So what I – and possibly Steve, if I can coax him over here – intend to do below this introductory post is to talk about our own work – specifically, I’m going to talk about Trader’s Leap, the 23rd novel set in the Liaden Universe® created by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller back in the second half of the previous century.
A little history, for those who haven’t been with us since February 1988, when a Mass Market Original was published by Del Rey Books, the cover art showing a man, a woman, and a Big Freaking Turtle apparently about to Have Some Trouble outside of a little place called the Triple Moon Saloon. That paperback was titled Agent of Change, the very first Liaden book ever written, and it introduced the three characters pictured on the cover (in order of appearance in the text): Val Con yos’Phelium, Miri Robertson, and Twelfth Shell Fifth Hatched Knife Clan of Middle River’s Spring Spawn of Farmer Greentrees of the Spearmakers Den, The Edger.
Having finished Agent to the best of our abilities, we – or, rather, I – cast about for something to occupy my mind until the Rich and Famous Contract arrived in the mail. I hit upon writing an exploratory short story about Val Con’s cousin/brother Shan yos’Galan.
As it turns out, the Rich and Famous Contract took longer to arrive than anticipated, and by the time it had, we’d written an entire novel about Shan yos’Galan, Priscilla Delacroix y Mendoza, and the crew of the Dutiful Passage, including the denizens of the Pet Library, notably Master Frodo, a norbear.
Steve and I talked about the implications of having two hero-teams, so to speak, and the more we talked, the more it made sense to us. Miri and Val Con were troublemakers, with enough derring-do between them to knit a long, long line of adventures. Meanwhile, Priscilla and Shan were both peaceable souls, and while they were certainly capable of handling any trouble that came looking for them, they clearly preferred the challenges of the markets. Plus, they had a fascinating backstory, that I was itching to explore.
Anyhow, we sent the exploratory short story, now the novel entitled Conflict of Honors to Del Rey Books, where it was published as the second book in our three novel contract, and got busy writing the third book, which would become Carpe Diem, which was the direct sequel to Agent of Change, and also involved Shan, Priscilla and the rest of Val Con’s family.
Meanwhile, reviews came in. Locus liked Agent of Change, but Romantic Times – RT loved Conflict of Honors. And we thought – well, there, cross-over readers are good.
So, we figured that we would have two occasionally intersecting lines of romantic space opera, one more action oriented, the other quieter, but still exciting.
. . .long story short – things didn’t work out exactly that way. Science Fiction did not share the Shan-and-Priscilla love. Science Fiction embraced Val Con and Miri, perhaps because Science Fiction thought it “recognized” the class of character and the adventures they were likely to have, and was more comfortable with them.
Science Fiction was in for a surprise, but that’s another essay.
Shan and Priscilla – there was the whole “woo-woo” element of psychic powers, and goddesses, and past lives, and – no, said Science Fiction, this is far, far too much like you’re trying to put peanut butter on my chocolate. Don’t get us wrong, they’re fine, as far as they go, and honestly we’d like to see less of them. Really, you could just drop them altogether, and we wouldn’t complain.
Astute readers will notice that Lee and Miller Liaden books are filed under Science Fiction, not Romance, so. . .Val Con and Miri took the lead in the Liaden adventures.
We did not, however, drop Priscilla and Shan. In our opinion, as the writers, Shan and Priscilla belonged in the Liaden Universe® – very much so, given that interesting backstory, and the history of the Liaden Universe® related in Crystal Soldier and Crystal Dragon.
We made a beginning on a second Priscilla and Shan novel, which was rejected in partial. We made a beginning on a Moonhawk and Lute novel, which was rejected in partial. We were told that it would be “too confusing” to readers to go whaling out on tangents like these, especially with the Lute and Moonhawk angle, which looked too much like fantasy. Well. Until the energy weapons showed up.
So, what I’ve been saying at too much length, is that Shan and Priscilla’s (and Lute and Moonhawk’s) stories had to be told ’round the edges of other stories, and at less length than we often might have liked. One of the joys of Trader’s Leap, for us, is that it focuses almost exclusively on Priscilla, Shan, Padi, Lina, and the rest of the crew of the Dutiful Passage, including Delm Briat, Lady Selph, Master Frodo, and Tiny – the norbears. We tried to fit this story into Neogenesis, but ran out of room; and we tried to fit it into Accepting the Lance, but ran out of room.
I’m so very glad we did.
So, that’s about it for the introduction. I’m going to list (and link, where possible) the works in which you can find Lute and Moonhawk, Shan and Priscilla, or all four, and then I’m going to lay in a SPOILER notice. If you haven’t read Trader’s Leap, and don’t want it spoiled, do not read any further than this top page.
You may find Moonhawk and Lute in Crystal Dragon, Fellow Travelers: Adventures in the Liaden Universe® Number 2, Moon’s Honor: Adventures in the Liaden Universe® Number 20. You may find them, with Shan and Priscilla in: Conflict of Honors, Alliance of Equals, and Trader’s Leap. Shan and Priscilla are also minor characters in Carpe Diem, Plan B, I Dare.
All righty now, Stuff Gets Real from this point! If you do not want the story of Trader’s Leap spoiled, do not, I beg of you, read the comments. any further.
FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE following along, and who have Questions — please post them on this page. That way, we’ll leave the comment string on this post clear for The Authors’ Thoughts.
Thank you.