Friends and Readers of Liad! Your Opinion Please!

[rolanni]

I found something on my computer today, tucked down in the directory marked "Short Stories," which is only, yanno, supposed to contain completed short stories. The title of the file was "DaavandAelliana." I thought to myself, "Self, I don't remember writing a Daav and Aelliana short story, much less a Daav and Aelliana short story with a lame title." So I opened it, to find that, in fact -- not a short story. It's about 1500 words (which is to say, Not Very Much) of what appears to be a follow-on book to Scout's Progress.

Now, I have always said that I was not going to write a follow-on to Scout's Progress, because I have a Thing about not writing books that End Badly. End Ambiguously? I'm there. Badly? Nope.

What this means in terms of Aelliana and Daav is that there is a lot of backstory that Steve and I know, which readers don't (nyah-nyah), some of which is going to play into the book-after-I-Dare-if-ever-&c.

The poll below is to help me clarify my thinking. If you have thoughts, insights, or comments, please put them in comments.

Thanks!

EDITED TO ADD: There are spoilers for Scout's Progress by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller in comments. You have been warned!


[Poll #1116157]

Comments

Re: Maybe a silly question...

[growlycub.livejournal.com]

Thanks for clearing that up. I hate feeling like the only one outside the 'inner circle'. grin

I voted yes. I love Aelliana and always felt there ought to have been more told of her, and Anne and Er Thom for that matter.

Local Custom is my favorite of all the Liaden books (followed closely by Scout's Progress) and since it's also the first one I read, I was in for a rude awakening when I got to the 'main arc' of the story line to find out they had all been killed off.

I'm still holding that against Val Con and he just doesn't float my boat at all. In fact, Local Custom and Scout's Progress are much more interesting to me than the 3 following books, which most likely has to do with the fact that Agent of Change, Conflict of Honors and Carpe Diem seem more adventure than relationship stories albeit they have relationship stories in them.

Adventure stories don't do much for me (which doesn't mean that a, to me, satisfying relationship story can't be full of action. I came to Liad as a romance reader following the recommendation of fellow RRA-l readers and love Local Custom because it's focus on the relationship.

I'd love to see a follow-up to Balance of Trade as well and can't wait for Theo's finished first and second books!

I just hope Daav morphs into a more likable character in the re-write of Fledgling and beyond. I have to admit, I have a hard time warming up to him in Fledgling. While some mysteriousness can be a good thing, he's a bit too into being mysterious for my taste.

There I said it... let's hope I don't get my head ripped off! :)

Growly

Re: Maybe a silly question...

[rolanni.livejournal.com]

I came to Liad as a romance reader following the recommendation of fellow RRA-l readers and love Local Custom because it's focus on the relationship.

...and then there are the sf readers who came to Local Custom and Scout's Progress and accuse us of "selling out" to Mills and Boone. *g*

The "three following books" came first, and were supposed to be seven books in series. We had some ...interesting times, and couldn't get anything published for about ten years. It was during that time that we wrote LC and SP because I had always wanted to write a Regency romance, without, yanno, actually having to do the Work. Since nobody was buying what we were writing, we could afford to please ourselves.

It does make for a wide range of differing reader expectations for the series, however.

I just hope Daav morphs into a more likable character in the re-write of Fledgling and beyond. I have to admit, I have a hard time warming up to him in Fledgling.

Now, see, I've never thought Daav was a likable fellow. I adore him, but even I killed him off once, just to get him out of my head and have some peace for a few days...

Re: Maybe a silly question...

[mbarker.livejournal.com]

Now, see, I've never thought Daav was a likable fellow. I adore him, but even I killed him off once, just to get him out of my head and have some peace for a few days...

What? When? Now that would make a chapbook or short story of a different color! Poor Daav is dead? Tell us more . . .