Kelley
asked
Lois McMaster Bujold:
Ms. Bujold: I've always wondered at what point during or after _The Curse of Chalion_ you conceived _Paladin of Souls_ and Ista's journey from mad woman to Saint. I would not have guessed reading _Chalion_ that Ista would go on to be the sequel protagonist: when did you know? (I love all of your books, but these two are my absolute favourites. Thank you for so much reading enjoyment!)
Lois McMaster Bujold
Well, The Curse of Chalion was written on-spec, conceived as a stand-alone, and finished before I ever offered it to a publisher. So I don't think I was thinking of an Ista-book before then, even though that last scene does seem to be a promissory note in retrospect. However, HarperCollins wanted a three-book contract (which we cut down to two, because I had become skittish about mortgaging my future -- remember, an advance for an unwritten book is not income, an advance is a debt, which must be worked off), so I had this big blank spot to fill. My obligation was just for "a fantasy novel", content unspecified.
I do remember describing my initial ideas for Ista to my HC editor Jen Brehl at one of the Worldcons (?), sitting on tall stools at some trendy cafe, and getting the usual nonplussed look I get from editors when I try to describe my initial ideas. I remember much the same look on Jim Baen's face over dinner at Philcon '89, when I was first describing Barrayar. They seem to get over it by the time I turn in the manuscript, though, so that look of vague editorial dismay doesn't counter-alarm me anymore.
The book still took some developing. It was competing for my attention with what became Diplomatic Immunity, as by the concatenation of circumstances I had ended up with contracts from two different publishers for unwritten books, and each was blocking progress on the other, which was when I discovered that I am really not a writer who can work on multiple projects at the same time. After nine months of fretting I eventually set Ista aside to concentrate on DI first, and things started to move again. Once the book for Baen was bagged, I was able to give Ista my total attention. Happily, during the intervening year some new ideas slotted into place, filling out the scheme, so the extra gestation time was all to the good.
Ta, L.
I do remember describing my initial ideas for Ista to my HC editor Jen Brehl at one of the Worldcons (?), sitting on tall stools at some trendy cafe, and getting the usual nonplussed look I get from editors when I try to describe my initial ideas. I remember much the same look on Jim Baen's face over dinner at Philcon '89, when I was first describing Barrayar. They seem to get over it by the time I turn in the manuscript, though, so that look of vague editorial dismay doesn't counter-alarm me anymore.
The book still took some developing. It was competing for my attention with what became Diplomatic Immunity, as by the concatenation of circumstances I had ended up with contracts from two different publishers for unwritten books, and each was blocking progress on the other, which was when I discovered that I am really not a writer who can work on multiple projects at the same time. After nine months of fretting I eventually set Ista aside to concentrate on DI first, and things started to move again. Once the book for Baen was bagged, I was able to give Ista my total attention. Happily, during the intervening year some new ideas slotted into place, filling out the scheme, so the extra gestation time was all to the good.
Ta, L.
More Answered Questions
About Goodreads Q&A
Ask and answer questions about books!
You can pose questions to the Goodreads community with Reader Q&A, or ask your favorite author a question with Ask the Author.
See Featured Authors Answering Questions
Learn more