The title for today's post is taken form a quote out of a soon-to-be-famous book by a largely unknown author. I chose it because it marks the end of one journey and the beginning of another; a new adventure that will not be undertaken alone, but in the company of good friends who share a common vision.
It seems an appropriate quote for this particular moment in my internet life. Next week, I will get on my virtual horse and trot over to another corner of the e-universe to begin a new project with fellow authors and esteemed Magas Terri-Lynne DeFino (FINDER) and Kim Vandervort (THE SONG AND THE SORCERESS, THE NORTHERN QUEEN). Our project, entitled Heroines of Fantasy, is a new blog dedicated to the discussion of fantasy fiction in general, and women in fantasy in particular. I wrote about this last week as well; if you'd like a preview of the new blog, please click HERE.
It's been about a year and a half since I started this blog for EOLYN, and while I'm very excited about the new project, it's a bittersweet moment to be letting go of my weekly posts on this site. I've really enjoyed sharing the backstory of EOLYN: the history of Moisehén, the structure of its magic, the landscape in which its people live. It's also been fun relating the journey of publishing this novel with Hadley Rille Books. In a very real way, this blog has documented one of the most exciting periods of my life, and to be able to share it with all of you -- to feel your support and enthusiasm while bringing my first novel to press -- has made it a truly unforgettable experience.
To give you an idea of how far Eolyn has journeyed since I started posting, here are a few fun figures:
Since its inception in May of 2009, the blog for EOLYN has received nearly 8000 hits.
The countries most represented in terms of visitation have been the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Costa Rica (pura vida, mis amigos Ticos!), Australia, Germany, Russia, the Netherlands, Slovenia and France.
The top five most popular posts to date have been:
Middle Magic
Women, Epic Fantasy, and George RR Martin
The Nutcracker Prince and the Mouse King
Epic Love
Strong Female Protagonists
To learn what people are saying about EOLYN, check out the reviews on Amazon, Barnes&Noble, and Goodreads. You can also read the full text of the Publishers Weekly review of EOLYN on this site. I have been very pleased with how people are responding to the novel; there's nothing more fulfilling for a story teller than to know you are telling a good story.
In so many ways, Eolyn's journey has only just begun, so while I will no longer be posting regularly on this blog, the story does not end here. You can still come to this site for announcements and updates about events and signings, or friend Eolyn on Facebook to learn what con, bookstore or library I will visit next.
In the coming weeks, I will probably reorganize this site to make the existing information more accessible to new visitors, so that http://eolynchronicles.blogspot.com/ will remain the best place to go for inside information about the novel and the world in which Eolyn lives.
And, if you would like to embark on a larger journey through magic and fantasy -- one that will include discussion not only about the world of Eolyn, but about many other worlds and their heroines besides -- please get on your virtual horse (or whatever your prefered method of fantasy transport is: dragon, damselfly, magic carpet...) and 'ride south' with Kim, Terri and me to our new blog Heroines of Fantasy. I know you will not be disappointed.
I want to thank everybody who has followed this blog over the last year and a half. Your comments, support and readership have meant the world to me. Thanks to you, the novel EOLYN is off to a grand start. I look forward to seeing you next week at our new location, http://heroinesoffantasy.blogspot.com/, where we will begin brewing up some special magic just for you.
