This month's featured author is Dave Rogers. Dave writes Voyager fanfic and four of his stories are featured on this page.

If you're a fanfic writer and would liked to be featured on this page, please drop us a note at [email protected] We'll also gladly take recommendations for writers whom you think deserve to be "in the spotlight."

Name: Dave Rogers

Website: Dave's Voyager Fan Fiction

Tell us a little bit about yourself.

I'm thirty-nine, English, married with four children, slightly overweight, six feet tall with dark hair and blueish eyes. I'm a scientist by profession; I've also been known to play bass guitar in a rock band, drive a steam locomotive, row in a racing eight, build model airplanes and make sand castles.

How long have you been a writer?

I've always, I think, been able to write, but it's mainly been limited to making project reports as readable as possible, plus the occasional bit of newsgroup satire. I only started writing fanfic about six months ago.

How long have you been a Trek fan?

I can't remember not being one. I think I was born a sci-fi fan, and I started watching TOS back in the Seventies on its first run in Britain because it was the only really good SF on TV.

What is your favorite series to watch? To write for?

Both Voyager; to watch, because it's easier to identify with Voyager's more flawed characters, and to write because - how shall I put this politely - Voyager's writers seem to leave more spaces to insert fanfic into.

What is your favorite episode?

I'll always keep coming back to "The Devil in the Dark", from TOS. It's the episode that defines all that's best about Star Trek.

What type of fanfic do you like to write?

Something a bit different to whatever I wrote last, generally; I like some variation in style. I enjoy drabbles (100-word stories) because of the constraints they impose and the discipline needed to get a story across that quickly, but it's a bit like practising scales and arpeggios on the piano - it's important to play full length pieces as well. I like humorous stories because there are no excuses to fall back on - either the reader laughs, or it's a bad story. As for characters, I have a strong bias towards Paris, Torres and Tuvok, because I feel I understand them best, and an aversion to Chakotay, whose voice I've really only got right once.

Have you done any other type of writing?

Well, there was this thesis for my physics doctorate... both my examiners said they actually enjoyed reading it, which isn't exactly the norm for a physics thesis.

How did you get started writing fanfic?

I was looking for Voyager reviews when I stumbled across Julia Houston's "Waves", which was a great story to start with. From there I found my way to the P/T Collective archive and read everything on it in a couple of weeks. After that, the stories in my brain hit critical mass and started producing new ones.

What is your favorite fanfic?

The best story I've read recently is Jennifer Lynn Rider's "In the Space of Seven Days...". Other favourites include DangerMom's "Daybreak" series, Jamelia's "Warmth", Strwriter and Voyagerbabe's "Bind the Wind", D'Alaire's "Judgement", Veronica Williams's Reincarnation series, anything by Suz Voy... I could go on and on (and sometimes do, ask my friends). I tend to stick to Voyager fanfic mostly, because life's too busy.

Is there someone who inspires your writing, be it a famous person, one of the actors or another fic writer?

Probably all of the above. I've put several things from my own life into my stories, but generally fairly well disguised to avoid falling into Mary Sue-dom. (And I'm not telling you which bits they are!) I tend to take inspiration wherever I can find it, though - challenges, disguised re-interpretations of song lyrics, Jim Wright's criticism of an episode, homages to favourite authors, a look on B'Elanna's face, a November evening - all these have inspired stories.

What is your favorite book? Why?

There are hundreds. Arthur C. Clarke's "The City and the Stars", Robert Silverberg's "Nightwings" and "Lord Valentine's Castle", Larry Niven's Known Space stories, Isaac Asimov's "The Caves of Steel" and "The Naked Sun", C. S. Lewis's Narnia series, Ursula LeGuin's Earthsea trilogy, J.R. R. Tolkein's "The Lord of the Rings", Stephen Donaldon's Thomas Covenant series, Captain W. E. Johns's first four Biggles books, Dornford Yates's thrillers, everything by Terry Pratchett, Fritz Leiber's Swords series, Harry Harrison's Stainless Steel Rat series, C. S. Forester's Hornblower books - life without any of these would be horribly dull. Can I put in a word for L. T. C. Rolt's "Railway Adventure" as my favourite nonfiction book?

Why, is always a hard question. I can explain why there will never be one favourite book, though. I'm an addictive reader, I read books fast and often, and what I want to read at any time depends on my mood. The books I've listed are like old, valued friends, that I come back to again and again, and I'd hate to have to choose between my friends.

Do you have any advice for other fanfic authors?

Get the voices right. Play back every line of dialogue in your head, over and over, and check how it sounds. If you can't hear the characters speaking your words, neither will anybody else.

Anything else you'd like to add?

I'm a newcomer to fanfic, and a newcomer to writing. I don't really know where any of this is going, but it's been a lot of fun so far.

Vice Versa In aiding a disease-stricken planet, Tuvok performs one mind meld too many.

There Is No Pain ASC title challenge story. Late in season four, Seven of Nine reflects on a fateful decision.

Human Mating Behavior Prequel to "Someone to Watch Over Me", season 5. P/T Archivist's Challenge story: What was Tom and B'Elanna's argument about? It seems not even Tom's sure.

Time Out After five years, the tension in the crew is showing. Shore leave on a deserted planet is the cure, but is the place all that it seems? Set shortly after "Thirty Days".

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