.) Finally, there is the CD towers filled with all kinds of music. Some of it is for writing to, and other CDs are listened to while I write contracts for work. (I do an awful lot of that, trust me!!)

MURPHY:
[108] Do you feel in control of your writing, or do your inspiration or characters carry you away?

BOUGHEN:
[109] I am very workman-like in my writing, so I control it from start to finish. Although, there are moments when the characters would just love to take over. I never let them.

MURPHY:
[110] If you consider yourself to have a muse, what exactly do you mean?

BOUGHEN:
[111] I have no muse. There is just me and my imagination. What else does a writer need? Muses are too capricious to depend on when you write full time, anyway.

MURPHY:
[112] Tell the truth--are you your favorite writer, or in your own top five? Why or why not?

BOUGHEN:
[113] You betcha! I write the kinda stories I want to read. When I started writing, no one else was writing stories I wanted to read...so I write my own. And yes, I do enjoy reading them later, repeatedly.

MURPHY:
[114] Would the world be a better place if women ran it or would it be the same?

BOUGHEN:
[115] It would be the same. Women are not above making the same mistakes as men. No one said that ovaries give you wisdom.

MURPHY:
[116] What is your favorite spot where you live now?

BOUGHEN:
[117] My home office.

MURPHY:
[118] What books are you reading now?

BOUGHEN:
[119] The Iliad. (Homer) I usually have two or three I read at a time, but I am in the middle of working out hotel contracts for the convention next year.

MURPHY:
[120] What about it/them is holding your attention?

BOUGHEN:
[121] I actually like to read 'classical' literature. I believe if junk goes into my brain, then junk is all I am going to be able to write as a result.

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

BOUGHEN:
[123] My solitary nature. I actually NEED time to just be with my own thoughts.

MURPHY:
[124] Do you type with your fingers on the right keys?

BOUGHEN:
[125] No. I use whatever finger is near the key I need. I tend to gallop over the keyboard as a result...but I'll never have any trouble with Carpal Tunnel either!

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

BOUGHEN:
[127] A month. It was a cactus....and I STILL managed to kill it in the end, and NOT from over watering either!

MURPHY:
[128] Do you have any particular bedtime rituals (glass of warm milk, etc.) that you follow every night?

BOUGHEN:
[129] I read for half an hour or so, have that final cigarette and then turn out the light. Dull, I know but it puts me out every night.

MURPHY:
[130] If you find a spider in the bathtub, do you help it out or squish it?

BOUGHEN:
[131] I usually help them out, unless it is a nasty poisonous one. That kind is squished without a second thought.

MURPHY:
[132] What was the last thing you bought that you really didn't need?

BOUGHEN:
[133] A computer game. Myst 3 - Exile. I like brain buster puzzles.

MURPHY:
[134] Have you ever smoked cigarettes--explain

BOUGHEN:
[135] When haven't I smoked! (laugh) I'm hooked on the horrid things but I find the rituals involved to be relaxing in their own way, so I have never really contemplated giving up.

MURPHY:
[136] Who is your favorite Greek God?

BOUGHEN:
[137] Artemis.

MURPHY:
[138] Why do fools fall in love?

BOUGHEN:
[139] Even fools have emotions.

MURPHY:
[140] Do you keep a diary and if so what do you call it? If so, what effect has it had on your writing?

BOUGHEN:
[141] I've kept a journal most of my life. It doesn't have a name of any kind. It doesn't affect my writing because I use a totally different 'style' when I am journaling.

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

BOUGHEN:
[143] (laughing) It brought me to America. That was a side-effect of on-line writing I hadn't thought about when I first started out. I see myself as being a little more well-rounded as an individual because I have to look into myself for the emotions I need to write into my stories. It certainly has helped me get to know myself in ways I didn't think possible. My goals have really changed over the past several years. I used to be content to simply get through the day...healing from too many years on the road. Now, the possibilities seem almost endless to me. Between the conventions and the writing, I certainly don't lack for things to do any more!

MURPHY:
[144] What skill would you like to have that you don't have now?

BOUGHEN:
[145] I'd like to be able to play the piano.

MURPHY:
[146] Who is your real life hero and why?

BOUGHEN:
[147] I am my own hero. Trust me, after all the things I have done in my life, challenges faced and situations conquered....there is no reason not to look to myself as an example of courage and strength.

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

BOUGHEN:
[149] The first one I ever read...All Through the Night by Rebekah. http://lunacyreviews.com/authors/Rebekah.shtm

MURPHY:
[150] If you could only choose a single climate with no variation, would you prefer it to be sweltering hot or freezing cold?

BOUGHEN:
[151] Sweltering hot. I can't stand being cold...not for a minute!

MURPHY:
[152] What is the first thing you notice about someone when you meet them?

BOUGHEN:
[153] Their eyes. Is there life and joy sparkling behind them? Is there depth of experience and self-knowledge shining through? Or is there nothing but the dullness of someone who doesn't know anything about themselves, and doesn't care to learn?

MURPHY:
[154] Have you ever done something that accidentally caused something bad to happen to someone?

BOUGHEN:
[155] Both accidentally and deliberately. I used to be a reporter, you know. I had no honor and few morals back in those days.

MURPHY:
[156] How is $25 well spent?

BOUGHEN:
[157] New books and good music!

MURPHY:
[158] Would you rather live in a sociable suburb, or alone in the deep woods?

BOUGHEN:
[159] Give me the deep woods any day!

MURPHY:
[160] What literary character did you most identify with as a child?

BOUGHEN:
[161] Robinson Crusoe. Alone on an island, yet endlessly creative in finding ways to make things better for himself.

MURPHY:
[162] What is the source of your inspiration?

BOUGHEN:
[163] Wondering how my characters will react in whatever situation I set up for them.

MURPHY:
[164] Where do your ideas come from?

BOUGHEN:
[165] From the murky depths of my own imagination.

MURPHY:
[166] What do you find most satisfying about your job?

BOUGHEN:
[167] Seeing all the smiles on people's faces during a convention.

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

BOUGHEN:
[169] Learning about my characters, learning about myself and telling a story that others will enjoy reading repeatedly.

MURPHY:
[170] What were your favorite book, TV show, and movie when you were a teenager and what do you think of them now?

BOUGHEN:
[171] I'm nearly 40 now. I can't remember that far back.

MURPHY:
[172] What's your idea of a perfect world?

BOUGHEN:
[173] One where everyone can be in the job that gives them the most satisfaction...and not one they do just for the money.

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

BOUGHEN:
[175] Not very. It's called fiction for a reason.

MURPHY:
[176] What Disney character do you most identify with and why?

BOUGHEN:
[177] Disney? Ugh...next question please.

MURPHY:
[178] Who do you read for inspiration?

BOUGHEN:
[179] All kinds of non-fiction books...usually ones concerning extremes of emotional states.

MURPHY:
[180] What's your favorite website?

BOUGHEN:
[181] Nekkid, clueless and feeling good. (An on-line journal.)

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

BOUGHEN:
[183] (laughing) A writer of some kind. What else?

MURPHY:
[184] What are the limits in sacrifices for true love?

BOUGHEN:
[185] There are limits on true love? Gee, I didn't know that. I thought true love was unconditional.

MURPHY:
[186] If you could interview your favorite author, what questions would you ask?

BOUGHEN:
[187] I'm always curious to see how other writers explain why they write.

MURPHY:
[188] What makes a great kisser?

BOUGHEN:
[189] Someone who isn't sloppy about it, doesn't try to stick their tongue down my throat in the first thirty seconds, closes their eyes...and really takes their time. I want to *feel* their emotions coming through their lips.

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

BOUGHEN:
[191] There is no such thing as a problem that is too big. It's okay to be silly now and then. Cuddles don't have conditions. Asking for something will usually get it, (especially when if I rub around your ankles and feet! ) Sitting by the window to watch the world go by can be very freeing. Good things come from napping.

MURPHY:
[192] Does our society glorify violence to the point we have become desensitized to it and the consequences?

BOUGHEN:
[193] Yes.

MURPHY:
[194] What is your motto?

BOUGHEN:
[195] Executive Assistant?-I'd rather be called "The God of Common Sense".

MURPHY:
[196] What do you think we take too seriously as writers?

BOUGHEN:
[197] Our egos because most people know nothing about ego management.

MURPHY:
[198] What questions should I have asked? Then answer them

BOUGHEN:
[199] What do you fear with your writing?

[200] Writing myself into an emotional situation, I am not ready to deal with. I am using my own emotions and experiences as a base when I write about various situations with my characters, so every so often I find myself raising emotions in myself that are difficult to deal with. I usually have to leave the story for a while (an hour, a day, a week, however long it takes) and resolve the turmoil before I can continue. It's probably been the best therapy I could have gotten for myself.


Jamie's Stories

Jamie Boughen's e-mail address: darkness@airmail.net

Stories

Soul Full Of Tears (Alt)
Reflections of an Old Woman (Alt)
Two Hearts, One Whole (Alt)
Anger is My Shield (Alt)
Valley of Hidden Fears (Alt)
Choices in Life (Alt)
The Long Way Home (Alt)
A Jealous Harvest (Alt)
In The Shadow of an Eagle's Wing (Alt)
Moonlight Dancer (Alt)
Most Reviewed by Lunacy

Acknowledgments

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-


Biography

a woman of mystery 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
Favorite line: "I have many skills" (various episodes)
First episode seen: THE TITANS (07/107)
Least favorite episode: LYRE, LYRE HEARTS ON FIRE (100/510)

 

 

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