Meet Captain Starcastle
Interviewed by Katja Chotikapong the Unpronouncible
We
first got acquainted over the reference book, Kiss the Cook -- unfortunately
I didn't think to ask the good Captain to share her favorite recipe!
Captain Starcastle: Wow! I very surprised! I’m one who prefers to keep a low-profile, you know, there when I’m needed but don’t put me in the front row! And I never, ever raise my hand, so this is a shock to my humble nature. But, I’m very honored, to say the least and I’ll try to make you proud. But be warned I can get long winded. *s* (I blame that on PAN for making me a 'brave' writer)
Would you tell me something about yourself?
Captain Starcastle: I am a hard one to put into simple words, you might well say. There are three distinct facets to Captain StarCastle, yet a there is a connection between them all that runs through each one. First of all, as Captain Liberty StarCastle, I am the Pirate Captain of the Dutch brig, the Black Star. I have been alone nearly all my life, wandering the globe in the midst of the 17th Century, honing my skills at survival, always on the lookout for that perfect happy ending with the perfect pirate, of course. Secondly, Captain StarCastle, somewhere in the far reaches of space, in the year 2243, is a rogue smuggler pilot, captain of the Star Rush, about to find a worth to her life by jumping into a good cause. This character is not Terra Human; her mother was from an off world race of humans on Tau Ceti Alpha 5. And thirdly, not so far from there, in another part of the Galaxy, Liberty is on a Quest as a member of the Interstellar Centurion Corporation, better know as the ICC, hunting down pirates and smugglers in the Sweet Trade thread, battling aliens and about to lose her heart to the man she is hunting. But throughout all my many sides and faces, one current runs true for all. I believe there is good in the world and the people I meet and am constantly striving to find it.
How did you discover PanHistoria?
Captain Starcastle: By pure accident! I am a member of a pirate webring, was roaming the pages and came across this pirate page belonging to the one and only, Capt. Dawg Brown. I suddenly found myself in the midst of a world that had me on my feet and gasping for breath. I joined the next day. It only took me that long because I have do decide on a character. LOL!
Have you ever done any other writing outside of online communities, such as poetry, journals, professional publication or just plain personal enjoyment?
Captain Starcastle: I have never even seen a site like PAN before. Have never done any writing like it. Not with others, that is. As a writer of historical romance, yes, pirates, I’ve worked on several novels of my own, one got very close (Argh! Another rewrite!), I have been a member of various writing groups as well as part of the RWA (Romance Writers of America) for a short while. Yes, lots of journal writing in free-from groups, been creating song lyrics and poems all my life. I love to write. PAN is such a fabulous venue for writing. I am very happy to be here.
You are a member of Survivor: Pan Historia! This encourages unique writing abilities; how did you find yourself being challenged here?
Captain Starcastle: Yes, Survivor! Well…(pausing to catch my breath). I think the most challenging thing about writing at Survivor is you have to write like there is no tomorrow. Cause there might not be. You better get your character’s purpose and direction up and posted there right out of the shoot and be ready to run with it day ONE. You audition, you pass, you pick a name from the list. (I picked the spoiled, rich drunk kid Felix Van der Stocken in this episode) There is no room, no time, for your character to wake up and smell the coffee, one day see the light and change their ways. I think, for me, that is the most challenging part of Survivor! I admit, when I was invited to audition for the Novel, I was more than a little intimidated. Was afraid to make that first post, walking into the middle of the existing episode. The writers are very good there and the Novel if fast-paced! It took me a few posts to get my wings, you might say. Now they can’t shut me up! *G*
You participate in a number of novels. Could you tell us something about what you see concerning your roles in any of the following? Ile de Torture, Beyond the Stars, The Muppet Novel, or Galaxy Quest? Whether past or future, what do you find unifying about what you do in storyplay?
Captain Starcastle: My first love is pirates, of course. And my first home here at PAN is Ile de Torture. I have made some wonderful friends there. Currently I am battling love and danger with co-writer Raider Prescott. The great thing about this plot is the undercurrent of romantic tension between our characters. Keeping that tension alive between them, while moving from one thread to another, in and out of other plot lines with other characters, is very challenging for me. I’ve grown the most as a writer as this facet of my character. Ile is my home away from home. Beyond The Stars is another side of the coin for Liberty. As a reformed smuggler and thief, a loner who has a very big chip on her shoulder, she stumbles onto the Independence, meets the ‘good guys’ and is forced to turn over a new leaf. With this character, I’ve had to shift her angry, brooding side so it now simmers just below the good person she is trying to become. It has been challenging there, because there is a specific plot for all involved and I had to learn about everyone on board. Again, I’ve made some great friends there, and they’ve pulled me along and into places I had no idea I was headed for or even wanted to go. Great fun! My part in the Galaxy Quest: Sweet Trade thread, for me began as a spin off of the Novel I am posting in a personal thread at GQ; Canopy Pirates. Then suddenly I was writing with three others. I like the storyline we have developed because it is just the four of us. We are tight with what we want, communicate very well and there are no egos to deal with. We are having great fun there battling aliens and trying to stay alive. Muppets? HAH! That’s just silly fun. Everyone needs some silly fun in their RP lives. That is the one place I can write and am allowed to make no sense.
In some random hypothetical roleplay, what sort of character would be your greatest "stretch", but that you might consider tackling sometime? If you wish to reveal, what other things do you already participate in here at Pan?
Captain Starcastle: I would have said an alien a few months ago, but I’m writing an alien in another character now and it is very challenging. Hypothetically? I can’t really think of one. Currently, in other characters, I am pushing my limits in every direction all the time. I think my male characters are a big stretch for me. Getting into their heads is not easy in some situations. Keeping my female POV out of the way is a stretch, I guess.
What are your greatest accomplishments, real life or otherwise?
Captain Starcastle: Right off the bat? I would have to say my three fabulous children. Especially since they are not children anymore. And the fact I am about to graduate with MFA in theatre technology after so many years out of school. That is an accomplishment for anyone, at any age.
Copying a question seen in the last edition (although quite a few questions have been taken from there...): If money were no object, which part of the world would you most like to travel to?
Captain Starcastle: Tough one! I traveled to Scotland a few years back and loved it so much that I plan to retire there in RL one day. Of course, with money no problem, I’ll buy me an ancient castle to retire in of course. Something on the ocean I would think. The other? My very own, private little tropical, Island. A quiet stretch of white beaches and palm trees, nestled secretly, somewhere in the Caribbean. Must have the feel of pirates around me at all times, you see.
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