My Lord and Spymaster various stuff

I was getting confused answering posts about My Lord and Spymaster that were appended to the 'Dates' post.

So I decided to bring the last one up here and just add it as a new message.


Lady Leigh writes:

First off- I LOVED My Lord and Spymaster. The one scene I keep coming back to is when Jess is lying in the grass. The whole bit about clover and horehair and Sebastian making love to her eyebrows... I've tried to pick apart what is so powerful about it, all the layers and language, what it makes me feel and how. Did it take you a while to write that scene? Did it just come out as magic?

How long does it take you to plot and write a book? When will Maggie's story be done?

Thanks for all your posts on writing instruction etc. I appreciate it! The method to the madness.

Is there an interview with you anywhere? I missed your month at Julia Quinn and Eloisa James' BB.

Have you ever thought about hosting an online workshop?

OK- enough with the questions ;-)

Leesee --

-- I am so delighted you enjoyed My Lord and Spymaster. I'm still all worried about that one, so I'm glad when anyone says nice things about it.

-- The one scene I keep coming back to is when Jess is lying in the grass

The scene you like -- Jess and Sebastian in the garden. I have no idea why that one worked. I really have no idea.

I'm very fond of it though. It more or less wrote itself just as it stands, all in one piece, and it's one of the first scenes I wrote for MLAS.

In the end, I was going to leave it out, actually. I came about theeeeese close, (jo holds up maybe three centimeters,) to chucking it. Because it is not in the direct line of action. That is, I could have removed the scene and it would make no difference to the forward progress of the story.

Also, I just knew a lot of readers were going to find it slow going.

But I really liked it. So that edged me one hair to the right and I kept the scene.

-- How long does it take you to plot and write a book?

It takes at least a year to plot and write a story. Maybe longer.

When I was writing TSL and MLAS I was redoing all the walls and floors and installing electrical wire and bookcases, (and endless so on,) in a new house. I think I would have got the manuscripts written faster if I hadn't been doing all that other stuff.

I never did finish doing the bathrooms. I really should get on with that.

No time. No time.
(jo, feeling harried)

-- When will Maggie's story be done?

Maggie's story will be late 2009.
I think.

-- online workshops ...?

I did some online writing workshops at the CompuServe Books and Writers Community. Here . It was a while back. They're under the 'Writers Exercises' section.

-- Is there an interview with you anywhere?

I have done some interviews.

I will post links to interviews on the sidebar the next time I gird my loins and go add things to the sidebar.

I have some reviews to add there also -- including one completely pinch-your-nose-it-stinks review -- and have been procrastinating about it.