Under Jurisdiction

I haven’t done an update for a while, and I apologize!

What’s happening with me is as follows:

Currently–I’m working on the second of the three books planned for my historical fantasy adventure series The High Pamir. The first novel, The Wild High Places, has been out for a little bit now, and I thought I had my hands around the second novel (The Leh Lines of Kashgar) except that then, after I’d turned in the first draft of the second novel to my editor at Forest Path Books, it turned out that I didn’t have my arms around the second novel after all. After many months of struggling with structural framework and all, I ended up where I’d suspected I would, with “no help for it, got to write the durned thing all over again from scratch.” I still hope to save at least a few scenes from the original draft, but it’s not looking good. It could make for some nice material for Scenes from the Cutting Room Floor, however.

Since it’s going to be so long between novels, I’ve been writing myself a novella to provide a way back in to the story. The novella (novelette?) covers the period of time just before The Leh Lines of Kashgar commences: spring of the year following The Wild High Places. There are two new characters to deploy: Corbeck Willoughby and Lieutentant Disco Fontenoy. Disco is a young cousin of Captain Fontenoy, come out from England on the Queen’s business; he and Captain Fontenoy are several times removed–Captain Fontenoy’s great-grandfather and Disco’s great-great-grandfather were brothers. Something like that. For Cora’s part, she had a major role in the story the first time I wrote it, and I know she’s an important part of the story going forward even if I don’t know exactly what it is right now.

The final novel in the series will be The Great Wheel of the Spirit Mountain . . . until I can come up with a pithier title (grin).

After The High Pamir is finished I’m on to U-Boats Versus the Flying Dutchman, or my “Ghost Flotilla” project. Right now there’s no news to share about a next Jurisdiction novel, because I’ve sort of kind of said everything I had to say about Jurisdiction. There is a novel lurking, however, since Crimes Against Humanity raised some interesting unanswered questions. The next Jurisdiction novel would be/will be titled Diaspora and concern developments in Gonebeyond space such as the growth of an apparatus to cope with the re-integration of people no longer under Bond into something as close to “normal life” as possible. I’m looking forward to confronting Jennet ap Rhiannon with what little is left of her birth community, but don”t be expecting any major changes in her life. That’s just not who she is. There will also be the opportunity for Andrej’s security teams from the Ragnarok to encounter people (apart from Robert St. Clare) who were Andrej’s security on Scylla. I think that’ll be fun.

I’ll put that novella up on this site when it’s ready to go. If you’ve read The Wild High Places, I’d love to hear your thoughts, because it’s pretty much been crickets, to be honest.

So there you have it. I’m sorry I haven’t updated for a while. I solemnly pledge to do better!

Cheers,

Susan