|
| ||||||
Subj: Fewer and fewer students bother once the Cliff's Notes are released. Posted: Wed Mar 31, 2010 at 06:02:19 pm EDT (Viewed 486 times) | Reply Subj: It's usually a positive sign when people read to the end of the volume. Posted: Wed Mar 31, 2010 at 04:37:35 pm EDT (Viewed 2 times) | ||||||
Quote: My editor asks if you could repost your review on the Amazon page listing the book. You might need to excise your comments about Lisette - or offer a very comprehensive footnote.I think it's best that I don't provide an explanation of what you've done to poor Lisette to the general public. She's been through enough without being dragged into the spotlight. A version of my initial thoughts has been added to the amazon order page, slightly edited for that format. Quote: Given that I've never had a particular ambition to write a Robin Hood story - this was more by way of a commission - I found msyelf warming to the characters as I went. This is also more polished than my usual PV work, since people were paying for it. I thought it might have been the publisher's idea, but you took to it quite naturally I thought. Not to knock your PV work, but I'd say the polish showed as well... although perhaps I was merely overly seduced to be reading your work on nicely laid-out pages rather than hunched over my monitor. Still, while I've enjoyed your non-PV writing before, it's new that I'd happily take the next bit of this story over the next chapter of Untold Tales. That said, if more of this is at least a year out, you can hurry along that next UT chapter... Quote: I was trying hard to blend the styles to include that pulp action feel. It wasn't actualy that difficult. Somewhere in the deep literary roots of pulp fiction are the medieval Robin Hood 'gestes'.Yes, I believe you said much the same thing in the afterword. It shows quite well, and considering the popularity of the Errol Flynn version of the character, it's not surprising. Quote: This might sound familiar. I started out to write one book but as it went on it became apparent that it would require three volumes to do the story justice. The second one is written and is due with the publisher in June, which might put publication date as early next year.Is it publishing costs that keep the page number of the volumes down then? My one qualm to a unreserved endorsement to everyone I know is the rather steep cost for the number of pages. I'm assuming the print run is small, hence the higher price point. It's a bit of a shame, because I think the story would be great fun for casual readers, and yet I think it requires an audience willing to support the work rather than being an impulse purchase by those who just want the most entertainment bang for their dollar. Quote: Quote:When I have the time, I will try and write to you with some more critical feedback, and some detailed thoughts on scenes and individual characters. That would be most welcome. I'm not as experienced at writing novel-length stories as I am at shorter things and I'm still on a learning curve. I have five or six novels sitting on my hard drive but bringing them to a "ready to print" level of finish is still challenging to me. Well, again, you've done a fine job here. Quote: We return to Ros in book two. I wouldn't just leave her like that.Well, you wouldn't leave Lisette like that either, but hopefully you mean there are brighter days coming rather than worse things you could still do... Quote: Another thing that often happens in Robin Hood stories is that pretty much all of Robin's band are together already, or else all join in one event. That can make them pretty generic. I wanted to offer each one of the traditional cast their own intro and little story arc. The only major character missing is the minstrel Alan a Dale, and he's in book two.That's a good point, and I think one of the reasons your version works so well for me. Everyone, hero and villain, has their role to play, with multiple masters to serve. Their different motivations make them line up as believable allies, rather than just predetermined Merry Men. Quote: I can write them faster than the publishers can publish them. Someone ought to grease the presses then. | |||||||
