Eric Kent Edstrom's Blog, page 16
January 8, 2013
I don't think the Star Wars director issue the important question
Get the script right, really figure out the characters, then worry about a director. Or just get the Napoleon Dynamite guy, Jared Hess. Don't get a special effects movie person. Get a character movie person.
Truth is, I know nothing about making movies.
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Star Wars Episode VII: Who Will Direct it Now?
Mashable covers the top social media news on topics like Facebook, YouTube, Gmail, Twitter, Amazon, Pinterest and More.
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Thoughts upon Purchasing A Memory Of Light
I went to Barnes and Noble this morning to pick up the final volume in the Wheel of Time series. I felt a strange mixture of emotions as I picked up the final book. My mind flashed back to all of those years when I would eagerly anticipate the next volume, discuss the plot, the characters, and theorize about what was going to happen next with people online.
In fact, that was using a service called Genie Online which was very similar to Compuserve. I lost track of those people when I switched to AOL (ha ha).
In the years since, a huge culture of readers has blossomed various forum groups and websites. I didn't take part, probably because I was starting a career and a family, and really my only interaction with that world was when a new book came out.
When Robert Jordan died, I was, of course dismayed like so many of his fans. And not simply because the story would go unfinished but because his death was way too early and it seemed a crime that he didn't get to finish telling this huge tale himself.
When it was announced that Brandon Sanderson would finish, like many others, I immediately went to buy whatever he had available. Which at the time was Mistborn and a novel called the Elantris. I read them with great interest and I decided, you know what? I think this guy can probably do it.
I had no expectations that the new WoT book would read just like Robert Jordan. But when I got The Gathering Storm and started reading it, I quickly forgot that someone else had taken the reins. Now, I know there are many who can tell differences between how certain characters are presented and the tone of their narrative. But I wasn't that perceptive, and to me, there was much about Brandon's style that I actually liked better.
In fact, there were some plot lines (the Prophet) that I wasn't particularly excited about, and I was thrilled to see how quickly he wrapped those up. Towers of Midnight followed that up and I zipped through it very quickly and was very happy with the pace of the story telling and also just the quality of it.
And so here we come to the final book, the final chapter. Brandon insists that the final scene is pretty much exactly how Robert Jordan wrote it, but that doesn't matter to me so much as long as the ending is satisfactory.
But I wonder, can the ending be satisfactory? I don't read them for endings. I read for that middle part where you know the characters so well and you are rooting for them and the ending is always a bit sad even when it's happy. So there is a part of me that wants to take A Memory of Light and put it up on a shelf for some later day.
But I am not going to do that. I am going to finish it and take solace in the idea of the book: that time is a wheel. That ages come and go and then return. And so, I know that the story doesn't really truly end because this is an age that will come again every time I reread it.
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January 7, 2013
NEWS: Paperback, Apple Promotion, and More
Well, I'm back from my wonderful ten days on St. Croix, USVI. The weather in Wisconsin is terrible and I detest it. However, we do have the Green Bay Packers (the greatest sports team in history and for all time to come), so there's some solace in that.
You can stop sending the emails asking when the paperback version of Starkiller will be out. Why? Because it'll be available in a few days.
If you know someone with an iPad who absolutely must read Undermountain (that is, everyone with an iPad), send them to the iBookstore right now to get it. Why? Because it's free!
We're running this promotion for a short while to try to jump start the Undermountain activity with the apple store, which has been a bit of a ghost town. With nothing but crickets. And nervous coughing.
Now that the Undermountain Saga is complete, the ebook editions have been updated to include two chapters from the following book to tease (or taunt) readers into going on with the series. For those who've read Afterlife, you know people won't be able to help themselves from nabbing Starkiller. rubs hands together and laughs maniacally
Today marked the first day of actual writing for my next novel project. I'm silly excited about it. All I'm willing to say about it right now is that it is a YA SF (fairly near future, so no space ships) filled with action, adventure, and romance.
Oh, if you or anyone you know is an expert at jiujitsu, please contact me. I have some research relate questions.
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Undermountain (The Undermountain Saga #1)
Read a sample or download Undermountain (The Undermountain Saga #1) by Eric Kent Edstrom with iBooks.
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January 5, 2013
Packing up is hard to do
Here I am wearing my Marmot 700 fill winter coat, my Mickey Mouse, knit toque, and flip-flops.
Not that it's cold where I'm at. It's just that I have to mentally prepare myself for the horrid winter I'm headed back to.
The good news is that we have a few hours before we have to be at the airport. Ima soak it up!
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Starkiller reviews are starting to trickle in!
The team at Making Connections (which is also a very active Goodreads group) have been wonderful supporters of The Undermountain Saga.
". . . the books are wonderfully written with incredible attention to detail. The world Eric Edstrom created is positively unique and surprisingly complex. Throw in some very likeable characters, some humor, and a lot of adventure, and you have an amazing story."
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Starkiller by Eric Edstrom
Starkiller by Eric Edstrom My rating: 4 of 5 stars This is a great end to a great series. Not to be outdone by the first two Undermountain books, Starkiller is full of action, adventure, mystery, and …
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January 4, 2013
What Are These Liquid Filled Things?
It's our last day here on the island so naturally we went to the beach. I've seen this things before, and I always say, "What are those things?"
I still don't know. Are there any #marinebiology people out there who can tell me. Found on the beach among seaweed on St. Croix, USVI.
Whatever they are, I didn't eat too many of them 
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January 3, 2013
Here's one of the most important blog posts I've ever read
It was Kathy Sierra's post from 2005, "Be Brave or Go Home." If you do nothing else, look at the simple infographic.
I revisit this post every few months to remind myself where to aim with my art, which is at the edges. Now, I don't think she means that one must be intentionally offensive. I hate it when people do that (see? it proves her point!)
But it does mean having a point of view, and as soon as you express one of those, you'll attract those who agree . . . and those who disagree. The more ardent the first group, the more vehement that latter will be.
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Creating Passionate Users: Be brave or go home
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Here's one of the most important blog posts I ever read
It was Kathy Sierra's post from 2005 "Be Brave or Go Home." If you do nothing else, look at the simple infographic.
I revisit this post every few months to remind myself where to aim with my art, which is at the edges. Now, I don't think she means that one must be intentionally offensive. I hate it when people do that (see? it proves her point!)
But it does mean having a point of view, and as soon as you express one of those, you'll attract those who agree . . . and those who disagree. The more ardent the first group, the more vehement that latter will be.
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Creating Passionate Users: Be brave or go home
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Guess Who's Going to Worldcon?
Shouldn't be too hard to figure out! I'll see y'all in ole San Antone from 29 August to 2 September 2013. Having never been to a con (well, not since a Gencon in the 80s) I have no idea what I'm in for. +LoneStarCon3
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LoneStarCon 3 – 71st Worldcon in San Antonio, Texas
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