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@janedoewrites
Welcome
This blog is centered around my original work published under the name Jane Doe (yes, I know, yes)
Feel free to ask questions, otherwise I'll make relevant updates here or else post art and other related things.
Amazon Author Page
How is book 2 going? Do you still think it may come out in 2026, or does next year seem more likely?
Do you have a favourite scene your writing/plan to wrote in this book? A favourite character?
Do you have a clear vision for how book 2 will end? Any idea how many books it will be total?
I am very excited about the sequel and eagerly waiting for the day it'll comes out, book 1 is a favourite of mine to reread and I have so many favourite scenes and quotes from it <3
How's The Progress
Book 2 is going! And I hope I'll be done in 2026, it's just a matter of sitting down and doing the writing and editing. The good news is that it's all in my hands, so the only thing in my way is me.
Just got to find the time to do a reread and sit back down and get going again.
(I know that's a bit of a lame answer and it is good news, and great to hear people are anticipating it to remind me to sit down and do it.
But if not 2026, god help me, 2027. Or I will have to mea culpa hard to everyone.
Onto your other questions...
Favorite Scene I Plan to Write
Unfortunately, the thing is, while I do have scenes I'm very much looking forward to (but don't really want to talk about due to spoiling the unreleased book) I won't know until I sit down and do it. You never know what will be a hit.
So, ask me this after I've hit the publish button, but for now--in vague terms "the climax".
(I was going to say more than this, I swear, I just... do not want to give the game away before we get there.)
Favorite Characters
No surprise here Lily and Lenin, always peak, the increasingly ominous/active Rabbit. Elizabeth is also a huge favorite of mine, especially with character development as of the last book (we didn't leave her in a great place). And Ilyn, love Ilyn, much more of him in the coming book. And Questburger, mustn't forget him either.
But, my cop out answer is that as it's my sandbox I really don't have any characters I don't like, at least in some capacity. If I did they never made it in (and it's a really nice thing about writing an original work, I don't have to put up with so and so character just because they were canon, they can just not be there).
Do I Know Where I'm Going?
Book 2 is rigorously plotted out, I've got notes on exactly what happens each chapter and exactly where it ends. It's the only way to stay sane, at least while I was writing the last book. Keeps me on track, avoids filler, and makes sure each chapter gets us closer to where we need to go.
Beyond that it's slightly more loose, I know how the overall story ends, what each arc corresponding to each 'book' needs to be, but I don't have it chapter by chapter yet and need to see exactly where this story ends and what happens to do that.
But in total I estimate 5 books, certainly more than 3.
TL;DR
Thank you! I'm really glad that people enjoy it and it really is encouraging to both receive messages like this and hear that people are waiting for part two.
Seriously, nothing is more motiviating.
I will definitely let everyone know when we've got real movement on it!
I JUST FINISHED THE HEART OF THE WORLD AND I AM SCREAMING AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (i loved it)
The Heart of the World by me.
Thank you anon!!!!! That's always so nice to hear!!!! No, for real, it's always very very nice to hear and good to know it's not just me who likes it.
Any book 2 breadcrumbs you'd be willing to share? A summary? General concept? Title?
Ooooh, questions!
Always exciting.
Title
I'm bad with titles so the boring working title is "Volume 2" until I've finished the damn thing and can think of something that fits the whole thing. But I've got an idea, we'll see if it pans out by the end.
Summary/General Concept
I'm also bad with summaries! So, what I'll say for now is we pick up almost immediately after book 1 and that the NELF thing comes back in a very very real way.
This is kind of the "even more consequences from the last book" book and especially "maybe NELF was a really bad idea".
I'll leave details for the book itself.
Characters to Expect
Not every character from book one is a returnee but all the big ones are back not limited to Elizabeth, Theyn, Frank, and Ilyn. And we also get a few new people.
Any chance book 2 will be finished in 2026? Not to rush you or anything, but I'm very eager to know how the story will continue. Absolutely loved book 1 💖💖
Thank you anon!
I very much hope so/think so, it's just a matter of my sitting down and doing it.
Progress update on book 2?
WHOOOOAAAAA WE'RE HALFWAY THERE, WHOOAAAA LIVING ON A PRAYER!
Roughly halfway through.
I just finished the Heart of the world. I've been reading every day after/during work these past few weeks so it took a bit of a slog but it was an amazing read. I got to the part where Lizzie's hands dropped to the floor the second before I had to close it when my class at college started and I was dying to get back to it for the next 2ish hours. I was well gutted when it ended though. Great book, great read. I'm almost dying to read more of it.
The Heart of the World by me
Thank you! That means so much to hear and glad you enjoyed it so much and are looking forward to book 2! (Seriously, always very cool to hear).
Will there be an Alphard Black in the story?
The Heart of the World by me, part of an ongoing series with book 2 incoming relatively soon.
Alas, no, while I love the character dearly, both in When Harry Met Tom and newer stories @therealvinelle and I have written, he doesn't really have a place in the story. There's nothing for him to do and he doesn't really bring anything narratively to the table there.
Could change my mind whenever book 2 gets done and I start seriously plotting out book 3, but for now I'd say don't expect him.
I'd love an audio book of your story because I like audio books and your book is one of my favourite, but a significant part of me also just wants to hear you try to pronounce all of the names you created.
Like Frank's real name.
Also, Im currently rereading the book, and I just got to Ilyn burning down Lily's house. I forgot how delightfully unhinged the man is. I'm struggling to put the book down even though I know how it ends. It's so much fun.
Will we get more Ilyn in book 2?
The Heart of the World by me
Thank you so much! Can't believe people are rereading it, high praise indeed.
And great to hear, I'll actually have to get on that then and, yeah, those names were my thought too. See, it's all fun and games when I don't have to say them out loud.
And yes, Ilyn is an important secondary character in book 2, so he has a very decent amount of screen time.
Was Rabbit’s humanoid appearance based on twilight vampires?
Lily and the Art of Being Sisyphus
The Heart of the World (by me @janedoewrites)
Nope, not at all.
His human appearance was based on being a stereotypical yet colorless rabbit that's not a rabbit and then a human that's not a human.
Twilight wasn't even crossing my mind at the time.
Spoilers for The Heart of the World ahead! You've been warned
I just finished reading your book! I definitely enjoyed it but I'm not sure if my opinion is influenced by the original fic. Ilyn was probably my favorite character besides Frank, I can kind of see what characters you referenced for who but I think you did a really good job with him, the whole thing he has going on with 'Lily's mother' is especially intriguing because it's not something that happened in the fic.
I'll hussle my book nerd friend into reading it when she's back in town so I can see what someone with a fresh pair of eyes thinks.
That being said I do kind of miss some of the plot points you cut (like the whole Therapy plot and terrorizing her adoptive family) but I can see why you'd cut that for the sake of the pacing. Honestly I never realized how long the original fic was but I blew through the book in the three days I've had it. I definitely want to see how it goes from here, what things will remain the same and how far from the original plot we'll deviate.
Lily herself is... Lily, I've always liked the way she's written. I feel like she's more humanized in this story, or at least a bit more sympathetic to others. I'm not sure if that's what you intended or if she just comes across as a bit more normal because we didn't get that long introduction that establishes her as a borderline lunatic (can't think of a more accurate word rn) She's still otherworldly, but maybe a bit more grounded in this story? Then again it's been a few years since I last read the fic so my memories might be exaggerating some things.
I think my favourite moment was when Lenin said "that's not me" when Lily met the younger version of him but I think that the fact that I can predict or remember certain plot twists spoiled the story for me. I still liked it, I'll be buying the next one and I think I'll enjoy it too but I kind of wish I could erase my memories of the fic, just so I can experience the book the way it's meant to be read as an original story. This way, I'm just drawing comparisons between the two and not looking at it as a standalone story but I can't really help it.
Overall I think you did a really good job with this, at certain parts of the plot (like when Lily first enters the magical world, or when rabbit is introduced) I wished there was more time spent discussing the world or what's happening but I'm assuming you had to condense a lot of it. For the most part I don't think it affects the overall experience of the story too much, except for Rabbit. If the years between Lily being 5-12 weren't cut I think it could have been established better what exactly Rabbit is, or I guess his role as a cosmic horror. From eating the bridge club to eating two tasks is a very large jump and I kind of missed that buildup, and the horror of people and things that were important to the story disappearing gradually. It's entirely possible that I'm getting ahead of myself though and this is all the stuff that will happen later on in the next books, or you simply intended to take a different route this time.
I'm kind of rambling and this ask is getting longer and longer, Anyway, good book, I'll be recommending and lending it to my friends to see what they think since they didn't read the fic. Sorry if I came off as if I was complaining at any point, I really did enjoy reading it
The Heart of the World by me (@janedoewrites)
Glad you enjoyed it overall!
There are things I miss from the original as well, but they didn't fit a) the pacing b) the new world or c) the story in general.
As an example, Lily is definitely more humanized in the book, and part of this is to be a bit more sympathetic but a lot of it has to do with the lack of growing up with the Dursleys who are over the top abusive. The Tylors, in the book, are simply indifferent and absent--and that has a bit of a different effect on Lily as a person compared to the fic.
This also resulted in the lack of the therapy arc as, well, the Tylors aren't even around enough for it to make sense/aren't what Lily saw as thoughtless obtuse abusive obstacles who must be made to do her bidding.
And so on.
Personally, I think the book is better for it, but the bottom line is that I would say the two are different. There's a lot in common, enough so I took the original down to publish, but I think there's more different than a lot of people realize. It's not just copy/replace with names.
Still very interesting to see people point of the differences, and yes, we're still very much in the beginning here with a lot still to go. So, things not covered in book 1 may be coming up in further books.
But glad you liked it! Interested to hear what your friends think.
my copy of the heart of the world arrived today and I similarly finished it today; it was excellent especially since I'd missed Lily so much
though despite my expectations, Ilyn was my favourite, rather than Lily
i am planning to lend the book to my ex tomorrow. he knows it has roots as hp fic but never read it on ao3, and I want to see where he spots the Harry Potter dna :P
The Heart of the World by me
!
Glad you liked it so much! Seriously, getting it one day and then finishing it in the same day--I'm so flattered it's that gripping. (And honestly, Ilyn's one of my favorite characters too, real dark horse there as I don't think anyone saw that coming including me).
Excited to hear how he likes it, thanks for letting me know!
Are there any names that are too closely tied with fandom or characters that you basically prevent yourself from using them in any original works?
Anon, you make a bold assumption that I'm a "name" person at all.
It pains me deeply that I can't do as the artist and call a character "Boy with Stick".
Savvy readers of The Heart of the World (by me @janedoewrites) will notice such names as "Nhoj" which is.. "John" but... backwards. There is also the human nobility with such names as "Iff", "Theyn", "Wheyn", and "Annde". And let's not forget the characters whose names look suspiciously like keyboard smashes on a qwerty keyboard. Surely, there is deep thought behind those names. Surely.
Or "John Jones" for that matter.
... Or Questburger, named as such because "tee-hee, that's funny".
Names are one of those things that pain me and unless I have a very specific pun/point in mind "uuuuuuuuh, this one's also John, fuck it".
But to get back to your question, yes, I would never use a direct character name from a published series/or even a heavily used fanon name. I kept Lily because, well, it is a name and the original fic was so far out of left field it felt fine, changing the last name felt sufficient to me, not to mention I just couldn't think of a better one so there we go.
But I would never keep Hermione, Neville, Tom, Harry, Albus, and so on. It never even crossed my mind to. I wouldn't even keep Mattheo if I had one around.
This is partly because it's just a bad idea to do that, but also because with OG works for all yeah, it's based on a fanfic, it helps separate it for me as an author and the characters can be whatever I need to versus Character A in a hat. I'm sure people will still tell me X, Y, and Z are Character in Hat, and there's some truth to that, certainly we all know the tropes/roles, but for me there's not a direct paste to any of the characters from the fic version let alone canon.
Gives me nice freedom of movement for myself as well as the audience of "I know you know who this was, but they're different now".
TL;DR
Every name.
I've been rereading heart of the world I feel sooo nostalgic towards lily and the art of being Sisyphus. When I tell you my life was just CHANGED after I read it. Like I genuinely don't think any other fic or book caused such a intense reaction. But ik you mentioned somewhere that where lily left off wasn't the actual ending and I was wondering if you planned it to have a happy end?? Maybe bittersweet?? I'm just so curious on what the last two arcs would have been 🙏 so I'm very excited to see where the Sisyphus series goes!!
Ps. I love Lily so much, like she's actually my ride or die. That girl could commit various atrocities and I be like "you're doing great sweetie!!!" I was so so sad at her ending in lily and the art 😭 when I say I was DEVASTATED I mean it so much. I was crying, I was unwell, I was ready to rip the seams of reality just to hold her 🥹 You wrote her in such a compelling way, that it feels like I would walk the to ends of the earth, I would crawl to the moon and stars, if only to see her story continue on.
The Heart of the World by me (@janedoewrites) and Lily and the Art of Being Sisyphus by me
Thanks, anon, I'm very flattered! Glad my fic had such an impact on your life.
As for the ending, depends on your point of view. I think it's ultimately a hopeful ending and one on a happy note, but there's a lot of struggling to get there and it's not so much that problems are solved but "I learned how to face problems". So yeah, guess it falls into the bittersweet realm.
With so much left, god it's a long story.
(Since there is an actual book series now and the ending is intended to be very thematically similar, disregard my handwaving vagueness.)
To motivate myself (and cut down on random spending sprees) I’ve set up specific goals and little rewards for reaching those goals. Anyway, I just treated myself to The Heart of the World and I’m loving it! I’m only about 20% of the way through but wow! I can already tell that I’ll be eagerly awaiting the sequel
The Heart of the World by me @janedoewrites
Oh, thank you!
That's very flattering and I'm glad you like it so much.
After five months worth of assessments to procrastinate on, I finished making a bookmark based on @janedoewrites book, Heart of the World!
Love it!
is john jones also half-elf, or does he just have elven heritage? it surprises me that the kingdom makes such a big deal about lily being half-elf whereas wizard lenin sacrificed the "human part of himself" and nobody seemed to have noticed, calling him a "very powerful human mage" (elizabeth) ... he also surprisingly has a lot of scorn for lily's dad's choice of wife, though he has scorn for everything ... my initial thought was love elf based on tom riddle's backstory, but his recount of his alliance with the love elves makes me think otherwise - it's too much of a professional thing. unless?
The Heart of the World by me (@janedoewrites)
Something something spoilers spoilers something something.
LOVE THE SPECULATION THOUGH.
