Spam 2...the next thousand pages....

[Adam]

RJ!!!! I don't think you know me...

You left around when I became a member. Where did you go for such a long time?!

And RJ is an adult? I thought he was teenage...

*points a trembling finger at Sigint*

ANOTHER COLLEGE STUDENT!!!! My... My heart!!!! *backs into dark corner*

Pardon my fear of college students... It's only because I'm always the youngest... SO MANY COLLEGE STUDENTS!!! But even though you in college, Sigint, you're still coo (my way of saying "cool").

I shall wash clean this topic with spam! Okay... Get prepared to be called "Mr. Stretch-the-Page"...

Lemony Snicket was born before you were, and is likely to die before you as well. His family has roots in a part of the country which is now underwater, and his childhood was spent in the relative splendor of the Snicket Villa which has since become a factory, a fortress and a pharmacy and is now, alas, someone else's villa. To the untrained eye, Mr. Snicket's hometown would not appear to be filled with secrets. Untrained eyes have been wrong before.
The aftermath of the scandal was swift, brutal and inaccurately reported in the periodicals of the day. It is true, however, that Mr. Snicket was stripped of several awards by the reigning authorities, including Honorable Mention, the Grey Ribbon and First Runner Up. The High Council reached a convenient if questionable verdict and Mr. Snicket found himself in exile.

Though his formal training was chiefly in rhetorical analysis, he has spent the last several eras researching the travails of the Baudelaire orphans. This project, being published serially by HarperCollins, takes him to the scenes of numerous crimes, often during the offseason. Eternally pursued and insatiably inquisitive, a hermit and a nomad, Mr. Snicket wishes you nothing but the best.

Due to the world-wide web of conspiracy which surrounds him, Mr. Snicket often communicates with the general public through his representative, Daniel Handler. Mr. Handler has had a relatively uneventful life, and is the author of three books for adults, The Basic Eight, Watch Your Mouth, and Adverbs, none of which are anywhere near as dreadful as Mr. Snicket's. Like Mr. Snicket, Mr. Handler wishes you nothing but the best.

Mr. Snicket's investigations usually prevent him from being anywhere near any electronic equipment or postal paraphernalia, however, if you feel you must send word to him, you can write him at:

via post:
Mr. Snicket
HarperCollins Children's Books
1350 Avenue of the Americas
New York, New York 10019

You can also receive a message from Lemony Snicket by emailing:
lsnicket@harpercollins.com

To contact HarperCollinsPublishers in reference to Lemony Snicket, please email: harpersnicket@harpercollins.com


If Mr. Snicket is on tour, you will find the information by clicking here.



ABOUT CHRISTOPHER PAOLINI
Christopher Paolini was born on November 17, 1983 in Southern California. Aside from a few years in Anchorage, Alaska, he has lived in Paradise Valley, Montana with his parents and younger sister, Angela. They have two pets, Otis, a black and white cat, and Annie, a frisky cocker/Australian shepherd mix.

Tall, jagged Beartooth Mountains rise on one side of the Paradise Valley. Snowcapped most of the year, they inspired the fantastic scenery in Eragon. A few years ago, Christopher hiked to the top of Emigrant Peak and could see the Grand Teton mountain range, 100 miles to the south.

Christopher was homeschooled by his parents. He often wrote short stories and poems in attempt to put his thoughts into words. He made frequent trips to the library and read widely. Some of his favorite books were Bruce Colville's Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher, Frank Herbert's Dune, Raymond E. Feist's Magician, and Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials, as well as books by Anne McCaffrey, Jane Yolen, Brian Jacques, E.R. Eddison, David Eddings, and Ursula Le Guin.

Christopher grew up listening to a variety of music, but classical music fired his imagination and helped him write. He often listened to Mahler, Beethoven, and Wagner while writing Eragon. The final battle of Eragon was written while listening to Carmina Burana, by Carl Orff.

The story of Eragon began as the daydreams of a teen. Christopher's love for the magic of stories led him to craft a novel that he would enjoy reading. The project began as a hobby; he never intended to be published. He took a month to plot out the entire trilogy, then sat on the sofa and began writing in a notebook. When he reached sixty pages, he gained enough confidence to transfer the work to his computer, where most of Eragon was written, although he sometimes found that the story flowed better when he wrote by hand. All the characters in Eragon are from Christopher's imagination except Angela the herbalist, who is loosely based on his sister.

It took him a year to write the first draft of Eragon. He took a second year to revise the book and then gave it to his parents to read. The family decided to self-publish the book and so a third year was spent with another round of edits, designing a cover, typesetting the manuscript, and creating marketing materials. During this time Christopher drew the map for Eragon, as well as the dragon eye that appears inside the hardcover edition. Finally, the manuscript was sent to press, and the first books arrived.

The Paolini family spent the next year promoting the book themselves. Beginning with talks at the local library and high school, they then traveled across the U.S. Christopher gave over 135 presentations at libraries, bookstores, and schools in 2002 and early 2003. He did most of the events dressed in a medieval costume of red shirt, billowy black pants, lace-up boots, and a jaunty black cap.

In summer 2002, author Carl Hiaasen, whose stepson had bought and read a copy of the self-published book while on vacation in Montana, brought Eragon to the attention of his publisher, Alfred A. Knopf, who subsequently acquired the rights to publish Eragon and the rest of the Inheritance trilogy.

When the trilogy is completed, Christopher plans to take a long vacation, when he will ponder which of his many story ideas he will write next.



On writing

Writing is the heart and soul of my being. It is the means through which I bring my stories to life. There is nothing like putting words on a page and knowing that they will summon certain emotions and reactions from the reader.

Eragon is the first novel in the Inheritance trilogy. I started this book when I was fifteen, after several failed attempts composing other stories. It has been an incredible learning experience, and not only in writing. The greatest lesson it taught me was that clear writing is a direct result of clear thinking. Without one you cannot have the other.

Eragon is an archetypal hero story, filled with exciting action, dangerous villains, and fantastic locations. There are dragons and elves, sword fights and unexpected revelations, and of course, a beautiful maiden who's more than capable of taking care of herself.

Within the pages of this book is a whole land, Alagaësia, for you explore. You may take fancy to Tronjheim, the city-mountain the dwarves have built, or perhaps the mysterious forest Du Weldenvarden. Either way, there are more than enough marvels here for even the most accustomed reader of fantasy.

Eragon is the culmination of several years of intense labor. When I graduated from high school, I wanted to write a pure, dyed-in-the-wool hero story. So I immediately plotted out a trilogy based on my ideals of the archetypal maturation plot. In retrospect, it might not have been the wisest thing—undertaking such a huge project as my first book—but as they say, you can only learn through doing.

For me, the time I spend plotting out a novel is more important than the actual writing. If you don’t have a good story, it’s exceedingly unlikely that a good book can be pulled from the morass of ideas floating around in your brain. Typing out Eragon was a rather straightforward affair once I had the plot firmly in hand—though I did spend some time revising Eragon and Murtagh’s flight to the Varden because of some fuzzy thinking before reaching that segment.

The real torture with Eragon came in the editing. I discovered that editing is really another word for someone ruthlessly tearing apart your work with a big smile, all the while telling you that it will make the book so much better. And it did, though it felt like splinters of hot bamboo being driven into my tender eyeballs.

I’ve always been fascinated with the sources of most modern fantasy that lie in Teutonic, Scandinavian, and Old Norse history. This is disregarding a large chunk of writing devoted to the myths from the British Isles. Because of this, I used Old Norse as the basis for my Elven language in Eragon, as well as many names. All the Dwarf and Urgal words, however, are of my own invention.

The character of Angela the herbalist has an interesting story. I never intended to have anyone like her in the book, but when Eragon and Brom got to Teirm, I decided to include a lampoon of my sister, who coincidentally is also named Angela. Fortunately for my bodily well being, she has an excellent sense of humor. When Eragon is exploring Teirm, I thought that it would be wonderful to have his fortune told by a witch in the marketplace. A better idea struck me, and I sent him straight into Angela’s herb shop. She turned into such an interesting person, along with Solembum, that I decided to include her in the other two books of my trilogy.

I hope that Eragon will leave you with the same sense of wonder that I had while writing it. I do believe in magic—the magic of stories to give you wonder, awe, and revelations. Such feelings can come from small things; in a fey vision of fairy dust swirling in marble moonbeams, or at the end of an epic where a wave of emotion washes over you, sweeping away the mundane world for a moment. Either way, I hope that you find something special in Eragon, something from the other side of the looking glass.

Enjoy the journey!



Main Entry: gregarious
Part of Speech: adjective
Definition: friendly
Synonyms: affable, clubby*, companionable, convivial, cordial, extroverted, fun, outgoing, sociable, social
Antonyms: reserved, unsociable
Source: Roget's New Millenniumâ„¢ Thesaurus, First Edition (v 1.3.1)
Copyright © 2006 by Lexico Publishing Group, LLC. All rights reserved.
* = informal or slang
Roget's New Millenniumâ„¢ Thesaurus - Cite This Source
Main Entry: companionable
Part of Speech: adjective
Definition: friendly
Synonyms: affable, amicable, buddy buddy*, clubby*, complacent, congenial, conversable, convivial, cordial, cozy, cozy with, familiar, genial, good-natured, gregarious, intimate, mellow, neighborly, outgoing, pally, palsy*, palsy-walsy, sociable, social, tight
Antonyms: antagonistic, cold, nasty, unfriendly
Source: Roget's New Millenniumâ„¢ Thesaurus, First Edition (v 1.3.1)
Copyright © 2006 by Lexico Publishing Group, LLC. All rights reserved.
* = informal or slang
Roget's New Millenniumâ„¢ Thesaurus - Cite This Source
Main Entry: cosmopolitan
Part of Speech: adjective
Definition: worldly-wise
Synonyms: catholic, cultivated, cultured, ecumenical, global, gregarious, metropolitan, planetary, polished, public, smooth, sophisticated, universal, urbane, well-traveled, worldly, worldwide
Antonyms: country, insular, parochial, provincial, rustic, small-town
Source: Roget's New Millenniumâ„¢ Thesaurus, First Edition (v 1.3.1)
Copyright © 2006 by Lexico Publishing Group, LLC. All rights reserved.

Roget's New Millenniumâ„¢ Thesaurus - Cite This Source
Main Entry: easy
Part of Speech: adjective 4
Definition: good-humored
Synonyms: affable, amiable, at ease, carefree, casual, complaisant, diplomatic, easygoing, familiar, friendly, gentle, good-natured, good-tempered, graceful, gracious, gregarious, informal, mild, natural, obliging, open, pleasant, polite, relaxed, secure, smooth, sociable, suave, tolerant, unaffected, unanxious, undemanding, unforced, unpretentious, urbane
Antonyms: ill at ease, unfriendly, unpleasant, unsocial
Source: Roget's New Millenniumâ„¢ Thesaurus, First Edition (v 1.3.1)
Copyright © 2006 by Lexico Publishing Group, LLC. All rights reserved.

Roget's New Millenniumâ„¢ Thesaurus - Cite This Source
Main Entry: expansive
Part of Speech: adjective 2
Definition: talkative
Synonyms: affable, communicative, demonstrative, easy, effervescent, effusive, extroverted, free, friendly, garrulous, generous, genial, gregarious, gushy, lavish, liberal, loquacious, open, outgoing, sociable, unconstrained, uninhibited, unreserved, unrestrained, warm
Antonyms: inhibited, quiet, reserved, restrained, silent, withdrawn
Source: Roget's New Millenniumâ„¢ Thesaurus, First Edition (v 1.3.1)
Copyright © 2006 by Lexico Publishing Group, LLC. All rights reserved.

Roget's New Millenniumâ„¢ Thesaurus - Cite This Source
Main Entry: extrovert
Part of Speech: noun
Definition: sociable person
Synonyms: character*, exhibitionist, gregarious person, show-off*, showboat*
Antonyms: introvert, loner
Source: Roget's New Millenniumâ„¢ Thesaurus, First Edition (v 1.3.1)
Copyright © 2006 by Lexico Publishing Group, LLC. All rights reserved.
* = informal or slang
Roget's New Millenniumâ„¢ Thesaurus - Cite This Source
Main Entry: hospitable
Part of Speech: adjective
Definition: sociable
Synonyms: accessible, accommodating, amenable, amicable, bountiful, charitable, companionable, convivial, cooperative, cordial, courteous, friendly, generous, genial, gracious, gregarious, kind, liberal, magnanimous, neighborly, obliging, open, open-minded, philanthropic, receptive, red-carpet treatment*, responsive, tolerant, welcoming
Antonyms: inhospitable, unfriendly
Source: Roget's New Millenniumâ„¢ Thesaurus, First Edition (v 1.3.1)
Copyright © 2006 by Lexico Publishing Group, LLC. All rights reserved.
* = informal or slang
Roget's New Millenniumâ„¢ Thesaurus - Cite This Source
Main Entry: neighborly
Part of Speech: adjective
Definition: friendly
Synonyms: amiable, civil, companionable, considerate, cooperative, cordial, genial, gracious, gregarious, harmonious, helpful, hospitable, kind, obliging, sociable, social, well-disposed
Antonyms: unfriendly
Source: Roget's New Millenniumâ„¢ Thesaurus, First Edition (v 1.3.1)
Copyright © 2006 by Lexico Publishing Group, LLC. All rights reserved.

Roget's New Millenniumâ„¢ Thesaurus - Cite This Source
Main Entry: outgoing
Part of Speech: adjective 1
Definition: demonstrative
Synonyms: approachable, civil, communicative, cordial, easy, expansive, extrovert, extroverted, friendly, genial, gregarious, informal, kind, open, sociable, sympathetic, unconstrained, unreserved, unrestrained, warm
Antonyms: introverted, withdrawn
Source: Roget's New Millenniumâ„¢ Thesaurus, First Edition (v 1.3.1)
Copyright © 2006 by Lexico Publishing Group, LLC. All rights reserved.

Roget's New Millenniumâ„¢ Thesaurus - Cite This Source
Main Entry: sociable
Part of Speech: adjective
Definition: friendly
Synonyms: accessible, affable, approachable, close, clubby*, companionable, conversable, convivial, cordial, familiar, genial, good-natured, gregarious, intimate, mix, neighborly, outgoing, regular, right neighborly, social, warm, white
Antonyms: unfriendly, unsociable
Source: Roget's New Millenniumâ„¢ Thesaurus, First Edition (v 1.3.1)
Copyright © 2006 by Lexico Publishing Group, LLC. All rights reserved.
* = informal or slang
RJ!!!! I don't think you know me...

You left around when I became a member. Where did you go for such a long time?!

And RJ is an adult? I thought he was teenage...

*points a trembling finger at Sigint*

ANOTHER COLLEGE STUDENT!!!! My... My heart!!!! *backs into dark corner*

Pardon my fear of college students... It's only because I'm always the youngest... SO MANY COLLEGE STUDENTS!!! But even though you in college, Sigint, you're still coo (my way of saying "cool").

I shall wash clean this topic with spam! Okay... Get prepared to be called "Mr. Stretch-the-Page"...

Lemony Snicket was born before you were, and is likely to die before you as well. His family has roots in a part of the country which is now underwater, and his childhood was spent in the relative splendor of the Snicket Villa which has since become a factory, a fortress and a pharmacy and is now, alas, someone else's villa. To the untrained eye, Mr. Snicket's hometown would not appear to be filled with secrets. Untrained eyes have been wrong before.
The aftermath of the scandal was swift, brutal and inaccurately reported in the periodicals of the day. It is true, however, that Mr. Snicket was stripped of several awards by the reigning authorities, including Honorable Mention, the Grey Ribbon and First Runner Up. The High Council reached a convenient if questionable verdict and Mr. Snicket found himself in exile.

Though his formal training was chiefly in rhetorical analysis, he has spent the last several eras researching the travails of the Baudelaire orphans. This project, being published serially by HarperCollins, takes him to the scenes of numerous crimes, often during the offseason. Eternally pursued and insatiably inquisitive, a hermit and a nomad, Mr. Snicket wishes you nothing but the best.

Due to the world-wide web of conspiracy which surrounds him, Mr. Snicket often communicates with the general public through his representative, Daniel Handler. Mr. Handler has had a relatively uneventful life, and is the author of three books for adults, The Basic Eight, Watch Your Mouth, and Adverbs, none of which are anywhere near as dreadful as Mr. Snicket's. Like Mr. Snicket, Mr. Handler wishes you nothing but the best.

Mr. Snicket's investigations usually prevent him from being anywhere near any electronic equipment or postal paraphernalia, however, if you feel you must send word to him, you can write him at:

via post:
Mr. Snicket
HarperCollins Children's Books
1350 Avenue of the Americas
New York, New York 10019

You can also receive a message from Lemony Snicket by emailing:
lsnicket@harpercollins.com

To contact HarperCollinsPublishers in reference to Lemony Snicket, please email: harpersnicket@harpercollins.com


If Mr. Snicket is on tour, you will find the information by clicking here.



ABOUT CHRISTOPHER PAOLINI
Christopher Paolini was born on November 17, 1983 in Southern California. Aside from a few years in Anchorage, Alaska, he has lived in Paradise Valley, Montana with his parents and younger sister, Angela. They have two pets, Otis, a black and white cat, and Annie, a frisky cocker/Australian shepherd mix.

Tall, jagged Beartooth Mountains rise on one side of the Paradise Valley. Snowcapped most of the year, they inspired the fantastic scenery in Eragon. A few years ago, Christopher hiked to the top of Emigrant Peak and could see the Grand Teton mountain range, 100 miles to the south.

Christopher was homeschooled by his parents. He often wrote short stories and poems in attempt to put his thoughts into words. He made frequent trips to the library and read widely. Some of his favorite books were Bruce Colville's Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher, Frank Herbert's Dune, Raymond E. Feist's Magician, and Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials, as well as books by Anne McCaffrey, Jane Yolen, Brian Jacques, E.R. Eddison, David Eddings, and Ursula Le Guin.

Christopher grew up listening to a variety of music, but classical music fired his imagination and helped him write. He often listened to Mahler, Beethoven, and Wagner while writing Eragon. The final battle of Eragon was written while listening to Carmina Burana, by Carl Orff.

The story of Eragon began as the daydreams of a teen. Christopher's love for the magic of stories led him to craft a novel that he would enjoy reading. The project began as a hobby; he never intended to be published. He took a month to plot out the entire trilogy, then sat on the sofa and began writing in a notebook. When he reached sixty pages, he gained enough confidence to transfer the work to his computer, where most of Eragon was written, although he sometimes found that the story flowed better when he wrote by hand. All the characters in Eragon are from Christopher's imagination except Angela the herbalist, who is loosely based on his sister.

It took him a year to write the first draft of Eragon. He took a second year to revise the book and then gave it to his parents to read. The family decided to self-publish the book and so a third year was spent with another round of edits, designing a cover, typesetting the manuscript, and creating marketing materials. During this time Christopher drew the map for Eragon, as well as the dragon eye that appears inside the hardcover edition. Finally, the manuscript was sent to press, and the first books arrived.

The Paolini family spent the next year promoting the book themselves. Beginning with talks at the local library and high school, they then traveled across the U.S. Christopher gave over 135 presentations at libraries, bookstores, and schools in 2002 and early 2003. He did most of the events dressed in a medieval costume of red shirt, billowy black pants, lace-up boots, and a jaunty black cap.

In summer 2002, author Carl Hiaasen, whose stepson had bought and read a copy of the self-published book while on vacation in Montana, brought Eragon to the attention of his publisher, Alfred A. Knopf, who subsequently acquired the rights to publish Eragon and the rest of the Inheritance trilogy.

When the trilogy is completed, Christopher plans to take a long vacation, when he will ponder which of his many story ideas he will write next.



On writing

Writing is the heart and soul of my being. It is the means through which I bring my stories to life. There is nothing like putting words on a page and knowing that they will summon certain emotions and reactions from the reader.

Eragon is the first novel in the Inheritance trilogy. I started this book when I was fifteen, after several failed attempts composing other stories. It has been an incredible learning experience, and not only in writing. The greatest lesson it taught me was that clear writing is a direct result of clear thinking. Without one you cannot have the other.

Eragon is an archetypal hero story, filled with exciting action, dangerous villains, and fantastic locations. There are dragons and elves, sword fights and unexpected revelations, and of course, a beautiful maiden who's more than capable of taking care of herself.

Within the pages of this book is a whole land, Alagaësia, for you explore. You may take fancy to Tronjheim, the city-mountain the dwarves have built, or perhaps the mysterious forest Du Weldenvarden. Either way, there are more than enough marvels here for even the most accustomed reader of fantasy.

Eragon is the culmination of several years of intense labor. When I graduated from high school, I wanted to write a pure, dyed-in-the-wool hero story. So I immediately plotted out a trilogy based on my ideals of the archetypal maturation plot. In retrospect, it might not have been the wisest thing—undertaking such a huge project as my first book—but as they say, you can only learn through doing.

For me, the time I spend plotting out a novel is more important than the actual writing. If you don’t have a good story, it’s exceedingly unlikely that a good book can be pulled from the morass of ideas floating around in your brain. Typing out Eragon was a rather straightforward affair once I had the plot firmly in hand—though I did spend some time revising Eragon and Murtagh’s flight to the Varden because of some fuzzy thinking before reaching that segment.

The real torture with Eragon came in the editing. I discovered that editing is really another word for someone ruthlessly tearing apart your work with a big smile, all the while telling you that it will make the book so much better. And it did, though it felt like splinters of hot bamboo being driven into my tender eyeballs.

I’ve always been fascinated with the sources of most modern fantasy that lie in Teutonic, Scandinavian, and Old Norse history. This is disregarding a large chunk of writing devoted to the myths from the British Isles. Because of this, I used Old Norse as the basis for my Elven language in Eragon, as well as many names. All the Dwarf and Urgal words, however, are of my own invention.

The character of Angela the herbalist has an interesting story. I never intended to have anyone like her in the book, but when Eragon and Brom got to Teirm, I decided to include a lampoon of my sister, who coincidentally is also named Angela. Fortunately for my bodily well being, she has an excellent sense of humor. When Eragon is exploring Teirm, I thought that it would be wonderful to have his fortune told by a witch in the marketplace. A better idea struck me, and I sent him straight into Angela’s herb shop. She turned into such an interesting person, along with Solembum, that I decided to include her in the other two books of my trilogy.

I hope that Eragon will leave you with the same sense of wonder that I had while writing it. I do believe in magic—the magic of stories to give you wonder, awe, and revelations. Such feelings can come from small things; in a fey vision of fairy dust swirling in marble moonbeams, or at the end of an epic where a wave of emotion washes over you, sweeping away the mundane world for a moment. Either way, I hope that you find something special in Eragon, something from the other side of the looking glass.

Enjoy the journey!



Main Entry: gregarious
Part of Speech: adjective
Definition: friendly
Synonyms: affable, clubby*, companionable, convivial, cordial, extroverted, fun, outgoing, sociable, social
Antonyms: reserved, unsociable
Source: Roget's New Millenniumâ„¢ Thesaurus, First Edition (v 1.3.1)
Copyright © 2006 by Lexico Publishing Group, LLC. All rights reserved.
* = informal or slang
Roget's New Millenniumâ„¢ Thesaurus - Cite This Source
Main Entry: companionable
Part of Speech: adjective
Definition: friendly
Synonyms: affable, amicable, buddy buddy*, clubby*, complacent, congenial, conversable, convivial, cordial, cozy, cozy with, familiar, genial, good-natured, gregarious, intimate, mellow, neighborly, outgoing, pally, palsy*, palsy-walsy, sociable, social, tight
Antonyms: antagonistic, cold, nasty, unfriendly
Source: Roget's New Millenniumâ„¢ Thesaurus, First Edition (v 1.3.1)
Copyright © 2006 by Lexico Publishing Group, LLC. All rights reserved.
* = informal or slang
Roget's New Millenniumâ„¢ Thesaurus - Cite This Source
Main Entry: cosmopolitan
Part of Speech: adjective
Definition: worldly-wise
Synonyms: catholic, cultivated, cultured, ecumenical, global, gregarious, metropolitan, planetary, polished, public, smooth, sophisticated, universal, urbane, well-traveled, worldly, worldwide
Antonyms: country, insular, parochial, provincial, rustic, small-town
Source: Roget's New Millenniumâ„¢ Thesaurus, First Edition (v 1.3.1)
Copyright © 2006 by Lexico Publishing Group, LLC. All rights reserved.

Roget's New Millenniumâ„¢ Thesaurus - Cite This Source
Main Entry: easy
Part of Speech: adjective 4
Definition: good-humored
Synonyms: affable, amiable, at ease, carefree, casual, complaisant, diplomatic, easygoing, familiar, friendly, gentle, good-natured, good-tempered, graceful, gracious, gregarious, informal, mild, natural, obliging, open, pleasant, polite, relaxed, secure, smooth, sociable, suave, tolerant, unaffected, unanxious, undemanding, unforced, unpretentious, urbane
Antonyms: ill at ease, unfriendly, unpleasant, unsocial
Source: Roget's New Millenniumâ„¢ Thesaurus, First Edition (v 1.3.1)
Copyright © 2006 by Lexico Publishing Group, LLC. All rights reserved.

Roget's New Millenniumâ„¢ Thesaurus - Cite This Source
Main Entry: expansive
Part of Speech: adjective 2
Definition: talkative
Synonyms: affable, communicative, demonstrative, easy, effervescent, effusive, extroverted, free, friendly, garrulous, generous, genial, gregarious, gushy, lavish, liberal, loquacious, open, outgoing, sociable, unconstrained, uninhibited, unreserved, unrestrained, warm
Antonyms: inhibited, quiet, reserved, restrained, silent, withdrawn
Source: Roget's New Millenniumâ„¢ Thesaurus, First Edition (v 1.3.1)
Copyright © 2006 by Lexico Publishing Group, LLC. All rights reserved.

Roget's New Millenniumâ„¢ Thesaurus - Cite This Source
Main Entry: extrovert
Part of Speech: noun
Definition: sociable person
Synonyms: character*, exhibitionist, gregarious person, show-off*, showboat*
Antonyms: introvert, loner
Source: Roget's New Millenniumâ„¢ Thesaurus, First Edition (v 1.3.1)
Copyright © 2006 by Lexico Publishing Group, LLC. All rights reserved.
* = informal or slang
Roget's New Millenniumâ„¢ Thesaurus - Cite This Source
Main Entry: hospitable
Part of Speech: adjective
Definition: sociable
Synonyms: accessible, accommodating, amenable, amicable, bountiful, charitable, companionable, convivial, cooperative, cordial, courteous, friendly, generous, genial, gracious, gregarious, kind, liberal, magnanimous, neighborly, obliging, open, open-minded, philanthropic, receptive, red-carpet treatment*, responsive, tolerant, welcoming
Antonyms: inhospitable, unfriendly
Source: Roget's New Millenniumâ„¢ Thesaurus, First Edition (v 1.3.1)
Copyright © 2006 by Lexico Publishing Group, LLC. All rights reserved.
* = informal or slang
Roget's New Millenniumâ„¢ Thesaurus - Cite This Source
Main Entry: neighborly
Part of Speech: adjective
Definition: friendly
Synonyms: amiable, civil, companionable, considerate, cooperative, cordial, genial, gracious, gregarious, harmonious, helpful, hospitable, kind, obliging, sociable, social, well-disposed
Antonyms: unfriendly
Source: Roget's New Millenniumâ„¢ Thesaurus, First Edition (v 1.3.1)
Copyright © 2006 by Lexico Publishing Group, LLC. All rights reserved.

Roget's New Millenniumâ„¢ Thesaurus - Cite This Source
Main Entry: outgoing
Part of Speech: adjective 1
Definition: demonstrative
Synonyms: approachable, civil, communicative, cordial, easy, expansive, extrovert, extroverted, friendly, genial, gregarious, informal, kind, open, sociable, sympathetic, unconstrained, unreserved, unrestrained, warm
Antonyms: introverted, withdrawn
Source: Roget's New Millenniumâ„¢ Thesaurus, First Edition (v 1.3.1)
Copyright © 2006 by Lexico Publishing Group, LLC. All rights reserved.

Roget's New Millenniumâ„¢ Thesaurus - Cite This Source
Main Entry: sociable
Part of Speech: adjective
Definition: friendly
Synonyms: accessible, affable, approachable, close, clubby*, companionable, conversable, convivial, cordial, familiar, genial, good-natured, gregarious, intimate, mix, neighborly, outgoing, regular, right neighborly, social, warm, white
Antonyms: unfriendly, unsociable
Source: Roget's New Millenniumâ„¢ Thesaurus, First Edition (v 1.3.1)
Copyright © 2006 by Lexico Publishing Group, LLC. All rights reserved.
* = informal or slang
RJ!!!! I don't think you know me...

You left around when I became a member. Where did you go for such a long time?!

And RJ is an adult? I thought he was teenage...

*points a trembling finger at Sigint*

ANOTHER COLLEGE STUDENT!!!! My... My heart!!!! *backs into dark corner*

Pardon my fear of college students... It's only because I'm always the youngest... SO MANY COLLEGE STUDENTS!!! But even though you in college, Sigint, you're still coo (my way of saying "cool").

I shall wash clean this topic with spam! Okay... Get prepared to be called "Mr. Stretch-the-Page"...

Lemony Snicket was born before you were, and is likely to die before you as well. His family has roots in a part of the country which is now underwater, and his childhood was spent in the relative splendor of the Snicket Villa which has since become a factory, a fortress and a pharmacy and is now, alas, someone else's villa. To the untrained eye, Mr. Snicket's hometown would not appear to be filled with secrets. Untrained eyes have been wrong before.
The aftermath of the scandal was swift, brutal and inaccurately reported in the periodicals of the day. It is true, however, that Mr. Snicket was stripped of several awards by the reigning authorities, including Honorable Mention, the Grey Ribbon and First Runner Up. The High Council reached a convenient if questionable verdict and Mr. Snicket found himself in exile.

Though his formal training was chiefly in rhetorical analysis, he has spent the last several eras researching the travails of the Baudelaire orphans. This project, being published serially by HarperCollins, takes him to the scenes of numerous crimes, often during the offseason. Eternally pursued and insatiably inquisitive, a hermit and a nomad, Mr. Snicket wishes you nothing but the best.

Due to the world-wide web of conspiracy which surrounds him, Mr. Snicket often communicates with the general public through his representative, Daniel Handler. Mr. Handler has had a relatively uneventful life, and is the author of three books for adults, The Basic Eight, Watch Your Mouth, and Adverbs, none of which are anywhere near as dreadful as Mr. Snicket's. Like Mr. Snicket, Mr. Handler wishes you nothing but the best.

Mr. Snicket's investigations usually prevent him from being anywhere near any electronic equipment or postal paraphernalia, however, if you feel you must send word to him, you can write him at:

via post:
Mr. Snicket
HarperCollins Children's Books
1350 Avenue of the Americas
New York, New York 10019

You can also receive a message from Lemony Snicket by emailing:
lsnicket@harpercollins.com

To contact HarperCollinsPublishers in reference to Lemony Snicket, please email: harpersnicket@harpercollins.com


If Mr. Snicket is on tour, you will find the information by clicking here.



ABOUT CHRISTOPHER PAOLINI
Christopher Paolini was born on November 17, 1983 in Southern California. Aside from a few years in Anchorage, Alaska, he has lived in Paradise Valley, Montana with his parents and younger sister, Angela. They have two pets, Otis, a black and white cat, and Annie, a frisky cocker/Australian shepherd mix.

Tall, jagged Beartooth Mountains rise on one side of the Paradise Valley. Snowcapped most of the year, they inspired the fantastic scenery in Eragon. A few years ago, Christopher hiked to the top of Emigrant Peak and could see the Grand Teton mountain range, 100 miles to the south.

Christopher was homeschooled by his parents. He often wrote short stories and poems in attempt to put his thoughts into words. He made frequent trips to the library and read widely. Some of his favorite books were Bruce Colville's Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher, Frank Herbert's Dune, Raymond E. Feist's Magician, and Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials, as well as books by Anne McCaffrey, Jane Yolen, Brian Jacques, E.R. Eddison, David Eddings, and Ursula Le Guin.

Christopher grew up listening to a variety of music, but classical music fired his imagination and helped him write. He often listened to Mahler, Beethoven, and Wagner while writing Eragon. The final battle of Eragon was written while listening to Carmina Burana, by Carl Orff.

The story of Eragon began as the daydreams of a teen. Christopher's love for the magic of stories led him to craft a novel that he would enjoy reading. The project began as a hobby; he never intended to be published. He took a month to plot out the entire trilogy, then sat on the sofa and began writing in a notebook. When he reached sixty pages, he gained enough confidence to transfer the work to his computer, where most of Eragon was written, although he sometimes found that the story flowed better when he wrote by hand. All the characters in Eragon are from Christopher's imagination except Angela the herbalist, who is loosely based on his sister.

It took him a year to write the first draft of Eragon. He took a second year to revise the book and then gave it to his parents to read. The family decided to self-publish the book and so a third year was spent with another round of edits, designing a cover, typesetting the manuscript, and creating marketing materials. During this time Christopher drew the map for Eragon, as well as the dragon eye that appears inside the hardcover edition. Finally, the manuscript was sent to press, and the first books arrived.

The Paolini family spent the next year promoting the book themselves. Beginning with talks at the local library and high school, they then traveled across the U.S. Christopher gave over 135 presentations at libraries, bookstores, and schools in 2002 and early 2003. He did most of the events dressed in a medieval costume of red shirt, billowy black pants, lace-up boots, and a jaunty black cap.

In summer 2002, author Carl Hiaasen, whose stepson had bought and read a copy of the self-published book while on vacation in Montana, brought Eragon to the attention of his publisher, Alfred A. Knopf, who subsequently acquired the rights to publish Eragon and the rest of the Inheritance trilogy.

When the trilogy is completed, Christopher plans to take a long vacation, when he will ponder which of his many story ideas he will write next.



On writing

Writing is the heart and soul of my being. It is the means through which I bring my stories to life. There is nothing like putting words on a page and knowing that they will summon certain emotions and reactions from the reader.

Eragon is the first novel in the Inheritance trilogy. I started this book when I was fifteen, after several failed attempts composing other stories. It has been an incredible learning experience, and not only in writing. The greatest lesson it taught me was that clear writing is a direct result of clear thinking. Without one you cannot have the other.

Eragon is an archetypal hero story, filled with exciting action, dangerous villains, and fantastic locations. There are dragons and elves, sword fights and unexpected revelations, and of course, a beautiful maiden who's more than capable of taking care of herself.

Within the pages of this book is a whole land, Alagaësia, for you explore. You may take fancy to Tronjheim, the city-mountain the dwarves have built, or perhaps the mysterious forest Du Weldenvarden. Either way, there are more than enough marvels here for even the most accustomed reader of fantasy.

Eragon is the culmination of several years of intense labor. When I graduated from high school, I wanted to write a pure, dyed-in-the-wool hero story. So I immediately plotted out a trilogy based on my ideals of the archetypal maturation plot. In retrospect, it might not have been the wisest thing—undertaking such a huge project as my first book—but as they say, you can only learn through doing.

For me, the time I spend plotting out a novel is more important than the actual writing. If you don’t have a good story, it’s exceedingly unlikely that a good book can be pulled from the morass of ideas floating around in your brain. Typing out Eragon was a rather straightforward affair once I had the plot firmly in hand—though I did spend some time revising Eragon and Murtagh’s flight to the Varden because of some fuzzy thinking before reaching that segment.

The real torture with Eragon came in the editing. I discovered that editing is really another word for someone ruthlessly tearing apart your work with a big smile, all the while telling you that it will make the book so much better. And it did, though it felt like splinters of hot bamboo being driven into my tender eyeballs.

I’ve always been fascinated with the sources of most modern fantasy that lie in Teutonic, Scandinavian, and Old Norse history. This is disregarding a large chunk of writing devoted to the myths from the British Isles. Because of this, I used Old Norse as the basis for my Elven language in Eragon, as well as many names. All the Dwarf and Urgal words, however, are of my own invention.

The character of Angela the herbalist has an interesting story. I never intended to have anyone like her in the book, but when Eragon and Brom got to Teirm, I decided to include a lampoon of my sister, who coincidentally is also named Angela. Fortunately for my bodily well being, she has an excellent sense of humor. When Eragon is exploring Teirm, I thought that it would be wonderful to have his fortune told by a witch in the marketplace. A better idea struck me, and I sent him straight into Angela’s herb shop. She turned into such an interesting person, along with Solembum, that I decided to include her in the other two books of my trilogy.

I hope that Eragon will leave you with the same sense of wonder that I had while writing it. I do believe in magic—the magic of stories to give you wonder, awe, and revelations. Such feelings can come from small things; in a fey vision of fairy dust swirling in marble moonbeams, or at the end of an epic where a wave of emotion washes over you, sweeping away the mundane world for a moment. Either way, I hope that you find something special in Eragon, something from the other side of the looking glass.

Enjoy the journey!



Main Entry: gregarious
Part of Speech: adjective
Definition: friendly
Synonyms: affable, clubby*, companionable, convivial, cordial, extroverted, fun, outgoing, sociable, social
Antonyms: reserved, unsociable
Source: Roget's New Millenniumâ„¢ Thesaurus, First Edition (v 1.3.1)
Copyright © 2006 by Lexico Publishing Group, LLC. All rights reserved.
* = informal or slang
Roget's New Millenniumâ„¢ Thesaurus - Cite This Source
Main Entry: companionable
Part of Speech: adjective
Definition: friendly
Synonyms: affable, amicable, buddy buddy*, clubby*, complacent, congenial, conversable, convivial, cordial, cozy, cozy with, familiar, genial, good-natured, gregarious, intimate, mellow, neighborly, outgoing, pally, palsy*, palsy-walsy, sociable, social, tight
Antonyms: antagonistic, cold, nasty, unfriendly
Source: Roget's New Millenniumâ„¢ Thesaurus, First Edition (v 1.3.1)
Copyright © 2006 by Lexico Publishing Group, LLC. All rights reserved.
* = informal or slang
Roget's New Millenniumâ„¢ Thesaurus - Cite This Source
Main Entry: cosmopolitan
Part of Speech: adjective
Definition: worldly-wise
Synonyms: catholic, cultivated, cultured, ecumenical, global, gregarious, metropolitan, planetary, polished, public, smooth, sophisticated, universal, urbane, well-traveled, worldly, worldwide
Antonyms: country, insular, parochial, provincial, rustic, small-town
Source: Roget's New Millenniumâ„¢ Thesaurus, First Edition (v 1.3.1)
Copyright © 2006 by Lexico Publishing Group, LLC. All rights reserved.

Roget's New Millenniumâ„¢ Thesaurus - Cite This Source
Main Entry: easy
Part of Speech: adjective 4
Definition: good-humored
Synonyms: affable, amiable, at ease, carefree, casual, complaisant, diplomatic, easygoing, familiar, friendly, gentle, good-natured, good-tempered, graceful, gracious, gregarious, informal, mild, natural, obliging, open, pleasant, polite, relaxed, secure, smooth, sociable, suave, tolerant, unaffected, unanxious, undemanding, unforced, unpretentious, urbane
Antonyms: ill at ease, unfriendly, unpleasant, unsocial
Source: Roget's New Millenniumâ„¢ Thesaurus, First Edition (v 1.3.1)
Copyright © 2006 by Lexico Publishing Group, LLC. All rights reserved.

Roget's New Millenniumâ„¢ Thesaurus - Cite This Source
Main Entry: expansive
Part of Speech: adjective 2
Definition: talkative
Synonyms: affable, communicative, demonstrative, easy, effervescent, effusive, extroverted, free, friendly, garrulous, generous, genial, gregarious, gushy, lavish, liberal, loquacious, open, outgoing, sociable, unconstrained, uninhibited, unreserved, unrestrained, warm
Antonyms: inhibited, quiet, reserved, restrained, silent, withdrawn
Source: Roget's New Millenniumâ„¢ Thesaurus, First Edition (v 1.3.1)
Copyright © 2006 by Lexico Publishing Group, LLC. All rights reserved.

Roget's New Millenniumâ„¢ Thesaurus - Cite This Source
Main Entry: extrovert
Part of Speech: noun
Definition: sociable person
Synonyms: character*, exhibitionist, gregarious person, show-off*, showboat*
Antonyms: introvert, loner
Source: Roget's New Millenniumâ„¢ Thesaurus, First Edition (v 1.3.1)
Copyright © 2006 by Lexico Publishing Group, LLC. All rights reserved.
* = informal or slang
Roget's New Millenniumâ„¢ Thesaurus - Cite This Source
Main Entry: hospitable
Part of Speech: adjective
Definition: sociable
Synonyms: accessible, accommodating, amenable, amicable, bountiful, charitable, companionable, convivial, cooperative, cordial, courteous, friendly, generous, genial, gracious, gregarious, kind, liberal, magnanimous, neighborly, obliging, open, open-minded, philanthropic, receptive, red-carpet treatment*, responsive, tolerant, welcoming
Antonyms: inhospitable, unfriendly
Source: Roget's New Millenniumâ„¢ Thesaurus, First Edition (v 1.3.1)
Copyright © 2006 by Lexico Publishing Group, LLC. All rights reserved.
* = informal or slang
Roget's New Millenniumâ„¢ Thesaurus - Cite This Source
Main Entry: neighborly
Part of Speech: adjective
Definition: friendly
Synonyms: amiable, civil, companionable, considerate, cooperative, cordial, genial, gracious, gregarious, harmonious, helpful, hospitable, kind, obliging, sociable, social, well-disposed
Antonyms: unfriendly
Source: Roget's New Millenniumâ„¢ Thesaurus, First Edition (v 1.3.1)
Copyright © 2006 by Lexico Publishing Group, LLC. All rights reserved.

Roget's New Millenniumâ„¢ Thesaurus - Cite This Source
Main Entry: outgoing
Part of Speech: adjective 1
Definition: demonstrative
Synonyms: approachable, civil, communicative, cordial, easy, expansive, extrovert, extroverted, friendly, genial, gregarious, informal, kind, open, sociable, sympathetic, unconstrained, unreserved, unrestrained, warm
Antonyms: introverted, withdrawn
Source: Roget's New Millenniumâ„¢ Thesaurus, First Edition (v 1.3.1)
Copyright © 2006 by Lexico Publishing Group, LLC. All rights reserved.

Roget's New Millenniumâ„¢ Thesaurus - Cite This Source
Main Entry: sociable
Part of Speech: adjective
Definition: friendly
Synonyms: accessible, affable, approachable, close, clubby*, companionable, conversable, convivial, cordial, familiar, genial, good-natured, gregarious, intimate, mix, neighborly, outgoing, regular, right neighborly, social, warm, white
Antonyms: unfriendly, unsociable
Source: Roget's New Millenniumâ„¢ Thesaurus, First Edition (v 1.3.1)
Copyright © 2006 by Lexico Publishing Group, LLC. All rights reserved.
* = informal or slang
RJ!!!! I don't think you know me...

You left around when I became a member. Where did you go for such a long time?!

And RJ is an adult? I thought he was teenage...

*points a trembling finger at Sigint*

ANOTHER COLLEGE STUDENT!!!! My... My heart!!!! *backs into dark corner*

Pardon my fear of college students... It's only because I'm always the youngest... SO MANY COLLEGE STUDENTS!!! But even though you in college, Sigint, you're still coo (my way of saying "cool").

I shall wash clean this topic with spam! Okay... Get prepared to be called "Mr. Stretch-the-Page"...

Lemony Snicket was born before you were, and is likely to die before you as well. His family has roots in a part of the country which is now underwater, and his childhood was spent in the relative splendor of the Snicket Villa which has since become a factory, a fortress and a pharmacy and is now, alas, someone else's villa. To the untrained eye, Mr. Snicket's hometown would not appear to be filled with secrets. Untrained eyes have been wrong before.
The aftermath of the scandal was swift, brutal and inaccurately reported in the periodicals of the day. It is true, however, that Mr. Snicket was stripped of several awards by the reigning authorities, including Honorable Mention, the Grey Ribbon and First Runner Up. The High Council reached a convenient if questionable verdict and Mr. Snicket found himself in exile.

Though his formal training was chiefly in rhetorical analysis, he has spent the last several eras researching the travails of the Baudelaire orphans. This project, being published serially by HarperCollins, takes him to the scenes of numerous crimes, often during the offseason. Eternally pursued and insatiably inquisitive, a hermit and a nomad, Mr. Snicket wishes you nothing but the best.

Due to the world-wide web of conspiracy which surrounds him, Mr. Snicket often communicates with the general public through his representative, Daniel Handler. Mr. Handler has had a relatively uneventful life, and is the author of three books for adults, The Basic Eight, Watch Your Mouth, and Adverbs, none of which are anywhere near as dreadful as Mr. Snicket's. Like Mr. Snicket, Mr. Handler wishes you nothing but the best.

Mr. Snicket's investigations usually prevent him from being anywhere near any electronic equipment or postal paraphernalia, however, if you feel you must send word to him, you can write him at:

via post:
Mr. Snicket
HarperCollins Children's Books
1350 Avenue of the Americas
New York, New York 10019

You can also receive a message from Lemony Snicket by emailing:
lsnicket@harpercollins.com

To contact HarperCollinsPublishers in reference to Lemony Snicket, please email: harpersnicket@harpercollins.com


If Mr. Snicket is on tour, you will find the information by clicking here.



ABOUT CHRISTOPHER PAOLINI
Christopher Paolini was born on November 17, 1983 in Southern California. Aside from a few years in Anchorage, Alaska, he has lived in Paradise Valley, Montana with his parents and younger sister, Angela. They have two pets, Otis, a black and white cat, and Annie, a frisky cocker/Australian shepherd mix.

Tall, jagged Beartooth Mountains rise on one side of the Paradise Valley. Snowcapped most of the year, they inspired the fantastic scenery in Eragon. A few years ago, Christopher hiked to the top of Emigrant Peak and could see the Grand Teton mountain range, 100 miles to the south.

Christopher was homeschooled by his parents. He often wrote short stories and poems in attempt to put his thoughts into words. He made frequent trips to the library and read widely. Some of his favorite books were Bruce Colville's Jeremy Thatcher, Dragon Hatcher, Frank Herbert's Dune, Raymond E. Feist's Magician, and Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials, as well as books by Anne McCaffrey, Jane Yolen, Brian Jacques, E.R. Eddison, David Eddings, and Ursula Le Guin.

Christopher grew up listening to a variety of music, but classical music fired his imagination and helped him write. He often listened to Mahler, Beethoven, and Wagner while writing Eragon. The final battle of Eragon was written while listening to Carmina Burana, by Carl Orff.

The story of Eragon began as the daydreams of a teen. Christopher's love for the magic of stories led him to craft a novel that he would enjoy reading. The project began as a hobby; he never intended to be published. He took a month to plot out the entire trilogy, then sat on the sofa and began writing in a notebook. When he reached sixty pages, he gained enough confidence to transfer the work to his computer, where most of Eragon was written, although he sometimes found that the story flowed better when he wrote by hand. All the characters in Eragon are from Christopher's imagination except Angela the herbalist, who is loosely based on his sister.

It took him a year to write the first draft of Eragon. He took a second year to revise the book and then gave it to his parents to read. The family decided to self-publish the book and so a third year was spent with another round of edits, designing a cover, typesetting the manuscript, and creating marketing materials. During this time Christopher drew the map for Eragon, as well as the dragon eye that appears inside the hardcover edition. Finally, the manuscript was sent to press, and the first books arrived.

The Paolini family spent the next year promoting the book themselves. Beginning with talks at the local library and high school, they then traveled across the U.S. Christopher gave over 135 presentations at libraries, bookstores, and schools in 2002 and early 2003. He did most of the events dressed in a medieval costume of red shirt, billowy black pants, lace-up boots, and a jaunty black cap.

In summer 2002, author Carl Hiaasen, whose stepson had bought and read a copy of the self-published book while on vacation in Montana, brought Eragon to the attention of his publisher, Alfred A. Knopf, who subsequently acquired the rights to publish Eragon and the rest of the Inheritance trilogy.

When the trilogy is completed, Christopher plans to take a long vacation, when he will ponder which of his many story ideas he will write next.



On writing

Writing is the heart and soul of my being. It is the means through which I bring my stories to life. There is nothing like putting words on a page and knowing that they will summon certain emotions and reactions from the reader.

Eragon is the first novel in the Inheritance trilogy. I started this book when I was fifteen, after several failed attempts composing other stories. It has been an incredible learning experience, and not only in writing. The greatest lesson it taught me was that clear writing is a direct result of clear thinking. Without one you cannot have the other.

Eragon is an archetypal hero story, filled with exciting action, dangerous villains, and fantastic locations. There are dragons and elves, sword fights and unexpected revelations, and of course, a beautiful maiden who's more than capable of taking care of herself.

Within the pages of this book is a whole land, Alagaësia, for you explore. You may take fancy to Tronjheim, the city-mountain the dwarves have built, or perhaps the mysterious forest Du Weldenvarden. Either way, there are more than enough marvels here for even the most accustomed reader of fantasy.

Eragon is the culmination of several years of intense labor. When I graduated from high school, I wanted to write a pure, dyed-in-the-wool hero story. So I immediately plotted out a trilogy based on my ideals of the archetypal maturation plot. In retrospect, it might not have been the wisest thing—undertaking such a huge project as my first book—but as they say, you can only learn through doing.

For me, the time I spend plotting out a novel is more important than the actual writing. If you don’t have a good story, it’s exceedingly unlikely that a good book can be pulled from the morass of ideas floating around in your brain. Typing out Eragon was a rather straightforward affair once I had the plot firmly in hand—though I did spend some time revising Eragon and Murtagh’s flight to the Varden because of some fuzzy thinking before reaching that segment.

The real torture with Eragon came in the editing. I discovered that editing is really another word for someone ruthlessly tearing apart your work with a big smile, all the while telling you that it will make the book so much better. And it did, though it felt like splinters of hot bamboo being driven into my tender eyeballs.

I’ve always been fascinated with the sources of most modern fantasy that lie in Teutonic, Scandinavian, and Old Norse history. This is disregarding a large chunk of writing devoted to the myths from the British Isles. Because of this, I used Old Norse as the basis for my Elven language in Eragon, as well as many names. All the Dwarf and Urgal words, however, are of my own invention.

The character of Angela the herbalist has an interesting story. I never intended to have anyone like her in the book, but when Eragon and Brom got to Teirm, I decided to include a lampoon of my sister, who coincidentally is also named Angela. Fortunately for my bodily well being, she has an excellent sense of humor. When Eragon is exploring Teirm, I thought that it would be wonderful to have his fortune told by a witch in the marketplace. A better idea struck me, and I sent him straight into Angela’s herb shop. She turned into such an interesting person, along with Solembum, that I decided to include her in the other two books of my trilogy.

I hope that Eragon will leave you with the same sense of wonder that I had while writing it. I do believe in magic—the magic of stories to give you wonder, awe, and revelations. Such feelings can come from small things; in a fey vision of fairy dust swirling in marble moonbeams, or at the end of an epic where a wave of emotion washes over you, sweeping away the mundane world for a moment. Either way, I hope that you find something special in Eragon, something from the other side of the looking glass.

Enjoy the journey!



Main Entry: gregarious
Part of Speech: adjective
Definition: friendly
Synonyms: affable, clubby*, companionable, convivial, cordial, extroverted, fun, outgoing, sociable, social
Antonyms: reserved, unsociable
Source: Roget's New Millenniumâ„¢ Thesaurus, First Edition (v 1.3.1)
Copyright © 2006 by Lexico Publishing Group, LLC. All rights reserved.
* = informal or slang
Roget's New Millenniumâ„¢ Thesaurus - Cite This Source
Main Entry: companionable
Part of Speech: adjective
Definition: friendly
Synonyms: affable, amicable, buddy buddy*, clubby*, complacent, congenial, conversable, convivial, cordial, cozy, cozy with, familiar, genial, good-natured, gregarious, intimate, mellow, neighborly, outgoing, pally, palsy*, palsy-walsy, sociable, social, tight
Antonyms: antagonistic, cold, nasty, unfriendly
Source: Roget's New Millenniumâ„¢ Thesaurus, First Edition (v 1.3.1)
Copyright © 2006 by Lexico Publishing Group, LLC. All rights reserved.
* = informal or slang
Roget's New Millenniumâ„¢ Thesaurus - Cite This Source
Main Entry: cosmopolitan
Part of Speech: adjective
Definition: worldly-wise
Synonyms: catholic, cultivated, cultured, ecumenical, global, gregarious, metropolitan, planetary, polished, public, smooth, sophisticated, universal, urbane, well-traveled, worldly, worldwide
Antonyms: country, insular, parochial, provincial, rustic, small-town
Source: Roget's New Millenniumâ„¢ Thesaurus, First Edition (v 1.3.1)
Copyright © 2006 by Lexico Publishing Group, LLC. All rights reserved.

Roget's New Millenniumâ„¢ Thesaurus - Cite This Source
Main Entry: easy
Part of Speech: adjective 4
Definition: good-humored
Synonyms: affable, amiable, at ease, carefree, casual, complaisant, diplomatic, easygoing, familiar, friendly, gentle, good-natured, good-tempered, graceful, gracious, gregarious, informal, mild, natural, obliging, open, pleasant, polite, relaxed, secure, smooth, sociable, suave, tolerant, unaffected, unanxious, undemanding, unforced, unpretentious, urbane
Antonyms: ill at ease, unfriendly, unpleasant, unsocial
Source: Roget's New Millenniumâ„¢ Thesaurus, First Edition (v 1.3.1)
Copyright © 2006 by Lexico Publishing Group, LLC. All rights reserved.

Roget's New Millenniumâ„¢ Thesaurus - Cite This Source
Main Entry: expansive
Part of Speech: adjective 2
Definition: talkative
Synonyms: affable, communicative, demonstrative, easy, effervescent, effusive, extroverted, free, friendly, garrulous, generous, genial, gregarious, gushy, lavish, liberal, loquacious, open, outgoing, sociable, unconstrained, uninhibited, unreserved, unrestrained, warm
Antonyms: inhibited, quiet, reserved, restrained, silent, withdrawn
Source: Roget's New Millenniumâ„¢ Thesaurus, First Edition (v 1.3.1)
Copyright © 2006 by Lexico Publishing Group, LLC. All rights reserved.

Roget's New Millenniumâ„¢ Thesaurus - Cite This Source
Main Entry: extrovert
Part of Speech: noun
Definition: sociable person
Synonyms: character*, exhibitionist, gregarious person, show-off*, showboat*
Antonyms: introvert, loner
Source: Roget's New Millenniumâ„¢ Thesaurus, First Edition (v 1.3.1)
Copyright © 2006 by Lexico Publishing Group, LLC. All rights reserved.
* = informal or slang
Roget's New Millenniumâ„¢ Thesaurus - Cite This Source
Main Entry: hospitable
Part of Speech: adjective
Definition: sociable
Synonyms: accessible, accommodating, amenable, amicable, bountiful, charitable, companionable, convivial, cooperative, cordial, courteous, friendly, generous, genial, gracious, gregarious, kind, liberal, magnanimous, neighborly, obliging, open, open-minded, philanthropic, receptive, red-carpet treatment*, responsive, tolerant, welcoming
Antonyms: inhospitable, unfriendly
Source: Roget's New Millenniumâ„¢ Thesaurus, First Edition (v 1.3.1)
Copyright © 2006 by Lexico Publishing Group, LLC. All rights reserved.
* = informal or slang
Roget's New Millenniumâ„¢ Thesaurus - Cite This Source
Main Entry: neighborly
Part of Speech: adjective
Definition: friendly
Synonyms: amiable, civil, companionable, considerate, cooperative, cordial, genial, gracious, gregarious, harmonious, helpful, hospitable, kind, obliging, sociable, social, well-disposed
Antonyms: unfriendly
Source: Roget's New Millenniumâ„¢ Thesaurus, First Edition (v 1.3.1)
Copyright © 2006 by Lexico Publishing Group, LLC. All rights reserved.

Roget's New Millenniumâ„¢ Thesaurus - Cite This Source
Main Entry: outgoing
Part of Speech: adjective 1
Definition: demonstrative
Synonyms: approachable, civil, communicative, cordial, easy, expansive, extrovert, extroverted, friendly, genial, gregarious, informal, kind, open, sociable, sympathetic, unconstrained, unreserved, unrestrained, warm
Antonyms: introverted, withdrawn
Source: Roget's New Millenniumâ„¢ Thesaurus, First Edition (v 1.3.1)
Copyright © 2006 by Lexico Publishing Group, LLC. All rights reserved.

Roget's New Millenniumâ„¢ Thesaurus - Cite This Source
Main Entry: sociable
Part of Speech: adjective
Definition: friendly
Synonyms: accessible, affable, approachable, close, clubby*, companionable, conversable, convivial, cordial, familiar, genial, good-natured, gregarious, intimate, mix, neighborly, outgoing, regular, right neighborly, social, warm, white
Antonyms: unfriendly, unsociable
Source: Roget's New Millenniumâ„¢ Thesaurus, First Edition (v 1.3.1)
Copyright © 2006 by Lexico Publishing Group, LLC. All rights reserved.
* = informal or slang
RJ!!!! I don't think you know me...

You left around when I became a member. Where did you go for such a long time?!

And RJ is an adult? I thought he was teenage...

*points a trembling finger at Sigint*

ANOTHER COLLEGE STUDENT!!!! My... My heart!!!! *backs into dark corner*

Pardon my fear of college students... It's only because I'm always the youngest... SO MANY COLLEGE STUDENTS!!! But even though you in college, Sigint, you're still coo (my way of saying "cool").

I shall wash clean this topic with spam! Okay... Get prepared to be called "Mr. Stretch-the-Page"...

Lemony Snicket was born before you were, and is likely to die before you as well. His family has roots in a part of the country which is now underwater, and his childhood was spent in the relative splendor of the Snicket Villa which has since become a factory, a fortress and a pharmacy and is now, alas, someone else's villa. To the untrained eye, Mr. Snicket's hometown would not appear to be filled with secrets. Untrained eyes have been wrong before.
The aftermath of the scandal was swift, brutal and inaccurately reported in the periodicals of the day. It is true, however, that Mr. Snicket was stripped of several awards by the reigning authorities, including Honorable Mention, the Grey Ribbon and First Runner Up. The High Council reached a convenient if questionable verdict and Mr. Snicket found himself in exile.

Though his formal training was chiefly in rhetorical analysis, he has spent the last several eras researching the travails of the Baudelaire orphans. This project, being published serially by HarperCollins, takes him to the scenes of numerous crimes, often during the offseason. Eternally pursued and insatiably inquisitive, a hermit and a nomad, Mr. Snicket wishes you nothing but the best.

Due to the world-wide web of conspiracy which surrounds him, Mr. Snicket often communicates with the general public through his representative, Daniel Handler. Mr. Handler has had a relatively uneventful life, and is the author of three books for adults, The Basic Eight, Watch Your Mouth, and Adverbs, none of which are anywhere

[Lazarus]

You quoted the whole stinking thing.

I'm gonna have to kill you for that.

j/k

[Fred1000000]

Ugggrghrghghhhghhh. Braaaaaaaaains. *Festering zombie shambles towards you all*

[CountKrazy]

I was bored...

Watch the NCB spam next time, CAH_F.

NCB spam? What's that?

I remember when you first joined, i remember everything

Okay, that's good.

This topic needs more spam...

[Fred1000000]

Ugggrghrghghhhghhh. Braaaaaaaaains. *Festering zombie shambles towards you all*

Ugggrghrghghhhghhh. Braaaaaaaaains. *Festering zombie shambles towards you all*

Ugggrghrghghhhghhh. Braaaaaaaaains. *Festering zombie shambles towards you all*

Ugggrghrghghhhghhh. Braaaaaaaaains. *Festering zombie shambles towards you all*

Ugggrghrghghhhghhh. Braaaaaaaaains. *Festering zombie shambles towards you all*

Ugggrghrghghhhghhh. Braaaaaaaaains. *Festering zombie shambles towards you all*

Ugggrghrghghhhghhh. Braaaaaaaaains. *Festering zombie shambles towards you all*

Ugggrghrghghhhghhh. Braaaaaaaaains. *Festering zombie shambles towards you all*

Ugggrghrghghhhghhh. Braaaaaaaaains. *Festering zombie shambles towards you all*

Ugggrghrghghhhghhh. Braaaaaaaaains. *Festering zombie shambles towards you all*

Ugggrghrghghhhghhh. Braaaaaaaaains. *Festering zombie shambles towards you all*

Ugggrghrghghhhghhh. Braaaaaaaaains. *Festering zombie shambles towards you all*

Ugggrghrghghhhghhh. Braaaaaaaaains. *Festering zombie shambles towards you all*

Ugggrghrghghhhghhh. Braaaaaaaaains. *Festering zombie shambles towards you all*

Ugggrghrghghhhghhh. Braaaaaaaaains. *Festering zombie shambles towards you all*

Ugggrghrghghhhghhh. Braaaaaaaaains. *Festering zombie shambles towards you all*

Ugggrghrghghhhghhh. Braaaaaaaaains. *Festering zombie shambles towards you all*

Ugggrghrghghhhghhh. Braaaaaaaaains. *Festering zombie shambles towards you all*

Ugggrghrghghhhghhh. Braaaaaaaaains. *Festering zombie shambles towards you all*

Ugggrghrghghhhghhh. Braaaaaaaaains. *Festering zombie shambles towards you all*

Good enough for ya?

[CountKrazy]

That's NCB?

*foams at the mouth*

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That's NCB spam?

[a_sigint_ninja]

You quoted the whole stinking thing.

I'm gonna have to kill you for that.

j/k

I may just have to agree with you on that, Laz.

NCB is Nuclear, Chemical, Biological (weapons).

[paintballjunkie]

we're all in a yellow submarine,we're all in a yellow submarine,we're all in a yellow submarine,we're all in a yellow submarine,we're all in a yellow submarine,we're all in a yellow submarine,we're all in a yellow submarine,we're all in a yellow submarine,we're all in a yellow submarine,we're all in a yellow submarine,we're all in a yellow submarine,we're all in a yellow submarine,we're all in a yellow submarine,we're all in a yellow submarine,we're all in a yellow submarine,we're all in a yellow submarine,we're all in a yellow submarine,we're all in a yellow submarine,we're all in a yellow submarine,we're all in a yellow submarine,we're all in a yellow submarine,we're all in a yellow submarine,we're all in a yellow submarine,we're all in a yellow submarine,we're all in a yellow submarine,we're all in a yellow submarine,we're all in a yellow submarine,we're all in a yellow submarine,we're all in a yellow submarine,we're all in a yellow submarine,we're all in a yellow submarine,we're all in a yellow submarine,we're all in a yellow submarine,we're all in a yellow submarine,we're all in a yellow submarine,we're all in a yellow submarine,we're all in a yellow submarine,we're all in a yellow submarine,we're all in a yellow submarine,we're all in a yellow submarine,we're all in a yellow submarine,we're all in a yellow submarine,we're all in a yellow submarine,we're all in a yellow submarine,we're all in a yellow submarine,we're all in a yellow submarine,we're all in a yellow submarine,we're all in a yellow submarine,we're all in a yellow submarine,we're all in a yellow submarine,we're all in a yellow submarine,we're all in a yellow submarine,we're all in a yellow submarine,we're all in a yellow submarine,we're all in a yellow submarine,we're all in a yellow submarine,we're all in a yellow submarine,we're all in a yellow submarine,we're all in a yellow submarine,we're all in a yellow submarine,we're all in a yellow submarine,we're all in a yellow submarine,we're all in a yellow submarine,we're all in a yellow submarine,we're all in a yellow submarine,we're all in a yellow submarine,we're all in a yellow submarine,we're all in a yellow submarine,we're all in a yellow submarine,we're all in a yellow submarine,we're all in a yellow submarine,we're all in a yellow submarine,we're all in a yellow submarine,we're all in a yellow submarine,we're all in a yellow submarine,we're all in a yellow submarine,we're all in a yellow submarine,we're all in a yellow submarine,we're all in a yellow submarine.

[epsons]

Way to go, Mr.Unoriginal.

[a_sigint_ninja]

Uhh...PBJ.

Decides to go do some catharsis before "Dulce et decorum est pro patria mori." begins to sound good.

[paintballjunkie]

well...if your talking about me i've been doing this stuff since before you even got membership on this site

[CountKrazy]

Well, that's Adam for you... Always making people want to kill him...

I got "Zelda: Twilight Princess" for the WIi from my sister for Christmas, but we decided to take it back, because we can't afford the Wii. We're going to get it for GameCube.

So this Christmas break, off and on (not all day and only for a short while) I'm going to catch up on my video game playing. But mostly, I'm going to work on my writing and reading.

My grandparents used to have a pet squirrel that would come to their porch and they would feed him. Then one day, he stopped coming...

Every year in my hometown, I go to an AWESOME fair... Tons of awesome rides...

While I was at the fair this year, a teen guy had a seisure right in front of my friend and me. He would fall on the ground and moan and shake, then stand up and fall back down. Some people came and helped him. After they gave him a sugary drink, he was all right.

Log #1 Day #1

[paintballjunkie]

CaHF i think you posted in the wrong thread

[CountKrazy]

What other thread is there for that stuff? I knew what thread I was posting in... I was posting random SPAM...

[a_sigint_ninja]

Must enter water temple....

CAH_F, when are you going to work on the RPG again?

And does anyone here actually understand the Dulce et Decorum est reference?