Bay City Library Interview with Aunt Mary

Interviews by Fans
Title:	Bay City Library Interview with Aunt Mary
Interviewer:	Bay City Library
Interviewee:	Aunt Mary
Date(s):	December 2005
Medium:	online
Fandom(s):	Starsky & Hutch
External Links:	interview is here, Archived version
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In 2005, Aunt Mary was interviewed for the Bay City Library.

See List of Starsky & Hutch Fan Interviews.

Some Excerpts

I've always been drawn to ensemble pieces; shows that explored the relationships between characters. Starsky and Hutch not only had a great working relationship but they were best friends as well. Each show was like unwrapping a Christmas present as I discovered new facets of their personalities. I also loved Huggy and Captain Dobey. They all played so well "with" and "off" of each other.

I'm a Starsky girl but like the old song says "you can't have one without the other". I think it would be impossible to have Starsky (or Hutch) as your favorite without also having a deep appreciation and affection for the other. Still if I was writing myself into the story (don't I wish), I would definitely be with Starsky. He's just more my type and I think I'm more the girl-next-door type that Starsky seemed to fall for. I could see myself being friends with some of the girls he dated but I can't really picture myself bumming around with many of Hutch's gal pals.

I actually started writing fan fiction in grade school (although I didn't know that's what it was called.) I loved to write and would spend hours thinking up new plots for the "Mod Squad", "The Partridge Family", and of course S&H. Trust me, my first efforts were truly horrible. When I stumbled across re-runs of S & H and found all the great fanfic out on the net, I decided to give writing another try. My first efforts were "God's Gift to the World" and "A Soapy Scene." I had wanted to write a "Jesus Christ Superstar" story for years but could just never make it work. Adding Starsky and Hutch to the mix just made it write itself. "A Soapy Scene" was inspired by the pool chairlift at the YWCA! I'd read a lot of post-'Sweet Revenge' stories but it always seemed a little too easy for the guys to just move into those roles as patient and caregiver. I always felt like there was a deeper struggle there that hadn't been explored especially in the wake of Kira.

I didn't really set out to write a series. People liked "A Soapy Scene" and begged to know what happened next and every time I wrote another story they asked for more (God bless them!) Like a lot of people, I hated the whole "Starsky vs. Hutch" storyline. But I also know that there have been times in my life (in all of our lives) when I've done something just totally out of character and then had to live with the consequences. I'd read an article where Paul and David had been dreaming a little about what a current-day Starsky and Hutch movie might be about. They talked about the guys coming together again and dealing with forgiveness and reconciliation. So I basically went with that theme for "Dark Night of the Soul." I knew that before there could be a reunion there had to be something that took them away from each other. When I began the story, I had no idea what was causing them to go their separate ways (which was kind of interesting since I began the story at the end.) No one was more surprised than I when my muse whispered in my ear that Kira was pregnant. I hated the idea. Hated how it would tear the boys apart. Hated having to put them through the whole agony of "who's the father?" Hated having to find something vulnerable and loving in Kira. And then I went... hmmm. I always sensed a lot of tension between the characters during the final season. Maybe it was all acting, maybe it was Paul being ready to move on, maybe it was whatever was going on in David's life but I always sensed that the friendship was no longer a fairytale with a guaranteed "happy ever after" ending. But that was good. It meant the friendship was real -- perhaps going through some growing pains -- but growing and changing as Paul and David were evolving as actors, as men, and as friends. So it was a challenge to try to imagine how Starsky and Hutch would have changed, what kind of growing pains they would have suffered through.

I should use beta readers. I'm not online at home though so my internet time is limited. I have received wonderful constructive criticism from fellow fanfic writers and readers. I have an uncle who's written a number of books and he totally surprised me by reading some of my Starsky and Hutch stories and offering some helpful hints. He loved my dialogue but noted that I don't always pay equal attention to the rest of my story. I really try to be better now about painting pictures for the readers of where the boys are and what is going on in the minds of the other characters. My sister was right -- my characters do tend to talk a lot. Maybe I should be writing fan fiction for "The Gilmore Girls"!

Don't be afraid to write. Don't worry about whether you're as good as someone else. There will always be people who write better (and people who write worse.) Somebody said once that they'd be happy to listen to Paul and David read the phone book. As a fan fiction reader, I feel the same way. As long as Starsky and Hutch are in it, can it be a bad story?