Spring has passed, and so passes my originally promised deadline for Labyrinth IV: Raven's Feather. Trust me, I didn't want it to be this way. Just as some of you are eager for the continuation, I am eager to see the story completed. Life has a funny way of turning one 'round. But hope is not lost.

I do have a good excuse. Sure, no one likes excuses, not even me. I've had to make a lot of them. I feel a lot like Sarah, in that the previous two years have brought me face to face with the tiring but (usually) worthwhile adventures of adulthood. It certainly is not fair, but that's the way it is.

All the time I had planned to put aside for writing my final tome has been dedicated to a long, arduous, and emotionally draining house hunt. Not to mention getting a real glimpse into what it's like to work more than forty hours a week at a job, and have a horrendous commute to contend with. Of course, I might have actually finished a bit more if I hadn't tried to format my laptop's hard drive on my own. Oh woe is me. It seems the unfairness continues yet longer.

So where do I stand? So far it looks like we finally have a sound house in our midst, and as exciting as this is, it will be end of summer before we are truly settled into it. I know, I know. You want to know about the novel.

I'm actually surprisingly far along despite my setbacks. A good three fourths of the way through on the rough draft, not including the many scenes I have to insert to smooth out the rough edges. Sure, I could start posting rough, but I do want this one to be a lot easier (and more professional) of a read. I'd love to get that first fourth up by July. I can't make promises. But some time may be available between now and the time I actually move.

I could do something terribly cruel like posting the first chapter. But since you'd have to wait another two months for more, it would be too awful to fathom. I could do something else terrible like give you some hints as to what is coming. Hmm, maybe I can be that horrible.

You can look forward to chaos. Aboveground has been turned upside down. Pulled out all the stops... you won't even recognize this new world. For the first time Jareth is truly having to battle it out with Sarah... and Sarah with herself on a level she never could have imagined. Toby learns to use his powers and Jareth gets... Well, he gets what he deserves in more ways than one (that might not mean what you suppose it to mean). There is humor, there is angst... there is knitting, belching, singing, dreaming, magic, reunited love, unrequited love, and of course passion. There are dragons, witches, fairies and fae, Irishmen, Scots, and Englishmen. There are even starlets and amazing fashions. And let's not forget Alan Rickman, who has a bit of an adventure of his own when he meets Sarah in New York. And someone who shall remain nameless is caught smooching in Central Park with Frodo Baggins.

Oh dear, what a ride it shall be. I hope that this helps satiate your curiosity. However, I am afraid, it will only make you more angry with me. It just lets you know how devoted I am to telling this huge story, and doing it right. Tough it out a little longer with me, will you? I'm a poor graphic designer with scant hours to devote to my true love of writing. I will do my best to satiate your hunger as soon as humanly possible.

Kiss-kiss,

Judith Agrathea