April 2004

I'm positive that everyone reading this has seen Viper's name in Pan, whether it's promoting one of his many novels, posting in one of his many characters, or partaking in some of the contests and fun around Pan. He's a great asset to our community, and I was very fortunate to be able to ask him a few questions so that we can all get to know this intriguing member just a little better.

Q: Tell us a little bit about yourself.

I’m a 28 year old Commander and First Officer from Earth. I come from a well-to-do family that I disowned (for personal reasons) ten years ago. I changed my name to Viper and joined the military. I moved up through the ranks to where I am now. I was transferred from my last assignment as a weapons officer to the IPA Independence to be their Chief Weapons officer. After the loss of our first captain, I was promoted to Commander and became the First Officer.

And just which split personality would you like to know? I have so many that I sometimes don’t know who I am. I’m also a weapons officer turned first officer, a Cardassian dissident, a pirate, a supply sergeant, an engineer, a merchant, a medical officer, a relic hunter, a professor… *looks at long list* Well, I think you get the picture.

Q: Why did you join PH? Have you ever done any online writing before in another community like AS? Have you ever done any other writing outside of cyber communities, such as poetry, journals, or anything for professional publication or personal enjoyment?

When I joined back in December of 2002, I was looking for a place to hone my writing skills and develop those I didn’t have. I tried a few other sites, and the various Yahoo! sites that cater to writers. There was too much NOT going on I lost interest in them. One day, I did a search for online writing communities and I found Pan Historia. It looked interesting and thought I would try it out. Now, I’m here everyday. And at the risk of sounding a bit corny (well, more than usual), it’s my home inside my home. The only other writing I have done outside of college is in personal journals and for personal enjoyment.

Q: What is your favorite novel, reference book, or a particular area of Pan?

Well, let's see. I would have to say that it is the MY BOOKS page. It's the only way I can keep up with my characters. *chuckles* But, seriously... I spend my time on the Dailies Page everyday, checking out the 'goings on' on Pan as well as hitting the daily posts, before going to my various novels. Beyond that, I live in the SciFi Genre.

Q: Do you write in any of the novels here?

Should I give you the list of those I don’t write in? LOL I write in quite a few novels here. Some more than others. Of course, there is Beyond the Stars, Adventures of the Frontier, Interstellar Geographic, A Dream of Vesuvius, The Relic Hunters, Survivor! Pan Historia, Highlander, By the Shadows of Dawn, and Amore Mortale to name a few.

Q: Are you a MoB in any novels? What is your favorite aspect of that? What do you find the most challenging?

I am, under different characters, a MoB in four novels. I love being a MoB. I love the challenges it throws at me. It’s an awesome and sometimes daunting task. I am in different genres which makes them challenging to me. But, I guess the most challenging is getting a story together that people want to write and making room for their characters. Along with that is trying to make everyone happy, and knowing that it’s impossible. It’s not always easy.

Q: What are your greatest accomplishments, either in RL on here at PH?

Hands down! That would definitely be graduating from college - the first in my family to graduate. On Pan and in RL, I would also say actually writing for ‘public’ consumption. I’ve never been confident about my writings. For me to put them out for all to see, well, that is an accomplishment in its own right.

Q: If you could be any famous person in the world (past or present, fictional or real), what would you be?

Now, there’s the rub. I am currently someone famously fictional. Or is that fictionally famous? And that is hard enough to keep up with. I have found it very constraining to be someone whose character is already defined. While I have a lot of freedom in writing him, there are those barriers that have already been set that I don’t feel right crossing.

I find that I have more leeway with my own creations (or did they create me?). I can redefine all my characters to be anything I want them to be in one novel, regardless of what other novel they might be in.

Oh, did you mean in RL? LOL Sorry, well to answer THAT question… with all these split personalities having split personalities – who has time to be someone famous?

I think that just about says it all!