Dear Readers,

Welcome to the Lois & Clark The New Adventure of Superman Writer's Showcase. At the bottom of this web site you will findlinks to past featured writers. Just click on the any writer's name you might have missed or want to read again and you will be taken to their interview.

Now, in keeping with Annie's famous words, without further ado I am proud and honored to present this week's Writer in the Writer's Showcase ...

Annette, Labrat, Kaethel, Avia

Personal Information

Author name
Rachel Smith

E-mail addresses
rasmith@cs.umass.edu clarina@student.umass.edu

Residence
Amherst, MA, USA

List, AOL, or web affiliations
LOISCLA (formerly), the Lois & Clark Fanfic Archive, Fanfiction.net, The Gossamer Project (X-Files Fanfiction Archive), Alternate Universe Today (Babylon 5), Jumpnow.de (Babylon 5).

Lois and Clark or Superman Status

How long have you been watching L&C?
I taped the whole series for my family when it originally aired.

How long have you been a fan of Superman?
I used to pick up the comics when I could, and I loved the movies when I was younger. My interest didn't really take off until I watched L&C, though.

How long have you been writing?
Since I was about 13. Wacky little stories about my English teacher and my classmates. I didn't take it seriously until about 16, when I wrote "A Chief Dilemma".

How long have you been writing L&C fanfic?
I wrote it from 1995 to 1997.

What types of Fanfic have you written?
Short stories, novellas, a novel, a script, and a vignette. Immediately after completing "Cupid's Crossbow," I moved into the X-Files fandom. I've written for The X-Files, Babylon 5, Due South, and I've done some midrashim (the Jewish practice of writing stories to fill in the plots within the Bible verses). I've also tried my hand at Scarecrow & Mrs. King, Doctor Who, and The Lone Gunmen.

Most recent story posted? Where?
I finally decided to send the "Cupid's Crossbow" script to the Lois & Clark Fanfiction Archive today, after hiding it for several years.

Favorite story you have written? Why?
The Babylon 5 two-parter, "One Moment Here, Another Gone" and "Moments Still." I prefer certain of my stories over others...this was a hard toss-up. I like these two the best because I feel that my writing has matured, and they are the most recent completed pieces.

Current project/projects?
I'm finishing up a Due South novel that takes place four years after the end of the show.

Personal picks of other Fanfics you have read?

The Chronicles of Pemberley, Jane Austen Pride & Prejudice retelling, by Her Grace, Lady Pamela
The "Magician" Books, X-Files fandom, by Suzanne Bickerstaffe and Jennifer Lyon.
The Synaesthesia Trilogy, Doctor Who fandom, by Rebecca J. Anderson
"Abort...Retry...Murder," Due South fandom, by Josephine March
There's also some good stuff by Paula Smith in the DS fandom, if you can find it.
"Counter Clark-Wise," Lois & Clark fandom, by Zoomway

General Interview Questions

What attracted you to writing Fanfic and what about it do you enjoy?
I had a desire to explore a situation with the characters that I would probably never see on the screen. I thought I could tell the story reasonably well ("A Chief Dilemma," my first fanfic was in the L&C fandom, a gentler one that most!), and so I gave it a shot. I love transcribing the magic as I see it in my mind's eye. I swear that my best stuff is just me transcribing what I see playing out in front of me-I really don't feel like it is creativity coming just from me, per se.

What about the L&C and the characters do you like the most?
Their innocence and their humor. There's something so sweet about their relationship, since it is a first in the history of mankind, and the TV show was for families, so there wasn't a lot of useless premarital sex and swearing. I loved watching the evolution of the characters.

How do you interpret them in your work?
Hopefully as close as possible to the original portrayal of them.

How did you begin writing in general?
I had a story that I thought would be interesting, and I wrote it up in about six pages one day, back when I was a sophomore in high school, and I gave it to my mother to critique. She liked it...so I kept going. :)

How do you feel about being nominated for a Kerth Award?
Honored; thank you! It makes me want to try my hand at another piece, to try to win it next time!

What story of yours was nominated for a Kerth Award and could you tell about it?
"A Chief Dilemma," it was my first piece (and my shortest). I watched the episode "Don't Tug on Superman's Cape," and I saw a hole in the plot Perry and Jimmy receive a box from the bad guys with a piece of kryptonite and Superman's cape in it. What happened to that box? What happened to that piece of kryptonite?

Have you ever been nominated for the Kerth Award before? If so, please name the fanfic and tell something about it.
No.

What are you working on now and where do you see it going?
I am currently finishing up a Due South romance novel with Fraser and Thatcher, and I hope to get it published. If not, I'll just post it on the DS forums and stay in the fanfic world.

What is your opinion about the following types of L&C fanfic's?
Action?
Don't lose the characters' development; adventure is less important that character growth because of the adventure.

Drama?
Don't over-sap. I don't generally like "plot? what plot?" types of fics that are just dripping with angst or drool.

Humor?
Go for it! Get witty and poke some fun at the camp! :)

Round Robin?
Difficult, I've only tried it writing only once and didn't particularly enjoy it. I don't have much experience reading it.

Nfic?
I don't usually read it. I'm very picky about the lines crossed. I'll only abide it if it is in the context of a good story, and only when it seems to make sense, and only if I don't get turned off by it, and only... as you can see, not usually. :) Besides, it's really hard stuff to write well. You either descend into medical terminology, tacky euphemisms, or just plain bad prose.

Has *everything* been done in your opinion, and if not, what is left?
Plenty of useful crossover potential. I'm actually more interested, at this point, in the evolution of the Superman legend. We got a taste of it in the "Tempus Fugit" episodes, when we learn a little of the impact that Superman and Lois have on history. Genetic cross-breeding, effects on the children (I wrote one story on this topic, "Anna"), their possible isolation in society, the aging of Superman, the aging of Lois, the adventures of their children (what powers would they have?), and never forget that you can always invent a new supervillian with a new twist and do what the comic has been doing for the last 50+ years. And there is plenty of alternate universe potential with sex role-reversals (what if Superman was female and she met a guy at the Daily Planet?), and all sorts of funky stuff. No, of course everything hasn't been done. :)

What do you think makes the best story?
For short stories, an interesting concept that is well-executed and that leaves you thinking. For a novella-length or more, it should be a well-tooled balance between all of the aspects of drama, plot, humor, character development, and good writing style. Avoid nfic if you're not good at writing it and if it just doesn't do the story much good. And if it isn't true to the characters. It depends on what you want to achieve. The best stories evoke emotions.

Would you like to add a link or URL to your favorite fanfic for the readers to sample your writing?
Yes

Where is the best place for a reader to locate your work?
http//www-unix.oit.umass.edu/~clarina/stories.html

Open Forum For Author Comments
Read Jane Austen! Read Jane Austen! Read Jane Austen! :) If you can't drag yourself through her work, then just go find a copy of the 1995 BBC miniseries version of Pride & Prejudice, fall in love with it like millions of other people have, and then go read the book. You'll begin to appreciate her brilliant wit, her wonderful characterizations, her well-constructed plots, and her impeccable writing style. After you read her work, all other romance novels pale in comparison. Actually, most other novels, period.