"I was miserable…" (DD4, Chapter One, Pages 41-43)

The final pages of Chapter One! It is a small update, I will admit, but these are also a few of my favourite pages.

He he he. During the writing process, when I stumbled across that final line, I knew, "yes, yes, this is exactly how I want to end the chapter, it is perfect." I like how the setup for it tells us about Alexandra's character, I love the tone, and I love the suspense it creates. 

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Spent the week tidying up a few loose ends, but also this:

…trying to make sense of all my jumbled notes on Chapter Two. The good news is that these all came together pretty well, and Chapter Two looks like it will be in good shape. It is coming together much more quickly and easily than I anticipated… which makes me suspicious. If it comes together too easily, that means it's probably sufficient, but not excellent. Still, done is better than perfect, so I'll be moving forward, trying to make this as good as it can be, but not becoming obsessive.

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The Pillars of Hercules, For Real???

Did you all know about Ferdinandea? Have you been keeping this from me?

It's a "certain volcanic island in the Mediterranean Sea near the island of Sicily that on more than one occasion has historically first risen above the Mediterranean." I learned about it from the Omnibus podcast. Back in the mid-19th century, due to volcanic action, this island would pop up out of the sea, and the nearby nations would squabble like children over the right to call it their own.

Look, I'm not saying this is identical to what happens in DD3 (wherein a greedy propagandist attempts to profit off the raising of a sunken city above the surface of the Mediterranean), but it was extremely gratifying to hear that when a land mass suddenly appears in the sea, it is indeed considered of strategic and economic value, and would be squabbled-over.

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EDIT: ooh, one more thing:

Stephen Fry writing on "the enduring appeal of Georgette Heyer." 

I know nothing about Heyer, but I'll listen to whatever Fry wants to run his mouth about, especially if it's Regency writing. I always like to hear people's conceptions of historical fiction. It helps me better understand DD's role in the publishing landscape—in Fry's article, most certainly categorized among "historical nonsenses," which is a badge I wear with distinct honour.

It's a nice peek at Regency writing, a succinct summary of the British social context of the time, and makes me want to go snatch up one of these new editions of Venetia (with binding design by Jessica Hische, ooh la la).

EDIT EDIT: Uh oh, The Folio Society has nice editions of Hornblower books, too. 

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I hope you have enjoyed the unfolding of Chapter One of DD4, and I look forward to sharing the process of Chapter Two in the coming days!

Hugs,

TC