I've been writing fanfiction since April 1998 when I discovered The X Files fanfic. Since then, I've written in many other fandoms, including The West Wing, Dr Who, Stargate Atlantis, NCIS and Suits. I mainly write slash, although you'll find a few het and threesomes here too! I write all genres from BDSM to crack, but you'll find the majority of my stories feature romance and angst, with a big dollop of hurt/comfort thrown in! I also invented the BDSM Universe genre during my time in the SGA fandom. I had a brief period of making music videos too! I don't think they look very good now, but I had some fun with them back in the day.
My writing has developed and matured over the years and I wince at some of my earlier stories, but I've made the decision to archive them all here anyway, even the ones I'd prefer to forget! I think they show a clear progression in my work, and I'm much fonder of some of the later ones although I do recognise that some of the earlier ones had merit too. I just look at some of them and remember being much younger, and new to fandom, and it was a very different experience for me back then. I've learned an enormous amount since 1998 and come a very long way!
I often get asked which my favourite stories are, so I created a category for people to search for those fics I recommend, and also those I enjoyed writing (those two aren't necessarily the same thing!). My favourites are: A Man of Two Truths, Subterfuge, World's Child, Human, Little Earth, The Adversary, 24/7, Puppy Love, Damage, Two Wolves, Soul Deep, Family, Sunrise, Birth-Day, Tony's Dry Spell, June 17th, Two Hearts, Doctor's Orders, Back from the Well, and all four of the stories I've written in the BDSM universe: General & Dr Sheppard, Coming Home, Hiding in Plain Sight, and The First Collar. But you might have your OWN favourites and that's why I resisted the urge to remove those of my stories I now cringe at, just in case they happen to be someone else's favourites!
I've always written in every single genre, as I think my output shows, but one of those genres is BDSM and spanking - and, it's fair to say, that because of this I've been involved in considerable controversy over the years. There was a very painful period during my time in SGA, when I think my stories and intent were misunderstood by some in that fandom. I decided to leave that fandom and some of what I experienced there soured my perception of fandom for some time. I do think I've emerged stronger, and I think my stories are certainly better now than ever before. They won't be to everyone's tastes - why should they? But I am very pleased to think that some people get a lot of enjoyment from them. I know I certainly love writing and sharing them!
I've seen so many changes in fandom over the years. It's a much bigger and more diverse playground now than it was in the X Files days. I love the variety of media now available and how easy it is to participate in fandom. Now we have fandom on Youtube, Tumblr, Twitter and Facebook, as well as on Yahoogroups and Livejournal and Dreamwidth. This makes it a more fractured experience. I hope people appreciate that I always try to post polished, edited, and usually beta'd stories. Many of my stories are very long, so getting them ready to post takes a lot of time, effort and hard work, but I always want to put out my best work for you to read.
I often get asked if I'm professional writer or if I'm a psychologist. I'm neither! I have a full-time job running my own business, and fanfic is my creative outlet - a very enjoyable hobby. I love writing fanfic, but as my stories have become longer and more complicated in the past three years, I feel as though I'd like to spread my wings and write more original character stories where I can create my own situations and people and not be constrained by someone else's situations and canon. Going forward, I like the idea of writing OC stories and fanfic. Whatever I choose to do, I'll post about it here to tell you!
I should also say that I'm British - I live in London. I always use UK spelling in my stories but I do try to ensure they don't have any obvious British words in them - such as "lift" for "elevator" and "flat" for "apartment". My apologies if anything falls through the gaps!
I know some people have been following my work for years - they frequently email me about it and chat to me, and I always do my best to reply to every piece of friendly feedback. I also know that some have been visiting my website for years and never said a word to me! I have this image of a silent army of readers! But that's fine too; I put my stories out here for people to read, and I want them to love and enjoy reading them as much as I've loved and enjoyed writing them. However, I also love receiving friendly reviews, so I would ask that you please take the time to review if you've read and enjoyed a story. Fanfic writers don't get any other payment than your kind words, and it makes my life very happy and productive when you tell me you like my work!
You might like to check out my site blog, where I talk about works in progress and other writing, TV and fanfic related things. I also chat regularly on LJ and I have Twitter and Facebook accounts, although I'm less frequently on those.
Happy reading!
Xanthe - October 3, 2011