Greeting
friends,
When
the UPS or FedEx truck pulls up to my door, I’m often
surprised by the deliveries. Two days ago, I received
an impressive-sized box and wondered what it could
be. To my utter astonishment, it contained a beautiful
replica of Eragon’s sword, Zar’roc. This amazing sword
has a blood-red blade, the likes of which I have never
seen before. The pommel is formed by an enormous red
blown-glass gem set in a crown of gold. The handle
is wire-wrapped. To complete the package, a mounting
board accompanied the sword; its black finish sets
off the red blade to perfection.
I
am nearly at a loss for words to describe my feelings.
When I was a young boy, I dreamed of owning a sword
of my own. I paged through armory catalogs and hoped
that one day a sword would be mine. Lacking the funds
to purchase my fantasy, I crafted my sword with words.
I never imagined that one day someone would make a
sword for me, let alone a sword of my own design.
Mike
Macauley at Shurtugal.com came up with the idea to
recreate Zar’roc as described in Eragon.
He coordinated this five month project, found a sword
maker worthy of the task, and gathered contributions
from fans in Project Zar’roc. I am honored and send
my deepest gratitude to Mike and each person who contributed
to this project. Photos of Zar’roc are here.
I
shall treasure this memento of your goodwill, and
I will hang it in my room to remind me of you when
I write. It will spur me to do my very best work,
for you who have given me so much.
Speaking
of work, I have been refining, polishing, and rewriting
short sections of Eldest where needed. I’m
almost to the copyediting stage, and that will go
fast, as printing deadlines loom. It won’t be too
long before you can immerse yourself in Eragon’s world
and see what he and Saphira have been up to.
Early
this month I flew down to San Antonio, Texas for the
2005 National Renaissance Conference. It’s always
a thrill to meet with readers, and this was no exception.
The conference was for educators: librarians and teachers.
I gave a fifty minute presentation, participated in
an author panel, and signed books—lots of books!
Many
thanks to all the fine folks who made my visit so
wonderful. A special thanks to my dad, who accompanied
me, and Bernell Blunt, our escort. Bernell is a rare
and precious class of professional, the male reading
specialist. I was heartened to see such a stalwart
role model for boys. Keep up the good work!
A
word to all who wrote in to the poetry contest. Please
be patient! The good folks at Random House have not
forgotten you. Your entries have astonished them,
both in quality and quantity. Once I complete Eldest,
I will put my full attention on choosing the finalists
and completing the artwork for the winner.
Until
next month, let the glow of Zar’roc’s shimmering red
blade flicker in your mind. And . . .
May
your swords stay sharp,
Christopher
Paolini
