Well, I'm assuming how much of an appendix or author's note I'd get is up to the publisher if I find one. I'm definitely planning to have my story vs. the real story be a big feature on my website.

Is that sort of thing up to the publisher? I have no idea. Website would certainly work for me. Ask her to assume she would have that as a resource and can she just read for the story (or whatever kind of feedback you are actually looking for), maybe.

Seeing the Nutcracker on TV tonight reminded me of plot bunny I've had for some time I could never get to gel - a Goth Nutcracker. It actually fits very well superficially. Rat Kings were an gross urban myth associated with plague conditions [link] (note: really no need to follow the link. This is not an ita link but it could be. ) And I can see the rosy cheeked sugar plum fairies as plague spirits. So the whole story becomes one of war and plague. But I can't really get beyond the vague idea to a real plot. But I have a feeling something could be done -- something with the feel of grotesque beauty the best Tim Burton films, and best Clive Barker novels provide. If anyone has some ideas that move it forward and make it gel great. And if sparks anything for anyone else - well I feel the value of half-formed ideas is a dime a ton, so help yourself.

Oh gosh yes. I just got a flash of the sugar-plum fairy as a spider queen and all the little children under her petticoats wee spiders. (she's the one with all the kids under her skirt, right?)

See, you coulda gotten Jilli's help on this, but no more.

See, you coulda gotten Jilli's help on this, but no more.

Oh I think Jilli will want to offer an alternative to making Shelob the a star of the story.

A little more gelling. I'm looking at what was going on in 19th century Germany -- the emancipation of Jews there, along with a growning anti-semitic backlash. I'm seeing Clara as belonging to a prosperous assimilated Jewish family who celebrates Christmas as many assimilated Jews did in 19th century Germany. (Note: along with America, Germany was seen by 19th century Jews as an enlightened nation to escape to when fleeing Russia and the Ukraine.)

I'm seeing a three sided battle: the spirit of the enlightment - represented by emancipation and sanitary reform -- modern drains that will help prevent disease, but also assimilationism and rejection of much of Jewish spirtuality and culture. A second side of the battle is the spirit of reaction - opposing the drainage, opposing emancipation, and also linked to even darker forces - the Rat King - with hopes of reviving the 14th century plague, blaming the Jews and importing Pograms from Russia and the Ukraine. A third force is the spirit of old "Yiddeshe" Judiaism that the assimilationist reject - the only spiritual force strong enough to oppose the rat king. It takes the form of a toy soldier made of clay - a golem of sorts. It is only when the new enlightment and the best of Jewish tradition come together (in the alliance of Clara and the clay soldier) that the dark forces can be defeated - at least for the moment. The sugar plum fairies, and tea fairies and Ginger snap fairies and what have you are ghosts raised by the Rat King (I really think turning him from a mouse king to a rat king works well.) I suspect they can be turned against him, since they are his past victims. I don't really have a plot yet, or real characters, but I think this is the beginning of real world building. Given a world and peoples places in it characters I hope will follow naturally. Given a world, and the people who live there, I hope they will follow their natural inclinations and provide a plot.

t Update

And now I'm suddenly deciding - it is not a clay toy, but a full size golem. Originally her father does bring home a nutcracker. Older jealous brother breaks it, and Father to make it up to her drags down the old clay man that is up in the attic. Has been in the family for generations, since before they emigrated to Germany from Prague. Has all sorts of dark superstitious attached to it. It will serve much better as a child's toy than as a magnet for superstitious nonsense. And now I know his character. So little Clara has a full sized clay man as her new toy - with letters carved on his forehead. Some of the letters have been rubbed out, but her Grandpapa taught her a few Hebrew letters behind her father's back so she could play the dreidel games. So she can see what the letters should be, and uses her finger to make them clear where they have blurred.

Below are links to a three-part collaboration by some people whose blogs I check pretty regularly. A good story, well told, I think. I laughed. I cried.

Part 1: [link]

Part 2: [link]

Part 3: [link]

Gar, I hope you write it. I'd love to read it.

I think I'm coming closer. Also I'd love to see what Laga does with her spider queen - a different direction than I'm taking, but there is more than one possible goth nutcracker.