Pamela Woodard asked Lois McMaster Bujold:

I just finished my second reading of Penric's Demon. I loved it! There was just enough enough foreshadowing to make some accurate predictions but not so much that I could guess the ending. Do you have any plans to expand it into a full length novel? It's been so long since the last World of Five Gods book, and I so need another story to read from that particular world.

Lois McMaster Bujold I'm glad you enjoyed Pen and Des -- I certainly enjoyed writing them. (And do pass the word -- this work is getting no promotion beyond word of mouth.)

I have no plans to expand this novella as such. It is not impossible that the characters could have further short (although 35k words is not actually "short") adventures someday, a series in miniature, but nothing is in the works at this time. (I am back to being semi-retired for the rest of the summer.)

I really enjoyed getting to write something short, after the prior novel that took three years (though to be fair, a lot of that was life-interruptions.) But for a novella one needs to have just the right idea to fit the length. Short stories and novelettes seem too short to me to get in much character development -- they tend to be more idea-centered snapshots. But novellas are just long enough, elbow room without bloat. Whee!

Ta, L.

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