This week’s vict- uh, *candidate* is very well known on IRC and elsewhere for simply adoring evil premises for stories; even better where they have evil endings, too. This peculiar taste of hers shows through clearly in her choice of favourite authors and stories - but then, she is a Highlander fan too. <g> She’s usually too shy to post or send feedback, but her comments below about some of her favourite stories should more than make up for that. We are proud to introduce to you:

Whereabouts in the world are you?
Italy, European Union

How long have you been a FoLC?
Since I started watching the show back in 1998.

What drew you to Lois and Clark?
At first it was Superman. I've always liked Superman and Superman II since the first time I watched these films when I was a child. But then in "Lois & Clark" I found this incredible love story, two charming, witty and intelligent characters *and* Tempus! I just love that guy! <g>

When did you first discover fanfic?
The first time I connected to the Internet I did a search for "Lois & Clark". I found an episode guide in a site whose URL I can't remember and I printed it out. At that time here in Italy we still had to see the end of Season 4 and I remember I was quite disappointed when I realised that after it the show got cancelled. However, in the page with the results of that first search I did, I also saw a link to "The Unaired Fifth Season". I was so excited and clicked on it. A new page opened in my browser and I found this "Full Circle: A New Day" graphic. For some obscure reason (okay, probably just because I was feeling so smart for finding all this the first time I was connected to the Internet and also because my English wasn't that great <g>), I figured that once I clicked on that graphic I would see pictures of Dean and Teri in that never-heard-before episode. <g> Instead I got this huge page with only text. I have to admit that it took me a while to realise it was a story written by fans of the show. I'd never heard before of "fanfic" but I sensed immediately that what I had found was something really interesting. I went back to the previous page and realised there were more than 20 "episodes". Being the bookworm I am, I printed them out and started what is now a big collection of fiction. I didn't read them immediately though because I didn't want to get spoilers for the episodes I hadn't seen yet. Having such a big backlog didn't stop me from looking for other fics and that's how I found the Archive. Man, talk about Heaven on Earth! <g>

What's the very first fanfic you read? Do you remember what your first thoughts were about the concept of fanfiction?
As I said, I didn't read TUFS stories immediately even if they were the first I found. The very first story I read was "Love Beyond All Measure" by Chris Mulder. As you can imagine, after reading that particular story my thoughts about the concept of fanfiction couldn't have been more enthusiastic. It was so great to realise that, even if the show had ended, there was still a way to get "more" of Lois and Clark. Not to mention that I truly think fanfiction is often much better than any episode we ever saw.

What are your favourite sites for reading fanfic?
The Lois & Clark Fanfic Archive (www.lcfanfic.com) and Anne Ciotola's Nfic Archive (www.annesplace.net) because I usually don't read unfinished fics and prefer to wait for the Archive version. It may happen that I read a vignette on Zoomway's Message Board (www.zoomway.net/boards), but after I was left waiting for ages for the next instalment of "On The Run" by Plan9LIVES (btw, please!! Come back!!! I want to know how this wonderful story ends!!! <g>), I decided not to read WIPs anymore.

List some stories you'd recommend to other readers.
"Purity", the "Fear of Discovery" series and all the other stories written by Yvonne Connell; "For The Greater Good" and "Without Consent" by Wendy Richards; "Meet Me In Kansas City" and "Love Beyond All Measure/Dimensions Of Loving" by Chris Mulder; "If Tomorrow Comes" and "Caped Fear" by LabRat; "Heaven's Prisoners" by Demi; "The Huntress' Revenge" by Jenni Debbage; "Power to Forgive" by Sharon Gilbert; "Ad Astra Per Aspera" by Becky Bain; "Love Disabled" by Tank Wilson; "Surfacing Memories" and "Near Wild Heaven" by Kaethel; "Lost and Found" by Jeff Brogden; "Super Stud" by ML Thompson; "Dance with Me" by Tracey; "Learning Curves" and "So...That's What You've Been Hiding" by Chris Carr; "The Tough Road Home" by Anita Dicker; "Beyond a Shadow of a Doubt/Hiding in the Shadows" by Irene Dutch; "SwapMeet: Burbank" by Debby Stark and "SwapMeet: Metropolis" by Margaret Brignell; the "Life in a Different World" series by Mobile Richard; "A Shot in the Dark" by Sheila Harper; "A Special Child" by Pam Jernigan; "When I was Twelve.../He Came Back" by JoMarch; "The Heir" and its n-fic sequel by Piper and Peace; "Connections" by Carol Malo; "What It Means to Love You" by Erin Klingler; Cindy Leuch's next generation series. And no, you can't say I listed too many stories if you consider that there are more than 1,900 fics on the Archive! <g>

A new story goes up on the Archive or MBs. You drop everything - and we mean *everything* - to read it. So who would it be by? <g>
No doubts: Yvonne Connell. Since unfortunately during the year Yvonne doesn't submit many stories (and why not is beyond me!), I may drop everything to read a story by Demi (again someone whose new stories are definitely scarce not to say non-existent :((( and who apparently prefers writing Star Trek fics at the moment. Yes, a very sad thing for us FoLCs, I know. :P), by LabRat (okay, what is it with me and *slow* writers? <g>), a new instalment of "On The Run" by Plan9LIVES (*sigh* I'm sensing a pattern here. :P) and I'm quite sure I'd drop everything if I saw "A Hundred Tears Away" by Kaethel on the Archive's 'What's New' page (/me waves to Kaethel and makes puppy-dog eyes <g>).

What type of stories do you most enjoy reading, and why?
Angsty ones. Why? Because I'm evil. <g> Seriously, I really enjoy it when Clark is put through hell. It's not that I don't like him, but the more he suffers the more comfort he gets by the end of the story. I also like Alt-Clark fics because I really liked him in the show and I always missed seeing an episode where he would finally find his Lois.

What's your opinion of:
Drama?
I really enjoy a good drama, especially if it's a long story.

Action?
Probably my least favourite genre.

Romance?
I wouldn't love Lois and Clark if I didn't like romance, would I? <g> But for me it's important that it doesn't become too sappy.

Tearjerkers?
These are my favourite stories! Make me cry and I'll be forever grateful. ;)

WAFFy vignettes?
Oh well, I guess we need some WAFFy vignettes now and then. As long as they're short I don't mind them. <g> Just kidding!! There are some vignettes that are really wonderful and that I always enjoy re-reading.

Elseworlds?
Probably the most interesting. I really like seeing how some writers can think of completely new scenarios.

Alternate Universe/Beginnings?
I adore Alt-Clark and thus I'm always happy to see new Alt-Universe stories. Especially because most of the times there's also Tempus in them. <g> Alternate Beginnings can be really interesting too.

Other (if we've failed to include your favourite type, here's your chance to set the record straight <g>)?
Next Generation. It's not my *favourite* type, but it surely comes close. Jenni Debbage, Irene Dutch, Cindy Leuch, Christy Kubit all wrote great next generation fics.

Can you choose one, possibly two, stories you'd consider personal favourites, and tell us what you like about them?
Of course I can! "Purity" by Yvonne Connell. :))

Yvonne was able to write an incredibly wonderful story. The start itself is just brilliant. You're faced with a split: love and tenderness between Lois and Clark, and hatred and evilness in a house where these crazy people are planning psychological control over Superman in order to ensure that he doesn't reproduce. Without giving away too much <g>, let me tell you what I really appreciated in this story. Yvonne gave us a whole new set of detestable characters, each one with their own personality. She didn't "recycle" any villain from the show, but brought to life people like Mrs Patterson (totally creepy, malevolent and black-hearted) and even gave some familiar characters, like Inspector Henderson, a way to reveal their good nature and to prove their friendship to Lois and Clark.

As it's normal in Yvonne's fics, she intersperses painful and terrible moments with great humorous scenes. I'll never forget the "prudent retreat" and how much I laughed! (And if you've read the story you know what I'm talking about....if you haven't *yet*, well, what are you waiting for?!?!?! <g>)

When we reach the end of this amazing story, we finally find peace and gentleness. Once again Lois and Clark proved that being together makes them stronger and that the love they share can overcome every obstacle. And even if it's the end there's always the option of starting to read it all over again. ;) Hey, I did it! More than once! <g> You just can't get enough of that witty dialogue, those heartwrenching situations Clark has to face, those poignant descriptions of his distress. Hmm... I think I'll go re-read it. <g>

Another favourite story is "For The Greater Good" by Wendy Richards.

Reading this story, I had to stop repeatedly because the tears made everything too blurry to keep reading. <g> It's just awesome! I've always loved Wendy's stories, but this one was so powerful and intense I couldn't put it down till I reached the end. And I won't mention that I finally went to bed at 4.30 am. <g> Again, I'll try not to spoil it for those (hopefully few) who haven't read it yet. Let's just say that Clark has to face a terrible decision and, being the wonderful hero we all know, he obviously decides that he just can't stop putting his life at risk when it comes to "a greater good". Don't worry, though, there *is* a happy ending, and thanks to Kaethel who nagged Wendy for months, we now also have a poignant and beautiful n-fic version too! :)) When I thought this story couldn't get any better, Wendy proved me wrong and added a great n-fic scene. Just beautiful!

Has everything been done in L&C fanfic? Are there any unexplored scenarios? Or doesn't it matter? <g>
It doesn't matter. Just keep writing!

If you could be your favourite author's personal Muse, what would your dream story premise be?
Ooooh! Let's see, what would I say if I were Yvonne's Muse.... Oh yes, I know!

"Pssst! Find some Kryptonite and get rid of the super-powers. Now, find a way to put Clark through physical and mental hell. Done? Okay, now add a little bit more angst. Nah! Don't worry! There's no such thing as too much angst! Hmmm...okay, now make him think everything's turning out for the better. Done? Good! And now, BAM!! more angst! Add some of your wonderful witty dialogue. A bit more. Thank you! Just perfect! Okay, okay, now you can write the happy ending." Hey! This could be fun! <bg>

In your opinion, what makes for the best story? What ingredients, in your opinion, are essential to your favourite type of fanfic?
In general, good writing skills and no grammar errors, but this is true for every kind of book/novel/fanfic I read. Speaking of Lois and Clark fanfiction only, I need great dialogue, possibly some angst and the chance to shed a few tears (either because the subject is very sad or so funny that I cry because I'm laughing too hard).

Any other comments you'd like to make?
I would like to thank all our wonderful writers for giving us readers so many hours of pure reading bliss. Don't ever think of stopping even if there are many ungrateful and lazy readers who, like me, don't write as much feedback as you deserve. :)