Andre Norton Forum

Re: Series and Sequels, the Problems Thereof

: As part of the comments on what I should choose for the next Web page document. There were comments on continuing several of the older series.

: The books mentioned were PRINCE COMMANDS, RALESTONE LUCK, and THE SWORD SERIES.

: Expecting 'The Lady' to write a sequil to any of the books printed in the 1930's or 1940-50's. Well It isn't very likely. I guess everyone changes in 45 years, and revisiting old characters isn't likely.

The is true.

: What I do know about Andre Norton is when someone has asked her "What ever happened next to" any character, she has replied; "I don't know either. Why don't you write it, and then we'll both know."

And THAT, is indeed, the backup plan, only I'd need a co-author at least. The main plan, for SWORDS, is to find someone she'd accept as a coauthor, who is able to turn out pro quality fiction but not sell it. We're talking small/specialty press here ... 10k print run max. I'm also suggesting that the idea is to go thru the trilogy and pull out loose ends like "whatever happened to the beautify girl in Indonesia?" (She had a family who had an adventure with the very aging characters of the first three books ... I'd say.) The basic idea is that the "organization" still exists today, in mutated form, out of which the characters of the last two (?) books worked. The original characters are dead or only have cameo parts. Nevertheless you get an adventury story taking the whole bit from "then" to "now" and showing that things will go on into the future. : As for Raleston Luck: Well I'm always reminded of the Norman Rockwell painting of a family tree. Two branches of a family. One branch had Pirates, and the other branch Puritans: meeting several generations later in one of those cute red head kids. But the book was originally written when Andre Norton was in HIGH SCHOOL! I doubt that I could write anything about the 1920's with the correct feel and accuracy. I think that the whole history of that era underlies the text.

: I think that in any case, you'd be more likely to get a generational sequel. What happened to the next generation.

Precisely, and easy to do for SWORDS (Swords Forever ... or whatever it gets titled).

: With the publishing industry it is pretty hard to determine what will be published. A sequel to MARK OF THE CAT never got

That's why it has to be "Specialty Press." I've talked about this with Steve Pagel, head man of Meisha Merlin. It's feasable. I'd put up the money. He'd show/tell me how to do it all. I'd get the people to do it, buy rights, etc. like what he does. Then it would be distributed piggy-back to his existing operation.