The apocrypha Interview: Susianne Baptiste
| Interviews by Fans | |
|---|---|
| Title: | The apocrypha Interview: Susianne Baptiste |
| Interviewer: | Korillian |
| Interviewee: | Susianne Baptiste |
| Date(s): | summer 1998 |
| Medium: | online |
| Fandom(s): | Law & Order |
| External Links: | apocrypha: author interview, Archived version |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
The apocrypha Interview: Susianne Baptiste is a 1998 interview conducted by Korillian for the Law & Order zine apocrypha.
Similar Interviews
- The apocrypha Interview: Michelle M. Leslie
- The apocrypha Interview: Susianne Baptiste
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Introduction
Okay, I admit it: Susianne Baptiste is one of my favorite fanfic writers. Her portrayal of Detective Mike Logan is fascinating, combining both his positive and negative qualities to capture the true essence of the man. And in Simone Broidveaux, Susianne has created an Original Female Character who is more than just Mike's girlfriend. Smart and sassy, Simone leaps off the page, demanding to be taken seriously. And we do.
Death and Desire is the name of the series that features Simone and Mike. According to Susianne the series started out as "a short story when I sat down to write it, and ended up more like a novella." Four excerpts from Death and Desire have appeared in apocrypha: Dark Horse, Christmas in the Oaks, Law and Hors d'Oeuvres, and Pride and Penance. In a recent email interview, I had the chance to ask Susianne about her writing, her series, and loads of other stuff. Here's what she had to say. Enjoy!
Excerpts
What do you personally get out of writing fan fiction?
I have a lot of fun doing it. It allows me to work out ideas I could probably never use in another context. Writing for a ready-made audience is the best part of it.
Rene Balcer (L&O Exec Producer/Head Writer) was quoted in The New York Times as saying, "some fan fiction...seems to be elaborate fantasies involving them and one of the characters." How do you respond to this?
I think it's oversimplification. The author is a big part of his/her own characters. How else can you write, if you don't fantasize about anything? I'm sure he's true, to a certain extent. Hey, if it leads to a great story, so what? I'm with Stephen King ... it's important that the reader be entertained.
What is it about Law & Order that inspired you to start writing fan fic?
After watching the original run of the episode "Extended Family," I got inspired to write a crime-fiction story about a family of New Orleans cops. As I kept writing, several ideas came to me that were good, but wouldn't work in that context. So for fun, I hauled out a notebook and wrote Death and Desire for my own private enjoyment. I thought I was crazy (writing about some TV show!) and never showed it to anyone until relatively recently.