General News & Notes
Fall 2005 Progress Report
September 22, 2005
After a long and busy summer dedicated primarily to the promotion of his
first novel, Eldon is finally getting back to work. Although his manuscript for
Book 2 is still awaiting publisher approval, efforts have finally begun in
earnest on Book 3. The outline is finished, and the first chapter all but
written. He
anticipates that the first draft of the manuscript will be completed
before the end of next year.
For those looking for a hint of what is to come, Eldon had the
following to say:
"I'm very anxious to see how the second book goes over with
readers. As with any epic fantasy, Book One was merely the tip of
the iceberg. Book Two is where the story really kicks off. That's
not to say I was dissatisfied with Book One. All in all, I feel it
succeeded in setting up the world and introducing the principal
characters in what I hope was an engaging
fashion—and establishing a little bit
of misdirection along the way. As a result, you can expect a number
of surprises in the second volume of this trilogy. There may have
been some story elements that felt not quite right in Book One. In
Book Two, we'll find out why, and what the ramifications are. We'll
meet a host of new characters and revisit plenty of familiar ones,
including one or two that some readers might have feared had escaped
my attention. Not so. It's just that there are a lot of balls to
juggle in a story such as this. Bear with me, and I promise that the
majority of questions will be resolved.
In terms of the actual storyline,
Book Two will take us on a journey in the tradition of Homer's The
Odyssey, where we will visit new lands and those who populate
them. There are several big action sequences, but there is also a
lot more in terms of scheming and machinations of those seeking
power. Hopefully, readers will be kept guessing as to who are the
real heroes—and real villains—until the very end. Also, while it
remains the second volume of a trilogy, I've worked hard to make
certain that it has a distinct beginning and definite conclusion,
and hope that it proves satisfying as a story unto itself, with or
without the books on either end.
For Book Three, I'm hoping to reward
those who stick around with a twist that will help to turn the
series on its head and do away with a few of the preconceived notions
readers of fantasy might have. I won't say much more than that for
fear of folks guessing what that twist might be, or of spoiling any
potential impact. You can expect loads of action in this volume, and
a greater use of magic and powers previously thought lost to this
world. I'm as curious as anyone as to
whether I'll be able to pull it off in a believable and satisfying
fashion. Only time—and each individual reader—will tell."
In the meantime, Eldon wanted to be sure
and thank all of those who have shown such great enthusiasm so early on
in this series. It takes time for any writer's work to find its
readership, but if early responses are any indication, Eldon has a
future both humbling and exciting to look forward to. To those who have
shown support and encouragement from the very beginning, Eldon extends
his deepest gratitude.
As a final note, there has been some
preliminary interest from the powers that be in terms of adapting
Eldon's work into other media. Such interest doesn't mean we'll see
these
projects any time soon. But it's enough to suggest that the
possibility exists. One never knows what might be waiting just around
the corner.
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