Thanks so much, Tanis. I have to admit I didn't know much about Numenor either, but I find myself more interested in it now. As an Elf admirer I never really gave much thought to Elros so it was good to have the opportunity to get into his head a little here.

"Elrond, participating, yet slightly removed, in the Hall of Fire, and Elros here, in the thick of things." Yes, exactly. I'm glad you mentioned that. I think it speaks to the differences in their personalities beautifully.

The shifting the blame I owe directly to a devious brother. He was a charmer and always managed to make our mischief look like my fault. And I was NEVER at fault. lol

Thanks for your comments about the illustrations as well. Oshun did an amazing job. It really makes the story shine I think.