I swear, the original genesis of this book was several years ago when I read one too many of that particular plot device. I've read romances where someone's parentage turns out nobler than expected that I thought worked very well--Putney's One Perfect Rose and Gaffney's Wild At Heart come to mind. It plays into the common princess fantasy, and allows an author to have her cake and eat it too by being an angsty cross-class romance for 7/8 of the story, but when the supposed commoner's true parentage is revealed, the couple can live happily ever after accepted by Society.

But then I read a book where I felt like the author was implying that the character who turned out to be noble after all couldn't have been so beautiful and full of natural graces if her parentage had really been as common as everyone thought. And that pissed me off. So I decided that some day, in some way, I was going to write a book with a non-rich commoner who's exactly what s/he appears to be.

Jack has been toned down a bit according to Beverly's suggestions, and Sebastian is now just "a handsome cavalry officer."

Victor, there were some errors in your piece. Do you want me to post them or e-mail them to you or just tell you that I think it's very good (which I do) and leave it at that?

Thanks, Deena. Don't bother with the typos--I know about them and the guy who runs Gotpoetry is on his honeymoon, so I can't do a dang thing about them.

Soldier’s Lady is a story of star-crossed love where the right people from the wrong backgrounds meet under the wrong circumstances at the wrong place at the wrong time.

I love this, Susan.

Susan, I like the pitches very much, and I agree that it was probably best to make the suggested changes. I love the "meet in the middle" theme for Jack and Anna. I was thinking he must lose an arm when I read your drabble -- poor guy! I love a wounded -- emotionally, especially -- hero. And you have the first three chapters rewritten already! Go you.

Deb, I'd love to read what you have of the new book if you can forgive me for still reading through Matty (very slowly, obviously).

(FTR, though I admit to Marty Stu-ing Jack a bit in my first draft pitch above, I want full credit for saying nothing whatsoever about his amber-brown eyes or tuneful baritone voice.)

I've sort of lost my way. Kind of mostly feeling foolish for starting. Having enormous organizational issues. Stories are feeling so random and not coming together to form a picture, and mostly, I'm having such huge trouble thinking of interesting essays to provide transitions between essays so people who arent us know what I'm talking about.

Without a clear organizational structure, i.e, a way for a reader to get from essay to essay without confusion about Who These People Are, I'm just, GAH!

Without a clear organizational structure, i.e, a way for a reader to get from essay to essay without confusion about Who These People Are, I'm just, GAH!

Is there anything I can do to help? Cause organizing things such that there are fluid transitions is one of my obsessions.

Allyson, deep breaths. 'tis cool. The structure is the easiest thing to fix, because it can be done at the end; that's the nice thing about this kind of non-fiction work. Since there's no story arc to maintain, interstices can be done at any time.

And where is it written that you have to have essays as transitions between other essays? Anything is possible as transition, surely: interviews, for instance. Someone like Shrift, who deals with fic and fic sites. Any one of a bazillion specialty people you know who work in or around fandom. (edit: that's meant to mean that quickies conversations with other people in fandom can offer a nice interestingly lit pathway through that particular garden, for those of us who don't go deep into it.)

Not to worry about the linkage. If the essays are the core of the book, get as many of them as make you happy together first. The rest is addable.

Ooh. Deb has a sweet idea with the interviews.