By: elwyn elenthea

elwyn elenthea — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 00:53:31 +0000

Dear MG,
Thanks for your questions! In case you are wondering about the meaning of the title, “run before the wind” is a nautical term meaning that the wind is filling the sails and your vessel is flying ahead! It can be used to mean fleeing before a storm or simply making great time in the desired direction, so, as both are appropriate for the story, it seemed a fitting title. This book was hardest to name, actually, because originally Books 2 and 3 were one story, but it became so huge and unwieldy that we decided to split it and move from trilogy to quartet (quadlogy?). All the other titles in the series had a lovely three-syllable rhythm (Alliance, Elvenhome, Bood of Kings) that for a time we were stuck for a title that would fit that scheme, but in the end, we voted in favor of one that was more germaine to the story.
Because RBTW is still in production, searches will not likely bring it up as a book until it is published. Once it is released (check the website for details), you should get hits from Amazon, etc.
I am so glad you enjoyed Clever Nausika! I’ll be sure to tell her you said so! You will see her a few times in RBTW, but not as often as in Alliance, as she is a secondary character in this story.
Chassidy appears a few times, but not very often, as RBTW is only a year or so long, and there isn’t much happening in her life during that time. Her necklace is indeed a cherished treasure and becomes an heirloom of her house — but I’d better not get too far ahead of myself… (If you liked the idea of Chassidy’s necklace, you should know that a limited edition of the pendant was hand made by a local silversmith according to my design. It is cast in silver, and I hand-enameled it myself. It comes on a steel chain, as part of a special gift edition of Alliance, if you know of anyone who is interested. There are still a few left.) Anyway, you’ll see Chassidy several times in Book Three, as that one covers a century.
I am so glad you approve of the “lost tales” idea; it is one of my favorites! I hope to be able to include a few short stories submitted by fans, so be thinking and dreaming and wrting…
As for the illustrations — thank you for listening to the audiobook - I think you must be the only one I know who made it all the way through it! I very much love the woman who voiced it - she has become a dear fan — but she did NOT know anything about British accents! Please do not allow your impressions of Theo or Elrad to be dictated by their voices on the audiobook! Theo is one of the most cultured and intelligent Elves to grace the Court, and does NOT sound like Eliza Doolittle from My Fair Lady! And dear Elrad, though he is nearly 900 years old, is as hale and hearty as a man in his mid-forties!
But, I digress! Yes indeed, there are illustrations, both in Alliance and upcoming in RBTW. One of them is currently posted on the website, I believe. They are all present in the books, of course, and I plan to post many of them on the website in the near future. I have been asked if any can be made available for purchase, so I will be doing a limited run of 5X7 prints, and a few 8X10 (by request only). Once I get them where you can see them, feel free to contact me through the website and I can accomodate your requests, if any.
The other thing you missed by going audiobook was the Appendices in the back of Alliance dealing with the Faeltheon language. If you are a fan of such (geeky) things, you must check it out — I even translate names into Faeltheon on request…
Thanks for writing, MG! It was great to hear from you - please write back any time!

Comments on: Title “Run Before the Wind”

By: elwyn elenthea