Way back in 1999, during an idle moment, I fired up my word processor and started writing a story. If I had known what kind of crazy world I was about to enter, I might have hesitated. But I didn't know, and I didn't hesitate, and you know what? I would do it all again.
...and, in fact, I have.
I wrote Star Trek: Voyager fan fiction from 1999 until about 2002 or 2003. I also dabbled a little with Early Edition and Andromeda, but never wrote more than a few scenes. After Voyager's series finale and the intervention of real life, the hobby faded. I never regretted the time I spent working with fan fiction, but after a couple of years I figured that it was a chapter in my life that had been closed.
But in late 2007, I found myself playing with ideas for fan fiction again. This time, the universe was Firefly, but it wasn't long before Earth 2 got added. From there, it wasn't a very big step to begin at least thinking about the three universes where I'd worked once before. By February 2008, I was definitely back in the habit, and that's when I finally gave in and admitted it.
This led to the resurrection of my FanFiction.net page, which had lain dormant and neglected for a couple of years. Later, I created a fan fiction journal and, eventually, this site.
In real life, I'm a thirtysomething woman living in the southeastern United States. During business hours, I also live in a cubicle. I write most of my fan fiction on the weekends, but it's been known to happen during the week. I have an offline life that includes volunteering, hiking and photography. In addition, God willing, I'll be returning to school part-time in Fall 2008.
I do write original fiction. I don't post it on the Internet.
I also still write using a word processor. Most of my Voyager fic was written on a Canon Starwriter that has long since given up the ghost. These days I'm happily using an AlphaSmart Dana (non-wireless). There's a lot to be said for avoiding the temptation comes with using an Internet-capable computer.
I haven't owned a television since mid-2006. I sold the one I had when I moved 500 miles and across two state lines, intending to replace it at the new location. Nearly a year later, I realized that I'd just plain never gotten around to it. I figure that if it took me a year to even miss the silly thing, I probably don't need to spend the money to replace it.
In case you're wondering, I watch DVDs on my computer. I don't own a whole lot of those either, and I don't even remember the last time I stepped inside a movie theater.
This is not a deliberate rebellion against film entertainment. It's just a lack of interest, and I'm not sure where it came from or why it started. But it's pretty funny in light of the fact that my fan fiction choices revolve around television shows and movies.
I started using the web handle "Lady Firebird" before there even was a World Wide Web (yes, I'm old enough to remember that). It was originally a BBS nickname. It's taken from the main character of Kathy Tyers' book Firebird, which later had a sequel and then, in a revised form, was expanded into a trilogy. I'm a fan of both versions as well as much of Ms. Tyers' other work.
When it came time for me to start picking user names on the web, I discovered that "Lady Firebird" and many of its common variations were taken. However, combining a reasonable abbreviation (LF) with my then-fan fiction universe (VOY) created a username that's unique enough that I've started using it everywhere in the fan fiction world. It's not supposed to be pronounceable. It's just supposed to be unique and memorable. I think it works well.
This site is intended to be the definitive archive of my fan fiction and related work. I hand-code it using Wordpad and PHP includes, which is why most of the content here is static. The content at FanFiction.net and the journal is far more dynamic and I plan to continue updating both.
I hate spam. To that end, in addition to the blocking software on my e-mail server and client, the contact address on this site is one that I don't use for anything else. In other words, if you e-mail me, you need to include a very descriptive subject line so that it gets my attention. When I respond, I'll give you my "real" e-mail address.
The site is named The Laundry Room. It comes from that interim period when I wasn't writing fan fiction. At that point I was still writing original fiction.
I was living in an apartment without washer/dryer hookups so I had to use a laundry room located in the basement of the building next to mine. I was on the second floor of my building, which meant that doing laundry involved hauling a heavy bag or basket of clothes a fair distance. It also gave me an incentive to simply stay in the laundry room while my clothes were washing and drying, as opposed to leaving and coming back after a little while.
To pass the time I started bringing my laptop with me. This, of course, meant disconnecting from the Internet hookup in my house; and the position and surroundings kept me from being able to even find any public Wi-Fi networks, never mind signing on. So I would be down there with myself, my clothes and an unconnected laptop.
I wrote. In fact, I got quite a bit done in there. It was quiet, usually private, and distraction-free. I got to where I actually looked forward to doing my laundry a little, since laundry time meant being in a place that was conducive toward writing.
For unrelated reasons, I didn't renew my lease when the time came; instead I moved into a place that had, among other things, laundry hookups. Since the laundry room I'd used before is secured and only apartment complex residents have keys, I couldn't go back, and found myself seeking another quiet and semi-private place where I could write.
It took me a long time to do so, although I have. But I haven't yet found one quite as useful as that laundry room.
I've let my real name become associated with my web handle in the past, and I know that even now it's not particularly difficult to find out who I am. However, I'm trying to take some steps to distance that association. It's not that I'm ashamed to be a fan fiction writer; quite the reverse, actually. I'm just tired of dealing with the rather negative opinion of fan fiction that's out there. It's not deserved, but it's a reality, and distancing myself is simply a matter of accepting that reality.