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--Which character in your story do you understand the least, and what are you doing to get to know them better?

Oh, that's a fun question because in this AU I really don't know Clark at all (very unusual!) Victorian-Era Bruce is quite similar to modern-day Bruce, but the Kryptonian legacy in the Gaslight series is totally different--Earth and I think Mars are both former colonies of theirs, so J'onn and Diana both are sworn to fight them, and this causes (understandably) some bumps when they first meet Clark. Still no sign of the Kents, though Clark does use their name, so it seems likely they're out there! I'm writing most (all, so far) of the fic from his POV hoping to understand how he's different that "our" Clark, so we'll see...

--What scene or chapter in your current WiP are you most eager to write, and what makes it so compelling to you?

Right now I'm mostly seeing where the scenario takes me and I don't have a really clear plot except to fill in missing scenes in the canon, but it'll be really fun to write Clark and Bruce talking after Bruce doesn't give away his secret identity... I just really love writing characters coming to trust each other--or in this case, who trust each other instantly but don't exactly understand why they trust each other.

What are you looking forward to writing as the year winds down?

It's Thanksgiving weekend! What are you feeling thankful for, either in your writing life or in general?

I'm extremely grateful for my health--this year I had a couple of little injuries to my legs that made it hard to walk for a couple of months, and ever since then I've been actively grateful whenever I walk for the fact that I'm pain-free and have good mobility. I try never to take it for granted! That and my ability to write, even if it's an ability I don't have many chances to use lately. Though I did get some words down while on the airplane, which made me very happy. Bruce and Clark even are having a conversation! That feels good.

I hope your lives are full of blessings, fannish and otherwise!

--If your current WiP were a conversation with your younger self, what would it be trying to say?

That's a really fascinating question! I'm not sure what my answer is, though, maybe because I'm just not deep enough into it. I'm not sure what the long-term themes of the work are going to be... there's a lot there about loneliness and partnership, but I don't know yet quite where it's going. The only message for sure is probably that you don't have to write anything explicit unless you feel inspired! I know I used to feel a lot of (mostly imagined) pressure to include sex scenes, but lately if I'm going to have the time to write I want to focus on the dialogue and the characters and their relationship (which can 100% be done in a sex scene, but it's not required!)

What would you say to yourself in the past through your fic?

--What emotion do you most want readers to feel while reading your current WiP, and how are you crafting scenes to evoke it?

It's a romance, so I think basically... satisfaction? I think one of the main goals of a genre romance is to help people suspend their disbelief long enough to enjoy the tension while never being deeply worried they won't get a happy-ever-after ending. So to take the reader on a ride that has a clear set destination (a happy clinch) but a fair amount of uncertainty on the way. It can be a difficult balance!

What emotion are you aiming to lead your readers to right now?

--How does your current WiP differ from your previous work, and what's pushing you in this new direction?

Answering these questions really, really makes me want to get some writing work done, but real life work takes precedence and it's been impossible to even keep up with that recently. I guess that's the goal of the questions, though... to find inspiration to write!

To be fair, almost nothing I could write for Superman/Batman is going to be entirely new--I've just written too much. But a historical AU is a little bit different, I haven't done many of those. It's been inspired by wanting to get away from current canon a little bit and play around in a new sandbox, I think. Where are you breaking new ground this week?

I was travelling last week, and am late this week, but nonetheless here!

--What's the biggest risk you're taking with your current WiP, either creatively or personally?

Oh gosh, at this point I feel like writing and posting anything is a risk for me. I guess tackling a historical AU that I don't have a lot of knowledge of would be up there as well (but I do love doing research!)

What risks are you taking for your current WiP?

--What aspect of your current WiP's story world are you most excited to explore, and what drew you to create it this way?

I'm really curious about Clark's possible connection to Native American culture! The canon has only brushed the topic slightly so I'd like to unpack it more myself, if I can do the research to get it at least not offensively wrong. There's a new comic out in the series so I'm looking forward to getting my hands on it and seeing if there's anything more!

--What's the most surprising thing your main character has revealed about themselves as you've been writing?

Unfortunately I haven't gotten very far into it, but I think I've been startled to realize how lonely this version of Clark is. He's often kind of isolated, but it doesn't seem like either Lana or Pete in Victorian Smallville know anything about his secret, and the Kents are nowhere to be found so far. There are no other Kryptonians (and it seems that in this world, the Kryptonians are an evil empire, so maybe we don't want to meet them!) so as far as the comic book has shown, Bruce is the only person who knows his secret--and immediately shows that he's willing to keep it. I was very charmed by this!

I think others are much further into their current WiPs, so what's been surprising you there?

If you had to describe your story's core theme in one sentence, what would it be, and why does this theme matter to you?

I guess it would be "when you finally find someone who has your back, you can take on the world together." I love writing early Clark and Bruce because I imagine them being incredibly thrilled at realizing they're not the only people in the world with a crazy desire to fight injustice no matter what. To me that sort of shared vision is extremely romantic and I love writing them clicking for the first time.

What personal experience, emotion, or question is driving you to tell this particular story right now?

Where's your head at that's moving you to work on this story right now? For me it's a sort of general dissatisfaction with where the comics versions of Clark and Bruce are--just in a shipping sense I like them much more as loners than as leaders of a flock of superheroes, though I totally understand why they accumulate a flock over time! They're pretty much totally alone in the AU timeline I'm working in, and I do like that. I know I'm not going to be able to work much on it in the coming months, but I am still enjoying thinking about it and batting it around!

OK, I am back from my travels and ready to talk some more about what we're working on! This semester is going to be crazy and I'm still recovering from the burnout of finishing up my book, but I'm hoping to keep poking at the Gotham by Gaslight story. The most recent installation of the canon was very inspiring (Bruce is the only person to figure out Clark's secret, and Clark knows it, but also knows Bruce is choosing not to reveal it) so maybe I'll get to working on it at some point!

So let's move backwards to what inspired us to start on whatever we're currently working on.

--What sparked the initial idea for this story, and how has it evolved since you first conceived it?

I'd been looking for a space for writing some more Bruce/Clark that isn't set in comic book canon or in the Snyderverse. The new Superman movie is inspiring, but for now I'm trying to write something set in an Elseworld and hoping that sparks something. Um, it has not evolved much beyond the glimmerings of an idea, but I'd like it to! How about you, how did you get drawn to the characters and canon you're working with?

--Who's been your biggest cheerleader while writing your current WiP?

Always my husband (whose birthday it is today!) Honestly, one of the things I miss because I'm writing so much less is bouncing ideas off him and doing betas with him. Which is kind of ironic because it took us years to figure out the beta process in a way that didn't lead to me getting upset at his feedback. But once we got the hang of it (mostly he needed to learn that for every three bits of constructive criticism I needed at one unqualified compliment, even if it was for a very small thing, to keep my emotional equilibrium). I hope that you've had a cheerleader as well!

I'm posting late but I know that I'll be traveling in Europe (Germany, Czechia, Poland) and then the US for most of August, so I'd better make sure to post when I can! I hope the dog days of summer are kind to you and to your writing.

--How's your current POV character most likely to die?

Well, a rather morbid topic for this week. We all know Superman's most likely to die while saving lives, certainly! Although I do like imagining quieter endings for his story as well, as improbable as those seem sometimes.

I'm happy because I finally got to read the Gotham by Gaslight Justice League continuation, and Clark is great in it! The canon contradicted what I had hoped for his origin story, but I can work with it anyway (and Bruce is also great, very sneaky and mysterious). I hope your characters are living long and happy lives in the world you've made for them!

--Is there anything your current POV character CAN'T do?

That's a great question for anyone writing Superman--what are his limits, either physically or (maybe more importantly) mentally and emotionally?

The current Gotham by Gaslight Superman I'm writing is, I think, much more limited in terms of superpowers. We've never seen him fly, only run very fast, and I think a lot of Clark's box of tricks he doesn't have access to. Which makes for pretty interesting writing, actually!

I saw the new Superman movie and really loved it! This is the Clark I've been hoping to see on the big screen for decades. Now I just need to see if I can find a Bruce to pair him with (although I really did love his chemistry with Lois, too).

What are your current character's limits, defined in any way you like?

--What's the title of your current WIP if it were a children's book?

Haha, I like this one! "Sheriff Clark Saves the Day," most likely! I'm excited because this week both the Gotham by Gaslight Justice League comic kicks off and the new Superman movie comes out! Hoping for some inspiration from one or both of them...

How has your week gone?

--What 5 words do you tend to overuse as a writer?

1. Has got to be "just." When I'm not writing for fun (I was going to say "just" for fun!) I have to go through and search for the "justs" and delete half of them! I just... love it, I don't know why. I think it's one of those words that deflects even as it sounds strong?

2. Someone once said they could always tell which fic in an anonymous exchange was mine because mine would have the word eldritch in it. I love the feeling it describes and the feeling of the word itself... but I cut down on it dramatically after that, lol.

After that I'm less sure, but when writing about Clark and Bruce I know I've been guilty of over-using alternate words for blue to describe their eyes! I've committed sins of cerulean, sapphire, azure, cobalt and slate at least.

I'm about to leave for a week in Canada, so I doubt I'll remember to post next week, but I hope everyone's writing is going well!

--What kind of vehicle does your current antagonist drive, or how does he get around?

I don't think we've had a question about our antagonists yet! I guess mine would be Lex... I haven't gotten far enough in to see if I have a different character as antagonist yet. And Gotham by Gaslight Lex probably gets around in a luxury carriage whenever possible... I don't know if Mercy is a character in this world yet, but she'd be a good coachman!

And I got a new keyboard! No more random spaces riddling my work...

Who's getting in your main characters' way, and what vehicle are they using to do it in?

--What is your current main character's dream vacation destination?

For Gotham by Gaslight Clark, it's probably Metropolis! I believe he's never been there in this canon and he dreams of the bright lights of the big city (circa 1880, of course). He might be switching that to Gotham after meeting Bruce, though...

How's the writing this week? I've been unable to get much done because I've been on a few podcasts about my wrestling book. One of the wrestlers I wrote about posted a video of him holding it and saying everyone should read it, which boosted sales (and my spirits) quite a bit, let me tell you! But it has meant less time for my own writing...

Also, my keyboard is broken and keeps adding extra spaces that I have to go back and delete, which is very annoying. I'm leaving this paragraph untouched to show the results if I don't go back and fix it... with some things a find-and-replace works but with others, not so much. The answer is a new keyboard, but I haven't gotten to it yet! Hope all your hardware is holding together so you can write this week...

--Who would play your current WiP's main characters in a movie?

Well, for fanfic of course we already have options, so I guess I'd say which version do you see in your fic, or is it an amalgam of different actors? My live-action Clark is most often Brandon Routh and my live-action Bruce usually Christian Bale, simply because those were the dominant versions when I was doing a lot of my writing. I liked Cavill and Affleck fine but they just never clicked as mine, in a way. This might change with the new movie--I'm open-minded to Corenswet's curly-haired Clark, for example!

For people working from older TV fandoms, who would you cast if there was going to be a modern new remake of your favorites?

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