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Wow, I've been concentrating on Laev's book and just saw all the comments.

Ok, I'm easy, Nuin can be an animal Healer...or I really like the idea of him being a geologist and animal tinter ;)

Anyway, I do recall off the top of my head that T'Ash's mother was a perfumer.

BTW, Dontea (D'Ash's daughter) breezes in on about page 5. I have to be careful to emphasize that Laev thinks of her as a daughter so no one thinks any hanky panky will be going on (he'd be appalled, but Celtan standards are Earth standards and I need to conform to most Earth standards). Also to clue readers in that she is NOT the heroine.

I'm having a fabulous time with Laev, Camellia Darjeeling (the heroine), my new private investigator, Garrett Primross (as a manly man he objected to Primrose), and the starship Nuada's Sword....many secrets.

So, Nuin as animal healer and geologist? Or vice versa?

May you enjoy all the input you give today.
Robin

T'Ash's Children, Night musings, Insights into Series building

So I finished up Heart Change, but decided to keep my mind in Celta and started thinking about Laev Hawthorn (up 3 of 3) and skipping 15 years and how old that would make T'Ash's (Rand T'Ash, my first hero, of HeartMate) children.

Now I knew from writing HeartMate that T'Ash would have four children, two boys and two girls.

One of them (a son) was already born as of Heart Quest (Winterberry, policeman and Trif Clover, musician), Nuin.

I knew that Heart Change, Signet's book, would have the birth of the next two -- fraternal twins, a boy and a girl.

Now how to get them, or one of them, in Laev Hawthorn's story? This is what I thought of when I went to bed for a few nights.

Well...T'Ash is a wonderful jewelry maker, but he doesn't consider himself an artist and thinks artists are wimps, so he'd probably pass that down to his sons. I've had Nuin precocious, but he could grow out of that. I think everyone thought of him as T'Ash's heir, too. But...why? On Celta, it's usually the most strongly Flaired child, or the child that shows the most Family Flair who becomes the next GreatLord or GreatLady. Why not make it a girl? The first girl is one of the twins, so why not? How would she fit into Laev's book?

T'Ash lost his Family. He is very, very focused on Family, on keeping his line going, etc. This, too, he'd pass down to his children. So, say, what if Laev becomes a businessman like his deceased father and FatherSire T'Hawthorn? What if this girl twin shows an excellent propensity for business (which T'Ash would greatly value because he'd been poor and struggled)? Would T'Ash apprentice her to Laev? I think so. And she will become the next holder of the title, GreatLady D'Ash. I like it.

So, the other girl? Easy, jewelry designer. Now the boys. The twin boy -- how about a strong and silent blacksmith like his father? Especially since I've decided to make the twin girl quite irrepressible.

That leave's Nuin, the precocious. I have to check what I've said about him, but I think that's about it, not much about his Flair. I've decided he's going to be a geologist. T'Ash is interested in stones and gems, so this could follow. Furthermore a geologist would fit well with the subplot I plan to introduce in Heart Journey.

That's it, and now that I've confused you all, I'll wish you a wonderful day. At least I have my ideas down for myself, so now I'll save them.

May you have a wonderful day.

Laev's Book...15 Years Later, What Happens In The Intervening Years?

I sold three books, two of which were proposals: they had pages (chapters) and synopses (summaries). The third was "untitled Heart book."

I've been thinking of "slipping" about fifteen years for Laev Hawthorn's book, and, in fact, set up his subplot in Heart Change. I hadn't really planned on Laev before last year, but he's coming of age in Heart Change, and Cratag is T'Hawthorn's captain of the guard, so it fit.

I still don't know much about the book, except Laev makes a terrible mistake (ok, he already made one terrible mistake in Heart Duel, but that mostly affected others), so he is not exactly trusting his judgment...still working the plot out, though I do know the heroine and what she's doing, if not her total character.

I am also thinking of what will occur during fifteen years from technology (the starship Nuada's Sword being online again and hooked up to the 'network' of Residences will have considerable effect) to the aging of the children of my first couples...

And other stuff.

If you all have ideas, I'll listen but won't promise to use them. ;) Oh, and brainstorming about Laev's creative Flair would be welcome. He's a rich young man who lives in a castle so a small, portable creative Flair is not necessary.

Robin