I had a bit of an accidental epiphany today that made me feel much better about my mind and Naomi Novik's apparently having found parallel tracks.

I was reading the reader Q&A on Bernard Cornwell's website, which he updates so frequently it functions like a blog. A reader asked him what he thought of Iain Gale ripping off his Sharpe series, and his response was that Gale is a fine author, and that *both* of them were ripping off Horatio Hornblower.

Before I even thought of any parallels to my current situation, I was already at Amazon.com searching for Iain Gale and deciding I absolutely HAD to have this book (which is not the one where the rip-off accusation comes from--Gale has just started a series set about 100 years earlier with a hero named Jack Steel, which does rather evoke Sharpe in the name alone):

[link]

Note the cover blurb by...you guessed it, Bernard Cornwell!

Anyway, as I was drooling over the cover image, it finally hit me. If this series does sell, I'll probably be accused of ripping off Temeraire AND Sharpe, and maybe even Aubrey/Maturin for good measure. And I'll hate that, even as I acknowledge the similarities are there. But, for every person who goes online and says, "Susan Wilbanks is a hack who copied Novik/Cornwell/O'Brian," there's going to be at least one reader who says, "OMG! A new author doing the Napoleonic era! Happy! Joy! To the Amazon-mobile, away!" And, you know, if I'm a good enough writer, my own unique spin will shine through, and instead of being a rip-off artist I'll get to be part of the pantheon. At least, that's my goal.

Jesus, I wrote real life schmoop.

"By the book"

It’s his favorite game, snuggled deep into the couch before bed, pajamas twisted on recklessly with his own chubby hands.

He points. “Nana!”

I nod, skim one finger down the glossy plastic page. “How about this?”

He rolls his eyes; that’s too easy. “Jakey.”

“Yup.” I wink at him, kiss the top of his head. “You’re a smart guy. How about this one?”

“Me! And Mommy.” He stares at the picture, studying his own face, turned up to me in the photo, the curls we trimmed away yesterday damp on the back of his neck.

I like this game, too.

Schmooooop! Babyschmooop! Awwwww.

Schmoopyhead! Awwww

The "by the book" challenge is now closed.

This week's challenge is "torn."

My roommate reads Wizards of the Coast novels. The ones of which I've bothered to look at the covers seem to be based in the world of Dungeons & Dragons 3.5. I'm not sure, but I think they actually feature characters referenced in the rule books.

I was just looking at Knut's book on Amazon. I keep thinking we should have a Buffistas Write! link on the left side that links to all of our books...she says...selflessly...I swear...

Jilli's book will be coming out soon enough, and we're a pretty writey bunch. I'm proud of us.

Are you looking for someone to propose it? I'll do it if you want.

I think it is an excellent idea.

I think it's a great idea. I'm about to buy Buffista books with the $102(!) Amazon certificate I got for my saved change. I've already bought and given away a 5 or 6 of Allyson's book.