Ask Robin Hobb - Thursday, April 11th! discussion
Ask Robin!
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Margo
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Mar 26, 2013 02:49PM
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Hi, my name is Sara, and I am an Italian fan. I met Robin in Parma two years ago, thanks to the wonderful crew of BloodMemories.it . I was the one with the chatty husband and the olive paste can. ^^'I'm actually re-reading The Dragon Keeper, and then I plan to re-read Dragon Haven before starting City of Dragons and finally Blood of Dragons: I waited in order to enjoy them properly, and at one time, but of course I won't be able to ask anything on the last two novels.
It would be inappropriate to make some questions about the other books and short stories?
Or about the novels Robin wrote as Megan Lindholm, that I read and enjoyed greatly?
Thank you so much for this opportunity!
Hi, I'm Barbara from BloodMemories.it, the Italian fansite of Robin. :) Like Sara, I had the great opportunity to meet Robin during the Dragon Keeper tour in Italy and I love her books with all my heart, Lindholm stories as much as the Hobb ones.So, I'm really excited about the upcoming event: I'm just finishing Blood of Dragons — amazing book! — and I look forward to asking some questions.
Thanks in advance for the chance!
Hi...I'm a big fantasy reader. Became hooked on Robin's books several years ago. Now I have my mom hooked.:D
She's past me with her reading, though. Can't wait to catch up!
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Sara!!!! Yes to Olive paste! And wonderful memories of flowers raining down in Parma. I still have the Robin Hobb tour T-shirt created for me. It's only worn on special occasions! And Sara, you can ask me anything, any time, about any book!
Go here to see the Italian covers, and the wonderful compass rose design that directs people around the Blood Memories site. http://bloodmemories.it/
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Um, I just jumped in ahead of time to talk to a couple of Italian friends! Hope I'm not upsetting the apple cart by doing so!
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Barbara, I have such good memories of Italy, thanks to everyone from Blood Memories! A wonderful dinner together, a ride in the car with friends, a lovely pen, my T-shirt! Someday, I want to get back to Italy with much more time to spare!
Robin
Robin wrote: "Someday, I want to get back to Italy with much more time to spare!"Well, I think we could easily arrange an Italian tour from North to South, including the main islands (magnificent Sicily and my beautiful Sardinia). And you'll have local guides for every place: the best to taste good food and see hidden places that usually tourists lose. ;)
Hi folk, hi Robin!My name is Marco, and I'm a member of BloodMemories.it too.
Like Sara and Barbara, I had the great joy to meet Robin thanks to the italian Dragon Keeper tour, during a crazy lunch in Rome.
I worship her books (novels and stories, both Lindholm and Hobb).
I also like writing some small articles for BloodMemories.it about Robin's boooks.
Yesterday I started City of Dragons and I'm very excited!
So, thank you so much for this opportunity. Dear Robin, you will be always welcome in Italy!
Hi everybody, Hi Robin!I'm another Italian fan, my name is Ambra (like the Italian translation of Amber ^^') and I'm a member of Blood Memories, too. Like my friends, I met Robin in Parma during the Italian Tour and it was a fantastic opportunity. I enjoyed it very much!
I haven't read all Robin Hobb's books but I love the books I've read (The Farseer, The Liveship Traders and The Tawny Man). I'll provide soon to read The Rain Wild Chronicles :)
Thanks for the great opportunity to speak with Robin and I hope to see her again in Italy :)
PS: I'm sorry if there are some errors, my English isn't good!
I've had this question a long time and forgot about it the last time there was an open forum :).In the Tawny Man there are snippets in chapter prologues of what we later discover is Fitz' research into Whites and their catalysts after the events of the book are done. Is it unusual for Fitz and the Fool to remain alive after they have made their changes? Does their relationship differ from the norm in general, or is it typical?
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Marco, I still think of you thankfully for that wonderful and hasty ride through Rome! It was like being a teenager again in a car full of friends! And Ambra, so good to see you here! Parma fantasy was so wonderful. And such a perfect setting for a fantasy event, in such kind and wonderful weather.
Good thoughts to both of you!
Robin
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In the Tawny Man there are snippets in chapter prologues of what we later discover is Fitz' researc..."
Maurinejt, I wonder if it's safe to put 'normal' or 'typical' and 'Fitz' or 'Fool' into the same sentence ever? I think that they broke the mold in every instance.
I'm not going to say much more here for fear of putting out spoilers for people who have not read the books yet!
Robin
Robin wrote: "Maurinejt wrote: "I've had this question a long time and forgot about it the last time there was an open forum :).In the Tawny Man there are snippets in chapter prologues of what we later discove..."
Thank you! I wanted to think so, but there is so much we don't know about other pairs :).
Ehm... Dear Robin, I'm deeply sorry to correct you, but you are speaking about Alessandro, another boy with us during the lunch, who drove you in his car.I was the guy from Sicily who gave you the article about Nosy and talked during the whole lunch with you about Kennit and Sedric.
Clearly you cannot remember all your readers, no problem.
Just, It's wonderful to speak with you anew!
Dear Robin,I'm Alessandro, one of the member of Blood Memories. I'm sure that you'll remember me because every time I have the pleasure and the honor to write you I never miss a chanche to tell you that I am the postman. :)
As Marco mentiond before, I'm the one that brought you around Rome by car. For me that was and will be always an amazing day!
Alessandro ;)
Hi all I'm Becca from Maine and have been reading all of Robin Hobb's series since I was in highschool (that was over a decade ago!) Not to jumpstart the questions but I was wondering Robin, how you crater the landscape and different countries that are featured throughout your books? Any particular place that inspired you? Also how do you keep everything congruent throughout all the different series? Thanks and I am loving the new Rainwilds Chronicles books!
Hallo all! My name is Caiti, I have been hooked on Robin's books since my boyfriend (who is nuts about them) got me reading them a few years ago. I managed to get my brother just as addicted after far too many months of nagging him haha!It's been some time since I've read through the books, as I'm still waiting for City of Dragons to show up in my local bookstore! I think I'm going to have to curb my stubbornness for paper and get it for my Kobo instead.
My question (if it's all right of course!) is about my favourite aspects of your books - the grittiness of the characters, the developments they go through and what, in the end, makes them whole. Do you spend much time thinking about them, putting them together piece by piece - or do you wait for them to just stroll into your head?
Hoping you end up in Ireland sometime, and of course hoping to meet some Irish fans!
Hi everyone, I'm Stéphanie aka Crooty from Switzerland. I've been a fan of Robin's work for about 12 years now, spreading the love around me too (I'm at least at level 2: people I've recommended the books to have recommended them to their friends ;-)). I have had the honor to meet Robin in Epinal in 2008.I'm managing the Robin Hobb group on deviantArt, where fans can add their illustrations. Among them, you will find the Map of the Rain Wild River I did for Robin last year.
I still have to read the last 2 volumes of the Rain Wild Chronicles (waiting for the paperback) and some Megan Lindholm books.
willl be looking forward to seein the questions answered she s a lovely lady i really need to get the rainwild books read lookin forward to the possibility of more of the fitz
Hi, I am Marlena from Missouri...very glad I entered the world you created. I want to hear more about what has happened to the Fool, please! I hope the rest of his story is on your List of What To Wtite Next! Thank you so much for the time, effort, and creativity you have taken.
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I was the guy from Sicily who gave you th..."
Oh, how awful of me, to jumble my names! I would do better with faces, I think! As I recall, we had quite a time at our luncheon, trying to get a copy printed for me! I hope you will pardon my bad memory for names!
Robin
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I'm Alessandro, one of the member of Blood Memories. I'm sure that you'll remember me because every time I have the pleasure and the honor to write you I never miss a chanche to tell y..."
And I say to you as I did to Marco, I am so sorry to have mixed up your names! Indeed, we did talk of the joys of being mail carriers! :)
Robin
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I think that a great deal of the landscapes in the Realm of the Elderlings owe a great deal to Alaska. Buckkeep on the sharp black cliffs probably has some roots in Kodiak Island.
How to keep things straight? Many file folders on my computer, lots of scribbled notes, and a glossary created as I write. Any time I use a proper noun, I stop, enter it alphabetically in my growing glossary for that book, define it, and add a few notes to remind myself of where I first used it. And, um, yes, more than once I have fled to The Plenty and the Robin Hobb wikipedia that Mervi has sponsored there. For the curious, or those who wish to be helpful there, the link is: http://www.theplenty.net/wiki/index.p...
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I've visited Ireland, but only very briefly, I'm sad to say! I would love to visit again and stay to explore.
On the grittiness of the books, well, I try to research and to share that research honestly. For instance, there is a scene where a character's nose is broken. So I spoke to a friend and said to him, "What do you most remember about that fight where your nose was broken?" And he told me it was the sound it made. Even more than the pain, that sound made him cringe. That's the sort of detail that really makes a description vivid. I love doing that sort of 'first person' research and finding the one tiny bit I need to make the scene come alive.
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I heartily recommend a visit to Crooty's deviant art site, and not just for the artwork that is Robin Hobb related!
Robin wrote: "Oh, how awful of me, to jumble my names! I would do better with faces, I think! As I recall, we had quite a time at our luncheon, trying to get a copy printed for me! I hope you will pardon my bad memory for names!""It's too late to apologize now, I've forgiven you."
By the way, I started yesterday BoD: it's amazing! Thanks again for your magic books!
=)
Hi everyone! My name is Vanna and I've been Robin's fan for only about 4 months, which in no way lessens my ardor ;) I'm currently re-reading the Farseer Trilogy, mostly because I just couldn't let go of the characters and the world after I finished it and the Tawny Man Trilogy. Liveship Traders is next on the list for me. Oh and that sad event near the end of Fool's Errand (I don't want to give any spoilers) literally made me cry. This, on the face of it, might not sound like a good thing, but I have never before been moved to tears by words on paper.
Anyway, I'm really looking forward to the Q&A on the 11th!
Hello everyone, I'm Jerry, in California. Other than re-reading LOTR every 3 - 6 years, I haven't read fantasy regulrly for decades (let's not get into the fine details, here). I've been reading Robin for less than 13 months, after a Words with Friends friend started chatting about her. Our thread was triggered by some word I used, and she asked, "Oh, do you read Robin Hobb?". After some few remarks extolling Robin's work, I was finally convinced to download a sample of Assassin's Apprentice. It took me about half-a-day to get the rest of the book.
I have read the first three Buck-world (how do you refer to the whole world you created?) trilogies twice already, and was waiting to re-read the Rain Wild series until Blood of Dragons finally came out. This will be my first hardcover of Robin's work, and with the little bonus Robin and Harper Voyager are offering for per-ordering, it will be a keepsake.
I have been as interested in all of your wonderfully developed romantic subplots as the stories you tell themselves; sometimes even more so.
They are just, so, real.
I thought it interesting (SPOILER, a small Farseer/Tawny Man SPOILER) that descriptions of Molly from afar were not too flattering after a certain event occurred, it seemed to me. Until, of course...
My point is, I have found all, ALL, the liaisons you have created to be quite satisfying (eventually!), save, perhaps, one. There was an interesting dynamic with the 3 young characters, but I was wondering if a decision made, finally!, is going to be um, developed a little more? I suppose I shall just have to read and find out when the book arrives. I have to say, in this one instance, I wasn't crazy about the characters final decision. Perhaps it is setting up some tension in the last book...?
Do you intend to write more about Buck, Rain Wilds, and Bingtown, et. al? I suppose Fitz is settled, unless some tragedy occurs, but things could be said about Nettle and Prince Dutiful, I'm sure. And I just can't quite bring myself to believe that's it for Beloved Fool.
Two questions constantly come to me as I'm reading your books: How do you know so much about how men think? Why do you reveal so much of how women think? I can't think of adjectives suitable to tell you how amazing your insights about these two creatures are...
Looking forward to the book, and the 11th!
Jerry wrote: "I have read the first three Buck-world (how do you refer to the whole world you created?) "Most people go with "The Realm Of The Elderlings" or RotE for short.
Apollo's Crew asked: What are your reasons for writing under a pseudonym(s)...?Here she talks about why she used a pseudonym.
http://buzzymag.com/robin-hobb-interv...
She likes being in the company of Heinlein and Herbert, as well she deserves!
Hi, just introducing myself. I'm a fan from California. I'm consistently so impressed with your writing in general, but your conclusions in particular. You keep so many plates spinning during your books, but when a series concludes, all your storylines are wrapped up so well, with enough time to make it a satisfying end.Thank you.
Hi. Oh wow, I feel so nervous asking a question, I didn't know it was possible to be shy over the internet. I recently read all of your books set in RotE and completely fell in love with them. Fitz and the Fool, especially, were characters that I could not get enough of. After reading Tawny man, the Fool is a character I will pretty much always be in awe of. Even at the vaguest mention of him seems ridiculously exciting!The most burning question I have is whether the fool is actually male or female but at the same time I don't want to know cos it's a question that an answer would spoil, if you see what I mean. So, with that in mind, my question is how did you come up with him specifically? And did he turn out very different to your initial idea of what he, as a white prophet, would be?
And which of your characters did you find went through the most changes from your first idea of them to what they ended up like once you had finished writing about them?
And this I will ask and try to avoid spoilers for people who haven't read Blood of Dragons yet, the effects of Silver, as raised by Mercor. Do you currently plan to address those in later books?
I really want to read the piebald prince, too, but I can't get a copy. Do you know where I can find one, or is it being released as a ebook or anything like that?
Sorry, that's way too many questions but I can't resist asking. I'm aware you have many other fans asking questions too though so if you have the time to answer one or two, I'd be very grateful.
The Farseer Trilogy and the Golden Fool trilogy are basically my all-time favorite books. While I'm disappointed that the Rain Wilds stories don't feature Fitz and the Fool, I am thrilled that you continue to write books in the same universe. Please continue to expand this universe. My life is enriched because of it.Also, thank you for being willing to write about gay characters. I'm sure you have heard this before, but the relationship between Fitz and the Fool was romantic and appropriate for a lot of gay youth today, making it one of the few romances we truly could relate to. I hope you know what that means to us.
Some would say that embracing the vocation of writing fully is a rather risky notion, as is with becoming a visual artist or musician. Would you say you faced any doubts in your choice of career? If so, what provided you with the conviction to pursue writing? This question arose from the desire to write that your books gave me. Specifically your ability to instil emotion with your work, I am awed.
Thankyou for your time and work,
Ben
I've got two questions for Megan (I can't get enough of your beautiful prose and bittersweet stories!):1. What did you have to keep in mind when writing YA (with the Dragons quartet) as opposed to adult fantasy? Was there anything that tripped you up with the change?
2. One of the main antagonists in the Dragons quartet meets a rather abrupt end in Blood of Dragons. Was that deliberate (and why), or was it because you didn't have time to flesh it out more?
Hi Robin, just stopping in to say hello from Ireland and I'm a big fan! Looking forward to more adventures!
Hi Robin, I'm Alex from Wales. I read the farseer trilogy and must admit to being mostly infuriated by Fitz but fascinated by the Fool. I'm about to finish the rain wild trilogy and though in many ways a dreadful character I also found myself enthralled by Kennit. Who is your favourite character a) in your books, b) in another author's work? Thank you for your excellent writing. And world.
Hi Robin! This is so exciting! I'm a fan from Montana, so it's unlikely that I'll ever get to meet you but you never know!
My question(s) concerns Nighteyes...**Spoiler alert for The Tawny Man series! DO NOT READ BELOW THESE DOTS IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THE TAWNY MAN SERIES! YOU'VE BEEN WARNED!**
(view spoiler)
My question(s) concerns Nighteyes...**Spoiler alert for The Tawny Man series! DO NOT READ BELOW THESE DOTS IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THE TAWNY MAN SERIES! YOU'VE BEEN WARNED!**
(view spoiler)
edited Spoilers!
I haven't read that far please hide the bit about nighteyes and I'll pretend I never read it! lol
That's why I said spoiler alert for pete's sake and did the dot thing!!
April wrote: "That's why I said spoiler alert for pete's sake and did the dot thing!!"erm...it is still very easy to see.
I thought spoilers had a clicky thing on goodreads that hid them entirely?
I'd like to preface my questions by saying that I've read your RotE books more times than I can remember, and I frequently cite them as my favorite pieces of fantasy literature. 1. The Fool is an immensely complex character. Did you have everything about The Fool decided from the beginning, or did this character continue to develop over the course of the series, perhaps in ways that you did not expect at the onset?
2. When you wrote The Fool, was your intention to deliberately write a character who does not fall into the gender binary, or is this just part of the character's air of mystery?
3. Were there any winged Elderlings in ages past? Or is Thymara the first? If so, is this because these was a taboo against it that Sintara simply didn't remember from her ancestors?
4. I've always held a certain curiosity about the lands south of Jamaillia City: The Spice Islands, and beyond. They're mentioned occasionally, but do you ever think they might serve as a setting in a future novel?
Thank you so much for your time!
There, I made my warning bigger and added more dots. Heed the warning people!
Hello Robin! I have to tell you that you are my favorite fiction author. Thank you for your books, especially Fitz and Fool.I have a couple short questions for you. :D Can you tell us anything about the White girl in the square during Assassin's Quest? Did she have a catalyst? That little flash always fascinated me, and I think about it still.
I have to echo everyone else: Fool broke my heart. Will we ever see him again in a book?
Lastly: what is your writing process like? Do you write everything sequentially? Is there any part of it that you tend to work out first?
FYI. If you click on "some html allowed"it shows how to hide.
Brenda ╰☆╮ wrote: "FYI. If you click on "some html allowed"
it shows how to hide."
Thank you Brenda! I fixed it! I've never posted on here before!
it shows how to hide."
Thank you Brenda! I fixed it! I've never posted on here before!
Ask Robin Hobb - Thursday, April 11th!
Books mentioned in this topic
The Dragon Keeper (other topics)Dragon Haven (other topics)
City of Dragons (other topics)
Blood of Dragons (other topics)
