This week's interviewee is a relative newbie to fanfic reading, but she has very quickly endeared herself to writers, especially those posting in instalments on the message boards, by her detailed and thoughtful comments on fanfic. She's not only enthusiastic; she also makes very helpful suggestions and her posts are valued highly by writers. She is ...

Whereabouts in the world are you?
Moss, Norway.

How long have you been a FoLC?
Ooh, this brings back a few memories. I can see myself sitting in front of the TV, looking all moony-eyed while chewing my hair, both feet tightly wrapped around the chair, a glass of soda in one hand and a large stick in the other one in case my older brother tried to grab the remote. <g> That was me, eight years old, watching Lois & Clark. ;) That was when the show first started.

And apparently I still look that way whenever watching re-runs! :) Of course, I've stopped chewing my hair, and the stick is long gone - the bat is much more efficient!

When did you first discover fanfic?
A little over a year ago, actually. Yeah, I know, I'm an idiot who didn't look into it a long time ago. But to be honest, it never even crossed my mind that there might be something such as fanfic out there. I thought I was the only lunatic who continued to re-write movies that I thought had more potential or even TV shows, for that matter. <g> Discovering that I was not the only one doing this was a huge relief, and I never would've imagined it could be this much *fun* discussing stories with other people like me. Checking for new fanfic is the first thing I do in the morning and the last thing I do before going to bed.

What's the very first fanfic you read? Do you remember what your first thoughts were about the concept of fanfiction?
When I first came across lcfanfic.com, I didn't know what I was missing. Over and over again, I dismissed the site with a distinctive snort and a, "Yeah, right, like this could be any good".

But then, after reading so many comments on stories, every one of them saying how good they were, I decided to give it a shot. With a sigh, I opened up the file someone had recommended, and began to read. I started out by skimming, but when I reached the middle of the first page, I found myself surprised over how intriguing it was. So I sat up straighter and began to read from the beginning, not wanting to miss a single word.

When I was finished several hours later, all I could say was, "Wow.", and I dug up every story done by the same author, and I stayed up the entire night and long into the morning. I remember that I had been reading for about 16, maybe 17 hours before I went to sleep - and from there it was no turning back: I was hooked!

The author was Erin Klingler, and the story was "When You Needed Me Most". I'm still in awe of that woman!

What are your favourite sites for reading fanfic?
www.lcfanfic.com, of course. And not to mention the message boards, both.

List some stories you'd recommend to other readers.
This is the toughest question because the archive is stuffed with so many *amazing*, awe-inspiring and simply breathtaking stories, written by so many wonderful authors who have put so much work into them. That alone is worth taking a look at.

At this point, I've tried to write down the stories I'd recommend about twelve times, until I gave it up and admitted that there are too many to be mentioned. When I thought I'd finished, I couldn't help myself by adding another one, and then another, then another.the list just kept growing.

To tell you the truth, I can't remember - ever - that I enjoyed reading as much as I've had when I've read all these fanfics. Authors like Erin Klingler, LabRat, ML Thompson, Annie M, Wendy Richards, Kaethel, Pam Jernigan, Kathy Brown, Sheila Harper, Zoomway, Kaylle, Nan Smith, Tank Wilson, Yvonne Connell, Sarah Luddy, Missy Gallant and many more - have all changed my view of what it really means to enjoy a truly great story. Through laughter, joy and tears, you'll come to know what I mean if you read these 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>
Erin Klingler, definitely. And not to mention ML Thompson, LabRat, Kaethel, Wendy Richards, Annie M, Kathy Brown, Pam Jernigan and. Like I said; I'm addicted, so I could sit here all day listing authors. Heck, I'll even print it and take it with me to the stables if sitting home and reading it doesn't fit into my schedule. Did you know that you can easily shovel manure and read at the same time? ;)

What type of stories do you most enjoy reading, and why?
I most enjoy reading about Lois and Clark's relationship, how they deal with every aspect that seems to be working against them. But I can read just about anything as long as it's well written.

What's your opinion of:
Drama?
Definitely one of my favourites!
Action?
Always welcome!
Romance?
*Love* them!! As long as it's not too sappy.
Tearjerkers?
Love them! Maybe not deathfics, though, where it's Lois or Clark who dies.
WAFFy vignettes?
*Perfect* when I need a little "pick-me-up"! :)
Elseworlds?
Always intriguing to discover Lois & Clark all over again from an entirely different angle.
Alternate Universe/Beginnings?
Same opinion as Elseworlds.
Other (if we've failed to include your favourite type, here's your chance to set the record straight <g>)?

Can you choose one, possibly two, stories you'd consider personal favourites, and tell us what you like about them?
Erin Klingler's "When You Needed Me Most" will always be very special to me, not only because it was the first fanfic I ever read, but for some reason I never tire of it. I can read it again and again any time of the day, even though I always have to pull myself together afterwards because of the labour pains described in the story. <g> If I someday get pregnant, I'll have to try hard not to read it for whole nine months. ;)

And after reading "What It Means To Love You", also written by Erin, I was inspired to start writing again, which I hadn't done seriously in a few years. I don't know what exactly happened, but suddenly I had written about 45 pages within five days, which resulted that I started to attend creative writing classes again.

And I have to mention LabRat's "Masques". From the time I was four years old and screamed my head off when I first saw Santa Clause, the nightmares I had about vampires at seven, the fence pole that cut through my throat in second grade, or the fear of my old neighbour making good on his threat to slice me up as well as my football if he ever caught me playing in the back yard again - believe me, they were *nothing* compared to what this story makes you feel. The angst, panic, terror, fear, whams - personally, I think this is one of the best stories in the archive!

Has everything been done in L&C fanfic? Are there any unexplored scenarios? Or doesn't it matter? <g>
Heck, no! That's the great thing about Lois & Clark fanfic. There are so many possibilities, so many authors and so many choices that I don't think we'll ever get to the point where we say, "We're all done!" As long as at least one author still draws breath, there'll always be another fanfic!

If you could be your favourite author's personal Muse, what would your dream story premise be?
Oh, anything where Lex Luthor is concerned! What can I say? I'm obsessed with the man. I absolutely *love* Lex plotting, as long as I can read the story and *imagine* him thinking and doing whatever he's doing. It's important that he stays in character.

In your opinion, what makes for the best story? What ingredients, in your opinion, are essential to your favourite type of fanfic?
The best stories are not determined by author, length or genre. It's the content, the whole balance. I'm in awe of those who can make a reader feel so many things in just a few paragraphs, having the readers' full and undivided attention all the way. And knowing you've written something that affected the reader the way you wanted, that's priceless. This balance and right choice of words make for the best stories.

Any other comments you'd like to make?
I'd like to thank all the authors who have more than one occasion made my entire day, week and even month by writing terrific stories. It is amazing how much I've actually *learned*, how many people I've gotten to know and how I've been inspired to do so many things by something as simple as reading and talking about stories. It is hard to believe that a TV show that I started to watch as kid can do something like that. :) And I know this is something that'll definitely stick with me for many, many years to come. And that's a rare thing. So, if reading and maybe writing Lois & Clark fanfic is one of the things I appreciate the most, then that's something I'll cherish for as long as possible.