Stop by Barnes & Noble in Lakewood, Washington, on Saturday June 30th, from 12noon – 4pm, where I’ll be signing books, meeting readers, and talking about writing. Hope to see you there!
Book Event – Barnes & Noble, Silverdale
Join me at Barnes & Noble in Silverdale, Washington, on June 16th from 2pm – 5pm where I’ll be talking about writing with a panel of seven other authors! It’s sure to be a lot of fun, so stop by, ask a question and pickup a signed copy of Cathadeus. Hope to see you there.
Questions & Answers – April 2018
As you can tell from my blog, I’ve been attending quite a few book signings, panels and other events. This has given me the great opportunity to talk with a number of potential readers about Cathadeus, as well as my overall writing and publishing experience. During these events, I’m often asked some similar questions, so I thought I’d start a Reader Q&A series where I can share my thoughts. I plan to add a few more every month, so feel free to ask a question or comment on the ones I’ve already responded to.
Here’s the question I get asked the most:
Question: What inspired you to write this book?
Answer: I’ve always been interested in fantasy, ever since immigrating to the US as a teenager, and used to write stories and mini-adventures about heroes and imaginary worlds. After graduating college, I started working in IT and held a corporate position for more than twenty years. Throughout that time, I continued to be involved in the genre – reading books, thinking up ideas, and playing tabletop games with my boys. A few years ago, I came across an advertisement from a computer company looking to hire a lore master to write the history, quests and storyline for a fantasy game they’d created. This got me seriously thinking about all of the characters and events I’d been writing about since I was a teenager, and the potential of publishing a novel. So I began sketching out some ideas for a story that blended these together. To my surprise, the more I wrote the more the story flowed through me. After spending several days writing, I shared some of the scenes with my family and friends, and they all loved the concepts and encouraged me to continue. I think if it wasn’t for them, I may not have finished. So I started writing. Every day. Week in and week out, until I had the world, characters and storyline created for Cathadeus as well as the overall arc for the rest of the series. It’s been a terrific experience, and I really hope readers enjoy the adventure even partially as much as I’ve enjoyed writing it. I’m looking forward to continuing the journey, and am currently working on Sotchek – book two of The Walking Gates.
Book Signing – Half Price Books, Everett
Join me at Half-Price Books in Everett, Washington, this Saturday April 7th, from 1pm – 4pm for a book signing and receive $5 off the cover price!
ECCC 2018 Panel – March 4th!
Join me at Emerald City Comic Con on March 4th for a panel discussion with other Pacific Northwest Fantasy authors. Room WSCC 3A from 2:30pm – 3:30pm. Book signing to follow afterwards.
Map Question
I showed the work-in-progress version of my map to several beta readers. Everyone really liked it and provided some great feedback. However, I was quite surprised to discover the range of interest readers have on maps in general. This varied from poring over in detail prior to starting a new book, to one reader who pretty much ignores maps entirely, preferring to visualize the world himself as he reads. What do you do? Which of the following best represents your view on maps while reading a new fantasy book (you can pick more than one)?
- I review the novel’s map in detail before starting, often looking for symbols or hints about the story
- I glance briefly at the map before reading
- I frequently refer to the map as I go
- I only occasionally refer to the map when needed
- I pretty much ignore the map entirely
Let me know by replying below. Thanks!
Story Editing
I’m really excited to have just completed the first round of comprehensive editing with my professional editor. I definitely think the story is stronger for it, even though I’d had the manuscript edited before. She’s an excellent editor and has given me a lot of great input, suggestions for changes, and things to consider. However, she is quite focused on ensuring that everything directly moves the plot forward. While I agree with this conceptually, I personally enjoy books that also provide additional world building or character development, even if not always directly related to pushing the plot ahead. What do you prefer? Are you the kind of reader that likes a lean story, one that constantly focuses on the main plot, or do you enjoy books that provide more background, world building and details on perhaps secondary characters, etc. While I realize this is not an entirely one-side-or-the-other type option, but a good balance of both, I’d like to hear from you. So post a comment below.
