Fan fiction questions from a newbie

[Ebony AKA AngieJ]

Hey, Sarah!  You've stumbled upon one of my two favorite topics...

--- In HPFGU-OTChatter at y..., "Horst or Rebecca J. Bohner" 
<bohners at p...> wrote:
> All the fics I would most enthusiastically recommend to you (except 
for Zsenya and Arabella's wonderful "After the Fall", mentioned in 
Heidi's message) are linked from my Author page at FF.net.  

Isn't the fic called "After the End"?  Also, their ff.net handle for 
that story is SugarQuill, I think...

Speaking of which, a great source for Ron/Hermione romantic 
plot/subplot fiction is http://www.sugarquill.com .  Not really my 
cup of tea, but I visit from time to time--it's an excellently 
designed and maintained site.

I've been reading Harry Potter fanfiction for well over a year now, 
discovering ff.net long before I knew there was a such thing as HP 
online discussion groups for adult fans.  Since then I've read 
thousands of fics... and they run the gamut.

I usually find it most helpful recommend Harry Potter fanfiction by 
author--if I like one thing the writer wrote, usually I like their 
writing, period.  

My personal fanfic reading preferences are post-Hogwarts, H/H, and/or 
Draco-sympathetic... but some of my very favorite authors find those 
positions anathema.  So while I love Heidi's recommendation of 
joining fanfic-centered egroups, I can also tell you about some 
writers whose fics are not necessarily featured on any of them.

These are the authors I most often recommend.  Not all of them are on 
my personal favorites list, but whenever a "Harry Potter Fanfiction 
Best Of..." conversation comes up, these names are often mentioned.

Lori (mystery, post-Hogwarts, H/H... widely considered the fandom's 
best post-Hogwarts fic)
Viola (WWII, young Tom Riddle, McGonagall, Dumbledore)
Alicia/Sue (humor, post-Hogwarts)
Crazy Ivan (humor, post-Hogwarts)
Penny&Carole (Siriusfic, post-Hogwarts)
Cassandra Claire  (Dracofic, AU Hogwarts--Years 6 and 7... widely 
considered the fandom's best Dracofic, and is definitely the most 
read HP fanwriter online)
wotan (light romances, H/G, R/H, and H/H)
Dadgrid (post-Hogwarts, books-are-real scenario, kiddie fic)
rave (MWPP Siriusfic)
George Weasley's Girlfriend (twin-centered fics)
Morrighan (twin-centered and Snape-centered fics)
Al (Dracofics, slash humor)
heidi tandy (Dracofic, alt. PoV Hogwarts--Years 3, 4, and 5)
parker (light romance, H/H)
Amanita Lestrange (humor, wit/parody)
yael (AU Hogwarts, post-canon melodrama)
Sarah Rettger (light romance, F/A)
B Bennett (humor, light romance, R/H and H/G)
Barb LP (Harryfic, AU Hogwarts--Year 5 in progress, 6&7 planned)
Rhysenn (slash and angst, mostly Harry/Draco but not exclusively)
Hyphen (MWPP humor--my *favorite* is "A Rat's Tale:  O Come All Ye 
Faithful)
Blaise (MWPP angst--over a year in the fandom, perhaps some of the 
best Snapefic around)
w&m_law (light romance, D/G)
WolfieTwins (MWPP angst--their *Call of the Wild* is widely 
considered the fandom's best Remusfic)
lone astronomer (excellent Charliefic in progress)
Starlight (perhaps the most UNDERRATED author in HP fandom... her 
*Harry Potter and the Jade Dragon* is the most well-researched fic 
I've ever read, as it is set entirely in China!)

Also worth noting are Zsenya, Arabella, Elanor Gamgee, Thing1, 
Tropical Fishy, R.J. Anderson, Taliafisher, METMA Mandy, RagePoint, 
Camille, Samantha, Rex, and Sirius.  All of them are very good 
writers with quite loyal fan bases.  

I also can recommend writers by category, shipper/slasher preference, 
etc.  This is because last summer I did three things:  1) teach 
summer school, 2) search for an apartment, and 3) read fanfic.  I'm 
almost positive I've glanced at just about every ff.net HP index page-
-I check ff.net's HP section every day just after I finish checking e-
mails.  People complain about the so-called slush pile, but as an 
English teacher, there's a lot I can tolerate.

Glad to see a new convert to the Harry Potter fanfiction world!  Like 
any other fandom, we have our unfortunate camp rivalries (^_^)  but 
we also have a lot of fun.  Welcome!

--Ebony AKA AngieJ