2014 Group Read discussions: Aug '14 * Prince of Fools* Q&A with Mark Lawrence

[Brenda ╰☆╮]

Thread for questions to author Mark Lawrence for his book Prince of Fools.

Thank you Mark.

[Bev]

Yes thanks Mark. I am sure we will get a big response to this thread once reading starts.

[Helen, I·ᴍ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ʟɪʙʀᴀʀʏ]

Hi Mark, how do you come up with the character names? Also, do you have a rule where your first book in a series starts with prince, lol.

[Mark]

Hi Helen - mostly I just pluck names out of the air, but for my Vikings I google lists of Viking names then stick a pin in. Actually, I chose Snorri because it means 'attack'. Soon after I'd written the book I met a real Snorri for the first time, Snorri Kristjansson, author of Swords of Good Men.

No prince rules, no. We'll have to see what my next book/series starts with. If it's a prince I'll concede there's a trend. Two is just coincidence :D

[Helen, I·ᴍ ɪɴ ᴛʜᴇ ʟɪʙʀᴀʀʏ]

Thanks for answering. I love that you met a real Snorri, did you tell him about your character? I'm looking forward to King of Fools - okay I'm joking. But I will look forward to book two.

[Mark]

Helen wrote: "Thanks for answering. I love that you met a real Snorri, did you tell him about your character? I'm looking forward to King of Fools - okay I'm joking. But I will look forward to book two."

Yes, the real Snorri has read the book!

Book 2 is The Liar's Key, out next June.

[Sam]

hi mark big fan of the broken empire triology, I bought prince of fools when it came out but haven't got the chance to read it yet, hoping to start tonight,my questions are:

1. how come for your second trilogy you stayed in the same world and time frame as the broken empire trilogy?

2. will there be a third trilogy after this one set in the same world?

3. or will u create a hole new world for future books.

Thanks in advance for answering.

[Mark]

Sam wrote: "hi mark big fan of the broken empire trilogy, I bought prince of fools when it came out but haven't got the chance to read it yet, hoping to start tonight,my questions are:

1. how come for your s..."

Hi Sam, glad you liked the Thorns books - hopefully this rather different journey will suit you too!

1. I actually wrote a book in between set in a very different world. I came back to the Broken Empire because it seemed like there was plenty of room in it to tell new tales. After all, every non-SFF book in history has been set in the same world and they keep on writing those!

2/3 I don't know. Generally I don't plan as far as the bottom of the page. I certainly don't plan whole books ahead. There are pros and cons to both paths. It's hard to get people to invest in a whole new world - especially if the associate you with a particular setting. We shall see...

[Marc]

Hi Mark
Its seem to cruel to wait till June for my next fix, Will we seem some additional shorts similar to Select Mode or sleeping beauty to fill the gaps between books.
Secondly not so much a question as a request.....More Chella please, I really enjoyed the brief time we spent with her as a POV.
Anyway thanks for the many hours spent within the broken empire, I look forward to many more visits and day trips to any other worlds you feel like bringing us along to.


Oh wait I thought of a question....a proper one.
Possibly spoilers I guess but is there anyone you killed of that you later wished you hadn't, someone who looking back you could have expanded the role they would have played.

[Sam]

I really liked the broken empire world it was very different from most fantasy books which was great and had one of the best characters in fantasy in jorg so I think its a plus your exploring it more because a lot of fantasy authors dont do that.

Thanks again for answering, should have prince of fools read by thursday/friday so will have more questions no doubt.

[Mark]

Marc wrote: "Hi Mark
Its seem to cruel to wait till June for my next fix, Will we seem some additional shorts similar to Select Mode or sleeping beauty to fill the gaps between books.
Secondly not so much a q..."

Hey Marc - glad you liked it!

I'm not a planner, so no plans for short stories, but that's not to say they won't happen. I have 3 short stories about individual members of Jorg's brotherhood due to appear in anthologies and they can be fun to write.

'je ne regrette rien'

Every character has the potential to be fascinating if you write them well and there's an endless sea of characters waiting their turn on stage, so no, to everything there is a season and any characters I may have killed had theirs :)

[Mark]

Sam wrote: "I really liked the broken empire world it was very different from most fantasy books which was great and had one of the best characters in fantasy in jorg so I think its a plus your exploring it mo..."

Thanks. I hope you enjoy it.

[Marc]

Mark wrote: "Marc wrote: "Hi Mark
Its seem to cruel to wait till June for my next fix, Will we seem some additional shorts similar to Select Mode or sleeping beauty to fill the gaps between books.
Secondly no..."

As always thanks for the feedback Mark....More short is always good news.....ofcourse a chella short....well thats GREAT news

[Edward]

H Mark, thanks for taking the time - very generous of you.

You made the comment when someone asked in the main thread that the previous trilogy was no required (I haven't read it yet :( ) but then said 'It's not as dark'. Did you mean this isn't as dark (Prince of Fools) or that the original trilogy was not?

Thanks again. Late to the party, I am (and suddenly Yoda, too!) but looking forward to the book.

[Mark]

Edward wrote: "H Mark, thanks for taking the time - very generous of you.

You made the comment when someone asked in the main thread that the previous trilogy was no required (I haven't read it yet :( ) but then..."

Prince of Fools & its trilogy is not as dark as Prince of Thorns & its trilogy - though both have their dark moments and their humour.

[Edward]

Thanks for the reply. Looking forward to the books

[Alissa]

Thank you Mark for the great book. The broken empire is yet again an intriguing setting and I really loved the first person narration for Jal and Snorri adventure, and found myself grinning many times at the witty dialogues (and monologues!).
My question is, Jal and Snorri's fate -so far- deeply intertwines with the main story of the first broken empire trilogy, and both the Red Queen and the Silent Sister have purposes hinted here and deployed in the Emperor of Thorns. I read your reply on post #8 but why did you decide to write a new trilogy setting it temporally in parallel to Jorg's? It's absolutely intriguing, but as the story progresses and converges, won't the end of the first curb, somehow, the second?

Thank you, I'm really looking forward to the next book and the short stories about Jorg's brothers.

[Mark]

Hi Alissa - very glad you enjoyed it.

Several reasons:

i) (view spoiler)[ if it were set after then there'd be no magic (hide spoiler)]

ii) setting it at the same time allowed me to spend time with characters seen in passing in Jorg's tale but who had additional potential

iii) the intersects offer the opportunity for fun

iv) I've seen this opinion a few times but don't know where the idea arose that this trilogy will end at the same point the other one did ... there are six years there to play with ... half of King of Thorns happened on one day!

[Alissa]

Thank you for your reply, I'm even more eager now to read what you have in store for Jal and Snorri.....and surely six years to the Red Queen schemes are a lot to play with. Thanks again.