The new book (Frontier Magic, Book 2, Title To Come) is progressing slowly. Partly because of the perversity of the characters.
First, one of my important-but-offstage-for-a-while characters decided to be stingy about writing letters. With some reason, I admit, but if I can’t get him started corresponding again, there’s a whole great wodge of planned-for plot later on that is going to look as if it’s coming out of nowhere. Unless…hmm…now, that might work. It’ll throw a monkey wrench into a bunch of other plot-plans, but that’s normal for me. We shall see when I get there.
Anyway, next one of my favorite characters informed me that he was taking the winter off to visit his sweetie. It didn’t go well, so now he’s back and in a foul mood…and there really isn’t any way to explain why. There’s no way he’s going to confide in my viewpoint character, and my viewpoint character doesn’t have enough information to piece things together on her own. So he’s just crabby, and I have to hope there’ll be some way of putting in enough clues for readers to add it up eventually.
Then one of my key new characters went on strike. She was supposed to show up right around now, to head out into the wilderness with my viewpoint character, but she utterly refused.
“I have far more important things to do than to go poking around on the frontier of some second-rate ex-colony,” she said. “Even if they do have some unusual wildlife in the area.”
“You’re supposed to get a job teaching at the college first,” I said.
“They can’t afford me,” she told me. “And I’m not interested. Now go away; I’m busy.”
So she went off to do more important stuff than be in my book, and the college had to settle for getting a different new professor, which is changing whole bunches of things and slowing things down. (For one thing, I had to stop and make up a whole ‘nother new character. Someone who would go work for this college…)
But they are setting out at last, not quite into the great unknown, but close. And there are glimmerings of plot development on the horizon. I just hope the glimmerings don’t turn out to be sheet lightning in a thunderstorm. It’s too early in the book for that. I think.
Lol. How awful to be at the mercy of such cantankerous characters! Best luck working it all out. 🙂
Chicory: She’s not cantakerous, exactly, just very sure of herself and very clear about what she thinks is important…like most of my other major characters. It’s just that this time, what’s important to her is what’s going on where she is, and not what’s going on where I want her to be.
I sure hope the characters and you can work it out. It’s tough when the characters decide where they want to go is different than where you intended. However that is what makes the stories come to life. Both my ten year old daughter, a big Harry Potter fan, and I loved this book. Can’t wait to read the next one. She loved the fact the hero was a girl. I loved the historical elements. Hope your character and you can reach some kind of compromise. Good luck
Vicky: Thanks! That particular character just isn’t coming along, but the one who’s taking her place is…no more uncooperative that my characters usually are. Which is by way of saying that the whole thing took a sideways turn in Chapter 5, and I’m beginning to worry that nothing I planned is going to happen. Which is normal for me, except that it’ll mean I’ll have to re-plot the whole third book as well as this one. Not really what I wanted to be doing with my spare time this year…
I love it when books are alive. And nothing beats an author’s face the moment they sit in front of a keyboard saying ‘they did what? But they can’t! Drat. They just did.’
Yes, even when that author is me.
I was teasing with the cantankerous comment. It’s one of those fun words I learned from my grandmother that I like to throw around.
This book is totally awesome=)! I’ve read it four times and I can’t wait for the next one! I was wondering if Eff is still going to be the viewpoint character and if uncle Earn and miss Ochiba will be making another appearance? Also I was wondering if you were done with the Enchanted Forest Chronicles, I’ld really like to see if anything happens between Daystar and Shiara. Though that short story was pretty funny! The frying pan of death was a nice touch. Sorry if I seem judgemental or offensive but I think there’s still enough ground to cover for another good book there, and it drives me crazy wondering. But its just something I wanted to put out there.
Alex – Yes, Eff will be the viewpoint for the next book. More than that, I can’t say for sure. I have some ideas about more Enchanted Forest books, but there are a whole raft of reasons why now is not the best time for me to work on them, so it will undoubtedly be a long while before there are more. But thanks for asking.
Oh, I can’t wait for this! I read THIRTEENTH CHILD last week and it made my day!
Not to give anything away, but it’s such fun reading this now that the book in question has been released!