Dear Author, let me thank you right up front for the story you are going to write. Although you've seen the requests on my sign-up, I know that many people like a bit more to go on than just the prompt. If so, I hope this letter will prove helpful. All these fandoms are dear to my heart. Whatever you write, I'm sure I will love it!


General Guidelines:

As far as general guidelines are concerned, I seem to say pretty much the same thing for every gift exchange. (Which makes sense, I guess.)

What I Like:
* Plot and/or character (both being the ideal, of course!)
* A sense of humour and being able to recognize the ridiculous when it pops up; also wit and wordplay, if the story calls for them. (Having said that, I totally leave it up to you whether you write a serious or comic story—or a serious story with comic interludes.)
* Stories that are true to canon (though I've certainly enjoyed some flat-out AUs)
* Background research, esp. for stories with an historical setting
* Rating: no higher than PG13, please.

What I Dislike:
* Poor spelling, bad grammar and punctuation, and blatant Americanisms uttered by British characters (unless they're aware of what they're doing, which is another matter entirely)
* Explicit sex, especially if long and detailed. No objection to hints, but I'm not into plumbing.

My Own Writing
If you want to have a look at some of my own stories, you can find them on my website.


My Requests:

Hellspark - Janet Kagan
Characters: Maggy | Margaret Lord Lynn, Tocohl Susumo.

I love this book for Lassti, linguistics, the cast (especially Maggy!), and the detective plot. So as much of that as you can get into the story the better. A missing scene? Something aboard ship? A new case for the new judge? While I particularly want to see Maggy and Tocohl together again, I love all the characters (including those who weren't nominated); so please feel free to include any of them.

If you don't know Hellspark, it's set in a far-future where humanity has spread out over many federated planets, each of which has evolved its own cultures and language. The "science" in the SF is Linguistics: the heroine comes from a polyglot people who serve as translators, traders, and judges. When murder is committed among a team of scientists evaluating a newly discovered planet, she is called in to investigate—not just to find the killer, but to determine whether the native species is sentient.

Suggestions, suggestions....

Well, I don't think it's reasonable to ask you to write a sequel. I'd love a sequel, of course; and it's not as though people have never written novels for gift exchanges. (I did myself once. Nearly killed me.) However, it's not really a practical request. *g*

I love casefic. Some other mystery for now-Byworld Judge Tocohl Susumo to tackle would be a joy. We saw one other world in some detail, at the beginning of the novel, so—if perchance some other year she were back there and some crime were committed—perhaps she might be enlisted to solve it. If you want something less plotty, I'd love a missing scene, either on board ship or on Lassti.

Although I specified Maggy and Tocohl as the two characters I really want to see in the story, do, please, feel free to use any or all of the others. Buntec is always fun (with or without Edge-of-Dark), and clearly is friends with Maggy. Geremy might offer an option for a story set off Lassti, perhaps in the future as he tries to upgrade his own ship's AI. Or (considering characters who weren't nominated) I love Tocohl's friendship with Alfvaen, Om im's role as her assistant, layli-layli, swift-Kalat—any of the characters, in fact. They all have their charms.

Really, anything would be wonderful.

Availability: Now back in print (Amazon link).


Forever Knight:
Characters: Any.

Casefic is always a treat; and I enjoy ensemble stories. On the other hand, if you prefer to focus on an individual, perhaps some backstory—family/personal life (especially for Nick's partners), or history (for the vampires). By all means include characters who weren't nominated. Preferably gen; but don't feel that you have to ignore canon.

Although this is one of my better known fandoms (at least by Yuletide standards), you may well have matched me on a different prompt. So, just in case you've never heard of Forever Knight, it's a '90s TV series whose hero is a homicide detective on the Toronto police force who was turned into a vampire in 1228.

As someone who's played in a Forever Knight War as a Die-Hard (if that means anything to you), I like all the characters. Here are a few general suggestions, if you find that sort of thing helpful.

I love the cop aspect of the series, both the interplay back at the station, and also the detective story plots. Casefic would be great; or maybe an ensemble piece, with the focus on people's interactions. I like both Tracy and Schanke as Nick's partner; all the captains are of interest. Of course, you may prefer to explore one or more specific characters. Both Tracy's and Schanke's families are familiar from hints, but largely unseen. Natalie's family is only slightly better explored, and her professional life might be of interest.

As for the vampires, I prefer stories with a modern setting to focus on Nick as a detective, with vampires on the side, so to speak. However, that is certainly a significant part of his life—or unlife—and not something that I would ask you to omit. And then, of course, there is his centuries'-long past, which affords delightful opportunities for historical fiction.

Basically, I'm pretty easy on what you write, though my preference is for gen. (If romance does sneak in, please stick to a PG-13 rating at most.) Any other characters you want to include would be fine. I'd prefer something canon-compliant, but do feel free to ignore "Last Knight" if you want.

Availability: The series is available on DVD. There's a Forever Knight wiki, if you just want to check details.


The Charioteer - Mary Renault:
Characters: Mrs Timmings, Hugh Treviss.

This is an either/or on the characters: I'm not asking you to write both in the same story.

I'm interested in seeing someone else's p.o.v. on canon: either Mrs T on the events of 1940 (Laurie injured, her employer's engagement); or Hugh's p.o.v. on that last term at school (probably seeing more than Ralph realized). If you can't see your way to either of those, then I'm free to having you write about other characters. In that case, I'd prefer canon-based gen.

The Charioteer is the last contemporary book written by Mary Renault before she shifted to writing historicals. What do I like about it? Well, it was one of the first stories I ever read that had explicitly gay characters in it, let alone a gay hero. The characters are eternally fascinating. In addition, it's set in Britain during World War II, which makes it an intriguing period piece.

I've made two quite specific requests, either of which would be a welcome alternative point of view on canonical events.

Mrs Timmings has clearly worked as housekeeper for the Odells over many years; and, as such, she must have her own perspective on Laurie, whether it be his relationship with his mother, his character (even his sexual preferences!), and/or his injury; and she is bound to be concerned by Mrs Odell's courtship by the vicar, which would probably be the talk of the village, quite apart from its potential effect on her own future employment.

Hugh Treviss is only mentioned twice in the book (as Ralph's friend, and as the person who was originally teaching Laurie to fence for the school play). As a character in his own right, he is therefore something of a tabula rasa; but, as someone who knew both of them during the crisis of Chapter Two, he must surely have his own perspective on those events.

If neither of those prospects appeals, then I am certainly open to your writing me something different. On the whole, I'd prefer a story that is more-or-less gen—though that depends, of course, on what characters are included during which period in their lives. I certainly don't want canon ignored; it's more a question of focus. Backstory, missing scene, an exploration of characters often overlooked....

Total longshot (which I only mention since I know a lot of Renault fans are also into World War II history): Sandy Reid shares a surname with Pat Reid, who was Escape Officer at Colditz. This is obvious crossover material. (Cousins, maybe?)

I'd prefer something canon-compliant. Futurefic is okay; but I'd rather not have an AU.

Availability: The preferred edition is always the 1953 Longman (or its 1973 reprint); but the paperback is a lot more available, being in print. Also, Renault's books are found in most libraries.

There's a DW community, renaultx, that is devoted to Mary Renault's novels. That might be a good place to find a beta.