Tell us a little bit about yourself:

I have a science background and a strong interest in languages (it was a close call which one I would study). I've watched Star Trek off and on since I was a child. I absolutely love the idea that humanity solves their petty squabbles on Earth and makes it into the stars. I don't think it's a secret that I love good cheesecake but, like Janeway, I also have an appreciation of fine coffee and dogs.

How long have you been writing?

I've been writing fanfic since mid-January of 2002. That makes five months as of my most recent posting.

Why do you write fan fiction?

I've always wanted to write, but lacked the self-discipline to do it regularly. I figured with a preset universe and set of characters, it would be easier to get into the writing habit. I was also impatient with the rate of character development on the show and wanted to fill in the blanks. Sato in particular. That scream of hers almost made me stop watching the show.

Which character is easiest to write for and which hardest?

I now find all the characters fairly easy to write for, except for Phlox and Travis. These two haven't had much screen time and that makes it hard to write about them. The other characters have received enough screen time to give me a handle on how they would talk and behave.
Travis is hard for me to write for because I don't know how to incorporate him into the story. He's the navigator. He gets them to where they're going and then what? Basically, he's the getaway driver and those kinds of characters just sit around and wait. Travis could pull the ship out of danger with some navigating razz-ma-tazz, but I find it hard to write about military tactics at warp speeds.

I find Phlox the hardest to write for. If I'm not careful, he can end up sounding like T'Pol. I let him use contractions (but only some of the time) and usually focus on his interests -- odd medical treatments and his interest in human activities. He does have a good sense of smell and a warped sense of humor. I try to write his lines with both in mind.

If you write ship-fic, tell us why you like that particular ship?

I wasn't willing to write out and out ship-fic before joining the LD round robins. The dark universe one in particular seemed to break down my resistance to writing ship-fic (but only to a point). I write A/S, Tu/S, and R/S ship-fic because readers ask me to. No one's ever asked me to do any other kind. I'll admit to writing the first one ("Making Amends") spontaneously, but the mess hall scene in "Silent Enemy" simply begged for a followup whether you were a Reed-Sato shipper or not. All my ship-fic after that (real or implied) came about due to reader feedback and specific requests (via email and LD forum). Plus I enjoy the challenge of writing ship-fic since I don't see any on the show myself. It's fun to try to make a character do something in a believable way, even when I don't think he/she would really do that.

What writing weakness do you think you have? How do you go about correcting this?

I often write dialog scenes that explain what happened, rather than writing about the actual event itself. It's a shortcut I use for writing fanfic, but it makes things passive rather than active. I think I could fix this, but it would mean taking more time and energy to write fanfic (and I don't want that). I also think my writing could use a little loosening up. More energy. Impromptu jazz versus structured classical music. That kind of thing. I can think of more, but those are structural things that come with practice and more practice -- I hope.

What writing strength do you think you have? How did it come about?

I think I'm good with character development and interaction. How did it come about? Am I allowed to say that I have no idea? I suppose it's because people interest me. That sounds lame, but it's the only explanation that comes to mind.

Pet peeves when it comes to writing/reading?

For writing fanfic, not having enough free time.

As for reading fanfic, I won't if there are no paragraph breaks. Generally, if the fanfic is filled with enough spelling & grammatical errors to slow me down, then I won't read it. Ditto for glaring mistakes in points of view, dialog attribution, characterizations, and Mary Sue/Marty Stu (MS) fanfic.

MS fanfic can be fun and done well -- even published. But I truly will not read a fanfic where MS is beautiful/handsome, admired/envied by all, perfect in every way, saves the day/ship/universe, AND becomes romantically involved with a pivotal Enterprise character -- all on the same day. This is self-indulgence on the writer's part, which is fine, but it doesn't have anything to say to the reader. To me anyway.

I'm willing to read a good story that contains errors, but not if I have to keep stopping to puzzle out what the author is trying to say. I usually won't go past the first few paragraphs, if that.

Which do you think is your best/fav work in terms of Hoshi fic?

"Alpha Shift" is by far my favorite work in terms of Hoshi fic. Re-reading it, I can see a lot of errors, but it was a joy to write and I think I managed to create my own original alien culture. It was a challenge to write a complete story arc entirely from one character's POV. "Luminosity" (metaphysical angst) and "Tradition" (second person POV) are my favorite vignettes. My best Hoshi fanfic? I'm not objective enough to decide that.

How do you take your feedback?

With cheesecake. Sorry. Couldn't resist. I like comments about what works and doesn't work for readers. I like discussion about how a story is going or could go (and it can influence my choices). Feedback is very motivating. It makes writers want to write more. "First Impressions" (completely feedback driven) and "Luminosity" came about that way. All writers need feedback. At the very least, it tells us that someone out there is reading our stuff, that there's an audience for what we're writing. Without an audience, there's no point in posting. We may as well leave it all on our own hard drives.

Pick a fav Hoshi fic and tell us why it worked for you. Was it something particular the author did? Was it the subject matter?

"Civilized Savages" by Didi. I read this the day before I started writing Enterprise fanfic. It was nice to find a strong portrayal of Hoshi (I think I've already said Hoshi's scream in "Silent Enemy" almost made me stop watching the show). Words to describe this fanfic: energetic, enthusiastic, joyful, and funny. Made me laugh. Re-read it again before answering this question so I could be sure of my choice. Still made me laugh. Yup. It's my favorite.

Other advice for fellow writers?

I can only say what I try to do. I like to try something different (POV, character, dialog, writing style) with each piece. It doesn't have to be flashy or obvious though. It can be as simple as trying to write in the second person POV. It keeps things interesting for me and, hopefully, for the readers.