This month's featured author is Wildcat. She writes TOS fanfic and six of her 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: Wildcat

Websites: http://members.tripod.com/~TSU_Campus/Wildcat.html

Tell us a little bit about yourself.

I'm a middle-aged musician/computer professional/soccer mom who has been a Trek fan for a long time. I'm also a big fan of college basketball, although my favorite team didn't do too well this year. (Anyone who is into college basketball can probably figure out who they are, given my net moniker.)

How long have you been a writer?

�I've been writing for about three years. I tested out of English in college (unfortunately), so I didn't even write creatively for school. This is a whole new outlet for me.

How long have you been a Trek fan?

Uh... (counting fingers and toes) About thirty years, I suppose. (Not that I have thirty fingers and toes.)

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

Definitely TOS.

What is your favorite episode?

That's a hard one. To be honest, I enjoy the movies more than I do the episodes, and that's why the majority of my stories are set after the original five-year mission.

If I had to pick an episode, however, and I were to pick one that's just all-around good, it would probably be "The City on the Edge of Forever."

If I'm looking for episodes that develop my favorite character, it might be a toss-up between "Journey to Babel" and "The Naked Time," although I'm not certain about that, and if you ask me tomorrow, I might give you a different answer.

There is also a lot of good stuff for Spock in "This Side of Paradise," but I was always too embarrassed when he hung from the tree to completely enjoy that episode. I do love that final scene in the transporter room, however.

What type of fanfic do you like to write?

Of course, I like to write TOS fanfic.

Have you done any other type of writing?

Unless you count technical documents, this is it.

How did you get started writing fanfic?

For many years, I carried around stories in my head, and I thought that I was the only person in the world who made up these elaborate fantasies involving Spock and the rest of the Enterprise gang. I found the net about four years ago, and almost immediately stumbled across fanfic. Imagine my surprise! One day I told myself "I can do this," and I literally just started typing. There was very little planning involved.

What is your favorite fanfic?

I have a number of favorite writers, although if I had to whittle the list down to three, I'd say Macedon (for his Salene series), Killashandra (for "Bitter Glass"), and my good friend Jungle Kitty (for her wonderful Kirk/Brandt stories).

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

This is another hard one. I tend not to analyze what I do too closely, and I don't have a literary background, so I can't cite many famous writers. I suppose that I could say that I've always loved Pat Conroy's books, and whenever I wonder if I'm putting too much detail in my stories, I think about how incredibly rich his writing is.

What is your favorite book? Why?

This is also tough, and I don't know if I can answer it. I go through phases where I read one particular genre of book, and right now I'm into murder mysteries. They all blur together, though, and I can't name a single one of those that stands out in my memory. I suppose that if I absolutely had to pick a book that has stayed with me, it would be "The World According to Garp." It tells a good story and it has an element of surprise, and the characters are real (if slightly off-center) people with real lives.

Tell us something strange about yourself.

Hmmm... I'm afraid that I'm pretty ordinary. Maybe that I have double-jointed thumbs?

Do you have any advice for other fanfic authors?

Write, write, write. If you're stumped or you don't know where to start, just grab a keyboard and start typing. Remember that there's not a right way and a wrong way to do it--as long as you're having fun, that's what matters.

Anything else you'd like to add?

Nope, that covers it. Thank you for the honor!

Note: Stories will open in a separate window.

A Woman's Touch - Although Saavik is thriving under Spock's care, Uhura points out that he has left certain gaps in the child's education and volunteers to help. Rated PG-13.

The Taste of Snow - Uhura and McCoy make a hurried trip to Dantria after Uhura receives a message from Spock. This is the sequel to "A Woman's Touch." Rated "R".

Almost A Kiss - Uhura welcomes Spock back to the Enterprise after the year he spent raising Saavik. This takes place after the events described in "A Woman's Touch" and "The Taste of Snow". Rated "NC-17"

The Flame Within After having been involved with one another for six months, Spock and Uhura must deal with some changes in their lives. This takes place after the events described in "A Woman's Touch", "The Taste of Snow", and "Almost a Kiss". Rated "NC-17"

Restoration of Faith Cadet Valeris finds herself swept into the events leading up to the Khitomer peace conference. Rated "NC-17"

The Winds of Eternity Spock and Uhura experience odd side effects after a failed mission to aide two elderly survivors of a crashed and stranded spacecraft. Rated "R"

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