Chương 130: Book 1 Wrap Up

Hey all! This is going to be a quick note about the story itself, where it's going, why I wrote it, and what you can expect from me going forward. If that's your cup of tea, read on. If not, no worries, Book 2, Chapter 1 lands tomorrow bright and early at 9: 00 a. m. PST, just like always. If this is your cup of tea but you're feeling a little lazy... well, that's a separate issue. But, I've included a quick TL; DR at the end of each section so you can skim your way through. Whew... that was a bit of a doozy.

I really hope you all enjoyed Book One (or at least the first major arc) of Bound Beneath a Broken Sky. Before anything else, I just wanted to say... Thank you! This story started as a side project, something I always wanted to do, and if no one liked it? Well just putting pen to paper, or rather fingers to keyboard, would have been enough for me.

I've been on your side of the table reading these kinds of notes from authors and it always felt a little gratuitous, but after living for a while on the other side I totally get it. It's one thing to write because you enjoy it. It's a whole different beast to share your work with other people and have them enjoy it too. There really aren't words to describe what that feels like. So seriously. Thank you. TLDR: You guys are the best, and your support makes this whole thing feel worth it. Where do we go from here?

Well ladies and gentlemen, Elias, Astra, Mira and the gang have all been put to the ringer lately and frankly, they need a break. Now this doesn't mean that all of a sudden this is going to become a slice of life story. I've been told recently that the average number of people exploding per chapter is far too high for anyone to ever believe this will be anything quite so laid back. That said, there's still a lot left to explore.

There were plenty of things I wanted to fit into Book One, but there simply wasn't room for all of them. I'm totally going to get to them now. So what does this mean for the story? Well there's going to be some minor changes, nothing too crazy, the terrible trio and friends are going to see a little bit more of the world.

Some of the side characters that you both have and haven't seen yet are going to get a little bit more screen time, and we're going to learn a little bit more about the world of Caelwyn and that of the greater Aetherion Expanse in the process. At its heart, the story is still an action and adventure fantasy, with plenty of the world to see. Like I said, don't think just because I'm giving the main man and leading lady a bit of a break that there isn't plenty of danger in store for them in future.

After all, have such delightful horrors to share with you all, provided you have the eyes to see. (Insert image of Sam O'Neill prevent horizon holding his eyeballs in his hand) I'm just kidding… Or am I? TLDR- More talking, less stabbing, plenty of killing. This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

Why this story matters to me - Years and years ago, a frankly embarrassing number of them, a young teenage Talvyrn sat down and wrote a prologue on a laptop that probably had more in common with a toaster oven than a modern computer. At the time it wasn't much, just a prologue, the first couple chapters, and not much more. But those first few chapters were so clear that to this day if you put a pen in my hand, I could write them word for word without a single line skipped. And…

I would absolutely do so for you if it wasn't for the fact that that prologue was not for the first book but for the entire series, which would eventually become Bound Beneath a Broken Sky and therefore contains a few spoilers for some later stuff. Now at this point life interfered, and while a lot of things changed over time, what didn't was the attachment I had to this story.

While I may have never sat down and penned any more chapters, that doesn't mean I never touched it again; instead, it became a kind of touchstone for me in my life. Whenever I needed to relax and disassociate from the world a little bit I would pick it up again, I would find the place where I was before and I would continue the story. The most common time was when I was having trouble sleeping.

Maybe I had a good night, maybe a bad night, or maybe I just needed to clear my mind, even on the worst nights, it never failed to bring me peace when nothing else would. When young Talvyrn was curled up on the floor of a cave in the mountains of Afghanistan in the dead of winter, with something outside howling into the night that sounded like a goddamn chupacabra, even then, this story would put my mind at ease.

And it was in those times that I was able to pick the story up again, pull it out of my pocket like a small pebble, a memory that I could touch, rubbing it over and over again until rough edges were knocked off and worn smooth. So why am I telling you all this? Well a decade or two down the line, there came a time when I realized I had spent a significant portion of my life doing things for others, building for them, destroying for them, but never doing much for myself.

In that moment I decided that I wanted to do something, just for myself, an act of creation that was just for me, my own and no one else's. I absolutely wanted to write a story, and not just any story but the story. The one that carried me through all those nights, the one that lived with me for all those years, one that had started so simply and would become something practically unrecognizable by the end. This was the story that would become Bound Beneath the Broken Sky.

The story's been kicking around for years and years, the names and faces may have changed, but the characters always stayed the same, and the heart of the story never really did. Eli may not have always been Eli, and Astra may not have always been Astra, but the person who they are at the core of their personalities has never changed.

The story has always been about finding a home, the people we choose to stand beside, the promises we choose to keep, the ties that we willingly bind ourselves with, not because they are chains that hold us down, but because together we can be free. Getting to bring the story to life for you has been a genuine treat, and honestly the most exciting part is that it wasn't just that I liked it but that you liked it too. So in the end what does all this mean?

TLDR- We've got plenty of story in the tank, so buckle up buttercup, we've got miles and miles to go and the horizon is calling. What you can expect from me? As I mentioned in the section above, the story is sort of near and dear to my heart. It brings me a lot of joy to find that you guys enjoy just as much as I have over the years. One thing I will promise is plenty more of Eli and Astra. Plenty of action, a little romance, a wider world, and plenty of unexpected twists and turns along the way.

Most of my chapters still try to target a little over 2, 000 words, but lately I've been creeping up to three so don't be surprised if they get a little longer, I imagine this won't be a problem. I'm going to continue posting daily from Monday through Friday and 9: 00 a. m. on both Royal Road and Patreon. While my patreon is currently 30 chapters out, my goal is to eventually get it up to 50 by the end of Book 2, but we'll see where life takes us. One last thing.

Quite a few people have asked if or when I plan to publish the story more traditionally. The answer is yes... eventually. For now though, I really appreciate everyone discovering the story on Royal Road, and I have no plans to stub it anytime soon. My goal is to leave it until at least the first book, quite possibly the first two or three, are available publicly while the story continues to grow. If those plans ever change, I'll make sure everyone has plenty of notice.

TL; DR: Chaps might get bigger, but they'll keep coming, there is no current plan for stubbing, and I hope to get Patreon up to 50. TL; DR: Chaps might get bigger, but they'll keep coming, and I hope to get Patreon up to 50.

Looking back, it's kind of surreal to realize that what began as an idea bouncing around in my head for years somehow turned into a 300, 000-word first novel. Thank you for helping me turn that idea into something real. I'll see you tomorrow, and as always, thanks for reading! -Talvyrn