Back on the net!

Yes, I've been away for quite a while. Sorry. It hasn't been voluntary.

Last time I posted, I said I was about to move house. Well, the move itself went very smoothly. (4000+ books notwithstanding, I was completely unpacked within two weeks. Just in time to host some visiting family for Christmas Day.) I'm now living in a quiet, peaceful, rather beautiful neighbourhood in eastern Wellington, only half a block from the beach. Settling in nicely and I think I'll be very happy here.

Sadly, my phone and internet connections did not go smoothly. It took more than two months to get either going again—and all of it the phone company's fault. Trouble is, I switched to cable at the same time as I moved, and there's only one cable operator in the area, so I'm not big on options.

So, the reason for the long hiatus was simply that I had no choice. Since I got connected I've been playing catch-up, of course. Thank you all very much for your messages of support. I've read them and they're most appreciated.

Oh, and of course I've gotten a bit of writing done in the interim. :)

Progress: well, I've broken 71,000 words. Chapter 14 is well and truly novel-length now, and significantly longer than any other. And getting positively grim in some places—fair warning!

It's also getting really close to finished. I've got the big battle sequence to finish off, a smallish aftermath segment, and the closing scene to write. That's all.