News
April 13, 2010
Boy, do I have some explaining to do.
But rather than spend my time doing that, let me just apologize for how long I've kept you waiting. I know most people have moved on by now, assuming the story will never be finished, but I've actually been working on it for the past month. My life circumstances have changed, Lizzy and William are back in my head, and it's my intention to finish the story by the end of the summer.
I have work to do first - I'm reading every chapter and making a high-level outline to get my head back into the details, and as I go along I can't seem to stop myself from doing a little editing and fixing formatting problems.
Meanwhile, the next chapter will open with Elizabeth in residence in New York. And from there we will very quickly resolve our last plot issues and wrap things up.
I feel bad that once again I haven't responded to those of you who've written, mainly out of guilt for how long this story has sat untouched. I have learned that I wasn't well-equipped to move into teaching, because I didn't do well at budgeting my time. It isn't just this story, but also many other things in my personal life that I have severely neglected. I'm learning balance--finally--and for that reason I can finally start writing again.
I'll post an update here in about a month, if not sooner, and let you know where things stand. That will be right around the end of the spring semester. My plan is to be done with all the preliminaries by then and prepared to get some serious writing done as soon as my final grades are in, with a new chapter posted in (I hope) early June.
If you know anybody who would like to know this news, please pass it on. And for those of you who've kept checking the site now and then, all I can say is, you're far more loyal than I deserve. But thank you anyway.
August 4, 2008
I just wanted to note that I've responded to everyone who emailed me during my hiatus. If you didn't receive a reply, your spam filter might have trapped my response. Again, I apologize for the delay.
The only exception are some messages on HG. I'm a little out of touch so I don't know what the problem is, but I'm having trouble accessing it right now.
And while you're waiting for the next chapter:
- Christiane Noll fans, take note: She has a new Broadway-oriented CD out called My Personal Property. Amazon.com reports that it will be released on August 12, but you can hear samples and/or purchase the songs now on ITunes. Thanks to Mary Ellen B. for notifying me of this!
- I don't think I ever confirmed that in 2007 the AUS reader community made two donations. I took the excess donations I received from the 2007 fund drive for website support and made donations as follows:
- $75 to the Van Cliburn Foundation (we were listed as "The Readers of AUS" in the 2007 list of patrons)
- $700 to the Seasons of Life Hospice in Wisconsin, where loyal reader Patty spent her final days in the summer of 2006. Several bricks bearing Patty's name will be laid in an outdoor patio there as a permanent memorial. Before long I will scan the thank-you letter I received and post it here.
- Speaking of Van Cliburn, thanks to both Mary and Cheryl for sending me articles about the 50th anniversary of his first-place finish in the first Tchaikovsky Competition. You can read about it in this New York Times article.
- I have some more goodies to post but right now I'm going to do some writing!
Copyright © 2008 by the author
Last updated
April 13, 2010