attempting to fix Admin/Challenges issue Error: ****updated 6/4****

Please anyone.  The archive I am supporting is not small.  Though probably not the largest either.  

As you can see.  a bit too many authors and challenges to not have this function.   So please please please..  anyone.

URL to your eFiction: http://beautifulmemoirs.net/efiction
Your version of eFiction: 3.5.1
Version of PHP: 5.2.9
Version of MySQL: 4.0.21
test account: yes   login: Bella  pass: 123456

I started with this issue:

A fatal MySQL error was encountered.
Query: SELECT count(distinct uid) FROM fanfiction_authorprefs WHERE stories > 0 )
Error: (1064) You have an error in your SQL syntax; check the manual that corresponds to your MySQL server version for the right syntax to use near ')' at line 1

I edited this:

$countquery = "SELECT count(distinct uid) FROM ".TABLEPREFIX."fanfiction_authorprefs WHERE stories > 0 ".(isset($letter) ? " AND $letter" : "").")";

to this        :

 $countquery = "SELECT count(distinct uid) FROM ".TABLEPREFIX."fanfiction_authorprefs WHERE stories > 0 ".(isset($letter) ? " AND $letter" : ""); 

per the ideas posted Here --> https://efiction.org/forums/index.php?topic=6858.0

Now I am able to access the search author page while an admin. But, I am seeing the authors names duplicated numerous times.  I can click on the authors that are shown immediately but when I chose a different letter I get this error:

A fatal MySQL error was encountered.
Query: SELECT count(distinct uid) FROM fanfiction_authorprefs WHERE stories > 0 AND author.penname LIKE 'J%'
Error: (1054) Unknown column 'author.penname' in 'where clause'

the letter here...  LIKE 'J%' ...  changes with whatever letter you chose in the author search.

if when changing
this:      

$countquery = "SELECT count(distinct uid) FROM ".TABLEPREFIX."fanfiction_authorprefs WHERE stories > 0 ".(isset($letter) ? " AND $letter" : "").")";

to this:  

 $countquery = "SELECT count(distinct uid) FROM ".TABLEPREFIX."fanfiction_authorprefs WHERE stories > 0 ".(isset($letter) ? " AND $letter" : ""); 

I DO NOT remove the period at the end of the code and have it look
like this:

 $countquery = "SELECT count(distinct uid) FROM ".TABLEPREFIX."fanfiction_authorprefs WHERE stories > 0 ".(isset($letter) ? " AND $letter" : "").; 

I am able to access the search author page while an admin.  I am still seeing the authors names duplicated numerous times.  I can click on the authors that are shown immediately but when I chose a different letter I get a blank white screen.

Any help would be wonderful.

Christy