[Thomas Jarington]

Greetings and salutations, Ravenholdt & Twisting Nether!

As it may have been noted, I've been awol from the forums, the guilds and the game for quite some time. I quietly sailed off into an unexplored sea and, after high winds and heavy seas, discovered a new land. Now, having survived the journey, I find myself comfortably established in a wooden hut on a sandy beach, eating coconuts and frolicking with the natives.

What does this mean in land lubber terms?

I wrote a novel, celebrating completion of the first draft yesterday with a round of 18 year old scotch.

Ayup. 4 Months & 115K words of.... a ROMANCE novel. Nope, not fantasy. I do have one in the works, but creating worlds takes a 'bit' more than 7 days for the average soul. Besides, I enjoy characters more than crafting political systems.

Why am I posting this here? Well, I want to thank everyone of you that has ever participated, role played or written on this forum with any of my characters. In fact, when I wrote the acknowledgement for the novel, I made sure to list the Sanctum as having a major influence. I couldn't have done it without you guys. Also, A special shout out to Legion, and your constructive thoughts as I posted to the Sanctum over the past few years. Incredibly valuable, always helpful.

It also explains why I was away. Writing stories, playing WoW and role playing pulled so much time, I could never focus the proper amount of creativity needed to write a worthy book.

So, as I relax over the next few weeks before launching into the sequel, I may appear back into the game just for grins. Feel free to say hi if you see my rascally rogue sneaking around picking pockets.

Until then, Fair Winds and Following Seas, sanctumites. Wherever Your Horizons Beckon...

[Siané]

So where can we get our hands on this romance novel, eh?

[Thomas Jarington]

in first draft format, so heading to beta readers. But when it's ready for public consumption, I'll toss it to the wolves.

[Tirien]

Thom that is AWESOME DUDE! I'm so thrilled to read this! I have been wondering where you were indeed and I'm glad to hear you've been well. Echoing Siane, I totally want to get my hands on a copy once it's available!

[Thomas Jarington]

Thanks Tirien. Ayup, still alive and kicking. Probably will have a time card rolling in a few days and see what's new in the game.

Maybe even level Thomas. It's been awhile, and with the new changes coming to rogue...

[LEGION]

Congratulations, Thom! That's great news! Without a doubt, writing is a full time job, usually on top of whatever work authors are doing to pay the bills. It seems many writers get their start as romance authors, so I suppose it's not all that surprising that this is where you are getting yours.

(one of my guildmates on Emerald Dream is a professional writer, who published his first independent novel -- as opposed to his usual ghostwriting -- as a romance title. One of the RP stories he shared is here if you're curious http://us.battle.net/wow/en/forum/topic/15699456083#1 )

Anyway, I guess now begins the rounds of editing (you've got an editor I assume?) and looking for a buyer. I wish you all the best of luck with that. I'll have to curb my irrational revulsion of romance novels to pick yours up when it's published. :} I'll also confess I'm surprised that I've been so much of an influence, though I'm glad I helped. There so many talented people here who have contributed so much over the years.

Anyway, gamewise, there's not a lot different right now. Expect stuff to become radical next spring as we get closer to the Xpac. I'm dividing my time between RH and ED, so I hope to see you somewhere in the world in the near future.

Happy Soon-to-be-Solstice!

[Thomas Jarington]

Thanks, LEGION!

And Happy soon-to-be-solstice to you, too.

I am happy to say that mine has a good bit of story to it, with colorful side characters (who'd have guessed that one, eh?) and a solid plot. Not to mention a romantic connection or two. So far, all positive from my readers story wise, especially connecting with the characters. One said she forgot I was a male who had written it, as the female perspective was so believable for her.

Some things to clear up are a few 'tells' instead of shows. One or two modern ideas appearing in 1853, things like that. Not too shabby for a first draft. And it's too long, by about 20K words.
Overall? I am thrilled. Editor and all that will come after the new year. I'm letting it gel for 6 weeks and start something new, probably the sequel.

Cheers and we'll see you in the WoW.

[RiktheRed21]

It's awesome to see you moving up to bigger and better things, Thom! And I'll be thrilled to get to rp with you again. One of these days I plan on writing a book or two myself, and I definitely understand what you said about the sanctum being influential. RP stories like the ones I wrote here were some of the first pieces to get me interested in writing my own stuff, after all. It's so reassuring to see other people on a similar path as me turn out successful. Really happy for you!

[Thomas Jarington]

Thanks, Rik!!

I think RP in WoW, the sort that Ravenholdt & TN so carefully craft, is a brilliant workshop for digging into character, especially bringing that character to life so others can 'see.' You have to be instant in your reactions, which requires your language to be strong enough to keep your cohorts immersed into the scene.

It also asks that you consider what emotions/actions/intentions you are wishing to convey along with your words. Sometimes, a "Thom smiles" is all that's needed. However, using, "Thom smiles as his hand inches toward the hilt of his dagger," now adds meaning behind the smile.

And we, as RP'rs, practice & hone this skill every day as we play the game and write in the forums.

[Aerana]

Congratulations Thom! Your news is incredibly exciting and I look forward to you throwing your novel "to the wolves" so that we all have a chance to read your work! It's always very exciting to hear from our friends who aren't around as much anymore and it's great that things are going so well for you. As always, I look forward to hearing more updates! Best of luck to you in all of your endeavors!