This week's interviewee is a lifelong Superman fan who was hooked by Lois and Clark right from the Pilot. She took a little longer to discover fanfic, but is now one of its most devoted fans, as a number of writers have good reason to know and be grateful about. ;) She is:

Whereabouts in the world are you?
I live in Oregon, in the Pacific Northwest part of the US.

How long have you been a FoLC?
The day the pilot aired, my husband and I both read an article introducing Lois & Clark:. and thought "this sounds fun." We were loyal fans immediately. Somewhere in S3, I hit a more obsessive level and started my first collection of tapes. I retaped them all when TNT started doing reruns.

What drew you to Lois and Clark?
I watched the original Superman tv show as a kid, so the Superman myth first drew me to L&C. I like the positive ethical and moral slant (a decided change from most television). Then, it was the writers' development of the human side of Superman that had me captured. The growing relationship was the glue that held the show together. Clever and witty writing combined with the chemistry of the star couple was a dynamite combination.

When did you first discover fanfic?
I first discovered fanfic and the online community the summer between Season 3 and Season 4. That cliff hanger nearly drove me over the edge, and I was saved by the online community and fanfic. When I found the archive, it had just over 400 stories, a number of which dealt with resolving the issues left with us when Kal El left for New Krypton. I read the entire archive that summer and have kept up with "What's New" every week since then.

What's the very first fanfic you read? Do you remember what your first thoughts were about the concept of fanfiction?
I honestly can't remember what fanfic was my first. I first started reading at the ABC L&C message board. Chris Mulder's "Dimensions of Loving" and Zoom's early works (she needs some recent works IMHO) were among my early favorites. Since I was in the throes of summer angst between S3 and S4, fanfic filled my need for more episodes. The stories filled in unresolved plots and moved the storylines forward when our show was on hiatus. Fanfic does not have to fit within a 44 minute limitation per hour.

What are your favourite sites for reading fanfic?
Due to a limited number of hours in a day, I stick to the archive and Zoom's message board. Occasionally, I look in at the Yahoo list. I generally like to wait for a work to be finished before I read it, though sometimes I get hooked early.

List some stories you'd recommend to other readers.
You prompted me to look back at some of my old favourites (in no particular order):
The Heir - Piper
A Shot in the Dark - Sheila Harper
The Love that Risks Nothing - KMcstr
The Huntress' Revenge - Jenni Debbage
Little Man Super - Sandy McDermin
Dagger series and others- Nan Smith
Fear of Discovery- Yvonne Connell
Trust Me, I'm a Reporter- Yvonne Connell
Purity - Queen of Angst Yvonne Connell :)
For the Greater Good - Wendy Richards
Stronger than Me Alone - Phil Atcliffe
All of S5 and S6
When Night Falls and Shadows Flee - Kathy Brown
There, I was trying to be VERY selective. :) There are so many other wonderful stories!

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>
It would probably be by Yvonne Connell, Jenni Debbage or Nan Smith but really all of the above authors have written some terrific stories.

What type of stories do you most enjoy reading, and why?
My favorite stories have both an A and B plot. I like intricate unpredictable plot lines with a certain amount of angst, light humorous moments, and, of course, romance between Lois and Clark. I like stories to follow canon somewhat, but some new twists are fun.

What's your opinion of:
Drama? Necessary

Action? Necessary

Romance? Without it, it would not be L&C.

Tearjerkers? There's nothing like an intense emotion..

WAFFy vignettes? Ah, a quick, feel good story for the day, refreshing. I do enjoy a good vignette, like a small cookie.

Elseworlds? I'm not a big fan of Elseworlds. No offense, writers. In general, I think these deviate a bit far from canon for me.

Alternate Universe/Beginnings? I'm ambivalent about these, too, for the same reason as my opinion of Elseworlds. Every once in awhile, an Alt Beginnings will capture me, like "Misery" or "Meet Me in Kansas City".

Other (if we've failed to include your favourite type, here's your chance to set the record straight <g>)? Ha, ha

Can you choose one, possibly two, stories you'd consider personal favourites, and tell us what you like about them?
This is the question that has kept me from making quick work of this questionnaire. I'm sorry; I just cannot choose one or two stories. What I will say is that Jenni, Nan, and Yvonne consistently meet my criteria. I want to read a story where the plot is intricate enough that I cannot correctly guess where the story is going. I like the author to have the upper hand. I want to be shown, but not told directly. Why be told "Clark is depressed" when one can show him walking with stooped shoulders, in a routine, looking as if far away, sighing, and running out of clean suits? Description is everything. I like emotional content that is real to me. Jenni has also become very good at interjecting humor, even in the midst of a tense story. Her scene in "Red Sky" where Clark and Joel get their heat vision tangled and knock a picture off the wall makes me chuckle. Also, in "Poisoned Legacy" check out the fellow at the dump who sees Jimmy hug Superman and draws the wrong conclusion. Fun!

Has everything been done in L&C fanfic? Are there any unexplored scenarios? Or doesn't it matter? <g>
I think it has gotten tougher to write an "original" L&C fanfic, however I'm impressed by how often something new and different is thought of by a writer. Also, I'm not sure it matters. Lois and Clark are like old friends to me. It's nice to hear "what they're up to" And see them go on new adventures.

If you could be your favourite author's personal Muse, what would your dream story premise be? I'll pass on this one.

In your opinion, what makes for the best story? What ingredients, in your opinion, are essential to your favourite type of fanfic?

Ingredients:
2 cups Lois & Clark romance
2 cups well thought out action with detail
1 cup angst, plus 2 T our intelligent heroine, Lois, wrestling with options to save her man
½ cup L&C chemistry with pepper
½ cup descriptive writing, mood setting
1 cup ingenuity, clever new angles
a dash of humor
one medium piece of Kryptonite

Mix until smooth and top with chocolate sauce. Serve.