AUTHOR OF THE MONTH

Blue Yeti

by The Humble Mosquito

I made an interesting discovery this month: I’m the editor and, therefore, get to choose the assignment I want. And this month I definitely wanted to do Author of the Month. Do you know why? Because I’d finally get to sit down – keyboard to keyboard – with cult favourite Blue Yeti. (Okay, I talk to her practically every day, and I recently sent her parents a letter but you know what I mean. I genuinely was excited about this.)

I got the opportunity to ask perhaps my best friend in fandom all kinds of rude and intrusive questions, like her PIN and her honest opinion on my wings.

(1518. And she says ‘They are absolutely spiffy. Such a lovely sheen you've always got on them, they sparkle when they catch the light,’ in case anyone cares. Incidentally, she also claimed to be a forty-two year old man named Alan, but we won’t go into that.)

Blue Yeti, or Yeti – as everyone who hasn’t been living under a fandom rock calls her – entered the fandom way back in 2003. “It was a fluke, actually. A 'friend' of mine had been ranting about AF, and, in my patronising way, I decided to buy AF (only because I found a signed copy of it) so that I could pat her on the head and look like I cared.”

In over three years Blue Yeti has racked up thirty-three fics at FanFiction.net, although she assures me that there are fourty-seven in total, including drabbles. At last year’s Orion Awards she scooped an impressive four awards (Best Angst, Best Drama, Best Short, and Best Work In Progress Chaptered). She approaches this in a slightly unexpected way.

“Primarily I felt *odd* to get recognition. I got awards for fics which, personally, I am not happy with or proud of. It made me ...acknowledge that I'm my own harshest critic. MQYM and BoaF would be the fics I am least happy with, for personal reasons, and it's pretty cool to realise that they're what everyone else think are brilliant.”

Her own favorite among her work is, perhaps, a little surprising: “No one will agree with me, but Aquarium. It was a wonderful experience to write. I spent a week and a half where that was all I thought about, and I put so much energy and consideration into it that it made my week brilliant. I finished it at 4am, when I was getting on a plane to New Zealand at 7.30 the next day.” She admits, though, that she might be a little fickle in that respect. “I'm learning all the time, and I hate anything which is old enough that I can look back on it and start writing lists of everything I could do better.”

In fact, she goes on to state that she’s not even particularly proud of anything written in what could probably be described as her golden era. “Most of mine actually cause an 'urgh! oh God!' reaction, mainly because of plotholes (in the plot, or the characters) and a lack of research.”

I think, in a way, this sums up a lot about Yeti of recent years… she dismisses some of the most popular fics around, and instead draws attention to a low-profile, recent story. In her years in fandom, her attitude towards popularity has changed somewhat. “I like to believe that I have a reputation. I did have a reputation once, long ago, and it was a pretty good one,” she says. “Somewhere along the line I got distracted by

doing things *my* way (which my highschool teachers will attest to) and so I set out to be 'controversial'.”

Yeti continues this thought when I ask her if she’s given up some of the success that her talent perhaps warrants by going against the grain… by writing things that the average Artemis Fowl fan is not overly interested in. “I write what *I* want to write. If someone were to sit me in front of a computer and tell me to write H/A action/adventure I could do it. I would hate doing it though, and it would probably end up dark, apocalyptic and smutty in spite of their best efforts.”

I asked a question that had been bothering me for some time with regards to her writing: Does she secretly enjoy flames? (I draw attention in particular to Frigid, a vulgar – yet highly amusing – satire that seems to almost demand flames.) “Um, yes, I do. Some of the time.”

Yeti went onto to talk about the flames she received for the groundbreaking one-shot, My Queer Young Mind which pairs Artemis with a male OC named Dana. At the time, slash was something that maybe readers at fanfiction.net were not quite ready to accept. “If I get a homophobic, slamming flame for something because 'OMG! you made Arty gay, you sick [beepbeepbeep]!', well, it reminds me of some rather angsty years, and I wonder where on the net they've been hanging out that I'm the worst they've seen.”

Despite its 64 reviews and two Orion Awards, Yeti still refuses to acknowledge that she is proud of it. “I dislike the mental process which Artemis goes though, and the fact that it's very... succinct,” she announced to my surprise. “No one gay, or bi, or straight works it out in twenty minutes, so I don’t like having written a portrayal like that.”

It’s interesting, then, to note that MQYM was written before Yeti was aware of her sexuality, because she does admit that being lesbian has had some bearing on her tendency to write slash. “Slash is the easy one, because there is no self-insertion at any point along the line. I don't have to squish myself out of the fic, somehow, which can happen when writing het or femslash.” She later described “Artler” – Artemis/Butler – as her One True Pairing.

Another incredibly popular story – or at least, it was at the time – is Birds of a Feather. It took the Best Work in Progress Chaptered fic at the Orions, but once again, its writer slams in for its inadequacies. The idea – which she describes as “cliché” – came to her just a couple of days after she read the first book. “BoaF certainly wasn't my first fanfic idea, and it wasn't the first story I wrote, but it *was* the first which I wrote as a 'flash fic'. I got the idea, and started writing it twenty minutes later.”

So: why is it still not finished? “I am so unhappy with BoaF that I can no longer end it as it was originally intended. So not only do I need to smooth over plotholes from the original chapters, but they actually *no longer work*. So, I'm starting from the beginning.”

Sadly, though, much of the story’s readership might have departed by the time she gets it sorted. The same can be said for the friends who were around when she was writing prolifically. Most notably, the PIC (Partners in Crime), who provided the backdrop for a creative explosion of ideas and fandom-firsts that many of us can only look back on in envy. And so I challenge her: has she missed the boat? “Of course not. I'm in a new generation of my generation of writers. The PIC was my 15 yr old generation, the Orioners are my now generation of writers. However, it does make me feel *old* occasionally. And unsuccessful, really, because BoaF will be four years old, and unfinished, when it hits September 10th.”

It was as a point of collective pride that I inquired – with as much fake nonchalance as I could muster – which generation was superior in her opinion. Brace for it… “The older ones aren't as good.”

(Yes! High-fives all round.)

“Back in the days of the PIC we were writing firsts. There weren't yet any benchmarkers to better. Stardust Firebolt wrote the first H/A novel, and the first H/T fic, but compared to AgiVega she's not as good. Because Agi had more background to come from. So the 'good' or great fairy fics were not as inventive as something which Dim Aldebaran or The White Lily writes now.”

Many of her cult-following (myself included) turn up like sheep for every update, and so I decided it was about time we all found out exactly what will be hitting the not-so-big screens in the coming months. So, prepare to take notes... “42 has now been split into one novella (in which I closet Artemis and Butler into a few large rooms and hope they get together), and one series (in which I write all the pretty Butler!backstory fics that have been itching at me for years. 42 has a 96-person Butler family tree, so it's pretty... obsessive.

“Holika is an Angeline-centric story in which she meets the fairies as a child, it uses a lot of Indian myths and background.”

It was sort of mandatory that I asked her about her now infamous WIP, JAB, which – for the benefit of anyone who’s been cut off from the Web for the last six months – refers to a love triangle between Juliet, Artemis, and Butler. JAB might actually be named 'Jack of Hearts', but, you know, it might not be. “It's a Smallville crossover novel-length (why yes, I *am* masochistic), and the original intention was to create a working, loving Juliet/Artemis/Butler threesome.”

Not one for the kids. And neither is the fic for which she reserves the most enthusiasm. “I'm most excited about Prostitute!Holly fic (tentatively titled The Hollow Men). It's an extremely challenging idea.”

As for other fandoms, she admits to being in a certain amount of awe towards the Smallville writers, some of whom she identifies as the ‘Golden Age.’ “Brilliant AUs, creative worlds, and an interesting situation in that the 'future' of the world is know, through other Superman canon, and so the authors have to be a lot more creative about where they go with that.” However, she has not taken the plunge of writing in it as of yet. “I read in fandoms where I am severely outclassed, and I am extremely good at spying out brilliant stories. This way I only read fics which wow me, and spark ideas…”

For the most part, then, we seem to have managed to hold onto the beast. “Aside from a few Dark is Rising drabbles, Chrestomanci is as far as I have strayed. It's got a central character who is egotistical, dark haired, and has lots of very good reasons to be that way. Notice the pattern?”

She says that the reason she’s still here has a lot to do with friends: “If there are friendships and networks of people talking to each other (about Mozzie/Gus, or about fics, or nitpicking canon) the entire experience is based around those friendships.” (It took an incredible amount of self-discipline to include a quote with the term ‘Mozzie/Gus’ in it, believe me.) “So far I haven't really made any good friends there, so there isn't anyone who is making me meet my promises. (Like annoying, buzzing mosquitoes who know too much about my life.)”

Original fiction, then? “Yes and no. Holika, which I told you about, could easily be manipulated into being an original novel. But I'm not sure if I want to sacrifice what I could get by writing it as 'fandom' (the interactions with betas, the poking holes in canon magic to try and [make] my interpretation fit). I love writing within fandom too much to give it up for what seems to be a more solitary venture.”

She told me that she thought she was a few years off from being able to write a novel for adults, which was her eventual aim. So, those of you who can’t wait to see her in print shouldn’t hold your breath.

Over the years Yeti has had some spectacular hits, and – occasionally – some less than spectacular hits. So, what makes the difference between a flop and a success? What tips can someone with her experience give the rest of us?

“Experiment. Don't be scared to follow ideas further than you think they might otherwise go. Don't think that you have to be restricted by following the formula and style which Colfer has given us, because it won't necessarily work for you. And about the most useful thing I've done is pick up a few of the better writing help books. They're written by people who are better than me.

“Research! Research! Research! I don't mean actually check all of your facts (not unless you want to) but picking up books on Irish mythology, maps of Paris, and surfing wikipedia brings ideas and a level of detail and depth to stories.”

---

You know, as I thought about how to write this article – and I thought for a long, long time – the thing that struck me most was that I had no way to end… no way to sum up this brilliant writer and my dear, dear friend. And then it hit me: I can’t. Not on my own, and so I have recruited some help from friends. Now, I tried to track down some of her older friends, but it was too difficult and I was too lazy, and I feel like a bit of a failure for only getting one of her less recent friends to contribute. It should be noted, however, that I managed to get Gus to express some emotion, so I think I’m even. (For those of you who don’t know, Gus has no feelings.)

Yeti is an angel who does a very bad job of hiding herself in blue fur.
    --Dim Aldebaran

A brilliant writer, the goddess whom I have tried to emulate since she unknowingly drew me into the Artemis Fowl fandom, and a lifelong friend.
    --The White Lily

Yeti's the one who really got me started on deeper themes in writing, and she's been a real inspiration- Ah heck, I'll keep it short and simple. She rocks. Period.
    --Black Knight

Yeti is very backwards for a snow'woman, as she is not at all abominable. I hope she continues to grace the fandom with her pleasant madness for many years to come!
    --Fairy Hunter

I find it difficult to convey my emotions, but Blue Yeti was one of the first authors I encountered at fanfiction.net, almost three and a half years ago. I will always remember her, and the way she introduced new concepts to the Artemis Fowl fandom.
    --Gus

To me, Yeti is like a great, legendary creature that has so much Writing Talent it would make your head spin around three times and turn blue, so all the towns people are scared of her, but she turns out to be really friendly and huggable so you take her home, give her a bath, and teach her how to tie shoe-laces.
    --Annoying Schizoid

Liz: Writer. Slasher. Genius. Mum.
    --Nallasariel the Weeper

Yeti is an amazing writer, an even better procrastinator, completely insane, and quite possibly the best friend I could ask for.
    --Kitty Rainbow

If we were soldiers, it’d be an honor to serve; if we were pilots, it’d be an honor to fly; if we were alcoholics, it’d be an honor to get drunk with you; if we were married, it’d be an honor to live with you. As it is, it’s an honor to read you, an honor to manipulate you, and – most of all – an honor to know you.
    --Infant Deity

There’s a saying at Criminality; it’s one of the ritual things we say to new members… Do Not Feed or Pet the Yeti. Personally, I think she’s earned a hot meal and a hug.

---

(As it was only possible for me to include a fraction of the material covered in the interview in this article, I have cleaned up the transcript and made it available for you all.)

And to see Yeti’s recommendations of the best fics from her first generation…