Tell us a little bit about yourself:

I'm a former archaeologist, currently working as a writer/editor/public relations goober for a major professional scientific association. I'm happily married and living in Maryland with my husband, six fish, and an overgrown garden. I've been an sf/fantasy fan as long as I can remember, thanks to my dad. In fact, some of my earliest memories are of him reading me the Lord of the Rings, and watching Star Trek: TOS and Doctor Who with him. I've written fanfic for Enterprise, X-Men movieverse, Ultimate X-Men, Secret Adventures of Jules Verne, Farscape, and Firefly. I spend even more time doing betareading, because I love to edit and I love to help other people improve their writing.

How long have you been writing?

I've been writing fanfiction down on paper/computer since February of 2001, although I've been writing it in my head since I was a little kid.

Why do you write fan fiction?

I enjoy being able to write stories without having to start from scratch, where there are ready-made characters and sets. It's kind of a shortcut. I write in fandoms where the characters intrigue me, where I think I can tell the stories that interest me. Star Trek is great because it's so malleable, and so handy for telling moralistic tales.

Which character is easiest to write for and which hardest?

Surprise, surprise, I find Hoshi easiest to write. She's so much more human than anyone else, that she just flows onto the page. I'm not the bravest person in the world, so I can sympathize with her jumpiness and uncertainty about the whole exploration business. The hardest character for me is either T'Pol or Malcolm, because they're the least like me. I'm very emotional, and not in the least buttoned-down, so I find it hard to get into their heads.

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

I only write ship-fic when it's needed for the story :) Which means that whatever ship works best gets used. I wrote Reed/Sato in "Schismogenesis" because I needed them to offset Trip and T'Pol. However, if the pairing doesn't particularly matter, I tend to prefer Tucker/Sato because I think they'd be sweet together. They're also the two characters I understand the best.

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

I have several writing weaknesses, I think. The big one is a tendency to describe action, rather than show it. I also tend to skip little details like describing the setting. I'm working on both of them by going through my drafts and specifically adding things in. I also have lots of wonderful betas who pat me on the back and say "very nice, now how about showing rather than telling?"

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

Hmm. I'm so bad at saying nice things about myself, this is a difficult one. People often say I have a great feel for the characters and that they really sound right when I write them. I don't know exactly how it came about, but I try to pay attention to people's style of speech. I suppose a graduate course in linguistics didn't hurt, either. I think whatever's good in my writing can mainly be attributed to years of reading voraciously, a book a day when I was a kid. That allows me to do many things without having to think too hard about them, freeing me up to figure out how to make my description better.

Pet peeves when it comes to writing/reading?

I am severely peeved by bad spelling, since spellcheckers are so readily available. I am pained by bad grammar/punctuation since betas are so readily available. I am saddened (but understanding) about extraordinarly unoriginal and derivative plots.

Misspell the name of a character or alien race more than once (typo) and I will immediately stop reading. There are many good sources on the net for checking these things if your beta doesn't know better.

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

"Herculean Labors" is definitely my best, as well as my favorite. It's a nicely-rounded story with sadness and humor and some action, with the whole crew getting a part. I'm very proud of my Malcolm in that story, one of the few times I've used him well. I also love it because it feels (IMNSHO) like an episode.

How do you take your feedback?

In huge piles :) Seriously, I really do love to get constructive criticism, and anyone who notices a typo or an outright error in one of my stories is commanded to tell me immediately! Like many writers, I love to discuss my stories, so if you've got a question about why or how I wrote something, feel free to ask. And never be afraid to send an author a message that simply says "I liked this story a lot." Trust me, those can brighten up a bad day like you wouldn't believe!

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?

Oh my, I'm physically incapable of picking one favorite *anything*! Off the top of my head...I'm particularly fond of JustVisiting's "Transitions" and "Discoveries" because I love how she writes about the work of a linguist. Shi Shi's Protector series is great because of the way she carefully develops the action and conflicts and gives us insight into the characters. I love Ozchick's "A Night on the Town" and "Walking in Your Boots" because I think they read like episodes, except, you know, better written. (And I don't just say that 'cause I'm the beta ::grin::) I liked Josephine's "Cause and Effect" because it remains the only "T'Pol goes into pon farr" story that doesn't make me whimper ::grin:: and I loved the idea of her hormones affecting everyone else. Okay, I'll stop now...

Other advice for fellow writers?

Try something new. It can be easy to slip into a rut and keep writing the same kind of story, especially if people tell you they like it. But if you normally write fluffy romances, try an action/adventure. If you write angst, try humor. You'd be surprised how much fun it can be to try a totally new format, and how much more you'll learn about writing in just one story. And of course, the obligatory advice: Keep writing!