Questions for Saladin Ahmed, author of Throne of the Crescent Moon

[Tom, Supreme Laser]

Hey all,

Tuesday April 24th, we'll be recording our interview for episode 2 of the video show with Saladin Ahmed author of Throne of the Crescent Moon

Want to ask him a question? Write it here and we'll ask him!

[Travis]

Who inspires him as a writer.

[[deleted user]]

Will future books in the series give more detail on the magic system?

Will we see more of the world away from the area described in book one and will those areas have different magic?

What recent books have you read that you really enjoyed? What are you currently reading?

[[deleted user]]

After reading your recent Salon article, and having never really found a character in my preferred genres who I can relate to on an ethnic/racial/heritage level, I was wondering if you have come across any works or had any recommendations for works in SFF featuring persons of color?

[A.E.]

What role does his beard play in his writing? How often does stroking it with three fingers yield a nefariously good solution to a plot problem?

[Charles]

What was GMing the D&D fantasy game with various authors like Joe Abercrombie, Scott Lynch, etc. like? And how did his RPG experience influence his writing?

[Robert]

Who is going to appear in the next book ?

[terpkristin]

It looks like Throne of the Crescent Moon is his first book, and he's previously written a bunch of short stories. Does he find the creative process to be any different, writing short stories versus writing novels?

Was his goal/dream always to be a writer? And to write novels? Or did it just turn out that way?

I've never read any of his stuff, but I just read the description for Throne of the Crescent Moon and have added it to my "to read" list. :)

[Brittany]

Will his future books feature more awesome female characters, maybe even as the focal character? I would love to see more the of the "tribal" magics as well.

[Ryan]

I've had this book on my radar for a while, though I haven't been able to secure a copy as of yet. I'm for any kind of elements that bring something new to the table in the fantasy genre. So including an Arabian/Middle Eastern flavor/mythos sounds like a fantastic idea, since there isn't a lot of that used in today's fantasy (if at all). So my questions is, did taking that approach and using Arabian themes in your first novel make it a tougher sell to publishers? As a fellow Detroiter, I wish Saladin the best of luck with his book.

[Will]

Ala wrote: "After reading your recent Salon article, and having never really found a character in my preferred genres who I can relate to on an ethnic/racial/heritage level, I was wondering if you have come ac..."

Hey Ala. I would recommend the following science fiction books featuring main characters of diverse racial, ethnic, and cultural backgrounds:

"Lilith's Brood" by Octavia Butler
Synopsis: African-American female protagonist bonds with an alien species to continue the human race.
http://www.amazon.com/Liliths-Brood-O...

"Who Fears Death” by Nnedi Okorafor
Synopsis: Post-Apocalyptic Saharan Africa were a mother raises a child destined to fulfill the meaning of her name "Onyesonwu" (Who Fears Death).
http://www.amazon.com/Who-Fears-Death...

Chapter "Distances" in "The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven" by Shermann Alexie
Synopsis: A look at how Native Americans would respond if all the "white" people disappeared from North America due to a cataclysmic event.
http://www.amazon.com/Lone-Ranger-Ton...

Let me know if you need more suggestions.