The KSA Archive Interview with Taz

Interviews by Fans
Title:	The KSA Archive Interview with Taz
Interviewer:	Candace
Interviewee:	Taz
Date(s):	January 2000
Medium:	online
Fandom(s):	Xena: Warrior Princess, Hercules: The Legendary Journeys
External Links:	interview is here, Archived version
Click here for related articles on Fanlore.

Taz was interviewed by Candance in 2000 for The KSA Archive.

Some Excerpts

I became a media fan in that hectic time in the 70's when many female sci-fi fans discovered their interests were different and broke away from the mainstream conventions. I got into slash with what was called (pre-internet) 'second wave' -- I'd heard about it, couldn't find it, bought a 'zine, found names, got phone numbers, called [April Valentine] and it was all over after a simple five hour phone conversation. With the Baltimore/Washington gang I went from K/S, to Starsky and Hutch, and, and... "and there I was on the Group W bench, with the mother rapers and the father rapers and they all looked at me for getting into Blake's 7-- and they all moved down the bench." So I got into to Blake's 7. And I did a little art and thought about stories I would write if I could write. Then in '94 I went to see a film called 'Hard Target' with a couple of friends and had an epiphany over Arnold Vosloo. I won't go into all the details but the result was that I wrote stories, edited and published a slash 'zine called Falling From Grace that featured players from the films: 'Hard Target,' 'Near Dark,' 'The Last Samurai;' the British television show 'The Professionals; the manga, Eroica; the works of H.P. Lovecraft and the Holy Bible.' Whew - it was some of the best fanfic ever produced and I loved every minute I spent writing. From then on to the computer, Highlander, the internet and Hercules:TLJ.

I 'think' from lying on the living room rug watching TV. Highlander was only on commercial TV on Sunday nights and Herc came on next. At 1 the morning it's easy to go from one set of stud-muffins to another -- it was a twin pack of pecs -- the male animal in glorious form. Both shows appealed to a long-standing interest in mythology, Celtic in the case of Highlander and Greek/Roman with Hercules. And what is there not to like in that? -- Infanticide, fratricide, patricide, incest, rape, murder -- a proto Christ figure, something dark and dangerous to lure you, a blonde, a brunette (ok, copper) -- oh, and scantily clad warrior women, if that floats your boat.

What is it that attracts you to writing about men having sex?: It's sexually arousing. And if I add, I like the idea of being part of women developing their own erotic form, I'm merely rationalizing a predilection.

Basically my feelings about 'feedback' and 'critique' are separate and covered by the lyric 'you don't always get what you want, but if you try sometimes, your just might find you get what you need.' I love 'feedback' - there's nothing quite like getting an unsolicited e-mail from a stranger saying 'Brilliant Fic was the most erotic thing I've ever read.' -- especially on a day when Brilliant Fic bombed with my best friend (last month).

I write for my own reasons -- one of them is to create the sort of story that I'd like to read (with the attendant risk that what I like is not going to be loved. When I posted Bark of Dante an extremely well known fan writer told me that it was 'too literate for the average fan' and 'don't expect much response.' I have a file with ninety LOCs for that piece alone and nearly as many for The Fuse). I've learned to trust my instincts. But wishing to gain skill at attracting an audience with all the attendant risks of rejection, I conceptualize that when I post -- it's like chumming for marlin -- really exciting to get a bite. But I understand that the marlin don't owe it to me to bite and afterwards I don't owe it to the marlin to write more of the same marlin food either. I have other fish to fry as well.

Critique, as in analyzing a story -- deciding what works technically, artistically and logically -- is hard to come by. I'm reassessing my criteria for doing it, but I have a few friends who have been writing both professionally and in fanfic for a long time. Two are professional editors, if prevailed upon, they will rip something apart for me -- sharks, you want sharks for this. Sharks who just want to eat a good story, not you.