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The Quest: Write to someone famous or that you admire, tell them why you admire them, and ask them to write back.

I don’t think I’ve ever a fan letter in my life. It always seems a bit gauche and it’s hard to imagine it having much meaning. But recently I’ve been trying to track down a copy of a book called “Bard V - Felimid’s Homecoming” by Australian author Keith Taylor. The book was never released in Canada, and some bugger borrowed my copy of the first book and never returned it. The novel had a big impact on my when I first read it just after graduating from high school. The author isn’t particularly famous - you have to do a bit of digging to find him, but he is still alive and living in Australia after a long illness.

So here’s part of what I wrote:

Dear Mr. Taylor,

I found your e-mail address online through a google search that led me to the Cimerrian blog and wanted to write you a quick e-mail.

I was a huge fan of the original Bard novel - I can still remember the precise moment where I started reading it. I had just recently graduated from high school and was camping by myself on Saltspring Island here in British Columbia in a broken tent and wandering around in an old leather jacket (hadn’t learned the advantages of proper camping gear yet.) Having missed my ferry back to the mainland, I was sitting on a rock waiting for the next one and counting the minutes. I pulled out a copy of your book that I’d purchased a few days before from my shabby and torn backpack and started reading. Two hours later I only reluctantly put the book back in my bag to board the ferry - I was hooked. Never before nor since have I read a story that so compellingly brought to life the idea of a bard and the intersection of magic, music, and journeying. The book was, in fact, one of the reasons I took up the guitar and became a professional musician.

I’ve been trying to track down a copy of Bard V - Felimid’s Homecoming, for some time. From what I understand it was never released here in Canada or in the United States. I’m surprised the publisher hasn’t put them out in e-book format as I think they would do well. If you have any suggestions on where I might find a copy of Bard I and Bard V I would much appreciate the advice.

I understand from your author page on the blog that you had faced illness and were now returning to write. I hope you do so and in either case wish you all the best.