Mayo Lucas

I invented fan fiction. Yes, I did. At age 12, I wrote my first book based on the characters and premise of the old TV western, Wagon Train. Soon I was writing “episodes” for other shows I liked, and reading them aloud to my best friend and bus mate on the way to school each morning. The stories were all a bit smarmy—perfect for two teenaged girls. I was already a voracious reader of all things Victorian--Austen, the Bronte sisters, …