"Wicked Youth" sighted in F&SF

[ellenkushner]

A gold doubloon to cerulean_sky, the first to sight the April/May edition of Fantasy & Science Fiction at her local newstand! I've actually had my copy for several weeks, but was waiting 'til I knew it had gone out to the general public before announcing that
MY NEW "RIVERSIDE" STORY IS NOW OUT!

It's called "'A Wild and a Wicked Youth'" and the double-quotes are because it's a line from a song*. I sent F&SF editor Gordon Van Gelder my background notes, and to my delight he printed them intact as the intro to the story in the magazine. Here they are for you now:

This story came to me in a flash in the darkness of a Waterson/Carthy concert last year, when the English folk artists let fly with their awesome rendition of the traditional outlaw ballad, "Newry Town" (also known as "The Newry Highwayman"): A young man, clearly a nice boy, "turns out to be a roving blade" and comes to a bad end while his mother cries, and everyone agrees, "There goes a wild and a wicked youth."

While the song's plotline does not really match my story's, it got me on the right path. I'd been wanting for a long time to write about the early life of Richard St. Vier, the gifted swordsman in my first novel, Swordspoint: a Melodrama of Manners. I've always known who Richard's mother was, and how he learned to fight; but it occurred to me that nobody else did, and it was time to get it down on paper.

(*The song is recorded on Waterson/Carthy's album "Fishes & Fine Yellow Sand." Here are the complete lyrics, plus notes.)

Here's my original post about the story, including links to my "process" notes for writing it, and the story's opening lines.

Here are reviews of the issue & the stories therein. The third one has a quote from my story. I have to say it was just a piece of connective material, to move from one scene to the next - but it always pays to make them more poetical.

Comments

[nohwhere-man.livejournal.com]

Picked up the F&SF issue at Potlatch (http://www.potlatch-sf.org/) last weekend and read the story yesterday. It explains a lot... although I am quite curious about the connection between St Vier's manor lord and Teresa Gray's divorce at the end of TPotTS. (Please rampant speculation about Crispin's future wife here.)

[ellen-kushner.livejournal.com]

Different family, I think: Trevelyan vs. Trevelyn. But let me think about it.

I must get back to Potlatch someday!

[dichroic.livejournal.com]

Iused to work with a guy from Newry. He'd never heard of the song, and was flabbergasted that I knew one about his home town. :-)

[usullusa.livejournal.com]

I picked up a copy of SF&F a week ago and enjoyed your story quite a bit.
I've always gotten the impression that trouble happens to Richard...

[ellen-kushner.livejournal.com]

Did I manage to reinforce that?

[rikibeth.livejournal.com]

Yes!

[usullusa.livejournal.com]

Yes, quite a bit.

[cerulean-sky.livejournal.com]

I actually didn't pick up the mag (didn't have any money on me at the time) but are you going to be doing any readings or signings in the city any time soon? I'd love to get it signed! (Once I've picked it up, of course. ;D)

[ellen-kushner.livejournal.com]

Go pick one up, and then we'll discuss.

[rikibeth.livejournal.com]

I bought mine Friday! I have been having a Busy Weekend so will likely not read it until tomorrow, but I HAVE THE NEW RICHARD ST VIER STORY.

[thumbelinablues.livejournal.com]

Oooh, thanks for the heads-up! Also, I love that song - Solas does a nice version, as well.

[yaoi-in-exile.livejournal.com]

*fairly faints*

Must not haunt this post's comments looking for spoilers, mustn't, mustn't...ohhh, when will my issue come? *epic pine*

[belledewinter.livejournal.com]

Have not been able to get my hands on it just yet, but I'm mad to. ♥

[phoenix64.livejournal.com]

I'm starting to get panicky that my issue hasn't shown up in the mail yet, and oh the irony since this was a big reason I subscribed. But if I have to get a copy at the bookstore I won't mind too much.

[ellen-kushner.livejournal.com]

I haven't gotten my subscription copy yet, either; I'm away from home right now, so I won't be able to shout when it comes. But if yours really doesn't show up, just post something on the F&SF forum at their website or something, and I'm sure they'll take care of it.

[phoenix64.livejournal.com]

It's heeeeere! My goodness that was a tortuously long wait.

Now I just have to carve out some reading time.

[rikibeth.livejournal.com]

I didn't post a review, exactly, but I did post a shout-out just now.

[ellen-kushner.livejournal.com]

Thank you!

[dryfoo.livejournal.com]

So it's a nice Sunday afternoon, I've only begun reading your story in my just-arrived F&SF, when the mistress of the house turns on the radio... and there you are, too. If you should stroll through the front door in the next few minutes, I'll be pleased and will serve tea, but I will try hard to look not surprised in the least.

[ellen-kushner.livejournal.com]

Ha! Same thing happened to me. Delia & I were getting on the Mass. Pike after our IAF meeting, I turn on the radio, and . . . there I am!

You can't make this stuff up.

[dryfoo.livejournal.com]

I don't know if you're a Firesign Theatre fan, but that puts me in mind of Babe's visit to Ralph Spoilsport Motors: while demonstrating the features of "this fabulous new car", Ralph turns on the car's radio (AM, FM, and short-wave) and eventually even television, only to find himself again and again in ads for his dealership coming out of every speaker.