Karmen Ghia: What are you working on these days?

Britta: That's a secret.

KG: You're the first person who's said that. I guess I'll just have to WAIT FOR IT! Okay, I'm sorry for the mundane questions but how long have you been in Star Trek fandom?

B: Well, I've been a fan since day one--only joined 'fandom' about thirteen years ago.

KG: What Star Trek genre (TOS;TNG;VOY;DS9;B5) have you written the most in? Do you think that will continue or is the grass starting to look greener somewhere else? And if so, where?

B: I write VOY. I doubt seriously that I will write in any other. I think it will continue--I hope so. For me, there is no other grass greener than this patch.

KG: I know how that is; I don't ever see myself writing outside of TOS. What was your earliest story?

B: _Payback_.

KG: What inspired _Payback_?

B: I haven't the faintest idea.

KG: How long have you been reading FanFic?

B: Thirteen years. Just profic (and pitiful profic, compared to the greats of FanFic IMHO) before that.

KG: It's true, all the profic I read before I found slash on the net seems pretty puny now. But maybe I was just reading puny stuff, who knows? How much and how long were you reading slash before the 'hey-man-I-wanna-do-this!' light went on?

B: Approximately ten years. I only read it off and on in zines when I could get my hands on them.

KG: Where were you getting your zines?

B: From a good friend who lives a few hours away.

KG: Could you list as many as you can remember of the stories you read prior to writing your first story?

B: There is NO way I could do that. There were thousands of stories.

KG: In ten years, I guess there would be. How did you decide to start writing what was in your head? What was your motivation?

B: I began writing only because I ran out of things I wanted to read. Having just discovered the 'net and inhaled everything there I could get, I felt compelled to write something *I* liked better than the stories I could find. I'm kinky--so sue me.

KG: I must be kinky, too, because that was part of my motivation as well. What writers, slash or otherwise, do you feel have influenced your slash writing?

B: All of them. I mean it, each and every single one have taught me something valuable.

KG: Like what? Do any examples stand out in your mind?

B: I'm going to hedge here because all I can think of right now are things I really hate.

KG: In what ways, positive or negative, have these writers influenced you?

B: Most have taught me what NOT to do. Some have inspired me beyond belief.

KG: Who is your favorite character in slash to write about? Read about? And why?

B: Chakotay. There is more potential with this character than I've ever seen. TPTB have nearly emasculated him, which is a real shame. If ever someone had internal conflicts that never (hardly ever) see the light of day, I'd love to know who it is.

KG: Well, Vaughn Goodman said that television is a medium because nothing is ever well done. None of the Star Trek series have escaped bad writing. Of course, it gives the slash writers a mission or something. Look at me, I'm trying to rehabilitate Chekov and Scotty, god help me. Speaking of couples, what pairings make you feel warm and cozy when you read and why? When you write them and why?

B: Chakotay and Tom Paris in Trek. Napoleon Solo and Illya Kuryakin in MUNCLE, and Starsky and Hutch all make me feel good reading-wise. I don't write anything other than C/P anymore, but that's because I'm obsessed. All the above are *true* pairings--to me. And I'm a single-minded person.

For me, any time I even think of Chakotay or Paris being with someone else other than each other, they're cheating.

KG: I can dig this. Just from reading your and Tommyhawk1's slash, C/P feels very natural, very right, to me. And it must be the writing since I've never seen the show. Do you have some special technique for writing slash? Something that inspires you?

B: Southern Comfort with Budweiser chasers.

KG: I'll have to try that sometime when I have a week or two to recover. I've only read _The Taming of Tom Paris_ and _Susurrations_ and was just knocked sideways by the strength and directness in your writing. So, being as fucked up as I am, I thought you were a guy and was very surprised to find out you were not. So much for me and gender id clues in slash. I know some time has passed since you wrote these stories, but can you remember what brought them about? Or inspired them?

B: For _Taming_ it was a reaction to all the surface BDSM stories I'd seen. I got tired of all the toys and pain for the sake of pain. I thought there was more to explore in a d/s relationship, so I tried to dig a little deeper.

For _Susurrations_ and my other longer works, I wanted to try different plot things. And for me, since C/P is a given, I play with other pairings in the crew. I think I've had Neelix nail all the popular women on board, even the captain.

KG: Do you work with an outline or plot your stories some other way?

B: No outline. I start at the beginning and wait to see what the characters will do next. I never know how the story will turn out.

KG: Do you have any thoughts or feeling about K/S?

B: I owe my passion for slash to those two. In fact, my favorite is a trio story called "In Triplicate" which is K/S/Mc--that might be why my first stories were trios--only they were C/P/K in Voyager.

KG: Is "In Triplicate" a zine story or is it on the web somewhere?

B: It's a whole zine.

KG: Do you have any thoughts on the future of Slash on the Web?

B: All I can say is that I want more of it.

KG: Short of global catastrophe, I can't see that not happening. Do you work with a beta reader?

B: Always!

KG: Me, too. Who do you work with and what is the process for you two?

B: I cannot say who I work with because it changes. I have worked with a veritable army of beta readers who have taught me more than I ever wanted to know about the mistakes I make. To that end, I'll get down on my knees and thank each one for the lessons they taught me.

KG: They'd probably enjoy that. So, who was your first beta and how did you and s/he get together?

B: Robin Lawrie. She Mary-Sued me when I joined the PKSP a couple of years ago. I was so flattered I about fainted. Then she graciously agreed to look at my first story. I got told how all sorts of things were confusing etc. and I've tried to improve ever since. Tommyhawk1 also gave me good advice early on. Since then, I've had over twenty-five different beta readers (some of my stories are kind of long) and I've cherished each one of them. A HUGE thank you to any who read this.

:-D

KG: What is the motivation to write slash? One can't sell it; one can't even eat it.

B: One can be obsessed, even possessed. I was. The reason I got so heavily into it was because I needed an outlet. Real Life caught up with me when I got run over by a car while sleeping in bed. I needed something even more surreal to deal with that--and then I found that writing slash allowed me to work out a few things in a nice, harmless way.

KG: I've found slash to be a really good place to work things out. Excuse me if I back up a little here. I've heard of cars crashing into houses but how did this happen to you? Were you seriously hurt? If that's not too personal a question.

B: That's what happened. Lucky for me I sleep on the Floor. She only got me from the knees down. My foam bed wrapped around me which helped a lot. I also got hit in the head with a 2x4 wall stud. Not fun. Lots of blood.

I have a few residual problems and scars but I'm in one piece so I can't complain too much.

KG: Asleep, in your own bedroom... it's incredible what happens in life. You're very cool. Would you like to put your website address and/or recommended URLs here?

B: Yeah, right! Thanks. Flattery will get you anything.

http://tommyhawksfantasyworld.com/britta

http://www.webring.org/cgi-bin/webring?ring=cpslash;list

http://lonestar.texas.net/~raonaid/links.html

http://lonestar.texas.net/~raonaid/cpsg.html

KG: Thanks. I'm not kidding, you ARE very cool. What five stories would you recommend as an introduction to slash to someone just starting to read it?

B: Intro to Slash?

KG: Of sorts.

B: I could not choose 5. More like 50. And it just depends too much on the reader. Every reader is different, with different needs. What I choose for one might upset another or bore someone else.

KG: Do you have any recommendations for new slash writers?

B: Find at least one beta reader and use them! Spell checkers can't do it all. Other sets of eyes (who know the characters) are worth their weight in latinum!

KG: Ain't that the truth. Do you have any comments on the subject of writing and how it all starts and what it all leads to or any other subject?

B: For me it has led to great friendships, great discussions, and wonderful vacations. It has opened doors of communication I never thought possible. My parents are amazed.

KG: It does open a whole new world. I'd never have met you at Friscon if it weren't for slash. Is there anyone you'd like to see interviewed here?

B: Oh my, such a task! Here's a few: KateD, Judy, Helmboy, Amirin, KarenS, Briony, arachne, T'lyr, John Blonde, Speedo, Mona...need I go on? I have email addresses for all if you want them.

:-D

KG: Thank you, Britta.

B: Thank you for thinking of me. Sorry I was so slow getting back to you.

KG: I don't consider three days an overly long tease. You're definitely worth the wait. I'd have gone at least four days. Yeah, four solid days!

***end***