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ElaineCunningham
Forgotten Realms Author

2395 Posts

Posted - 07 Aug 2017 :  20:24:52  Show Profile  Visit ElaineCunningham's Homepage  Reply with Quote
A quick note about Gen Con book signings: I won't have any books available for sale at the con, but I'm happy to sign old stuff. I will also have bookplates for people who (quite understandably) don't want to schlepp books around.

Hope to see many of you there!
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ElaineCunningham
Forgotten Realms Author

2395 Posts

Posted - 07 Aug 2017 :  20:29:36  Show Profile  Visit ElaineCunningham's Homepage  Reply with Quote
Here's my schedule for Gen Con.

Gen Con 2017, August 16-19

Thursday, August 17:

9:00 – Writers’ Symposium Opening Ceremony
10:00 – Story Craft: Where Do You Begin Your Story? A panel discussion with Cat Rambo, Brian McClellan, and Eric Flint.
2:00 – Worldbuilding: Magic Systems that Won’t Break Your Story. With Monica Valentinelli, James Lowder, and Richard Lee Byers.
4:00 – Worldbuilding: Creating Fantasy Cultures. With Mary Robinette Kowal, Gregory Wilson, Sandra Tayler, and Lucy Snyder.

Friday, August 18

10:00 – Worldbuilding 101. With Richard Lee Byers.
12:00 – Signing. With Margaret Weis, Tracy Hickman, and James Lowder.
1:00-5:00 – Worldbuilders Party. A gaming event organized by Worldbuilders, Patrick Rothfuss’s charitable organization. I’ll be running “Lords of Waterdeep” from 3:45-5:00.

Saturday, August 19

10:00 – Worldbuilding 101. With Monica Valentinelli, James Lowder, and Steven Long.
1:00 – Special Event: Superstars of RPG Fiction. With Margaret Weis, Tracy Hickman, and James Lowder.
4:00 – Fantasy Fiction: Getting European Medieval Fantasy Right. With Josh Vogt and Eric Scott de Bie.
5:00 – Writer’s Craft: Setting as a Character. With Lucy Snyder and Gregory Wilson.
7:00 – Worldbuilding: More than Just Another Earth. With Maxwell Alexander Drake and Ilana C. Myer.
8:00-10:00 – Candlekeep Seminar
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E4eva
Acolyte

3 Posts

Posted - 11 Aug 2017 :  18:17:33  Show Profile Send E4eva a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Hi Elaine,

I only just learned, stumbling on an older post on your blog/website today, that you had posted a few chapters of 'Reclamation' here, originally, as you write, under a post entitled "A birthday gift for long-time Realms readers," with the third chapter under another post called "Chapter 3."

I can no longer find those posts here in the FR Novels thread... Could you (or another kind soul) link me to those please??

I would dearly love to read them. I've been a die-hard lover of your writing since the books first came out -- and anything new (to me) about Arilyn, Danilo and Elaith would be a dream come true to read.

(I saw elsewhere on the Forum that you may have also posted some excerpts from 'The Serpent's Daughter.' Needless to say, if that is also still available, I'd love a link to that as well. Azariah, Elaith, what could be better...)

Always hungry for more of your writing, Elaine. Thanks so much for everything you've gifted us with over the years. I only hope that Reclamation and Serpent's Daughter will appear someday as the full published novels they should rightly be!

Best,
Dylan
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ElaineCunningham
Forgotten Realms Author

2395 Posts

Posted - 21 Sep 2017 :  20:55:52  Show Profile  Visit ElaineCunningham's Homepage  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by E4eva

Hi Elaine,

I only just learned, stumbling on an older post on your blog/website today, that you had posted a few chapters of 'Reclamation' here, originally, as you write, under a post entitled "A birthday gift for long-time Realms readers," with the third chapter under another post called "Chapter 3."

I can no longer find those posts here in the FR Novels thread... Could you (or another kind soul) link me to those please??

I would dearly love to read them. I've been a die-hard lover of your writing since the books first came out -- and anything new (to me) about Arilyn, Danilo and Elaith would be a dream come true to read.

(I saw elsewhere on the Forum that you may have also posted some excerpts from 'The Serpent's Daughter.' Needless to say, if that is also still available, I'd love a link to that as well. Azariah, Elaith, what could be better...)

Always hungry for more of your writing, Elaine. Thanks so much for everything you've gifted us with over the years. I only hope that Reclamation and Serpent's Daughter will appear someday as the full published novels they should rightly be!

Best,
Dylan



Hi, Dylan. Apologies for the long delay in responding!

These excerpts have been removed from Candlekeep, at my request. If either of these stories WERE to see the light of day, I'd like to significantly rework the sample chapters, and would prefer that the early version not be out and about in the world.

That said, I'll be writing a bit of FR fanfic in the near future, and will post a link when that's available.

Best,
ec

Edited by - ElaineCunningham on 21 Sep 2017 20:57:02
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BenN
Senior Scribe

Japan
382 Posts

Posted - 22 Sep 2017 :  03:47:28  Show Profile Send BenN a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by ElaineCunningham
I'll be writing a bit of FR fanfic in the near future, and will post a link when that's available.


Awesome! Looking forward to it.
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Barastir
Master of Realmslore

Brazil
1600 Posts

Posted - 27 Sep 2017 :  11:22:55  Show Profile Send Barastir a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Wonderful news, Mrs. Cunningham! Please let us know!!!

"Goodness is not a natural state, but must be
fought for to be attained and maintained.
Lead by example.
Let your deeds speak your intentions.
Goodness radiated from the heart."

The Paladin's Virtues, excerpt from the "Quentin's Monograph"
(by Ed Greenwood)
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The Red Walker
Great Reader

USA
3563 Posts

Posted - 11 Oct 2017 :  21:17:45  Show Profile Send The Red Walker a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by ElaineCunningham

quote:
Originally posted by E4eva

Hi Elaine,

I only just learned, stumbling on an older post on your blog/website today, that you had posted a few chapters of 'Reclamation' here, originally, as you write, under a post entitled "A birthday gift for long-time Realms readers," with the third chapter under another post called "Chapter 3."

I can no longer find those posts here in the FR Novels thread... Could you (or another kind soul) link me to those please??

I would dearly love to read them. I've been a die-hard lover of your writing since the books first came out -- and anything new (to me) about Arilyn, Danilo and Elaith would be a dream come true to read.

(I saw elsewhere on the Forum that you may have also posted some excerpts from 'The Serpent's Daughter.' Needless to say, if that is also still available, I'd love a link to that as well. Azariah, Elaith, what could be better...)

Always hungry for more of your writing, Elaine. Thanks so much for everything you've gifted us with over the years. I only hope that Reclamation and Serpent's Daughter will appear someday as the full published novels they should rightly be!

Best,
Dylan



Hi, Dylan. Apologies for the long delay in responding!

These excerpts have been removed from Candlekeep, at my request. If either of these stories WERE to see the light of day, I'd like to significantly rework the sample chapters, and would prefer that the early version not be out and about in the world.

That said, I'll be writing a bit of FR fanfic in the near future, and will post a link when that's available.

Best,
ec



FR fanfic from you is an encouraging thought!

It good to see you pop in here occasionally, we love you and need you here!

A little nonsense now and then, relished by the wisest men - Willy Wonka

"We need men who can dream of things that never were." -

John F. Kennedy, speech in Dublin, Ireland, June 28, 1963
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ElaineCunningham
Forgotten Realms Author

2395 Posts

Posted - 12 Oct 2017 :  03:20:46  Show Profile  Visit ElaineCunningham's Homepage  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by The Red Walker

FR fanfic from you is an encouraging thought!




I'll be flat out for the rest of the month, as I'm determined to complete Draft Zero of my novel-in-progress by Halloween. The fanfic is on my To-Do list for November. The story will be about an incident in the life of Elaith Craulnober when he was quite young, before he left Evermeet.

One of my plans for November is to start a Patreon account. I will be posting this story there ABOVE the pay wall, so that it's available to anyone who stops by. Patrons will get original stories, in-depth articles about aspects of the writing process, and, if the goal is met, a serial novel. Patreon is an interesting concept, and I'm looking forward to experimenting with it.
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The Red Walker
Great Reader

USA
3563 Posts

Posted - 12 Oct 2017 :  21:32:38  Show Profile Send The Red Walker a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by ElaineCunningham

quote:
Originally posted by The Red Walker

FR fanfic from you is an encouraging thought!




I'll be flat out for the rest of the month, as I'm determined to complete Draft Zero of my novel-in-progress by Halloween. The fanfic is on my To-Do list for November. The story will be about an incident in the life of Elaith Craulnober when he was quite young, before he left Evermeet.

One of my plans for November is to start a Patreon account. I will be posting this story there ABOVE the pay wall, so that it's available to anyone who stops by. Patrons will get original stories, in-depth articles about aspects of the writing process, and, if the goal is met, a serial novel. Patreon is an interesting concept, and I'm looking forward to experimenting with it.



A little nonsense now and then, relished by the wisest men - Willy Wonka

"We need men who can dream of things that never were." -

John F. Kennedy, speech in Dublin, Ireland, June 28, 1963
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The Red Walker
Great Reader

USA
3563 Posts

Posted - 12 Oct 2017 :  21:33:28  Show Profile Send The Red Walker a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by ElaineCunningham

quote:
Originally posted by The Red Walker

FR fanfic from you is an encouraging thought!




I'll be flat out for the rest of the month, as I'm determined to complete Draft Zero of my novel-in-progress by Halloween. The fanfic is on my To-Do list for November. The story will be about an incident in the life of Elaith Craulnober when he was quite young, before he left Evermeet.

One of my plans for November is to start a Patreon account. I will be posting this story there ABOVE the pay wall, so that it's available to anyone who stops by. Patrons will get original stories, in-depth articles about aspects of the writing process, and, if the goal is met, a serial novel. Patreon is an interesting concept, and I'm looking forward to experimenting with it.



A little nonsense now and then, relished by the wisest men - Willy Wonka

"We need men who can dream of things that never were." -

John F. Kennedy, speech in Dublin, Ireland, June 28, 1963
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Barastir
Master of Realmslore

Brazil
1600 Posts

Posted - 13 Oct 2017 :  12:33:23  Show Profile Send Barastir a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by ElaineCunningham

(...)
The story will be about an incident in the life of Elaith Craulnober when he was quite young, before he left Evermeet.

(...)



Wonderful news!!! IMHO, the best villain/anti-hero in the Realms!

"Goodness is not a natural state, but must be
fought for to be attained and maintained.
Lead by example.
Let your deeds speak your intentions.
Goodness radiated from the heart."

The Paladin's Virtues, excerpt from the "Quentin's Monograph"
(by Ed Greenwood)
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ElaineCunningham
Forgotten Realms Author

2395 Posts

Posted - 19 Oct 2017 :  14:09:07  Show Profile  Visit ElaineCunningham's Homepage  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Barastir


Wonderful news!!! IMHO, the best villain/anti-hero in the Realms!



I've always been interested in the path that leads people to villainy. It's easy to assume that people are "born bad," but some of the recent research into psychopaths indicates that environment and early choices are most likely the determining factors. We all have unexpressed genes--traits and tendencies that COULD develop, given the right (or wrong) circumstances.

What separates heroes from villains is often little more than a matter of perspective. When we left Elaith's story, he was on a trajectory of becoming an elven hero, despite his decades of shady dealings among the humans of Faerun. Maybe he would have kept on that path, perhaps he would have taken a side road. He has made a lot of unfortunate choices in his long life, but he has also made many good ones. Especially in his early years, he worked very hard to develop the skills he would need to make a valuable contribution to elven society. He took his responsibilities seriously and he was, and remains, fiercely loyal to the Moonflower clan.

But life is never a straight path. We aren't born with a blank slate. Choices our ancesters made are reflected in our DNA. Elaith, like all of us, is shaped by his heredity as well as his environment. This story hints at some of the things that heritage might include.

I'm also working on a simple line art illustration for the story, so you'll get to see how I envision Elaith as a young elf.

Edited by - ElaineCunningham on 19 Oct 2017 14:14:23
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sleyvas
Skilled Spell Strategist

USA
11686 Posts

Posted - 20 Oct 2017 :  00:37:26  Show Profile Send sleyvas a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by ElaineCunningham

quote:
Originally posted by Barastir


Wonderful news!!! IMHO, the best villain/anti-hero in the Realms!



I've always been interested in the path that leads people to villainy. It's easy to assume that people are "born bad," but some of the recent research into psychopaths indicates that environment and early choices are most likely the determining factors. We all have unexpressed genes--traits and tendencies that COULD develop, given the right (or wrong) circumstances.

What separates heroes from villains is often little more than a matter of perspective. When we left Elaith's story, he was on a trajectory of becoming an elven hero, despite his decades of shady dealings among the humans of Faerun. Maybe he would have kept on that path, perhaps he would have taken a side road. He has made a lot of unfortunate choices in his long life, but he has also made many good ones. Especially in his early years, he worked very hard to develop the skills he would need to make a valuable contribution to elven society. He took his responsibilities seriously and he was, and remains, fiercely loyal to the Moonflower clan.

But life is never a straight path. We aren't born with a blank slate. Choices our ancesters made are reflected in our DNA. Elaith, like all of us, is shaped by his heredity as well as his environment. This story hints at some of the things that heritage might include.

I'm also working on a simple line art illustration for the story, so you'll get to see how I envision Elaith as a young elf.



You draw too? I know you do music as well. I'm jealous.... all I can do is math.

Alavairthae, may your skill prevail

Phillip aka Sleyvas
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ElaineCunningham
Forgotten Realms Author

2395 Posts

Posted - 20 Oct 2017 :  12:00:15  Show Profile  Visit ElaineCunningham's Homepage  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by sleyvas

You draw too? I know you do music as well. I'm jealous.... all I can do is math.



I was one of those kids who were always drawing and painting. My focus shifted from art to music during high school, which was about 253 years ago. I'm starting to get back into it, working my way through several books on figure drawing. I'm not very proficient at this point, but it's something I enjoy doing.
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Elven Avenger
Acolyte

Brazil
27 Posts

Posted - 20 Oct 2017 :  20:33:40  Show Profile Send Elven Avenger a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by ElaineCunningham

quote:
Originally posted by Barastir


Wonderful news!!! IMHO, the best villain/anti-hero in the Realms!



I've always been interested in the path that leads people to villainy. It's easy to assume that people are "born bad," but some of the recent research into psychopaths indicates that environment and early choices are most likely the determining factors. We all have unexpressed genes--traits and tendencies that COULD develop, given the right (or wrong) circumstances.

What separates heroes from villains is often little more than a matter of perspective. When we left Elaith's story, he was on a trajectory of becoming an elven hero, despite his decades of shady dealings among the humans of Faerun. Maybe he would have kept on that path, perhaps he would have taken a side road. He has made a lot of unfortunate choices in his long life, but he has also made many good ones. Especially in his early years, he worked very hard to develop the skills he would need to make a valuable contribution to elven society. He took his responsibilities seriously and he was, and remains, fiercely loyal to the Moonflower clan.

But life is never a straight path. We aren't born with a blank slate. Choices our ancesters made are reflected in our DNA. Elaith, like all of us, is shaped by his heredity as well as his environment. This story hints at some of the things that heritage might include.

I'm also working on a simple line art illustration for the story, so you'll get to see how I envision Elaith as a young elf.



What a wonderful way to make my day happy!
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ElaineCunningham
Forgotten Realms Author

2395 Posts

Posted - 07 Nov 2017 :  14:37:00  Show Profile  Visit ElaineCunningham's Homepage  Reply with Quote
I started reading the Sword & Sorceress anthologies back when they were in single digits, but never submitted a story to one until this year. "Royal Daughters" is included in S&S 32, which was released November 2. It's set in the border country of Scotland during the infancy of Mary Queen of Scots, and the combination of history and fantasy is very similar to the flavor of my novel-in-progress. If that sounds like your cup of java, here's a link:

https://www.amazon.com/Sword-Sorceress-32-Elisabeth-Waters-ebook/dp/B074L4MMTB/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1510065195&sr=8-1&keywords=sword+and+sorceress+32
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ElaineCunningham
Forgotten Realms Author

2395 Posts

Posted - 07 Nov 2017 :  14:41:33  Show Profile  Visit ElaineCunningham's Homepage  Reply with Quote
I also had a story published recently in the reprint anthology Killing It Softly 2. This is a collection of dark tales by women writers. It's a huge collection--38 stories, over 185,000 words--and it includes some heavy hitters such as Rachel Caine and Nancy Holder. While I'm not usually considered a horror writer, the story "A Great and Terrible Hunger" does qualify. It was originally published in Madness on the Orient Express, an athology published by Chaosium and edited by Jim Lowder. Here's a link:

https://www.amazon.com/Killing-Softly-Digital-Fiction-Anthology-ebook/dp/B076Z44WR7/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1510065485&sr=1-1&keywords=killing+it+softly+2&dpID=51cuHs6ZAfL&preST=_SY445_QL70_&dpSrc=srch

Mod edit: Fixed a bit of italics coding to make it display correctly.

Edited by - Wooly Rupert on 07 Nov 2017 15:33:46
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E4eva
Acolyte

3 Posts

Posted - 07 Nov 2017 :  14:53:21  Show Profile Send E4eva a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by ElaineCunningham

quote:
Originally posted by The Red Walker

FR fanfic from you is an encouraging thought!




I'll be flat out for the rest of the month, as I'm determined to complete Draft Zero of my novel-in-progress by Halloween. The fanfic is on my To-Do list for November. The story will be about an incident in the life of Elaith Craulnober when he was quite young, before he left Evermeet.

One of my plans for November is to start a Patreon account. I will be posting this story there ABOVE the pay wall, so that it's available to anyone who stops by. Patrons will get original stories, in-depth articles about aspects of the writing process, and, if the goal is met, a serial novel. Patreon is an interesting concept, and I'm looking forward to experimenting with it.




Wonderful to hear you'll be experimenting with Patreon! I follow quite a few creators on there, and it seems to have lots of potential. Love that you'll be exploring Elaith's past -- and why he became who he became -- as well.

Would love to follow your Patreon. Can you link us here to it?
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ElaineCunningham
Forgotten Realms Author

2395 Posts

Posted - 07 Nov 2017 :  15:34:25  Show Profile  Visit ElaineCunningham's Homepage  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by E4eva

quote:
Originally posted by ElaineCunningham

quote:
Originally posted by The Red Walker

FR fanfic from you is an encouraging thought!




I'll be flat out for the rest of the month, as I'm determined to complete Draft Zero of my novel-in-progress by Halloween. The fanfic is on my To-Do list for November. The story will be about an incident in the life of Elaith Craulnober when he was quite young, before he left Evermeet.

One of my plans for November is to start a Patreon account. I will be posting this story there ABOVE the pay wall, so that it's available to anyone who stops by. Patrons will get original stories, in-depth articles about aspects of the writing process, and, if the goal is met, a serial novel. Patreon is an interesting concept, and I'm looking forward to experimenting with it.




Wonderful to hear you'll be experimenting with Patreon! I follow quite a few creators on there, and it seems to have lots of potential. Love that you'll be exploring Elaith's past -- and why he became who he became -- as well.

Would love to follow your Patreon. Can you link us here to it?



The page is still in development, but I will post a link when it's live.

About the Elaith story, though, I've been having second thoughts about the wisdom--and for that matter, the ethics--of using an IP to draw people to a money-making site. I will still finish that story, but I'll just post it on my website. And I will post a link when that's online. :)
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ElaineCunningham
Forgotten Realms Author

2395 Posts

Posted - 07 Nov 2017 :  15:39:22  Show Profile  Visit ElaineCunningham's Homepage  Reply with Quote
Regarding the upcoming Patreon, I will be including original fiction (aka "stuff not set in the Realms") on a monthly basis. I have a flash fiction piece ready to go, a quirky little tale of which I'm inordinately fond. :)
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E4eva
Acolyte

3 Posts

Posted - 07 Nov 2017 :  15:55:47  Show Profile Send E4eva a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by ElaineCunningham

Regarding the upcoming Patreon, I will be including original fiction (aka "stuff not set in the Realms") on a monthly basis. I have a flash fiction piece ready to go, a quirky little tale of which I'm inordinately fond. :)




Excited for it all.

Yes, please link us here to the Patreon and to the story when you post it on your site.
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ElaineCunningham
Forgotten Realms Author

2395 Posts

Posted - 01 Dec 2017 :  12:09:00  Show Profile  Visit ElaineCunningham's Homepage  Reply with Quote
At the end of each month, I post a writing summary on my author website. I'm including a link here for people who might be interested in hearing what I'm working on, as well as people who are interested in the writing process in general.

http://www.elainecunningham.com/writing-updates/november-writing-summary/?preview_id=4594&preview_nonce=0a3e994186&post_format=standard&_thumbnail_id=-1&preview=true

This post includes something a bit different: A cartoon illustration for "Family Matters," a flash fiction story that will be posted on my upcoming Patreon. This is a draft, done with pencil, Sharpie, and colored pencils. The final will be redrawn by hand and then inked and colored with GIMP, if I can figure out how to use it.

Adobe Creative Suite, I miss you! (But not your customer service, which SUCKS....)

Edited by - ElaineCunningham on 01 Dec 2017 12:10:54
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Sunderstone
Learned Scribe

104 Posts

Posted - 23 Dec 2017 :  02:22:29  Show Profile Send Sunderstone a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Hi Elaine,

One of the novels I looked forward to the most during the Star Wars EU days was Blood Oath. I always wanted to see a Zekk centric novel.

Had you mapped out the story you had in mind for that novel? If you are able to share, what kind of Jedi was Zekk in your mind? What were his strengths and weakensses? What personality traits were you looking forward to accentuating?

Thanks,

SS
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ElaineCunningham
Forgotten Realms Author

2395 Posts

Posted - 23 Dec 2017 :  13:08:48  Show Profile  Visit ElaineCunningham's Homepage  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Sunderstone

Hi Elaine,

One of the novels I looked forward to the most during the Star Wars EU days was Blood Oath. I always wanted to see a Zekk centric novel.

Had you mapped out the story you had in mind for that novel? If you are able to share, what kind of Jedi was Zekk in your mind? What were his strengths and weakensses? What personality traits were you looking forward to accentuating?

Thanks,

SS



Hi, Sunderstone.

The novel was a little over half written, and a detailed chapter-by-chapter outline had been approved by the Del Rey editor and the LucasFilm continuity team, so yes, it was thoroughly mapped out.

Except for his brief sojourn into villainy in the Young Jedi Knights series, Zekk has always been a supporting character. Turning the narrative spotlight on such a character can reveal some interesting things. For example, for many books before this story, he was defined primarily by his relationship with Jaina. That ended in this book, and for the first time in a very long time he was defining himself outside of his connection with the Solo family, and for that matter, the Jedi order. That task was made more challenging by the editorial dictate that he end up with one of the Hapan twins who were introduced in the preceding story arc. Since men are secondary citizens in Hapan culture, this meant working past TWO second-banana mindsets. It was an interesting and enlightening experience to have to deal with a male character who was largely defined by his relationships, a pretty common expectation for female characters. The relationship aspect was not the focus of the story, however, and the plot was very action-oriented, allowing Zekk to pay to his strengths and also explore some new applications of his Force connection.

Writing in the Star Wars universe was lots of fun, and I regret that my health and circumstances made it impossible for me to finish the story.
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ElaineCunningham
Forgotten Realms Author

2395 Posts

Posted - 08 Jan 2018 :  13:15:03  Show Profile  Visit ElaineCunningham's Homepage  Reply with Quote
Hi, folks. A quick note to let you know about a recent reprint anthology that might be relevant to your interests. KILLING IT SOFTLY 2 is a really big collection (38 stories, over 600 printed pages) of dark fiction. There are quite a few heavy hitters in this group, and it's a very eclectic collection. The link below leads to the Amazon.com page, which lists the Table of Contents. I find that anthologies are a great way to catch up with my favorite writers, and they've introduced me to more than a few new favorites.

One caveat: I am NOT on board with the marketing approach to this anthology. I have reservations about "women only" projects and I really dislike the "girls are just as good as boys and OMG MAYBE EVEN BETTER!!!" tone the marketing angle takes. That said, this book is a remarkable collection, and I hope you'll give it a look.

https://www.amazon.com/Killing-Softly-Digital-Fiction-Anthology-ebook/dp/B076Z44WR7/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1515416861&sr=8-1&keywords=killing+it+softly+2
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ElaineCunningham
Forgotten Realms Author

2395 Posts

Posted - 08 Jan 2018 :  13:18:50  Show Profile  Visit ElaineCunningham's Homepage  Reply with Quote
Here's a link to a blog post that summarizes what I wrote in 2017 and gives a peek at my 2018 plans. There are, of course, a few things in the works and in the realm of possibility than I can't talk about, but this is the general shape of the year to come.

http://www.elainecunningham.com/short-fiction/2017-writing-summary-plus-plans-for-2018/
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Sunderstone
Learned Scribe

104 Posts

Posted - 09 Jan 2018 :  00:54:56  Show Profile Send Sunderstone a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by ElaineCunningham

quote:
Originally posted by Sunderstone

Hi Elaine,

One of the novels I looked forward to the most during the Star Wars EU days was Blood Oath. I always wanted to see a Zekk centric novel.

Had you mapped out the story you had in mind for that novel? If you are able to share, what kind of Jedi was Zekk in your mind? What were his strengths and weakensses? What personality traits were you looking forward to accentuating?

Thanks,

SS



Hi, Sunderstone.

The novel was a little over half written, and a detailed chapter-by-chapter outline had been approved by the Del Rey editor and the LucasFilm continuity team, so yes, it was thoroughly mapped out.

Except for his brief sojourn into villainy in the Young Jedi Knights series, Zekk has always been a supporting character. Turning the narrative spotlight on such a character can reveal some interesting things. For example, for many books before this story, he was defined primarily by his relationship with Jaina. That ended in this book, and for the first time in a very long time he was defining himself outside of his connection with the Solo family, and for that matter, the Jedi order. That task was made more challenging by the editorial dictate that he end up with one of the Hapan twins who were introduced in the preceding story arc. Since men are secondary citizens in Hapan culture, this meant working past TWO second-banana mindsets. It was an interesting and enlightening experience to have to deal with a male character who was largely defined by his relationships, a pretty common expectation for female characters. The relationship aspect was not the focus of the story, however, and the plot was very action-oriented, allowing Zekk to pay to his strengths and also explore some new applications of his Force connection.

Writing in the Star Wars universe was lots of fun, and I regret that my health and circumstances made it impossible for me to finish the story.



Thank you! I'm sorry your health and circumstances prevented the novel, I would have loved to have read your book! Out of curiosity, what do you see as Zekk's strengths that would have been focused on?
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ElaineCunningham
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Posted - 09 Jan 2018 :  01:53:00  Show Profile  Visit ElaineCunningham's Homepage  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Sunderstone

Thank you! I'm sorry your health and circumstances prevented the novel, I would have loved to have read your book! Out of curiosity, what do you see as Zekk's strengths that would have been focused on?



It has been a long time since the BLOOD OATH writing process, but in broad strokes, Zekk's strengths included his considerable Force ability, his resourcefulness, his loyalty to friends, and his commitment to winning the battles the Jedi were currently facing. He also started exploring who he was a person, rather than focusing primarily on his identity as part of the Jedi order. He has never taken much time to consider what HE wanted from life, simple but important questions about what his likes and dislikes might be, what sort of people he enjoyed being around, and what other interests and aptitudes he might have.
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Sunderstone
Learned Scribe

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Posted - 22 Jan 2018 :  02:17:51  Show Profile Send Sunderstone a Private Message  Reply with Quote
Hi Elaine,

I have a question about Elfsong. There are a few pages of story of Texter encountering a Loreli. He then is mentenioned later in the story as returning to the city but having memmory lapse. Did I miss a plot point of that tieing into the greaty story?

Thanks,

Sunderstone

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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
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USA
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Posted - 22 Jan 2018 :  04:56:51  Show Profile Send Wooly Rupert a Private Message  Reply with Quote
quote:
Originally posted by Sunderstone

Hi Elaine,

I have a question about Elfsong. There are a few pages of story of Texter encountering a Loreli. He then is mentenioned later in the story as returning to the city but having memmory lapse. Did I miss a plot point of that tieing into the greaty story?

Thanks,

Sunderstone





It was just to get another of the Lords out of the picture whilst Garnet was causing problems.

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