“I Did It! I Did It!”
Title to be hummed to the tune of the song!
But yeah, I’ve done it—finished Part 3 of WALL2. Cover your ears for the “Great Shout” (reference: Patricia McKillip’s The Riddlemaster of Hed—a seminal and fantastic trilogy, so if you haven’t already read it, hie thee to a book store or library!)
You’ll recall on Saturday that I thought I was closing on the target fast and hoped to see you on the other side? Well, ‘the other side’ turned out to be Sunday evening and not Saturday as I had first hoped, and 14.5 hours, 5437 completely new words written and 3134 revised—but we got there. This is it, the other side.
And you know what else, my gut is telling me it’s good, that I’ve nailed it—so now I’ll just have to find out whether all those editors and my official readers agree! (The one reader who has seen most of Part 3 so far does agree—but his is only one opinion, albeit a reliable one up until now!)
Where to from here? That would be Part 4, but if the Muses are kind, the story arc will be fulfilled and Part 4 will be very much epilogue to the main—and I hope, to use Mary Victoria’s word, “rambunctious”, action in Parts 1, 2 and 3.
Although of course, being a Helen Lowe story, it is all about danger and wild flights, sword fights and intrigue, as well as “dark treachery and conflicting loyalties”, there is also a little bit of romance in there—because much of the action takes place in a part of Haarth, which while being most famous for its heavily armoured knights, also as a long tradition of “springtime love” …
Yay!! Thats great 😀 Its exciting when you come to the last part of the story!!
It’s the best—the only part that may be just as good is the beginning: that wonderful sense of so many possibilities opening up before you.
You go girl! You beat me to the finish line – I am almost there, probably another 2 weeks of steady work, 2 more chapters.
I have little doubt that parts 2 and 3 of the ‘Wall’ will be as enjoyably rambunctious as the first… 😉 Long live rambunctious romance and grand adventure. To quote Jack London:
“I would rather that my spark should burn out in a brilliant blaze than that it should be stifled by dry-rot. I would rather be a superb meteor, every atom of me in magnificent glow, than a sleepy and permanent planet. The proper function of man is to LIVE. I shall not waste my days trying to prolong them. I shall use my time.”
Wonderful quote, Mary V.–thank you for sharing that. And I haven’t beaten you yet–I’ve still got Part 4 of WALL2 to go, which could be another 3-4 chapters I hope at maximum, a dragonet, rather than the sinuous, glorious, shifting, shimmering mass of scales and fire that was that fully-fledged dragon, Part 3. 🙂
If you beat me to the wire, I will buy you a glass of liquid refreshment of your choice when we meet up in Wellywood; if I gte there first you buy for me—sound fair?
You’ve got a deal. 🙂 We can buy it in PJ’s Park Post editing/weta worker cafe place, if you like. That’s always a fun, very wellywood destination, and it’s just down the road from me.
Sounds great! Something to look forward to as we both slog through those final chapters.
Congratulations! I hope you’ll take a well-earned breather over Christmas.
I wish–but there is still Part 4 to wrap up so think both Mary V and I have been scratched from the Xmas-New Year holiday stakes. I have ring fenced “the day’ but that’s it.
I am all smiles for you! 🙂 Have a wonderful holiday!
Thanks, Sharon!
Helen! I finished Wall1 last night, devouring it completely after randomly picking it up last week, went into Books-A-Million here in Florida, USA, and was heartbroken not to find Wall2! What’s the timeline looking like on finishing it and getting it over here?!?!?! =D
Hi Donnie—thank you so much, both for loving Heir and for saying so! 🙂
I am currently finishing the fourth—and final!—part of WALL2 (which is a slightly bigger book than Heir) and it is scheduled for US publication for the Fall.
I really am sorry that you are having to wait, but I am also working very hard to get WALL2 (the working title is The Gathering of the Lost) right so that you will enjoy—I hope!—it just as much as Heir :).