L. Shelby's Juvenilia

(Stuff Written between the ages of 12 and 19.)

They say that you need to write a million words of drek before you can write anything worth reading. Apparently I had completed well over my million words of drek before I turned twenty. Here are the statistics:

Total number of written story ideas found so far: 104
Total number of pages counted: 1472
(Pages of Notes, Maps and Illustrations: 328)

Number of completed stories: 19
(Pages: 432)

Although my juvenilia is almost entirely written by hand on looseleaf paper and so accurate wordcounts are not available, I would only have needed to average 68 words per page in order to make my million. In actuality, my average number of words per page appears to have been closer to 200. So I probably wrote over 2 million words during that period, and therefore it is possible that not all of it is drek.

I'm trying to arrange these from most recent to earliest, but I wasn't in the habit of dating them. Mostly I have to rely on my hazy memories and the physical state of the ms, but my compilation binders do have dated table of contents that can occasionally help identify which are my most recent stories.

Completed Works

  • Echo Regency (70/4 Pages) - Setting: Regency England. This is my transition story. I wrote it as part of my juvenilia, but afterward came back and attempted to revise it under the new title A Grand Abduction. It then became what I count as my "first book": the first novel length work I wrote after deciding that I was going to take this writing thing seriously, and become a professional.
  • Simple Dreams Poetic Prose (5/ Pages) - Description: "A girl chooses practical and poor over a rich idiot." I seem to recall writing this during the summer of 1989.
  • The Tinsel Angel Juv (3/ Pages) - Christmas short story, 3 typed pages, Description: "The tree that was supposed to bring the rival families together got knocked over and burned instead." This was written for Christmas of 1988
  • Riddle, Rhyme and Masquerade Regency (85/7 Pages) - 6 pages of revisions, Setting: England, 181?, Description: "In order for the twins to untangle the clues in their uncles mysterious will, they must first perpetrate a daring masquerade: while one twin remains secretly in the country, the other twin goes to London to play the role of both girls." At 72 pages in Sept. 1989, Completed on Oct. 25th, 1989.
  • Prairie Duchess Western (11/ Pages) - Description: "A young man learns the truth behind a girls reputation for haughtiness"
  • Adam Abram Junior Western (8/ Pages) - Description: "The respect show to him for the sake of his father's reputation wins over the heart of a young rogue." I recall reading this to someone during The Sound of Music, in Spring of 1988.
  • The Frog Prince - a fairy tale Fantasy (9/ Pages) - Description: "The story of he breaking of the Frog Spell, and the convincing of the king to allow the prince to marry the kitchen maid, in three acts."
  • The Prince's Bride -a tale of romance Fantasy (15/ Pages) - Description: "The story of he breaking of the Frog Spell, and the convincing of the king to allow the prince to marry the kitchen maid, in three acts."
  • The Prince and the Maid -a tale of chivalry Fantasy (9/ Pages) - Description: "The story of he breaking of the Frog Spell, and the convincing of the king to allow the prince to marry the kitchen maid, in three acts."
  • Teg and the Fighting Princess Fantasy (10/ Pages) - Description: "Teg thinks that Princess' can't fight."
  • A Tale in Verse Play (42/ Pages) - Was finished at or before March '87.
  • Story for Ruby Picture Bo (3/1 Pages) - Description: "Princess Ruby has an adventure." probably written before April '87
  • A London Lending Library, or The Authoress Play (13/ Pages) - Written early in '87
  • A Proverbial Discord Musical (37/17 Pages) - I was working on it at some point early in 1987
  • The Kissing Tree Musical (23/ Pages) - This was written for English Class 1986-87.
  • A Little Bit of a Success Regency (23/ Pages) - extensive revisions, Setting: Regency England, Description: "A young lady gets invited to a ball, and helps catch a spy." (revisions printed on dot matrix printer.) This is the first story anyone ever critiqued for me. My Uncle Don tore it to pieces for in August of 1986.
  • Morning Light (2/ Pages) - Description: "War story about northern lights."
  • I Do Not Cry SF (2/ Pages) - Description: "Survivor of disaster shows incredible courage."
  • Cinder Lad Fantasy (62/10 Pages) - Description: "A retelling of the Classic French fairytale." (print & cursive, pencil (one page mixed blue and black ink), I noted working on this in my journal March of '87, however from the physical evidence I may well have started it in 1983-84

IncompleteWorks

  • Genius At School SF (16/1 Pages) - Setting: IU (Interplanetary University), Description: "Teenaged Award winning writer drives English department crazy by studying Biology and Art." Post-Feb 1990
  • Amilie Fantasy (14/2 Pages) - Setting: Alternate Earth?, Description: "Seems to be a romance/political maneuvering story" This didn't get into a compilation binder until after Feb 1989
  • Featherhead Regency (16/1 Pages) - Setting: Regency England, Description: "Young lady rumored to be a bit of a half wit, agrees to marry soldier so that he can get custody of his young relatives." post-Sept 1989
  • Pyruts SF (16/7 Pages) - Setting: Space, Description: "Captain Silver kidnaps and forcefully marries the woman he loves, infamous Boney Anne Talon." Written between April 1989, and Feb 1990.
  • The Chamele Fantasy (3/2 Pages) - Setting: Nonspecific Fantasy World, Description: "Shapechanging romance?" post-Feb 1989
  • Samalee Mar Fantasy (5/5 Pages) - Setting: Nonspecific Fantasy World, Description: "Princess is captured and enslaved by tyrant, kind son falls in love with her (plus one page of the sequel)" In Feb 1989 this was recorded as having only notes and no actual story
  • Samalee Mar Sequel Fantasy (1/5 Pages) - Setting: Nonspecific Fantasy World, Description: "Princess is captured and enslaved by tyrant, kind son falls in love with her (plus one page of the sequel)" In Feb 1989 this was recorded as having only notes and no actual story
  • Le Gauche Capitain Regency (43/7 Pages) - Setting: Regency England, Description: "Managing female sets out to help a maimed sea Captain" Sept. 1989 lists only 31 pages
  • Courage Historical (12/ Pages) - Setting: USA, Description: "LDS pioneer story" pre-Feb 1989
  • A Lady's True Tales of London Regency (4/1 Pages) - Setting: The Regency Romance genre's Regency England, Description: "She has seen it all, and wrote a book about it, now she puts it into practice" pre-Sept. 1989
  • Lord Seaton's Heir Regency (6/1 Pages) - Setting: Regency England, Description: "Lord Seaton had twins, the boy twin is his heir... if there was a boy twin" pre-Sept. 1989
  • Tricksy Lady Regency (12/1 Pages) - Setting: Regency England, Description: "Slight of hand is perhaps not the most suitable accomplishment for a lady, but she's a good match for a highwayman" pre-Sept. 1989
  • All Is Well Regency/Fantasy (/ Pages) - Setting: Alternate Earth, Description: "Plot blurbs and notes for a series of seven books about a family of magic using girls." pre-Feb 1989
  • Kitty Western (1/1 Pages) - Michael Delria's Daughters, Family Epic: 4 pages combined notes, 3 more pages of notes, "Most of the stories are Western Romances with a couple or three regencies thrown in, and the final story is a modern genealogical adventure where the heroine attempts to track down the "rightful owner" of the Samurai Swords belonging to Michael Delria's Samurai grandfather. Some of these were started earlier and then shoehorned into the Epic's family tree later on, but all of but "Miss Michael" and "Wildcat" were written on looseleaf.
  • The Samurai Swords Thriller (2/5 Pages) - Michael Delria's Daughters, Family Epic: 4 pages combined notes, 3 more pages of notes, "Most of the stories are Western Romances with a couple or three regencies thrown in, and the final story is a modern genealogical adventure where the heroine attempts to track down the "rightful owner" of the Samurai Swords belonging to Michael Delria's Samurai grandfather. Some of these were started earlier and then shoehorned into the Epic's family tree later on, but all of but "Miss Michael" and "Wildcat" were written on looseleaf.
  • Ask You Like Regency/Fantasy (/ Pages) - Setting: Alternate Earth, Description: "Plot blurbs and notes for a series of seven books about a family of magic using girls." pre-Feb 1989
  • Suitors Regency (/2 Pages) - Description: "Everyone wants to marry Jennie, but she doesn't know who she wants, so she devises a test" pre-Sept. 1989
  • The Impostress Regency (/1 Pages) - Setting: Regency England, Description: "Their courtship is a scam so that she can get enough money to run away and be an actress" pre-Sept. 1989
  • The Vicount’s Pride Regency (/1 Pages) - Setting: Regency England, Description: "lady of quality working as serving maid saves Vicount's horse" pre-Sept. 1989
  • Candle SF (10/2 Pages) - Setting: Space, Description: "Highborn girl befriends the man who kidnaps her and her siblings." pre-April 1989
  • The Merchant Regency/Fantasy (/5 Pages) - Setting: Alternate Earth, Description: "Plot blurbs and notes for a series of seven books about a family of magic using girls." pre-Feb 1989
  • Frontiers Fantasy (/10 Pages) - Setting: Nonspecific Fantasy World, Description: "I have no idea what this is about. All I have is a boat-load of political notes and a map, and no idea what I planned to do with them" pre-Feb 1989
  • My Melodrama Play (14/ Pages) - Setting: Western, Description: "There are a helpless hero and heroine, whose romantic trials are solved by the heroine's little sister, and the villain's little brother" pre-Feb 1989
  • The Taming of the... Regency/Fantasy (/ Pages) - Setting: Alternate Earth, Description: "Plot blurbs and notes for a series of seven books about a family of magic using girls." pre-Feb 1989
  • Much Ado Regency/Fantasy (/ Pages) - Setting: Alternate Earth, Description: "Plot blurbs and notes for a series of seven books about a family of magic using girls." pre-Feb 1989
  • Tempest Regency/Fantasy (/ Pages) - Setting: Alternate Earth, Description: "Plot blurbs and notes for a series of seven books about a family of magic using girls." pre-Feb 1989
  • A Midsummer Night Regency/Fantasy (/ Pages) - Setting: Alternate Earth, Description: "Plot blurbs and notes for a series of seven books about a family of magic using girls." pre-Feb 1989
  • Magic's Five Fantasy (28/2 Pages) - Setting: Nonspecific Fantasy World, Description: "It looks like two combined stories, 'Magic's Five' and 'Savior' about the five children of a powerful elemental wizard and a healer" the prologue and notes are listed in the Feb 1989 table of contents, but not the two stories.
  • Savior Fantasy (/2 Pages) - Setting: Nonspecific Fantasy World, Description: "It looks like two combined stories, 'Magic's Five' and 'Savior' about the five children of a powerful elemental wizard and a healer" ( the prologue and notes are listed in the Feb 1989 table of contents, but not the two stories.
  • The Huntsman’s Daughter Historical (10/2 Pages) - Setting: England, Description: "Series of short stories about a romance between a noble and a commoner, very Robin Hood-ish" In Feb 1989 this was recorded as being only 4 pages
  • General Fantasy (11/3 Pages) - Setting: Nonspecific Fantasy World, Description: "Girl General defends her country from invaders" was listed as having only 6 pages in Feb 1989
  • King of the Clouds SF (2/4 Pages) - Setting: Colony World, Description: "Telepathic Gryphons" pre-April 1989, illustrations signed '88
  • The Horse Girl Fantasy (22/5 Pages) - Setting: Nonspecific Fantasy World, Description: "The horse girl sells a stallion that is a clue to a mystery to a lord" Was most likely started in high school, Fall 1986 - Fall 1988
  • Sally and the Smugglers Juv Histor (2/ Pages) - Setting: Regency England, Description: "Looks like a children's historical, actually" pre-Sept. 1989
  • The Helbourne Tradition Regency (35/2 Pages) - Setting: Regency England, Description: "Gentle lady tames hellraker, plus notes for a sequel about their 7 children" pre-Sept. 1989
  • The Helbourne Babes Regency (/1 Pages) - Setting: Regency England, Description: "Gentle lady tames hellraker, plus notes for a sequel about their 7 children" pre-Sept. 1989
  • Lord Sutterthwaite’s Wife Regency (2/ Pages) - Setting: Regency England, Description: "Marriage of convenience spy/smugger thingy and sequel" pre-Sept. 1989
  • Lord Sutterthwaite’s Lady Regency (/1 Pages) - Setting: Regency England, Description: "Marriage of convenience spy/smugger thingy and sequel" pre-Sept. 1989
  • Black is the Color Regency (20/2 Pages) - Setting: Regency England, Description: "Gentleman investigates French immigrant family and falls for folktale singing daughter" pre-Sept. 1989
  • High Toby Regency (/2 Pages) - Setting: Regency England, Description: "Lady plays the role of highwayman to distract gentleman from unsuitable female" pre-Sept. 1989
  • My Lady Spice Regency (/1 Pages) - Setting: Regency England, Description: "Young man marries governess, is forcibly carted off to India and told she is dead, but later meets his daughter" pre-Sept. 1989
  • Mistress Impudence Regency (/1 Pages) - Setting: Regency England, Description: "Young man marries governess, is forcibly carted off to India and told she is dead, but later meets his daughter" pre-Sept. 1989
  • The Great Hunt Regency (18/1 Pages) - Setting: Regency England, Description: "Impoverished country maiden and rich London gentleman thingy" pre-Sept. 1989
  • The Great Hunt Returns Regency (/1 Pages) - Setting: Regency England, Description: "Impoverished country maiden and rich London gentleman thingy" pre-Sept. 1989
  • Breach of Promise Regency (1/2 Pages) - Setting: Regency England, Description: "He thought it was love, but then he found out her scheming relatives had planned the whole thing" pre-Sept. 1989
  • Silver Hart Regency (/1 Pages) - Setting: Regency England, Description: "Spy catching at a country inn" pre-Sept. 1989
  • Mute Swords SF (16/ Pages) - Setting: Colony World, Description: "ERB/Lin Carter imitation." pre-April 1989
  • Missy Prissy alias The Claw Regency (17/22 Pages) - Setting: Regency England, Description: "Eccentric female nabob smuggler vs gentleman investigator" pre-Sept. 1989
  • To Be Out of the Fashion Regency (3/ Pages) - Setting: Regency England, Description: "He is in the height of fashion, and she is deliberately out of it" pre-Sept. 1989
  • Butterfly Fantasy (5/ Pages) - Setting: Nonspecific Fantasy World, Description: "Retelling of an Asian fairytale" post-Feb 1989
  • My Father Has Fangs Juv Fantasy (24/2 Pages) - Description: "A boy and girl learn about their parents mysterious past, when to pay an old debt their vampire father becomes mixed up in 'family' problems."
  • Space Buccaneers SF (/5 Pages) - Setting: Space, Description: "Aliens that forbid powered weapons, swashbucklers in space" pre-April 1989
  • The Matchmakers SF (/5 Pages) - Setting: Space, Description: "Space business-partner romance" pre-April 1989
  • The Bigger the Better Family (26/42 Pages) - Setting: Alberta, Canada, Description: "The Adventures of a two families of cousins (19 kids), living together in a historic mansion." (some notes printed and in pencil)
  • Turvey Hall Juv History (12/8 Pages) - Setting: England, Description: "This was my Streatfield imitation" pre-Feb 1989
  • Sunday Western (1/ Pages) - Setting: Western, Description: "She was a good woman with a taste for throwing knives at villainous fellows" pre-Feb 1989
  • The Perfect Governess Regency (21/5 Pages) - Setting: Regency England, Description: "Governess romance, with production of Sheridan's 'the Rivals'" Started in early in 1987
  • The Tale I Tell Fantasy (20/ Pages) - Setting: Nonspecific Fantasy World, Description: "Girl with peculiar curse becomes a wandering story teller" Worked on early in '87
  • Play With Emma SF (1/ Pages) - Setting: Space, Description: "Prejudice against mutants?" Appears to share a pen-type with the first 27 pages of "A Tale in Verse"
  • The Little Queen SF (56/2 Pages) - Setting: Colony World, Description: "Crashed space pilot fall in love with local Queen." Various pages from 1-31 appear to share a pen-type with the first 27 pages of "A Tale in Verse"
  • Mikey Historical (17/2 Pages) - Michael Delria's Daughters, Family Epic: 4 pages combined notes, 3 more pages of notes, "Most of the stories are Western Romances with a couple or three regencies thrown in, and the final story is a modern genealogical adventure where the heroine attempts to track down the "rightful owner" of the Samurai Swords belonging to Michael Delria's Samurai grandfather. Some of these were started earlier and then shoehorned into the Epic's family tree later on, but all of but "Miss Michael" and "Wildcat" were written on looseleaf.
  • Firebrand Western (33/2 Pages) - Michael Delria's Daughters, Family Epic: 4 pages combined notes, 3 more pages of notes, "Most of the stories are Western Romances with a couple or three regencies thrown in, and the final story is a modern genealogical adventure where the heroine attempts to track down the "rightful owner" of the Samurai Swords belonging to Michael Delria's Samurai grandfather. Some of these were started earlier and then shoehorned into the Epic's family tree later on, but all of but "Miss Michael" and "Wildcat" were written on looseleaf.
  • Fanscifi SFF (6/1 Pages) - Setting: Multiple Universes, Description: "One brother is the focus of good luck, and the focus of bad luck" pre-Feb 1989
  • Sleeping Roses SF (65/8 Pages) - Setting: Colony World, Description: "This was about a desert world and a man who was immortal, and the process of reality turning into legend." This is one I worked on for a long time, the back of the first page is labeled Spring Semester 1986, yet it expanded from 52 to 65 pages between April 1989 and Feb. 1990.
  • Ma Cousine Musical (2/6 Pages) - Setting: England, Description: "Romantic Comedy" pre-Feb 1989
  • Lady Delria Regency (19/4 Pages) - Michael Delria's Daughters, Family Epic: 4 pages combined notes, 3 more pages of notes, "Most of the stories are Western Romances with a couple or three regencies thrown in, and the final story is a modern genealogical adventure where the heroine attempts to track down the "rightful owner" of the Samurai Swords belonging to Michael Delria's Samurai grandfather. Some of these were started earlier and then shoehorned into the Epic's family tree later on, but all of but "Miss Michael" and "Wildcat" were written on looseleaf.
  • Wildcat Western (6/3 Pages) - Michael Delria's Daughters, Family Epic: 4 pages combined notes, 3 more pages of notes, "Most of the stories are Western Romances with a couple or three regencies thrown in, and the final story is a modern genealogical adventure where the heroine attempts to track down the "rightful owner" of the Samurai Swords belonging to Michael Delria's Samurai grandfather. Some of these were started earlier and then shoehorned into the Epic's family tree later on, but all of but "Miss Michael" and "Wildcat" were written on looseleaf.
  • Miss Michael Regency (189/ Pages) - ? page notes, Setting: Regency England (mostly), Description: "Daughter of English Duke and Samurai warrior returns to England from America's wild west to find Duke only to have him die and her inherit his money, at which point she is kidnapped -- yes, it really was that overblown, why do you think I never quite managed to bring myself to finish it". I had written 86 pages of this by mid December 1985, and had "almost finished it by July 1986. It is unlikely that I started it before 1985 as my acquaintance with the regency genre does not predate that year by much if at all. Michael Delria's Daughters, Family Epic: 4 pages combined notes, 3 more pages of notes, "Most of the stories are Western Romances with a couple or three regencies thrown in, and the final story is a modern genealogical adventure where the heroine attempts to track down the "rightful owner" of the Samurai Swords belonging to Michael Delria's Samurai grandfather. Some of these were started earlier and then shoehorned into the Epic's family tree later on, but all of but "Miss Michael" and "Wildcat" were written on looseleaf.
  • Wild Rose Western (14/10 Pages) - Description: "Wild riding sharpshooter takes job as schoolteacher in order to investigate her grandfather's suspicious death." I think I started this one during the summer.... I remember visiting Hertiage Part and seeing the rules for school-teachers. So that would be the summer of 1985? Michael Delria's Daughters, Family Epic: 4 pages combined notes, 3 more pages of notes, "Most of the stories are Western Romances with a couple or three regencies thrown in, and the final story is a modern genealogical adventure where the heroine attempts to track down the "rightful owner" of the Samurai Swords belonging to Michael Delria's Samurai grandfather. Some of these were started earlier and then shoehorned into the Epic's family tree later on, but all of but "Miss Michael" and "Wildcat" were written on looseleaf.
  • The NG of CIRASO SF (20/2 Pages) - Setting: Colony World, Description: "Anti-gravity ski adventure." I know I started this one in Jr. High, best guess is winter 1984-85.
  • Empath SF (5/ Pages) - Setting: Space, Description: "Little girl with empathic powers." (double-sided) pre-April 1989
  • Rules for Kings SF (/4 Pages) - Setting: Colony World, Description: "This story was based around a bunch of small toys I kept on a shelf in my bedroom, they became adventurers in an alien world." pre-April 1989
  • Queen of Cats SF (5/1 Pages) - Setting: Earth, Description: "Girl raised by cats later found by prince story." pre-April 1989
  • Vulpes Fulva Fantasy (6/4 Pages) - Setting: Europe somewhere?, Description: "Series of books depicting the adventures of a clever rogue and his swashbuckling daughter" pre-Feb 1989
  • Lioness Legion SF (1/1 Pages) - Setting: Earth, Description: "Squad of fighting women plus lioness." pre-April 1989
  • Soldier SF (14/1 Pages) - Setting: Space, Description: "Soldier finds princess where she doesn't belong, and is assigned to return her to her place." pre-April 1989
  • So Bright Fantasy (6/ Pages) - Setting: Nonspecific Fantasy World, Description: "Girl learns to travel through time" pre-Feb 1989
  • Prodigy SF (11/4 Pages) - Setting: Earth, Description: "Space Ship run by the best of the best of the kids from the Space Academy." pre-April 1989 I recall working on this with my sister Karen, it's probably pre 1986.
  • Enchantress Fantasy (6/2 Pages) - Setting: Nonspecific Fantasy World, Description: "Princess Enchantress and random male set out to free womankind from male tyranny" pre-Feb 1989
  • The Little People's Request Fantasy (6/2 Pages) - Setting: Earth alternate?, Description: "Two children are asked some favor by the lepricauns" pre-Feb 1989
  • The Amulet Fantasy (6/2 Pages) - Setting: Nonspecific Fantasy World, Description: "Human Prince argues with father and goes to join elves (I assume I would have gotten to the amulet bit sooner or later)" pre-Feb 1989
  • Nine Wizards and a Waif Fantasy (2/1 Pages) - Setting: Nonspecific Fantasy World, Description: "An enchanted Princess, peasant and Nine Wizards set out to save the World continuum?" pre-Feb 1989
  • Heir to the Throne Fantasy (5/5 Pages) - Setting: Nonspecific Fantasy World, Description: "Usurper's children befriend true heir" pre-Feb 1989
  • My Firelizard Story SF (13/20 Pages) - Setting: Anne McCaffrey's Pern, Description: "Young girl with the ability to know what is in a shell before it hatches collects a peculiar assortment of odd colored fire-lizards." This is in the back of a Science notebook from Jr. High, and I seem to remember it being the second story I started on - tentative date: 1984
  • The Young Warriors SF (55/20 Pages) - Setting: Star Wars Universe, Description: "Leia and Han's two children, and Luke's son set about cleaning up a small band of ex-imperials." This is my "first" story, and is written in my Eighth Grade English Journal, allowing me to pinpoint that I began writing it in Fall 1983.

 
Quote from Talking With Winds
 
'We like words. They are a wealth that weighs nothing, and fears no theft.'
 
-- Samanth
 
 
Copyright © Michelle Bottorff

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