Do you remember your first introduction to fan fiction?
The first fanfic I ever read was very predictable - 'Just Between Us' by Gina Dartt. I thought it was wonderful and in many ways I still do. After that I read pretty much everything Janeway/Seven and Janeway/Torres and finally stumbled into Torres/Seven.
What main character that you've written femslash for, would you most like to hit upside the head?
Bette Porter from 'The L Word'. A total div as they say north of the border.
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?
Pretty much 100% femslash though I do have an unfinished Janeway/Seven in which I tried to do justice to Paris/Torres. Not too successfully.
Have you ever been tempted to write a Mary Sue?
No. I write fanfic to get away from myself/my life. That's not to say of course that parts of me don't find their way into characters - I'm not sure anyone can avoid that entirely.
Are there certain genres you find easier to write for?
It's definitely easier if you can bring in the alien of the week when things are getting bogged down.
Do you research subjects before you write them and, if so, in how much detail?
Not often - though I am currently researching giving birth for a fic and there is a remarkable lack of honest factual information! I thought there would be acres of stuff.
What's your preferred length of story to write and read?
Anything except drabbles which just give me a half-eaten biscuit feeling.
Can you touch the tip of your nose with your tongue?
Umm no! Are we trying to qualify for something here?
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?
This would be a very long list so I thought I'd restrict myself to recent faves. I love Monique Barton (aka Nordica). She writes with fantastic attention to detail - Lemon Cheesecake (Desperate Housewives) is a great fanfic and her current ongoing fic 'Jungle Fever' (Hospital Central) is amazing too. I also want to puff two writers from the L Word fandom. Firstly Rachel Raj who wrote a wonderful fic: Broken Girls With Strange Frames. Rachel Raj frequently manages to be laugh out loud funny and heartbreaking in the same sentence - that is writing - plus she writes very good original characters. Secondly Lastkid and her gut-wrenching, fantastically well-written but sadly unfinished 'Tina Tiny Pieces' has got to be worth a read. Lastkid could be a really class professional writer - she is easily as good as the writers on the show. 'In The Moment' (Farscape) by Celievamp is exactly what Farscape fanfic should be and it's a great example of thinking outside the box without losing characterisation which I really admire. Another fabulous long (and I mean huge - like four or five novels long) story, rejoices in the name 'Bubblegum Crisis Post 2040 Files' by P Kristen Enos. It's an anime fanfic (a genre about which I know very little) and it's incredible. It drew me right in though I knew nothing about the Anime from which it comes.
Ever wanted to head butt another fan for dissing your pairing?
Not really. I am very proud of the Torres/Seven community and our persistence in sticking with that pairing and writing lots of great fics. It gives me some satisfaction to know that it's still alive and kicking when another more apparently popular Voyager pairing has died almost completely.
Do you have a favourite cliché, one that you'll read with joy even though it's been done to death?
I love parallel universe stories though I'm not sure anyone has done anything better with that cliche than Pink Rabbit's 'Everything' (Stargate SG1).
Would you lend me twenty pence if we were stuck at Charing Cross station and I was dying for the loo?
Of course. Although...I would expect you to give me receipt, a promissory note, your bank details, the title deeds to your house, a member of your family as a hostage and a contract for the final chapters of Appreciating Paris.
Do you find you're more inspired by subtext, maintext or barely there text shows?
Good-looking women; good-looking women with guns; good-looking women with guns flying spaceships. Beyond these vital requirements, the existence of subtext/maintext is irrelevant as that good-looking, well-armed, space-faring woman, Seven of Nine would say.
Where do you get your inspiration for specific stories; missing or extended scenes from the show, ideas from other shows or real life situations?
I like to think it's one percent inspiration and ninety-nine percent theft. The one percent inspiration is probably theft too.
Do you like cheese?
You're recruiting for the D.E.B.S.! Have I passed?
Ever read over one of your stories months or years later and thought 'What the hell was I thinking!'
In general when I re-read I usually quite like what I have done storywise though I do tend to think everything I write is clumsy which is frustrating; that leaves the overwhelming need to rewrite, and I usually hate the endings.
Why do you write fan fiction?
As a child I frequently woke with nightmares and couldn't get back to sleep. I found that if I told myself stories then I would stop feeling frightened. The stories often included characters from films or TV. When I got older I kept on making up stories and they started to include a notable number of strong female characters - Blake's Seven was a favourite. Fanfic writing was a an easy and logical extension - when I started to read fanfic I realised pretty soon that I wanted to have a go.