The Book Battle Is Over: Ladies and gents, it gives me great pleasure to announce the end of warfare, a cessation of hostilities between Christopher Hopper's Chrome Dome Crew and my own Lavish, Long-Haired Freaks!
For as of 6:39 this afternoon, I have completed the principle manuscript of The Errant King! Thank you, Lord!
As to the final word count and the winner, see below. But I have NO idea who guessed the closest. The best thing would be this: if you posted a close number and think you've won, check all the other posts here and on Facebook to make sure no one posted a more accurate number earlier than you own!
So without further ado, the final word count is:
140,352
As most of my readers know, Author Christopher Hopper and I are good friends. But that doesn't mean we won't engage in a little friendly competition and ribbing. If you've ever been to one of our "Duel Book Events," you'd know we tend to fight…a lot. Mostly about which type of hairstyle makes a warrior more…er, warrior-ish. I contend (and rightly so) that the long hair style is the best for warriors. Whereas, Sir Christopher contends that the shiny, no hair, chrome dome is the warrior's style du jour. It's quite the controversy (in his mind). And I suspect we will duel over it again soon. That said, we've recently discovered something else to fight over. 
You see, Christopher Hopper and I both have NEW books in the pipeline. And we are currently both writing these books. Christopher got off to a huge head start, but due to his ridiculously busy schedule, I've almost caught him. And now, I've thrown down the gauntlet…and it landed on Christopher's big toe. {Notice the limp next time you see him}. After the ER visit, Christopher picked up the gauntlet and has decided to answer the challenge. It's a race…to the death {well, sort of}. And YOU get to play along!
Everyone who picks the correct winner and gets the wordcount within +/- 5,000 words wins a prize!*
Whoever picks the correct winner and has closest to the actual wordcount, wins a bigger prize!**
Hint: the final word count of the winning book will definitely be OVER 50,000 words. If you're looking for a ballpark figure, you might consider investigating our other books:
Sir Christopher's Books:
Rise of the DiborThe Lion Vrie
Sir Wayne's Books:
The Door WithinRise of the Wyrm Lord
The Final Storm
Isle of Swords
Isle of Fire
Sword in the Stars
Together:
Curse of the Spider KingVenom and Song
What are you waiting for? Choose your side now: The Valiant, Long-Haired Warrior Clan or the Follically-Challenge Side. Who will finish his novel first and how long will it be?
*Note: the prize will definitely be better than a dirt clog but somewhat inferior to an all expenses paid trip to New Zealand.
**Note: the bigger prize will definitely be better than a bag of moldy bread but somewhat inferior to a stack of gold bars.
84 comments:
hahahah LOVE it!! :D:D (the ending comments about the prizes are hoots ;)
Ok, I usually don't win contests like this cause i am usually WAAAYYY off but I will have a go anyway.
The winner will be Sir Batson with around 120,000 words. Maybe ;) lol
Obviously the choice is the side that sports a healthy head of hair! Just look at Kirk versus Picard and tell me who doesn't come off as the more manly of the two!
Therefore, I must pick Wayne Thomas Batson as the triumphant champion of this contest, and I project his word length to be...122,987 words. (I feel like this is The Price is Right..haha)
- Jason
I say Sir Batson will win with about 85,000 words :D
SA~
111,111 words. Lucky number. ;) Hahaha! I choose Sir Hopper. I love you too, Sir Batson, but I always go with the underdog, so that should perk your spirit. *Shh, don't tell this to Sir Hopper!*
Au revoir! May the best dwarf win!
Well, this is a stiff competition indeed! Hard to choose, but I will vote Sir Batson with 128,000 words!
All the best to both awesome authors!
Blessings,
~Prism~
Oh dear, as much as I love CH I gotta go with Wayne, the shiny dome just doesn't do the Warrior look for me. I'm guessing around... 110,050 words? Not good at guessing but there ya go! Now... We wait. *Waits to see who won*
As much as I do love CH I have to go with Sir Wayne. The shiny dome just doesn't do it for me.
I'm gonna guess around 110,056 words (Random I know,) NOW WE WAIT! *waits*
I agree with SA, around 80,000 words :)
What? Absolute twaddle! Balderdash I say! Christopher Hopper will win! Hands down, no questions asked, and not only will he win, he will TROUNCE Wayne Thomas Batson. And his book will be 131,000 words.
When does our entry possibility end?
I prefer the long hair because in the old days, the Greeks all had long hair. They were great warriors who won battles and conquered places and just didn't have time to cut their hair!
I think Sir Batson shall win this contest, and I'm guessing the word count to be around 112,258 words. :D
GO SIR BATSON!!!! WOOT WOOT!!!
~Erin
Scribe, I kindly kiss the hand that patrons me this fine hour!
To the rest of you, I heartily thwack you amidst thine cheek with this post:
http://www.christopherhopper.com/2011/03/and-ill-raise-you-an-elbow-cop/
It's on!
LOL. Nice!
I say that Sir Batson will win and it will be 143,000 words.
It is difficult to choose between two such bold warriors, but I have to be loyal to my long-haired cohorts and side with Lord Batson.
Though admittedly Sir Hopper has a distinct advantage--while charging in battle he could blind Lord Batson with his shiny scalp! Let us pray that that the thunderclouds gathered over this fearsome War of Words are thicker than Lord Batson's wavy locks, and that the glaring sun will not be able to aid Sir Hopper.
I believe the final tally will be 95,001, in Lord Batson's favor.
Definitely long hair. Did I ever tell anyone about the Padawan braid that I.... nevermind.
I'm gonna say 87,000 words.
WtB with 95,066 words. :D
By the way, when's the next Berinfell Prophecy book coming out?? I read the first two in one night!!
i choose Mr B! no offense to hopper, but sir batson was one of the first christian fantasy authors i ever read was sir batson. i say he'll be the winner with.....129,753 words. :D
christopher better "hop" away from this competition! :P
Mwahahahahaha! Epicness!
I'm going to go with Sir Hopper. The shiny done gives him more of a brute/assassin type look.
And the word count will be ... 90,000!
SIR WAYNE! As one of thy steadfast long-haired warriors, and as being humbly named by thee to resemble Alastair Coldhollow himself, I must support my liege lord in this contest to the death! My sword is thine.
And my guess for THE ERRANT KING? I stand stoutly by the esteemed number of 127,127 words.
-Sir Robert Treskillard
I choose to join "The Valiant, Long-Haired Warrior Clan" and say 64,896
Ha, ha! Greetings, my faithful sponsors! I rise to the challenge by climbing your faith! I began the day churning out over 1000 words while my sleepy opponent was busy typing but one letter: Z
Get it? Zzzzzzzzzz
I will be writing much more tonight! Engarde!
I say Sir Batson will triumph with 105,000 words!
I choose Sir Batson, for he will no doubt be victorious in this contest! Thou tardy gaited Sir Hopper has no chance against the total awesomeness of Sir Batson!
Therefore, I vote for the valiant long-haired warrior Sir Batson with a word count of 112,321 words!:)
May the best author win!
Elizabeth H.
I suppose I shall vote for Mister Batson with a count of 123,456 words. A good number :D
(Laughs hysterically) This is good. Really good. It's a professional word war! LOL!
As for whose side I take, I shall join . . . (dramatic pause) . . . Sir Batson!
Why? The answer is simple yet complicated. For one thing, Sir Batson is my favorite living author, and if he gets too much better, he might just surpass J.R.R. Tolkien, the only author I like better. Also, despite the fact that I read The Chronicles of Narnia and The Hobbit at an early age, it was Sir Batson's series, The Door Within Trilogy, that really got me into fantasy. I look forward to every book he brings out, and I bought The Sword in the Stars before I or my friend had read it, a first for me. (I also wrote my first book review on Sword in the Stars, BTW.)
Besides, want a list of heroes from fantasy literature with long hair? There's Aragorn, Legolas, Robby, Captain Valithor, Kaliam, Mallick, Tommy (I think), and a bazillion others. How many bald heroes that I know of? Zero. Plus, Sir Hopper can't captivate me the way Sir Batson can.
The Errant King's word count will be . . . 111,111 words. Why? I'm a LOTR-crazed person. Anyone who knows me can attest to this. 111,111 is a nice, LOTR-y number. Besides, it's a fun number.
May the best (kingly) author win!
-Lady Sarah, swordmaiden of Alleble and Dreadnaught of Berinfell
P.S. Does anyone else think that Sir Batson looks kind of like Aragorn?
This will be exciting. :) Its really hard to tell. But I might go with.......wait for it......um.....hmmm..... Mr. Batson. One reason I choose him is because I do not know the rate of how fast Mr. Hopper's books have been coming out to the bookstores. Ill route for you both but I choose Mr. Batson as the winner. Hmmm.. now is the hard part of guessing the word count.... 150,564 words. (Imagining my small nanowrimo novel up to their currents books I would guess that amount. I added the extra numbers in for fun. lol!) May the fastest writer win!!!
To my mighty patrons, I thank thee. But I must also warn thee against overconfidence. Sir Christopher is a sly one. And, truth be told, he does write about 500 words per hour faster than I do. lol
I'm just counting on having more hours to write than he will!
Bwah hah hah ha!
Oh, and all entries must be in by the time one of us finishes. When that will be? I dunno.
Mr. Batson, you will win at around 127,384 words.
It will be Sir Batson with 75,852 words
Ohhh, this is hysterical. I'm going to have to go with the dashing, long-haired knight, WTB, and he'll have 116,871 words. Really, when was the last time you heard of a bald knight anyway?
*checks own writing*
Oh. Yeah. That would be when.
I say that Mr. Batson will win with 95,023 words!
I vote for the long haired dude of awesomeness! No insult to those of shorter hair, (or the lack thereof) but long haired people just rock. *swishes hair to side*
You will win, at 115,000 words. :D
Hmmm...
I'll say Sir Wayne Batson at 132,297! ;)
The winner will be the valient long haired warrior, our own Mr. Batson. I'm saying 149,222 words.
My son is guessing that Wayne will be the winner and that the word count will be: 130, 421 words
(He doesn't have a Google Acct so I am using mine for him)
I think the winner will be Sir Batson with...let's see... 95,000 words.
I calculated all this mathmatically, of course! :)
Fingers crossed!
207,000 words! Batson! I'm rootin' for ya budy!!
Christopher Hopper with 85,999 :)
Ah good, a few rooting for Sir Christopher! Fear not, readers. Yes, this is my blog, but I am not so petty as to expect everyone who posts to root for me. Besides, there's more to this than who you WANT to win. It's more about who's actually going to have the speed and the time to write more than the other. :-D
Flabbergasted Ferir! I'm one of the top five commenters! That just shows how much I like you, Sir Batson.
BTW, does Sir Hopper outline his books too, or is he a seat of the pants writer? I happen to be a seat of the pants writer; so I was just wondering.
Keep up your totally awesome work, great Sir Batson!
-Sarah, Lady of the Light
WOW!!! Big fight! Well... I think that Sr. Baston with... 121,212 words! Good luck sir knight!
Sir Batson will win with 136,115 words! :)
-Madi : D
118,873 words. And...I'm thinking Sir Christopher is going to win. Sorry but I have to choose someone!
okay, well, like Jake i'm going for the underdog, MR. HOPPER, now don't get me wrong, i've never gotten the chance to read MR. H's books, so i kinda feel like a traitor. But i feel bad for MR. H, and this is a good storyline in itself, the one no one is cheering for winning, (and hopefully with 115 000 words)
Never alone,
(I believe in you mister H)
Jolayne
*rubs hands together excitedly* HUZZAH, for carnage! hmm...Sir Batson vs. Sir Hopper. I say Sir Hopper! *draws sword and marches over to the troops of Sir Hopper*
Word Count: 97,382.25 (yes, that's a decimal point).
I am SO going for Mr. Batson, because he has awesome hair and equally awesome books. (Not that Mr. Hopper doesn't have awesome hair... if he did, it would probably be awesome) I think he'll win with... (how long am I praying this book will be?!)... 140,000 words. Go, Mr. Batson!!!
daughteroflight
I love this contest! I predict that the winner will be Wayne Thomas Baston at 146,768 words!
Maggie Quick
May I later appeal to thy good will, Lord Hopper, but I simply must side with Lord Batson. I fear my reasoning may seem inadequate, but unfortunately the sad truth is that I have never read thy books. O_o
*Turns to Lord Batson. Offers up sword*
My sword to thee, sir, I offer in humble homage. May your pen flow ever, and your sword stay sharp!
113,000 :D
I realized my comment way earlier under SASBookReviews was posted when it said it wasn't, so I have 2 comment just slightly altered. Dur dah dur, I swear I'm not trying to cheat.
I vote Sir Batson with 115,027 words.
Jessica
I say that anyone who created The Realm, the shining city of Alleble, AND the mysterious Glimpse has my profound allegiance forever. And, the fact that he supports the scruffy, long-haired look only sweetens the deal.
I believe that the word count will be 132,000 words, by moonrascals! Good luck to thee, Sir Batson. Alleble forever! *draws sword and raises it overhead in victory*
Wow, this is really hard! You're not only asking me to choose between 2 of my favorite authors but you also want me to tell you how many words there are going to be. Considering what happened with athera's dawn I am voting for Sir Batson with 107,578 words. Don't let me down! Endurance and victory!
Long hair winneth, for sure. I mean, look at Boromir...er, look at Faramir and Aragorn and all those other tough chaps. Long hair. And not even Gimli is bald. :)
119,007 on WTB. ;) Tis en garde at last, no?
@Sir Batson
Indeed, I have cast my lot with Sir Hopper--but you are a worthy warrior nonetheless. Your splendor is no less bright for the lack of my vote. >_>
Sir Wayne Thomas Batson, thou shalt surely win! I'm going to guess 100,000 words. Also, long hair is better for a knight. No hair is for a monk.
Wayne, even though I love CH like a brother..I believe your book will be finished first.
I also believe you will finish with. 102,647 words.
Sir Batson, there is no way you won't win!!! And with 150,001 words.
Good luck,
Safire25509
I vote for the long-locked Batson with 137, 423 words.
The winner shall be the one and only Sir Batson of the King Everlasting! (With around 126,999 words) :D
Hair, definitely. I like guys with long hair. ^_^ I'll go with Sir Batson, with 121,583 (really random number lol) as the word count.
Mr.batson with 158,001 words (yes, I added a 1)
good luck Sir. ^-^
I say Sir Batson will win.
How many words? Hmmm. 180,000. :P
By the way have you been able to make a movie and if so started casting roles?
I predict that it will be close but that Wayne T. Batson with 100,776 words. Mostly because he has had 6 books out compared to Mr. Hopper's 2.
Also as far as shiny head vs. giant mane. Most people would think of someone with a full mane of hair more hero looking. Although a shiny head does look good on a hero (take Picard or Mr. Hopper).
Love the Berinfell prophecies series. I can't wait for summer to get here so I will be able to buy the next book. Excellent cliffhangers in both books as well.
Thank you Mr. Batson and Mr. Hopper for providing us with such exciting Christian fantasy.
This is really hard! I love both of you, but I will vote for Sir Batson with 107,958 words. Endurance and victory.
Sir Batson will win with 120,473 words.
How is your book coming? (not a word count, but...yeah) :P
With all due honor to Mr Hopper, I feel I must support Mr. Batson in this friendly "word joust"! I'm going to venture that Mr. Batson will finish the Errant King first with a word count of 126,895 words.
To the battlements! =D
I think Mr. Batson will finish first with 142,000
Batson. 92,477
Give or take a couple words ;)
I'll guess Mr. Batson with 109,052 words.
Wow, I was close! Only off by 1,648 words. Daughteroflight looks to be the closest though, at 140,000. I've only checked this blog's comments though, and I don't have time to check elsewhere, as dinner is boiling over while I'm distracted.
Congratulations, Mr. Batson!
I believe Daughter of Flight won, with a guess of 40000, being only 353 words off.
wow how cool! Go Mr. Batson!
I guessed 143,00 so I guess I didn't guess as far off as I thought I had.... just a few thousand... lol
I was waaayy off but that was ok :) I had 120,000 words :) I am soooo excited it's done though!!!! I think that is the bigger prize :D:D
Wow, Congratulations Sir Batson! I knew you could do it! And I really underestimated you. I was off by over 8,000 words. Well, three cheers for a battle well won, and hearty praise for such valiant and worthy opponents. Endurance and Victory!
Congratulations, Mr. Batson!
So.....
Daughter of Light? Were you the winner? If so, email me. We need to discuss the prize coming your way. :-D
WOW!! Oh, my word! I won?! Whoa, I thought I only did 120,000 words!! I think I'll wait a day or two to see if anyone posted a closer number, because I'm not on Facebook.
Does anyone else see a closer number?
daughteroflight
Just looked on Mr. Hopper's blog... it appears that, even though I didn't post my comment on his blog, I'm still the closest. Anyone see anything closer on Facebook?
Congratulations, eveyone who got within 5,000 words (and everyone who got remotely close)! And congrats, Mr. Batson!!!! I can't wait to read The Errant King!! (My copy of SiTS has already been loaned out to a friend, and I've recommended it to another half dozen!)
daughteroflight
PS: If life hands you melons, you must be dyslexic! A note to everyone who skimmed my online name... it's not Daughter of Flight. Otherwise, there'd be two Fs. It's Daughter of Light, which is Gwenne's sword in the Door Within Trilogy. : ) Just thought I'd let you know I wasn't being totally random there.
Ooh! I was close! I guessed 111,111. What was the closest?
Sir Wayne thou shalt defeat the man that has no need of a barber!...or a hairbrush. 132,321 words to Sir Batson's name and something-around-there to Sir Hopper.
Funny... I remember a character named Hopper in Isle of Fire. He was adopted by Commodore Blake and Lady Dolphin, yes? Is he modeled after Sir Christopher?
Do you know who Andrew Peterson is? he wrote On the Edge of the Dark sea of Darkness and North! Or Be Eaten! He's real funny.
P.S, how come you have two Cats/Kats? One in the Berinfell Prophecies and one in the Isles?
P.P.S
Erin Hunter ( the pen-name for the four women who write the Warriors books) is almost as good as you, but she/they doesn't/ don't have your Christian viewpoint.
Bryan Davis is pretty good to,plus he does have your viewpoint, but he writes books for teenagers and "young adults", so they aren't my favorites even though they're very satisfying. I'm only 11.
Wyrms, Kats/Cats, and Wisps in the shape of Elven warriors. What more could one ask for from a book?
Although I had not discovered this blog early enough to vote in this contest I enjoyed reading about it. I would have voted for Sir Batson (Sorry CH).
Never alone!
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