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When Winter Fell  by Lindelea 7 Review(s)
CuthalionReviewed Chapter: 5 on 11/16/2005
Isengar stared in astonishment at the cabbages rolling at his feet. 'Hoi, shipmates!' he shouted. 'Seems to be a gale blowing up out of the nor'eastern quarter! It's hailing cabbages!'

'Is it now?' Fortinbras said, digging in his pocket as he moved to intercept his uncle. 'Well then, we had better get in out of the weather, wouldn't you say, Uncle?' Coming up with a handful of coins, he pressed them into the hand of the sputtering farmer with a nod of tacit apology, and then he took Isen's elbow. 'Come, Uncle,' he said firmly. 'If we lean into the wind, and keep close together, we shan't be swept from the deck.'

Oh dear. *laughs* Poor hobbit - but I love the way the youngsters get him out of the situation. This is getting better and better, Lin, really. And the man at the end of the chapter is Gandalf, I presume?

Author Reply: There are a few sensible hobbits (like Bilbo's father and the cousin who will be Thain someday) who can look past surface appearance and understand Isen, at least a little.

And now you know who the man at the end of the chapter is, for you've already read on.

Thanks!

LarnerReviewed Chapter: 5 on 10/26/2005
A man, is it? Interesting that a man would know what Isengar went through on the Sea. Interesting, interesting....

Author Reply: And not just any man, but a Man in Grey.

harrowcatReviewed Chapter: 5 on 10/26/2005
Sorry to read about the migraines, *hands over virtual cooling cloths for head and shouts for the finest healer in ME* (But then he has a hanging to attend and the other healer is known to had out strange potions!) So how have you managed to keep both stories going? This one is coming along very nicely. More please but most of all feel better soon.

Author Reply: Ah those lovely cooling cloths.

I do believe the King is about to arrive at any chapter, now. Perhaps he can spare a moment for the beleaguered author.

To answer your question: When a story gets too angsty, or I hit a virtual brick wall in my imagination, I switch between stories to find relief.

Before I discovered the technique of writing on two or more stories at a time, I'd go for long stretches without writing at all because of the dreaded Writers Block. That doesn't happen so often now; if I get stuck I just write on something else.

Thanks for the good wishes. Today looks better.

InklingReviewed Chapter: 5 on 10/26/2005
Oh, hurrah—this is back! I’d was wondering if we’d ever see it again but didn’t like to, y’know, nag…

So funny to see Bilbo mortified by his uncle, little imagining his own future role as “Mad Baggins”!

I’m with Gandalf—my heart goes out to poor Isengar, though I still suspect he’s saner than everyone gives him credit for.

Soooo…how’s that Tenth Walker doing? (NOT nagging, just asking about his health! *grin*)


Author Reply: Yes, it's back, and it's okay to nudge on a story (nagging, now, that's another story--I have a contrary streak as wide as my back, sad to say). Tenth Walker had slipped my mind, and I hadn't looked at my list of unfinished stories in awhile to see what needed work. Working with a beta on "Healer's Tale" sort of put that one at the top of the priority list.

I wrote this chapter of "Winter" mainly to cool down from the angst in "Just Desserts"; I needed something a little lighter to avoid hitting a brick wall and leaving that awful cliffhanger... hanging, for want of a better word. (Hopefully it'll be resolved in a new chapter planned to be posted tonight. Oh, but we're not talking about *that* story! I forgot for a minute which reviews I was answering!)

I sort of got hijacked by a certain healer and the pressing demands of life and had to let this one simmer for a little while, to let the flavours blend. And it's easier to write about shivery weather when the weather is truly shivery! (I wrote the hothothot weather when it was... you guessed it... hot.)

Thanks!

BodkinReviewed Chapter: 5 on 10/26/2005
Courtesy of the Concise Oxford Dictionary:-

pray
· v.
1 address a prayer to God or another deity.
2 wish or hope earnestly for a particular outcome.
· adv. formal or archaic used in polite requests or questions: pray continue.
– ORIGIN ME: from OFr. preier, from late L. precare, alt. of L. precari ‘entreat’.

Author Reply: Aha. That is what I thought.

I had someone earnestly tell me that the original phrase was "prey tell" and it had something to do with hunting in Medieval times. But I haven't been able to find any info to back that up.

Thanks!

BodkinReviewed Chapter: 5 on 10/26/2005
I love seeing young Bilbo. I don't think I've ever read another young Bilbo story. He is really rather a sweetie. I like his good manners - he'll be the toast of the market traders. Unlike Siggy - who is a bit too much the Thain's grandson. Just a touch too cocky.

Poor Isengard. There's a lot of pain in his story, I'm sure. He needs to have a few affectionate young Tooks who are interested in his stories rather than embarrassed by him. It's one thing being a disreputable old relative - and quite another being a disreputable and despised old relative. Fingers crossed the old man in grey (Gandalf, I take it) is able to do something about it on his way to corrupting another generation of adventurous Tooks.

Oh and "prey tell" and "pray tell". Pray tell. Because you are using 'pray' in the sense of asking as you ask somebody to impart information.

Author Reply: I don't remember reading about young Bilbo, either, though there may be stories out there. (And I may even have read one or more of them. My brain is not working well at all at the moment, and it's a wonder I can write and keep track of story threads and continuity. Huh. Perhaps I can't, but only think I can, and I will read this a month or six from now, whenever it'll be that I can get the migraines under control again, and kick myself.)

I know the first I ever thought about him was in the first and last chapters of "Shire".

Somehow I see Bilbo as being raised with an emphasis on good manners. I don't know if it's from my first glimpse of him in "The Hobbit" or something else.

Poor Isengard. There is an awful lot of pain in his story, some of which will come out if I manage things properly. Things are about to get very rough, but after that I hope they'll get better. I think Gandalf feels partly responsible for what happened to Isengard, but he's been rather busy of late. He probably wouldn't be making this visit now, if he weren't bringing news.

Thanks!

DreamflowerReviewed Chapter: 5 on 10/26/2005
I love this glimpse of Bilbo at that stage of adolescence where he can't embarass himself, but anything someone who's with him does causes intense mortification. (I can remember my son being thoroughly embarassed in the library one day by my mild suggestion that it was time to leave, LOL!)

I see you've also paired Bilbo with Sigismond as good friends--makes sense with them so close in age (same year on the famiy tree, I think.)

And *whoo-hoo* looks like Gandalf is making an appearance!

What a treat to find this in the wee hours!

Author Reply: Glad to brighten your wee hours!

I am up much too early after being up so late, but my inner clock is set to arise before this time, so I am royally messing myself up it seems.

I figured Siggy and Bilbo would either be best friends or worst enemies, and chose to go the "friends" route. Although that doesn't preclude disagreements and even fisticuffs!

I am having the dickens of a time finding the difference between "prey tell" and "pray tell". I'm seeing both equally sprinkled throughout google. Haven't been able to pin down the etymology (that means "word origin", doesn't it?) of the phrase. Do you happen to know?

Yep, it's the Old Man in Grey himself. He is, after all, responsible for so many lads and lasses going off and having adventures. (Had to write a bit on a lighter topic to alleviate the angst in the Glisters sequel, whew.)

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