At Lodgings In Lyme Chronology

Keeping track of the chronology of a story is important to me, so here is the chronology of Oliver & Jack: At Lodgings In Lyme.

Earlier, Wendy Rathbone and I were talking via email about our current projects; though the characters and settings are very different, the topics and tropes we are working with are very similar, so we have lots and lots to talk about.

Amidst our convivial chatter, the Captive Prince Trilogy by C. S. Pacat often comes up because Wendy was so enthusiastic and passionate about her enjoyment of this trilogy that I had to go and read it for myself. I’m just about to start King’s Rising; Book Three, so that I can open the door for more conversation between Wendy and I. (She’s been very good about spoilers.) Not hardly a day has gone by that we don’t talk about Pacat’s books and her writing.

I have truly enjoyed the first two books, partly because they are m/m romance, which I love to read as well as write, and also because of the way Pacat so deftly handles her story. She writes about two men from opposing countries, and she sets it up so that the characters (Damen and Laurent) cannot possibly connect, let alone fall in love. But they do connect, amidst two kingdoms hanging in the balance, and she makes it work. Not to mention the very lush, complex way that she writes.

And I have to wonder, how on earth did she keep track of it all? There are no dropped balls, no missed threads, no character walking on stage for no apparent reason at all, no, there’s none of that. Every scene has a purpose and pushes the story forward; each character has dialog or action that means something and matters to the story. And all of this with a cast of thousands! (That’s hyperbole for you.)

I think I write a decent story, but I could never balance such a large setting and huge cast the way Pacat does, the complexity of it is too much for my caffeine-addled brain to handle.

But, Christina, no! I hear you say. Don’t compare yourself to anybody; write what you want to write, how you want to. Write what you love.

Yes, you are right, of course you are. I think I got so caught up in admiring Pacat and her lovely, moving trilogy, that I forgot what I love. And that is writing in small moments, between a very small group of people. Kingdoms and countries matter nothing to me; two young huddled in a bed on a cold winter’s night do. And I think that’s okay, because there’s enough room for all kinds of stories and writing styles.

(But seriously. How on earth did Pacat keep track?)

Oh boy! Here’s an interview with Ms. Pacat, where she talks a little bit about how she wrote her trilogy.