Monday, October 30, 2006
Results Are In
Okay, the results of my informal poll are in, and the winner is:
#1 Ace Caldicott, Space Pirate At Large.
Also receiving votes:
#2 A Taste For Magic (Beloved Husband liked that one)
#3 Dragon on the Doorstep
#7 Diary of an Ugly Stepsister
So space piracy it is. Which is just as well; I've already got the first couple of chapters of that one plotted out in my head.
Less than two days left now ... ulp!
#1 Ace Caldicott, Space Pirate At Large.
Also receiving votes:
#2 A Taste For Magic (Beloved Husband liked that one)
#3 Dragon on the Doorstep
#7 Diary of an Ugly Stepsister
So space piracy it is. Which is just as well; I've already got the first couple of chapters of that one plotted out in my head.
Less than two days left now ... ulp!
Wednesday, October 25, 2006
Story Ideas for NaNoWriMo
Okay, so after staying up waaayyyyyyy too late last night working on plot synopses, here are the story ideas I'm contemplating for NaNoWriMo:
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1) "Ace" Caldicott, Space Pirate At Large
Genre: SF/Adventure
Quick Synopsis: A middle-aged spinster from Nebraska is inadvertently abducted by space pirates, accidentally becoming their captain.
Jacket Blurb: Phoebe Caldicot didn't think her life could get any worse. Not only was she trapped in a dead-end job that she hated passionately, but she was in debt, single, rapidly approaching forty, and still a virgin to boot. And now she was on her way home from her sister's funeral, on an overcrowded airplane that was running late and out of peanuts -- of course. How could her life get any worse?
The pirate spaceship The Damned Strumpet was just dipping into the Earth's atmosphere to replenish her oxygen supplies when she accidentally scooped up part of one of the planet's primitive aircraft. And wouldn't you know, the craft's only survivor -- Phoebe -- somehow managed to kill The Strumpet's captain -- which meant that she was now the captain!
No doubt about it, Phoebe "Ace" Caldicott was in for one hell of a ride!
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2) A Taste For Magic
Genre: Fantasy/YA
Quick Synopsis: A young woman longs to be an apprentice wizard, but while she appears to have Talent, no one can find her magical specialty -- until she cooks up a little magic.
Jacket Blurb: All the kids in the village of Dortinger dreamed of being selected for the wizard academy in Balincove. After all, the Balincove Academy took only the best, most promising of those blessed with the Talent -- not to mention, those from the best families -- leaving those with lesser abilities and connections to the hedge schools and private tutors.
Jessenia knew there was no way she would ever be selected for Balincove. Her parents were farmers, with no wealth or connections to smooth the way. Moreover, Jess didn't appear to have any of the standard Talents -- not Singing, or Dancing, or Potion Brewing, or Spellwriting, or even Charm Making. All she could do well was cook -- which was lucky, since it seemed she was destined to spend the rest of her life doing just that.
Then the Balincove Wizardfinders made their annual visit to Dortinger, and Jessenia was bidden to make the best meal possible for them. So she did her best ... and inadvertently put a little of her own special magic into the dishes she served that night. To her surprise, thanks to that magical meal, Jessenia found herself among those selected for the Academy. Now she only has to prove to her classmates -- and her teachers -- that cookery magic can be just as potent as any other kind of spell!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3) The Dragon On The Doorstep
Genre: Fantasy/YA
Quick Synopsis: A family of wizards living incognito in a small Colorado town comes home one day to find a baby dragon on their doorstep.
Jacket Blurb: Meet the Ellinsons -- Mom, Dad, Aunt Tilda, Granny Appleton, twin boys Michael and Martin, baby Kizzy, and oldest daughter Daniela. To fourteen-year-old Daniela, life seems perfectly normal and happy. Granted, Mom and Aunt Tilda taught them at home rather than sending them to school, but that's not so unusual these days. And strange things seem to happen sometimes -- but never anything Dad can't explain away afterward. So Dani never had any reason to believe there was anything abnormal about her family. Until the day they came home to find a baby dragon asleep on their doorstep, that is.
That's when Dani discovered that she wasn't human at all, but a wizard child, part of a group of wizards living in hiding. And the dragon isn't a new and unusual pet, but a harbinger of disturbing things to come ...
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4) An Element of Enchantment
Genre: Fantasy/YA
Quick Synopsis: An orphan comes into her inheritance on her eighteenth birthday, and discovers she has powers she doesn't understand.
Jacket Blurb: Keeley Gatwood has always felt that she was ... different. To begin with, her parents abandoned her at the Mall of America on her ninth birthday, seeming to disappear off the face of the earth. Worse, when the authorities tried to find a member of her family to take her in, they couldn't even find her birth certificate. Then there are the strange things that seem to happen whenever she is angry or upset. The only people who really seem to understand her are Mairi, the owner of the off-beat bookstore where Keeley works part time, and Angus, Mairi's assistant.
Now, on her eighteenth birthday, she's looking forward to being on her own, away from her foster home. That's when she receives a mysterious envelope, containing the keys and deed to the cottage of a great-aunt she never knew she had. Only after she reads Great-Aunt Kindra's journal does she come to understand the truth about herself -- that she has some very unusual abilities. But will she use her new-found powers for good or for evil -- and how will she know the difference?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5) The Irish Governess, or Lord Amberton's Wager
Genre: Regency-Era Romance
Quick Synopsis: The sequel to my previous work, "An Earl for Annalise," dealing with the outcome of Annalise's wager with Lord Amberton.
Jacket Blurb: Thirteen years ago, schoolmaster's daughter Maribel Harbottle was sent to Ireland in disgrace, after she foolishly allowed a smooth-tongued young lord to ruin her reputation. Her aunt and uncle grudgingly took her in, putting her to work as governess to their daughter Nuala. Now, Nuala is all grown up, and her parents have decided to take her to London for the Little Season -- with Maribel stuck playing chaperone! Worse, the man who seems to be cultivating an interest in Nuala is none other than the very same lord who ruined Maribel!
Four and a half years ago, Lord Amberton made a wager with Annalise, Countess Farlsborough, that he had regretted ever since -- he had wagered his very life against the possibility that he could find a woman he could care about as much as he did the Countess. Now, with just six months of the wager to go, he was no closer to finding his true love -- that is, until Miss Nuala Finnigan appeared on the scene. But was it the Irish lass or her chaperone who had caught his interest?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6) Presley Needs Women!
Genre: Science Fiction/Romance
Quick Synopsis: A spoiled college graduate in 2021 goes to New York City for a week, and through a series of mishaps, finds herself an indentured laborer on the new frontier colony world of Sirius V (a.k.a. Presley).
Jacket Blurb: The fledgling New United Earth government was having problems finding enough colonists, especially women, to settle their new colony planets. Sure, the WHOP drive, a gift from the alien Du'le!kii, reduced travel times to months instead of generations, but the NUE wanted colonists, not tourists, and not many were willing to make that commitment. Then the Under-Secretary of Domestic Affairs came up with a simple plan: Since they were also struggling with unemployment and homelessness, why not kill two birds with one stone? And so, one June night, the NUE put their plan into action.
New college graduate Alyssa Lydell was spending a week's vacation in New York City before looking for work as a fashion designer. Or so she thought -- until she was arrested as a vagrant and thrown onto a ship bound for the New United Earth colony on Sirius V (named "Presley" by an Internet poll).
Now all she has to do is to survive her five year indenture contract on a planet full of unexpected perils -- not the least of which is her employer, homesteader Jason Renninger, who loves Presley almost as much as he seems to hate Alyssa!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7) Diary Of An Ugly Stepsister
Genre: Fantasy/Regency-era Romance
Quick Synopsis: The story of Cinderella, as retold from the POV of one of the "ugly stepsisters".
Jacket Blurb: You probably think you know the story -- about poor, abused Ella, and her fairy godmother, and the pumpkin, the glass slipper, the prince and all that. And it's true that some of it, at least, happened the way you've read.
But I'm here to tell you that there's a lot more to the story than you know. You probably never stopped to think that maybe, just maybe, Ella's "evil" stepmother and "ugly' stepsisters weren't really that bad. I suppose it's only natural that you'd never consider that Ella was perhaps just a tiny bit spoiled and self-centered. And as for that godmother of hers ... could it be that she was just a pence short of a shilling?
I should know. I was there. My name is Griselda, and I'm an Ugly Stepsister.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1) "Ace" Caldicott, Space Pirate At Large
Genre: SF/Adventure
Quick Synopsis: A middle-aged spinster from Nebraska is inadvertently abducted by space pirates, accidentally becoming their captain.
Jacket Blurb: Phoebe Caldicot didn't think her life could get any worse. Not only was she trapped in a dead-end job that she hated passionately, but she was in debt, single, rapidly approaching forty, and still a virgin to boot. And now she was on her way home from her sister's funeral, on an overcrowded airplane that was running late and out of peanuts -- of course. How could her life get any worse?
The pirate spaceship The Damned Strumpet was just dipping into the Earth's atmosphere to replenish her oxygen supplies when she accidentally scooped up part of one of the planet's primitive aircraft. And wouldn't you know, the craft's only survivor -- Phoebe -- somehow managed to kill The Strumpet's captain -- which meant that she was now the captain!
No doubt about it, Phoebe "Ace" Caldicott was in for one hell of a ride!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2) A Taste For Magic
Genre: Fantasy/YA
Quick Synopsis: A young woman longs to be an apprentice wizard, but while she appears to have Talent, no one can find her magical specialty -- until she cooks up a little magic.
Jacket Blurb: All the kids in the village of Dortinger dreamed of being selected for the wizard academy in Balincove. After all, the Balincove Academy took only the best, most promising of those blessed with the Talent -- not to mention, those from the best families -- leaving those with lesser abilities and connections to the hedge schools and private tutors.
Jessenia knew there was no way she would ever be selected for Balincove. Her parents were farmers, with no wealth or connections to smooth the way. Moreover, Jess didn't appear to have any of the standard Talents -- not Singing, or Dancing, or Potion Brewing, or Spellwriting, or even Charm Making. All she could do well was cook -- which was lucky, since it seemed she was destined to spend the rest of her life doing just that.
Then the Balincove Wizardfinders made their annual visit to Dortinger, and Jessenia was bidden to make the best meal possible for them. So she did her best ... and inadvertently put a little of her own special magic into the dishes she served that night. To her surprise, thanks to that magical meal, Jessenia found herself among those selected for the Academy. Now she only has to prove to her classmates -- and her teachers -- that cookery magic can be just as potent as any other kind of spell!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
3) The Dragon On The Doorstep
Genre: Fantasy/YA
Quick Synopsis: A family of wizards living incognito in a small Colorado town comes home one day to find a baby dragon on their doorstep.
Jacket Blurb: Meet the Ellinsons -- Mom, Dad, Aunt Tilda, Granny Appleton, twin boys Michael and Martin, baby Kizzy, and oldest daughter Daniela. To fourteen-year-old Daniela, life seems perfectly normal and happy. Granted, Mom and Aunt Tilda taught them at home rather than sending them to school, but that's not so unusual these days. And strange things seem to happen sometimes -- but never anything Dad can't explain away afterward. So Dani never had any reason to believe there was anything abnormal about her family. Until the day they came home to find a baby dragon asleep on their doorstep, that is.
That's when Dani discovered that she wasn't human at all, but a wizard child, part of a group of wizards living in hiding. And the dragon isn't a new and unusual pet, but a harbinger of disturbing things to come ...
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
4) An Element of Enchantment
Genre: Fantasy/YA
Quick Synopsis: An orphan comes into her inheritance on her eighteenth birthday, and discovers she has powers she doesn't understand.
Jacket Blurb: Keeley Gatwood has always felt that she was ... different. To begin with, her parents abandoned her at the Mall of America on her ninth birthday, seeming to disappear off the face of the earth. Worse, when the authorities tried to find a member of her family to take her in, they couldn't even find her birth certificate. Then there are the strange things that seem to happen whenever she is angry or upset. The only people who really seem to understand her are Mairi, the owner of the off-beat bookstore where Keeley works part time, and Angus, Mairi's assistant.
Now, on her eighteenth birthday, she's looking forward to being on her own, away from her foster home. That's when she receives a mysterious envelope, containing the keys and deed to the cottage of a great-aunt she never knew she had. Only after she reads Great-Aunt Kindra's journal does she come to understand the truth about herself -- that she has some very unusual abilities. But will she use her new-found powers for good or for evil -- and how will she know the difference?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
5) The Irish Governess, or Lord Amberton's Wager
Genre: Regency-Era Romance
Quick Synopsis: The sequel to my previous work, "An Earl for Annalise," dealing with the outcome of Annalise's wager with Lord Amberton.
Jacket Blurb: Thirteen years ago, schoolmaster's daughter Maribel Harbottle was sent to Ireland in disgrace, after she foolishly allowed a smooth-tongued young lord to ruin her reputation. Her aunt and uncle grudgingly took her in, putting her to work as governess to their daughter Nuala. Now, Nuala is all grown up, and her parents have decided to take her to London for the Little Season -- with Maribel stuck playing chaperone! Worse, the man who seems to be cultivating an interest in Nuala is none other than the very same lord who ruined Maribel!
Four and a half years ago, Lord Amberton made a wager with Annalise, Countess Farlsborough, that he had regretted ever since -- he had wagered his very life against the possibility that he could find a woman he could care about as much as he did the Countess. Now, with just six months of the wager to go, he was no closer to finding his true love -- that is, until Miss Nuala Finnigan appeared on the scene. But was it the Irish lass or her chaperone who had caught his interest?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
6) Presley Needs Women!
Genre: Science Fiction/Romance
Quick Synopsis: A spoiled college graduate in 2021 goes to New York City for a week, and through a series of mishaps, finds herself an indentured laborer on the new frontier colony world of Sirius V (a.k.a. Presley).
Jacket Blurb: The fledgling New United Earth government was having problems finding enough colonists, especially women, to settle their new colony planets. Sure, the WHOP drive, a gift from the alien Du'le!kii, reduced travel times to months instead of generations, but the NUE wanted colonists, not tourists, and not many were willing to make that commitment. Then the Under-Secretary of Domestic Affairs came up with a simple plan: Since they were also struggling with unemployment and homelessness, why not kill two birds with one stone? And so, one June night, the NUE put their plan into action.
New college graduate Alyssa Lydell was spending a week's vacation in New York City before looking for work as a fashion designer. Or so she thought -- until she was arrested as a vagrant and thrown onto a ship bound for the New United Earth colony on Sirius V (named "Presley" by an Internet poll).
Now all she has to do is to survive her five year indenture contract on a planet full of unexpected perils -- not the least of which is her employer, homesteader Jason Renninger, who loves Presley almost as much as he seems to hate Alyssa!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
7) Diary Of An Ugly Stepsister
Genre: Fantasy/Regency-era Romance
Quick Synopsis: The story of Cinderella, as retold from the POV of one of the "ugly stepsisters".
Jacket Blurb: You probably think you know the story -- about poor, abused Ella, and her fairy godmother, and the pumpkin, the glass slipper, the prince and all that. And it's true that some of it, at least, happened the way you've read.
But I'm here to tell you that there's a lot more to the story than you know. You probably never stopped to think that maybe, just maybe, Ella's "evil" stepmother and "ugly' stepsisters weren't really that bad. I suppose it's only natural that you'd never consider that Ella was perhaps just a tiny bit spoiled and self-centered. And as for that godmother of hers ... could it be that she was just a pence short of a shilling?
I should know. I was there. My name is Griselda, and I'm an Ugly Stepsister.
Monday, October 23, 2006
Watch This Space
Welcome to my NaNoWriMo blog. This is where I plan to post my experiences attempting to write a 50,000 word novel in one month. The story itself will be posted elsewhere, but I'll have a link to it as soon as I've established it. Which mostly means I have to decide which story I want to write, and come up with a name for it.
So ... Watch this space for updates!
[EDIT: I just discovered that I can't post the story on a blog if I want to be able to sell it later. So I may post excerpts from time to time, but if you want the whole story, you'll have to contact me....]
So ... Watch this space for updates!
[EDIT: I just discovered that I can't post the story on a blog if I want to be able to sell it later. So I may post excerpts from time to time, but if you want the whole story, you'll have to contact me....]
