Gossamer Interview with an Author: Sheryl Martin

From Fanlore
Jump to navigation Jump to search
Interviews by Fans
Title: Gossamer Interview with an Author: Sheryl Martin
Interviewer: Widjojo, Yasinta ("Observer")
Interviewee: Sheryl Martin
Date(s): January 24, 1996
Medium: online
Fandom(s): The X-Files
External Links: Gossamer Interview with an Author: Sheryl Martin, Archived version
Click here for related articles on Fanlore.

The Gossamer Interview with an Author: Sheryl Martin was conducted in 1996.

It was posted in the non-fiction section of Gossamer's Specialty Archive.

Excerpts

When did you start writing x-files fan fic?

I started January of 95, posting for the first time at the end of that month... the first one was called Sleepwalker, as I recall...

What are your inspiration in writing these stories?

Hmm... better to ask what the hell happened to my mind... Someone once suggested to me that when I sleep, I link up with an alternative universe where Mulder and Scully are for real; and I just transcribe what I see... That's the best explanation I've had to date of how I get the ideas and so forth. Sometimes the whole story is finished when I wake up from a nap...

Would you ever let Mulder and Scully become involved with your stories and why ?

Well, in the Dragon and Downtime series; which I try to keep current with the show, they won't. Not until CC comes to his senses and gives the relationshippers what we want and what he's hinting at with those dammed pictures. Which is unfortunate, in a way; but provides St. George with plenty of time to tease and try to bring them to their senses. I'm running with the theory that they already know that they love each other; but to act on that would bring up a whole new set of difficulties and dangers; so until they find "the truth" or at least get some aspect of security in their life they can't admit this commitment to each other. That's why they've never even kissed; in any of the Downtimes... I like to think it's along the line of the old Victorian Romances; where you never admitted anything or acted on your feelings until the very last minute...All the other NC-17's that I've written are pretty well one-shot (bad pun!) stories in no particular order or universe... most of them Initial Encounters, as I call them...

Have you written any other type of stories besides x-files fan fic ?

Well, originally back in '84 I graduated from college with a diploma in Media Writing... and promptly submitted a script unagented to Remington Steele that actually got read and we were negotiating on a price when it got axed by the VP of MTM Productions... between that and working as an editorial assistant (read: slave) for a publisher... after finishing one mystery novel that got rejected by an agent and the recession hit... I fell into security and never wrote again from 1986 until a year ago.

Any plans on publishing?

You gotta be kidding me... given the corruption I saw at the one publisher I worked at (though I assume this is not the norm for the industry) I'd rather be dragged over broken glass and forced to date Cancerman before I let an editor near my stuff... chuckle... Honestly, I didn't start doing fanfic to "be discovered" or anything like that. I write for fun, for therapy, and to make people happy. Rather simplistic, eh?

What do you think is your best story so far?

Good grief... well, I'm kinda proud of FlashFire, but for different reasons that you'd think. It was a very therapeutic story; dealing more with my own nightmares and PTSD than anything else - it started off as a short; but so many people wanted it expanded that I finally sat down a few days later and worked on it. I ended up walking away from the computer at least five times because I was crying so much... but it did get finished; and I'm happy with it. The Downtimes always make me laugh when I go back and reread them... still can't get over how popular they are... but I'm like a mother - they're all my favorites!

Feel free to say anything you want....any comments on writing etc..:)

Hmm... well, I think one of the best things about X Files fanfic is that we're all so tolerant of each other - yes, we do sometimes scream at each other through e-mail about interpretations of the characters and such, but we're extremely open-minded so that when someone breaks the usual mold and posts something that might be considered strange or odd; we're not chasing them off the board publically and slamming the door on creative freedom. And we defend each other. I've been publicly flamed three times on the board; and the support's been overwhelming each time - even from the readers who don't like my version of the characters; but that's the best thing about this board - we are such a virtual community or tribe that we will protect each other from criticism that might be best kept to e-mail; or better not said at all...

How did the character of St. George came to be.

First off, she was never meant to be more than a one-story character... honestly. I sat down one day and wanted to read about a strong woman who could be both a good friend to Scully and not be madly in love with Mulder. Up to that point all the fanfic I had read had women just falling at his feet; and it was getting pretty boring to see Dana in the background or f ighting for Fox... so I thought it would be interesting to throw a third character in who supported their relationship and in fact would try to get them together. She's also a kind of Shakespearean Chorus... echoing what I think the audience would like to say and do in certain situations... scholars, feel free to flame me on that one! The Canadian aspect came in since I happen to be one; and her skills grew out of the story needing some aspect that could be both paranormal and scientific, something that Scully and Mulder still argue over. Her personality... ah, well... I committed the most grave of errors any author can do... but since I thought she'd be only around for one story, two tops... she's more me than anything else... and I do have witnesses to this, unfortunately...

What part of X-Files, the show fascinates you the most.

The fact that anything goes in their universe. See, a major problem with such excellent shows as Quantum Leap and ST:TNG, etc. is that their universe is very defined (space, leaping into bodies, war...) But with The X-Files you can go across the spectrum; from horror to fantasy to supernatural legends to basic criminology to high-tech physics and you're not out of place - in fact you might just get an education (god forbid!) on some things... so the variety of what you can see just boggles my mind; and I think a lot of the popular fanfic reflects the fact that there is nothing you can't do with Mulder and Scully and the X-Files.

Do you base your stories on everyday life?

Hmm... fair question... but it leads to a bit of a bio, so bear with me please...I'm 31 right now, working as a security supervisor for an air separation plant on permanent night shift; which gives me plenty of time to read and write my stuff...But back in my misspent youth I worked as an armed security officer at the US Consulate here in Toronto, as well as at the Yugoslavian Consulate; the British Consul's residence... and I carried a .38 while working. Didn't shoot anyone, but almost got shot by one of my own people; but that's another story...Graduated (?) to hospital security supervisor and worked for a while in that glorious environment; throwing bloody shirts away (this was before AIDS was discovered... sigh...) And in the middle of all that, I joined the Guardian Angels, being the only woman in Toronto for the longest time and eventually running the group - three years later, after four riots, a chipped front tooth and nightmares that wouldn't stop; I quit cold turkey... so I guess a lot of what I write about draws on some of these experiences... but I try not to think on it too much; else I'll not tell a good story. Which is what I want to do. I guess this is where I talk about Rosie and Marty... snicker.... Well, first, Rosie and I struck up a friendship through the first stories that I sent to the group; and in fact she encouraged me to keep doing the Dragons. So I decided that it would be a cute tribute to write her in as St. George's assistant... and she's stayed around for the series; with occasional in-jokes to her own erotica stories and so forth... Marty... ah, a true X-File...

At the end of March I got a nice letter from a fan who really liked my stories. I wrote him back to thank him; and we started a kinda wild friendship through e-mail that eventually got up to phone calls... and I finally admitted that there was something special about this when I was racing home to get to my computer and e-mail more than anything else... Eventually he said the same thing; that he had fallen in love with me through Jackie St. George and the Downtimes and the rest of the stories; and so forth... He proposed June 22, 1995 and no, we haven't set a date yet - have to work out that immigration thing... but then I decided to write in his proposal; verbatim, into a story... and so it goes... wonder if CC is going to send a wedding present... snicker...

Other Interviews in This Series

References

Retrieved from "https://fanlore.org/w/index.php?title=Gossamer_Interview_with_an_Author:_Sheryl_Martin&oldid=2223588"