Happy Tare-iversary to me!
Eight years ago today, I wrote the first chapter of The Owl of Kedran’s Wood, my first foray into contemporary fantasy . . . and what I thought would be a brief standalone novel, something just for fun that I’d write and set aside.
Eight years later, my Kedran’s Wood stories have completed (if rough) drafts of two novels, a novella, and two short stories (plus dabbles of non-canon “fanfiction”).
I have plans for another novel or two, another novella, two more short stories, and a spinoff novel.
I’ve written over 300,000 words of Kedran’s Wood stuff and it’s one of my happy places.
These stories have been a big part of my life, a constant writing companion, and Tare is my favorite character I’ve written (shh, don’t tell the others).

(Some images are mine; others found on Pinterest here.)
I’m so happy that I took that random idea, that odd and not-me-like modern story (I mostly wrote medieval-type fantasy at the time, because I didn’t like modern fiction — so I ended up writing the type I would like to read) and ran with it.
I’m terribly glad I sat down on that day eight years ago to write and met Tare, Lavender, Baz, Ivy, Mr. Larch, and the Wildlings, for the very first time.
The moral? Take those shots in the dark, those leaps of faith, those random steps that seem like they might not come to anything. Try new things. Try.
No matter how strange, no matter how small, you never know what that moment could look like, looking back eight years later.
(Who knows? Maybe some future April 5th I’ll look back and some of these stories will be published.)
So hi from me and Tare and the Chess Club. We’re celebrating. We wish you all a wonderful week. (Even if Tare won’t admit it. ;))
(He’s also judging me for not writing these last two days, since it IS Camp NaNo, even if I’m not writing about him. XD)
Congratulations on eight years of Kedran’s Wood! (Which I tried to write as Kendragon’s Wood, because my fingers are operating on autopilot, whoops.) I’m so happy you have these characters constant through the years, and I hope I’ll hear more about them sometime soon. ❤
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Thanks so much, Sarah! (Haha, I love it! XD) I hope so too! Thanks! ❤
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OH MY GOSH. KW HAS BEEN AROUND FOR 8 YEARS. AAAAAAHHHH!!!!!!!!!! THIS IS SO SPECIAL!
Happy, happy, happy birthday to my beloved Tare and co.!!!!!! These stories are one of MY happy places. They always make me smile. The characters, the fun setting, the witty dialogue, just ALL OF IT. I’m SOOOO glad you did decide to try something different that day. What a wonderful thing it became!
HAPPY TARE-IVERSARY (love that title so much XD), MY DEAREST CELTI! *ALL THE CONFETTI AND FIREWORKS AND CAKE*
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RIGHT? I can’t believe it’s been so long! Of course, I started writing it not so long after I met you on the NaNo site… 😀
Awww, that makes my day!! ^_^ THANK YOU! I’m so glad they make you smile, and your encouragement has definitely been one of the things keeping this series going!
THANKS SO MUCH! *eats cake* *Tare snags some of it surreptitiously*
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Tare sounds amazing! happy story-anniversary. Breaking into a new genre can be so fun sometimes!
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Aww, thank you!! He’s my favorite. XD And yes, new genres can be fun!
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Eight years is awesome! I’ve always loved all the snippets and bits about these characters! ❤
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Thank you! Aahh, that makes me happy! Thanks so much!
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YAY 8 years of Kedran’s Wood!! That is so EPIC! It’s really amazing, looking back on how far a story has come, especially a story you’ve been working on for 8 years.
Here’s hoping you will be able to look back some April as a published author! ❤
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Thank you so much, Madeline! 😀 It is indeed!
Here’s hoping! ^_^
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