Comments for The Alliance Forum http://faeltheon.org A forum to discuss the books of the Faeltheon Sat, 04 Sep 2010 20:47:04 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.2.1 Comment on Title “Run Before the Wind” by elwyn elenthea http://faeltheon.org/2009/03/08/title-run-before-the-wind/#comment-10 elwyn elenthea Thu, 12 Mar 2009 00:53:31 +0000 http://faeltheon.org/2009/03/08/title-run-before-the-wind/#comment-10 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! :) 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! :)

]]> Comment on Run Before the Wind by elwyn elenthea http://faeltheon.org/2009/02/19/run-before-the-wind/#comment-8 elwyn elenthea Fri, 20 Feb 2009 01:53:13 +0000 http://faeltheon.org/2009/02/19/run-before-the-wind/#comment-8 Dear NewFan78, Thanks for your interest! At the moment, RBTW is still in production, though it is in the final stages. It should be ready to go to print by May, but the distributor, Ingram, usually takes about 9 more weeks to enter the ISBN number in its computers -- go figure ... so most stores and online sources will probably have to wait until July to get a copy! However, we will do our best to get it out there as soon as possible, so keep checking back! If you wish, you may order your copy directly from the publisher. Just go to www.tatepublishing.com and search for us in their Books category. If you'd rather order through a more familiar route, look for us on Amazon.com, Barnes&Noble.com and Christianbook.com. You may also place an order at any local bookstore -- they all get books from Ingram, so they can order RBTW, too. In case it matters to you, RBTW will be printed in trade sized paperback format, with color plates in the back and b&w illustrations throughout, like Alliance. The designers all worked together to create a cohesive image, so that all the books will definitely look like a set on your bookshelf! As for signed copies, that's a little trickier. Certainly, any of the authors would be happy to sign your copy for you and mail it back to you, but as they live in different states, it might be difficult, not to mention expensive, to ship your book to them all! If you'd like to send it to just one author, I'm sure she'd be happy to sign and return it to you. There is a possibility that several copies may be signed by all the authors and offered for sale through them, but that's not certain yet, so keep checking the website, and don't hesitate to email if you would like to request one of those. Shipping would probably be a little higher, but I expect that would be the only difference... As for the characters and settings -- well I don't want to give away too much, but I will tell you that all your favorite friends from Alliance will appear in RBTW, though perhaps not in the way you'd expect! There will be many new friends to meet, as well, so brush up on your Faeltheon names and anticipate a great ride! As for the setting - well, we leave the Land before very long -- those pesky Goblins again! But we hope you'll join us for an adventure at sea, as we search for a safe place to call our own! Bonus setting: we will spend a good deal of time exploring the hidden realm of Marliondolen, for how else could we be with Theo, Elwyn, Nausika, and Laslorn, not to mention all the other favorites from Alliance? Thanks for taking the time to write -- I hope to hear from you again! Who was your favorite character from Alliance? What scene would you most like to see illustrated? And what scene would you like to read, that we left out in telling the story? I ask because there is a rumor of a book of vignettes and "lost tales" that may come out after Book Four, so it's never too early to begin to get ideas from the fans... :) Blessings, Elwyn. Dear NewFan78, Thanks for your interest!
At the moment, RBTW is still in production, though it is in the final stages. It should be ready to go to print by May, but the distributor, Ingram, usually takes about 9 more weeks to enter the ISBN number in its computers — go figure … so most stores and online sources will probably have to wait until July to get a copy! However, we will do our best to get it out there as soon as possible, so keep checking back!
If you wish, you may order your copy directly from the publisher. Just go to www.tatepublishing.com and search for us in their Books category. If you’d rather order through a more familiar route, look for us on Amazon.com, Barnes&Noble.com and Christianbook.com. You may also place an order at any local bookstore — they all get books from Ingram, so they can order RBTW, too.
In case it matters to you, RBTW will be printed in trade sized paperback format, with color plates in the back and b&w illustrations throughout, like Alliance. The designers all worked together to create a cohesive image, so that all the books will definitely look like a set on your bookshelf!

As for signed copies, that’s a little trickier. Certainly, any of the authors would be happy to sign your copy for you and mail it back to you, but as they live in different states, it might be difficult, not to mention expensive, to ship your book to them all! If you’d like to send it to just one author, I’m sure she’d be happy to sign and return it to you. There is a possibility that several copies may be signed by all the authors and offered for sale through them, but that’s not certain yet, so keep checking the website, and don’t hesitate to email if you would like to request one of those. Shipping would probably be a little higher, but I expect that would be the only difference…

As for the characters and settings — well I don’t want to give away too much, but I will tell you that all your favorite friends from Alliance will appear in RBTW, though perhaps not in the way you’d expect! There will be many new friends to meet, as well, so brush up on your Faeltheon names and anticipate a great ride! As for the setting - well, we leave the Land before very long — those pesky Goblins again! But we hope you’ll join us for an adventure at sea, as we search for a safe place to call our own! Bonus setting: we will spend a good deal of time exploring the hidden realm of Marliondolen, for how else could we be with Theo, Elwyn, Nausika, and Laslorn, not to mention all the other favorites from Alliance?

Thanks for taking the time to write — I hope to hear from you again! Who was your favorite character from Alliance? What scene would you most like to see illustrated? And what scene would you like to read, that we left out in telling the story? I ask because there is a rumor of a book of vignettes and “lost tales” that may come out after Book Four, so it’s never too early to begin to get ideas from the fans… :)
Blessings, Elwyn.

]]> Comment on Thanks for setting up this forum by elwyn elenthea http://faeltheon.org/2008/07/09/thanks-for-setting-up-this-forum/#comment-5 elwyn elenthea Mon, 14 Jul 2008 21:55:30 +0000 http://faeltheon.org/2008/07/09/thanks-for-setting-up-this-forum/#comment-5 You and me, both! Do you know I have done eight pieces of artwork in the past two weeks! That's not including the capital letters I'm hoping they'll let us use at the beginnings of the chapters! There were sixteen of those, and at roughly 10 hours each, I've been a busy girl! Let me know if you'd like a preview of any of the artwork - Sami has some of it already. Blessings, Elwyn You and me, both! Do you know I have done eight pieces of artwork in the past two weeks! That’s not including the capital letters I’m hoping they’ll let us use at the beginnings of the chapters! There were sixteen of those, and at roughly 10 hours each, I’ve been a busy girl! Let me know if you’d like a preview of any of the artwork - Sami has some of it already.
Blessings, Elwyn

]]> Comment on Welcome to The Alliance Forum! by elwyn elenthea http://faeltheon.org/2008/02/28/hello-world/#comment-2 elwyn elenthea Fri, 04 Apr 2008 22:14:09 +0000 http://faeltheon.org/2008/02/28/hello-world/#comment-2 Hmmm ... future events... I predict: Alliance may soon come out in a softcover version! What do you think of this? Hmmm … future events… I predict:
Alliance may soon come out in a softcover version! What do you think of this?

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