Tell us a little bit about yourself:

Navy brat, mainly lived overseas, which thankfully expanded my horizons. Parachutes and all. Love Next Gen, but Enterprise is close behind. The crew is much more … approachable. Addicted to Agatha Christie mysteries and chocolate. Not a morning person, have an aversion to coffee. A Ho-Hos and Yuengling kinda gal.

How long have you been writing?

'Seriously' since November 2001. Before that the stories had remained in my head, little reworkings of movies or shows I had recently watched. But then I found T'Lin's personal site and she had a link to FanFiction.net. I thought 'Wow! A way to get your stories up where you don't need to submit it to someone for approval or build your own site'. Great for the insecure newbie writer. She also has a link to LD, and the LD being what it is, I felt very comfortable and moved in the next day. My first fic was a blatant Mary Sue, although I tried not to make her into one. They say write what you know. And what, or who, do you know better than yourself? :::Embarrassed grin::: Actually my very first fic was a D&D monstrosity that was eventually buried in the middle of the woods under a full moon with a silver dagger through its heart. We will never speak of it again.

Why do you write fan fiction?

Good question. I don't know. I suppose I have an overactive imagination and I keep putting these characters that I really like and feel a connection with into situations I think up. I love to read, and writing gives back a little bit for all the wonderful stories that are out there. I really like it when a fic is done; it's similar to a painting, or another piece of art, something that you've created.

Which character is easiest to write for and which hardest?

I find Trip easiest to write for, but I'm not sure if it's because I understand him or because I'm making him out to be what I want him to. Maybe that makes him the hardest because I'm always rechecking everything I write about him. Hoshi can be difficult in that I have to be careful she doesn't turn into a Mary Sue who just happens to be named Hoshi. Malcolm is the most difficult, especially humor-wise. Although for angst, you can never go wrong with Malcolm.

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

I mainly write Tucker/Sato because … so many nebulous reasons. I like Trip best. I think he and Hoshi share the same sense of humor, and their personalities compliment each other well. There have been quite a number of moments where he's come over to her console and leaned next to her a little closer than he had to, where they've shared a look and a smile … Sometimes a story plot will call for Hoshi to be with Malcolm, and I'll go with that, but the whole 'sensitive guy in his shell and she's just the woman to draw him out of it' just doesn't sit right with me.

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

Not using a beta. I'm reluctant to ask if someone will be mine, I hate to 'bother' them by asking. I'd like to get someone I know pretty well. Another is not putting enough depth into my stories; sometimes they seem rather superficial. Slowing down my writing and taking more time to think about what I want to get across helps. And I can be my worst critic. 'Oh that's just a stupid plot, that would never happen'. It's science fiction, for goodness sake! Anything can happen!

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

I'd like to think my stories flow and don't sound like a first grade primer. Descriptive without being overly burdened with the miniscule. I think mainly I try and not write like any of my peeves. They keep me on track. Strengths, strengths … oh gosh, I don't know!

Pet peeves when it comes to writing/reading?

Writing – Being interrupted every two minutes by a melodramatic bored six year old. Having a great idea but not being able to flesh it out. Cruising along on a story and realizing it spawned a mind of it's own and the finished product looks nothing like the one I had in my head.

Reading – Sloppy formatting, stilted writing, poor spelling/grammar, and using the same five descriptive words over and over again. The thesaurus is your friend, make the most of it!!

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

I have a soft spot for 'Cause and Effect', it was my first long fic; and I realize I'm going to get hung out to dry, but I really like 'If Wishes Were Horses'. An R/S one, I know, I know …

My ego isn't big enough to say which is my best. Hopefully it hasn't been written yet.

How do you take your feedback?

Hard and a ton of it. Not having a beta (soon! soon!) I really like getting the 'this part was great but this part …' reviews. It can be difficult to take, but how else are you going to grow as a writer? It helps me know what's working and what isn't.

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?

For all around readability, I like McCool's Me and You, Plus Malcolm, Make Three and Shekan. They are well rounded, in depth, imaginative, and just great to read. Just Visiting's Discoveries is another favorite, but it's so angsty I have to go weeks before reading it again.

Other advice for fellow writers?

Read. Read read read. You'll get a feel of other writer's styles, what works and what doesn't. You'll expand your vocabulary, and depending on how eclectic your subject matter is, start storing up bits of information that you can drop in your fics to give them depth and realism. Write. Write write write. Practice make better, and the more you do, the better you get. Listen to others advice, but in the end it's your baby and you're the one that has to live with it.