Drake's comments (member since May 26, 2009)

Drake's comments from the Goodreads Sci-Fi/Fantasy Authors group.

Annette,

Thank you much. I, as well, learned a lot from my first book and will hopefully be able to input more on the second.

Good luck to you as well.

Drake

LOL, Thank you much Chaeya. If you are really interested, the first four chapters are on the official website. http://www.genesisofoblivion.com

Oh, and one weird statistic. I will also agree with you that people who like action will be more attracted by the cover. And, being a man, I do have a tendency to “think” that I am writing to a male audience. But, over 70% of my fans currently are female. I tend to write about the "feel" of things. The emotions associated with events and relationships.

So I am a bit distraught that the cover may turn off female readers. Again, I look at the cover from a male fantasy lover perspective.

Drake

Actually, I really like your critique. And yes, I do think the cover represents the story quite well.

The beast is one of the main characters. I love that you automatically assume that he is the villain. It makes it that much more dramatic to find out that things are not always as they appear (which is a main theme in the story.) I have several plot lines as the book is multi-dimensional, so the fact that your mind raced through several different scenarios, not coming to rest on any one is really nice. It made you think that this book is more than just a simple lion-man fighting some warrior. Which is great.

That is the same reason they went with the title. Farmers and Mercenaries was suppose to be a working title. When they tested it, they had over an 80% positive feedback on it. So it stuck. I do like the cover way more than I like the title. Though I am glad they kept the saga title of Genesis of Oblivion as this saga is the beginning of the end of this little fantasy world.

Also, you completely missed the creepy eyes that are the actual top of the cover overlooking the lion-man. People do it all the time. When they do finally see them, they always comment how the more they look at the cover, the more it unfolds (also similar to my writing style.)

Thank you so much for your information! I really am glad that the cover made your imagination go in so many different directions. That is awesome.

I will agree with you about publishers; they give authors little in the say on stuff like cover art, page design, etc. But I would not trade my publisher for the world. They spent a fortune on the cover, more on my editors (Patrick LoBrutto is my main content editor with more than 30 years in the biz. and has worked for Del Ray and TOR. He has edited for Isaac Asimov, Steven King, Brian Herbert & Kevin Anderson, Raymond Fiest, and more.) They pay for my publicist, my travel to events like Comic-con and Gen-con and several others as well as booths, etc. They pay for my posters, business cards, and other marketing paraphernalia. All in all, not having a huge say in the cover vs. paying for everything they have done is a fair trade in my opinion. But I understand that not all publishers pay for so much. Especially for a new author.

Drake

Hey all,

My book is already out, but I have never had the opportunity to get any feedback on the cover. My publisher did the marketing research on it, but I was not really included. I would love to know what people think. Would it make you pick up the book to read the blurb? If not, why?

The artist is Lars Grant-West. He is big in the Dungeons and Dragons games as well as having dozens of Magic the Gathering Cards to his credit. The original is an oil painting done on a 22X32 canvas.

Thanks,

Drake

I can give you the legalities of “fan fiction” or fanfic as it is know as well as how the industry operates.

Everything created in a series can be considered copyrighted (just depends on the judge who is hearing the case.) It is illegal to try and profit from publishing a story that is, say, written in the Star Trek universe. The only way to do so legally is to have a written contract from the copyright holder of that series. Here is the Wikipedia link to fanfic - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fan_fiction... As well as another good link - http://www.chillingeffects.org/fanfic/fa... that will answer some of your questions.

As a FYI, however, it is near impossible to write a piece of fan fiction and submit it for publication to the copyright holder. People who write in an established “world/universe” were, more times that not, contacted by the copyright holder and asked to write something for that series. Those authors who petition to write for a particular series must be established with a proven track record before any of the copyright holders will agree to let them write anything. I.E. if you want to write a Star Trek novel, you have to have a clear history of published books before they will even speak to you.

The above being said, I know of no one in this industry who will hunt you down for posting a piece of fan fiction on a website. Technically (and again up to interpretation by the lawyers), you are in copyright violation. But, as long as you are not trying to profit, I doubt anyone will come after you. There are a plethora of fanfic websites and no one seems to bother them. http://www.fanfiction.net/ has tons of stuff if you want to see for yourself.

Hope this helps,

Drake

Amen Brother.

MAD

Mortimus,

I will agree with you on the sci-fi, but disagree on the fantasy on one point (at least to me anyway.)

I love fantasy (obviously as a fantasy author) but, you say the infatuation with science has warn off - well, for me, the infatuation with "traditional" fantasy has worn off.

I hate elves, dwarves, and orcs! There, I said it. Just as my tagline says, "Stop regurgitating Tolkien!" I think fantasy has become stale.

Oh, don't get me wrong, there is still a smorgasbord of great fantasy literature out there, and if you want to get into a debate about what I just said, we should do it on a different thread, as this is a different topic. I am just adding to the comment about sci-fi loosing its lustier (which I agree with.) I am simply adding that fantasy fans are getting tired as well, and that we, the authors, can’t keep churning out the same elf/dwarf/orc stories. The cool thing is, most publishers know this. It is darn near impossible to get a “traditional” fantasy book published these days. Publishers are looking for something different.

Again, just my ramblings – that and .80 will get you a cup of coffee. (At McDonalds… not Starbucks)

MAD

LOL, I said I was not trying to start anything!!!

Well, since I write Fantasy (no one doubts where my books fit on the book shelf) I really should not be fighting for the betterment of Sci-Fi.

But...

If the Jedi really extended their minds to the level they have in the movies, it is conceivable they could feel things that were good or bad through that enhanced connection.

Personally, I thought the "ghost" thing was just plain bad writing on Lucas' part... but that’s just me. :)

MAD

Alan, I have been mulling over your Star Wars Force reference, and I think I will now disagree with you.

Technically, everything that is “Force” generated could be attributed to science. Telekinesis (which is what the Jedi could be using when they push/pull/move stuff – including themselves for their high jumping ability) Telepathic (The manipulation of someone else’s mind through thought like the Jedi Mind Control) are both well rooted in Sci-Fi and not Fantasy. Even the Lightning shooting from their hands could simply be an extension of the ability to control and enhance a person’s natural inner “static” charge. A big extension, granted. But Sci-Fi is things that could be “possible” through science.

Not trying to start anything, just my rambling mind would not let go of this when I read your response. I am, as my initials clearly state, not exactly right in the head.

MAD

Sorry, for some reason, the entire post did not post, so here it is again…

I have to go opposite of Phyllis, I am the back-story fiend. I create a back-story for every single person who makes an appearance in my novels – even one who has only 1 line of dialog. A bartender who passes out a drink – I know where they were born, who their family is, why they became a bartender, what they like/dislike, what their phobia’s are. Everything. Now, don’t get me wrong, it doesn’t show up in the story (unless it should.) I use it for my own so that I can really understand what motivates them as a person.

It is one of the things I feel cause my fans to comment on the depth and realism of my work. Every character is flesh and blood. To me, it makes for great interaction in my dialog sequences. I know how the barman will react to the main characters comments.

Plus, that information is something I use to continue to add to my world/culture/etc. And I can't tell you how many story ideas I have dredged up from the dark recesses of my mind while creating the back-story for a one-line-of-dialog-character.

But hey, I may just be crazy.

MAD

The line is definitely blurred.

I think in the end, it comes down to fan taste.

Technically, if you only have the two choices, it is fantasy by the strictest of definition. The thing is, Horror is a distinct genre and houses Vampires and such. So neither – it’s special and gets its own home.

:) Wait for me!

I am a published "Fantasy" author. The "industry" defines the difference this way...

Science Fiction is something that can, theoretically, happen. Time Travel, Hyper Drives, Warp Travel, Laser Guns, etc. None exists today, but they could - theoretically.

Fantasy is anything that cannot happen. Magic, Dragons, Pixies, Santa Claus.

Now, the above seems pert-near easy. Unfortunately, it is up to an acquisition editors / publishers discretion as to what they will classify a book as. This is where the waters become muddied.

Take S.M. Stirling's Change series. It is swords and horses and castles - but set in a future Earth where technology no longer works. America, Europe, etc. all still exist. Just no technology. Is this Sci-Fi or Fantasy? It is subject to interpretation.

For me, as a fan, I personally classify Fantasy as swords, monsters, and magic. This is in no way official. I simply know what I like to read.

At the end of the day, I have to agree with Gwendolyn - it's all fiction. Yet, I will disagree as well. It does matter to the taste of the reader. I, myself, read very little Sci-Fi. I love to watch space battles, just don’t really care to read about them. I also write very little in this genre. I have been a "fantasy" fan my entire life. That is the main reason I write it.

As for why Fantasy is now its own category and no longer a sub of sci-fi, I think this is understandable. The "geeks" of our grandparent’s day (i.e. those that did not read westerns or war novels) had a thirst for sci-fi. So, publishers and TV/Movie people fed it to them. They had plenty to choose from - think Flash Gordon, etc. Lord of the Rings was the big break for fantasy, but until the 50's it really did not have a huge following. My generation (people between 30 and 50) were able to ride the fantasy entertainment wave. In the 60’s and 70’s Dungeons and Dragons, Conan, etc. pulled the fantasy genre out of obscurity and into the forefront. Combine the fact that we grew up with a larger base of fantasy products with the fact that technology now allows for movies and TV shows to be set in believable fantasy worlds; this gives the fantasy genre its status. There are some 40 million-fantasy fans now. That is a gigantic market. And it’s a market that publishers and Hollywood are eager to feed.