Interview With... a Nominee!

As some of you may already know, we have plans to interview nominees, nominators and random shippers and share these with all of you. We're planning on making this a weekly thing, but that all depends on how many shippers want to volunteer*.

Now, onto this week's interview with... ScruffyLovin!

1. What is your (pen)name? 

ScruffyLovin; formly not_a_zatarc.

2. Where do you live? 

Rhode Island, US.

3. How long have you been a shipper? Straight from the first episode or did it take you a while? 

Unfortunately, I discovered SG-1 very late in the game. I believe it was just before season 9 or 10 began, but I’d been watching reruns on Syfy after school and immediately found a connection between Sam and Jack, then quickly started shipping them. I think “Solitudes” really got me into it.

4. The reason for this interview is that you and/or your work have been nominated for a Sam and Jack Multimedia Award 2014: were you even aware of the awards prior to receiving news of your nomination?

No.

Solitudes

5. How do you feel about being nominated for a/multiple fan award(s)? 

Both surprised and flattered.

6. Have you ever won a similar award for any of your fan work? 

Not that I can remember.

7. How many fan works have you made and how long would you say it takes you on average to make one? Is there a lot of planning involved? 

I mostly write, but I’ve also made icons, wallpapers, and fan vids in the past. I write quite a bit, and on average it usually takes me a while to complete a work of fiction. Depending on the length of the story, of course.

Short stories around 10 pages or less can take me anywhere from a day to a couple days, and longer fics often take me years. I’m not much of a planner, honestly. It usually starts with a basic idea or scene that won’t get out of my head, then I make a few notes and get started, often winging it along the way.

8. Do you have any tips for beginning writers/artists/vidders? 

All I can say is that if you love doing it, keep doing it, no matter what anyone says. The more you keep at it, the more you’ll improve. Don’t take negative comments to heart or let them discourage you.

At least for me, writing is one of those things I do for myself, not for other people. If other people get enjoyment out of it, that’s great and it makes me feel good about what I do. But it’s not going to deter me from doing what I love if others don’t like it.

9. How ‘involved’ are you with the ship and when did you first learn of the fandom? Do you also belong to boards/forums and do you participate there or are you more of a lurker? 

I used to be super involved in the fandom, constantly participating in forum discussions and joining LJ communities left and right.

Not so much anymore, unfortunately. Other fandoms have taken over my time and my brain, and as much as I will always have a place in my heart for SG-1 and SamJack in particular, it’s hard for me to keep being excited about a fandom that has faded so drastically from the media. It just saddens me that my favorite on-screen ship will probably never get to develop any further except in the minds of dedicated fans.

10. Does real life (RL) and creating fan work leave any time for you to enjoy other people’s work? If so, do you have a preference for reading fic, admiring art or watching vids? 

I’m all about the fanfic. I love reading, and having visuals through other people’s artwork and videos is awesome and inspiring as well.

11. How long have you been enjoying fanworks of this ship? Could you give an estimate of how many and doo you have any favorites you would like to share with your fans? 

I’ve been reading SJ fic and admiring other works of art for this pairing for about ten years. I’d have to say I’ve probably read hundreds, if not thousands of fics and watched dozens of videos. No idea!

Some of my favorite SJ stories come from authors: LetitiaRichards, Flatkatsi, Kellifer, JackieONeill Nut, and Bixata. There are many more, but my list would be way too long! There are just so many great SJ writers out there.

12. Have you nominated anyone else or their work for an award or are you planning to do so later? 

No, I haven’t.

13. What’s the appeal of the ship for you? 

Partially unrequited love? Star-crossed lovers? I’m not entirely sure other than to say that Sam and Jack just fit together.

14. Are Sam and Jack your so-called One True Pairing (OTP) or do you dabble with other ships (either in SG-1 or other fandoms) as well? 

They were my OTP in any fandom for the longest time, but I’ve sort of moved on from there. They are still definitely at the top of the ship list, though. Absolutely my Stargate OTP, without a doubt.

15. What do you think of your competition (so far)? Were you already familiar with them and their work prior to the nominations? 

I haven’t really scoped out the competition yet, but there are so many great authors out there that I think it’s going to be tough.

Nominations

At the moment of publishing this interview, ScruffyLovin has been nominated for a fanfiction award in Best Alternate Universe for her story As Long as She's Smiling:

The Changeling

Takes place in The Changeling firemanverse. Jack knows that everything will be okay as long as she's smiling at him. Established SJ.

Make sure to check out ScruffyLovin's fanfictions and feel free to nominate any or all of them for other categories (as long as they're eligible) or nominate the author herself for Best Author. 

Stay tuned for more interviews with others and feel free to contact us if there are additional questions you'd like us to use in our interviews.



* If you are a 'random shipper' and want to volunteer then please get in touch with us! Nominees and nominators will be contact automatically, unless they have indicated they do not wish to be contacted for promotional purposes.