Jessica Hamby
Thanks for givin’ me the idea @KitchenBitch and @HoytFortenberry *winks* You can read the full article here but that’s just a recap. Here’s my full interview response – completely OOC (out of character – or coffin, as I like to call it):
Basic Mickey Mouse roll call – can we get (only) your real first names? Or do you have a specific preference for using only the character names? What’s the age range of the people behind the tweets? How about locale? Are you all in the same area? or all over the country/world?
I’m afraid the only name I go by when role playing or even behind the scenes is Jessica (or Jess or baby vamp). Only a few people in the core group know my real identity and I’ve maintained that its people I absolutely trust with this information. The level of anonymity has always been the basic standard for twitter which is something I can relate to; I don’t want everyone knowing my personal information and, likewise, I don’t want my personal life to interfere with my twitter personality.
What can I tell you without having to kill you? I’m 23 years old (turning 24 next week), female, and I live somewhere unexpected. I know there are quite a variety of original locations involved in the twitter group so you can never just assume we’re all from the USA.
What caught your fancy about Charlaine Harris’ books, and True Blood? Did any/all of you find the series through only the show?
I love vampires, pure and simple. I’ve always had a love for the horror genre so when I heard about the show, I knew I had to check it out. After I saw 8 episodes, I was craving more so I bought the books and caught up with the entire series in the matter of a week. I really related to Sookie’s strength in the book series, whereas with the show, I like the ensemble cast and the different plotlines happening simultaneously. I keep them separate at all times and I try not to make too many comparisons because Alan Ball has taken the books and made a completely new world.
What drew you to the characters you’re portraying on Twitter, now? For those portraying characters only found in the show, did you have a certain favorite character from the published books, prior to the telly show?
Believe it or not, I actually didn’t want to be Jessica – I wanted to play Pam or Sookie (but of course, we have two amazing people playing them that I couldn’t intrude on). They were originally my two favorite characters from the books. Since I started tweeting as Jessica, I’ve just developed this die hard love for the baby vamp. She’s such a great and complex character to play. I love developing her relationships with Bill and Hoyt, even Sookie in some ways. Plus she’s so much fun to play; you get to do things that all the other twitter characters can’t do… and be as bad as you want to be. In saying that, she’s also a challenge to keep fresh and lively because the show sets some high expectations with the amazing performance by Deborah Ann Woll.
Did any of you know each other prior to becoming the faces of True Blood on Twitter? If not, how did you come together in the current group?
I knew only one character prior to starting up my twitter account and they got me hooked in a big way. Once you start tweeting, you can’t stop. When quite a few of the main characters showed up, we started having group chats regarding upcoming storylines. We all really clicked as a group and you just know that there are some amazingly smart people behind the character’s faces. They know their books, their show and their characters. I think that’s what makes us one of the most successful online groups. Your followers can really see through someone who doesn’t know their background information.
So what walks of life do you all come from? Anyone that might surprise us?
Oh, I think I’m one of the most surprising. But I can’t just tell you what it is 😉 Let’s just say that while Jess is out partying on Friday nights, I’m stuck under a mountain of boring, stuffy textbooks. I’m also a creative writer so that helps with characterization.
For fans curious about starting a cohesive fan group, and being successful, what tips or tricks would you each offer? What’s the best and worst thing your group tried, that brought you to the place you’re at, now?
I’d like to think some of the key components behind our success are communication between players, mutual respect and understanding, improvisation and adaptability, creativity and dedication. It takes a lot of effort and time to reach the level of exposure we have and we’re all still learning at the same time. Also, it’s important to have fun or it becomes like a chore.
Any of you fans of any of the other big literary vampires, or other things that go bump (very bumpy in some cases) in the night? How about the monsters of other media, like movies or television? What about Sookie Stackhouse/True Blood prompted this level of interest & devotion from you all?
I read and watch anything with supernatural entities because that’s the kind of stories I like to watch and write about. I’ve found in recent years I’ve been moving away from more teenage-focused stories and delving into the sexy, intellectual world of adult drama. I like things which I can sink my teeth into and pick apart. True Blood is a great example of that. I’ll still continue watching some of the ‘easier’ supernatural features, but there’s a special place in my unbeating heart for True Blood and the Southern Vampire Mysteries.
What do you think you’ll do for the next several months, before we see a Season 3?
I can’t wait for Season 2 to end. I’ve been playing Season 2 Jessica for four months now and I would really like to get back to what we were doing pre-Season 2 – creating our own storylines. Usually they give us small snippets right at the end so we know what to expect in Season 3 and this is what we build on. In my case, we built up the Hoyt/Jessica relationship back in February and everything you’ve seen on the show so far has actually been played out on twitter months in advance. It’s pure coincidence that @HoytFortenberry and I actually touched upon these issues.
Now that I have more information about Jessica, I can really start giving her some interesting things to sink her baby vamp fangs into. And if they do kill her in the Season 2 final, I think I’ll continue playing her. It’d be interesting to see some of Jessica’s old church friends arrive on twitter.
I can’t give everything away that we’re all working on, but I am getting a few ideas for Jessica that depend on what the Season 2 final does to her character. I’m sure you’ll see some more Hoyt/Jessica in the off season. Jessica will be pursuing her own path in some cases. You might even see a family reunion… I’m hoping these things will be enough to keep our audience around during the off season. It’s when things get really interesting for us.
Which leads to…what do a bunch of Twitterites do for fun when not tweeting? what do you hate to do, that tweeting might provide escape from?
I like to take long walks on the beach… Okay, no, I’ll stop there. 😛 What does the sun look like again? I can barely remember it. If I’m not tweeting, I’m studying… which I hate. If I’m not studying or tweeting, I’m writing original fiction or poetry. Or doing human stuff like shopping, swimming and cooking.
How do you all schedule your online activity? Are there charts and graphs involved?
Charts? I remember asking @MerlottesBar once whether he keeps a paper roster of his waitresses. I schedule mine around real life – real life always comes first – but then I’m probably the vamp that keeps the craziest hours around here. I have to check the sunrise/sunset times and I use a weather website to guess what’s going on in the Bon Temps area.
How about the Twitterwall competition? Were you all surprised by the activity, and the fan support showed by the voters?
That competition was insane! I absolutely could not believe that I ended up getting over 10,000 votes. I was astounded that the numbers were so huge; it’s incredibly flattering. I’d like to convert some of that fan support into other areas where we give back to the community. Earlier this year some of the characters and I played a part in a fanfiction script performed live to benefit a particular charity. We’re hoping to do some more events like this is in the future.
Any favorite “Twitter moments” for any of you? A Tweet that just made you laugh like mad, or tear up, or want to strangle or stake someone?
I get ‘twitter moments’ every single week. Sometimes you have great nights, other times it’s a stretch. But my followers always tend to surprise me.
I think some of my favorite nights would have to be: @HoytFortenberry and his Bon Temps Fire Department outfit; the rigged trial of @Lorenathemaker where Jess had to testify in front of the @VampireMagister against @VampireBill’s wishes; the ‘Pornstache’ kidnapping of Jess by @SteveNewlinJr and @SarahNewlin; maenad blood in the TruBlood where the vampires went absolutely insane at Merlottes; and the night of the Fangtasia attack. Of course, all these moments happened before Season 2 started. It’s the off-seasons that really bring out our creativity (or insanity).
Okay, lightning round: OOC (out of character):
Fave songs: So many. I have an eclectic taste. Right now, ‘Kiss with a Fist’ by Florence & The Machine. Overall, ‘Me, I’m a Thief’ by Sarah Slean.
Fave food: Anything Italian.
Hated food: If you put me near animal innards like kidney, I will throw up.
If you were a fruit, what would it be? Mulberry
If you were on a deserted island, without wifi, what 3 items would you want with you? Alexander Skarsgard, a journal/pen and my dachshund.
This Blog Sucks 