How Silbrith got into fanfiction

Without fanfiction and Penna's encouragement, I would have been like so many others—spinning stories in my head but never taking the time to write them down.

I'd first been attracted to White Collar by its engaging characters, quirky humor, and dazzling New York settings. When I saw the pilot episode where a character misquoted Allen Ginsberg and the mystery was a witty blend of the world of art with white-collar crime, I was hooked. The series reminded me of works by some of my favorite mystery writers: Edmund Crispin, Rex Stout, and Dorothy Sayers. In 2013 during a summer hiatus from new episodes, I started reading White Collar fanfiction. The freedom which fanfiction provides for writers to create and experiment without publishing hassles I found immensely appealing. I was in the midst of shedding a major work responsibility and used fanfiction to decompress. As I read what others were writing, my own ideas began to spark and I started jotting down notes.

Then I discovered Penna's works. The richness of the world she was creating in Caffrey Conversation and her skill as a writer impressed me so much that I wrote her, asking her if she needed any help. Her work was already so polished, I didn't expect her to take me up on the offer, but I thought she might like a pair of extra eyes for proofreading. Much to my surprise and delight, she was quite willing to give it a whirl. I started off by helping her edit and acting as research assistant, but we quickly discovered we have a mutual love for tossing plot bunnies back and forth—something we call bunnyball. Yes, writers need a sport, too. In March 2014, I wrote her about an idea I had for Neal to go to grad school. She challenged me to write a story around it, and the result was my first fic, Complications.

Penna awakened a love of writing in me that had long lain dormant. Thanks to her amazingly patient mentoring, she coaxed me through those early angst-ridden moments of a fledgling writer and kept me from giving up. Having Penna as a writing partner has been a magical experience, and I'm having more fun than I dreamed possible in playing in the Caffrey Conversation sandbox with her.