HeatherF

Name or Pseudonym:
Heather F

Emailaddress:
flah7@tds.net

Website:
http://flah0.tripod.com/hfssite/

Where are you from (Country and/or State)?
Ma. Then N. Idaho, now Mi. (hopefully back to N.Idaho in a year)

How did you get into the Mag7 fandom?
Television; I always tried to catch the show when it was aired but kept getting called out for emergencies (HBC, Dystocias, Colics etc.) I only ever caught the beginning song or the ending credits. I was afraid to toss in an old VCR tape and lose my A-Team and Emergency eps. LOL. Finally, I discovered the internet, and then someone sent me tapes---but they had no volume on my VCR. I used to watch the tapes and listen to my walkman and exercise or practice my karate while the tapes played without any dialogue. LOL

How long have you been writing Mag7 fanfiction?
Writing without posting since ~1997/1998

How has your writing changed since you first started?
I now know the names of the guys and how to spell them. LOL. I never knew my computer had spell check until someone pointed it out to me. Always thought a Beta was a fish with no social skills until a few months after starting to post my stories. I never imagined writing in anything but the original setting, never knew what an AU was, I never heard of Slash in the setting it was used on the internet. I think my writing has grown and changed over time.

Is this your only fandom, your major fandom or one of the many?
Only fandom. I’ve read some Sentinel but never got hooked. Read some Alias Smith and Jones but most of it is on Zines or something. Kind of weird.

What is it about this fandom that you like?
Good vs Evil. Good wins Evil fails. The heroes are just plain guys trying to do the best they can with what they’ve got. They are like Batman….just ordinary guys with different skills and strengths and trying to do some good. They’re flawed, they have weaknesses, they have demons and they all have histories, but despite that they do what they can in the end for the benefit of what they believe to be the good. How can you not like that?

Did you like the Old West before Mag7 or did that come afterwards?
Well before. John Wayne movies, Clint Eastwood and Charles Bronson etc were staples in our house. Westerns ruled. My all time favourite, however (despite my older brothers), was Alias Smith and Jones (with Peter Duel and Ben Murphy).

Did you see the show before you got into the fandom or after, or haven’t you seen the show yet?
I saw only the adds for the show whiled it aired on the main stream channels, loved the colourful array of characters, the horses and the premise of it, never got a chance to actually sit down and watch an ep while it aired, seemed to always be out on a call. When it was on TNT I used to tape it while running off to karate or boxing and the such but somehow managed to capture more eps of Matt Houston than I care to admit! Arrrgghh. I received tapes though, (before TNT starting airing it) from a very kind soul, unfortunately my VCR is very old and so the tapes had no sound. LOL.

What do you think about the show opposed to the fandom?
Is the show your main interest and the fandom comes after or the other way around and why? The show at first, by far, but that has morphed to fanfic. The show was what I was first introduced too. I loved the characters. Wasn’t too impressed with how Ezra was made the butt of some jokes but then I did love the buy play behind the main action between the seven. I like watching the nuances of their expressions, their body language and how they comported themselves when facing friend and foe alike.

What are you working on right now?
Keeping my head above water, finding free time, right now as I type I’m riding my bike. The horrors. Actually for stories I have a very depressing ATF story in the works…I want to write an OW story that is stuck in my head but can’t until I get the ATF story out of the way.

How and where do you write?
I used to write at night when I practiced. I used to bring my laptop in with me for emergencies and set it up when I had to monitor HBC’s or gunshots and the such. The nights used to get real long just watching IV’s, but it gave me time to write. I used to write in the dead of night after karate or boxing, when I was too wired to sleep and on call. Now I write when I’m riding my bike in the trainer or sitting on the couch watching TV with no volume (used to the no volume thing now).

What’s the hardest part about writing in this fandom?
I’ve moved away from it now. Its been years since its been on. I watch the tapes, both the ones with sound (though edited) and the ones without sound(unedited) to remember how the guys moved, reacted and the such. I no longer live in N.Idaho, no longer run into mountain lions and Black bear momma’s, no longer do the mixed animal farm calls or meet the eccentric people (other than on the M7 Round Up gatherings). Life isn’t as physical anymore, my current ‘employment’ is not good fodder for stories. Especially the OW kind.

Why do you write?
I need to. Life is hard, a lot of times its unfair( and never in my favour it seems) and RL can be unjust. In writing, despite the odds, the Seven always win, Nathan can always save the 7 no matter the wound. Heck he can crack a chest (whether necessary or not) and not worry about maintaining negative pressure. One of the seven can cross one of the others but in the end they go back to being like brothers. I have control of the characters. Good wins, Justice prevails and I can make things fair. Nothing has to die. (Nathan does have his magic pixy dust you know).

What writers do you think you've been influenced by?
By far Jack London. I had been reading his stories since a little girl. I used to read my older brothers’ summer reading stuff and then tell them what happened (most of the stories were dreadfully boring, I apologize to all those that listed ‘classics’ but I couldn’t read that stuff voluntarily LOL) but one brother had to read “Buck” by Jack London and I was hooked. I used to carry ‘White Fang’ in the back of my uniform skirt waist band and read it during French and Latin class. Mark Twain was another. I loved his characters, loved his dialogue and how he was able to put you on rivers and in competitions. He was a hoot.

What advice would you offer to beginning writers?
Never stop. Each time you write you improve. Your POV is probably different from mine and that brings new light to scenes I’ve never contemplated. I’ve read some flames that authors have received and it demoralizes them, keeps them from writing. Don’t listen to flames. They are mean and you don’t know the skill of that person sending the flame. It’s easier to be critical than it is constructive. Beginners—keep writing—if a scene strikes you, write it down. Look at it later and then flesh it out. Stories sometimes grow from a mere dialogue or a simple thought.

Where do you get your inspiration for your stories from?
When in N. Idaho---Real life. Everyday in practice some thing would happen and it would make me think about how it could be worked into a story. So many funny things and sad to say tragic things, things that should not have occurred but did. R.L. is hard a lot of time it’s a pleasure to twist it around and make it a story---especially if it makes others laugh—cringe—and laugh again.

Do you read any of the other AU’s (ATF, LB and so on) out there and do you have a favourite?
Yes. I do read the LB stories I prefer the ones that use all Seven of the characters and not just a select characters. I love the ATF, I remember when it first started I thought MOG was crazy and kind of ‘Breaking Faith’ but I waited and as it developed fell in love with it. MOG is an incredible person and tons of fun. The other AUS are fantastic. I’m not a big fan of OFC’s, however, so AUs that center on OFC’s I tend to skim. I realize in RL the guys would have romantic interests….but I’d rather not be bothered with girl friends, wives and OFC problems.

What do you look for as a reader of fanfiction?
Mostly the use of all 7 characters (and Ezra….LOL). I enjoy the story more if the 7 get treated fairly and not vilified by the other six. If the 7 are kept in character (or what I perceive to be their character), that always makes for a good tale. I love a good H/C, Angst, and a good action story etc. My favourites are the stories where one of the 7 cares for one of the others, and keeping them guys. It’s frustrating to read a long story and not have an Ezra ding or one of the others Dinged without a good amount of H/C and the such. H/C doesn’t have to be sappy and sensitive either, good humor goes a long way.

Do you think there's anything missing in the fandom?
Types of stories or certain characters that you'd like to see more of? I think this fandom is pretty diverse, I’d say NO today and then read a story tomorrow that takes a whole new twist that is amazing, and then realize that that might have been missing. As long as the writers feel free to conjure up stories in different AU’s and the such---I think we’ll discover things that we never thought were missing.

Are there any characters or situations that you don't think you'll ever write?
Slash. I’ve read some….some of its fantastic stories, great H/C, great angst etc. The stuff that’s just deep throat kind of stuff---No thanks. OFC’s, I don’t have patience to read too much about OFC’s because they often take a central role, often become the comforter for one of the Seven, often times OFCs are the ones to sustain the injury. The authors love their OFC’s and rightly so they are their creations, but I like M7 for the guys and horses not an unfamiliar lady. I do like OAC’s (other animal characters…those can be fun..except never ever kill the dog…LOL)

Who’s your favourite character and why?
Ezra, he’s begrudgingly a hero, with no intentions of being or wanting to be a hero. I think he would steal the shirt off your back, take your life savings but when push comes to shove, he would take a bullet for a friend, without meaning too, but he’d be relieved he did it because: 1. saving said friends life and 2. because he could milk it for a long time. I think his own loyalty shocks him and his small windows of good deeds frighten him. I think he enjoys being a conman, he enjoys tricking people and being an amusing pain in the butt. I also think that despite himself, he’d do the right thing to save 1 of the 7 even at his own risk. And that I think irritates him and unnerves him.

Who’s your second favourite character and why?
The other 6. Without the seven interacting you don’t get to see the multiple dimensions of the characters or my favourite Character. Without JD, I feel Buck would be less of a character, Without Buck and Vin we’d miss the side antics between the two and Ezra, Without Nathan we’d miss the POV of someone who has been mistreated, without Josiah we’d miss the quiet expression of strength as well as exploding temper. Chris adds the outside, unbiased opinions that we don’t want to hear (How well do we know Josiah or anyone…..or him listening to the crowd after Annie was shot and considering what they had to say). And Vin, though a jokester, has a dark side, and he mentions it but we don’t ever truly see it. Its there and the others know it. In order for the Seven to be THE SEVEN, they need to interact with one another.

Who’s your favourite bad guy and why?
Ella Gaines---twisted. Guy Royale---he had some weird bizarre ideas. James, he was a play ground bully, to big for his own skin. I loved seeing the 7 knocking them down. Ella got away, that was unnerving but opened up a whole new story line.

What’s your favourite episode and why?
The Collector. I loved it when Nathan, Vin and Ezra met up with Top Hat Bob---they weren’t afraid of him, It also showed that Ezra’s mouth often worked before his brain--- Buck was fantastic, his lines when facing Top Hat Bob were hysterical. And him and Ezra trying to create the diversion with the dynamite killed me. Josiah was great too, because for as smart and as worldly as he was suppose to be, he definitely missed the boat with a Emma D. Buck and JD picking on Josiah in the saloon making Mooing sounds; I nearly died laughing when I finally got to hear the dialogue. Great stuff. It was a funny ep with serious undertones. And of course the whole scene at Nettie Wells place. Nettie and Ezra don’t agree with each other’s ‘professions’ but they are amendable to them. It was a great ep. Tons happened in it.

What’s your favourite story and why?
Depends on my mood, the weather, what I have a feel for---what I want to read. There are hundreds of writers out there that have created wonderful stories, there are hardly any “one hit wonders”. To pick one story would be excluding thousands of other stories that have been worth reading and certainly enjoying.

Any favourite author?
Too many to pick. If you have the time and energy to type a story and then have the guts to hit the ‘send’ key, opening yourself up to criticism and judgment you already have my vote. Some stories are better than others depending on your criteria. My criteria changes from day to day, circumstance to circumstance, mood to mood. Any author that shares their story is a good start.

What storyline would you most have liked to see in season 3?
More shenanigans between the 7, some good H/C. More humor between Ezra and Nathan without one being belittled or the brunt of a physical joke or the such.

If you could change one thing about the show, what would it be?
Make more eps and have them aired. Have the original eps with sound. Heck I’d settle for a DVD unedited eps.

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