Well it’s about time:
Yes, it is about time. Sorry about that everybody, the blog is late, my main computer system is failing for reasons as yet undiscovered, and I’m typing on the laptop to do this blog because it just can’t wait any more. Honestly though, I hate it when my desktop has problems, and I do prefer to type on my full size keyboard instead of on the laptop keyboard, but too bad, it’s blog time.
So, let me see. We did some rewrites on chapter 2 of Sands of Nezza, and my outstanding editor is planning on having things ready to go to the final proof stage by the end of the month. That means… well not much to all of you, as the book won’t be out until April. O.K. it means that the book will be out in April and not delayed, unless my editor finds a giant problem in the story that needs major rework and time to get right. (No, I don’t think there is one but I just wrote it and I’m not the best of editors.) I will confess, however, that Sands of Nezza makes me a little nervous. It’s different from earlier adventures because in this one Alex doesn’t actually join a company of adventurers. Well, it’s different but I hope you all like it. If not… well then I won’t do that again and we’ll go back to standard adventures with standard adventurers. Now, on to the Q&A part of the blog.
Oh, before we go to questions I should say that final cover art is being finished up and I hope to have it for you soon. Also the first chapter should be on the website sometime in February if all goes well. Thanks for being patient.
Ah! Why are all those correcting error messages showing up on my desktop??? Oh, sorry, back to questions.
Right, since so many of you have commented on the possible dark side of Alex, lets talk about that for a bit. I don’t see Alex turning “DARK” any time in the future. Yes, I think we will see his emotions being shown more, and yes, he might become a bit mischievous with his magic. I do like the comparisons to Darth Vader, one of my favorite characters of all time by the way, but I just can’t see Alex going all out dark. Yes, I know, Vader did come back in the end, one of the best movie scenes ever as well, but we won’t go into that. I will try to make life a bit harder for Alex, and maybe not so much luck as he’s had in the past. As we move forward in the series you will see that there are more forces that want to get rid of Alex, so things will be getting harder for him and his friends. (No, I’m not telling you more right now, not even if you cry.)
Someone: Yes, we’ve made the short leap from Alex being from a world like earth to Alex being from our world. So many people already thought that he was from this world that it just makes things easier. It also might make things easier if I decide to bring Alex here for an adventure, which I am currently thinking about.
Dawn: About Alex adding magic to the things he makes while doing his blacksmith work. The original reason Alex started doing smith work was to give him something non-magical to work at, to take his mind off magic for a time and let him just be, well, normal. As he learns more about smithing it is only natural that he will want to bring his other talents, magic, into his smith work. I don’t think we will see a lot of this in the stories, but there will be some here and there. No, I don’t think Alex will start making super strong magic weapons for himself or for anyone else. – part two of your question, how does the adventures leader know how many shares there will before all the adventurers are chosen is a good one, but it is really very simple. The leader has a good idea about how many adventurers and what kinds of adventurers he will need to make the adventure a success, so he can figure out how many shares there should or will be. It might change a little as they set everything up, but not too much. If there is a big change that’s not a problem because the leader has the right to modify the agreement if needed. One extra share or something would not upset anybody who’s been on an adventure.
hipnitized: You know, I don’t think I’ve ever seen the entire Alice in Wonderland cartoon. Seen parts of it many times, but never the whole thing. If there are geebs or geeb like creatures in it, I think that’s great! Thanks for sharing the stories with young minds.
oh dear, now the computer says it’s recovering orphaned files. poor orphans.
Dakota: Sorry they left out the next book in the series in the back of the last one. I’ll mention this problem to the publisher and we’ll see if we can get it fixed.
mathew miller: Alex will or almost will lose his temper in an upcoming story. Possibly in more than one as the stakes get higher.
BananaDragon: You haven’t been paying attention. The ring from book one will appear and be used in the upcoming Sands of Nezza. I’ve already said that I’m not going to tell you what it is or what it does. Yes, Alex can call on friends from different lands to help him defeat a great evil, and he might at some point but I haven’t decided about that yet. Finally, yes, Alex could be captured, escape, and defeat his enemy, and I have a feeling that all of those things will happen in the future, maybe more than once.
cornflower9909: Wolves you say? The Hellerash from Alberk’s Tomb were wolf like, though not the type of wolf you’d want to live anywhere near you that’s for sure. I can’t say for sure, but wolves might make an appearance, wolves of some kind. (Probably not the kind that want nothing more than to eat you.)
Zach: Elementals are interesting things, and something like elementals will turn up in Sands of Nezza. The locals call them “demons”, but then the locals don’t know that much about magic so the name works. I think you’ll recognize them when you see them.
Salinor: More powerful, sneaky, nasty, mean spirited enemies… you’ve got it. Let me see, something that looks like a plant, eats like a great white shark, and can’t be killed, talked to, or… oh, sorry, just thinking while typing there.
Colby: Alex in his own castle? I don’t think that will happen. He has a nice house, why move into a giant castle with all those cold and drafty rooms? Also, Alex will always have Moonslayer, but that doesn’t mean he won’t get other weapons as well.
Cowboyusa: I’m having some trouble figuring out what you want to know??? I will say, as I think this is what you want to know, that there might be real demons attacking a world at some point. There are guardians of places so they might get involved in defeating the demons, but most demons actually belong to the world they are attacking, at least some part of that world in any case, even if it isn’t a very nice part.
Matthew H.: I did have Alex meet an older wizard in one story, a story that won’t fit into the series now so you probably won’t ever see it. The older wizard in that case was a good friend of Whalen’s, so there wasn’t any problem between him and Alex. As Whalen has told people that Alex is a wizard I don’t think any wizards who know will have any questions. I’ll have to think about this one a bit more, but I think any older wizard worth his staff will recognize Alex for what he is and not cause any real trouble.
Jacob Meyers: Magical sickness? Nice idea, and it is possible. Not sure what the sickness would do or how Alex might catch it. There might be magical allergies as well, certain types of plant that make wizards or magical people sneeze and have random spells happen when they sneeze. Interesting idea and a lot of possible things that might happen. I wonder if any of them will?
Well, I think that’s all of the questions and my dinner is getting cold, so until next time I remain:
Yours in fellowship,
Mark
