Results tagged “five questions”

There are a number of new writers releasing debut novels in the year 2009, all of which I am really looking forward to reading.

After all, reading new talent and being the first to tout it to friends and fellow readers is fun!

Peter V. Brett is one of those writers with his novel, The Warded Man.

As Peter finishes the last few chapters of the sequel to The Warded Man, tentatively titled The Desert Spear, he took the time to humor me and answer a few questions for Suvudu! More questions to come as the US release of The Warded Man nears, I’m sure.

Here is Five Questions with Peter V. Brett! Enjoy!

Suvudu: When did you start writing? Why do you write?

Peter V. Brett: I’ve always liked to make up stories. My GI Joe and Star Wars action figures used to have elaborately plotted adventures complete with mind games, witty banter, betrayal, and divided loyalties. For a while in my early teens I wanted to be a comic book artist, but if you look back at my work from those days, I really just loved make up superheroes/villains, draw pin-ups of them like in the old Marvel Universe books, and then write ten pages of backstory. And don’t even get me started on the D&D campaigns I used to make up. Epic.

I think having a creative outlet is an essential part of one’s well-being. We live in a society with so much input that it’s easy to just sit back and receive without putting anything back out, but I believe we do ourselves a disservice when we do. I’ve always found that I was generally happier and more successful during the periods of my life when I was writing than those when I took a break from it.

S: Describe your writing day? How many words/pages do you write a day on average? Breaks? How much time do you spend editing and how do you go about it?

On October 6, 2008, I wrote an article about the Origins of Urban Fantasy, where I highlighted two urban fantasy novels by Terry Brooks and Raymond E. Feist—novels I doubted anyone else had considered as urban fantasy.

I did not spend much time on the current movers in urban fantasy, until Five Questions with Vicki Pettersson… and this next woman.

Kim Harrison is one of the leading voices in the current urban fantasy explosion that has taken control of the fantasy publishing arena. The Hollows, beginning with the novel Dead Witch Walking, is the story of Rachel Morgan, detective, who spends her time solving mysteries of the supernatural in Cincinnati. The Hollows is an example of well done urban fantasy—women kicking butt, taking names and getting a bit of romantic attention for it!

Here is Five Questions with Kim Harrison! Enjoy!

Suvudu: When did you start writing? Why do you write?

Kim Harrison: I can almost give you the exact day I started writing. It was the fall of 94, and put simply, I got bored. A story that had been haunting my thoughts since high school was dying to come out, and I sat down in the sun and wrote for about an hour. The next day, I wrote for about two hours. It got progressively worse from there until now I can’t imagine doing anything else. In those first pages, the syntax was awful, the grammar was atrocious, and the plotting was very seat of-the-pants, but even now when I look back at the first primitive scratchings, I can see the character underneath and fall in love all over again. There might have been some vague idea of becoming published someday. I truly don’t remember. But I knew that I found what I loved to do, and I kept at it until my skills started to meet my drive.

As for why I write? ;-) I’ve answered this before, so you may have heard it. My reasons haven’t changed. I write because I want to know what comes next. I write because I want to see how characters change from experience, and how they can remain exactly the same. I write because if I don’t, I won’t remember it. I write because it makes me feel good. I write because it’s a challenge to find a way to get my idea across to the military guy, the mom juggling two jobs, and the person out on their own for the first time, all using the same words.

S: Describe your writing day? How many words/pages do you write a day on average? Breaks? How much time do you spend editing and how do you go about it?

As I wrote a few days ago, author Alan Campbell has written some really intriguing novels. Scar Night is a great first novel, but what I enjoyed most about it is its darker take on urban fantasy. The characters are fairly well developed and the story is a great one but its the setting I fell in love with.

That continued in Iron Angel, the sequel to Scar Night.

In a few months, the third and (probably) final book in the Deepgate Codex, God of Clocks, will be released on April 28, 2009. I have total faith in Alan’s ability to finish off the trilogy with an even darker flourish!

And after realizing I hadn’t sent him my first Five Questions, I thought it’d be fun to do so!

Here is Five Questions with Alan Campbell! Enjoy!

Suvudu: When did you start writing? Why do you write?

Alan Campbell: I suppose it would have been in my early twenties, while working in Budapest, Hungary. Thanks to meagre wages, I couldn’t spend all my time in the pub, so scribbling words on paper seemed like a good way to pass the time. I write because I enjoy telling stories.

S: Describe your writing day? How many words/pages do you write a day on average? Breaks? How much time do you spend editing and how do you go about it?

Ken Scholes is a new author releasing his first book in February, but that by no means means he is new to the industry.

Ken is responsible for writing dozens and dozens of short stories, many of which have been published in several reputable magazines. He also won the Writers of the Future contest a few years back. Ever quirky and always fun—as evidenced by any number of photos on his website—Ken was then dared by his friends to write a full-length novel based on one of those short stories.

Lamentation, released in mid-February 2009, is the fruits of that dare. I’ll let Ken describe the rest!

Here is Five Questions with Ken Scholes! Enjoy!

Suvudu: When did you start writing? Why do you write?

Ken Scholes: I started writing pretty young. I was stapling together little books (self illustrated) when I was in the First Grade. I started writing short stories when I was about fourteen—I’d read Bradbury’s essay “How to Keep and Feed a Muse” and it had shown me what I wanted to be when I grew up.

I tend to process my life through writing. Whatever my subconscious mind is processing tends to turn up, dressed as fiction, to be worked out on the page. I used to say that writing was a way of knowing myself. While that’s certainly still true, there’s also now a part of it that is just the love of telling a story that engages people, makes them think or feel, entertains them.

S: Describe your writing day? How many words/pages do you write a day on average? Breaks? How much time do you spend editing and how do you go about it?

Vicki Pettersson is an up and coming star of the urban fantasy and paranormal romance fields, where not all is what it seems, women wear leather and kick butt by wielding stilettos, and the line between good and evil blurs to a shadowy gray.

Vicki’s third book, A Touch of Twilight, spent a couple of weeks on the New York Times extended bestseller list. It only took two books for her third to be a huge success. Her fan base grows by the day. I have no doubt this beautiful and talented writer from Las Vegas will keep delivering great stories and better sales!

And, as a web designer, I love her website!

Below is Five Questions with Vicki Pettersson. Enjoy!

Suvudu: When did you start writing? Why do you write?

Vicki Pettersson: I started actively writing fiction when I was twenty-six. Prior to that I dabbled. Afterward, I was obsessed.

I write because it keeps me sane. Other people do yoga or journal or buy really expensive shoes. I tell stories. And as hard as it can be, I love the day to day process of being a working writer — the repetition of getting to the page every day. The discipline. The schedule. Maybe because it’s something I can control, and there’s really so little in this life that one can. But it’s creative, I get to do what I want, and the sense of accomplishment is enormous. So many people think of seeing their name on the bookstore shelf when they think of being an author, but anyone who does this can tell you it’s not about being an author, it’s about being a writer. And writers write. Every day.

S: Describe your writing day? How many words/pages do you write a day on average? Breaks? How much time do you spend editing and how do you go about it?

In the last several years the fantasy genre has had some amazing talents step forward and give us great books—Scott Lynch, Patrick Rothfuss, Vicki Pettersson, Brandon Sanderson, to name a few.

David Anthony Durham is cozy right in the middle of them.

Acacia, Book One of The War With the Mein, was released in June 2007 to a great many excellent reviews—much deserved positive reviews, I might add. Since that time David has continued to work as a writing instructor, developed a well-read blog, and all the while spent a great deal of time writing the second book in his series, The Other Lands.

What appeals to me about Acacia and what David is doing is he didn’t start out as a fantasy writer. He’s written several award-winning historical fiction novels and he made the transition to fantasy writing quite smoothly. Not sure how he feels about that… perhaps a new set of questions are needed. At any rate, he has seen much, moving between genres, and being a learned man has helped him create a historical-type fantasy world with real, true depth that is quite simply fun to read.

If you haven’t read Acacia, do so. It is now out in paperback.

Below is Five Questions with David Anthony Durham. Enjoy!

Suvudu: When did you start writing? Why do you write?

David Anthony Durham: I wrote my first fiction when I was thirteen. A novel actually, about battle-axe-carrying warrior turtles. Awesome stuff.

Why do I write? Geez, I don’t know. Lots of reasons, everything from changing the world for the better to making lots of dosh. Thing is, there are lots of different ways to achieve those things. Writing isn’t a very reliable one. It is, however, the one that compels me. I don’t really think I have any choice. Stories roll around in my head. The best way to exorcize them is to get them on paper. I think I’d be a rather disturbed person if I didn’t write.

S: Describe your writing day? How many words/pages do you write a day on average? Breaks? How much time do you spend editing and how do you go about it?

Eldon Thompson is easily the biggest author I know—literally! The man is a lean tank, all muscle and SoCal tan. Women at conventions turn their heads when he walks by.

I hate him for that.

Thankfully, he is a gentle, kind author. Otherwise he could control every convention panel with a look!

I’ve known Eldon for 11 or 12 years. When I originally began the dedication website to Terry Brooks that would eventually become the official site, Eldon wrote me asking if I knew how to contact Terry for a screenplay project. I didn’t then, of course, but Eldon and I remained friends anyway. Now, after all of these years, Eldon has sold that screenplay to Warner Bros. for a live-action movie of Brooks’ The Elfstones of Shannara and Eldon has gone on to publish three fantasy novels—The Crimson Sword, The Obsidian Key and The Divine Talisman.

Below is Five Questions with Eldon Thompson. Enjoy!

Suvudu: When did you start writing? Why do you write?

Eldon Thompson: I first remember dreaming up stories at the age of 4. I specifically recall asking my dad to teach me to read so that I could begin writing these stories down. I write for a lot of reasons, but mostly because the “voices” tell me to. (They get rather obnoxious when I try to ignore them.) When I’m not writing, I tend to talk the ears off of anyone who will listen… so I guess you could say I’m trying to be courteous to others by keeping my thoughts busy.

S: Describe your writing day? How many words/pages do you write a day on average? Breaks? How much time do you spend editing and how do you go about it?

Terry Brooks has been writing professionally since the release of The Sword of Shannara in 1977. Almost 32 years have passed since that time and Terry remains one of those writers everyone should read at least once—whether it be his Shannara series, his Landover series, his Word/Void trilogy, or the adaptation he wrote for Star Wars: The Phantom Menace. Terry is a huge foundational piece in the fantasy and sci-fi genre, and without Terry and Lester del Rey those sections in the bookstore might look a bit different.

But like many authors I have met, Terry is an absolutely down to earth guy who loves his family, loves his friends, and loves his fans. He does much for all of them. I’ve had the opportunity of knowing him for 10 years and like many others, I grew up reading him and count The Elfstones of Shannara a masterpiece. While he is a great author and has millions of readers around the world, he is an even better human being. If you see a theme in these Five Questions, it’s that the bulk of writers I have met are absolutely wonderful, nice people and Terry is one of them.

If you haven’t read Terry, do so. If you ever get a chance to meet him, do so. You won’t be disappointed.

Below is Five Questions with Terry Brooks. Enjoy!

Suvudu: When did you start writing? Why do you write?

Terry Brooks: I have been writing since at least the age of ten. I still have the first story I wrote when I was in the fourth grade. Got an A. A career was born.

Why I write is more complicated to explain than you might think. It has to do mostly with feeling complete. When I am not writing, I get all weirded out and am not fun to be around. I don’t feel useful or fulfilled in the way I do when I am writing. I love it so much. I don’t think I will ever not write. Even when no one wants to publish me and I can no longer remember my name, I will still want to write.

S: Describe your writing day? How many words/pages do you write a day on average? Breaks? How much time do you spend editing and how do you go about it?

What can I say about Sean Williams?

The man’s bibliography reads like a works list of a man three times his age—which would put him over a hundred! Sorry, Sean, it’s true!

Sean has been writing since the early 1990’s and represents what every aspiring writer should be: tenacious, hard-working, creative, wanting to explore new stories and new means to tell them, and unyielding to the pressures of an industry filled with them. He has written hundreds of short stories, two dozen published novels and every year writes two or three of these. Tireless is a word I’d use to describe him, one of those writers who simply must tell a good yarn if he is to function in the rest of his life!

Sean has won numerous awards and has written stories in almost all of the genres, a talent many writers simply don’t have or wish to have, and it speaks to the breadth of his ability. His newest work was his fourth foray into Star Wars as he released a novelization to the Lucas Films video game Star Wars: The Force Unleashed.

Below is Five Questions with Sean Williams. Enjoy!

Suvudu: When did you start writing? Why do you write?

Sean Williams: I write because I have to. It’s been that way since I was 10 years old or so, when I discovered that telling my own stories was as much fun as reading someone else’s. Once I’d got a taste for it, there was no turning back. Now, 30 years and almost as many books later, I’m still just as hooked.

S: Describe your writing day? How many words/pages do you write a day on average? Breaks? How much time do you spend editing and how do you go about it?

Jacqueline Carey is one of my favorite people on the planet. She is one of those writers I really admire for all aspects of her professional life; she writes a large book every year and delivers a quality few writers attain; she goes out on tour every June and meets thousands of her fans; she goes to several conventions a year and gives of her time when it isn’t necessary; and she keeps her website updated like clockwork at the first of every month.

In short, she is a writer who not only writes but loves and respects her fans. Some writers are not so accessible.

She is the hugely popular author of the Kushiel series, which begins with Kushiel’s Dart. She also wrote one of the more fascinating takes on J.R.R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings epic with the duology The Sundering, which tells the story from the point of view of the losing side. If you haven’t checked out Jacqueline’s work, do so!

Below is Five Questions with Jacqueline Carey. Enjoy!

Suvudu: When did you start writing? Why do you write?

Jacqueline Carey: Teachers love this story… not! I began writing because I was bored in high school. I started a novel in the back of my notebook. It kept me occupied, and since it looked like I was industriously taking notes, no one bothered me. As it happens, I got hooked on the process and never stopped. I write because I love writing.

S: Describe your writing day? How many words/pages do you write a day on average? Breaks? How much time do you spend editing and how do you go about it?

Kevin J. Anderson is one of the nicest guys you will ever meet—and one of the most unusual authors. While other writers spend their time pounding away at worn out keyboard keys and staring at a screen that becomes all too blurry all too quickly, Kevin writes outdoors as he hikes through the mountains of Colorado. How does he do this, you may ask? A hand-held tape recorder and a lot of batteries!

I’ve always been kind of curious how many tape recorders he has gone through over the years… Hmm…

At any rate, Kevin is best known for his co-authorship with Brian Herbert on the Dune novels and his epic sci-fi opus Saga of the Seven Suns. He is always working on several books and/or comic books in various stages of editorial work—from “writing” the manuscript to editing five or six times that manuscript to doing publicity for those published manuscripts.

Below is Five Questions with Kevin J. Anderson. Enjoy!

Suvudu: When did you start writing? Why do you write?

Kevin J. Anderson: I started imagining stories and telling them to people when I was five years old; I wrote my first “novel” when I was eight, typing it on scrap paper on my dad’s old manual typewriter. I kept writing stories, started sending them out when I was 12. And I kept going.

I write because the stories keep forming in my head, the characters, the plotlines, the worlds. If I don’t write them down, my brain would get overloaded.

S: Describe your writing day? How many words/pages do you write a day on average? Breaks? How much time do you spend editing and how do you go about it?

Best known for his Runelords series, David Farland is one of those writers you want to emulate if you are trying to break into the publishing industry. The man is a machine, working tirelessly to hone his craft, wanting to reach his fans with a very good yarn every time. He is also one of the nicest authors you will ever meet.

If you haven’t read Runelords by David Farland, definitely do so! It’s very well done high fantasy. If you have, his newest book, The Wyrmling Horde, is in bookstores now!

And if you have more questions for David, post them in the comments field or visit his blog and post them there; we’ll see if we can’t get them answered in a new batch of Five Questions!

Below is Five Questions with David Farland. Enjoy!

Suvudu: When did you start writing? Why do you write?

David Farland: I began writing when I was seventeen. I’d loved Lord of the Rings, and so I began to devour any fantasy that I could find. On an off day, I started creating my own story. I told it to a coworker, and he said, “You should take that and put it in a book!” It suddenly struck me, like a revelation, that not only could I do that, but that I might even be able to sell it. So the next day I went out and bought a used typewriter and began to plug away. Forty years later, I’m still writing fantasy—for the love of it!

S: Describe your writing day? How many words/pages do you write a day on average? Breaks? How much time do you spend editing and how do you go about it?