If anyone from Team Butcher happens across this thread, I'd like to say thank you. As has been said any number of times, Jim doesn't have any obligation to his readers. If he woke up tomorrow and decided he was done with Dresden, it would be a crying shame, but also his prerogative. So, I don't think there was ever a need to explain the reasons for the delay with Peace Talks.
That being said, a little communication goes a long way. While there's no need to explain the "why", maintaining an active dialogue as you've recently started doing demonstrates substantially more goodwill towards and respect for readers than radio silence.
I write this not to stir up residual frustrations on either side (though I'm sure there will be some of that. Sorry,) but in hopes that if any delays arise in the future, you will remain communicative. Even if the communication consists of "Day 7: stuff happened, no news. Day 30: still no news." This, to me, is substantially better than "Day 1: stuff happened, no news...Day 328: *crickets*"
Nothing is ever going to keep everyone happy, but I do think this type of communication might have mitigated the concerns of much of the reader base. I know it would have in my case. So, I say again, thank you for communicating clearly and regularly with us and I look forward to reading Peace Talks whenever Jim is able to get it out.
Best regards,
HV
I too am very happy to see the semi regular progress updates and agree in theory with what you have said.
Though I also understand when stuff happens in life posting that kind of a status may be one of the last things on someones mind. For me it would probably have been even below the last thing on my mind. It would have been. @#$#$ all this stuff is going on and I am not even getting work done. I just need to get a little something done so I can let people know. Week later still unable to get work done #$@$@#$@#$ I just need to get a little something done so I can let people know. With each week just getting worse and worse on top of everything else. Admitting I was getting nothing done would have been admitting ahead of time to myself that next week I would again get nothing done.
I do not know Jim (unfortunately as he sounds like he would be a fun person to know and might get me access as a beta reader
) so I have no idea what things were really like for him. I am just going to hope the rest of his life is both long and good and that he enjoys writing so that he writes lots of things I can read. If he ever stops writing oh well it will probably be better for my health to not stay up all night reading every time one of his new books comes out anyway