And so it goes

D: Admit it, A. You missed me.

A: That was supposed to be my line.

D: Perhaps – and perhaps I may yet answer it – but you missed the snark.

A: Maybe. You aren’t nearly as fun in the book.

D: I’m a Druid fighting for his life and the life of his charges in the book. I have responsibilities there. How much witty repartee would you like?

A: Well, a smile wouldn’t kill you!

D: . . .

A: Then again. . . so maybe I did miss you, a little. I had plenty to read though, D. You kept the banter going with quite a few people.

D: They did well to keep me amused.

A: Excuse me? What are you, King of the Blog, now?

D: It’s good to be the king.

A: (Eye-roll) No more Mel Brooks for you, Laddie.

D: I promise nothing. I tremble to ask, but how did you manage during your two-week hermitage?

A: I think I did fairly well. Part 3 is complete and I have Part 4 outlined and begun. There are 11 days left in July. I may not reach 50k words for Camp NaNoWriMo, but I’m sure as hell going to try. I want this book done. I’m already thinking of ways to re-block the story for Book 2 into a format that will work with the series idea.

D: So have you discovered how you’re going to work my character in there yet?

A: Oi! How did you know about that, D? That was supposed to be a surprise.

D: A, I live in your head. (Whispers:) I know everything!!

A: That is terrifying.

D: I do what I can, woman.

A: You do indeed, Druid.

A’s telling the tale today, Baby!

Because I’ve been gone so long, and I have so many wonderful people to thank.

I am humbled by the talent and insight I’ve read on these pages over the last two weeks. Whether it was a conversation with D, a reflection on writing or a merging of D into a writer’s world, talent, wisdom, humor and beauty has graced this page.

Each guest author and their piece gave me a side to D that I recognized but hadn’t experienced. To see D through your eyes was incredible and priceless. I cannot thank you enough for that gift, but I will try: Thank you. From the bottom of my heart, thank you.

To recap the last two weeks:

It started out with Charles of the Legends of Windemere as he demonstrated just how an author’s interaction with characters affects writing and story.  Helena , of Being the Memoirs of Helena Hann-Basquait, Dilettante (and yes, she is our favorite Dilettante) caught D being. . . well, D. Sparks flew with Helena’s sharp wit and D’s penchant for crotchety autocratic behavior. I think D has a crush. Next came John W. Howell from Fiction Favorites. D was a little confused and apparently thought he was John Milton (and tried to blame me, the rascal), but the interview was still full of John’s dry wit and self-deprecation. He has to come back, and this time, D will be on slightly better behavior.

Ionia from the Readful Things Blog stole the show then with her question about perspective – who are we when we write? D is a cad on the blog, but in the book he is almost likeable – no really, he is (the lady doth protest too much. D, you are not helping). Marie Ann Bailey at 1WriteWay and D had a delightful conversation in which D tried to prove he could do modern (when he wasn’t falling asleep). While Marie thinks D may have missed me, I think he was having more fun being King of the Blog (Well, maybe a little. What was that, D? You heard me. And that’s all I’m likely to get!).

Craig, the Old Hand from A View From the Wheelhouse completed a two-part post (Pt 1 & Pt 2) that delved into D’s mystical side as well as the beauty and pain of Ireland that once spoke to me enough to seed D’s story. It is a haunting piece and D loved doing his enigmatic bit for the blog (I don’t let him wear that hat very often out here). Andra, from The Accidental Cootchie Mama, tapped into D’s darker side and gave us a glimpse at her work. It was rich, complex faintly disturbing and wonderful. I can’t wait until it’s available to read in its entirety, Andra!

TC contributed a post from his blog, the Adventures and Misfortunes of Hector the Aimless. Remarkably, D works very well in the world of Dark Souls. Of course that really should not come as a surprise (I’m not sure if that is a compliment or not, A. Keep guessing, D!). And finally, Briana Vedsted from When I Became An Author, treated D to a trip to the Old West. Briana is the one among us who tames D’s ornery ways and allows his more-innocent enthusiasm to shine. Thank you, Briana.

Check out the posts, if you missed them, and stop by the authors’ pages. They did a tremendous job keeping this blog afloat.

D: A, you aren’t done.

A: What do you mean?

D: I know you went ahead and did other fiction while you were supposed to be writing my story, you faithless–

A: Watch it, Druid! Your story is heady and intense at times, D. I needed a break. But, since it all counts towards the word-count in my world, here it goes:

There have been quite a few entertaining prompts at The Community Storyboard of late. Check out Sweet Dreams, my fantasy entry for the “fire and ice” prompt. Then there’s Being There, for the “You just had to be there” prompt, and finally, Squirrel Commandant Rodrigo does his best to save the world by saving the Princess, in get-well tribute to Ionia. Get well soon, lady!