In which we are very pleased...

[jesshartley]

Those of you who have been following this adventure that I call my writing career will remember that I was fortunate enough to have gleaned three fairly big name authors to blurb my new book, In Northern Twilight, even though it's a media-tie-in and not really their chosen genres.

The first of the responses came back yesterday, and I share it with you. I'm pleased, all in all...

From Ms. Jacqueline Carey, author of the Kushiel's Legacy series.


Hi Jess,

Well, I had a whirlwind trip to attend a SoCal bookseller's conference
this weekend, and read "In Northern Twilight" on the outbound trip.

You're a talented reader (Jess notes "I hope she means writer?") and I enjoyed it, but as someone completely unfamiliar with the Exalted milieu, it's hard to offer comments. It's kind of like watching an episode somewhere in the middle of the 3rd season of a TV series I've never seen... I enjoyed it on its merits, but it's obviously part of a larger story arc that I don't have a grasp of, so a number of significant aspects were probably lost on me and I was sometimes distracted by little things that might have been clear otherwise. (Am I supposed to know what the duties and training of a Diplomat encompasses? Do only Dragon-Blooded have funky-colored hair? No, I guess not. Why doesn't Swan have a surname? Why didn't the (Jess notes: Snipped to avoid spoilers)


That aside, you did ask about my take on strengths and weaknesses as a
non-Exalted gamer. I found myself impatient with the detailed descriptions of situations that turned out to be irrelevant to the plot,(Jess notes: Snipped to avoid spoilers). And I was disappointed to find that characters described in detail, like (Jess notes: Snipped to avoid spoilers) -- I felt they'd been set up to be more. I was left unclear about exactly what Arianna did to (Jess notes: Snipped to avoid spoilers). Again, it's hard to say whether or not that was due to unfamiliarity with the conventions.

What I did find strong was your writing. The descriptions were strong
and vivid. Samea's ruinweed vision quest was a passage that was very
effective, and the moment when Arianna sees (Jess notes: Snipped to avoid spoilers) near the end was lovely and poignant, and stood out for
me.

So, ultimately, while I'm not the right reader to comment on this particular book, I think there's much to admire in your writing, and I'd
certainly be interested in seeing what you were capable of doing when
not fettered by pre-existing constraints.

I hope there's something of use in there, and best of luck with the book! Given my enjoyment as a complete outsider, I'm sure it will find a great readership among Exalted fans.

Best wishes,

- Jacqueline

http://www.jacquelinecarey.com


Sorry for the snippage... If you've read INT and you'd like a copy of the whole text, just ping me with your email and I'll forward it to you.

All in all, I'm not displeased.

Comments

[annathepiper]

WAY COOL. Congratulations! :D

[jesshartley.livejournal.com]

Thanks!

[annathepiper]

You are most welcome! I want to buy your book, BTW, but I may be in the same boat as Jacqueline, not being familiar with the overall universe. Would things make more sense if I got the first novel that goes with yours first?

[jesshartley.livejournal.com]

I honestly don't know that the first or second novels explain more about the world than mine does. I thought I'd done a pretty good job in explaining (coming from a non-Exalted background myself)... I think part of what JC didn't get from the book was stuff that I didn't explain because most gamers/fantasy readers would get it. I think with your history in ElfQuest and the like, you'll probably be just fine. :)

Although, by all means, if you'd like to read the first two, please do. Carl and David are both good writers and they've produced enjoyable books. :)

[annathepiper]

Ahh, okay. I was more kind of thinking along the lines of, whether there were things in the novel(s) before yours about the specific characters that would be good to know before reading yours. :)

[jesshartley.livejournal.com]

Nope. To the best of my knowledge none of the characters from my book are in either of the first two.

[annathepiper]

Okay cool. :) I'll have to go look for your book!

[cyranocyrano.livejournal.com]

Actually, I liked those detailed character descriptions. And when they suddenly (Snipped to avoid spoilers) I found it to be delightfully surprising because I'd expected them to be in it for the long haul. But then I don't have issues with not having my expectations met, not as much as most people.

[jesshartley.livejournal.com]

That's kind of how I felt, too. I'm glad it came across.

[maethe.livejournal.com]

Would you recommend I get the preceding books? Or if I have a fair knowledge of Exalted will it stand alone? I'm good either way.

[jesshartley.livejournal.com]

Well, out of respect for Carl and David, I'd definately suggest reading their books. They're both interesting people and good writers.

Out of simple "do you need to read them to enjoy my book to its fullest", the answer would be no... I've (much to my chagrin) not finished either of the first two, nor had I even seen them when I wrote INT. They're not sequential nor do they draw off of each other (rather than off of the source material).

So, while I'd love for you to read all three (because I want to help promote my fellow writers), you don't have to.

[rickj.livejournal.com]

Congrats on the comments. I can't wait to crack open INT. (It got to skip to the top of my "Books To Be Read" stack, so I should get to it RSN.)

[jesshartley.livejournal.com]

Blush!

Thanks! We should talk more about HotH and that kind of thing. Got my rough draft sent in last friday.

[rickj.livejournal.com]

Hey - finally read INT. My only complaint is that I wanted to read more when I was done. ;>

Send me the unedited email, wouldja?

[secret-fire.livejournal.com]

I met Jacqueline Carey at a reading she did last year at the Borders by Lake Oswego. She seemed like a very interesting person, and impressed me with her sincerity. She gave the impression of being very straightforward and honest, so I would take her comments at face value -- she probably means exactly what she says.

Now if I could just understand why she said her favorite book is "Little, Big"...

[jesshartley.livejournal.com]

She was so nice. I got to meet her at the airport for Writer's Weekend this summer (www.writersweekend.com). It was an /incredible conference. If I could go to one writer's conference a year, this would be it.