Reviews (295)

Author's reply

Thank you for reading and pausing to share your thoughts! (The note was sort of an afterthought... Doderas is a bully here, but in later stories, he's thoughtful, courageous, and helpful. When I was going through the beta-readers' notes, it hit me that he could be seen as "out of character" here, so I felt as if I had to either change the character's name or figure out what made the difference. "A little talk with Saradoc" probably goes a long way, I should think!) It's intriguing how Buckland feels separate from the rest of the Shire in many ways (at least, to me it does). Being on the "wrong" side of the River is one. Bordering on the Old Forest is another. It's interesting to contemplate how it might make the Brandybucks different from other Shire-folk. I appreciate hearing from you!

Author's reply

The Grey Havens was one of the saddest parts of the story. *sniff* Hugs to you, and thanks so much for reading and stopping to share your thoughts!

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It's so bittersweet that Frodo can help others but not himself. I seem to remember in my story about Freddy (Fatty) Bolger that Freddy pleads with him not to believe Saruman's prophecy after Frodo helps Freddy win free of the wizard's malevolent curse, but I could be remembering wrong. You're right. Sam apparently (since Tolkien didn't write about Sam noticing Frodo's decline but indicated Sam was surprised when Frodo sailed) did not notice the changes, but that's often the case in real life – when you see someone every day, a change in their health might be so gradual that you don't see it, yet someone who has not seen them for a whole year will notice immediately. That's what I was thinking when I wrote this chapter. Esmeralda and Saradoc had not seen Frodo in a year, and so they immediately saw the difference in him when he walked in the door. And they continued to see the changes throughout the visit, and food and rest made no difference. So I think they quickly reached the conclusion that he had a wasting illness, and that he was making a farewell visit to them, and they'd never see him again in this life, at least. In my early fanfic days, I was still reeling from the cancer deaths of a couple of close relatives, and I know it influenced my writing. One of my earliest stories is dedicated to my brother for that reason; his courage in walking through his final months and then weeks was both inspiring and shattering to witness. Anyhow, I'm starting to ramble, so I'd better wander off and do some housework or something now. (((hugs))) Lin

Author's reply

MM! Oh! I'm so looking forward to reading that part of your story! While I remember film-Merry suddenly realising he's riding with Éowyn (I can see his bright expression and hear his enthusiastic "My Lady!" clearly in my mind), I don't remember how or when it was in the book that he knew Dernhelm was Éowyn. Oh well, yet another good excuse for a re-read, it seems. I love how fanfic tends to show such deep love between hobbits. Tolkien hinted at it, but of course he was also quite occupied with telling his epic tale... Thank you so much for reading and taking time to share your thoughts. (((hugs))) Lin

Author's reply

MM! So lovely to hear from you! I'm glad life has given you some reading time. (Might I hope for some writing time, as well? No pressure from me, of course. I remember so well how difficult it was – and often impossible – to carve any writing time, much less energy, out of my work schedule.) I hope this reply finds you and yours well. You're right, this part of the story, where the Travellers are recounting their stories, is a really difficult part. I often thought of my father and uncles who fought in WWII while I was writing this part, and I had a hard time deciding whether Merry and Pippin would tell Merry's parents anything at all about their travels. My dad only told funny stories about his time in Europe with a bomber division. I do know that he was the only one of his classmates to serve in Europe; all of the others were sent to the Pacific theater, and only one of them survived. One of my uncles never spoke about the war at all, and another uncle (who was a medic in the Battle of the Bulge) did not speak a single word – he didn't just avoid the topic of war but was voluntarily mute (my heart breaks for him) – for six months after he returned from the war, according to my parents' reminiscences. (((hugs))) Lin

Author's reply

Thanks! This review made my day.

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Thank you! Somehow I couldn't quite imagine Sam going for Mayor as his own idea, so I envisioned a few gentlehobbits (Freddy Bolger and the other three Travellers, mostly) working on him to consider the idea in various stories. I appreciate your reading and taking time to share your thoughts!

Author's reply

Well if you ever decide to post your Sam fic, I will happily read it! (I just can't seem to get enough of hobbits...) Thanks! Author Reply: p.s. I just remembered, I wrote this when I belonged to the Henneth Annun fanfic archive. There were many helpful people there, and one of them, Lylln (I think that's how to spell her name) answered my many questions about the medical issues that would result from the scenario I had outlined, and she was incredibly helpful! Hats off to her, wherever she may be. Thanks!

Author's reply

He is a stubborn fellow, and this misjudgement on his part will shape the next decades of his life... but they will also make him more thoughtful about everything he does. I love to read stories where one cousin rescues the other! (So it was natural to write one. Or several.) Thank you for reading and stopping to share your thoughts!

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It's a very sad time, but the love of Merry's family will help him get through. Thanks for your thoughts!

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These were some of the hardest chapters to write, and I still find them hard to read when I come back and look at the story. At the same time, Frodo's farewell note to Merry was one of the seeds from which the story grew, making this chapter a foundational stone (to mix my metaphors) in the story I was building at the time. Thanks so much for reading and stopping to leave an encouraging response!

Author's reply

Oh, I'm so glad to hear that! You've brightened my day as well with your encouraging words. (I'd probably just write for myself even if nobody else was reading, for I enjoy exploring Tolkien's world, but somehow exchanging views with others is so heartening and motivating! Reading reviews gives me energy, and that's saying something... "energy" and I are really not on a first-name basis, but at least we have a nodding acquaintance.) Author Reply: p.s. I've been pretty successful at updating twice weekly, so the newest chapter of this one ought to go up later today when I have internet again. (I'm about to lose internet for some hours. I can write and edit when I'm offline, but I can't post! Such is life.)

Author's reply

Yes, when this story was written, this chapter reflected my (at the time) recent memories of the severe flooding our area had experienced a few years earlier. That year, heavy rains combined with snow melt in the mountains to send many rivers and streams and creeks over their banks. I still vividly remember driving along the Interstate and being startled at seeing sandbags stacked higher than a tall man's head along the riverbank at the city center's Waterfront Park, across the river from where I was driving, indicating fears on the authorities' part that the entire downtown of our major city was threatened. It seemed unbelievable considering how high the park stood above the waterline most of the time. And yet, in the past year, the terrible videos of flooding in Europe and currently happening in the US have reminded me of how lucky our city was at that time (and that we might not be so lucky another time). Ah, yes, Pippin and Merry didn't realise that keeping it all to themselves wasn't the best course of action. I'm glad they finally figured out the incredible healing power of love and laughter. Author Reply: p.s. Thanks for reading and taking time to share your thoughts!

Author's reply

Wouldn't it be nice if most of life could be planned that way? Except that I think most people would still avoid planning the unpleasant parts, causing them to pile up like debris washing up against a dam in a flood. I've been watching the videos of the current flooding and tornadoes and straight-line winds and giant hail, and my heart goes out to the people living in those areas. As you said, it does take a toll. Community and helping each other are so important! Thanks so much for reading and taking the time to write out your thoughts.

Author's reply

What fun! The link worked, the story was cleverly written, and I laughed in delight several times as I worked my way down the page. Well done!

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This was one of those difficult chapters. But better times (and understanding) will come. This is one of those stories that has a lot of ups and downs because I still had a lot to learn about writing as I was working through it. Rather like learning to drive a stick shift, in a way, if you catch my drift. Thankfully, the Brandybucks have lived alongside the Brandywine for a long time, long enough to learn its moods and how to deal with the bad ones to the best of their ability. They don't have modern-day flood control, but they do understand something about water dynamics and current and volume, which allows them to build sturdy bridges and run a Ferry and even go about in boats, along with figuring out strategies for coping with flooding. Heart-felt thanks for reading and stopping to leave an encouraging word!

Author's reply

Every dog has his day, or so they say! (That's actually a compliment; several dogs are high on my list of favorite people.) I do love Sam, so steady and solid and wise. Rosie winking at Merry is something of an inside joke, the way he tormented her to try to get Sam to propose! Some of the rewrite of Jewels was to incorporate that sub-plot from A Small and Passing Thing, which got written some time after Jewels and so this story was missing that piece. I hope I'm making sense. I've rather overdosed on chocolate today. Definitely a joyous time! Thanks so much for reading and pausing long enough to share your thoughts!

Author's reply

Dialogue-only stories are fun to write, indeed! They present a bit of a challenge in the necessity to make it clear just who is speaking what line... But when they come together, it's a beautiful thing. You have a ST story? Can you provide me a link? I cut my fanfic teeth (in a manner of speaking) writing Star Trek stories with friends back when the Original ST was airing – and not in syndication, but the actual series' three-year run! Ah, but fandom was so much fun. My best friend saved her allowance and sent away from a script that was said to have been used during filming. (I still don't know if that was just hype or if they were actually selling the scripts or if they made "extra" to sell...?) The more the merrier, that's what I always say. With certain exceptions, of course. Thanks!

Author's reply

I hate to say it, but the angst in this chapter is an important building block for some future scenes that have more to do with loving relationships and less to do with angst. So, yeah. Deliberate, character-developing and/or plot-driven angst hurts just as much as gratuitous angst. Even so, I can't do angst for the sake of angst. I always have to be working towards the "comfort" in the "hurt/comfort" formulation, or I don't see any point in writing further. I like the Brandybucks better, too. I don't know why my subconscious originally saw Pippin's relationship with Paladin as strained and Merry's with his father as warm and close (maybe an echo of Denethor and Théoden and the hobbits' interactions with them?). In fact, Paladin in his younger years is extremely likable in my "verse": As tweens, he and Saradoc and Ferdinand and Merimac were inseparable and wandered around the Shire together, having adventures (shhh, don't tell anyone), making mischief, and getting into and out of scrapes. In my original vision of the Shire, Paladin never anticipated becoming Thain. His grandfather withdrew from the Succession, but the letter he wrote was either lost (or deliberately destroyed; I haven't quite worked that part out yet – that part of Thain has two alternative paths I need to choose between before posting the rest of the story) when Ferumbras grew old and had no heirs. When Ferumbras died suddenly, Paladin was stuck with the Thainship, with no training, no preparation, and no resources (because Ferumbras hid the treasury without telling anyone; he wasn't expecting to die quite so soon as he did). Before I had to stop writing due to RL time constraints, I actually sketched out and started writing on an alternate timeline where Ferdi's family's stable fire never happened and Paladin remained a kind, contented, jolly farmer even after he became Thain. (See The Farmer's Son, another WIP in line to be completed after The Long Winter according to the current plan.) He is Paladin as Paladin ought to have been, probably. (Setting my original impressions based on Denethor and Théoden aside, of course.) Unfortunately for my favorite hobbits, I was still learning to write fiction when I wrote this story, and my mentors emphasized *conflict* in its various forms (man-vs-man, man-vs-others, man-vs-the environment, etc.) as essential to drive the plot along. So there's an awful lot of angst in this story. I began to understand that there could be too much of a "good" thing (if you can call not being able to catch a break a good thing) when people who were reading in 2003 protested Pippin breaking his leg in a later chapter. Frankly, I breathed a sigh of relief. (There is such a thing as too much angst! I thought so, but what did I know as a novice fiction writer in a writers' group that included published authors? Whew.) Of course, my long-time proofreader who rode into adventure by my side for several years, in a manner of speaking, called herself (and probably was, LOL) a bad influence, for she seemed to thrive on angst. Her attitude was basically: Pile it on! The deeper, the better! We originally became friends through our mutual appreciation for cliffhangers! She pushed me way beyond my comfort zone over the years, which was probably good for me, at least in terms of developing my writing muscles. Her challenges stretched me as a writer. We still talk occasionally, though her interest has moved on to another fandom. She keeps nagging me to dip my toes in and "challenge" her favorite characters over there. I keep telling her that hobbits have captured me and imprisoned me in their cleverly disguised dungeon called The Shire. Escape seems unlikely, at least at the current time. I have WIPs to finish! Anyhow, I wrote a lot of Merry-angst in this story. When I couldn't take it anymore (he is my favorite hobbit, after all), I turned to writing Pippin-angst. When I wore out my welcome there, it became Ferdi's turn... until my brain rebelled, and all I wanted to imagine for him was to see him and Nell cuddled cosily together on a couch in front of a cheerful fire. Satisfying, perhaps, but probably not enough conflict there to drive a plot, as my writing group mentors and peers would have said. Recently, Tolly has stepped up (but I must say, exploring his character in the latest WIP has been fascinating). And... the coffee is finally kicking in! So I will conclude this rather lengthy and perhaps rambling reply and wander off to do RL things now. Thanks for listening.

Author's reply

MM! (And Saradoc isn't even a Took! Though his wife is. So you'd think he'd have the sense to stay in bed. I suppose any excuse for storytelling is a good excuse, though.) I'm so glad to hear from you! I appreciate your taking the time to read and share your thoughts during these busy times. (((hugs))) Lin

Author's reply

Frodo's departure almost spoiled the book for me, the first time I read it. And it still makes me sad every time I re-read the work! It bothered me so much that I wrote a long story to try and explain it to myself. Why did he have to go? It seemed logical to me that there was some worsening physical malady that drove his decision. So I started with a fairly healthy Frodo, releasing the prisoners from the Lockholes, and followed his gradual deterioration from hope to coming to terms with death and loss – and then the sudden saving grace of sailing with the Elves! And then I stumbled across Tolkien's letter where he described Frodo's leaving as the result of spiritual (or maybe mental? It's been a long time since I read that letter), not physical problems. And so that story I'd so carefully crafted turned out to be AU after all. But I still find it more satisfying than the original version, though that may sound awfully egotistical of me. It's possible I just can't follow Tolkien's thought well enough to understand his intent in that aspect of his epic work. The name of that story, by the way, is A Small and Passing Thing. It's rather long, but I've been told it's worth reading by a few of my favourite authors, so I'll take their word for it. Thanks for reading and taking the time to share your thoughts! I do appreciate it.

Author's reply

I was trying to be as true to the original as possible. If I'm remembering right, this chapter reflected JRRT's description of Frodo as quietly dropping out of all the doings of the Shire. And yet, I'm equally sure his love of his cousins and of Sam never dimmed. Thanks for reading. I also really appreciate your taking the time to leave a good word. If I'm remembering right, Frodo's departure takes place in the next chapter.

Author's reply

I love (and have loved) writing a cheerful Frodo! From some of the feedback I received when I first published this story, I got the feeling that a lot of fanfic in the early 2000s portrayed a sick, depressed, morose Frodo, but I chose to see him as relieved, even happy, once the Quest had been achieved. At least until his anniversary illnesses made him realise that Saruman's prediction was true and not just malice. Shirebound's lovely "Quarantined"-verse stories, in which Frodo did not sail West, are very well done, if you haven't come across them yet. Since I've been away from fanfic for more than a decade due to real-life constraints, I'm not sure how fanfic authors currently portray him during the time between the ending of the Quest and his sailing to the West. Thanks for reading and pausing to leave a comment!

Author's reply

MM! (((hugs))) I'm so glad to hear from you and to read that you're enjoying the story! I can so relate – many were the times I groaned my way out of bed a little early just so I could sneak onto the computer and read a chapter or two on SoA before diving into the demands of the day! Thanks so much for taking time to share your thoughts. I love seeing the characters from your perspective. I share your enthusiasm for the little details that take time and research and thought! Once upon a time, I calculated that I did ten hours of research to be able to write one chapter involving a whitewater rescue! Finding a plausible treatment for burn injuries took a similar effort but made for a stronger story, I think. As a reader, I notice and appreciate an author's efforts to maintain authenticity and a note of reality (believability?) into the narrative, either because they're already familiar with a subject or take time to study it. Well-crafted fanfiction (in my opinion) rivals or even surpasses many of the books I've bought over the years. Long may fanfiction authors live and write and post the fruit of their labors. (As I used to horribly pun at my writing students: Write on!) And now, a few more (((hugs))), and I hope this note finds you well. Now that I've settled into a schedule of writing for a few hours every day, both fanfic and original work (isn't retirement grand?), I'm trying to get into the habit of posting fanfic regularly on Tuesdays and Fridays, whatever chapters happen to be ready on those days. With that goal in mind, I'm going to use the rest of my free afternoon to polish the chapters that I intend to post tomorrow. (And then I plan to devote tomorrow to reading! What a pleasant prospect!)

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I was worried for Merimac, too. He's a solid and dependable fellow, and I'm glad not to have to say goodbye to him as of yet. Thanks so much for reading and taking the time to share your thoughts!