This week's interviewee is from England, and is a relatively recent FoLC, although she's made up for the late start by reading masses and masses of fanfic ever since! She very quickly made herself popular among authors by writing detailed, analytical feedback which was both constructive and very encouraging. She is:

Whereabouts in the world are you?
England.

How long have you been a FoLC?
Since October 07 2001.Well, actually I can't pinpoint the exact moment, it just sort of grew on me from the beginning. The date I gave is actually the date I joined Zoomway's message boards, then I discovered the huge fandom and I realised that I'm proud to be a FoLC. Also, it was around this time that I actually discovered the acronym, FoLC. <g>

What drew you to Lois and Clark?
Well, when I heard the voice-over announce Superman next, it made me laugh. I envisioned a silly cartoon show aimed at 5 year olds. How wrong I was! From the moment that Clark Kent stepped off that bus, I knew it would be different. By the time Martha was sewing costumes, I knew I had to keep watching. The clear feelings between Lois and Clark started off as a wonderful bonus in a funny show. Then, as I continued to watch, I became more and more interested in the underlying B-plot, the way the characters reacted etc, rather than the A-plot. Now, I love Lois and Clark mainly for the romance; without that I wouldn't have stayed faithful to the show. What else could get me through gigantic plot holes in `Target: Jimmy Olsen'? <g>

When did you first discover fanfic?
I don't actually know. I was always aware of the fanfic section of Zoom's boards but it wasn't until May/June last year that I ventured in.

What's the very first fanfic you read? Do you remember what your first thoughts were about the concept of fanfiction?
No idea what the first fanfic I read was - strange because you'd expect it to be something that would stay with me but nope. First thoughts? Well to start with, I didn't actually think it would be that good, maybe because my writing skills leave something to be desired. I had no idea that fanfic would turn out to be as enthralling as published books, if not more so because of my love for the characters. The other day I was reading Wendy's `The Penfriend.' (which is fantastic by the way J) that I'd printed out to take with me when I visited my family. It was evening and we were all sitting quietly playing card games or reading. My brother turned to me in the middle of his game and asked what I was reading. I think it was because I'd clearly printed something off and he is naturally curious. I told him and passed it over, suggesting he tried reading some. He scoffed but a couple of pages in and he turned towards me with an incredulous look on his face. `But... this is *good!*' He said in such a surprised tone that I burst out laughing because it was exactly my reaction, I had no idea how fantastic fanfic is. Thanks for enlightening me, everyone! <g>

What are your favourite sites for reading fanfic?
http://www.lcfanfic.com is a fantastic place because it is so easy to navigate and complete new stories are uploaded every week. My favourite place would have to be Zoomway's message boards, though. This is because you get to read new stories as they are released. You also get to comment on each section and watch the story unfold and develop. The main problem with this is the suspense, sometimes I wonder if I'm going to make it 'til Friday when the next part of *** is being posted - I'm often reduced to begging. <g> Occasionally I check fanfiction.net but there are rarely any new stories there.

List some stories you'd recommend to other readers.
Eeek! I don't think I can do this, not without naming every story I've ever read. <g> Okay, deep breaths,
'Love Beyond All Measure/Dimensions of Loving' by Chris Mulder,
'Meet Me In Kansas City' also by Chris Mulder,
'Caped Fear' by LabRat
'Four Days To Nightfall' by Nan Smith,
'The Second Stage of Grief' by ML Thompson,
'Misery' by Yvonne Connell
anything by Wendy Richards, especially 'The Penfriend',
every Tank Wilson and Wendy Richards' challenge,
all of Kaethel's stories but 'Near Wild Heaven - Half a World Away' in particular,
and all of Tracey's WAFFy vignettes.
I'm positive I've forgotten many wonderful stories by other authors and I'm very sorry if I have. (So far, I love 'When Fallen Angels Fly' by Kaethel but she hasn't finished them yet :(

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>
You're asking me to choose a favourite?! Actually I can't think of one particular author that I love above all the others. If there was a story like that that I *had* to read, it would probably be a collaboration. Not a RR, but a carefully thought out epic by the fandom's best authors.

What, you want me to name them?

Well, at first, I'd say Wendy Richards, LabRat and Kaethel (who I can always count on to put in smoochies and angst), but then I remember those authors that I've only read a few fics by but loved them like Shayne, Nan Smith, Tracey to put in the WAFFs, ML Thompson, Tank Wilson, (only because Wendy's here to fix anything he writes! Or should it be to fix things that Wendy writes?) Chris Mulder and Missy Gallant (although, maybe not with the evil cliff-hangers she seems to like <g>). I really can't choose, these are the ones that come to mind at the moment because they've posted at Zoom's boards or I've talked to them recently but there are others that have fics in the works which I can't remember. Sorry for such an indecisive answer!

What type of stories do you most enjoy reading, and why?
Almost anything. It depends what mood I'm in, romance and WAFFy vignettes are good for cheering me up when I'm sad or for relaxing me after a stressful day. Long stories are fantastic for long car journeys (as long as I'm not driving <g>), whatever genre. I basically love all types. Angst is a favourite of mine though. :)

What's your opinion of:
Drama?
Always good, especially when there is angst involved <g>. Seriously, drama is essential to any long story, but not as important in vignettes.

Action?
Depends, I don't really like to read stories with a lot of blow-by-blow action, I'm more into the thoughts and feelings produced by the action. I still like A-plots and think that long stories definitely require them.

Romance?
Definitely! Okay, stories where they are just friends are good but romance ones are often better as there are more WAFFy moments. :)

Tearjerkers?
I love tearjerkers, it takes quite a bit to make me cry but when I find a story that does, it's one of the best sorts. It takes a very talented author to produce that kind of reaction in the reader and this fandom is lucky to have many talented authors. :)

WAFFy vignettes?
I adore these. Especially the ones that leave me with a silly grin on my face because they're almost too WAFFy. :))

Elseworlds?
Depends. Often I'm not in the mood for these as they often involve brain power to remember that this isn't 'our' Lois and Clark the author is talking about. Challenging read but definitely interesting.

Alternate Universe/Beginnings?
Again, these often require brain power but I love the 'what if...'s as they turn out to be fascinating reads. Especially ones where Clark hasn't invented Superman and has to figure out a way of telling Lois. 'Meet Me In Kansas City' by Chris Mulder is a good example of this and a great story anyway. :)

Other (if we've failed to include your favourite type, here's your chance to set the record straight <g>)?
I also love funny vignettes, ones with 'in' jokes and Tank Endings because they make me laugh so much. I remember reading something Tank wrote for the campfire scene in 'Ordinary People' which just made me laugh so hard as he made fun of all the lovely WAFFy parts.

Can you choose one, possibly two, stories you'd consider personal favourites, and tell us what you like about them?
Nope. Not a chance. Okay, the first two brilliant stories that popped into my head.

Firstly 'Near Wild Heaven - Half A World Away' by Kaethel. Warning: don't read this if you don't like 'apart angst' because it contains one heck of a lot. <g> Secondly, I advise against reading it until she's posted 'Near Wild Heaven II - Vertiges de l'Amour' which is (I think) the title of the sequel. The first one is so fantastic that I really can't wait for the second one but unfortunately I have to. :( I won't give away too much of the plot but it does involve Lois being too late in `House of Luthor' and Clark has already left. He takes up a job in France under a pseudonym and eventually finds himself covering a story that Lois is sent to cover for LNN. Naturally, the two meet and... well, I'll let you find out for yourselves, I know you won't be disappointed. :)

Secondly, 'Caped Fear' by LabRat. This interweaves the A-plot with the B-plot really effectively. Again, I'm not going to give any specific details but it does have a sort of 'whodunnit' theme. Once the reader has figured out why what's happening is happening, there are huge amounts of suspense before 'it' happens. 'It' being the big event that is directly linked to the A and B plots and can't be given away because that wrecks the whole 'whodunnit' theme. Okay, is that cryptic enough? <g> Again, there is quite a bit of angst in here, but not as much as 'Near Wild Heaven'. Anyway, just take my word for it that it's fantastic! :)

Has everything been done in L&C fanfic? Are there any unexplored scenarios? Or doesn't it matter? <g>
No. Yes. No. <g> I don't think that everything has been done, I don't think authors will run out of ideas for a long time to come. There are always different ways to change a scene or new ideas for separate stories. Even when two authors start out with the same premise, the stories come out very differently which just goes to show that the different writing styles and ideas of each author will ensure that there will always be new stories. So, yeah, I definitely think there are unexplored scenarios but that's not what's important, the quality of the fanfic is. :)

If you could be your favourite author's personal Muse, what would your dream story premise be?
Now I definitely can't answer this question. My favourite story premises are ones that surprise me, that make me stop and go "Oooh, I would never have thought of that, fantastic!". If I could name my dream story premise then it wouldn't be a surprise and no longer my dream premise. :)

In your opinion, what makes for the best story? What ingredients, in your opinion, are essential to your favourite type of fanfic?
I don't really think there are any particular ingredients that make a good story. Okay, good spelling, punctuation and grammar help... Still, each author has their own personal style and way of doing things. Oh, wait, I think there should be a happy ending, Lois and Clark should end up together, even if it's just as friends. Death fics aren't really my cup of tea but I have read a few good ones that end up with the bereaved getting on with his/her life, not forgetting the other but not spending all their time wallowing in grief either which is a relatively happy ending.

Any other comments you'd like to make?
Yep. I'd just like to say a *huge* thank you to all the wonderful authors out there and the faithful behind-the-scenes BRs which mean we don't need to read all those annoying little typos. <g>. Thanks for giving me so many fanfic filled hours when I'm stressed and little happy vignettes to cheer me up when I'm sad. Continue the fantastic work, all of you!

Helen :)