Questions about the Emperor's Edge Series

[Chris]

Neat I just finished book 2. So I'll read this and start on book 3.

[Jodie]

Lindsay wrote: "Hi guys and gals, thanks for stopping by!

Jenna, Maldynado has been hounding me to star in his own story (since Book 2...he was quite put out that Books got to go first), but I think it may be Ak..."

Lindsay, how do you find Beta readers for your work?

[Lindsay]

Hi Jodie,

I'm lucky enough to have met some nice gals in the SFF Online Writing Workshop, and they've stuck with me! :)

[Lindsay]

Hi Rochelle,

Thanks for picking up the short story. I'm glad you're enjoying it!

"Did you by any chance know anyone in the military on whom you based Sicaruis' character (or part of his character)?"

Actually I knew many more people like Maldynado. :P Lots of crude (but good-natured) joking, and lots of talk of drinking and sex. ;) Every now and then I'd come across a hard-ass first sergeant or platoon sergeant, but they were a lot more like Bocrest (in Encrypted) than the silent deadly types. There's lots of emphasis on teamwork in the military, so I'm not sure they'd appreciate someone like Sicarius!

[Jodie]

Lindsay wrote: "Hi Jodie,

I'm lucky enough to have met some nice gals in the SFF Online Writing Workshop, and they've stuck with me! :)"

Well, I was an English major in another life. If you ever need someone else to be a beta reader... :)

[Rhianic]

Just found out about your new EE short story. Downloading now. ;P I'm also reading your Encrypted book (Though slowly because of my new xbox :x). I love the cover for The Assassin's Curse. Nothing's more spooky than skeletons floating in the sea. ;D -->Is a huge pirate fan.<--

[Lindsay]

Thanks, Jodie. I'll keep you in mind! I always worry that I write too quickly and that I'm going to wear out my beta readers. :)

Rhianic, thanks for grabbing the short story! No pirates in that one, but I love pirate stories too. I have a dystopian one I may finish up someday, and there were be some pesky airship pirates in the next Flash Gold adventure.

[Carol]

Hi Lindsay

1st off thanks for the EE books, and short stories, really enjoyed all of them, and the Flash Gold ones I'm reading at the moment.

Was intrigued by the idea of a follow up to Encrypted, will you give that a go after EE comes to an end. It was the first book I read and loved the idea of using a cryptanalyst for the main character.

Looking forward to EE Book 4 - really hope that by Book 6 Sespian can see it within himself to accept Sicarius, that would be great. (think I read on your blog somewhere that you envisioned a 6 books series)

[Lindsay]

Hi Carol,

I'm glad you're enjoying the stories. Thanks for checking them out!

I do have an Encrypted sequel plotted out and plan to get to it one day. I might have to finish the EE books first, as people have been bringing up the idea of chains and whips to encourage faster writing. :D

Six books, yes, that's the plan!

[a hooded figure from your friendly neighbourhood dog park]

Hello, Lindsay!

First of all, I want to say that I really love Emperor's Edge series (and Encrypted). Amaranthe and Tikaya are absolutely lovely, resourceful and inspiring, because they are girls I can understand and relate to, unlike many exaggerrated fantasy heroines. They feel really alive and tangible, if I'm making any sense. I'm the type to fangirl myserious assassins XD - but it was Amaranthe who ensured I couldn't stop reading and vouching for her.

Speaking of, I have a question to Sicarius (which makes me glad I'm on this side of the laptop screen):
did he flash his naked butt before Amaranthe on purpose? :p Nevermind, I'm already convinced he did! His perpetual 'straight face' makes it too easy to get away with things like that:D

Wishing you all the best,
Anna

[Lindsay]

Thanks for the post, Anna!

I'm glad you've enjoyed the books and the heroines. I do like to make my gals a little more down-to-earth than all the Xena-esque warrior women out there. :)

Sicarius, alas, isn't commenting on your question. It's possible there's a twinkle in his eyes, but I might be imagining it...

[a hooded figure from your friendly neighbourhood dog park]

Lindsay wrote: "Thanks for the post, Anna!

I'm glad you've enjoyed the books and the heroines. I do like to make my gals a little more down-to-earth than all the Xena-esque warrior women out there. :)

Sicarius,..."

Haha, okay! I probably shouldn't soar up to my happy place after just an imaginary eye twinkle, damn that man.

I love how in their team Amaranthe distracts him by talking and Sicarius distracts her by showing some skin. Oh, but he's just discovered a new counter. Too bad his principles won't let him employ it too often.

(I'm sorry, it's the most clicheed thing in the world, but I cannot unsee that in some distant future Amaranthe would go on and on about some crazy scheme until Sicarius is forced to kiss her).

It also made me irrationally happy when Sicarius mentioned Admiral Starcrest in Deadly Games.
Maybe in some alternative universe Sicarius is not named Sicarius and is working under Rias's command - kind of like his apprentice.

Sorry for rambling so much >.>

[Rhianic]

Anna, you just made me soar up to MY happy place after seeing that comment. xDD Imagining that twinkle is all I need. -cannot wait for the next book-

[Lindsay]

Feel free to ramble, Anna. It's nice to know people are enjoying the stories and thinking about the characters. ;)

I don't know about that kiss-to-shut-up idea. Maybe further down the line. The guys will be pretty busy in the next story. They have a kidnapping to plan, after all!

[Simona]

Yes, about the kidnapping...how's MY new book going?? ;-)

[Lindsay]

Editing it now, Simona!

[Holly]

I'm curious about something - after I found your work (and completed the entire Emperor's Edge series that same day), I immediately started scouring for any fan fiction that may have been written for your books. I couldn't find any at the sites I frequent. So my question is: do you allow fan fiction to be written for your work? Or is it just that no one has gotten around to it yet?

Thanks! -Holly

[Lindsay]

Hi, Holly!

Thanks for checking out my books. I'm glad you enjoyed them! (And I hope you didn't have anything else planned for that day. :D)

Fan fiction is fine by me. A couple of people have mentioned trying their hands at it, but I'm not sure if any has made it onto the web. Maybe someday. ;)

Lindsay

[Jodie]

Was so glad I saved Assassin's Curse for after my hand surgery. I loved it and it was a wonderful way to heal and pass the time. When will the second EE be released on Podiobooks? I can't wait to hear it. Thanks much for all your wonderful books. I look forward to the next EE and FG installments.

[Holly]

Lindsay wrote: "Hi, Holly!

Thanks for checking out my books. I'm glad you enjoyed them! (And I hope you didn't have anything else planned for that day. :D)

Fan fiction is fine by me. A couple of people have ment..."

Fortunately, I was on LOA til this past weekend, so no, I really didn't. :D Thanks for your response! I will remember that, if I'm ever feeling creative and need to branch out on my fic genres.

[Lindsay]

Jodie, all of the narration and editing is done, so we should see some chapters out soon! Good luck with the hand. I hope it wasn't too major of an injury!

Sounds great, Holly!

[Rhianic]

Hi, Lindsay! I was wondering, since you put up sneak peeks for the other EE books, when do you think you're going to put up the sneak peek for the 4th EE book? And speaking of which, have you come up with a name for it yet? :)

[Lindsay]

Hi Rhianic,

Hm, I imagine some teasers might appear in April... ;)

After rejecting numerous title ideas that would have had folks reaching for their dictionaries, I settled on Conspiracy.

Thanks for checking in. I hope to have more news soon!

Lindsay

[Jodi]

I found EE as a free novel on Amazon, as I love finding new authors that way and having the chance to get to know their writing first before purchasing more of their work. I fell absolutely in love with all of the characters in EE right away. Especially Sicarius. Now i am not the type to write letters to guys in jail, and I live with a cop. But Sic is as honorable a character as you can make up. He did what he did out of duty, as a soldier would who was trained and conditioned to obey. He holds his loyalty in high regard. I usually read completed series as I did once Hunger Games, Song of Dragons, Game of Thrones, and The Entire and The Rose were all finished (all wonderful series by the way). But I am totally enthused and very impatient for more EE! This is the biggest series to capture me in the last 200 books I have read (no I am not kidding). 3 books and a few short stories are not enough! I am very happy you will write at least 3 more, but I am craving them and it hurts to wait! I will post reviews on Amazon for these books and I hope they help you! I would love to see you devote full time to writing, for my own enjoyment!!! Thank you for the start! I will grab each new novel with barely contained excitement and look forward to more of the team's adventures!

[Lindsay]

Thank you for trying the books, Jodi, and for taking the time to write up such a nice comment. I'm glad you're enjoying the series. I'll have the fourth one out in early May, so I hope that'll be soon enough for ya!

~Lindsay
P.S. Maldynado is quite perplexed by everyone's interest in Sicarius and suggests I remind you how handsome, loyal, honorable, and handsome (oops, did I say that twice?) he is. :D

[Cassandra]

I have a few complaints. First, your books are terrible for anyone who likes to sleep or work or do anything remotely productive, because it's simply impossible to stop an adventure for such mundane activities. And even if you manage to put it down you are so distracted by things like Sespian's fate, when Amaranthe and Sicarius are going to find a dark room, or contemplating Maldynado's next outfit (or lack thereof), that you can't get anything done anyway.
Second, it's kind of disgusting how good the not-professionally edited advanced reader copy was. I can sniff out typos like a bomb dog but there were hardly any, and it was so polished. It's not fair that one person should get so much talent, it could be spread to 4 or 5 easy.

[Jenna]

Cassandra, I like how you think and I totally agree ;)

[Amanda]

I created a forum for us fans. Please note, styles and such will change in the next few days as I get time to configure it. The forum is up and running and ready for discussions, so feel free to pop over and make an account.

http://the-emperors-edge.com/forum/in...

[Jeffrey]

Lindsay, I have a question for you that I've asked other authors of books we read for our own GoodReads group.

Hypothetical question. If you're answered this already, I do apologize. :) If a movie studio contacted you and told you that they were going to turn Emperor's Edge into a movie, and YOU were responsible for casting the movie, who would you choose for all your characters?

J

[Lindsay]

There's been quite a bit of speculation on character casting, but I'm not much of a TV/movie buff, so I tend to leave it for others. :)

[Jeffrey]

Our group reads/reviews two books a month. One fantasy, and the other chosen by readers. This month our "other" category was steampunk, and Emperor's Edge was selected.

http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/8...

One of the questions we had talked about was just this, who'd play the best Amaranthe, Books, Maldynado, Sicarius, etc.

For the record, I think Daniel Craig would make a great Sicarius, but I still think the food critic from the animated movie Ratatouille (blond-headed and 20 years younger) would be perfect.

Jennifer Garner would make a great Amaranthe.

[Lindsay]

Oh, I didn't realize you guys were reading EE. That's great. Thanks!

Daniel Crag has come up quite a few times. I did see that first James Bond movie with him, and he did the humorless stony-eyed thing well. ;) I'm not as familiar with the animated actor. :P

[Chris]

Reading Conspiracy. First, I'm not too thrilled with Akstyr right now with trying to kill Sicarius again. Second, it seems a little too convenient that his mother happens to find him after eight years. Should we be worried?

[Lindsay]

Alas, Mom might not have his best interests at hand, Christina. Thanks for reading!

[Chris]

Wow that really cleared it up for me. Thanx. :)

[Jeffrey]

Lindsay, how long does it take you to write one of your Emperor's Edge books? From start to finish?

Was just curious. :)

[Lindsay]

Jeffrey, it's been about six months on average, but I think it'll be closer to 4 on EE5. Because I left folks with a cliffhanger, I worked hard to get this one done in a timely manner and didn't write anything else during that time.

[Jeffrey]

Impressive. Mine is nearly double that. 'Course, if I just set a schedule (and stick to it), I can probably get mine done sooner.

Are you a full time writer?

[Lindsay]

Yes, Jeffrey, I've been able to do it full time since Christmas. That certainly helps (though I've met people who get books out much more quickly and who have families and day jobs!). :)

[Jeffrey]

Very nice! Congrats on being something many of us strive to become! I'll get there sooner or later. :)

[Rebekah]

Lindsey, I know that many people have most likely asked you this, but I am a huge fan of the EE books and I was wondering when is the 5th one coming out and will it be on Kindle? Thanks!

[Lindsay]

Should be within a week, Rebekah! :)

[Rebekah]

Awesome! I'm super excited! Thank you so much and I think your style of writing is awesome and different in a good, fun kind of way. I can't wait to see whats going on between Amaranthe and Sicarius :) Keep up the wonderful work!!!! :D

[Han]

Hi :) I discovered this series last month but didn't have time to read past the first book until now. I just finished all the short stories and book 2, and am planning to read book 3 the day after tomorrow (unfortunately, I read ahead, so I know what's been happening up to the end of book 5, but I'll still enjoy the reading process very much). I love the witty banter, the fast-paced adventure, and I love Sicarius so much I've done stupid things like jump up and down when he simply appears in a scene or something (though if I met him in real life I'd probably be really scared of him, haha. Plus, I'm a little bit younger than Sespian. Ha). So, I was just wondering if you were planning to kill Sicarius off in the last book... and I'm really hoping you won't... like, my year might be ruined if that happens... :D

Also, do you know when Decrypted/EE6 will come out in 2013? Like, January 1, maybe? =D

Thanks for writing and sharing such great books with the world! ^^

[Rhianic]

I AGREE WITH H. ;_______; Lindsay, you're so mean. That ending was so spectacular I had tears of happiness/disbelief when I read you weren't releasing until 2013. I also agree with H that if you kill Sicarius off.... >_____> You would have SOOOOOO many unhappy fans. And January 1st sounds like a nice date, don't you agree? ;n; All the feels given at the end. ALL THE FEELS. D: When is the next book coming out in 2013, as H has already asked?? And I know this isn't an EE question, but is Decrypted going to have Sicarius in it as well???? :D

[Han]

Oh yeah, I was wondering that too, Rhianic. :) I read Encrypted before I read any of the EE books, and the moment Sicarius appeared I knew I was going to love him. Ah, I'm so obsessed; it's not healthy~ D:

I was actually also wondering if EE6 will have Tikaya and Rias in it? And in EE6, Sicarius will be the second POV character, right? (BTW, Shadows Over Innocence was awesome and anything else in Sicarius's POV/about Sicarius would be awesome. XD)

Oh, and I heard January 1 is a very auspicious books-releasing date (; (notice the plural)

[Lindsay]

Hi, H! Thanks for checking out the books. Skipping ahead? Shame, shame. :D Yes, oddly Sicarius does have quite a few fans. I did an interview with him on my site a few months ago, and it was quite popular! http://www.lindsayburoker.com/cut-sce...

I'm not planning to kill Sicarius off at this time... though we shall see! ;)

I am shooting for Jan/Feb with Encrypted, but it does take quite a while to write a novel! I will probably publish some short stories before then to tide folks over.

Rhianic, moi, mean? Surely not. :) I don't think Sicarius will be in Decrypted, as that'll take place a couple of months after Encrypted. His name might come up, but that's about it.

"I was actually also wondering if EE6 will have Tikaya and Rias in it?"

That's the plan right now. They'll be older and have their lives established, of course, and maybe even have a couple of kids close to Sespian's age. :D

"And in EE6, Sicarius will be the second POV character, right?"

Yes, he will. :)

[Jeffrey]

I know first hand how much work goes into releasing a book. I think you're doing a great job! :)

I'll be eagerly waiting for EE6!

J.

[Lindsay]

Thanks, Jeffrey! I'm off to write right now. :)

[Maria]

Wait a second - a couple of months after Encrypted? That's just the prologue, right? We need a better glimpse of the last 20 years!