Okay, I’ve gotten my feet wet, written the opening scene for Bell Mountain No. 14. The working title is Behold!, but that could change. For the time being, I’m back in Lintum Forest with Helki the Rod, encountering a strange creature that wasn’t there before. The picture, somebody’s reconstruction of the dinosaur Ornitholestes, is a good approximation of what Helki saw.
Roald Amundsen, overeager to be the first to the South Pole (which of course he ultimately did), launched his trek some weeks too early and had to retreat back to his base, driven back by bad weather. They get a lot of that in Antarctica. I hope I haven’t repeated his mistake, embarking on a new book before I’m completely ready. But it takes time to write these, I have to work outside when I’m writing fiction, and I need to finish before the cold weather returns. Any prayers for my success will be appreciated.
What’s the secret of the Abnak girl, Qeqa, who claims to be allied with beings that only she can see? Will the new government in Obann City be able to cope with the challenges of a shaken world? Is there an evil empire in the distant west, across the sea, preparing to invade Obann?
I need to learn the answers to these questions.
Hip hip hooray, the juices have begun to flow!
Amundsen was nearly eaten by an Antarctic Ornitholestes. It’s a little known fact, and unpublished until now, but it has to be true. 🙂
He never liked to talk about it.
Can you blame him? 🙂
Helki the Rod, what a great character. So glad he is still a big feature.
Somebody wondered why I kept almost all of my characters alive through a lot of extremely dangerous situations. You should’ve seen and heard the fuss I got from my wife and my editor when they ***thought*** I’d killed off Chief Uduqu. Good thing I didn’t!