Dragons & Jetpacks discussion
BotM Discussion - FANTASY
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Ask the Author - MICHAEL J. SULLIVAN
Andrew wrote: "Wow, I especially love The Crown Conspiracy cover. Might have to update my Facebook cover photo with that one. It's a great cover - there are copies of the artwork running around both "by itself" and as part of the cover - with all the text, etc. I used it quite a bit during The Death of Dulgath Kickstarter.
Andrew wrote: Likewise the Harry Dresden series always portrays Dresden as wearing a black cowboy hat/fedora thing, but he never once wears a hat in the books!
Yeah, I think that is kinda a running gag with those books now - It seems to work as a unifying theme but I think the iconic coat would have been enough.
Sarah wrote: "First, I wanted to add my thanks for taking the time to answer questions and talk with our group. That is awesome of you!"It is 100% my pleasure. Writing is its own reward, but it's also a very isolating activity. To talk with others about them is...well as the commercial used to say, "Priceless."
Sarah wrote: Second, love these themes. My degrees are in history and these themes cover things I find myself explaining to people all the time. Excited to see them explored in this kind of way. I will definitely watch for this series!
Great! The new series is definitely a whole new setting - very different technology, cultures, and conflicts. It should be fun.
Sarah wrote: My "To read" list is getting longer all the time because of this group.
Goodreads has a way of doing that. A good thing, and I've found so many excellent books that I might not have otherwise.
Sarah wrote: Kind of a general question. Do you find it easier to write a series with just a few main characters or do you find it easier to write an ensemble cast? I would think the approach is rather different.
The are definitely different, but I don't find either one as more difficult that the other. To me, it all depends on what the story needs. Riyria has a very "tight focus" so we spend time with just a few characters: Hadrian, Royce, Modina/Thrace, Arista. The First Empire takes us through a time when great changes are occurring and that is mainly because of advancements on many fronts at once. To focus all that in just a few hands wouldn't seem realistic, so I needed a "cast of characters" that could each have their own unique contributions. In Hollow World - the focus is even tighter than Riyria - one character.
So, each is equally easy (or difficult) but it is good to break them up a bit. When I wrote The Death of Dulgath I had spent over two and a half years writing 5 books with a large cast, so getting back to a smaller, more focused one was a good break.
Thanks for asking.
Paul wrote: "I have made the decision now and pulled Theft of Swords to the front of my shelf so barring Book of the Month reads it will be my first post scifi month read ( when i will be gasping for some fantasy)"Nice, Paul! I'm so glad you are interested and hope you enjoy what you find between the pages.
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I also pre ordered a copy of Unbound yesterday and see you have another short in there.
So I totally don't have any questions, but I do want to fan-girl and say that I love your Riyria books! I've been rereading through them at the library over the course of the year :) Thank you for being here and chatting with us (though I'm REALLY late to the party by over a week....)!I'm sorry if this has already been discussed elsewhere, but I love what you said here:
Basically what I'm doing is exploring the difference between myth and reality and showing how history is written by the victors. I really like the idea of monumental events being due to the deeds of ordinary people. I want to show how their "story" has been lost to time as those in power anoint and build the heroes. It might sound depressing because they don't get credit, but it's actually very uplifting, because even the most unlikely of people can make a real difference.
As a social studies teacher, I try to find historical documents of other points of view since textbooks tend to focus on WGH (White Guy History). As you mentioned, the ordinary people do get their stories lost and finding those stories makes, what I teach anyway, instantly more relatable to the kids than the big hero stories they always hear (at least that's what they sometimes tell me!). Anyway, I love the fact that you're actively trying to incorporate that into your books and being realistic in that the plans people come up with don't always work out! That's life!
Giving you my two thumbs up and some very excited applause :D
[Edit: formatting]
Sarah wrote: "So I totally don't have any questions, but I do want to fan-girl and say that I love your Riyria books! I've been rereading through them at the library over the course of the year :) Thank you for ..."Hilarious that both Sarahs commenting go for the same thing!
Sarah wrote: "Sarah wrote: "So I totally don't have any questions, but I do want to fan-girl and say that I love your Riyria books! I've been rereading through them at the library over the course of the year :) ..."Hahaha, I totally missed that when I was reading through this earlier today! I have to admit I was like, "omg Michael Sullivan is CHATTING WITH US" and totally fangirling out so my brain wasn't fully focused on what I was reading...
Two Sarahs of history- that's awesome!
just reading this thread has been awesome! Thanks to Michael and thankyou to the group.
@Paul - I do indeed have a short in Unbound. It isn't connected to Riyria, The First Empire, or Hollow World - a true standalone. In general, I try to have the short stories tie to my other work as it provides a way to attract new readers to the novel-length stories. But this time I had this short story already done, so I submitted it. I really like the way it came out. I hope you enjoy it.
Sarah wrote: "So I totally don't have any questions, but I do want to fan-girl and say that I love your Riyria books!"Hey thanks! I'll take either ;-) Yeah, I think The First Empire has some great perspective and it will be especially fun for people who have read Riyria as they get to see the differences. But it's really written for new readers, so it should have appeal to both.
Sarah wrote: "Hilarious that both Sarahs commenting go for the same thing!"Sarah is a great name...my second daughter is a Sarah. It was she that I started writing Riyria for since dyslexia made it difficult for her to read. My thought process was having a book written by her dad might make her more likely to stick with it even though reading is difficult.
Mark wrote: "just reading this thread has been awesome! Thanks to Michael and thankyou to the group."
@Mark - you are very welcome. I love being part of the group reads. Especially when they are my book ;-)
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@Paul - indeed anthologies are a great way to find new authors. There are many readers who come for one person in particular, and leave with a group of new ones to read more from.
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I will definitely be delving much more into your work next year. It was a great read. I am now quite a fan of Hadrian and Royce.
I do like the odd couple set up between them and from reading the blurbs it looks like you flesh out the origins of the relationship there which I look forward to.
I had started reading The Crown Tower, but then saw that the recommended reading order is to start with Theft of Swords and read them in the order written rather than chronologically.That is totally throwing off my groove, but I figure the author knows their work best.
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Paul wrote: "I'm sure it would have been fine"He answered a question about it (can't remember under which book) stating that either way is ok, but he really recommends Theft of Swords first.
So it would have been fine but I decided to go with the way Michael recommends.
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Paul wrote: "No better source I suppose "My thoughts exactly!
Lancer wrote: "I've read all the books and I would 100% recommend reading them in the order they were published (read the entire Riyria Revelations before starting Chronicles). There is just so many details and i..."
That was what he explained as well, that there were lots of details that were in Revelations that weren't in Chronicles so that he wasn't repeating too much.
Paul wrote: "I will definitely be delving much more into your work next year. It was a great read. I am now quite a fan of Hadrian and Royce."Great Paul. I'm so glad you liked the first two. The series just gets better from there so lots of good stuff to come. And as for the relationship between the two - yes you get to know more about that as the series goes on - I tried to sprinkle it throughout the series, rather than front loading it.
Sarah wrote: "I had started reading The Crown Tower, but then saw that the recommended reading order is to start with Theft of Swords and read them in the order written rather than chronologically.That is totally throwing off my groove, but I figure the author knows their work best."
You know, it can really be done in either order. It just depends on what type of person you are. I've heard plenty of people who've read chronologically claim it is the best way. So far I've not heard much in the way for dissatisfaction with one way or the other - so if you prefer chronological, by all means go that way.
Hey everyone, it's been awhile since any new questions have come in so I think it's a good time to thank you for the opportunity to stop in and chat with you all. I'll still check this thread from time to time, but probably not as often as I have been. But, by all means, if you have questions post them here - or us the "Ask the Author" feature within goodreads. I'm honored you picked my book for a group read. And I really enjoyed my time here.
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Yeah, thanks so much for giving us the time :) It was almost as fun as reading your books!
@Paul - hey that would be great. I look forward to the opportunity. @Andrew - you are very welcome...and all too kind.
Thanks again, Michael, for taking the time to answer all of these questions!
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@Sarah - you are very welcome - it was my pleasure.@Rinn - It was the best use of my time that I could think of, thanks to the group for being so welcoming. When you do get around to reading, by all means post here - or drop me a line. I'm glad you are excited about next year's release.
@Jeff - thank you for having me!
Just popping in to add that this series appeals to a wide range of ages.I have the first two Riyria Revelations so far and enjoyed them a great deal (one of these days I will make myself take the time to write a proper review).
But it wasn't just me. My 76 year old grandma is enjoying them as well. We were just on vacation last week and somehow the book she brought with ended up in the trunk of the car. She wasn't about to ask my dad to stop so she could dig it out, so I offered to let her borrow my Kindle as we have fairly similar tastes in books. I asked if she wanted something she had read before or if she wanted something new. She said something new, so I suggested Theft of Swords. She read the entire thing over the course of our vacation. She read it in the car on the way to Florida, in the hotel every night before bed and part of the way home again until she finished it. A couple of the nights she was anxious to get back to the hotel so she could read because "I'm at a good part!". She made a point of writing down the names of the rest of the books in the series so she could go to the library and get them when we got home (fortunately our library has all three Riyria Revelations books, though they only have one of the Riyria Chronicles). She said she hasn't enjoyed a book so thoroughly in quite a while.
Hey Sarah,Thanks for dropping by. I do think the books can be read by a wide range of ages. I often hear stories of people sharing them with both their children and parents and so I've had a lot of multi-generational readers.
Thanks for recommending Theft of Swords and loaning your kindle. Please tell your grandma I said hello the next time you to talk.
Glad to hear your library carries all of the books. - If they only have one of Chronicles, make a recommendation to them to get the other two. Usually they take requests from patrons. Check the libraries homepage to find a link to make the requests.
I'm so glad she enjoyed them so much.
Michael wrote: "Hey Sarah,Thanks for dropping by. I do think the books can be read by a wide range of ages. I often hear stories of people sharing them with both their children and parents and so I've had a lot o..."
My grandma says hello and thought it was very cool that the author himself was glad she likes the series.
Our library used to be very good about buying new things based on recommendations, but for the last few years it takes months or even a year for things to come in. I'm not sure if there were cuts to the budget or what.
But grandma's birthday is next month so I will probably just buy them for her. So its all good.
And now my mom is thinking of reading them when she is done with the series she is currently reading. She says if gram and I both like them then the series must be good.
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Sarah wrote: "My grandma says hello and thought it was very cool that the author himself was glad she likes the series.I'm so glad your grandmother was pleased. Sorry to hear your library has cut back on patron recommendations. I know budgets are stretched. If you want your grandma to get a signed copy- you can get them from my website.
Totally cool that your mom is also considering the books. The more the merrier!
Paul wrote: "Great to see a family reading together. I'm going to try get my Dad to read the series when I finish"Excellent Paul! Thanks for helping to spread the Riyria love.
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@Audrey - nice! I'm so glad you enjoyed them. No worries about taking a break. I hope you enjoy what you are reading next, and do hope you find The Death of Dulgath an enjoyable read as well.
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https://dragonandjetpacks.com/2016/04...
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I'm eager. I got my signed copy that I can start as soon as I finish Uprooted, which should be in a day or two. Then I'll have to get the First Empire series.
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https://dragonandjetpacks.com/2016/05...
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Great interview, Lancer!Michael, I loved the casting choices you had. They all clicked quite well for me! While I was reading I pictured Matthew Fox for Hadrian and Dominic Monaghan (with black hair) for Royce. With Lost on the brain, I conjured up Jeremy Davies for Myron haha
Anyone have any personal choices for fan-casting? :)
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Though lasers sound fun Lancer :D
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Yeah, I've watched them both "real time" as he is working on it - and able to send him some suggestions...as well has the "compressed" versions where he shows many hours of work in a few minutes. Great stuff.