Samhain Publishing

Do any of my fellow authors have the problem of too many ideas?

It sounds like the kind of “problem” most hopeful writers would welcome, I know, yet it’s real.

Having a head crowded with a dozen possible books makes it that much more difficult to concentrate on the actual grunt work of writing one book—the outlining, research, character development and line-by-line effort to get what is in effect, a movie running inside my head down on paper.

The other day I got curious and listed some of the book ideas I currently have tucked away in my much-too-crowded brain.

- A historical romance about a village raided by outlaws that has lost almost all its men, to the point that the women left must bargain with a company of mercenaries to survive. I actually came up with the title, “A Payment of Women” first, because I thought it was something that would cause most readers to think “What’s that about?” always a good reaction when your book is competing, quite literally, with a million other books on Amazon or in the bookstore. Title first, plot second. Not the easiest way to write a book, but I like setting myself such problems to solve.

- A Regency Romance about a desperate young woman who marries a man she has just met, then finds that he may be a rapist and a murderer. The reader knows that he’s not, but doesn’t know what actually happened. I know what actually happened (it’s somewhere in that crowded, crowded storage shed I call my brain) but I’ve got to get it all down on paper in a way that makes sense.

- A novel about a long-vanished civilization. The research on this one both fascinating and really distracting. I have learned, for example, that Elizabeth Taylor owns a teardrop pearl that is 500 years old and was also worn by Philip I of Spain and Queen Mary of England. (Hey! Idea for a book…following that pearl through the ages! No! No! Concentrate on this book!) And do you know how hard it is to create your own language?—the book won’t require me to write essays in a made-up language, but I’ve got to come up with some words and basic grammar and ….oh, damn….a pictograph method of writing that language, doubly hard since I’m a lousy artist.

- A suspense novel about a young woman who is the “hobby” of the man acquitted of her rape. For two years, she has been on the move, unable to settle anywhere because her attacker, delighted with the game, keeps finding and tormenting her.

- A science fiction novel about a female soldier who must somehow stop a race of vicious xenophobic aliens from becoming less viciously xenophobic. Really. If they become more tolerant of other species, it will be a very bad thing. Honest.
Also, a book about this soldier’s mutant ancestress. Actually, a series of books about this soldier’s mutant ancestress.

- A Regency novel about a young woman, illegitimate, who is caught between two social classes, the twist being that she manages the estate that provides a home and money for the family that rejects her.

- A “transported to another world” story about a young woman who must make a long journey with strange companions to seek help against an invading horde of ….okay, okay, everyone has at least one “Lord of the Rings” plot percolating in their head, right?

- A fantasy novel about a civilization with three empires, where the order of the natural world is breaking down. Yes, there are talismans in this book, but, incredibly, there are no unicorns, dragons, or humble farms boys who become heroes. (Or humble farm girls, ditto.) There is a very complex religion, and three very complex imperial histories….which I have to create from scratch.

And so on and so on. Really. This is not even close to being a complete list.

There are a number of problems with having so many ideas.

One is that while you’re working on one book, thoughts about another keep popping into your head. Any writer knows that if you don’t write an idea down immediately, especially a good one, it’s going to vanish. “I’ll write it down when I finish this chapter” rarely works, because you finish the chapter, you’re working along happily, an hour goes by and suddenly…what was that idea? That terrific, great, plot-problem-solving idea?

Gone. Vanished.

For.

Ever.

Trying to keep track of the paperwork (or the computer files) also drives me nuts.

“Please, please, let the most recent file be the version that was really working, not the ‘Let’s just try this’ attempt that wasn’t nearly as good as the older version, the really terrific older version that I just….deleted. “

What is really bizarre, though, is that after awhile, the characters in these at-this-point-only-in-my-head books become so real that I feel guilty that I haven’t told their stories. Eldest Daughter, the Forester, Morn, Deacon, Ymma the cook, Jo, who is so exhausted from constant fear…..it’s like they come, ring me round and stare at me, their accusing eyes saying “When are you going to tell my story? When?”

I wonder if Tolkien, grading essays between classes, ever startled his colleagues by yelling, “Gollum, you nasty little snot, just shut up and go away!”

Jan Alyce Avery

Reviews for Shadowed Knight by Jan Alyce Avery

This story does a fantastic job of setting the stage for how women were treated during this time period. No matter how skilled, they were still at the whim of their liege lord and had no veto power. I enjoyed both the actions and interaction of the main characters…. I also enjoyed the secondary romance of Sir Fitzwilliam and Lady Ann, as they both overcame their shyness and let their love blossom. If you are a fan of historical romances, you need to pick Shadowed Knight up as it has it all, a baseborn man who achieves knighthood, a rogue knight, a strong-willed woman, kidnapping and romance.

— Tanya, Joyfully Reviewed
4.5 Blue Ribbons!

… a good winter’s night tale of love, perceived deception and a well-written battle of wills. The descriptions were vivid and I had no trouble following the protagonists as they went about their daily lives.

The story is filled with interesting secondary characters who are delightful. The battle between Margaret and Richard is fiery and the final battle…Read it and find out.

… If you like historicals set in this period of history, you’re sure to love this one.

— Nickie Langdon, Romance Junkies
4 Stars!

For more reviews and excerpts, please visit
JanAlyceAvery.com