Hello and welcome to our first Immeritus MEMBER Blacklight! This feature puts the Blacklight on the some of our most memorable and talented members —and we're finding out more about what makes them tick. In our interviews, we ask for their views on the Harry Potter books and the fandom and learn what inspires their creativity. We're interested in their methods of working and their favourite characters. As Immeritans, they also have the unique opportunity to be able to answer questions about their favorite Immeritus memories and hang-outs. So if you are new to Immeritus, or an oldbie like our interviewee, enjoy the show!

This month, we are thrilled to bring to you none other than Sherrie, registered as Sirius Star on Immeritus, but known as Star. She is a 32 year old mother, and currently resides in Utah, USA as she fills out the meme to end all memes....

I: Why did you read your first Harry Potter book?
SS: I didn't start reading Harry Potter until right before the first movie came out.  The media had been making a big deal out of Harry Potter for a couple years by that time and I had stubbornly refused to pay it any attention.  If the media was in a frenzy over it, it was probably not worth my time, I had decided.

Then I saw a trailer for the first movie.  After watching the trailer a few times I decided that maybe, just perhaps, I'd been a bit too hasty in my judgment.  The trailer had magic and fantastical creatures and it was funny!  I've always been a huge fan of fantasy and I could no longer resist. 

Well, we all know that books are always better than movies.  Since I'd decided to see the movie, that meant I ought to read the book first.  The family whose children I was watching at the time happened to own the first book and I was able to borrow it from them.  I think I read the first book in two days.  Then I went to the store and bought the first three books.  (This was right around the release of Goblet of Fire and it was only available in hardback so I had to settle for the three paperbacks)  I had all three read that weekend.  (Three books in one weekend = no sleep.)

I: Which is your favourite HP book and why?
SS: I actually thought about this.  I tried really hard to come up with a different favorite but it has to be Prisoner of Azkaban.  The easy answer as to “why” would be that it has Sirius in it but that's not entirely true.  While reading the first and second books, my favorite character was Snape.  I loved his “evil at first glance but actually a good guy” character.  I still do.  I think he's the most fascinating character in the series.  However, my love for Snape was supplanted by Sirius.  In PoA Sirius is the bad guy, this faceless evil plotting to murder children.  Then, like Snape in the first book, we discover that Sirius is also a good guy.  I love a good plot twist, one I don't see coming.

I love the characterization in the third book.  Sirius is written as SO evil right up until it is discovered that he isn't.  JKR did a fabulous job.  Also, I think, as an older Harry Potter fan I naturally gravitated towards the previous generation, the Marauders and professors.

I: What do you like most about the Harry Potter series?
SS: I like the darkness of it.  (That sounds so goth.)  I like the way that nearly all her characters are painted in shades of grey rather than black or white.  Snape and Sirius are good examples of that.  They have both good and evil aspects to their personalities.  The whole Snape is good/Snape is evil debate is only possible because of this characterization.  Even Umbridge, probably one of the more evil characters, is technically on the good side. 

This same darkness extends to the themes that JKR uses in her work:  prejudice, loyalty and betrayal, murder, politics.  I like that because we live in a harsh world and people need to be able to experience some of the darker aspects of our world in a safe way.  They need good books about these issues.

I: What do you like the least?
SS: I was left terribly unfullfilled after Half Blood Prince.  There was so much more that could have been said but wasn't because Harry had no way of knowing it.  I think that telling the story from only Harry's point of view has left a great deal unsaid and that is what I like least.  The world JKR has created is so rich and vibrant!  And yet, it's left unexplored.  (Well, that's why we have fandom I suppose.)

That, and she killed off my favorite character!  *pouts*

I: Who's your favourite canon character to read about and why?
SS: Snape is my favorite to read about because we know so little about him.  We have just a few hints of memory to go off of.  And as I said before he's just so grey.  But I remember getting my copy of Goblet of Fire and being incredibly thrilled when I saw that one of the chapters was entitled Padfoot Returns.  I bookmarked that chapter so I'd know how far I had to read before I would see my Sirius again.  Luckily, he makes a few appearances before that.  I count the letters he writes as appearances, by the way.  That is just ordinary fangirl obsession I think.

I: What would you most like to see in the final book?
SS: I would love Jo forever if she would give us more Snape backstory.  It's the last book and she can afford to reveal any mysteries that remain.  I would love all our questions as fans to be answered.  I fear however, that they won't be because life is just that way.  We don't always get everything we want, not even in a fantasy.

I'm hoping for another major plot twist, something no one saw coming.  I have this secret fear, well, not secret anymore, that the book will devolve into clichés.  Like the marathon runner in the lead after 25.5 miles who trips on their shoelace….

I: What would you say to someone who referred to the HP books as childrens' books?
SS: I was just like you once, dismissing them.  They may have started out as children's books and I think you can safely say that the first book is aimed more towards the young teen market.  (Age ranges are always approximate with books anyway.)  But as the characters have grown, the fans of those characters have also grown and the writing style has changed to reflect that.

They might be considered children's books, children's literature even (as opposed to regular, ordinary books), but if they are regularly read by adults and mentioned in college courses, they are no longer just for children.  There is that true saying about not judging a book by its cover too.  I'd have to mention that.  They'd probably walk away as I was jabbering on about it and I'd have to chase them down the street to have my full say.

I: How do you view the gender divide in the HP series? Do you find the female characters as engaging, well-rounded and strong as the male characters? If not, why not?
SS:  *Gets out soapbox* 

I think that there is a lack of strong female characters in all genres of fiction.  Harry Potter isn't the only place where women are less present or under-rated.  It stems from living in a male dominated culture for …pretty much all of recorded history.  We are just beginning to achieve a sense of equality in real life and it will be some time yet before we see regular appearances of strong women characters in fiction of any sort.  Even the ones we see today are hampered in some way:  they're sex objects or brainy and uninterested in boys for example. 

Rather than it being a case of well-rounded or engaging, I think it has more to do with the actual characterizations used.  Hermione is smart, but she has bushy hair and buck teeth until magic “fixes” her.  I am glad that Ron loves her anyway but it took seeing her “fixed” with another man to really poke him into jealousy.  He could have been just as jealous of her being with Viktor when she was “flawed.”  Lavendar Brown's depiction in the last book was scary.  Do women actually act that way?  I guess maybe some do, but it scarred me for life.  As I run through the female characters in my head they all seem to be cut from stereotypical molds. 

They are interesting characters, don't get me wrong I adore them.  But there isn't a Snape or Dumbledore equivalent.  McGonagall, the loyal Girl Friday; Hermione the bookworm; Luna the space cadet; Lily; loving mother; Molly; same plus strong supporting wife.  Not bad characteristics, but not breaking any molds or paving any new roadways for young women readers.  Umbridge now, she's interesting: power hungry, evil.  But it's the same mold as the wicked stepmother who tortures children and sends them off into the woods to starve. 

In all fairness I should do that for the male characters.  They have their molds as well:  Harry the destined hero; Ron the loyal sidekick; James the troublemaker; Sirius the bully; Remus the bookworm/exemplary teacher; Snape as both evil professor who gives you poor marks on principle and as an outcast. 

For true equality, there should be a girl character who is a troublemaker; a stay-at-home father who supports his wife's career; a woman who is destined to be a hero (Oh wait, I have that one covered*winkoriginalworkwink*); etc.  The characters are all depicted with typical gender biases.  The one troublemaking girl, Pansy, has very little “screen time.” And her most oft used tactic is gossip; another stereotypical female gender thing.  Do Seamus and Dean gossip “on screen?”  Maybe, I haven't actually noticed.  But if they do, it probably isn't given the same weight as Pansy's gossiping.

If you couldn't tell, I'm a very vocal feminist.  I don't think I've answered your question but it was a terribly fun rant. :-)   *goes back and rereads question*   I think they are engaging but not well-rounded or strong.  They are safe.  They stay in the boxes that society has dictated for them.

I: When and how did you first discover Immeritus and the HP fandom?
SS: About a week after I first hooked up my computer to the internet, this was the spring before the third movie came out, I was obsessing over Sirius.  I figured I couldn't be the only person on the planet who loved the bad boy and was excited about the upcoming movie so I googled Sirius Black fanclubs.  I'm not sure how many hits I got with that search but Immeritus was the first on the list.  So I clicked on it.  Yep, that's me: innocently walking into traps.

Exploring the forums, I realized that I had stumbled upon a small group of like-minded individuals.  I say small because it really was small at that point in time, maybe 500 board members and only 100 some odd club members.  I lurked in the forums for about two weeks before I started an account and dared to post.  I really am the shy quiet type.  Since Sirius Black was the first thing HP related that I searched for online and I never did go back and explore any of those other hits, I actually discovered HP fandom through Immeritus.  I'm so sheltered.   I consider myself still terribly sheltered when it comes to fandom.

I: What appealed to you most about Immeritus?
SS: I loved the sense that there was real intelligence behind the posts on the forums.  For that first week online I had been stumbling around random forums and chat rooms related to my other passions and obsessions.  But I felt like an outsider and a visitor in these places.  I have never felt that way here.  Even when I was lurking, I felt as if I was part of the conversation here.  I'm not sure how a person can be part of the conversation when they're lurking but that's how I felt.  The opinions that were expressed were often similar to mine or invited me to discuss my opinion when there were differences.  And, as I said, I felt as if I'd stumbled upon people who knew me and understood me.

I: Did you like the questions you had to answer in your application to join the Club? Did you enjoy the application process?
SS: I was ecstatic about applying!  I read Siri's posts about how to apply and the application process every day while making my first twenty posts.  I made certain that each post was intelligent, well-thought out and a meaningful addition to the conversation; even if they were silly (and most of my first posts are).  I posted an application after I had about 25 posts because I didn't think some of the posts I'd made that were spammy should have counted towards my first twenty.  (Yes, I know, that is so …odd.)

I checked morning and night until I was given my questions.  And the first was painful, exploring Sirius' death and the reasons for why it had to happen.  I chose to answer the second question in a way that warned people about my level of insanity.  I loved both questions.  I spent about a week researching and writing the answers.  Once they were posted, I went back to checking my application for Siri's response two, sometimes three times a day.  Once I was accepted, I felt like celebrating!  Then I had to explain to people why I was so happy; I'd been accepted into an online Sirius Black fanclub!  They gave me odd looks in return but I didn't care. 

I: Which is the first forum you visit when you log on?
SS: It depends on what I'm participating in.  If I've just posted a fanfic chapter or I know of one that was just posted I'll go to the fan fiction forum first.  If I'm playing in or running an RPG, I'll go there first.  If I'm part of a swap, I'll check there first.  I tend to run through nearly all the threads though.   

I: Which topics are your favourites (old or new)?
SS: I loved our motorbike dig.  I can't remember the real name of it now.  It's just our motorbike dig.  That is still one of my favorites.  I also love the picture games, particularly Blather, Picture and Repeat.  I think my favorite serious discussions have centered around speculation on how the wizarding world works, everything from what exactly is a Dark Art to how a Pensieve and owl post works. 

Sadly, school has taken me away from some of the more in depth discussion threads.  One reason I'm looking forward to the Immy Book Club because I can't wait to have a serious discussion with friends about a book we've all read.  Or, will have read, maybe…. (I'm on chapter 9)

I: What is your favourite non-forum area of the site e.g. gallery, translations?
SS: The fanart gallery is probably my second favorite place.  I'm wondering though if the archives count as part of the forum.  I love going through them…but I am an historian.  Okay, but I love the gallery, simply because I wish I could draw as well as those people and one can never have enough fanart.

I:  What are your favourite memories of your time so far on Immy?
SS: In no particular order, my favorite memories include:  The Three Word Harry Potter game that devolved into its own insane brand of chaos and had to be moved to the fanfic forum where it was resurrected as SAAW.  For the people who participated in that project, it was a special time.  Our first dig, the previously mentioned one about Sirius and his missing motorbike is also on the list.  I'm so glad we found it.  Finally, one night in chat we went on a virtual rampage through Wal-Mart, destroying the store.  That was hilarious and included people trapped in tents, my puffskein being kidnapped, a watergun fight, and if I remember right, a war over the Sirius Black Lego block.

I also hold my friends dear and everything that led up to making them is a treasured memory.  The list is long but includes Accio's first craft swap and the email where I invited her to bring a sledgehammer if she was going to use my address to stalk me, and realizing that Pen and I were watching the same lady with purple hair on TV.  Poor chatroom, we were so boring that night:  “Is she by the car?”  “YES!!” “OMG!  We're watching the same show!!” 

I:  You've met some Immeritans in real-life. What was it like finally meeting people that you'd talked to online? How did you spend your time with them?
SS: *Major Lumos weekend Vegas Baby squee!*

I was terrified.  I couldn't think of anything to say!  I was so self-conscious.  It's one thing to sit here in my house and type on the screen.  I'm judged by what I type and how well I communicate; along with exactly what I communicate.  But meeting people in person is completely different and they're never how you picture them in your head.  

I went to Southern California spring of last year, 2005.  At that point in time, I'd been watching TV with Pen on a nightly basis since the previous…November, I think.  (I'm sure she'll correct me if I am wrong.)  And I knew which city she lived in and that it was in Southern California .  So I worked my vacation around being able to stay at a local hotel in her hometown.  That way I would definitely get to meet her.  As an added bonus, I dragged her off to Sea World while I was there.  It was fantastic!  I loved every moment of that trip except going home.  While there, I was also able to meet Soli and have dinner with her.  She said it best that people watching us would have thought we were old friends that had grown up together.  They would never have suspected that we only knew each other from online.  By that time I was over being terrified of meeting my online friends.  I think poor Pen got the worst of that “OMG!  What do I talk about! *dead silence*” thing.  Mag had her fair share though too.  I met her the same day that I met Soli, but earlier in the day.  She took us on a tour of her aquarium.  (Note:   The Aquarium of the Pacific belongs to Mag in my mind.)  She is as fabulous in real life as she is online.

I: When did you first discover the HP fandom and fanfics?
SS: Maybe about a month after I started posting on Immeritus I finally got away from the discussion threads and took a look at the fanwork threads.  I couldn't believe what I was seeing!  “People are writing stories about published author's characters?!  And they're posting them ONLINE!!  And people are giving them FEEDBACK!!  O.M.G!!”  Yeah, that was my introduction to fanfiction.

I: How would you say your work has improved since you first started out in the fandom and how instrumental has feedback been to that?
SS: I think the most important thing was feedback.  It's wonderful to have people read your work and hand out applauds but I think as an author I've always cherished the honest critique more.    I know that feedback helped me realize that not every reader could see the scene I was trying to paint.  Not every reader could follow the conversation as I'd written it.  Being able to go right back and fix it so that it was understandable and engaging for all, or nearly all, readers helped me improve.  There's always room for improvement, learning never really ends but there is only so much you can learn from a book or in a classroom.  At some point in time, you have to be able to experiment with your ideas and skills.  Writing fanfic gave me that opportunity.

I: Are there any topics which you think are taboo or out of bounds for the HP fandom? Are there any subjects that you personally would not address in your fanwork? Would you censor your work depending on who you thought your audience would be?
SS: Since beginning my editorship of Sirius News on Live Journal I feel as if I've seen or heard or read it all.  Nothing surprises me anymore when it comes to fanwork.  There is indeed fanwork out there that strikes me as being just wrong.  However, I'm an artist (writing is an art, don't let anyone tell you differently) and I respect every artist's right to personal expression.  I think that the only one who has a right to stop a certain treatment of the HP characters would be JKR.  Because as we all say, they do belong to her.  So, while I might consider it taboo, someone is patronizing it.  Otherwise it wouldn't be created and I try really hard not to be judgmental.

That being said, I'm not one to write about fetishes (strange turn-ons).  I just don't get them… I don't have one.  And I find Chan (defined as a sexual relationship between an adult and a child) unacceptable and will not write it.  (Chan defined as under-age sex, with both partners being approximately the same age, doesn't bother me.)  That doesn't mean I won't beta read it.  I will willingly beta anything.  When beta reading, I pay more attention to the writing than the story.  And they are different, in case any non-writers are wondering. 

I can see myself writing just about anything else, if the mood were to take me.  I haven't yet censored my work.  I've tried in the past to write for a certain audience and it turned out a mess.  I write what I would like to read.  If I am in a certain mood and can't find a story that will satisfy, then I'll write my own.  And since I'm really writing for myself, I have no reason to censor it.  I'm so glad we now have the restricted sections though.  I lost sleep over knowing that under-aged readers might have access/were accessing my adult work.  I'm just glad there are people out there that like the stories I've written for myself.  Thank you for reading!  *looks around for reader cookies*

I: What genres have you worked in? Are there any genres you would avoid and if so, why?
SS: (I'm so bad at trying to place my fics in genres.) I've written comedy, fluff, PWP, angst and dark fics… I think.  Oh, and het, and one slash.  I don't think I'm very good at some genres.  But I don't think that would ever stop me from writing that particular genre.  My writing always feels dark to me though.  Even when I try to make them light and fluffy, they feel melancholy.

I: Have you noticed a bias towards male slash in the HP fandom? If so, has this affected the kind of work you've produced (e.g. by making you less likely to write about/draw het or femmeslash)? What are your thoughts on the reasons for a mainly female fandom writing/depicting a lot of male slash?
SS: I HAVE noticed this strange proliferation of slash in the HP fandom.  I think JKR writing a het love interest for Remus made the puppy shippers particularly vengeful.  I'm kidding, maybe.

It actually makes me more likely to write het, in order to do my share to correct the imbalance.  (I read both het and slash; I'll take Sirius any way I can get him. *ignores innuendo*)  I have this stubborn streak that keeps me from following the crowd.  If everyone is writing it, I'm less likely to write it.  I've only ever written original femmeslash.  I might have to try that. 

As to why so many women write slash, I don't really know.  I know there are a number of theories: its safety, its control over men.  I think all the theories could apply to varying degrees for each author.  I see slash as a way for women to experience the feminine side of men.  Many men in real life are not in touch with their feminine sides.  By drawing, reading, writing or viewing slash, women can experience something they are missing in real life.  Not saying that any particular relationship is unfulfilling for a woman that enjoys slash but that in general, we want more from men.  We want men who can listen and express emotion in ways that are often seen in slash stories, but rarely seen in real life.

I: Do you keep your fandom life separate from your 'real' life e.g. do friends and family know that you write? Why do you think so many people keep that divide - is fandom something people are ashamed of, in your opinion?
SS: My family knows I write.  I've been attached to a pen and paper since I was 12.  I don't think they realize there are different categories of what I write.  They see me writing and ask how it's going and I tell them.  If they happen to ask what I'm writing, I tell them but I don't normally volunteer the information.  I think if there is a divide, it might have more to do with the perception of who a fan is.  Being a fan of something is often seen as geeky or childish.  Except sports teams.  Everyone is expected to have a team they support.  So if you're a big enough fan to write fanfiction, there must be something undesirable about you.  I don't believe a word of it, of course.

I: Who are your favourite fanauthors?
SS: I don't really have a favorite.  Is that terrible?  The big names on LiveJournal that everyone reads, I suppose.  There are a number of talented writers here on Immeritus that I enjoy reading as well.  I look more for the type of story rather than a particular author.  I love Marauder stories most of all, with all four boys at whatever age.

I: What do you like best about the fandom?
SS: I like being able to have a shared experience with other writers.  Writing is a very lonely profession with little or no gratification at the end.  Fandom allows writers to find each other and form friendships with other writers; people who understand writer's block and the stress of self-imposed deadlines.  I love fandom in general because we can all get together and be totally geeky with each other, even if we don't share this side of our life with others around us.

I: Which real-life authors do you admire and have they inspired your own work/style?
SS: I was trying to think of profound individuals like Shakespeare.  Then I contemplated recent authors or favorite authors, modern writers like Robert Jordan.  But I reread the question.  Which authors do I admire .  The authors I admire most are the early science fiction writers; in particular, Isaac Asimov, Robert Heinlein, Edgar Rice Burroughs and Jules Verne.  Their work is fascinating, exploring the limits of humanity through time and space, mentally and physically. 

As far as my style goes, I don't think I consciously copied anyone until I came to write my first explicit sex scene.  I think at one point in time I started looking at published novels and saying “What doesn't work with this book.  How could I have made it better?”  The one author I did copy style-wise was Laurell K Hamilton.  I loved the way she wrote sex scenes and when I came to a point in time where I needed to write one, I tore a page from her book.  (HA! Writer pun!)  I've since started looking for ways I can improve upon her basic formula.

I: What prompted you to start creating your own fanworks?
SS: I was in desperate need of feedback for my writing.  I have original works that have never been published, despite several attempts and I needed to know what I was doing so wrong.  When I stumbled upon writers who were getting instant feedback on their work, I HAD to join in.  It was the perfect opportunity to find readers from not just my immediate area, but around the world.  And, I figured any lessons I learned from writing fanfic could be applied to the languishing original fiction.  Now I just write it because I enjoy writing it.

I: What preparation do you have to do to create your fanworks? How essential is it to muse on canon characters and storylines before putting forward your interpretation?
SS: It depends on what I'm writing.  If I'm writing something that is obviously AU, then I don't pay much attention to canon.  The important thing in that situation is making the character believable.  Even if the character has drifted away from canon along with the plot, they need to remain basically true to JKR's creation. 

If I'm writing something that needs to fit within canon, then it is very important to know as much of the canon as possible.  Quite often, I start a work not knowing every detail of the canon, just the basic ideas.  As I write, I look up the details to make sure I'm still within the realm of possible.

I always read a scene from one of the books featuring the characters I'm going to use before I start working on a piece.  That way they are fresh in my mind and I can manipulate them.  If it's a long work and I'm coming back to it after a break instead of reading JKR's version, I'll reread what I wrote the last time.  This has to do with keeping my characterization consistent.

I: How would you describe your approach to writing? Do you sit down and plan out your entire piece, or do you let it develop on the fly?
SS: I use all of those methods from time to time.  However, usually, I have a scene in my head.  The scene may be the beginning, the middle or the end.  It's usually a scene from near the middle.  I let the scene replay and simmer in my head for a few days, dwelling on it and memorizing it.  Then I start asking questions such as “what came before this?”  “How did this character end up here?”  “What happens next?”  From these questions, more scenes grow.  I don't usually begin writing a piece until I have three or four of these nearly connected scenes in my head.  Then I start writing, filling in gaps between the scenes and stringing them together.  If the scenes are a long way apart, I usually outline them, so that I don't forget the sequence I created.  For example, I'm working on two Sirius het fics that will both be short, one-shot pieces.  Hopefully one of them will be ready for the July Challenge.  Vengeance is also nearing completion.  /plug :D

I: Who's your favourite canon character to write about and why?
SS: I love writing the Marauders.  They ended up with a bum deal in the books and they deserved better.  I think the fandom has done a wonderful job of rectifying that situation.  I also love exploring the complex play of emotions between the four friends.  Finally, I enjoy writing characters that aren't normally seen or using points of view that would be unusual.

I: Of all your work, which is your favourite piece and why?
SS: My favorite is Best Friends.  There is so much strong emotion there; writing it scared me.  I don't think I've managed to capture that much feeling in my writing since.

I: Last year, someone surprised you and created some videos to go along with your fic, Best Friends, while earlier this year you had an offer to have this fic translated into German.   How have you felt about having your work recognized in these ways?  Do the videos capture the same feeling and picture you had in mind when you wrote the story?  Do you feel satisfied that the translation has kept the heart of your work?  Are you able to distance yourself from your work and appreciate these pieces for what they are, even if they're not as you envisioned the fic?
SS: I was extremely flattered!  I still am.  The translation is currently on chapter 6.  I only speak a little German but I trust the translators to do their job.  I think that if someone is going to go through all the trouble of translating a piece of work that they will do their best to translate it correctly.  I've been helping translate others' fics into English and we are very careful to maintain as much of the original feel as possible.

As to the music video and movie trailer, they are perfect in every way.  Especially the video.  It captures James' and Sirius' essence perfectly and layers on the emotions from the fanfic.   I suppose if they were not quite what I had envisioned I would still be flattered that anyone would base their own creations on one of mine.  I've heard a similar question to that posed to another author whose book had been made into a poor quality movie.  A reporter asked the author his feelings about what the director had done to his book.  The author looked at the reporter and said, "What are you talking about?  My book is over there, the same as it always has been."  The moral of the story being that anything based on another's creation doesn't change the original.

I: Your fic Moonlight and its sequel Vengeance, have proved to be very popular on Immeritus (and deservedly so having managed to convince at least one committed slasher to read het. :D) What inspired you to write Moonlight? Did the storyline or the original character Milia appear in your mind first? 
SS: Moonlight actually started out as a less than innocent PWP.  It was written for no other reason than that I wanted to read some Het Sirius and couldn't find any of good quality, let alone high quality.  Remember that I was and still am quite sheltered when it comes to fandom.  So I'm sure the stories I was looking for were available, I just didn't know where to find them.  Plenty of Sirius slash, but no het.  Anyway, so I set out to make a bit of “inspirational” *wink* writing.  I didn't think I'd be able to pull off anything from Sirius' point of view so I needed a female p.o.v. to tell the story from.  Milia grew out of that need.  As I sat down to write, I had my scenes in my mind, I knew my characters, but I couldn't bring myself to just throw them in bed together and have at it.  You may have noticed my NEED to explain everything, at least in a cursory manner.  So I developed a basic plot outline to go along with how Sirius and this stranger ended up in bed together.  The rest just grew around the two characters as I wrote and interacted with my readers.

I: You recently made your first foray into slash writing. Did you find it difficult to write? What made you choose that particular pairing?
SS: I 've been avoiding writing slash because I have no experience to draw upon.  (I know, like any slash author does…*ponders* … nah.) So my first attempt was a simple kiss, because everyone knows kissing and anything I may have been missing from my own experience would be available to a reader from their own experience.  (Does that make sense?)  It was difficult to start.  I sat staring at my screen forever…or seemingly forever.  Once I started, I didn't know where I was going, I panicked over the fact that all my pronouns were the same.  And I know how big the slash following is, so there would be a lot of critics out there.  I was a nervous wreck. =-)

The slash fic was inspired by a comment on MSN Messenger while I was writing, or rather not writing, Vengeance.  I had writer's block and Sirius was left sitting in a tree with Harry. (In Vengeance)  I can't remember now who asked me exactly what they were doing in the tree but it started me thinking about what they could possibly be doing in a tree all that time.  And since I was trying to work on Vengeance, I was in a certain frame of mind; a sexually explicit frame of mind.  “OH that's what they were doing in the tree that whole time!”  Umm…except for the fact that I can't do Sirius/Harry.  It's one of my “so wrong” pairings.  But, you all know the cliché.  So Harry ended up becoming James.  And voila!  You have James/Sirius kissing in a tree. 

I: You're well known on the boards for being able to offer advice and encouragement to other fanauthors. What suggestions would you give to novices wanting to start writing?
SS: Write for yourself.  Don't worry about what others are going to say or think.  Don't write with the goal of pleasing others.  If you've written something you enjoy reading, others will enjoy reading it.  If you're new to writing, chances are you are going to end up with constructive criticism.  Truly good criticism doesn't aim to tear your writing apart but to improve it.  Don't be afraid of it.  But at the same time, don't be afraid to tell a critic to go jump in the lake if you think they're wrong.  (However, maybe there is a reason they have interpreted your writing in the wrong way.)  As far as I know, all writers have a file of incomplete pieces; including prolific famous ones.  So don't be afraid of leaving a story unfinished.  Learn from everything you write and realize that good writers are not born, they are made. 

I: And finally, fill in the blank: Sirius is _________
SS: Mine.  *giggle*   I'm kidding.  Sirius is timeless.  He's the perpetual teenager/young adult, the Peter Pan who never grew up.  He keeps us young.

We want to thank Star for taking the time to answer our questions and we hope that you all enjoyed reading our first MEMBER interview. If you would like to review her Sirius fanfics here on the site, find her works in our fanfic forums. You can also find her on her livejournal here. If you want to comment on and/or discuss this interview please follow this link.