Do you remember your first introduction to fan fiction?
Yes. I bought a couple of fan written stories at a con back when I was a teenager. I didn't know it was called fanfiction then. I just knew that someone had fixed the holy horror that had been the death of Catherine Chandler on Beauty and the Beast.
Later, I had my first introduction to femslash/fanfiction on the internet when I discovered that this new show ... Xena: Warrior Princess ... had a fairly huge following. I think one of the first stories I ever read was Rebekah's "All Through the Night" and the first femslash I can recall reading was WordWarior's "Her Xena" (still a favorite today).
What main character that you've written femslash for, would you most like to hit upside the head?
That'd be a toss up between Kathryn Janeway and Buffy Summers. I think Kathryn would win, just because she should know better ;).
Is your fan fiction writing limited to femslash or do you also write gen, het or male slash? If so, is there a difference in style or content (besides the obvious) between them?
I'm not sure how best to answer this... Do I purposely set out to write any other "fan fiction" aside from femslash? No. However, if any other form of love creeps into the story I'm writing then I'm not averse to keeping it. As for style and content... well, I'm a sucker for mush, so no, I've never noticed any more or any less mush between my various pairings.
Have you ever been tempted to write a Mary Sue?
Dear gods, I hope not. Though I do suppose any fanfiction has a certain level of "Mary-Sueishness" as we writers are imparting our own particular brand of universe tweaking on someone else's characters.
Are there certain genres you find easier to write for?
Speculative fiction. It's quite easy for me to do demons, aliens and elves. :)
Do you research subjects before you write them and, if so, in how much detail?
To some extent, yes. I'm ashamed to say not nearly as much detail as I probably should, given that some things just don't do quite exactly the things we writers want them to.
What's your preferred length of story to write and read?
Long stories are my favorites both to write and read. As a reader, I enjoy something that grabs my attention and takes me along on a nice, extended ride. As a writer, I love having space to grow and breathe and allow my characters to take flight and have a grand adventure. When I first started writing, my stories were much shorter. As I have grown more confident in my storytelling, the tales have lengthened and become life-eating novels LOL.
Can you touch the tip of your nose with your tongue?
Properly inspired... yes.
Are you, yourself, a fan of other fan fic writers and, if so, who are they and what is it about them that appeals to you?
Oh gosh yes. I still avidly read and reread some of my favorite stories :).
In no particular order: Missy Good, because her stories always leave me feeling warm and fuzzy. WordWarior, because her stories are engrossing to the point of me losing sleep to finish them. Bat Morda, because I love her Janice. Gina Dartt, because she's good at telling a "star trek" story with a femslash cherry on top. Kiera Dellacriox, because she tells a damn good story. Jane Fletcher, because her fantasy world is so lyrical. Nene Adams, because her stories always have an element of fun. DiNovia, because her stories are interesting, and her characters so fully developped.
There are tons of others, but naming them all would take pages. Suffice to say that I spend a goodly portion of time reading fanfiction.
Ever wanted to head butt another fan for dissing your pairing?
No. If I did that, I might as well go and headbutt myself. I probably don't like their favorite pairing either. It just means we won't be reading the same stories.
Do you have a favourite cliché, one that you'll read with joy even though it's been done to death?
First times. Gotta love the quivering, trembling, knock-kneed, oh my gods that-was-so-freaking-awesome first kiss. Plus, there's something deliciously romantic about falling in love with the characters as they fall in love with each other.
Would you lend me twenty pence if we were stuck at Charing Cross station and I was dying for the loo?
If I had one clue how much that was in American $$, it'd be yours. Gods know I'd rather not see your eyes turn bright yellow. ;)
If you've written real person slash how does it differ from writing about fictional characters?
I've never written this particular genre and I never will.
Do you find you're more inspired by subtext, maintext or barely there text shows?
Since I've written for all three, I suppose I could say they're all equal, though I have to say that having at least some text to play with is better than cobbling something out of half-shared looks and five seconds of it-might-be-kinda-maybe-possibly-if-you-squint, flirty dialog. If a show's maintext fulfills what I want for the characters, then I suppose I'd not write fanfic for the characters... it's hard to be inspired to fix something (the usual impetus for me to write fic) when it's not broke. Picking one, I'll go with a subtext positive show.
Where do you get your inspiration for specific stories; missing or extended scenes from the show, ideas from other shows or real life situations?
Like I said in the last question... it's a matter of fixing what I feel might be a missed opportunity or repairing a bad situation. In the case of Resurrection is for the Unbelivers, for instance, I felt that Diane Neal's character Elizabeth Blaine in the Dracula movies had not been given the heroic destiny she deserved and Elisabeth Rohm's Kate Lockley was an interesting, flawed character that I felt made a perfect partner to my vision of Elizabeth Blaine.
Other stories are often inspired by the simple desire to have two characters say words I want to hear them say on the show, but know they never will.
Do you like cheese?
Love it, though I have a dairy allergy and must take pills to eat it.
Every read over one of your stories months or years later and thought 'What the hell was I thinking!'
Only in that I've covered my face and cried at my utter lack of anything resembling grammar skills. Behold the power of the beta reader: How I love thee!
Why do you write fan fiction?
As mentioned above, because I see something broken. A plot line left unexplored, a relationship that needs to happen or not to happen, or even just a single line of dialog that sends my muse off on a wild tangent of "what ifs" ... it's all about telling the stories we don't see on tv/the movies/in the books... It's myth making.