I just had a look at "My Stories" and I notice that there is activity all along the line back as far as Chapter 1. So, people are still re-reading it! I admire your stamina.

I also noticed the date I posted the first chapter, 22nd December 2010. Wow, a whole five years! I swear I never intended for it to take this long!

When I began I had the general idea in my head, and I more or less knew how the whole thing would pan out. I didn't, however, know how the first chapter would end even as I began writing. I knew Garia would be found on the mountainside, of course, and I knew there would be a certain amount of confusion as she was taken down to the "Great Valley", which was hazily thought out even as I was writing it.

I knew that there would be a Prince in the palace when she got there, and that she would meet fierce opposition as she progressed. I also knew, at the start, that there would be a wagon-train style journey to a remote town with a confrontation with a creature from legend, but where that might be and what the creature was lay years into the future. The word "ptuvil" was a throw-in at the start and didn't take form for many chapters.

It never occurred to me that she would start an entire Industrial Revolution or be the central reason for a major war. Unintended consequences indeed! I was just hoping to write a simple romance, but what did I know? I ended up with an entire world.

Having pumped out 28 chapters for The State Does Not Make Mistakes I knew I could write a 40-50 chapter story, and that's what I had originally intended. If I had known then what I know now, or that it would take so long, I might never have started. I'm really glad that I did, though!

In the intervening period I have had two periods of major illness, retired, gained a daughter-in-law and two grand-daughters and had my life turned upside down by the last mentioned. I have also flown to the US three times, having last set foot on a plane in 2001 - and before that in 1973. I have also found time to write a couple of short stories on BC and, I hope, contributed to the wonderful place it has continued to be.

I fully intend to finish what I began but the last few steps to stagger across the finishing line will have to come when I can manage to write them. Christmas is almost upon us yet again (humbug!) and that means inevitable distractions - not to mention periods of semi-consciousness!

Congratulations to all those who have been following my monster epic. I'm really, really sorry it has taken so long. I'm seriously impressed that many of you are re-reading it as that requires a serious commitment in time and attention. I know it isn't perfect and there are any number of things that need putting right but I felt that it was more important to finish it before thinking about doing any editing.

I just wish that it could have been finished sooner. Five years, oh, my!

Penny