"I always heard, 'Write about what you know.' I disagree. I say, write about what you love. You can always research the rest. If you're going to live with a character and a place for months on end, you'd better love them."
Stephanie Barron, author of The Jane Austen Mysteries

About me: I've been writing since I was four years old. Wrote fiction copiously as a child, but in junior high was persuaded by an English teacher that journalism was the way to go. (I hated it.) Was convinced still later by a French lit professor that academia was my destiny. I went as far as a year of Master's work in French literature before I switched to the study of screenwriting and a Masters in Communication Arts. And here I am today: fortunate that writing is what I do for a living, ad copy and PR, technical writing and newsletters, direct mail and magazine articles...hoping all the same that it's not too late to become a published novelist.

Maybe I'll give it a shot, once I've gotten Remington Steele out of my system.

Currently reading:
Gentlemen & Players, Joanne Harris
For October book club meeting: My Name is Mary Sutter, Robin Olivera

Why I write Remington Steele: The quote from Stephanie Barron cited above says it perfectly: "Write about what you love." Well, I love Remington Steele. I've loved it from the second it premiered in 1982, instantly and forever displacing Hart to Hart from my affections. And I wanted to create what is, for me, a satisfying answer to the burning question we were left with when the lights went out on RS literally and figuratively in 1987: did Steele and Laura ever get together? And, if they got together, did they stay together?

I'm happy to report they did, at least in my imagination. The result is a series of eight Season 5 adventures (number nine is in progress) called Steele Inseparable.

Works in progress:
1) Steele Inseparable Part IX, "DoppelSteele": Her husband or the agency? Laura can only save one; she's made her choice. Now it's a battle to the death across two continents to clear the Remington Steele name and take back what's theirs from Roselli.
2) A new series, the equivalent of season 6, consisting of at minimum three stories in which Remington and Laura recoup and regroup with help from a surprising source, Remington's artistic gift is subverted for nefarious purposes, relationships with in-laws are repaired, a new addition joins the family, and Laura finds her resolve to put motherhood ahead of detective work challenged. Working title to be revealed as "DoppelSteele" wraps up.

On the back burner, for now: The first installment of a multi-part AU called Our Lips Are Steeled which takes S4's “Bonds of Steele” in a new, more satisfying direction. Working title: "The Tie Steele Binds".

About Steele Inseparable: Imagine a fifth season continuation in which Remington and Laura have resolved the conflicts that have kept them apart and committed themselves to a real marriage. Imagine them finally admitting they love each other without undergoing a radical personality change in the process (i.e. morphing suddenly into characters from a romance novel or constantly talking about their "feelings".) Add to it faithfulness to canon and all the elements we loved about RS: partnership in the agency, detective work, relevant film annotations from Remington, mystery, suspense, witty banter, fiery arguments, tender romance...but without the arms-length, will-they-or-won't-they dynamic that fueled the show (and sometimes the viewers' frustration.) In its place: love scenes!

That's Steele Inseparable in a nutshell. Emphasis on "inseparable".

The story arc picks up at "the morning after" at Ashford Castle and takes the Steeles forward from that point. While each story in the series has its own self-contained conflict and resolution, they're also connected by the master story: the Steeles' battle with the villain of the piece, Tony Roselli. The final story chronicles the journey to the final confrontation, from which only one side will emerge victorious.

The universe also contains a prequel, "Requiem in Steele Major". It's meant to fill in the gaps, as I see them, that the series' writers left in "SWAK2". It begins after the sequence in which Steele declares of the caskets, "We'll take all three" and ends just after the final scene.

The short story "Notoriously, Steele", and its sequel, "Wife of Steele", are part of the SI universe, as well. They incorporate the character development that's taken place in the series between "Perspective" and "Shadows". However, they don't--nor are they meant to--advance the SI master arc (the conflict with Roselli).

For maximum effect, the stories are meant to be read in this order:
1) Steele in Perspective
2) Steele-In-Law
3) Ancestral Steele
4) Steele in the Shadows
5) Requiem in Steele Major: The Prequel
6) Notoriously, Steele
7) Wife of Steele
8) Something Wicked This Way Steeles
9) DoppelSteele

Steele Inseparable is for the most part unswervingly faithful to the RS series canon, except for one departure. In "Steele-in-Law" I chose to have Daniel reveal a different version of Remington's beginnings than the one presented in "Steeled with a Kiss 2". It was a deliberate decision to follow an avenue with Remington's character than hasn't been done before. There are so many versions in the RS fandom as it is of Daniel's ill-fated romance with Harry's mother; I wanted to provide a new twist. So, if you find that sort of dramatic license unacceptable, you may want to avoid "Steele-In-Law" and "Ancestral Steele".

Thanks for the milestones!
02/07/10: 12,000 lifetime hits for "Steele-In-Law" (published June 19, 2008)
02/17/10: 10,000 lifetime hits for "Steele in Perspective" (published April 21, 2008)
03/20/10: 6,000 lifetime hits for "Steele in the Shadows" (published March 10, 2009)
03/28/10: 2,500 lifetime hits for "Reqiuem in Steele Major" (published June 21. 2009)
03/31/10: 7,500 lifetime hits for "Ancestral Steele" (published November 26, 2008)
05/05/10: 2,000 lifetime hits for "Notoriously, Steele" (published April 22, 2009)
05/15/10: 7,000 lifetime hits for "Wife of Steele" (published August 19, 2009)
06/06/10: 8,000 lifetime hits for "Ancestral Steele" (published November 26, 2008)
06/06/10: 13,000 lifetime hits for "Steele-In-Law" (published June 19, 2008)
06/10/10: 6,500 lifetime hits for "Steele in the Shadows" (published March 10, 2010)
07/07/10: 11,000 lifetime hits for "Steele in Perspective" (published April 21, 2008)
07/10/10: 7,500 lifetime hits for "Wife of Steele (published August 19, 2009)
08/26/10: 8,500 lifetime hits for "Ancestral Steele" (published November 26, 2008)
08/29/10: 3,000 lifetime hits for "Requiem in Steele Major" (published June 21, 2009)
09/02/10: 7,000 lifetime hits for "Steele in the Shadows" (published March 10, 2009)
09/14/10: 8,000 lifetime hits for "Wife of Steele" (published August 19, 2009)
10/03/10: 14,000 lifetime hits for "Steele-In-Law" (published June 19, 2008)
10/29/10: 8,500 lifetime hits for "Wife of Steele" (published August 19, 2009)
11/10/10: 9,000 lifetime hits for "Ancestral Steele" (published November 26, 2008)
11/24/10: 12,000 lifetime hits for "Steele in Perspective (published April 21, 2008)
11/29/10: 7,500 lifetime hits for "Steele in the Shadows" (published March 10, 2009)
01/06/11: 9,000 lifetime hits for "Wife of Steele" (published August 19, 2009)
01/15/11: 8,000 lifetime hits for "Something Wicked This Way Steeles" (published January 1, 2010)
01/17/11: 9,500 lifetime hits for "Ancestral Steele" (published November 26, 2008)
01/17/11: 2,500 lifetime hits for "Notoriously, Steele" (published April 22, 2009)
01/30/11: 3,500 lifetime hits for "Requiem in Steele Major" (published June 21, 2009)
02/06/11: 15,000 lifetme hits for "Steele-In-Law" (published June 19, 2008)
02/12/11: 8,000 lifetime hits for "Steele in the Shadows" (published March 10, 2009)
02/19/11: 8,500 lifetime hits for "Something Wicked This Way Steeles" (published January 1, 2010)
03/15/11: 9,500 lifetime hits for "Wife of Steele" (published August 19, 2009)
03/19/11: 13,000 lifetime hits for "Steele in Perspective" (published April 21 ,2008)
03/23/11: 10,000 lifetime hits for "Ancestral Steele" (published November 26, 2008)
04/01/11: 9.000 lifetime hits for "Something Wicked This Way Steeles" (published January 1, 2010)
04/25/11: 8,500 lifetime hits for "Steele in the Shadows" (published March 10, 2009)
05/10/11: 16,000 lifetime hits for "Steele-In-Law" (published June 19, 2008)
05/13/11: 10,000 lifetime hits for "Wife of Steele" (published August 19, 2009)
05/19/11: 4,000 lifetime hits for "Requiem in Steele Major" (published June 1, 2009)
05/28/11: 9,500 lifetime hits for "Something Wicked This Way Steeles" (published January 1, 2010)
06/05/11: 3,000 lifetime hits for "Notoriously, Steele" (published April 22, 2009)*
07/19/11: 10,000 lifetime hits for "Something Wicked This Way Steeles" (published January 1, 2010)
07/22/11: 9,000 lifetime hits for "Steele in the Shadows" (published March 10, 2009*
08/07/11: 14,000 lifetime hits for "Steele in Perspective" (published April 21, 2008)
08/10/11: 11,000 lifetime hits for "Ancestral Steele" (published November 26, 2008)
09/03/11: 17,000 lifetime hits for "Steele-In-Law" (published June 19, 2008)
09/10/11: 9,500 lifetime hits for "Steele in the Shadows" (published March 10, 2009)*

The asterisk (*) denotes one of the stories closest to my heart, which makes the total doubly special. Thanks, everyone!

a/o August 2011: over 90,000 total lifetime hits

The fanficnet traffic function doesn't differentiate between new and repeat readers, but it doesn't matter. I appreciate both. Thank you so much for your interest.

My favorite season: Though I count episodes from each of the first four seasons among my favorites, I prefer S4 as a whole, and, in general, above the others. There’s something particularly satisfying to me in the way in which the relationship was portrayed at that stage. A friend and fellow fan puts it very aptly: “there were such sweet assumptions of (their) relationship and tolerant affection for one another demonstrated in many ways.” I also prefer the more layered characterization of Steele, which had its roots in S3, and his more active involvement in the business.

My favorites, in no particular order:
"Grappling Steele"
"Steele Spawning"
"Premium Steele"
"Forged Steele"
"Sensitive Steele"
"Illustrated Steele"
"Steele in the Spotlight"
"Suburban Steele"
"Steele in the Running"

How much longer will I write Remington Steele? Hard to say. As long as the possible adventures of Steele and Laura continue to fire my imagination, I suppose. Considering the number of ideas that have occurred to me, that may be quite a while. I appreciate your interest in my work in the meantime, and hope that you’ve found it as entertaining and satisfying to read as it has been to write.

About my alias: I write under a nom de plume which is combined from my maternal grandparents’ first names. (I also used them, my grandparents, as characters in “Ancestral Steele”). My grandmother, because she was always so eager for the newest “books” my four-, five- and six-year-old self produced, and gave me glowing reviews for I Hate Sandy, The Witch in the Woods, The Mystery of the Green Candles and The Ghost of Oyster Cove; my grandfather, because he’s the one from whom I inherited my love of reading and any gift I may have for storytelling.

Gilbert and Madeleine--"Gib and Dutch"--these are for you.