I have been writing original fiction for several years. I seem to be particularly talented at starting novels and then not finishing them. Despite that, at this point I have four finished novels, several poems, and a few shorter stories.
I entered the world of fan fiction due to a post-HBP speculation I had about Regulus Black, Severus Snape, and the potion in the cave, which led to the one-shot story The Secret Papers of Regulus Black.
That story has inspired a sequel (still in progress) and two prequels, Damage Control and Loyaulte me lie.
As for challenges, I am occasionally inspired. The Prodigal Son is my response to the June 2007 One Shot Challenge, and features Percy seeking to reconcile with his family.
I also participated in the Summer 2006 Gauntlet challenge, with The Labyrinth of Lost Souls. Part of that story involved a riddle, which sparked my other posted one shot, The Logic Problem.
Both The Labyrinth of Lost Souls and The Prodigal Son won second place in their respective challenges.
I'm currently working on a long, self-indulgent work that's based on another fan fiction (and thus, will never be available for public viewing), the sequel to The Secret Papers of Regulus Black, and two Year 7/Post-Hogwarts stories that are very different from each other.
Due to my tendency to abandon works, I have decided not to upload any chapters of a given story until the entire story is complete.
The Papers Series (in chronological order based on plot):
The Secret Papers of Regulus Black - what started it all.
Damage Control
Loyaulte me lie (secretly my favorite) - second prequel (i.e. it happens after the events in Damage Control)
Stories not part of the Papers Series:
Labyrinth of Lost Souls - my second favorite.
The Prodigal Son
The Logic Problem
This was wonderful! I'm so glad I'm not the only one to have conceived of a friendship between Regulus and Snape. And I love the idea of him having fallen for a Ravenclaw. Very well done.
Oh, this was a powerful chapter. I'm so sad that I'm nearing the end...
Oh! The letter was perfect. And the cliff-hanger evil. I'm so glad I'm reading when this has all been written.
I adore this story.
Oh! This is... Oh! God...
She killed him. This is so powerful. So amazing.
I cried through this entire chapter. Oh, you are evil, you are so deliciously evil. This was a remarkable work. I'm so glad I read it.
Oh, dear... brilliant... shoot.
Oh my... It's such a delicious thing to return to this story...
Oh, drat it all, you made me cry again...
Not to worry, that was a good cry (shoot, I don't understand myself anymore). I loved this chapter. It's so perfect. Especially Snape's talk of trust directly preceding Harry and Ron's reactions.
God. Just... brilliant.
I loved this chapter and what you did with her family. The fact that he wouldn't let her speak to her son was really powerful. Of course, as always, I look forward to more Snape!
"I will summarise my criticisms in much fewer but sharper words."
Ha! That's perfect. And the story as a whole is still excellent.
Well.
As you might remember, the sole reason I had for not reading this when I was active before was that it wasn't finished.
And so, now I'm reading. Wonderful. The line "Yes, as low as me" is absolutely perfect. It took my breath away.
Fantastic (the whole chapter, not just that one sentence :) ).
Oh, this is wonderful. I love her inner struggle and her decision to go through with it. Very powerful.
Gorgeous. You do emotion so well... I love her defiance, too. I wish I could write this well.
No, definitely not too OOC or strange... Still better than ever.
Ooh, this is a really interesting start. I can't wait to see all the havoc that ensues. The parts with James and Lily are going to be particularly amusing, I expect!
This was excellent! Your use of metaphor is amazing: the make-up being a mask for her fear, the love getting caught in her throat, etc. But, did you have to clip the ravens' wings? Actually, that was a very vivid moment.
I also thought you did a really good job with the thoughts she has about Kentigern. It seems very realistic.
I enjoyed reading this, though I think you stuck a little too close to the original. I would have liked a little more contrast. Also, I figured out that Sumpton was the bad guy as soon as everyone (and him) kept saying to go to him if Snerkin did anything. I'd either make someone else the bad guy or be less adamant on the "Trust Sumptom!" front.
Wow - so far, this is really fascinating. The Mysterious Mr. Quinn and the unknown box... You really have a knack about making people interested. Thanks for pointing me to it!
Author's Response: You\'re welcome. The plot should be the driving force over everything, which is what I\'ve strived for. I notice a lot of fics in this genre focus so much on showcasing their idea of the American wizard school that the plot is greatly lacking in places. So, I haven\'t exaggerated the school to the point of ridiculousness, but enough so that the story has a suitable backdrop for its setting.
I really like what you've done with Agnomon Square: the fact that it's really a circle, the dark shadowy parts: it's clearly wizarding, but also definitely *not* Diagon Alley and Knockturn Alley. I also like the way the wizarding government of America parallels the Muggle government, and I like the existence of Quodpot! All around, this is very creative and imaginative!
Author's Response: This is the kind of thing that helps make this seem as though it\'s American. We know the MoM parallels the Muggle Ministry so I figured I\'d just the same concept there, and the Republic of Magic as well as the President will have a huge effect on the overall story. It is hard to talk about American and not mention its government.
Agnomon Square was the kind of thing that hit me over the hit instantly and came out just the way I wanted it. There are more adventures in store for the Square.
Ha! The Muggles think that witches and wizards look like goths! Great idea. I'm not entirely sure about the train, but I do like the broken elevator. Still... that's one of the things I've been having trouble with: how to get the students to the school. Everyone seems to use a train, which makes sense, although perhaps something like a plane or flying object would be more American.
In one of the stories I'm working on, there's a character from Beauxbatons, and I have them using the flying horse-drawn carriages for the students going to school. The guy is really surprised that he's using such a mundane means of transportation to get to Hogwarts.
Anyway, that's not really a criticism, since I don't really see anything wrong with a train, just a personal opinion. I'm still very much enjoying the story!
Author's Response: Yes, that was the next difficult task...I figured there would have to be a uniform way for students to get to the school that would have been indicative of when the school was setup as opposed to modern day travel. Instead, since there are students coming from all over the country I decided to make the journey to the train station the thing that is substantial. Patrick takes a portkey, but there are certainly other methods that will be introduced later...