This week's interviewee is a Superman fan from the UK. She's been a Superman fan since the Pilot first aired - over ten years ago now! - but she only discovered fanfic about a year ago. However, she's been making up for it ever since - her comments on ongoing fic posted on the Lois and Clark Fanfiction Message Boards are much appreciated by authors.

She is...

Whereabouts in the world are you?
London, England

How long have you been a FoLC?
Since the very first episode! The Pilot aired over here in Sept/Oct 1993 and I was hooked from the beginning.

What drew you to Lois and Clark?
The first thing that drew me was Dean! I fell madly in love with him from the very first advertisement for the show and just had to watch the Pilot to see whom this gorgeous guy was, he was like a God to my 12-year-old mind! But what kept me watching (apart from Dean!) was the fantastic premise. The concept of two of society's outsiders drawn together through love and of course, the incredible chemistry between Dean and Teri.

When did you first discover fanfic?
I first discovered fanfic almost a year ago over on Zoom's boards and then found the link to Annesplace and the archive.

What's the very first fanfic you read? Do you remember what your first thoughts were about the concept of fanfiction?
I don't remember the first fanfic that I read but I do remember being a little wary of it at first! Mainly because I thought that nothing could be better than watching the show itself, but after reading a few stories I was totally proved wrong, and now I can't stop reading!

What are your favourite sites for reading fanfic?
Annesplace, Zoom's boards, Archive

List some stories you'd recommend to other readers.
First and foremost LabRat's `Are You Lonesome Tonight?'. (My favourite fanfic!) Wendy Richards' `For the Greater Good', `Faux Pas', A Conscious Choice', Yvonne Connell's `Purity'. All of Wendy and LabRat's nfic stuff really and Menolly's fabulous Dayz series. Echo's `Tease' and Wanda D's `A New Beginning'. Becky Bain's `In a Dark Time'.

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>
Has to be LabRat and Wendy! Thoroughly enjoying Masques at the moment and love all of the vignettes, short stories and great epics that Wendy writes (especially the TOGOM re-writes!)

What type of stories do you most enjoy reading, and why?
Romance, Romance, Romance! With a little drama thrown in for good measure! I do tend to enjoy the stories that have Lois and Clark married or at least `together' in a romantic sense. Mainly because I still remember the angst that I went through waiting for them to get together on the show! I really enjoy stories that set up problems or difficulties that they can work through and face together. I don't like them to be apart for to long because I love all the waffy romance stuff too much and I think that as characters Lois and Clark definitely work better as a complete team, both professionally and personally. As it was stated once before, the two of them together are strong than them alone.

What's your opinion of:
Drama?
I really enjoy drama as long as it doesn't completely take over the story. I think the show always attempted to foreground the fact that whatever disaster was thrown there way each week, Lois and Clark and their relationship was the main concern. So I prefer dramatic fics that stick with this idea, therefore using the drama as a way of highlighting a certain aspect of Lois and Clark's relationship.

Action?
I guess the same goes for action as it does for drama. Oh, but I don't really enjoy reading in any great detail about Superman's rescues, unless it involves Lois.

Romance?
Well what can I say!?! The best part, of course! It was the romance that drew me to the show and it's definitely the same for fanfic. Whilst their relationship is idealised in many ways, it was their partnership that restored my faith in a relationship where it is possible to be husband and wife, friends and lovers and be happy at the same time. I love the concept of Lois and Clark being soul mates and the idea that true love conquers all (even if there are a few struggles along the way) and anything that explores the romantic aspect of their incredible relationship I will read.

Tearjerkers?
Same as above really, I absolutely cried my eyes out when reading `For the Greater Good', and there's nothing like a good old cry, especially where there's a happy ending! But I don't particularly like death fics and tend to avoid them, because they're just too sad!

WAFFy vignettes?
Love them, love them, love them! For the same reason that I gave for Romance really and I really enjoy dipping into the wonderful, waffy world of Lois and Clark just for a few pages (plus they provide great reading during my lunch break at work!)

Elseworlds?
This is the genre that I haven't read that much of, but if they combine the aspects of fanfic that I enjoy then I will read them. I also think that the idea of placing Lois and Clark in different situations provides a lot of leverage for writes, so anything that produces more fics I'm happy with!

Alternate Universe/Beginnings?
If done well I think stories in this area can be fascinating and really interesting. I loved Chris Mulder's `Meet Me In Kansas City' and this was the story that got me reading other `Alternate Beginning' stories. Although I must say that whilst I enjoy the Alternative Universe stories, I only really like the ones that include both Clark's (for what reason, I have no idea! Maybe it was because I didn't particularly enjoy this episode of the show.)

Other (if we've failed to include your favourite type, here's your chance to set the record straight <g>)?
As long as a story has Lois and Clark (or George and Lynn!) I will read it!

Can you choose one, possibly two, stories you'd consider personal favourites, and tell us what you like about them?
It would have to be LabRat's `Are You Lonesome Tonight'. It has all the elements of a fantastic story. Romance, action, waffyness. I love the concept of Lois and Clark right on the edge, and there's nothing like the end of the world to force them into admitting their feelings for each other! The `end of the world' scenario allows them to take a good look at their lives and their relationship with each other and within the close confines of Clark's apartment they work through everything that is preventing them from being together and of course the huge amount of lust and passions also helps! It's also a very sexy and sensual story, and the scene with Lois sitting on the wall watching the sun rise has to be one of the best Lois and Clark scenes in fanfic, you can actually almost feel the love, passion, fear and pain that they are experiencing when reading this. Plus it's the only fic that I've read six times, and one, along with a couple of others, that should definitely be published for the world to enjoy!

Has everything been done in L&C fanfic? Are there any unexplored scenarios? Or doesn't it matter? <g>
No. I know everyone will quote this but I just have to say it anyway; `there are no new stories, just different angles'. Or something like that! Either way it's impossible for every story to be written! Thank God!

If you could be your favourite author's personal Muse, what would your dream story premise be?
Something with a little bit of everything really, as I've already mentioned, lots of romance and a disaster or two, to keep them on their toes.

But I think I would also want them to write me into the story! I know that this sounds a little crazy but when I was about 15 and the third and four seasons were on I was in my obsessive Dean phase (still am!) I used to imagine being brought into the show as Jimmy's cousin from England or something and then I could become Lois and Clark's nanny when they had kids! Sad I know, but true!

In your opinion, what makes for the best story? What ingredients, in your opinion, are essential to your favourite type of fanfic?
See everything I've written so far!

Any other comments you'd like to make?
I would just like to thank everyone who writes fanfiction. I've studied Literature for a few years and having taking some creative writing classes myself I know how difficult it is to write good stories, but you guys do it every day! It amazes me the amount of quality stories that get posted and I'm in great awe of all of you!

I also extremely grateful that there are so many of you out there that keep the Lois and Clark story alive. When the show finished I thought that it really was the end of Lois and Clark, until I found this online community and all of the wonderful stories. So thank you for loving Lois and Clark as much as I do, and keep writing!