Mirkwoodmaiden · 3 February 2026 · Chapter 9: In which Bilbo comes Out of the Cold to find a Warm Welcome at Brandy Hall
Lin! Enjoyable as ever! Your talent at writing hobbits is unmatched! I am little confusing I will admit that this starts at chapter 9... But as I see that it is part 3 I shall look for parts 1 & 2! Sorry for not posting as many reviews, so I hope (54 days and counting) as I retire I will have more time for reading as well as posting. Must dash! (((hugs))) MM
Author's reply
MM! I remember that feeling, counting the days while at the same time sort of dreading retirement. How would I fill the time? (I actually didn't need to have any worries on that account...) When the day came, I was ready. Work was becoming increasingly difficult and exhausting. Now there are no deadlines to speak of, at least not the same kind of deadlines, and not the same pressure to perform. Also, the growing influence of AI was making the work increasingly stressful and less satisfying (and fun, actually). From the stories I'm hearing, I don't envy editors nowadays. AI is still nowhere near as good as human writing and editing, but it appeals to a certain segment of the population. I'm actually a bit concerned about the quality of the professionals coming out of higher education these days. How many are short-sightedly using AI to complete their assignments instead of applying their knowledge and understanding of their topic and learning to synthesize information without relying on the crutch that AI might appear to provide? I don't know, but I worry about that now and then. I provided links to parts 1 and 2 in the first part of this story (along with story summaries, though I prefer to read a story as opposed to a summary for my own part), so hopefully you'll find those helpful. As was writing Part 1, I based little Pimpernel, in particular, on a RL child I knew at the time, and frankly, I still find her delightful (if I do say so myself). So if you want a relatively quick and amusing read, I can recommend Part 1 with confidence. (Even as I say that, Part 3 is giving me fits. Pimpernel is still delightful, but the story structure is not behaving as I expected. Each part is supposed to be complete in four chapters, but Part 3 is rebelling as I try to break the draft into chapters. Aargh. I may have to throw in the towel and resign myself to having five chapters in this one. Sorry about grumbling, and thanks for listening.) (((hugs))) Lin