Thank you for your thoughtful and generous review of Lucy’s Blade.
You are right that the story came about from Jim and I having a shared love of Buffy, but as you point out, this story was designed to be wholly original and not plough a furrow that had been well turned already. Buffy has been done and cannot, I think, be improved on.
I agree with you criticism of the pacing; Jim thought something similar. Lucy was the first novel that I had ever written so I was a little off on the pacing in the first few chapters, taking too long to assemble the cast. As you say, the story really changes gear when William meets Lucy; that was deliberate but I should have got there sooner.
But all in all, I am inordinately proud of Lucy’s Blade and I am very glad that you liked the characters and the storyline.
The sequel is called Lucy’s War, and eight chapters are written. It is set in 1588 and concerns the Armada.
With best wishes for the New Year
John
By John Lambshead (not verified) at 01/01/2007 - 6:51am
Lucy's Blade
Dear BB
Thank you for your thoughtful and generous review of Lucy’s Blade.
You are right that the story came about from Jim and I having a shared love of Buffy, but as you point out, this story was designed to be wholly original and not plough a furrow that had been well turned already. Buffy has been done and cannot, I think, be improved on.
I agree with you criticism of the pacing; Jim thought something similar. Lucy was the first novel that I had ever written so I was a little off on the pacing in the first few chapters, taking too long to assemble the cast. As you say, the story really changes gear when William meets Lucy; that was deliberate but I should have got there sooner.
But all in all, I am inordinately proud of Lucy’s Blade and I am very glad that you liked the characters and the storyline.
The sequel is called Lucy’s War, and eight chapters are written. It is set in 1588 and concerns the Armada.
With best wishes for the New Year
John