Hello All

I've finally made it here after lurking for months, enjoying so many damn good stories and receiving persistent encouragement to join, from my chats with fellow fanfic writer, Katie Duggan's Niece. It was KDN who made me aware of this community, through our mutual love of Cranford' and for that, I thank you KDN! It is also from 'Cranford' that I take my psuedonym of 'Miss Laurentia'. However, my first story is from Ashes to Ashes, another passion I share with KDN.

I've always wanted to write, but I'd never written FanFiction before. In fact, I'd never written any fiction until 2009. That's when I was inspired to write my prose renditions of scenes and characters that already existed in some of the very best of Britain's television dramas. (Shameless plug - if you're curious about my fan prose pieces you can find them under my MissLaurentia Live Journal account).

I didn't create new story-lines, but rather I wrote-up (with occasional minor tweaks for effect), the most exquisite and moving scenes and most moving characters that had remained in my memory and imagination. So now, to attempt new extended story-lines through FanFiction is a novel and exciting challenge, giving me a chance to continue the stories of characters I have become very fond of. What a find!

I say I was `inspired' to start writing in 2009, because that was when I first saw the BBC series 'Cranford'. It knocked my socks off - the weaving together of Elizabeth Gaskell's wonderful stories and the moving and very memorable performances of so many brilliant actors both 'known' and (to me) 'unknown'.

But what utterly gobsmacked me and inspired me the most, was the stunning versatility of the actor Philip Glenister who had completely discarded Gene Hunt's snakeskin boots and and now stood in the tall riding boots of a completely different being - Mr Carter, Lady Ludlow's Estate Manager! Was this really the same actor? I HAD to know more, and so the ..er 'hunt' for evidence began.

It was in the process of gathering more and more evidence of this man's chameleon-like powers that I discovered a treasure trove of wonderful, rich stories, peopled by many wonderful characters and exceptional actors. 'Cranford' the series led me to read Elizabeth Gaskell's books for the first time - from Cranford to Cousin Phillis to My Lady Ludlow, Mr Harrison's Confessions and others. The series Vanity Fair had me reading Thackeray's warm, witty and rollicking tome for the first time and the series Bryon had me utterley melting into the love poetry of the Lord himself. And there have been many more similar discoveries.

So from Cranford, Vanity Fair, Byron, The Stepfather to Life on Mars and Ashes to Ashes and many, many more; from television dramas, to movies, to books - a new world was opened to me and it is from within this treasure chest of stories that I finally found the inspiration to write; the NEED to write. And it is from these gems, that I intend to draw for my first faltering steps at FanFiction.

So please, I welcome and encourage your feedback and constructive criticism as the best way for me to learn to develop int a a FanFictioner you'll find that you'll want to read. I can use help on all of it - character, plot, structure, use of language but also how to present & set-out, dialogue; the best use of punctuation and other such grammatical nitty-gritty.

I've also discovered another treasure-trove of stories, from tele-dramas, to movies to books, through following the exceptional British actor, John Thaw (r.i.p.). So please also stay tuned for stories from the adventures of Morse and more, some time in the future. Thank you - and now...read on...!