Untangling Tales

I make frequent references to the YA (young adult) fantasy novel I’m working on, so I thought it would be a good idea to have this page to answer some potential questions.

(Feel free to mention any other questions you think I should answer here).

Seventeen-year-old Linnea has innumerable bad headaches, a 2-year-old son, and one good foot. Since few in her village can afford the luxury of a crippled wife, she remains unmarried until she decides a dragon— the Lindorm— will be easier to live with than her abusive stepmother. Linnea bolsters her courage by remembering all the tales where maidens find the man in the monster, but the reality proves closer to the stories than she expected.

Her new husband is a prince only his parents knew was missing, and Linnea finds herself the weak link in a chain to hold back a magical invasion of her country.

Kol-al-Din, among the most powerful of the magical race of Djinn, considers himself a very patient fellow, but he will not tolerate insubordination. When his own son slips the bonds of obligatory obedience Kol is willing to forestall the invasion to ensure his displeasure is adequately communicated.

With Linnea’s new husband away on a quest, and running from a false charge that could tie her to the burning stake, she discovers the djinn’s abuse. Battling her own weakness, Linnea uses what few resources she has to resist the most powerful magic she’s ever known.

LINDORM is a YA fantasy that explores ideas of personal power and interdependence. It looks at the question of juggling marriage and dependent children while trying to save the world, because the kiss isn’t the end of the adventure, it’s the beginning.

Q: When did you start writing this story?

A: November 1, 2006 (My first NaNoWriMo). I got my 50,000 words in the 30 days. Look at October or November 2006 if you want more of the story.

Q: What’s the novel about?

A: An unwed teenage mother disenchants a beast who is actually a prince, but her happily ever after disintegrates when a quest calls him away and she is left to face new monsters alone.

Quite a number of traditional folktale elements are wrapped up in this story, and you can check them out if you feel so inclined.

Q: Where did the idea come from?

A: From a folktale called King Lindorm. (That link is to the first of several versions I’ve read).

Q: How close is the novel to the original story?

A: It’s changed quite a bit. There is still a monstrous snake demanding a bride– because he’s not supposed to be a snake– but several new and important characters have emerged that weren’t in the original story.

Also, I couldn’t see a modern audience getting the ‘selling his soul’ element that makes one character the focus of perpetual abuse, so I transformed the hordes of hell into a mass of minor djinn, which confirmed the story’s position as fantasy. You know, in case there was any question.

Q: What’s your favorite part?

A: Creating dialogue. Sharp dialogue his always my favorite element in books and movies, so I can’t help loving and creating my own– even if it’s only in the way a 6-year-old pirouettes in her ballerina fantasies.

Q: Where are you at right now?

A: Best way to find out is to look at my Developing Novel category. That is a fairly current record of activity. I’ve found I have a habit of “detoxing” after a chunk of work by blogging about what I did.

If you comb back through those you’re likely to find excerpts or quotes to give you a taste of what I’m working on.

Q: I have high expectations after reading so much on your blog.

A: That’s not a question. Please keep in mind that I am a wife and mother first, and 2 (or 12) years in the making says less about the novel’s complexity and/or depth than the one who is writing it.

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For more information of (possible) interest you may like the post where I interviewed myself about writing.