As many of you know, I've been the webmaster for Terry Brooks for almost 10 years now, longer if you count the three years working on the dedication website I had built. Until very recently I had done it out of love for Terry, his work and his fans, choosing not to get paid for years of services rendered.

I only had two demands

1) That I would get to read the books early before publication, and 2) I would receive two ARCs to sell or keep as I saw fit.

Fairly simple demands, eh?

Over the years those initial requests have evolved. These days I read the books almost as soon as Terry is finished with them. He gives them a quick line edit, has his wife do a read over, and barring any changes then he sends a copy to his editor at Del Rey and a copy to me. Ever since 2001, where I caught several large inconsistencies in the ARC I was sent, I've continuity edited his work, being what he calls an expert on his books. After all, it is hard keeping everything straight in a series as long as the Shannara series—I've discovered with my own writing it is hard keeping events straight within one book, let alone seventeen—and the earlier I get the book the more help I can be.

As for the ARCs demand, I still receive them, although I rarely sell them anymore and instead give them to the moderators who help me run Terry's Forum. They put up with some interestingly crazy and whacko fans to maintain one of the most civil fantasy forums on the internet(s) and for their time I allow them to read Terry's books early as well. It is the least Terry and I can do.

That said, I was shocked when I received the ARCs for A Princess of Landover.

Most Advanced Reader Copies are working proofs. They usually have the story as it will be in published form but lack such things as maps and acknowledgments and dedications. Those things come later. For example, the ARC copies of A Princess of Landover do not have the new map of Landover. It will be placed in the official publication this August.

What the ARC did have almost brought a tear to my eye though. As a graphic designer I opened the book to view the layout Del Rey Books had chosen for the book when I came to what should have been an empty dedication page.

It wasn't.

Instead my name stared back at me.


I make no secret when I say I was deeply moved. I began reading Terry Brooks when I was 13 years old, 20 years ago, and upon moving to Seattle met and befriended him through sheer circumstance and a bit of hard work. Over the years that friendship has grown considerably until we've indoctrinated one another into our respective families. I respect him a great deal for the author he is but more so for the person he is, still very much down to earth despite the success he has had, still willing to give whatever aid he can those who need it.

To have such an author dedicate one of his books to me is priceless beyond compare.

Many have asked me over the years how to break into the business and why I've been successful—whether it be as a writer or webmaster. My response is always the same. You have to give freely a lot before karma returns the favor. The questioners always pale when I say that; people, by the large do not want to work for free to gain a foothold doing something they love.

Being human makes us short-sighted at times like that, I guess.

Here is a situation though where karma has delivered a nice gift I will cherish forever. And the dedication is all the more cool because the book is about an evil library filled with magic books.

As a bookseller, a writer and a reader, the dedication fits me as much as I fit it.

Let this post be a reminder to anyone with a dream.

Work hard. Focus. Let nothing stop you.

And the dream will come true.

I finished the book last Wednesday. It's been a week. I decided to give myself until this last Monday before editing, thinking I needed a few days away from the project to recharge my batteries.

Instead, I discovered I wanted to get back into it!

When Monday came, I had already edited the first four chapters of the book. They were the chapters agent Ralph had read and liked enough to ask for the entire book. Upon reading and editing those chapters, I can't understand why he asked for the entire book. Honestly. They were that bad. It goes to show how much a writer can grow in the span of a book.

I rewrote those first four chapters extensively. I am now fairly happy with them.

The first half of the fifth chapter, Chapter Four, had to be rewritten entirely. As I wrote The Dark Thorn I received whispers of what the second and third and fourth books in the series would be about. I realized I needed a new character would take on a large role in The Long Winter, and that character had to be introduced in the first book somehow. I rewrote Chapter Four from scratch, introducing Laur Pemley, keeping the scene I had originally envisioned but having it be dialog between Bran and Laur. It worked out great. The chapter is so much better for it.

I'm pretty sure Chapter Four is the only chapter I will have to entirely rewrite.

Now I just have to edit three or four chapters a day and I'll be done!

Ralph asked me to send the book on April 23rd. He will be in Britain for the London Book Fair next week and he is preparing for it until then. Once he gets home he will read my book, which is really exciting and daunting. Not sure how long it will take him to do so, but I'm not worried about it. Just having an agent of Ralph's caliber reading my book is a wonderful thing by itself.

I will also give the book to Terry.

After this weekend and Norwescon, Todd Lockwood is going to do a few pieces of art for me. He's been under deadline for a few covers lately and those take precedence of course. So next week I may have something to show.

Things keep rolling... I just have to get this book edited enough to send it on!

And then I can relax for a day before I have to redesign Terry's website and my own website!

Labels: Ralph Vicinanza, Terry Brooks, The Dark Thorn, Todd Lockwood

It is done.

I sit here with the largest of writing weights off my shoulders.

After 16 months, three of which I really didn't write in due to traveling and the infection in my left elbow, I have finished The Dark Thorn. The Epilogue was mostly already written, the final chapter in the book one I've had in my head since the book's inception, and it only took me two days to write it. I am very happy with the outcome of the entire story and I think my readers will be too.

Final Word Count: 162,734

The final word count is quite a bit larger than I imagined it to be at the beginning of this project. Song of the Fell Hammer, an epic fantasy meant to be larger, was just over 200,000 in first draft form and I took several thousands words off of that by its current form. I expected The Dark Thorn, an urban / contemporary fantasy, to be between 110,000 words and 120,000 words—it was even outlined as such.

But The Dark Thorn grew, mostly because I underestimated my additional point of view characters. To bring four point of view characters together into one climax took a bit of weaving and that took words to accomplish. At about the 2/3 point I realized I needed at least four or five additional chapters to complete the story and have the end of the book feel real and not rushed.

Done with Richard. Done with Bran. Done with Cormac. Done with Philip. I couldn't be happier with how it all played out.

By the way, I will have a female point of view in The Long Winter.

As the word count stands:

Prologue: 3045 Chapter 1: 4075 Chapter 2: 2973 Chapter 3: 3241 Chapter 4: 4144 Chapter 5: 4547 Chapter 6: 2793 Chapter 7: 3598 Chapter 8: 4939 Chapter 9: 4257 Interlude: 2372 Chapter 10: 3346 Chapter 11: 3185 Chapter 12: 3639 Chapter 13: 4878 Chapter 14: 4562 Chapter 15: 3840 Chapter 16: 3984 Chapter 17: 5441

Chapter 18: 4725 Chapter 19: 5651 Interlude: 3687 Chapter 20: 4122 Chapter 21: 4537 Chapter 22: 4220 Chapter 23: 4275 Chapter 24: 4468 Chapter 25: 5046 Chapter 26: 5458 Chapter 27: 3715 Chapter 28: 4838 Chapter 29: 4698 Chapter 30: 5216 Chapter 31: 6089 Chapter 32: 5511 Chapter 33: 5607 Chapter 34: 4620 Epilogue: 3392

So. Now what? Well, I still have to rewrite three or four scenes and I still have to read through it and edit it. I think I will take tomorrow off to do some errands, clean, get my life back in place, and then Friday I will visit the University of Washington Suzzallo Library, sit in the quiet reading room, and edit edit edit. I have no idea how long this will take. If memory serves it took me almost two weeks to edit Song of the Fell Hammer. This book is cleaner than my first, so it might take me fewer days.

Then after that, I will send The Dark Thorn on to Todd Lockwood for some art, to Ralph Vicinanza to gain his agent favor, and to Terry Brooks for mentoring.

Oh, and my mother. Gotta keep mama happy.

And possibly a few others who want to read it.

Off to celebrate!

Labels: The Dark Thorn