Concerning fan fiction, I have to talk about how I got started. My first fan fic was The Gift of Death, based on the Night World series by L.J. Smith. I wrote it before I had email--I had the Internet but had not yet discovered Hotmail. (This was a long time ago, folks.) It might not have been the most inspired thing I ever wrote, but in terms of plotting it was the most technically advanced. (Sadly, I immediately followed it up with the disastrous To Tilt a Scale)

Before that, I had only written origional fiction. Long fiction. As in, 150 single-spaced pages was the shortest thing I'd ever written. I had three novels under my belt and all of two short stories. So naturally, fiction I could base on an entire series of novels delighted me. I got into fan fiction. Then I got a little deeper, and a little deeper, and for more than two years, I didn't write anything else.

Am I going to bitch about my lack of original work? No. Because if you read the entire Night World series on my page (I both pity and worship those who have) you'll see that my writing grew tremendously. I still think The Chosen Battle must have been written by someone else.

But then there's the real world, in which I would eventually like to get something published. As some of you are aware, in the early months of the year 2000 I was so sick I couldn't tell up from down or left from right. (Apparently I was voted into Asgard--I didn't find out until August) Since I often forgot the end of a sentence before I had time to write it, I decided that I should wait to work on anything important until I was better. Instead, I began work on a piece of original junk that I promised I would never A. finish, or B. show to any one.

As those ugly ducklings are want to do, the piece of junk turned into 270 pages of my finest work ever. It it now in New York with my agent being shopped around the six largest young adult publishing houses.

Somehow I managed to write The Puma Trilogy in the midst of working on the novel. That's probably why it took six months longer to complete than it should have. But the important point is that I was writing both of those when I should have been writing the end of my mondo NW series. How much is left in the series? Two stories. The Fourth Good Measure and Enda Buleu Revisited, and the first one is almost finished. So there. Approximately 100 more pages and my entire series - four years of work - is completed. My Ode to Joy dedicated to L.J. Smith.

Here are all the reasons why I can't work on it:
1. I am a college student taking 21 credits. My GPA is 3.9, if that gives you any idea of how much I study.
2. I work 10 hours a week.
3. I volunteer.
4. I have no car, so it takes a long time to get anywhere, and I live at the edge of nowhere. Seriously, you can see Salem's Lot from my window.
5. I have the kinds of health problems that make doctors wag their fingers at me and sigh (like it's my fault or something).

So I have no time. And frankly, for the next year and a half, school has to come before writing. It sucks, but that's the way life works. In the last year I've only written 92 pages on my new novel. But I solemnly swear that when I graduate, I will write the end of the series. So check back after May 2003, 'cause you guys in the Night World are the best and I wouldn't have gotten this far without your support, and I know I won't be able to finish without.

Love,
Jory