User:NilaLaniera

Nila Laniera
The user name, on Wikipedia, of Maria Lucero Isabel Fernandez (b. March 14, 1974; in Flagstaff, Arizona) ; a California based retail worker with a broad and often eccentric variety of interests.

First and foremost a Star Trek fan, Maria is actively involved in writing Star Trek Fanfiction, featuring original characters created by Maria, and her co-writers. Involved in Star Trek on line Role Playing games from 1998-2005, Maria left the role playing community largely to distance herself from the negative treatment of the TV series Star Trek: Voyager, and it's characters by the majority of the online Star Trek fandom.

Also a fan of Star Wars, Maria is likewise involved in writing a series of Fanfiction stories set in a post Return of the Jedi era, 250 years after the fall of the Galactic Empire in George Lucas's original trilogy. Like her Star Trek series, these fanfics involve original characters created by Maria and her co-writers.

Maria is also a devoted fan of the British Science Fiction series, Doctor Who. She loves heavy metal rock-n-roll music, of the kind most popular in the mid 1980s. And she is also a Hockey fan, her favorite team being the Dallas Stars.

Her favorite musical group is the British progressive rock band, Marillion; formerly lead by singer/songwriter Derek Dick (known to fans as Fish).

An avid moveigoer, Maria's favorite contemporary actors are George Clooney, Monica Bellucci, Kate Beckinsale, Ewan McGregor, Viggo Mortensen, and Cate Blanchett.

But, she actually prefers older films; and expecially silent era comedies featuring her idol, Mabel Normand.

Although legally single, Maria is in a long-term relationship with a man with whom she has a young daughter, Rachael Miral. The victim of three incidents of sexual harassment and on-line stalking, Maria is fiercely protective of her privacy and will not reveal her home address or phone number, even to her closest friends. Likewise, she will not display her photograph on line, or that of her daughter, under any circumstances.

A graduate of UCLA, Maria originaly considered dropping out of college but was inspired to finish her education and work towards becoming a computer programming engineer by the character of B'Elanna Torres on Star Trek: Voyager. As a result Maria is very protective of Torres when it comes to how she is discussed in fangroups and in on-line discussion forums.

An Atheist, Maria is actively involved in Atheist and Agnostic causes and is a liberal Democrat.

Vital Statistics

 * Full Name: Maria Lucero Isabel Fernandez
 * Nicknames: Ri, Ria, Maluisa
 * Birthdate: March 14, 1974
 * Birthplace: Flagstaff, Arizona
 * Nationality: American
 * Heritage: Latina
 * Height: 6' 1"
 * Weight: 147 lbs.
 * Hair: Dark brown (often died or tinted red or blonde)
 * Eyes: Black
 * Parents: Deceased (d. May 4, 1984 - automobile accident)
 * Children: 1 daughter - Rachael Miral Fernandez (b. August 12, 2004)

Trivia

 * Maria drives a burgundy red 2005 Ford Taurus. She bought it to replace her beloved rust-orange Dodge Neon that she wrecked in a single car accident on June 19, 2005.


 * Maria has studied Mo Tai kickboxing since 1997.


 * On September 11, 2001, Maria picked a fight, in a parking lot with a man who was displaying a Confederate Flag as a show of patriotism in the wake of the terrorist attacks earlier that day.


 * Although never a member of the USS Galaxy on-line Role Playing Simulation, Maria considers it the best of that genre and bases her writing style on the stories archived at the Galaxy website; all of which she has read.


 * The most prominently featured characters in Maria's stories: Chief Engineer T'Prala Marquez, and Flight Control Officer Baxala Sodi in her Star Trek series, and Starship Captain Oyani Tala in her Star Wars series, are all based to some degree on B'Elanna Torres.