18 May… What do you mean it’s not April any more?

Holly Cow!!! It’s that late in May already? I’m so sorry, I seem to have lost the better part of a month. Where have I been? Why haven’t I updated the blog? What’s happening with the book? Well, I’ve been in Nezza trying to sort things out. There for a time I might have slipped into some other, darker world as well, I’m not sure. The book is still in progress, but we are getting closer. We’d better be getting closer, because soon my editor is going to come looking for me with an ax… Yikes.  Yes, I can honestly say this has been the toughest re-write/fix that I’ve had so far. There have been dark spots where I just didn’t want to go on, and bright spots where I’ve felt inspired and ready to fight any three-legged-troll out there. Right now in the fix it box, our friend Alex is trapped in the bottom of a dungeon, hundreds of guards flooding in to block all exits and search every room and cell. I’m not sure how he’s going to get out of this, but that’s where I am. When the book does get done, soon I hope, you can read it and discover exactly where I am in the fix. Of course, I have jumped around a bit in the story as I’m fixing, so when you read it, I might actually be fixing something further on than that.  (How am I going to get him out of that dungeon?)

With that brief update out of the way, I would like to thank all of you for being so patient and kind about all of this. I feel you’re happy thoughts, good wishes, and hopes, and I promise not to stop working until the story is done and out there for you all to read. Also, as many of you have asked, I will see what’s happening with the cover art. My publisher was going to get me the “Final” cover art last month, but they haven’t yet. I’ve been so far behind in getting this book fixed that I’ve been afraid to ask about it, but I will ask again on Monday, and Tuesday, and Wednesday if I need to. As soon as I get the cover art I will post it here for all of you to see.

Now I’m going to answer some questions, as it has been so long.  No, these are not the questions from so long ago that never got answered, but mostly those from the last post. If there is something not answered here that you are just dying to know, please ask and I will (really) answer as soon as I can. I did make a comment on FaceBook the other day that I was trying to win the prize for “Worst Blogger of the Year”, and sometimes it seems like I should win. I’ll work on that and try to post more often, even when I don’t think I have much to say. Feel free to remind me if I take this long between posts again. (Hey, my Internet connection in Nezza wasn’t that good, but that’s not a very good reason for being so far behind.)

Connie:  I have not done signings in Arizona, but I would love to come down and do some.  Not sure what the plans are for signings with Sands, but when I know I’ll post about it.  I do have a cousin that lives in Arizona, so if nothing else I could go for a visit and setup something while I’m there.  (What city does she live in?)

Zach: (and a few others who have asked about this.) No!  You can not have the old version of Sands to read and compare to the new one. The big reason for this is that my publisher would go nuts if I gave the old version away, but there are other reasons as well.  Mostly I don’t want you pointing out all the problems in the old version that I am already trying to fix in the new one. Sorry, but I don’t think the old version will ever turn up for reading.

icouldntthinkofanythingbetter:  (What a strange user name.) On stories that won’t fit into the series… I don’t know what will happen to them or with them. I hope that some of them will become books, even if they are not part of the Adventurers Wanted series. It is possible that some form of “Lost Tales” could happen, but I’m not looking at that right now as I need to finish the rest of the series first. Oh, and while we’re talking about this, and as people still ask more often than you might think, the current plan is for there to be eight (8) books in the Adventurers Wanted series when it is all done.  With any luck at all, what’s left of the series will be less trouble than Sands has been.

Anders: Sorry, I’m not sure about your last question, but you ask now what stops a “nation” from trying to take over all the known lands. Well, there are many reasons this hasn’t happened. We are dealing with kingdoms for one thing, which are normally smaller than nations… O.K. some Kingdoms are pretty big, and might try to take over all of one land or even parts of other lands. One reason this hasn’t happened is The Order of Malgor. (See “The Horn of Moran” for some information on the order.)  They keep track of things and warn different kingdoms when their neighbors are looking to start trouble. Also, as in the history of our world, one nation or kingdom has a hard time getting everyone in a world to think the same way that they do. I will say, since you brought it up, that there is a group trying to take control of the known lands. We did mention the idea of a Gezbeth at the end of “Albrek’s Tomb”, and discovering what the Gezbeth is and what it wants will be an ongoing theme in the stories.

The Joker: Did the dark elves make staffs?  Not sure if they did or not, but they could have. Would they be different than other staffs? Why would they be? Oh, they might be different, maybe better, but as I’ve said before, the magic is in the wizard, the staff is just a tool. So a dark elf staff might be like having the best tool out there, but if you don’t know how the tool works, and you don’t have the skill to use the tool, well… It’s just a tool.

Again, The Joker: Necromancers – Yes, they are always considered as evil. The idea of necromancy is what? To use the dead, control the dead, call back the dead. It is unnatural so it is always considered as evil. I think, and this is just my opinion, that most people who would use necromancy are already at the very least, leaning toward evil. I also think that using the magic of necromancy would make them more evil as they used it.  As for creatures that are all good or all evil/bad, well I hate to make things so absolute. Goblins are often considered as all bad/evil, but that might not be the case. Things like unicorns are often considered as always good, but I’m not sure that’s true either. (sorry to all you unicorn lovers out there.) I think there are creatures that are mostly good and mostly evil, but that doesn’t mean that every single whatever in all the known lands is good or evil. One other thing to think about on this: Some creatures simply are what they are. Good and evil don’t really apply to them because they don’t see things the way you do. A good example would be something like a Shark. Sharks kill people, they kill happy and cute seals, they must be evil. Well, no, they just do what sharks do.

Spencer Johnson: Ah, thanks for the idea. Yes, I will think about it, I am thinking about it… hmmm… I wonder where this boy lives? Our world, some other world?  When does all this happen? Today, a hundred years ago?  Well, we will see what happens at some point, I hope.

Matthew: Something there about Thrang and Thorgood.  Right so, Thrang Silversmith is the son of Thorgood Silversmith. King Thorgood is not Thorgood Silversmith, and I don’t think I mentioned his last name. (I wonder why?) Anyway, yes and no to your question.  Yes, Thrang is Thorgood’s son. No, he is not the son of King Throgood.

C.F. -Alex will start reading the books from the Isle of Bones soon.  Book 5 I believe. Yes, they are important, yes they will effect how things go on future adventures. The ring taken from the three-legged-troll will be explained in Sands of Nezza, and the dragon from the Isle of Bones will turn up again but I’m not telling when or why.   And thank you Aniki201 for trying to answer that one.

Science101:  There are many unknown lands, and as they are unknown I can’t really tell you what you might find in them. Yes, it is possible that there is a world full of civilized dragons, but that might be a world you need to discover and write about.  Well, maybe we’ll take a peak at that land before the Adventurers Wanted series runs out.

Brandon: When Alex calls someone back from the wall and whispers to them he is helping them to remember what happened at the wall and in the shadow lands. Living people don’t belong there, and it is hard for them to remember what happens there, so Alex uses magic to help them remember and understand what happened. It is always a very personal thing, so most people I think would burst into tears.  And no, I will not tell you the special word that wizards us for Paladins. (Can’t go giving all the secret wizard words away to non-wizard folks who just want to know. Give away too many secret words and who knows what might happen.)

CanyonNAttier: Favorite book in the series so far?  I think Albrek’s Tomb. Right now I hate The Sands of Nezza, but that’s because it’s being such a pain. It’s hard to say, there are parts in each of them that I really like, and parts that I still want to change.  Sorry, I can’t make any art of true silver dragons, but that’s mostly because I can’t draw. Maybe I can find an artist to do some. Yes, it would look cool.

Finally, as so many of you are asking, “What else can I read?” I will list a few of my favorite books and/or authors. Before that I just want to say this, I read a lot of different things. I don’t read just fantasy. Sometimes I actually read history books because I’m interested in history. Please, please, please, don’t be a person who only reads one kind of books. Try some new things, you might discover new worlds of wonder that you love to visit.  So, obviously I’m going to tell all of you to read Lord of the Rings and the Hobbit. Only read the Silmarillion (did I spell that right?) if you really, really need to know more. It is a tough read. I would suggest anything by Ursula K. Le Guin – The Earthsea books are all wonderful, but I’ve been happy with everything of her’s that I’ve read. Riddle of Stars by McKillip was outstanding and left me thinking, “I wish I could write like that.” I’ve enjoyed the Far World books by my friend, J. Scott Savage as well, and there are still, I think, two more in that series to come. How about some Science Fiction? I love Isaac Assimov’s stuff, Ray Bradbury, and Arthur C. Clarke as well. I love reading short stories, and most libraries have books called something like, “The years best Science Fiction short stories” or “The years best Fantasy short stories”  More Fantasy? O.K. try the Belgariad series by David and Leigh Eddings, it was great! Want a mystery? Try the old Serlock Holmes stories, they are mostly short and quick the get through, but a lot of fun just the same. Strange fiction, Horror, Classics, so many things to read. I actually read “Pride and Prejudice” about a year ago and found that I loved it. I read H.P. Lovecraft, Robert McCammon, Steven King, Michael Crichton, Mark Twain, and Nathaniel Hawthorne. Some I like more than others, some I might only ever read once, but you have to try new things to find out if you like them. Try reading Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, it’s not at all like the movie. Try “The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde” by Robert Louis Stevenson. Some of what people call, “The Classics” are great, others are, to be honest, a tough read. (Moby Dick almost killed me.)  Whatever you do, keep reading and don’t limit yourself to only one kind of book.  My writer friends and I, both dead and alive, thank you.

Until next time, which will be sooner than last time, I remain yours in fellowship,

-Mark