Initially my concept for Refugee was as a contemporary crossover fantasy.
However, my agent made a very good comment about the way the beginning of the thing didn’t work, and in figuring out the new beginning, the project metamorphosed into a high fantasy.
The new opening? On her wedding day, a princess whose marriage will seal a peace treaty between two nations is dragged off to her temple and stabbed through the heart by a dagger during the workings of a spell meant to throw both nations back into war. Only the spell goes wrong, and the magic that was to have given the traitors casting the spell immense power ends up keeping the princess alive instead, but landing her in an unknown location in her new world. And leaving things very messy back home.
I’ve never written a princess before—I generally use regular folks as protagonists in my stories. But I think this could be huge fun.
Work is going well. Will be back again as I’m able to find time.
I hope your Thanksgiving was good (if you celebrate Thanksgiving). Mine was. Got to see my older son again; first time since last Christmas. He’s now stationed within sorta-driving distance. It’s a trek, but at least it isn’t the other side of the country, or the other side of the planet.
Writingwise, I did nothing physical over the holidays. Didn’t realize how much I needed to get away from it for a while until I did. The vacation was great, and I found myself playing with world development, characters, and suddenly a story that I think I’ll be ready to send to Robin to pitch to the interested editor in a few days.
I also came back ready to get back to work on The Ruby Key. I’m making good progress in revising what I already have to fit the changes Lisa Sandell, my new editor, requested, and keeping good notes on how I can carry these changes through the series and get the most out of them (using WriteItNow). No nifty increases in word counts, but plenty of progress.
I’m glad to be back.
