I'm a little late in announcing the fact that another new short story has been posted, this time prompted by another VAMB exchange.  My recipient provided me with the first line: "Do you know how far this is supposed to go?" 

As usual, I was a bit surprised with the direction my muse took in using that line.  The result was the story "All the Way," which, I suppose is also an answer to that question.  I have to admit to humming the old standard "All the Way" sung by Frank Sinatra for days after writing this, too. 

The title resonates on several levels, I think--in the way the crew uses it to describe their captain and in the way we do whatever it takes to help those we love.  It is a bit angsty, but I also think it is a bit hopeful, too. 

Enjoy! 

Miz

I recently posted a new story here called "Hard Time," which is an episode addition to one of my least favorite seventh-season Voyager episodes--"Nightingale." 

For those of you who don't have the episode titles memorized (I hesitate to admit that I do!), this is the episode where Harry Kim "captains" an alien vessel, taking Seven of Nine along to provide advice on getting along with people and handling the problems of being in command.  Yeah.  Seven of Nine is supposed to do that--the former Borg drone.  The one who doesn't get along well with anyone and who has never been in command.  The writers must have been drunk when they wrote this episode, or maybe just totally besotted with Jeri Ryan. 

Anyway, I figure that when everything goes to hell in a hand basket, Janeway has got to feel like an idiot (oh, the things the writers make her do--or fail to do).  "Hard Time" lets us see some of her angst as she and Chakotay try to imagine how they'll explain what happened to a review board in the AQ.  Too bad she can't just blame it on the writers, no? 

This is another one of those stories that I discovered when I dusted under the bed a few weeks ago.  There may actually be one more from under there when I get the time and inclination to revise it. 

Anyway, enjoy. 

And, for those who like longer stories, I have a multi-chapter post-Endgame story in the works, and my friend, Dawn, has a majorly long novel coming out soon.  I've been beta'ing it, and I like it very much!  So good things are on the horizon!

Enjoy these last days of summer and root root root for the home team in the Olympics (whatever your country)!

Peace, Miz

Occasionally, I meet someone online who makes a lasting impression on me, and Pongo (Fiona) was one of those people.  She was an accomplished Australian journalist who also enjoyed reading and writing Voyager fanfic--especially when it focused on her favorite character, Chakotay.  Pongo was great fun and enjoyed displaying the Aussie lingo and outrageous humor whenever possible.  She had a great sense of humor and even more courage--most people who knew her online had no idea that she was fighting a valient fight against cancer.  We lost Pongo on June 30, 2007, and decided to honor her memory by creating something that focused on Chakotay, her favorite character. 

That's the why behind my most recent story, "The First Noel."  It is a fairly routine "Chakotay meets Janeway's family" story set during Christmas (nothing wrong with Christmas in July!), a story I thought I'd incorportated into a longer fic many months ago.  However, a quick search of my published work failed to show it, and so I pulled it out from under my bed (yeah--really) and finished it up for Pongo's memorial.  I hope you like it. 

I'm making good progress on another long story that I hope to post later this month!  So check in now and then, just in case, and thanks for dropping by! 

Fiona, we still miss you. 

Most of you have probably already discovered the new story I posted this month called "Curiosity," yet another post-Endgame fixer.  I was challenged by a fellow writer to do something more romantic than my usual plot-driven stories and came up with this one shot as a result.  I hope you enjoy it.

In the meantime, I'm smothered by RL. The end of the semester, with its incredible grading workload, is fast approaching, my older son is graduating from college and moving into a house with three friends, and my younger son is preparing to head east for ten weeks of an undergraduate research fellowship.  As if that weren't enough, we are also replacing the carpeting in most of our living area with a laminate, which means that we've had to empty out three or four closets and pile up all the furniture in the rest of the house.  In spite of that, I've done a little writing on a couple of stories that promise to be quite long--for those of you who like the longer ones. 

In the meantime, I hope "Curiosity" satisfies the romantic in you! 

Peace, Miz

For those of you who enjoy Voyager fanfic (especially J/C fanfic), there is a new "gift exchange" going on at the Voyager Anger Message Board (VAMB) in the next month or so.  This is the first one I'm going to miss because I'm having surgery later this month, but I'm really looking forward to reading the stories. There is an outside chance that I might finish a story and send it in as a "bonus" to the gals running the exchange--called the Spring Fling. 

If you want to participate in one of the last really active J/C boards on the net, I suggest you join us at VAMB.  We're located at this URL:  http://www.voyagerangel.com/vamb/index.php

Spring is just around the corner in the northern hemisphere, and I, for one, am ready for it!  But, first, Saint Patty's day! 

Slainte! 

--Miz

I just posted my story for VAMB's 2007 Secret Santa exchange, and short fun narrative that looks at the power of rumor--Scuttlebutt.  I had a good time using a couple of different characters, Naomi Wildman, from the series, and Madolyn Gordon, who was Chakotay's previous Starfleet captain according to the novel Pathways by Jeri Taylor.  It was fun to do something purely romantic after the angst of my previous long story.

Kudos to Maggie and Sira who sponsor these exchanges on VAMB periodically.  I really think these exchanges have helped keep the J/C community alive and kicking, and we owe it all to their willingness to get the ball rolling! 

Anyway, there's something endearing about a captain who goes off "half-cocked." 

I hope you enjoy Scuttlebutt! 

Miz

I finally finished writing and editing my most recent (very) long story called "Cruel and Unusual Punishment."  Right now it is only available on fanfiction.net at this location http://www.fanfiction.net/s/3970759/1/Cruel_and_Unusual_Punishment
However, I've notified my webmaster so that he can put it here as soon as he has the time, maybe as early as today. 

A few words about the story.  There is character death, Seven of Nine, so if you dislike that sort of thing or are a real Seven fan, this might not be the best story for you.  However, even though she dies, I think this is probably my most sympathetic rendering of her, as she is truly an innocent victim who finds herself way in over her head.  I like to think of this as a "what if" rendering of post-Endgame possibilities, and I tried to keep the main characters consistent with those we saw on the screen.  While it's basically J/C, there is also a lot of Tuvok and the EMH along the way.

I hope you enjoy the story and let me know what you think.  It has taken me forever to write this, so I am really glad to see it published and "out there." 

Another short frothy story will be posted next week--my Secret Santa exchange story.  Think of it as an antidote to the angst and heartbreak of "Cruel and Unusual." 

See you soon! 

Miz

My webmaster has been pestering me to start a blog on my site that will keep readers aware of what is going on inside my head (as in, potential stories).  As many of you know, my mind works at its own pace, so you must be patient. 

However, I am doing a final edit of a longer story that should be hitting the internet in the next few days.  Of course, I've been saying that since July . . . but, this time I REALLY mean it.  It is a post-Endgame "what if" that may or may not be completely in character.  There is a brief C/7, some action, some angst, and a relatively happy ending--the only part still under construction. 

I am also awaiting the announcementl of the VAMB Secret Santa exchange, which should be underway quite soon.  The Secret Spook Babble/Ficlet exchange produced some amazing stories, all of which are available on the VAMB site.  If you are a J/C nut (like I am), you should check out the Voyager Angel Message Board (VAMB) and join the rest of us.  You can find it here:  www.voyagerangel.com/vamb  We are a relatively sane bunch, except where Voyager and J/C are involved, so I encourage you to join the madness. 

So, that's about it for now.  Tune in soon for more stories! 

Peace, Miz