This week's interviewee is a relatively recent arrival to the fandom and to fanfic, though has been a Superman fan all her life. Within a short period of getting involved in the fandom, she was becoming a cheerleader for writers on the MBs and list; she volunteered as a General Editor for the fanfic archive; and she's a popular beta-reader besides. She even gets up even earlier than she needs to in the morning so that she can chat on IRC for half an hour before going to work, and she travelled half-way around the world to attend the South-East FoLC Fest in the US in 2002. She is ...

Whereabouts in the world are you?
Sydney, Australia.

How long have you been a FoLC?
Ever since the show first aired here in Australia.

What drew you to Lois and Clark?
My father was a Superman fanatic so at a very early age I was introduced to the George Reeves TV series. Our family always had a supply of Superman comics and I have seen all the Christopher Reeve Superman movies. It was only natural that I would watch Lois & Clark. I found myself totally immersed in the show, not because of Superman but because of Clark Kent. All of sudden he was human as well as being invulnerable. I loved watching the development of his relationship with Lois.

When did you first discover fanfic?
I didn't gain access to the net until February 2000. One of the first things that I searched was Lois & Clark. I had no idea that fanfic even existed until then.

What's the very first fanfic you read? Do you remember what your first thoughts were about the concept of fanfiction?
The Unaired 5th Season was the very first fanfic that I discovered. I remember reading into the early morning hours eventually printing out every episode. I was hooked! Fanfic gave me the chance to feel part of the L&C story. The thing that amazed me the most was the extremely high standard of writing. I knew at once that I wanted to read MORE. When I eventually discovered the archive a couple of months later I was ecstatic.

What are your favourite sites for reading fanfic?
The Fanfic Archive, Zoom's Message Boards and Annesplace.

List some stories you'd recommend to other readers.
Wow! There are so many I don't know where to start! There are so many talented authors and excellent stories. These are some of my favourites.
-Anything by Wendy Richards especially `Carbon Copy', `For The Greater Good', `Without Consent', `It Happened One Super Night', `Faux Pas'.
-ML Thompson's `The People V Clark Kent', `Cause And Effect', `Super Stud'.
-Anything by LabRat especially `Caped Fear', `Are You Lonesome Tonight.?' and I love `Masques' which is now being posted on Zoom's Boards.
-Nan Smith's `Home' series, `Four Days To Nightfall', `Dagger' series.
-Carol Malo's `Recognition' series.
-Erin Klingler's `The Accidental Husband', `The Darkest Hour'.
-Chris Mulder's `Love Beyond All Measure', `Meet Me In Kansas City'.
-Kaethel's `Near Wild Heaven', `Smallville 39'.
-Yvonne Connell's `Fear Of Discovery' series, `Purity'.
-Jenni Debbage's `Kent Family' series.
-Kathy Brown & Demi's `When Friends Become Lovers'. And the sequel by Kathy `When Lovers Become More'.
-Tank Wilson's `Future' series, `Serial Vengeance'.
-Shayne Terry's `Dear Lois', `Fugue' & `Fusion'.
-Raconteur's `Burden Of Conscience', `Lifeflight' series.
-Annie Riley's `Lucy To The Rescue', `Daydreams'.
-Irene Dutch's `In Cat's Corner', `Firestorm' series.
-Missy Gallant's `Strangers' series.
-Pam Jernigan's `Tryst', `A Special Child'.
-Anything by Sheila Harper especially `In The Beginning'.
-Tracey's `A Love Well Worth The Wait'.
-Shidrati Ali & Jon Wolff's `Strangers and Friends' series.
-Jeff Brogden's `Lost And Found'.
-Anything by Phil Atcliffe especially `Much Ado About.'
-Ann McBride's `A Triangle Built For Two'.
-Christy Landrum's `The Hand That Rocks'.
-Meredith Knight's `All Stirred Up'.
-Becky Bain's `Ad Astra Per Aspera', `In A Dark Time'.
-Zoomway's `Counter Clark-Wise'.
-Chris Carr's `An Extraordinary Man'.

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>
There are several authors who fit into this category - Wendy Richards, LabRat, ML Thompson, Nan Smith, Yvonne Connell, Erin Klingler, Irene Dutch, Kaethel & Kathy Brown. I consider all of these to be very talented authors. I'm always amazed at the excellent stories they produce. They have the ability to completely involve me, the reader, in what is happening.

What type of stories do you most enjoy reading, and why?
I enjoy a whole range of stories. My favourites are long stories with a well-developed A-plot, and a B-plot with lots of angst and introspection. I also love getting together and revelation stories.

What's your opinion of:
Drama?
This is one of my favourite story types. If you check out my list of recommended stories you'll find that drama rates highly. I love drama especially when it includes lots of Lois & Clark interaction.

Action?
I like action as long as it has a purpose and is as realistic as possible.

Romance?
What can I say? This has to be my favourite element of any Lois & Clark fanfic. I think that the development of Lois & Clark's romantic relationship is an important part of their story. The part that interests me the most!

Tearjerkers?
I also enjoy a good tearjerker.

WAFFy vignettes?
Yes, I love WAFFy vignettes. They are great to read after a stressful day at work.

Elseworlds?
Definitely, some of my favourite stories are Elseworlds.

Alternate Universe/Beginnings?
Again, I also enjoy Alternate Universe stories.

Other (if we've failed to include your favourite type, here's your chance to set the record straight <g>)?
One other element that is important to any story is humour. Even when the situation is extremely tense I love to see a little humour included. Annie Riley, Sarah Luddy and Missy Gallant are authors who have that wonderful ability of being able to add a hilarious line just at the right moment.

Can you choose one, possibly two, stories you'd consider personal favourites, and tell us what you like about them?
One of my favourites is `Purity' by Yvonne Connell. Yvonne's choice of subject matter is controversial and very realistic. It is handled in a very professional manner. Her characterizations are superb. Yvonne did an excellent job portraying that no matter what the ordeal is Lois & Clark can conqueror it together. Their survival depends on them working and being together. I'm sure that this story will always remain as one of my favourites because it was the first story I was assigned to edit as a new Archive GE in May 2001.

Another favourite is a story being posted in parts on Zoom's Boards at the moment- `Masques' by LabRat. WOW!! LabRat's writing is superb. The descriptions are so vivid that I find myself completely immersed in the story. I want to re-read the posted segments over and over. It's fantastic!

Has everything been done in L&C fanfic? Are there any unexplored scenarios? Or doesn't it matter? <g>
No, people will always see things differently. There are so many possibilities - revelation stories, episode rewrites or extensions, elseworlds. I think that the list is endless. As long as there are writers there will be new premises.

If you could be your favourite author's personal Muse, what would your dream story premise be?
A long story that deals with a very controversial issue that not only affects Lois & Clark but also relates to real life issues. Within the story the author is able to present both sides of the issue through Lois and Clark. How would the issue affect Lois and Clark's relationship? An opportunity for lots of angst and introspection!

In your opinion, what makes for the best story? What ingredients, in your opinion, are essential to your favourite type of fanfic?
I think that there are several ingredients that combined make a fanfic one of my favourites.
-Well thought out plot (A or B) i.e. no loopholes.
-All events flow naturally from one to the other.
-Characterizations are consistent.
-Insight into the characters' emotions and thoughts.
-WAFFy moments.
-A little humour even when the situation is very tense.
-Good spelling, grammar and punctuation.

Any other comments you'd like to make?
I'd like to take this opportunity to thank everyone involved with L&C fanfic especially the writers. I think that FoLCs are very privileged to have so many talented authors willing to share their work. Fanfic has provided me with many hours of enjoyable reading and hopefully many more to come. Also through reading, being a BR and GE I have had a chance to make some wonderful friends. I met some of these friends at SEFF last year. It was a fantastic experience! Hopefully some day I will have the opportunity to meet these friends again and visit other FoLCs as well.

Without the fanfic websites we wouldn't have access to these great stories. Thank you to everyone who helps with the maintenance of these, particularly Anne, LabRat, Dawn and Zoom.

I'd also like to especially thank Wendy Richards for without her encouragement I would never have delurked. I will always remember how worried I was about making my first comment on Zoom's Boards on Wendy's story `Faux Pas'. Things have certainly progressed since then. <g>

And thank you to LabRat for the opportunity to be an Archive General Editor. This is a job that I love. Not only do I get to read some wonderful stories but also it's a privilege to be able to work with fabulous authors.