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How do you like your Fantasy

Escape, entertainment, and fluff vs a meaningful read - how 'deep' do you like your stories?

When do you reach for light fun, and what strikes a deeper chord?

Should your excursions into fantasy say something about life, or just take you away from stressful pressure?

Thread posters should submit titles to back up their points, and encourage controversy.

* The title of the thread has been changed to 'Topic In Focus' so no set time has to be set for ending the discussion, as a week may be too short and a month may be too long.

* Current 'Topic in Focus' Author Panelists are: Cinda Williams Chima, Jim C. Hines, Chaz Brenchley & Sherwood Smith. Bio details posted lower in the thread.

Always entertaining. Lightness and depth is entirely by the way really, so long as I care about the people involved, and am intrigued about what happens next. The story needs to be very interesting if I don't care about the people.

A good example of that to me is The Gate to Women's Country (whether you call it fantasy or sf). I didn't really bond with any of the people, but I was curious, so it kept my attention.

I am unlikely to read a book which is all deep chords and no entertainment.

I am all over the place on this one. I enjoy a light 'popcorn for the mind' read, but really thirst for sweeping epic sagas with characters I love like a sister or BFF or despise like the devil incarnate. I like a well told story that keeps the pages turning, but if I don't connect to the characters, I'm left dissatisfied and hollow when I finish.

Mostly i read fantasy for relaxation and entertainment. I prefer fantasy that does not have a black white dsivision between good and evil. To me antiheroes are more interesting than the more traditional heroes. Examples of books with antiheroes i enjoyed: Black Sun Rising, The Steel Remains and Night's Master.

What i really don't like is when an author is promoting a certain worldview to the point that it becomes preachy. I like it when there is a certain philosophical background in a book, but it has to be an integral part of the story. And not characters giving entire monologues on the auhors world view like in: Naked Empire

A favourite sub-genre of mine is UF. It's usually more character based than epic fantasy. In UF it is therefore more important to me that i like the charcter, while in Epic fantasy i find the overal storyline and world building more important. Although both aspects need to be well developed in order for me to truly enjoy a book. Some UF with both interesting worlds and characters: Vicious Circle and Storm Front

All of the above. Depends on my mood at the time, as to what I feel like reading. More than anything I read for entertainment. Sometimes a lighter read will provide that and sometimes a deeper more thought provoking read will. It all depends, but I usually like to balance it out.

Betelgeuze wrote: "Mostly i read fantasy for relaxation and entertainment. I prefer fantasy that does not have a black white dsivision between good and evil. To me antiheroes are more interesting than the more tradit..."
At the risk of sounding like a complete "noob", what is UF?

Urban Fantasy - usually set in a modern world, often has vampires/elves/zombies/faeries and hot women kicking their asses. But also covers things like Wizard of the Pigeons.

I typically like it with lots of magic, strange creatures, and good vs. evil where good triumphs in the end. I am currently reading A Clash of Kings, the second in Martin's Song of Ice and Fire series which doesn't really match that, but I am enjoying it immensely. I guess we all need to spread out a bit from time to time.

I'm all over the place. My favorite is David Eddings. I like the characters and their light-hearted banter.

Generally, anything where the characters are the main point of the story and the book is about them, not whatever 'save the princess's treasure' or other plot line are my favorite stories.

Entertainment, escapism and my-other-lives-ism, are primary reasons for my reading Fantasy and SciFi for that matter. I do not like the current fad for realism in media. My work deals too much with the horrors of reality. SFF gives me balance.

I tend to like long, sweeping multi-book epics, written over many years. I like a world I can spend a long time in. I also like very complex worlds with lots of politics, religious and cultural detail.

Magic systems are best when how they work is explained. This is much better for me than an author just says, "He cast a Lomilwa spell, lighting the cavern..."

I truly believe that life is a journey, and that I need to focus on how I can improve myself. I like fantasy because it's almost always about the journey/growth many characters go through. I appreciate that it shines a mirror on my own strengths or flaws, and forces me to consider them.

I like fantasy or sci fi novellas because authors often use this format to either write a modern day fable, or to be experimental. I love finding the moral of the story, the lesson that can be learned. And while multi book epics can offer a greater appreciation if the journey the character is going through, the novella can condense the experience to a single sitting, making the message more powerful!

I love that fantasy respects it's roots, but will try to turn conventions on their ear. I love that fantasy is about the journey, but also welcomes imagination. Who says daydreaming is just for when we were kids.

Finally, I love that fantasy and science fiction often tackle the issues that face our society, in a way that may be more palatable for the reader. By making the issues of war, racism, poverty, etc part of an imagined world, we can really reflect upon the causes of it all, our role in It, how we can help. If we feel too connected to the issue, it can be harder to get some perspective. We feel we have to be on the defensive, etc.

After finding this group and discovering the huge range of fantasy out there. I have started to develop an idea of the types of fantasy I like. I grew up on Heinlen and Piers Anthony and switched to fantasy with Anne MacCraffery's science fiction and from there discovered the Dragonrider series and then the Hobbit and LOTR.

After trying some of the recommendations I have found here, I find I like stories and series with strong characters that have a positive world outlook. I have to be curious about what is going to happen to them next.

I have also found that I am not fond of books like Game of Thrones no matter how well written. They are just too dark. I want to escape from the real world and be immersed in the strange and fascinating world of the story whether it is Pern, the world in the Warded Man or Hawksong.

So I guess I am all over the place and will give any book 200 or so pages to hook me. For me, my reading time is too limited to force myself to struggle with a book I reading for the pleasure of reading. I do go back to the rejected books from time to time and try again. Sometimes they click the second or third time. That is my favorite part of ebooks-no huge stack of books.

I like my fantasy to be the same as other books I read

- have intelligent and beautiful writing with good editing so that I don't get distracted by grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors that make me turn into an 'English teacher' instead of a reader.

- have characters that are believable, well developed, complex and intriguing - NOT paper cutouts of beautiful heroine, handsome hero, evil villain.

- have layers of meaning that are not easily sussed out and not just arbitrary unexplained rules of some arcane society. I am so tired of backward cultures that need to be enlightened.

- have good plotting without holes and don't come up with hard to believe rescues to 'explain' the mystery. Gah.

- have a story I care about and people I can care about. I like dark stories, and like Martin's Fire and Ice series, but I did get a little tired of the endlessness of it at the end of book 2. I didn't like Wolfe's Book of the New Sun because the protagonist was such a hopeless narcissist that I couldn't find it in myself to care about him. I love Janny Wurst's Wars of Light and Shadow because there are principles in the world I can care about, complex characters that are neither all good nor all bad, endless plot twists and turns that keep me surprised and engrossed. I love Dorothy Dunnett's Lymond Chronicles for the same reasons although it's historical fiction, not fantasy.

So I hold the same standards for fantasy as I do for other fiction.

Sandra aka Sleo wrote: "I like my fantasy to be the same as other books I read

- have intelligent and beautiful writing with good editing so that I don't get distracted by grammar, spelling, and punctuation errors that m..."

Just spotted your comment in the summary of comments. Loved it. Just the reasons I like books, fantasy or any other type. You summarised the benchmark of good writing I aspire to.

I find that I tend to gravitate towards epic fantasies typically consisting of no less than 3 books. I enjoy:

1. Characters that aren't always perfect
2. Romance
3. Political Intrigue and Manuverings
4. A happy ending

I thought the Empire series with Mara by Janny Wurtz and Raymond Feist, the Assassin series by Robin Hobb, and Melanie Rawn's books fit nicely into these catagories (though Rawn was a bit like a soap opera though).

We now have the Author Panel ready to join in the discussion. You will find the bio's of the Four Authors in the posts below.

Author 1

Cinda Williams Chima

New York Times bestselling author Cinda Williams Chima began writing romance novels in junior high school. Her Heir Chronicles young adult contemporary fantasy series includes The Warrior Heir (2006), The Wizard Heir (2007), and Dragon Heir (2008), all from Hyperion, with two more books forthcoming.

Cinda's best-selling YA high fantasy Seven Realms series launched with The Demon King
(2009), followed by The Exiled Queen (September, 2010) with The Gray Wolf Throne scheduled for fall, 2011. There are four books planned.

Cinda’s books have been named Booksense and Indie Next picks, an International Reading Association Young Adult Choice, a New York Public Library Book for the Teen Age, to the Kirkus Best YA list, and the VOYA Editors�� Choice, Best Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror, and Perfect Tens lists.

Cinda often addresses writing questions and concerns on her or .

Author 2

Jim C. Hines

Jim C. Hines' latest book is Red Hood's Revenge, the third of his fantasy adventures that retell the old fairy tales with a Charlie's Angels twist. He's also the author of the humorous GOBLIN QUEST trilogy. Jim's short fiction has appeared in more than 40 magazines and anthologies, including Realms of Fantasy, Turn the Other Chick, and Sword & Sorceress XXI.

Jim lives in Michigan with his wife and two children, and hangs out online at his .

Author 3

Chaz Brenchley

Chaz Brenchley has been making a living as a writer since he was eighteen. He is the author of nine thrillers, most recently Shelter, and two historical fantasy series: The Books of Outremer, based on the world of the Crusades, and Selling Water by the River, set in an alternate Ottoman Istanbul. As Daniel Fox, he has published a Chinese-influenced fantasy trilogy; as Ben Macallan, he is writing urban fantasy.

A winner of the British Fantasy Award, he has also published three books for children and more than 500 short stories in various genres. His time as Crimewriter-in-Residence at the St Peter's Riverside Sculpture Project in Sunderland resulted in the collection Blood Waters. He is a prizewinning ex-poet, and has been writer in residence at the University of Northumbria, as well as tutoring their MA in Creative Writing.

His novel Dead of Light is currently in development with an independent film company; Shelter has been optioned by Granada TV. He was Northern Writer of the Year 2000, and lives in Newcastle upon Tyne with a quantum cat and a famous teddy bear.

You can find more details about Chaz at his .

Author 4

Sherwood Smith

Sherwood Smith has been writing fantasy ever since she was a kid. Her most recent series is the four Inda books through DAW; also from DAW, a Ruritanian fantasy called Coronets and Steel.

::Waves hello:: Thanks for the intro and welcome, JJ!

"Escape, entertainment, and fluff vs a meaningful read..."

Some of my favorite books have been meaningful fluff. I enjoy escapism and fun, both as an author and a reader. Terry Pratchett is a great example. His books are highly entertaining, but there's an awful lot of depth and social commentary going on as well.

But it never feels like he's lecturing me. I don't generally enjoy books that try too hard to present Deep, Meaningful Truth, especially at the expense of the story. Like Betelgeuze said up above, don't get preachy.

Oh, I love Terry Pratchett as well. I love fantasy with a 'lived-in' feel. I like detail that makes me believe in the people and the world; I'm not drawn by grim-and-gritty detail that borders on horror. I read fantasy to stay away from the news!

Though I love important themes, and glimpses of the numinous (I love any kind of reading that enlarges my sense of the universe) I also gotta have humor. It's tough to keep me turning pages if a book is profoundly grim, or gloomy, or horrific. Especially if it feels monotone--all grim all the time.

I also need to love at least some of the characters. But even the villains have to convince me they do other things besides sit around plotting evil for the sake of evil.

Hello, and thanks for the intro, JJ and thanks to Janny for inviting me.
How do I like my fantasy? For me, it's all about character. If I engage with the characters, I will follow them into whatever fantasy worlds they enter. If I don't, it doesn't matter how elaborate the magical system, how dire the situation, I don't care.
That's one reason I love George RR Martin's series so much--it's actually light on fantasy elements, (except for the dragons) but the characters are incredibly complex and believable. If only he'd quit killing them off.
Pacing and accessibility are important as well--I don't want to feel like I'm hacking through an impenetrable jungle. While I'm not a fan of really fluffy fantasy or category romance, I enjoy fiction that incorporates elements of both--just like in real life.
Major turnoff: like Betelgeuze, I don't want to be lectured by an author or a character. Anything that smacks of a "lesson" or a "moral" gets between reader and story. If the author does her job right, theme will flow from story.
Character, pacing, and structure are more important than the particular sub-genre. My first fantasy series, the Heir Chronicles, is set in a small town in Ohio. I love to see magic embedded in the real world, whether as urban fantasy or magical realism, because I love the notion of secret lives. That said, my Seven Realms series is high fantasy. I grew up on Tolkien, Eddings, Lackey, and Tad Williams Dragonbone Chair.
I recently blogged on why I write fantasy, and you can find that post here.
Cinda Chima

Hullo, and thanks for the intro, JJ, and thanks for the invitation...

How do I like my fantasy? “All of the above�� is the easy answer, but I don’t much like things easy. Particularly in books. I really don’t like the feeling that the author’s been taking it easy. I don’t at all mind fluff, but it’s got to be considered fluff, well thought through, with some hard work behind it. If I don’t believe in the world, I can’t be doing with the silliness. (It would be invidious to cite Goblin Quest by Jim Hines, given that Jim is right here right now - but I just did, so I shall. It’s light and frothy and fun, and sometimes downright foolish - but all the frolic is grounded in genuine and credible worldbuilding, and it succeeds all down the line.)

However. Light & entertaining is fine, but it doesn’t feed me. I do need darker, stronger stuff: books that treat seriously with the great themes of literature, love and death and betrayal (I have been heard to say that all fiction is about betrayal, one way or another). Which is why Tolkien is the foundation of the fantasy I love, and George R R Martin is a current prime exponent (though he is remarkably relentless: none of what I like to call those Rivendell moments, where characters and readers both can kick back, take a breath, relax for a chapter...).

My own work, both as Chaz Brenchley and Daniel Fox, is a kind of historical fantasy, an abstraction from known history into secondary mirror-worlds, that I couldn’t hope to achieve if Guy Gavriel Kay hadn’t beaten the path before me. He’s my criterion; I love his books with a passion.

Jim wrote: "...Some of my favorite books have been meaningful fluff."

Indeed! The Xanth series by Piers Anthony, eg. Sometime I want pure fluff, like an exciting Star Wars or Star Trek novel, whose only meaning is, "if only". One tires of thinking.

Like most readers, I suspect, I too am turned off by preachers. Ask me questions, just don't answer them!

@Sherwood: "I also need to love at least some of the characters."

I would say I need to identify with a character. I don't care if all are 'evil', I need to be one of the characters—Screwtape and Wormwood, eg.

Chaz -- thanks! And if you're going to say such kind things, then by all means, cite away! :-)

Earlier this year, a friend of mine bought me a copy of Bored of the Rings: A Parody of J. R. R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. I couldn't stand it.

It's light and fluffy, and supposed to be humorous, but there was absolutely no depth. Neither a story to prop up the book, nor any sort of insight or commentary or clever observations about Lord of the Rings. It was very much a hollow read, and I tossed it aside after a few chapters.

It seems like a lot of what we're talking about comes down to good writing. Characters with depth and motive and conflict instead of cardboard caricatures. Stories that struggle with questions rather than trying to lecture you with a pat, prepackaged answer. Consistent worldbuilding that goes deeper than romanticized pseudomedievalism with elves and dwarves...

Jim: Sometimes it comes down to the time and place (and age of readers) When Bored of the Rings came out in 1969, I was eighteen, and I thought I was going to have a heart attack, I was laughing so hard. I literally had to put it down a couple of times to catch my breath. We used to bring it out at parties, and read out favorite bits, which would get the whole room weeping with laughter.

Now? It's a very dated period piece, raising smiles mostly in memory.

Sherwood: Well, if you liked it, then you're obviously wrong, and I shall therefore have to snub you from here on out!

But before I get to the full-on snubbing, I'm curious what made the book work for you?

Jim: Hey, I am also a total Jig fan as well!

Srsly, as I said, part of it was being eighteen, and it was 1969. The pacing, the 1969 vibe and voice juxtaposed with the beloved trilogy, were just excruciatingly funny at that time. My copy has disappeared again (I've replaced it four times over the years) or I'd pick out some examples.

I bet there are references in there that are totally obscure to today's reader that were gasperoos at the time.

I look to both entertainment and a deeper meaning.

Fantasy has always been a way to escape the realities of the sometimes mundane life and enter an exciting new world. I do see deeper meaning in most novels. Some worlds really speak to me. I've always envied how the characters in these worlds can express themselves with such intense actions, where you're tested and put to the limit, and given opportunities to prove yourself as a person. It's almost like reading about how life should be, instead of how it really is. It highlights the good in people. I'm inspired by authors and characters.

However, sometimes I just kick back and read a good story with no symbolism or literary excellency. It's fun and relaxing.

Fantasy is a genre that shines brighter than the rest, to me.

Marc wrote: "Fantasy has always been a way to escape the realities of the sometimes mundane life and enter an exciting new world. I do see dee..."


Exactly! And I think the best writers are able to combine entertainment, description, a new world, deeper meaning, twists, and philosophical questions. The best example I can think of a philosophical, interesting, exciting fantasy book is Poison by Chris Wooding.

Karen wrote: "The best example I can think of a philosophical, interesting, exciting fantasy book is Poison by Chris Wooding. "

Which indicates to me that you have not read my books yet. :)

Marc wrote: "Which indicates to me that you have not read my books yet. :)"

I guess I'll have to start reading your books and find out! :]

Karen wrote: "I look to both entertainment and a deeper meaning.

Fantasy has always been a way to escape the realities of the sometimes mundane life and enter an exciting new world. I do see deeper meaning in m..."

That is so true with the Legend of Drizzt, series. I look at how a character like Drizzt, who is suppose to me evil, but gave that up can teach me a lot, making me emotional atached to him, and his friends. But others sees the books as short, quick, fun to read popcorn books, which what most people think of fantasy to begin with. On the other hand, he does great description in his battle scenes.

Marc wrote: "Thanks!
I just checked one of the reviews for Poison and came across this line: "Poison is written in the third person but the writing is so descriptive of Poison’s thoughts..."

I HIGHLY recommend Chris Wooding to everyone who loves fantasy. He is my favorite author ever. Other books by him that are really good are The Haunting Of Alaizabel Cray and The Fade.

Kevin wrote: "That is so true with the Legend of Drizzt, series. I look at how a character like Drizzt, who is suppose to me evil, but gave that up can teach me a lot, making me emotional atached to him, and his friends..."

I've heard R.A. Salvatore is really good. I was recommended to read his Dark Elf Trilogy. If I like that, I'll be sure to check out his Legend of Drizzt series as well.

The Legend of Drizzt the first thirdteen Drizzt books, but with the Dark Elf Trilogy being first not the Icewind Dale Trilogy, in order of Drizzt's life. I really have wished that you have read the Crystal Shard first, the first book published. Really that book first gives a different view on Drizzt.

Kevin wrote: "The Legend of Drizzt the first thirdteen Drizzt books, but with the Dark Elf Trilogy being first not the Icewind Dale Trilogy, in order of Drizzt's life. I really have wished that you have read the..."

I'll keep that in mind. I haven't start any of them, yet. So I read Crystal Shard, then the Dark Elf Trilogy, then the Icewind Dale Trilogy, and then the Legend of Drizzt?

It really depends on how much I have going on. If I need my focus to be else where I choose my fantasy light, mostly YA like Harry Potter. If I don't have too much filling my day I prefer the heavy stuff with deeper meaning, twisting plot and tougher language. Like Mythago Wood or Tigana (both are favorites of mine) and I got to admit I like it better when it is a challenge, I like to use my brain.
I love the fantasy genre because it can go further than others, a good writer can twist and turn a story so you don't know what way is up (Stephen King come's to mind) before the end. It is so many possibilities in a world that doesn't exsist.

Karen wrote: "Kevin wrote: "The Legend of Drizzt the first thirdteen Drizzt books, but with the Dark Elf Trilogy being first not the Icewind Dale Trilogy, in order of Drizzt's life. I really have wished that you..."

The whole point you are missing is that the Legend of Drizzt is basicly all the other Drizzt book, but with the Dark Elf Trilogy coming in order first. So if you get Legend of Drizzt, the Crystal Shard would be the fourth book, not the first, but the one that I would go and read first, then go back to first book later.

I look for something that puts a new spin on old tales. I love The Song of Ice and Fire series as well as the works of Janny Wurts, Steven Erikson and Neil Gaiman. I like something different, in other words. Stories that go over the same, tired storylines again and again ([Book: Eragon] springs to mind) lose me rather quickly. I don't mind something that's all surface and no depth, provided it keeps me hooked. If I have the entire story predicted just as I begin reading, I'm going to be very grumpy.

I wonder if we've made the best use of our writers' time here. I wish I knew more about their writing. I confess to not having read any of them.

Jim said: It seems like a lot of what we're talking about comes down to good writing. Characters with depth and motive and conflict instead of cardboard caricatures. Stories that struggle with questions rather than trying to lecture you with a pat, prepackaged answer. Consistent worldbuilding that goes deeper than romanticized pseudomedievalism with elves and dwarves...

Amen to that. I take it you write humor, Jim. I recently read
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy and while I found it filled the requirements above, the unrelenting humor and silliness got a little old after while. How would your work compare?

deleted user wrote: "Author 4

Sherwood Smith

Sherwood Smith has been writing fantasy ever since she was a kid. Her most recent series is the four Inda books through DAW; also from DAW, a Ruritanian..."

I have the Inda books in my 'to read' pile and am anxious to read them.

Chaz said: My own work, both as Chaz Brenchley and Daniel Fox, is a kind of historical fantasy, an abstraction from known history into secondary mirror-worlds, that I couldn’t hope to achieve if Guy Gavriel Kay hadn’t beaten the path before me. He’s my criterion; I love his books with a passion.

Guy Gavriel Kay is one of my favorite writers. The Lions of al-Rassan wrenched my heart out of my chest. I added the first of your crusades historical fantasy books to my list. I hope to enjoy it.

Kay fills all my requirements listed above. His writing is lyrical and beautiful. His characters are strongly portrayed and very human. His background research is impeccable. He uses magic like a grace note.

Sandra aka Sleo wrote: "deleted user wrote: "Author 4

Sherwood Smith

Sherwood Smith has been writing fantasy ever since she was a kid. Her most recent series is the four Inda books through DAW; also from ..."

One of the things I loved best about Inda was the very incredible job Sherwood Smith did in defining the relationships and the bonding of a generation of children sent off to a court for, essentially, war training; and then being caught up in the political machinations of the court.

The relationships between the factions, the people, and the personalities of the characters were so well drawn, I was swept away, completely engrossed in the world, culture, and people she created - her second volume, The Fox took a major step toward fantasy I love best - she moved from the tight focus in the first volume and began to build a wider world picture with a deepened sense of conflict, on top of the first.

So the home ground tensions began to cascade into the larger world front tensions and the motivations of other nations and cultures.

All this, without losing the main focus upon the central characters.

I have not finished the series, yet, to see the final outcome, but the fit of the first two stories was masterful.

Sherwood: could you comment on how you accomplished this? I was somewhat aware you had done other books on this world - what brought you to the story in this series? How did you develop the world and the people/how much new ground did you break in this work?

Janny wrote: "Sandra aka Sleo wrote: "deleted user wrote: "Author 4

Sherwood Smith

Sherwood Smith has been writing fantasy ever since she was a kid. Her most recent series is the four Inda books..."

You're making it sound fascinating. I hope Sherwood responds!

I read fantasy for escapism and entertainment mainly. It's so exciting to be able to enter a world rich in magic, fantastical creatures and a good vs evil premise that is so different from our own. I like the characters to have flaws and human emotions, but also to possess hidden reserves of strength and courage that shine through when they need them most.

I read fantasy of all types and varieties, depending on my mood. In general though, if there's a "point" or something deeper I'm supposed to "learn" from the fantasy, it had better be written is such a way as to come across naturally, without sounding like a lecture. But I don't reach for a fantasy book simply because I want to learn something deeper about myself or the human condition. Mostly I just want to get involved in a different world, meet new and interesting characters, people I'd like to follow on various adventures, and to relax to some extent.

That said, the fantasy has to have some deeper, solid foundation about humanity and the real world, or it isn't going to work. As stated up-thread, a humorous fantasy has to have something more solid to build that humor around, or it just doesn't work. Terry Pratchett, Jim Hines, and Robert Asprin do this well. I've read others who haven't.

But this idea extends beyond humorous fantasy; it's true for ALL fantasy. Not everything the fantasy world can be magical and fantastical, there has to be some solid "real world" realism to the fantasy or it just doesn't work. In fact, the author's job is to have enough of the "real world" in there to make the world believable in the first place. This is where Sherwood Smith's Inda books excel. She's got great characters and you want to follow them BECAUSE they have such real world problems to deal with.

So in order for a good escapist book to work, it's got to have some down-to-earth realism in it as well.

Hope you enjoy them!

Janny: The first I knew about Inda's story was about thirty-five or forty years ago. Slowly over the years it began to accrete. Most of what i've written is in the 'present day' timeline, and Inda's story is in the past.

When I wrote the first draft, I kept the focus tighter, but my editor at DAW said I had permission to open it wide up and expand into other volumes if I had enough story. My problem was deciding where to cut all the story short!

The kernel that I finally found was in Inda's character, not just his PTSD but what happens to borderline autistics under stress. All this was exploration of "what is the real cost of being a hero?"

Once I saw that, the entire thing unrolled before me like a roadmap, from the very first line, which is "Let's go fight the girls!" and the very ending, which is Inda laying down the sword.

For those of you who are interested, the Inda series has been nominated for discussion in the series group. You must be a member of the group before the poll is announced to vote.

Nominations thread at FBC Series group.

Sherwood wrote: "Janny: The first I knew about Inda's story was about thirty-five or forty years ago. Slowly over the years it began to accrete. Most of what i've written is in the 'present day' timeline, and Inda'..."

Thanks for the astonishing inside view. Always fun to see what makes a book character tick, and know what pulled the trigger on the inspiration.