It's my Day of Fey!

[rj_anderson]

shvetufae was kind enough to invite me to take part in her annual Three Days of Fey celebration. lisamantchev's delightful entry on Monday was a hard act to follow, and I suspect that janni's entry on Friday will be equally splendid in its own way. But here I am, nonetheless:

The Beautiful Other: or, Why I Write About Faeries.

Hope you enjoy it!

Comments

[shoebox2]

Really excellent. It answers a lot of questions I had about your world's creation - and was interesting to me in other ways, too. You're pretty good at this inspiring-the-aspiring thing, all told. :)

[rj_anderson]

*beams* Thank you!

[philia_fan]

I enjoyed reading that, RJ. You were very clear and articulate!

[rj_anderson]

Thank you, Philia! I did not feel at all clear or articulate as I was writing it, so it's a relief to know that I did end up making some sense after all. :)

*chuckles at your icon*

[kiwiria]

Very interesting essay!

I've been meaning to ask you - why does have the book have two different titles in UK/AUS/NZ and US? Was that your choice or the editors? Which title do you prefer?

[rj_anderson]

I definitely need to add this to my FAQ when I update my website! :D

The UK publishers liked my original title of KNIFE, and ultimately decided that was the way to go for their market; but the US publisher wanted a series title that made plain it was about faeries and a book title that would highlight the fantasy aspect. So we discussed it at great length, and eventually came up with FAERY REBELS for the series and SPELL HUNTER for the book.

[kiwiria]

Thanks! I figured it was something like that. Amazing what you learn about publishing + picking out names from novels from reading L.M. Montgomery's journals ;) ("Anne of Windy Willows" becoming "Anne of Windy Poplars" in the US, because the publisher didn't want it to be mistaken for "The Wind in the Willows", "Rilla of Ingleside" originally being named "Rilla, My Rilla"... don't remember the reasoning for changing that one though. ... Sorry, a lot of completely pointless information :-P )

[alawston]

I can't stress enough how much I prefer the UK cover for Knife. Not to mention the title.

[rj_anderson]

I think that goes to demonstrate that it was the right choice for the UK, at the least. But the US/Canada is a different market and they're aiming it at a slightly younger audience here, so I defer to my US publisher's wisdom...

[mary_j_59]

Good essay, and it makes your series sound even more intriguing to me. But I was just wondering - have you read Sally Prue's Cold Tom? This is, IMO, a deeply brilliant book, and it does precisely what you state you are doing - it looks at human society from the outside, from the pov of a faerie. The faerie society depicted in this book is absolutely chilling, and absolutely convincing. I think yours is a rather different take, and I'm looking forward to reading it.

[rj_anderson]

I have heard good things about Cold Tom, but have yet to come across it. When I do see it, though, I'll be sure to pick it up.