In the process of doing The Chaos Gate (The Wall Of Night #4 – WALL #4 for short 😉 ) updates* recently, I realized that it was some time since I had reminded readers here that there’s a Wall Of Night Facebook Group “out there.”

The Group title is Haarth.

Haarth is a private FB group for Wall of Night series’ readers to meet and discuss the books and related topics – and the discussions do sound rather fun. 😀

Rosie Cooper

The group was set up by the estimable and inestimable Rosie Cooper, shortly after Daughter of Blood was published, and I believe Rosie still convenes it. I am sure that she and the rest of the Haarth crew will welcome anyone who would like to join the group and the conversation.

As the series’ author, I am still chuffed, needless to say, that there is sufficient material for an ongoing conversation. 🙂

To join or check it out, click on:

The Wall Of Night Facebook Group

I love that the header uses the original The Gathering of the Lost cover (US), too, so here is the full cover glory for you all today — because “why not?” 😀

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* The WALL#4 updates are here:

March 29: For The Wall Of Night’s UK & Commonwealth Readers

April 5: As Promised, A “The Wall Of Night” Book #4 (The Chaos Gate) Update

In my recent The Chaos Gate (WALL #4) update, I discussed the current endgame sequence being a little tricky.

Reflecting on this also put me in mind of a Guardian interview with the great Haruki Murakami, which I first read awa’ back in 2014. I feel the interview is “one out of the box” on so many different levels: the insight into the writer, his work, the process of writing, and writing influences.

The Guardian: An Interview With Harumi Murakami

The interview is wide-ranging, but the parts that really resonated for me were when Murakami spoke about the writing process. Here are a few examples:

“I like to write. I like to choose the right word, I like to write the right sentence… in the right place. That kind of engineering is exhausting, though: a daily trip to the “basement of the mind” and back up again. …You have to dedicate yourself to that work. You have no extra space to do something else.” 

Also:

“I take time to rewrite,” he explains. “Rewriting is my favourite part of writing. The first time is a kind of torture, sometimes. Raymond Carver [whose work Murakami has translated into Japanese] said the same thing. I met him and I talked with him in 1983 or ‘84, and he said: ‘The first draft is kind of torture, but when you rewrite it’s getting better, so you are happy…” 

And this:

“I don’t like deadlines …when it’s finished, it’s finished. But before then, it is not finished.”

I believe the reason these quotes resonate so strongly is because they closely reflect my own writing experience.

In 2015, Haruki Murakami attended the Auckland Writers Festival here in NZ, where another of his quotes resonated strongly with me:

“My stories are always unpredictable to myself.”

Mine definitely work in their own mysterious ways, their wonders to perform. And are not infrequently shapeshifters to boot – just when you think you’ve got them tied down, there they go, shifting again: not unlike Menelaus and the Old Man of the Sea…

Or as I wrote the other week: “tricky.” 😉

Yet also magical, and rewarding, no matter how exhausting that daily trip to the basement of the mind and back up again – and with the good hope, always, that the end result may also prove rewarding for readers.

Just by the way, too, if you haven’t already read Haruki Murakami, you may like to check out his work. I first read The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle but he has written many books now, including Norwegian Wood and Kafka on the Shore among many others.

UK/AU/NZ

The About The Characters post series focuses on the minor characters in The Wall Of Night series, in large part because:

“I think it’s the presence of the smaller characters that “makes” a story, creating texture around the main points of view.”

~ from my Legend Award Finalist’s Interview, 2013

Initially, the series focused exclusively on characters from The Heir of Night, but now I’m continuing on with minor characters from both The Gathering Of The Lost and Daughter of Blood — in alphabetical order, by name, of course!

At present, we’re currently in the realms of “L” – a popular one for names in the Haarth world. 😀

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USA

Leto Ilvaine: a grandson of Prince Ilvaine, the head of  one of the ruling families in Ij

When they ducked back out into the brightness of the morning, they found a richly dressed youth waiting with Aravenor. The newcomer’s appearance, Jehane Mor reflected as he bowed, was quite magnificent. He wore a jupon of apricot velvet over a gilded breastplate, with the Ilvaine leopard device stitched into the velvet with gold thread. Tight, golden-chestnut curls clustered around a classic profile, and the eyes that lifted to meet hers were flecked with amber.

“Honorable heralds,” the young man said, straightening. “I am Leto Ilvaine. My grandfather, Prince Ilvaine, invites you to join his other guests in our pavilion…”

~  from © The Gathering Of The Lost, The Wall of Night Book Two: Chapter 8 — The Demonhunter

NZ cover

The Sorting Hat (aka RANDOM) has sorted and I’m delighted to announce that we have a winner for the giveaway copy of Winterkeep by Kristin Cashore.

My thanks to everyone who entered this giveaway for NZ readers only, leaving comments on my posts of April 2 or April 8. (Entries closed at 12 midnight, NZ time, on Friday 9 April.)

And now (pauses for Drum Roll and Trumpet Fanfare 😀 ) the lucky winner is:

Gabrielle

Congratulations, Gabrielle!

I’ll be emailing you directly, but ‘just in case’ you can also get in contact with me via my webmail: contact[at]helenlowe[dot]info

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And just ICYMI, my recent Supernatural Underground interview with Kristin Cashore, which sparked this giveaway, is here:

Kristin Cashore Talks Magic In Winterkeep and the Graceling Realm Series

NZ cover

Just a wee reminder, as per the heading, that entries to go in the draw for the hard copy of  Kristin Cashore’s Winterkeep (Graceling Realm #4) close tomorrow:
Friday 9 April, at midnight (NZ time.)

Up until that cutoff, you can still enter the draw by leaving a comment here on this post. 😀

Also by way of a reminder, I’ll make the draw via Sorting Hat (aka Random) over the weekend, and announce the result as my blog post for Monday 12 April. I’ll also contact the winner directly via my webmail to get the posting address.

In the event the prize is not claimed by midnight Wednesday 14 April, I’ll redraw on Thursday 15th.

Last but not least, thank you again to Kristin and Hachette NZ for making a hard copy of Winterkeep available for giveaway here in NZ.

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US cover

Read The Interview on Supernatural Underground 😀

Just in case you missed it last week, my interview with Kristin about the magic in Winterkeep and her Graceling Realm world is available to read on the Supernatural Underground:

Kristin Cashore Discusses Magic…

I don’t *think* you’ll be disappointed if you rock on over and take a look… 😉

Last week I confirmed, among other matters, that:

The Wall Of Night series

1. Yes (evile rumour notwithstanding) I am still working awa’ on WALL #4. (Huzza!)

2. And no, WALL #4 is not titled The Golden Fire, but – as per the end note in Daughter of Blood – its working title is The Chaos Gate (TCG).

1, of course(!), is the key takeaway at this stage but the purpose of today’s post is to give you a little more idea of where I’m at with the “working awa’ ”

The last major update was December 28 (2020) when I told you I had just begun writing the endgame for WALL #4 (TCG), aiming toward a mid-year completion. On February 18, by way of a mini update,  I reported steady progress.

As indicated in December, the endgame involves wrapping up the storylines for the main point-of-view characters ahead of the final denouement – and it’s still moving steadily forward, although the current sequence is proving a little trickier than the others to date.

This could call for a bigger coffee pot!

I think this is because it’s one of the ‘biggest’ of the wrap-up/reveal sections in terms of its implication, and also involves 3-4 central characters. And as friend and fellow author Courtney Schafer said in our Supernatural Underground interview recently, “…the difficulty of writing a scene goes up exponentially with the number of characters involved.”

So in terms of where I’m at with the endgame, it’s always difficult to tell until it’s done, but my informed guesstimate says about halfway through – so eek for that midyear finish goal: hyperventilates, whilst resolving to dig deeper!

Life In Haarth: writing, writing, writing on…

However, steady forward progress still means I’m closing in on “the end” – and the only way to get there is to keep going and keep writing, which are definitely among my superpowers.

Meanwhile, as also indicated last week, I shall keep doing semi-regular updates (aiming for no longer than 3 months intervals) as well as posting more from “Inside the Writing Life” so please do check here if you want news “from/at the source” (literally, ha!) – remembering that “About My Books” & “About What I’m Doing” are the Categories (see far-right-hand sidebar) to look at for updates.

“Inside the Writing Life” posts may also show up under “About Writing” as well as “About What I’m Doing.”

Naturally self-isolating: inside the writing life…

Following on from yesterday, my Magic Systems In Fantasy interview with Kristin Cashore is now live on Supernatural Underground.

Here is the opening salvo, just to increase your eagerness to read on. 😀

“Helen: The Graceling Realm series involves several realms, from the Seven Kingdoms, the Dells and Pikkia, and now the Torla continent that includes Winterkeep. How important is the associated magic in making each realm distinct, but also connected? 

Kristin: It’s true that as I’ve expanded my world to include new realms, I’ve given each part of the world a distinct kind of magic — and you’re absolutely right, I’ve tried to make the different kinds of magic feel connected, or all-of-a-piece. I’ve created thematic links between them, in the hopes that my readers will be more willing to come along for the ride.

With the first book, Graceling…”

And here’s that link to the full interview:

Kristin Cashore Talks Magic In Winterkeep and the Graceling Realm Series

Now for the giveaway details!

NZ cover

Giveaway of Winterkeep (Graceling Realm #4) for NZ Readers

Firstly, thank you to Kristin and Hachette NZ for making a hard copy of Winterkeep available for giveaway here in NZ.

All you have to do to enter the draw is leave a comment here on this post, or on the reminder post that I’ll run next Thursday 8 April.

Entries will close at midnight, NZ time, on Friday 9 April; I’ll make the draw via Sorting Hat (aka Random) over the weekend, and announce the result as my blog post for Monday 12 April. I’ll also contact the winner directly via my webmail to get the posting address.

In the unlikely event the prize is not claimed by midnight Wednesday 14 April, I’ll redraw on Thursday 15th.

Good Luck!

Later today, when the calendar turns over to April 1 on US Eastern Standard Time, I’ll be posting an interview with Kristin Cashore on the Supernatural Underground (SU.)

The interview will be the fourth of the Magic Systems In Fantasy series that I’m currently posting in my first of the month blog spot. We’ll be talking the magic of Kristin’s Graceling Realm series as well as her recently published Winterkeep, which is the fourth novel in the series.

As the interview will post on the SU reasonably late today in NZ time, I’ll post again here tomorrow to supply the link — PLUS courtesy of Kristin’s publisher Gollancz, I have a copy of Winterkeep to give away to a New Zealand reader.

UK cover

Gorgeous innit? And as you’ll see when the SU interview loads, Kristin has wonderful new covers for all her books, from both the Graceling Realm’s US and UK-based publishers.

I’ll supply all the details for the giveaway with tomorrow’s post, but it will follow the usual format of “comment here to go in a random draw, probably to be made around 7-10 days hence.” I am sure many of you will be very familiar with the drill! Don’t comment yet , though — wait for tomorrow’s post. 😉

I hope you’ll enjoy the interview. I am *pretty sure* you will, because Kristin has some great observations to make about magic in her Graceling world.

Related Interviews from the Backlist:

In the meantime, you might enjoy rereading the interview I did with Kristin in 2012, which coincided with the launch of Bitterblue (Graceling Realm #3):

An Interview With Kristin Cashore—Author of Bitterblue

Plus, Kristin and I collaborated to bring you this insider conversation between Malian and Bitterblue, in 2013, which featured on Kristin’s blog:

Queen Bitterblue of Monsea in Conversation with Heir Malian of Night

As noted last Thursday, it has recently come to my attention that questions have arisen around the availability of The Wall Of Night Book #4 (The Chaos Gate) in the UK & Commonwealth.

To reiterate what I said then, thank you to everyone who has gotten in touch to seek clarification. If you had not done so I would still be writing on, blissfully unaware. O-o.

As is often the way, there are several wrinkles to be ironed out. So let’s take them from the top.

1. The Wall Of Night Book #4, “The Golden Fire”?

Apparently some UK sites showed The Wall Of Night Book #4, under the title “The Golden Fire“, being published on December 10, 2020.

As I have explained to inquirers, readers may not be aware of this, but in traditional publishing it is the publisher, rather than the author, that sets the publication date, usually once the manuscript is finished and has been accepted by the editor.

As I am currently completing WALL #4 — which has the working title The Chaos Gate, as set out at the end of Book 3, Daughter of Blood — I cannot readily explain how a publication date of 10 December 2020, for a book titled The Golden Fire, came about. I do apologise however, most sincerely, for any inconvenience and disappointment caused to readers.

2. Has Book #4 and Completion Of The Wall Of Night Series Been Abandoned?

This question arises because I understand Book #4 (The Chaos Gate) has subsequently been tagged as “abandoned” on a UK retail site.

Firstly, I would like to assure you that I remain committed to completion of the book and the series. I hope to reach ‘the end’ in the midpart of this year, at which point the publisher will set a definitive publication date.

As promised last week, my ‘life in Haarth’ is predicated upon writing on.

In the meantime, as those of you who check in here regularly will already know, I am providing semi-regular updates on this blog. If the update is not on the front page, the place to look is under Categories, which is located in the far-right-hand sidebar. The two most relevant categories are About My Books or About What I’m Doing.

As also noted last Thursday, I’ll be doing another update next Monday, April 5. 😀

3. Will The Wall Of Night Book #4, The Chaos Gate, Be Available In The UK and Commonwealth?

The answer, dear readers, is yes.

While there have been difficulties around UK publication (which together with the incorrect December publication date may have led to the “abandoned” notice), I can confirm that both paperback and e-editions of The Chaos Gate will be available in the UK. The books will be distributed via The Wall Of Night’s US publisher, HarperVoyager, through the good offices of the series’ editor there, Kate Nintzel.

These UK distribution arrangements are of very recent duration, but I hope will flow through to retailers in the near future and provide reassurance to readers.

The HarperVoyager Editions

4. Going Forward

In the meantime, I do hope you will check in on my updates “at the source.” 😀

I am aware that many of you are keenly waiting, which is why I am making an effort to do more updates, and also to post a greater number of general bulletins from Inside the Writing Life. (The most recent one that contains links to all its predecessors, is here:  Sometimes It’s A Case of ‘O Frabjous Day.’ )

I am also mindful that my chief part is to get the book finished so publication dates can be set, publication happen, and distribution follow. I can only assure you that I am doing my utmost both to reach ‘the end’, but also to write a book that is a satisfying conclusion to the series.

Well, quite a lot, is the short answer! Now for the detail. 🙂

The Wall Of Night Book #4 (The Chaos Gate) Availability in the UK & Commonwealth

It has recently come to my attention – so thank you, everyone that got in touch to clarify! – that rumors are circulating around the availability of The Chaos Gate (The Wall Of Night Book #4) in the UK and Commonwealth.

So I’ll be posting a “statement from the source” clarification next Monday, 29 March, which I hope will clear this up and provide reassurance for readers. Please note the “reassurance”, i.e. it’s good news. But I do want it to be a standalone post so everything can be covered in one place and linked to directly thereafter, hence the delay until Monday for more detail.

The Wall Of Night Book #4 (The Chaos Gate) Progress Update

I *did* have this pencilled in for 29 March, but because I want the clarification to be a standalone (as above), the update will follow a week later, on April 5 – yes, that is Easter Monday, so the bonus is that readers can peruse it with chocolate eggs to hand. 😉

Life In Haarth: writing, writing, writing on…

A “Magic Systems In Fantasy” Interview with Kristin Cashore on the Supernatural Underground: 1 April — Plus A Local Giveaway!

I am really looking forward to bringing you all this Supernatural Underground interview with Kristin, looking at the magic of her Graceling Realms series. We’re working on it now and I am “pretty sure” you’ll enjoy it.

Plus there’s a bonus for NZ readers – we’re going to be doing a giveaway of Kristin’s latest novel, Winterkeep, right here “…on Anything, Really.”

I apologise to international readers that it has to be NZ only, but I only have the one copy, and international post is so crazy right now, amid these Covid times, that I have to keep this one local. :-/

And that’s it for now – but roll on March 29, April 1, and April 5! 😀

UK cover