Gris, have you read "Stealing Harry?" It's the story that sets up "Laocoon's Children." The guy's Discworld fanfic is also extraordinarily good.

I'm reading "Stealing Harry" right now and have been wondering what's up with Draco. OK, I read the whitefont, because I'm like that. I read the last pages of books first, too. I want to know who's going to die so I don't get too tense waiting for the axe to fall.

Oh, this is the same person as Sam Vimes? Huh.

"Stealing Harry" is a great read. I was thinking about it the other day when the book club thread brought up the issue of home-schooling in the HP-verse.

Gris, have you read "Stealing Harry?"

No! I shall! Though I have to finish this one first, though, because I'm already into it.

I wonder if I could hire Jim Dale to do some freelance audio book work for fic. Though I imagine he'd be rather bemused by the sex scenes.

I read the last pages of books first, too. I want to know who's going to die so I don't get too tense waiting for the axe to fall.

My sister! I also check to see if any beloved animals are going to get killed off in a tragic manner. I have a serious problem with Pet Death in stories.

I also check to see if any beloved animals are going to get killed off in a tragic manner. I have a serious problem with Pet Death in stories.

My sister, back! I always get very nervous in thrillers when the hero has a pet, because I expect the villain to do something nasty to the poor critter. One book I read had the something nasty turn into a major motivation for the hero, because the hero really loved his cat was very, very pissed about what happened. Granted, "You son of a bitch, you killed my cat!" doesn't have the same epic ring as "Hello, my name in Inigo Montoya, you killed my father, prepare to die," but it was gratifying to see Pet Death taken serious.

(thinks about how I love my pets) (Thinks about how I love my dad) Works for me, Connie.Connie, I know I'm all "George likes Greek carrots," and recommend him ALL the time, but Pelecanos always fucks up animal abusers. You might be be able to kill a *guy* in his DC and not pay any price that isn't between you and your God, but kiss your butt goodbye if you kick a dog. Also, if you don't tip. (That's why he is the best Fiction-Writing BF ever.)

FWIW, I have happened across stories and story fragments that I've written and had no conscious memory at all of writing them. The only proof I've had was that they were filed away with the rest of my stuff. The story fragments were the most frustrating, especially when they were pretty good, because I'd read to their end and then be all "and then what happens?" without a clue.

On the other hand, if I'd copied down a paragraph or two of somebody else's writing? (There are writing teachers who suggest this, btw.) Transcribing is a slow and torturous process for me, so actually I'd be more likely to remember doing that than writing something of my own....

I was looking through some stuff off an old disk the other day and ran across my one ill-advised attempt at writing Angel fanfic. Sadly, I do remember writing it—there's never any Lethe's bramble around when you need it.

There's a reason I keep my creative writing efforts to short format spoof recaps these days.

Little fanfiction rant with fact-check: There's an ongoing HP story which contains a mother and daughter named Siobhan and Shavonne. Does this make sense to anyone? Is there some strange European naming convention that I'm completely missing?

(And, fact-check: they are pronounced the same, right?)