Sequel simmering

Happy New Year, everyone!

Something unexpected happened while I was drafting Girl with Flying Weapons Book Two. An idea for a sequel to Ugly Stepsister came out of nowhere. It seemed far-fetched and ridiculous at first, so I didn't give it much thought. But then more ideas started popping up, so I did more research in the Victorian age and British monarchy and hey, I think this might work! Maybe it won't be as novel and fresh as the first book, but I'm feeling pretty excited to have the chance to continue Kat's story with the prince. I even have a couple other ideas, such as giving Lady Gregory her own story, that I would like to explore further.

Which means--I'll have to put Girl with Flying Weapons on the back burner for now. I was experiencing a much bigger difficulty with Book Two--it was getting kind of tough to write wuxia, a distinctly Chinese genre, in English. Characters seemed to act more like they were in a western fantasy than in ancient Tang dynasty. Many new terms I found hard to convey in English. I feel awful that I'm abandoning the series temporarily, but it seems the best I can do now.

So basically--more fairy tale stuff will be coming up this year! Writing The Ugly Stepsister has been a wonderful, magical experience, and I do hope the magic will happen again for the sequel : )