Stacy & Justin

Stacy-Deanne: ALL THE FACTS

Jump into my mind if you will. Here's a questionnaire I've posted that I did with Justin for you blog lovers out there. If you're already familiar with me, you already know some of this. If you're just getting to know me, then you'll definitely find this interesting and I hope it will turn you into a potential fan.

Justin: Your name is very pretty. What's with the hyphen?

Stacy: It's French and thanks for the compliment. People seem to be confused by my name. I didn't think they would be but they are. The name has a hyphen because it's my first and middle name combined to become my pen name. It's pronounced, " Dee-Anne ", not " Dean " though some people may think that. I don’t know how really. How many Deans are spelled with " NE " on the end? And if I were a female with the middle name " Dean " you'd think I advertise it? The hyphen is to show that this is my middle name and not my last name. Think of Ann-Margret. But in real life I am just plain ol' Stacy or Bootsy.

Justin: You seem very confident about your height. How tall are you and did you always like to be tall?

Stacy: Good question. I'm 5'11 and yes I love being tall now. It's given me the opportunity to do things others can't do like go into modeling. Tall people get loads of attention and I love that. When I step into the room heads turn. I don’t get lost in the crowd and I find more and more that men though sometimes intimidated by tall women, are fascinated with them too. Every short woman I've ever known says they wish they were tall like me. I didn't always love to be tall because when you're a child you see differences as setbacks. A lot of the kids wanted to be tall like me but it wasn't easy being the tallest girl in your class or sometimes in the entire school. It wasn't easy being taller than most of the teachers and the boys. It was hard at that time but I never shied away from it. Now I love it. Tall is a sign of a beauty. The most beautiful women in the world are tall. Go figure.

Justin: You are very attractive and you've modeled. With these attributes, are you more comfortable with yourself than you used to be?

Stacy: Thanks for the compliment. I think I am more confident. But I always seem to see faults with myself. My mother gets on me about this all the time. She always compliments me and feeds my self-esteem but I always had low self-esteem so I may look good to you or other people but I may go to the mirror and see a million things wrong. I realize this may just be in my mind and that it's not healthy but it comes from demons inside. Sometimes I wonder if those demons will ever go away.

Justin: How did you get into modeling and where did you model?

Stacy: I worked the full-figure circuit being as curvy as I am (laughing). Seriously I started with contests here and there. I modeled for web sites that sold lingerie, clothing and things like that. I never made a dime from it or anything because I was just starting out so a lot of it I did as exposure. I also did it in between marketing my writing so I never got a chance to get an modeling agent or anything like that. I still want to go back to that if I get the chance. I am set to take some more photos very soon.

Justin: You are a " Jacqueline of all trades " aren't you? You're not only a writer and model but you are also a landscape photographer. How in the world did you get into this?

Stacy: Simply, I started taking pictures on trips during vacations. I studied the pictures and realized I had an eye for spotting great scenes. Everyone else felt the same way. At first I thought I'd just snapped a shot but when I looked at what I'd done, the photos spoke to me. That's when I knew I had a flair or talent for taking great photos. I started taking photos around Texas and I'm putting together a portfolio or photo book that I want to get published one day. I am also interested in anyone who would like to use my photos for books, etc. A sample of my photography is available on my website.

Justin: How does it feel to be a best selling author at only 27 years old?

Stacy: Honestly it hasn't set in yet because I don't think of it that way. I worked very hard on my work so I am glad to find success after struggling all these years. Sometimes I'll be going along and I might go, " Hey the book is doing pretty well. " But I don't sit there and say, " I'm a best selling author! " I'm low-key so I handle things silently. Other best selling authors may go over that and think that makes them bigger than life but I'm too busy working to even think about it. I'm very happy the book has gotten the acceptance it has. Now let's pass it on to my upcoming fiction work then I will shout it from the ceiling! Fiction is my game so my novels are where my heart lies.

Justin: Is it true that most of your fiction characters aren't minorities?

Stacy: Yes. Most of my characters are white. For some reason I find it more comfortable and easier to put white people in the situations my characters face. You have to stay true to real-life with fiction stories and some of the things I have people doing would not be things that minorities would do because it doesn't fit our character to do them. Plus, all the books I've read and loved were books with white characters. That's what I was around, what I liked to read and what I saw on television. Anyway, my characters are just people I make up. They have nothing to do with me. I love writing about characters of all different backgrounds but I don't feel that just because I am of a minority race my characters have to be. Anyone can relate to my work and as long as I am satisfied with it, that’s what matters. I get praise for being able to separate what I am from what I write. A lot of authors can't do that. Just think of Stephen Spielberg. He deals with films geared towards blacks all the time. Just because he's Jewish doesn't mean his characters have to be. It's what fits the story that matters.

Justin: You already have one novel published and you are on your way to having a Latino love story published, what's the other fiction you have on the way?

Stacy: I have been writing fiction for eight years. I only wrote biographies because I was interested in the people I wrote about. It's not like I set out to write a biography. I'm not interested with a lot of people anymore. I'm so into what I am doing and since having my novels published is what will truly make me happy, I'm going into that again, full-time. That's what I am, a novelist. I will always be that. Writing biographies no longer holds my interest. I am doing Jessica Simpson now because she interests me. I may have one biography left in me after that but I am definitely moving on and quitting the biography-writing business in 2006. If I do write a biography in the future it will be because someone really blows my mind. I've written about all the people that I want to write about. It's time for me to write about what really makes me happy, my fiction.

Justin: Do you feel you have a better chance to go further now that you've accomplished so much as a writer?

Stacy: Yes. Just being published is an accomplishment for any author. The writing world is tough and I don't think people outside of it realize that. I hope I can use my latest accomplishment to tackle things I hadn't been able to in the past. I have a lot of plans like doing screenplays, movie deals, owning a magazine that I want to accomplish. This all takes time but I am more patient than I used to be.

Justin: Are you married?

Stacy: I don't discuss my love life in public.

Justin: All I asked was if you were married. Can't you just divulge that at least?

Stacy: I could but that's my business. Why should it matter if I'm married or not?

Justin: Do you have kids?

Stacy: No.

Justin: Are you married?

Stacy: Give it up. (Laughing). Some things aren't safe to reveal.

Justin: Why would that not be safe to reveal?

Stacy: Because you have to be careful what information you loan to the public. The people in my personal life are the only ones that need to know certain things. There are a lot of creeps and stalkers that approach authors. Some things open the door for that attention. I know it can happen anyway but I'm staying safe. Plus I like holding onto a little mystery.

Justin: Come on, can't you bend the rules a little bit?

Stacy: No, let's move on, Justin.

Justin: How did you get the nickname " Bootsy "?

Stacy: My mother and father called me Bootsy and my dad always called me " Bozo the Clown ". I used to hate that nickname but it doesn't bother me now. I used to walk down the halls and he'd yell, " Booooozoooo! " at the top of his lungs. Talk about weird. I have a long list of nicknames but Bootsy and Bozo are from my childhood. I'll always be Bootsy no matter how old I get.

Justin: What's on your recreation agenda right now?

Stacy: Traveling. As soon as I get some of this I am doing out of the way I'm going to take a long vacation! It's way overdue.

Justin: You've always lived in Houston. You ever plan to live anywhere else?

Stacy: I've always wanted to live in England. I have an uncle in France. I am sure I will probably leave Houston some time in my life. I'm too creative to stay in one place my entire life.

Justin: Thanks for doing this Stacy. I wish you well. You got any last words?

Stacy: Yeah. Could you turn up the air?

The End

Image above is me of course in my normal habitat