I always thought this character would have been good for more tales.

Justintime

I believe there was one planned or, at least, experimented with. See The Lost Treasures Edition.

Took your advice and ordered the LT edition of OOTD. Got me to thinking and you may know if this is true. I would guess that your dad always had multiple stories bouncing around inside his head and made notes and outlines so that when he was ready, he could sit down at the typewriter with the story for the most part complete needing only to be put in writing.

Justintime

>Took your advice and ordered the LT
>edition of OOTD. Got me to thinking and
>you may know if this is true. I would
>guess that your dad always had multiple
>stories bouncing around inside his head
>and made notes and outlines so that when
>he was ready, he could sit down at the
>typewriter with the story for the most
>part complete needing only to be put in
>writing.

That's pretty much what LLLT is all about!

Can I recommend the Lost Treasures Volumes one and two. You'll then see just how much Louis had in the pipeline that could have been finished and what we have missed out on.

Les
The English Language is weird. It can be understood through tough thorough thought though.



:7

Les
The English Language is weird. It can be understood through tough thorough thought though.



:7

Just received the LT edition of OOTD. Of course, I only read the Postscript this time. It was a really good start for what might have been another Owen Chantry story. I also noted your final words about not having someone else finish the story. I think you are absolutely right not having someone else finish any of your dad's work. And, that's interesting to me because I've been thinking about how that might work. My opinion is it just couldn't. No matter how good or bad a stand-in might be, they could never be LL. I've seen it tried a few times after other authors passed. It never struck me as particularly successful.

Justintime

>Just received the LT edition of OOTD.
>Of course, I only read the Postscript
>this time. It was a really good start
>for what might have been another Owen
>Chantry story. I also noted your final
>words about not having someone else
>finish the story. I think you are
>absolutely right not having someone else
>finish any of your dad's work. And,
>that's interesting to me because I've
>been thinking about how that might work.
> My opinion is it just couldn't. No
>matter how good or bad a stand-in might
>be, they could never be LL. I've seen it
>tried a few times after other authors
>passed. It never struck me as
>particularly successful.

I'm of mixed opinion about this. It must be financially successful because publishers often do it and the "new" author siphons off a lot of the money yet the writer's estate still makes enough to make it worth it.

I'm not really opposed to doing it, or others doing it, I just don't see any reason for us to do it, clearly I've been able to keep Louis alive thus far.

But here's what happens: When your books are in the marketplace for too many years without a change the bookstores begin to complain. Maybe your sales slip, maybe they don't, but the stores put you under a microscope because they are worried that they MIGHT slip. Then you need something new or they stop reordering. Sometimes it can be as silly as new covers, sometimes it has to be something as dramatic as the Lost Treasures project ... or books by a different writer. The thing is, if you don't have something to give them they lose confidence, and then the publisher loses confidence, and then they start taking your books out of print, and then it's all over.

When you think about it, it's pretty amazing that he has books from 60+ years ago still in print. I'm not sure how often that happens, but I'm guessing not a lot.

peter

>When you think about it, it's pretty
>amazing that he has books from 60+ years
>ago still in print. I'm not sure how
>often that happens, but I'm guessing not
>a lot.
>
>peter

Almost never. Louis is an exceptional exception!

Sounds like the old "follow the money" meme. There are only two examples that I've really noticed. Several book have been published with Robert B. Parker's characters Jesse Stone and Spenser. The stand-ins may be good authors but I had never heard of them. So, I have passed on them. And, then I've seen several books about Robert Ludlum's character Jason Bourne that were published. The stand-in is Eric Van Lustbader. He's a good author. However, after having read two or three of his books, I decided he was not my cup of tea and so have passed on his Bourne books. I guess the reason I don't much care for this practice is that I don't think it can ever be the same as the original author. When it comes to an author's "voice", I think you can imitate but seldom, if ever, duplicate. I suspect that your dad's fans much prefer your treatment of your dad's estate.

Justintime

Vince Flynn died from cancer about 10 years ago, and they have someone writing his books now. Those books always have the original author's name in huge print on the cover, while the current author's name is much smaller. Reminds me now that Tony Hillerman's daughter has written 3 or 4 books continuing with her dad's characters. He had added a female Navajo cop in his last few books, and her books are focused on her, rather than on the two male cops. They're good, but not as good as her dad's books. But I guess many things are that way. If your favorite band gets a new lead singer, you may like his voice, but it's just not the same without the original guy.

peter