*stands up and claps at nailing the delivery dates for this series*
Very excited to finish it but also amazed and inspired by your ability to hit those deadlines. That stuff is HARD. Make sure to have a glass or wine or something to celebrate!
How exciting & now I'm glad I could read the last three chapters in one go, flying through all the cliffhangers. I can see the Dune influences in this but you're bringing your unique touch with Shia's Japanese mannerisms, the mixing of different cultures, your poetic writing. It has been a joy to read.
One small point of criticism: You have a tendency to slip into past tense for 1-2 sentences in the middle of the chapter which can be a bit jarring.
I have to say, this hits differently now that I'm experiencing levels of humid heat I couldn't have imagined before I came to Japan. Summer here is truly something else & I shudder to think how much worse it could become in the future...
Thanks, Vanessa! Really appreciate the feedback. I noticed that readers appreciate the multicultural details of this world and I'm planning on playing a bit more with that. I speak several languages and I studied translation so this comes easy. Maybe this is what everyone means when they say, write what you know! 😅 On the other hand, I need to keep it slimmer with the science, as I'm not a scientist and research helps up to a certain point.
I still had some editing to do while I was in Romania experiencing an unprecedented heatwave. It does put things into perspective, like you say.
Thanks, Nathan! I struggled the most with this last part because it was edited less than the rest and it needed a lot of restructuring. But I'm happy that it worked well in the end.
“We took her away. We’ll sell her on the other side. Such a young, pretty thing, we’ll have water and food for a whole year.” Just when you think there is hope for the companions along the Dust Road, that they may salvage or rebuild a communal society in the face of turmoil, we are thrust right back into the reality that our own tribal survival is paramount and the body (along with Trapper’s preserved corpse) becomes currency, and the female figure is grossly measured and abused. Another great section, Claudia, and the character Nature clearly holds sway over all. She is the empress deciding who lives, who dies, and who makes it to the next chapter!
This was both evocative and eventful! I know this is the ending, but I was left wondering “And then?” Maybe a future series will follow the Dust Pirates? I want to vote for the Dust Pirate at the end to write the letter from the future.
This was both evocative and eventful! I know this is the ending, but I was left wondering “And then?” Maybe a future series will follow the Dust Pirates? I want to vote for the Dust Pirate at the end to write the letter from the future.
Happy to hear you were left wanting more because this is an interlinked series and in the last story you will find out what happened ;). But there's one more story in between so you'll have to wait a bit!
*stands up and claps at nailing the delivery dates for this series*
Very excited to finish it but also amazed and inspired by your ability to hit those deadlines. That stuff is HARD. Make sure to have a glass or wine or something to celebrate!
😅 the deadlines! If you go back to the first part you’ll see something…
I had the story 90% ready when I announced the deadlines. I started working on it last September 🤫.
I did a celebration dance and now I’m at my favourite tea house for celebrating!!🥳 I can’t believe it’s done. So much work!
Two more stories to go and then I’m done with There Is Hope.
How exciting & now I'm glad I could read the last three chapters in one go, flying through all the cliffhangers. I can see the Dune influences in this but you're bringing your unique touch with Shia's Japanese mannerisms, the mixing of different cultures, your poetic writing. It has been a joy to read.
One small point of criticism: You have a tendency to slip into past tense for 1-2 sentences in the middle of the chapter which can be a bit jarring.
I have to say, this hits differently now that I'm experiencing levels of humid heat I couldn't have imagined before I came to Japan. Summer here is truly something else & I shudder to think how much worse it could become in the future...
Thanks, Vanessa! Really appreciate the feedback. I noticed that readers appreciate the multicultural details of this world and I'm planning on playing a bit more with that. I speak several languages and I studied translation so this comes easy. Maybe this is what everyone means when they say, write what you know! 😅 On the other hand, I need to keep it slimmer with the science, as I'm not a scientist and research helps up to a certain point.
I still had some editing to do while I was in Romania experiencing an unprecedented heatwave. It does put things into perspective, like you say.
Fantastic conclusion, Claudia. (And as Taegan says, congrats on getting this all out in timely manner.)
I think the last few paragraphs were superb, especially from "When he wakes up, he is still not dead..." onwards. Really evocative and visual.
Love the closing line, too. 👏
Thanks, Nathan! I struggled the most with this last part because it was edited less than the rest and it needed a lot of restructuring. But I'm happy that it worked well in the end.
An action-packed chase! This was very cinematic.
Thanks, Alexander! I wanted to try something new with this story.
Wow. The last paragraph is so cinematic. I have goosebumps!
I had that ending since 2020! I'm happy that it worked.
“We took her away. We’ll sell her on the other side. Such a young, pretty thing, we’ll have water and food for a whole year.” Just when you think there is hope for the companions along the Dust Road, that they may salvage or rebuild a communal society in the face of turmoil, we are thrust right back into the reality that our own tribal survival is paramount and the body (along with Trapper’s preserved corpse) becomes currency, and the female figure is grossly measured and abused. Another great section, Claudia, and the character Nature clearly holds sway over all. She is the empress deciding who lives, who dies, and who makes it to the next chapter!
Thank you, Brian. Let’s see what happens in the next stories. Somewhere there is hope.
This was both evocative and eventful! I know this is the ending, but I was left wondering “And then?” Maybe a future series will follow the Dust Pirates? I want to vote for the Dust Pirate at the end to write the letter from the future.
This was both evocative and eventful! I know this is the ending, but I was left wondering “And then?” Maybe a future series will follow the Dust Pirates? I want to vote for the Dust Pirate at the end to write the letter from the future.
Happy to hear you were left wanting more because this is an interlinked series and in the last story you will find out what happened ;). But there's one more story in between so you'll have to wait a bit!