Cascade Library Interview with Sue Pokorny

Interviews by Fans
Title:	Cascade Library Interview with Sue Pokorny
Interviewer:	Cascade Library
Interviewee:	Sue Pokorny
Date(s):	January 4, 2002
Medium:	online
Fandom(s):	The Sentinel
External Links:	interview is here, Archived version
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In 2002, Sue Pokorny was interviewed for Cascade Library.

Some Excerpts

I'm a graphic artist, but I have always loved writing. I started writing fanfic when I was in high school (Starsky and Hutch), but I didn't know so many other people did it! When I found TS fanfic on the web, I was so pumped! I read everything! Then, I wrote a story - just to prove to myself I could still do it.

Since finding fanfic on the net, I don't think I've bought a real book for years!

After reading everything in the Cascade Library (really!) I decided to give [writing a Sentinel fan fic] a shot. I didn't know the characters all that well, so I think my first attempt was a bit off, but I finished it and progressed from there... My first story was called No Deposit, No Return and it was published in Linda Hutcheson's Sentry Post #5 zine. I was a net neophyte and I had no idea how to post on the net, so this was an easier solution. Of course, I agonized over posting it for weeks!

I find Jim easier to write. He's a guy. Just a basic fear guided guy who doesn't want to have to think too deep. I can relate to that. I love Blair's character, but find it so much easier to think like Jim. Of course, I've been accused of making Jim to hard, but that's how I see him. He's not a mushy guy. I like to keep my stories built around the two main characters, so I don't write a lot of support characters. They may show up from time to time, but they are never central to the plot. Like I said, I'm drawn to partner shows, so I keep it about the partners.

I think TSbyBS was in keeping with the characters. But I didn't like the nice happy resolution. Now I understand that it's an hour show and had to be wrapped up, but I doubt if Blair could have become a cop after all the media attention he received. I do believe Jim would have done everything he could, short of admitting his powers, to help Blair out after he realized there was no betrayal. But he wouldn't have admitted the diss was real, since that would have negated Blair's sacrifice and made them no better off. I always thought they could have just had Blair tell the press it wasn't his real diss, it was a work of fiction. He never told anyone he'd found his Sentinel, so he could have made everyone believe he was writing about his dream. That would have probably still lost him his academic career, but it would have saved face with the PD and made it easier for them to hire him on for real.

I'm all for [feedback!]! <g> I'm guilty of not sending feedback, tho. I tend to read then forget to tell the author how much I enjoyed it which is something I'm really trying to work on. Feedback is the only payment an author gets, so we should all make an effort to let them know how much we appreciate their work. It takes a lot of time and energy to create a story -- much longer than it takes to read it. So we should all let the authors know how we enjoyed it. Feedback is a great motivator.