What do you want me to write about TPOTS for Suvudu's "25 Years of Spectra" List?

[ellenkushner]

This month my US publisher, [Bantam] Spectra, celebrates its 25th year of publishing a truly scrumptious & distinguished array of sf & fantasy titles.  I remember how cool I thought they were when smart young SF editor Lou Aronica founded Spectra in 1985! And how I dreamed of being someday amongst them . . . . Lou & I were pals, and when I finished Swordspoint I sent it to him.  I still have his rejection letter explaining that while he loved reading the novel, it was just too "neither fish nor fowl" for him to publish as a genre novel [paraphrasing from memory here, as I'm at Clarion w/o access to my files].

So you can imagine how thrilled I was when Spectra Senior Editor Anne Groell acquired our new Riverside novel, The Fall of the Kings, for Spectra in 2002 - along with the reprint rights to Swordspoint . . . and then brought out the Swordspoint sequel, The Privilege of the Sword, in 2006.  In between, she also put my Thomas the Rhymer back into print - and in print all 4 of them remain, thanks to Spectra's generous policies.

That's what they're celebrating in their 25 Years of Spectra online; as Anne blogged on June 7th:  Over the next 25 days, we will be presenting you with a classic title or titles that appeared under the Spectra colophon in a given year, and which still remain in print today. . . .  Some of these are genuine classics. Some are books we just plain love. And some are both.

I'm honored to have books featured twice on this list - along with colleagues including Ursula K. Le Guin, Connie Willis, William Gibson, Sheri S. Tepper, Kim Stanley Robinson, Katherine Kerr, Paula Volsky, Lynn Flewelling, George R. R. Martin . . . . They've gotten each of us (or our editors) to write a little something about the works in question.  The List is here, and gets refreshed as each new one goes up over the 25 days - you'll want to keep an eye on it to see what these fine folk and more have to say about their work.

 

So the piece deliasherman  & I just wrote for them (and you)  about how we wrote The Fall of the Kings goes up tomorrow, June 30th (along with Robin Hobb's on her Fool's Errand, yay!).

And now I've got one due for The Privilege of the Sword.

So here's my question for you:  What should I write about for TPOTS?  

Anne simply "beg[ged] a few words or a small essay, talking about the book in question . . . whatever you want to write about the book that you think readers would be interested in. How it came about, or a funny story that happened during the writing or editing... Whatever strikes your fancy, really!"

O Gentle Readers:   You tell me!

Comments

[rymenhild.livejournal.com]

I would love to hear about the inspirations for Katherine's reading, if only for the selfish reason that I want to find existing books about people like Viola and Fabian and Tyrian!

[ellen-kushner.livejournal.com]

That would be a cool essay to write someday. For now, I can recommend Dorothy Dunnett's Lymond Chronicles, plus the works of Baroness Orczy & Raphael Sabatini!

We shall further think on't.

[ellen-kushner.livejournal.com]

Oooo - I wonder if a few of my fellow-honorees would like to go in on that with me? I could see having a grand old time with some of them!

I think it is beyond cool that Robin Hobb just wrote about how she started FOOL'S ERRAND (same pub year as KINGS):
http://www.suvudu.com/2010/06/25-years-of-spectra-fools-errand-2002-by-robin-hobb.html

[heartofoshun.livejournal.com]

I'm like a broken record on the subject of backstory. Always want more. Do you work from a lavishly developed back story or a scanty one?

In TPOTS we are given tantalizing glimpses of minor characters like Katherine's brother Sebastian, or even her father. Can you tell us anything more about them? In the scene in TPOTS where the Black Rose talks about remembering Alec from her childhood, I remembered the little girl who teases him and then says, "Thank you, o my prince." Wondered if she is the Black Rose.

Are there any hints or details from the other books that might be missed which found their way into TPOTS? Or any little bit of back story that you don't intend to write upon which TPOTS rested for you?

Just some thoughts. Don't know if they are coherent or useful.

[just-ann-now.livejournal.com]

I remembered the little girl who teases him and then says, "Thank you, o my prince." Wondered if she is the Black Rose.

I don't think so. Remember, Rose talks about how thrilled she was to occasionally serve Alec and Richard at Rosalie's. Though it's a nice thought! I love that little girl. Edit: Or maybe it was her, a few years later? Huh.

Ellen, I'd love to hear about Alec's evolution from whiney Emo-brat to Prince of Riverside.

[heartofoshun.livejournal.com]

Edit: Or maybe it was her, a few years later? Huh.

I was thinking that the Black Rose could have been talking about herself as an older girl (still very young). I figure they could have been going to Rosalie's for a few years at least before Alec becomes Duke. (I'm out of my mind! Supposed to be working on something with a hard and immediate deadline. Nevermind me.)

[ellen-kushner.livejournal.com]

Oh, what fun it would be to write about all this for you someday. For now, all I can tell you is that Rose is *not* Rosalie's granddaughter (so glad you noticed that bit! I love that kid, too). You'll see a bit more of R&A from other Riversiders' p.o.v. when St Martin's gets around to publishing the Datlow CITIES anthology with "The Duke of Riverside" in it - that might also answer Ann's question - a little....

[heartofoshun.livejournal.com]

I cannot wait to read "The Duke of Riverside."

[chaoticgoodnik.livejournal.com]

This is a little late but it's just now occurring to me — I'd like to hear your thoughts on Katherine and how by the end of the book she doesn't want to be a (conventionally) good girl.

[ellen-kushner.livejournal.com]

Not quite sure how to shape that into a brief essay . . . . I guess that's why I write novels!

Hmm

[bibliofilen.livejournal.com]

How did you figure out the gender structure in your world and why did you decide to write it the way you did? Was it different writing a female protagonist?

Re: Hmm

[ellen-kushner.livejournal.com]

I mostly just write from the heart.