09/2018

THE COMPLETELY REVISED,

REALLY, REALLY ALL NEW PROFILE OF MABB5

BRIMMING WITH ASSORTED ADDLEPATED MUSINGS…

{and some info…}

Dear Readers,

I have been away for a while due to health and family issues. But I am back, thanks to a new computer replacing my 12 year old version. Though I was not on line, I was writing, and I have a lot that I will be posting during the remainder of this year and beyond.

UPDATE: 09/2018: DETACHED: JEAN-LUC: HIS STORY, all 66 chapters are posted. IT IS FINISHED!.

NEW STUFF:

PWP (Pleasures with Picard) both Gen and M versions, TNG.

DETACHED: A huge set of TNG stories that form a giant novel. Though adult, they are not graphic, so they will be listed in under "Gen" when I start posting them. About half of the novel is finished. It concerns life after the Enterprise with and without Beverly. After all, Q did say that they would divorce in his version of the future. Though never fear, I am a huge P/C fan. Things will be right at the end. Though I am not listing it as such, there will be crossovers from the VOYAGER crew too.

REATTACHED: BEVERLY: HER STORY: First chapter should be up by the middle of September, 2018.

THE STORIES:

MAJOR WORKS: (Lost weekend kind of reads…)

Please note: Eventually THE BEST LAID PLANS and THE SKY IS THE LIMIT have been re-written for a gen listing and have been reposted. The only thing that was changed was that the more explicit sexual scenes were be toned down. I have had several people whom I respect request this re-editing since they don't want their kids finding out that their moms were reading adult material. The original adult versions are still available in the "M" section.

BEST LAID PLANS: (6 separate listed parts in “M” Fan Fic - One of my first postings to fan fic and I hadn’t figured out how to do chapters then. so I published 6 separate chapters as stories… Adult P/C alternate universe TNG novel.

I started writing BLP immediately after the Enterprise D crashed but before GENERATIONS was actually released into the theatres. (I had the script of the movie for reference.) At that time, it was close to canon, but obviously, when all the movies eventually came out, BLP drifted very, very far away from canon. Not that I cared...

I have always felt that there are many TNG episodes that need expanding. And I have written a few of those stories for my favorite kind of story is the what if? kind of story. And BLP certainly qualifies for that.

Basically, BEST LAID PLANS is about the choices and decisions of the crew of the Enterprise D after their ship is lost.

Deanna is courted by Worf and Will, and finds that making up her mind about both gentlemen is far more difficult than she could imagine. Throw in Lwaxana’s meddling, and things do not go smoothly for her daughter or for a variety of people.

Jean-Luc and Beverly finally find the time to deal with their relationship, though they choose a rather peculiar way of coping with the inevitable. P/C decide to live together on Caldos, but after a bitter argument, Picard chooses to go to work on an archaeological dig to cool off. Unfortunately he is forced to take the very long way around to get there, encountering pirates, a pregnant woman and her twins, a Ferengi banker and someone that he used to know. He finally is rescued by Edward Jellico of all people, and is surprised to realize that some people in Starfleet thought that he had defected to the Maquis. Picard is a man of honor. But unfortunately there really are vicious, dishonorable people that are out to get him. Suddenly accused of treason, Picard finds himself in the company of some surprising friends who come to his rescue.

NEW: THE BEST LAID PLANS is now completely posted as a 'gen' novel as well as an adult novel.

THE SKY’S THE LIMIT (7 separate listed parts on “M” Fan Fic) is the sequel to THE BEST LAID PLANS. It is adult. And there is some graphic violence. SKY completes the story.

It takes up directly after Picard becomes a wanted man by the Federation, with a high price on his head. He does work with the Maquis, but he has an agenda different from theirs. Because he fears that he will never clear his name, he releases Beverly from their relationship which is not exactly a bright idea. In the mean time, Beverly discovers that Wesley has rejoined Starfleet along with other surprises. Will Riker is appointed the captain of the new Enterprise E that is being built. Eventually matters are resolved, the bad guys are captured, and Jean-Luc marries Beverly. Along the way various favorites straighten out their love lives. Jean-Luc and Beverly throw a really big party. And all celebrate the new Enterprise.

FIRESIDE CHAT (short story) which was first published in INVOLUTION, is the only other story that is part of this specific alternate universe. In it, Q and Picard share some brandy in front of the fireplace in Beverly’s cottage on Caldos. They both discuss life’s little truths.

NEW: THE SKY'S THE LIMIT is now posted as a 'gen' novel as well as an adult novel.

ATTACHED MEANT: (Most stories are G to R rated.

ATTACHED MEANT started out as a very short story, 22 years ago. But thanks to fan fic, I became inspired. More than a hundred thousand words later, it is turning into my first opus major. At least 90% of AM and its sequels were written over the past twenty-four months.

ATTACHED MEANT's universe diverges from canon immediately after the episode "Attached". Nothing that happens after the end of that episode is included in this universe which means that Data doesn't die, Riker does become the captain of the Enterprise, Robert and Rene are still alive, etc.

Basically, ATTACHED MEANT is what should have happened after the end of the episode “Attached”. And yes, I know thousands of writers have done their own version. But mine carries on, past all of the obvious, to create an a/u where Jean-Luc and Beverly actually live a life.

AM is followed by sequels, right now known as the “De-Tached” series. Each series of stories begins with “Life With…”. Right now there are 6 sequels posted entitled “Life With Beverly”. Some stories are short. A couple of the “Beverly” stories are approaching 40,000 to 70,000 words.

Beverly and Jean-Luc will always be the main focus but life still goes on away from them as well as around them. As for the ‘De-Tached’ part of the title, it will eventually be explained in the now finished novel DETACHED: .

LIFE WITH BEVERLY: STORY 1: It Takes Two To Tango (story)

LIFE WITH BEVERLY: STORY 2: Baby Blues (short story)

LIFE WITH BEVERLY: STORY 3: Joyeaux Noel (Novella)

LIFE WITH BEVERLY: STORY 4: You Really Shouldn’t Have Said That… (Novella)

LIFE WITH BEVERLY: STORY 5: At Last My Loves Have Come Along (Novella - finally finished and uploaded.)

LIFE WITH BEVERLY: STORY 6: Pleasures With Picard (Finally finished and uploaded in two versions - adult (M) and gen (K).

THE NEW STUFF 2018: DETACHED: JEAN-LUC: HIS STORY and REATTACHED: BEVERLY: HER STORY

A continuation of the DE-TACHED series. Please note the use of the hyphen. This was NEVER a typo. Hopefully once you start reading DETACHED, you'll begin to see what I am attempting to do. REATTACHED is somewhat more obvious since it is the happy-ending part of the story. Eventually.

Some people have wondered why I do write the occasional controversial plot line or two. The answer is simple. As I writer, you need to stretch yourself, polish your skills, learn new words, and most important of all, to keep trying to do something new even if you are not successful. I do not ever want to be guilty of being bored with my own writing.

I do know my plot flaws. I tend to skip or gloss over action scenes because to me, that is rarely the most important element of my stories. And because at times, it requires too much research to get the physics or technical elements correct. I am not a scientist though I do have a familiarity with basic physics, medicine, botany, math and NASA. I know that I do light-heartedness, humor and sarcastic dialogue fairly well. I have tackled serious subjects in some stories, but I have always felt that I need to work some more in this area since most of my stories are truly character-driven whether it be P/C or J/C.

I have finished DETACHED: JEAN-LUC: HIS STORY. Some people object to the idea of Jean-Luc with another woman much less that woman being Kathryn Janeway. I did know that I would be riling some J/Cers as well as P/Cers. Yet others have expressed their faith and support of this plot line simply because they like what I have already written. All I can tell you, as that by the time the last chapter of the sequel RE-ATTACHED, BEVERLY: HER STORY is published, all the lovers will be where they belong. I have this massive plot unfolding in between the first and last chapters. At times, it may be disturbing to some. But I do promise you that I never write sex or violence from a gratuitous point of view. I will post warnings when the time comes if it comes, and may publish some of it under the "M" listing. (I haven't quite decided yet about that since I hate to fracture up the chapters of a novel.) I have had the basics of this plot line in my head since the 1990s. Finally I have the time and the means to try to write it. I am sure that you will let me know if I succeed or not. Please note that I will be mirroring all of this on archive of our own as well.

This does not mean that I am giving up on my other stories. Like many other writers, I am juggling quite a few other incomplete story lines at the same time.

OTHER STUFF: TNG & STV:

TNG:

THE “TAPESTRY” ALTERNATE UNIVERSE: 2 stories. A DREARY MAN IN A TEDIOUS JOB and A LESS DREARY MAN IN A TEDIOUS JOB are two stories set in the universe that Q created for Jean-Luc Picard in the brilliant episode “Tapestry”. It’s what if idea speculates about what would Jean-Luc do if he were left by Q in an a/u where he was still a junior lieutenant on board the Enterprise. There will eventually be more stories in this series since playing with Lieutenant Picard is so much fun.

STAND ALONE STORIES: (Not connected to any of my TNG other a/u stuff though there are certain themes, events or characters that may crossover with my other stories.)

ANNIVERSARIES: Another INVOLUTION a/u story that has been greatly expanded and re-edited. This one is about Jean-Luc Picard’s history and the eleven year gap between the Stargazer and the Enterprise and what he did. It has nothing to do with the STAGAZER or LOST YEARS Pocketbook series. Jean-Luc remembers his lost ship as his life goes by, waiting for his next captain’s chair. Kathryn Janeway shows up at one point. As well as a chapter about the only other woman that Jean-Luc ever loved besides Beverly. (Believe it or not, that other woman is canon…) (Novella.)

MELINKAH: Another a/u what if that was published in INVOLUTION, but is now considerably altered with a greatly extended ending. In this one, set after “Chain of Command”, Jean-Luc is NOT rescued. Instead, he ends up on a Cardassian planet working for a certain Cardassian Gul’s mother-in-law in order to achieve a peaceful and contemplative life. It’s pretty much straight action and adventure. (Novella)

THE OTHER DREAMERS: What if… Jean-Luc and Eline were reunited? One of my favorite a/u INVOLUTION efforts. Re-edited and expanded a bit. (Novella)

ROADS NOT TAKEN: Another close-to-canon story. Jean-Luc and Guinan are sitting in a bar, discussing the events of “All Good Things” and all of the future possibilities. (Short story)

RO, RO, RO YOUR BOAT: Reasonably close to canon. Brand new story about what Will Riker and Ro Laren did when they were undercover in the Maquis. (In case you haven’t read my stuff, I sheepishly and most firmly believe that there is no such thing as a baaadddd pun…) (Novella)

A.N.: Right now I have finally posted all my TNG novels, as well as the stories and novellas that Orion Press had published. They used to archive the TNG stuff, but no longer do so. All of the Orion Press stories are identified as such, and have been re-edited. Some of them have added chapters and/or additional scenes that were never in print. In many cases when I caught a factual error I corrected it since most of these stories were written before the Memory and Beta Alpha wiki websites even existed for the double checking of facts, etc. INVOLUTION was their major P/C fanzine. My stories appeared in issues 6 to 12, though what has been posted on fan fic has, for the most part been edited, expanded, and in one case, re-written.

STV:(A series, somewhat naughty but not too graphic.)

All of the VOYAGER fan fic is brand new. And I will be adding more stories along the way. I was late coming to the VOYAGER fandom due to family circumstances. Only recently (Thank heavens for NET FLIX! and now HEROES & ICONS) was I able to actually watch all the episodes in a row. I'd missed quite a few the first time around. I do mourn for what should have been with that show. At times it was as good as Next Gen. But there were so many missed opportunities. However, whenever TPTB screw things up, there is fan fic to the rescue.

As for my STAR TREK VOYAGER universe, though I enjoy reading intense, serious, well-plotted STV stories, and some of them on fan fic have been riveting, I do prefer a lighter touch now and then. Chakotay and Janeway did have a sense of humor. It seems that certain writers ignore this. So I started conceiving a series of short stories set in the Delta Quadrant with a somewhat lighthearted attitude.

SHAKEN NOT STIRRED: Tom plans a James Bond Movie night. But is ordered by the captain to find out who is stealing leola root. And why…(Story)

MEET ME TONIGHT. AT SEVEN: 7 of 9 throws a cocktail party during Tom’s Bond movie night intermission. (Story)

MAN’S BEST FRIEND: My version of a “New Earth” story. George has learned a new trick. And Chakotay is the beneficiary. (Short story)

NEVER LET A TALAXIAN PLAN YOUR WEDDING: My newest effort. Sometimes, Kathryn Janeway actually does make a mistake or three… (Finished. a/u of course. Probably my longest story yet in this universe.)

MEA CULPA: I don't know why, but for decades I have always thought that Dr. Katherine Pulaski's name was spelled with a "C" instead of a "K". I know that I am not the only author both fannish or pro, that has spelled Dr. Pulaski's name with a "C". But now that it has been brought to my attention, I will henceforth be spelling the doctor's name properly. Eventually, I will go back through all of my many fiction offerings and correct the error. New stuff from July 2018 will be spelled correctly.

MINUTIAE:

The first time ENTERPRISE aired, I only saw one or two episodes about the Suliban. Those of you who have read THE BEST LAID PLANS know that I used the Suliban as one of my major villains. Surprisingly - at least so far - nothing that I've seen contradicts what I wrote. I'm sure someone will let me know otherwise if I am in error.

Some people have asked where I came up with the idea that Jean-Luc was a Comte (Count)- a member of the French nobility. Memory Alpha has quite a bit about this. One of the "Generations" DVD features is about the Comte d'Holl and the history of the Picard family in LaBarre. The photo album that Jean-Luc rescues from the crash of the 1701-D has the family crest on the cover. It was a fairly elaborate backstory that was not used on film. It established that Jean-Luc does inherit the title on the death of Robert and Rene.

Yes, I did ‘borrow’ Mildred Krebs and Michael Murphy from one of my favorite shipper detective series, REMINGTON STEELE.

Fleet Admiral Winston Holt Wiley is an original character which is why you won’t find him listed in Memory Alpha. (Though the idea of a Fleet Admiral actually being the head of the fleet is from the US Navy rankings of admirals. And as for one of my all time pet peeves - if you give a character a rank, learn the US Navy pecking order of ranks!) The ranks are: Fleet Admiral, Admiral, Vice Admiral, and Rear Admiral, followed by Commodore and then Captain, followed by Commander, and Lieutenant Commander.

When it comes to Lieutenants and Ensigns, you are on your own. There are several proper ways of designating those ranks, including the US Navy versions, or if you are a British, the rank listings.

Other original almost-major characters include S’Rock, Ludvig, Bronislawa Olezewski and Captain Howard. Cherry Ames’ name is borrowed from one of my favorite series of young adult books. However, this character name does not reflect the original creation‘s character.

And yes, for those who asked, I do like the obscure references. Just about every throw-away ship's name, red-shirt wearing character, etc., was named as a cross-reference to some other fandom, literary or cultural citation. In AM the “Elkanah Kent’ name for example, was originally used in NORTH & SOUTH, the mini-series. If you like to play the Kevin Bacon name game, N&S can be connected to ST any number of ways from James Read being Jaffen in STV to being Pierce Brosnan’s fellow detective in REMINGTON STEELE. And then Pierce, of course, was Rory Manion to Kate Mulgrew’s Rachel in MANIONS OF AMERICA. Which also starred Linda Purl who has been Stephanie Zimbalist’s business partner… Well, you get the idea.

The only time I used a reference to any of the Pocketbook novels is my use of the encounter between Jean-Luc Picard and a very young science officer named Kathryn Janeway. Otherwise, the novels are ignored. (Not because I dislike the pro novels. Some of them are brilliant though a lot of them are not. It’s just that when it comes to consistency, too many plots or details in the novels contradict established tv or movie canon, and in some cases, even the facts established in other novels. So, as far as I am concerned, a fan fic writer can just pick and choose what they want to use or ignore when it comes to the books…)

All of my writings are mirror-imaged on archive of our own though the “M” material is published unedited there. The toned down version is on Fan Fic. (As many a writer or reader has discovered on fan fic, one writer’s “M” story is another writer’s “G”.)

I will try never to post anything that isn't completed. Or close to being completed. One of my pet peeves is reading a story and then discovering that it was never finished.

OTHER FANDOMS:

Those who know me, know that I’ve been writing fan fiction for decades. Besides the ST universes, I’ve written and/or/published stories in fanzines for REMINGTON STEELE, BEAUTY & THE BEAST (CBS 1990s), X FILES and THE EQUALIZER. Eventually when I have the time, or if I retire, I will be posting all of these novels and stories on line.

My main fandoms have always been the Star Treks: The Original STAR TREK, STAR TREK THE NEXT GENERATION, STAR TREK DEEP SPACE 9, STAR TREK VOYAGER, and STAR TREK ENTERPRISE. And now, the new STAR TREK DISCOVERY plus all the movies. I like the ORVILLE. It is not STAR TREK, but some episodes have been fun. And the ORVILLE's quality impressively improved toward the end of the first season.

I’ve also liked BABYLON 5, CASTLE, FIREFLY, all the STARGATES, FARSCAPE, SHERLOCK(Cumberbatch, Miller & Liu or Irons), ELEMENTARY, LUCIFER, THE GOOD WIFE, DESIGNATED SURVIVOR, JUSTIFIED, WHITE COLLAR, RIZZOLI & ISLES, THE CLOSER, BLUE BLOODS, MAJOR CRIMES, FRANKLIN & NASH (Mainly because Gates McFadden has been a guest star judge on the show), LUTHER, all the MORSEs including INSPECTOR LEWIS and ENDEAVOUR, THE LAST DETECTIVE, BEING HUMAN (SYFY & BBC), POLDARK (Both BBC Versions), BEING HUMAN (BBC), DOWNTOWN ABBEY, VICTORIA, LOST, X FILES, TORCHWOOD, GRIMM, the Swedish miniseries MILLENIUM trio and ANNIKA BENGSTROM, etc. I finally decided - I like TIMELESS. It may not be brilliant, but the it is fun, and I am looking forward to the movie finale.

MABB5:

Those who really know me know that I’m an evil twin that’s been masquerading as the good twin. Or, as a clever few of you have suspected, there actually are just two evil twins out there…

Let’s just say that I grew up in the SF and ST fandoms. I’ve been to many World SF cons. I was even at the first and second ST con in New York. This also means that I’ve been in fandom and have been writing fan fic for decades. I’ve gaffiated for years when real life interfered. But I always came back.

I’ve made many a friend in fandom. Some of those friendships still exist in the real world. And some of those friends have been true friends for more than 50 years.

I do regret the passing of fanzines. (AKA fan-fic unplugged!) For one thing, fanzines provided a place for artists to display their efforts. The internet just isn‘t a replacement though I have been noticing a few great classic fanzine covers being used as avatar images now.

But the main thing that fanzines provided was a training ground for would-be professional writers. Beta readers are well and good. But far too few writers on the net use them. At least fanzine writers had an editor. I can always tell when I’m reading fan fic, the difference between the writers that really want to learn how to write; and those that think that whatever they type is perfect and needs no improvement or corrections. The best writers are always trying to improve their skills, doing research, etc. I know that in certain fandoms, some pro writers still write their fan fic. If you’re a fan fic writer, you understand the power of obsessions.

On the other hand, the freedom of the internet is, in many ways, an amazing, liberating advancement. Like many a writer when I was publishing fanzines, after the printed copy was hot off the presses and being held in my grubby little hands (You try getting mimeograph ink out from under your fingernails!), of course the first thing I’d notice are the mistakes. There are always mistakes. If there is anything that I’ve learned over the years is that you never notice all of the errors, even if you proofread the story a hundred times. And then, even after you ask your friends to proof it as well, the first errors will crop up when published. But on fanfic you can correct those problems. And for those of us who remember getting woozy when using liquid paper to correct errors, the ability to do so with minimal fuss has been a long time coming. And it is relished.

MY CRITIQUES: If you write, you need feedback. And when I read a story, I do try to provide it. Trust me, I understand where Sally Field was coming from when she won her Oscar and cried, “You like me!”

I will always publicly post a positive or neutral critique. If I like you, I will write please write more in my review. If I really like you, I will beg you to please write more and soon.

My personal policy is that if I have a negative criticism whether it be for a technical reason such as grammatical or consistent spelling errors, misuse of words or personal/plot wise problems such as how could you do that!!!, I will not publicly post it. I will send you a private message explaining my criticism.

I have run across people whose criticisms of my works seem to be based upon regional writing style differences. Often this seems to boil down to which grammar book/dictionary one prefers. In short UK versus USA. (Though some times as a writer, you just have to break the rules…)

Thank you for reading. I am very appreciative of all of the reviews and comments, not to mention the 'visitor' totals for some stories that are now in the tens of thousands. And I do appreciate any feedback. Feeding the writers with reviews and comments is one way to encourage us to keep on writing and giving you something new to read in your favorite fan universes.

Live long and prosper.