Greetings, JMac!
How would you feel if I told you you've been chosen to be featured in an interview for the Let's Make You Known group?
What would you say if I asked you if you've been chosen to be featured in an interview for the Let's Make You Known group?
How would you smell if I asked you if you've been chosen to be featured in an interview for the Let's Make You Known group?

Greetings back at you.
I would feel honored, I would say "Yes," and I really don't wish to discuss how I smell.
Thank you.

Great! So, let's get them readers out there hooked with an interesting fact then follow up with a bit about you.
First - give us one bizarre, unique, crazy, or intriguing fact about yourself.
Once the hook is in, tell us how you came across MLP:FIM and this site.

Hmmm, something intriguing about me? Perhaps that I'm 55. I'm not the oldest brony, but I'm up there (also, while I am married we have no children. I've always worried that if I ever had children they would break my toys).
I first noticed MLP when My Little Brony was added to Cheezburger/Memebase - where I'd spent a lot of time. I decided I had to check out the pony memes - and I went through every page of them. So, off to YouTube to find an episode... then another episode... and so on for a three day binge.
I found FIMFiction after I'd published my first story on fanfiction.net and a friend pointed out that I really should publish on FIMFic.

Kids. There were a bunch of them standing in front of my apartment door when I came home today.
They were just standing there, looking at me with clueless, unthinking eyes. Like dog's eyes. And then as I tried to walk towards my door, they panicked like deer and backed up into my door with obvious looks of surprise that I was coming closer until finally it dawned on them that they might be standing in front of my door.
And for goodness sake, I tried to be polite and say "hi," but the little buggers just continued to stare.
I'm going to have to burn down any nearby cornfields this weekend.
Sorry! Got off topic.
55? Since we're putting stuff out there, I just turned 28, and the oldest Brony/Pegasister I've met on this site was, ready?....80. And she was awesome.
So, the power of memes compelled you to MLP, and the power of multi-colored ponies compelled you to write. A lot, in fact. You have written 21 stories on this site. That's quite a lot!
What pushes you to write?
Why do you write?
Have you written fiction before joining this fandom?

What pushes me? I wish I knew. I could really use a good push. I haven't been that productive lately.
I think I write because it's the only outlet for my creativity. It's the only art I'm capable of. I also like the attention, and I wish I could get more of that.
Before MLP fanfiction my writing was mainly for role playing games and LARPS (Google "The Final Voyage Of The Mary Celeste" if you're curious about my writing, I understand you can still find copies of it in the bargain bins of some game shops). I have 30 or 35 years of that. LARPs worked well for me because I've struggled with finishing stories, I often just couldn't come up with a good ending. In LARPs you don't have to; you turn Chapter One of the story over to all the players and they finish writing it. I've started some original fiction, but never finished any. My first story here, "Quizzical", was the first fiction of any kind I wrote to completion. That's perhaps the best thing I've gotten from our fandom - I've learned how to finish stories.

Starting is easy. Continuing is hard. Finishing is an olympic feat.
How did you feel after you finally finished your first story? Did it inspire you to write more?

I felt elated, relieved, terribly self-satisfied, and probably a bunch more emotion. It felt pretty good. And since I was enjoying myself, and I had plenty of ideas, and people were actually reading it, I soon started a sequel.

After finally completing your first story, did it make it easier for you to write horse words, or did it make you harder on yourself?
When you write, is there something you always do or have to have? Like, do you need it to be quiet, do you need music or sweet tea? must it be before or after you take a shower, or after coming home from work of being a train robber so you can blow off some steam because your best mate sold you out to the sheriff in return for protection?

Oh, everything got easier. Writing is more about discipline than mood, and it's much easier keep writing than to start writing. In this it's a lot like exercise (I tend to either write habitually or not much at all). It certainly helped to discover that I had an audience. There were people out there reading my stuff? And they wanted more? Wow!!! Yeah, if you want to get me to write it helps if you feed my ego, and my need for attention.
I think I'm as hard on myself as any writer. But, while I'm one of my worst critic I'm also one of my biggest fans. I actually enjoy reading my own prose. You don't only learn from seeing what you did wrong, if you read back something and get a "Oh, that was a good one!" experience you can analyze that and why it works, and hopefully do it again (no, really, it's a learning experience, I'm not just after the ego-boo, really).
I don't really have any rituals. I prefer silence, as music is a distraction (I don't let it fade into the background, I tend to listen to keep listening to it instead of writing). Sometimes I make a pot of coffee, and some chocolate helps, but it's not essential. I do take a lot of long walks, which I spend talking to myself. But it's not crazy to talk to yourself as several personalities having a heated argument. Not if you're a writer. That's just working on dialogue.

Oh... we got something in common. I didn't realize there were people out there who also went back and read their stuff to see what worked. I have a line in one of my fics that compares the sounds of puking with spilling chili. That still cracks me up.
Do you keep yourself to a deadline? Do you try to keep a steady upload rate? You've got 21 stories up, and that's a pretty big number (Twice of what I've got). What other stories and future projects do you have in mind?

I think an author should find enough they like about their own writing to get an encouraging boost when they go back and look at what they've done.
I've met deadlines for contest prompts, and when I'm on my game I try to manage a chapter every week. When I'm off my game... nothing. I just got off a 10 month hiatus and it's just a miserable experience. Again, compare writing to exercise - when you get out of shape it's a slow and painful process getting back into shape. If I hadn't lost all steam instead of 21 stories I'd have over 30.
But I'm never at a loss for ideas. Right now I have 2 G-Docs files open at all times. One is chapter 19 of Basements of Doom (it galls me that it's taking me so long to finish this) and the other is a short story about Princess Celestia wanting to spend the day with Quiz. After that, I need to bring Quiz's stories up a little closer to the MLP time line, I'll write my first story about Quiz and her relationship with the new Princess Twilight. I need to get Quiz out of season 2. Oh, and hope to write a Hearts and Hooves Day story for Quiz. I also want to write more for my other OCs; I have 2 ideas for Sheriff May Berry, some ideas for Merry Fairweather, and maybe a new series with Goodie Fortune and another OC. I just have to sit down and do them.

I feel ya. After a long hiatus, you feel sluggish, and once you start again, you'll feel muscles ache that you didn't even remember you had.
Do you find writing therapeutic? Is it something you do to relax? How does writing make you feel?

Therapeutic? No, not really. It's too much effort, too much like actual work. It's certainly not relaxing, I have to already be a bit relaxed before I can begin to write (if I'm upset, say from a bad day at work, that is NOT the time to try and write!).
It is satisfying, and it does make me happy (having finished writing something more so than the actual writing process). That's what hobbies are for. If it doesn't satisfy you and make you happy then something is wrong and maybe you need to find another hobby.
I do know people who use writing as a therapeutic tool, but they are all write journals. It's hard for me to imagine doing this with fiction. However, if you can fictionalize your pain and write it out then good for you! Do whatever works to make yourself feel better. But I'm not that guy.

Okay, JMac.
It's been nice hearing your thoughts on writing. I have two more questions for you before I toss you my challenge!
1) What is your most favorite thing you wrote for this site and why? Was it a scene, a sentence, a joke, or a whole story
2) Best pony (There are no wrong answers)

1. Tough question. I've written a lot of stuff I kinda like. Instead of picking one favorite I'm going to indulge myself and offer you a selection (as you offered me). My favorite scene is chapter 8 of "Thweet Geniuth""Disaster!" It's my tribute to 70's era disaster movies, and I had a lot of fun writing this. Sadly, I've heard from several readers who were not fans of this chapter - I guess they just didn't grow up reading Arthur Hailey novels.
My favorite joke is the opening to "Thweet Geniuth"
The fillies flew through the night sky, screaming and hanging on for dear life.
But eventually the ride came to an end. The roller-coaster came to a stop, and the girls all jumped out.
It's a trick I'd wanted to pull for a long time.
My favorite sentence is the last line of chapter 6 of "Quizzical"Self-Esteem.. It's also probably my reader's favorite of all the references I've slipped into my stories.
My favorite story is "Adventures in Cake Sitting."
2. Best pony is a very near thing. Today I think I'll answer Applejack, as she's the voice of reason except when she isn't. But if you ask me again tomorrow I might change my mind and answer Twilight Sparkle or Fluttershy.

The fillies flew through the night sky, screaming and hanging on for dear life.
But eventually the ride came to an end. The roller-coaster came to a stop, and the girls all jumped out.

Thank you so much for your time, JMac.
And now as promised, the challenge!
It's time for the Elevator Pitch!
Promote your favorite work that you wrote in one sentence.

Darn, I'm on record as my favorite is "Adventures In Cake Sitting" instead of "Quizzical" so even though it's the third sequel I'm honor bound to promote it. Oh, well, here goes...
Imagine the "Baby Cakes" episode, except instead of Pinkie Pie the foal sitter is a much younger and shyer filly, the Cake twins are a little older and craftier, oh, and windigoes have started a blizzard and everypony might just freeze to death.
I apologize for taking so long with this. There'a been stuff. And things.

Thank you so much, JMac!
Got any last words before I cut the feed?

Please read my stories - I'm trying to achieve a bit of horse fame.