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Finglas Leaflock
Acolyte
USA
35 Posts |
 Posted - 14 Mar 2004 : 03:45:37
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First of all, thanks for the reply about Arilyn's and Danilo's physical looks--I didn't picture Dan that way (the picture on Elfshadow) from reading your books, and I guess I did picture Arilyn sort of looking like that cover, but not exactly. Perhaps a little more angular, with her elven heritage, and paler.
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"Baseball trivia" is an oxymoron. There is nothing trivial about baseball. To extend the metaphor, I've always regarded Arilyn as a switch hitter -- ambidexterous, able to change grip without diminishing the strength of her swing. A two-handed sword imposes certain limitations, and it seemed to me she'd need that edge.
And yes, you should get out more, and it's a good idea to start planning now. Tickets for good seats are hard to come by. One of my resolutions for this summer is to get out to the local minor league stadium more, and down to Yankee Stadium at least once or twice.
Baseball can be used to explain anything, as you have ably demonstrated. :-) I've also promised myself to get to some minor league games this year, after driving past the Newark Bears stadium daily since it was built a few years ago. My wife will, no doubt, remind me of this promise, and we'll also get out to Shea a few times as always. Yankee Stadium could be a tough sell; she's still a little bitter about the 2000 World Series.
Anyway, I have more questions about Arilyn and Danilo, leaving out the inevitable "when will another book about them be published." I know they left the Harpers in 1368 (in Dream Spheres), but would they still have contact with people like Khelben, Laeral, and Bran Skorlsun? If so, would they know or care about the Harper Schism and the Moonstars? I was wondering if those events could maybe draw the two back into the mix of Harper doings, or if they had become so disenchanted that they didn't really want to even hear about it.
Thanks for being so helpful and answering all of our questions, it's really appreciated. Of course, your books are appreciated even more, so I, for one, don't mind waiting for answers if you're busy writing! :-) |
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ElaineCunningham
Forgotten Realms Author
2396 Posts |
Posted - 14 Mar 2004 : 17:13:24
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quote:
Originally posted by Finglas Leaflock
Anyway, I have more questions about Arilyn and Danilo, leaving out the inevitable "when will another book about them be published." I know they left the Harpers in 1368 (in Dream Spheres), but would they still have contact with people like Khelben, Laeral, and Bran Skorlsun? If so, would they know or care about the Harper Schism and the Moonstars? I was wondering if those events could maybe draw the two back into the mix of Harper doings, or if they had become so disenchanted that they didn't really want to even hear about it.
Speaking from a practical viewpoint, I think this would depend at least in part upon what the folks at WotC wanted to emphasize. I'm not sure whether or not another Harpers novel would be considered desirable, given the 16-book series already devoted to them.
Speaking from the characters' point of view, I am sure they would be very interested in the Harper reorganization.
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Edited by - ElaineCunningham on 14 Mar 2004 23:29:43 |
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SiriusBlack
Great Reader
USA
5517 Posts |
Posted - 14 Mar 2004 : 17:23:51
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quote:
Originally posted by ElaineCunningham
Speaking from the characters' point of view, I am sure they would be very interested in the Harper reorganization.
Given Bran's involvement in the split, I'm sure it would draw their attention. Speaking of Bran, Mrs. Cunningham, how would you describe Arilyn's relationship with her father? I know you've mentioned in the past about keeping notes on your characters and was curious about these two. Since Elfshadow as the roll of years passed, were Arilyn and Bran able to forge any type of friendship? Father and Daughter relationship? |
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ElaineCunningham
Forgotten Realms Author
2396 Posts |
Posted - 14 Mar 2004 : 23:37:19
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quote:
Originally posted by SiriusBlack
Given Bran's involvement in the split, I'm sure it would draw their attention. Speaking of Bran, Mrs. Cunningham, how would you describe Arilyn's relationship with her father? I know you've mentioned in the past about keeping notes on your characters and was curious about these two. Since Elfshadow as the roll of years passed, were Arilyn and Bran able to forge any type of friendship? Father and Daughter relationship?
They did develop a relationship, but it's somewhat tentative.
Before I say much more, I should check to see what, if anything, has befallen Bran in the game lore. A while back, there was a possibility that he would be involved in the problems with Hellgate Keep, and I don't recall offhand what became of that. |
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SiriusBlack
Great Reader
USA
5517 Posts |
Posted - 15 Mar 2004 : 03:07:13
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quote:
Originally posted by ElaineCunningham
They did develop a relationship, but it's somewhat tentative.
Thank you for the reply. Willing on both parts, but circumstances perhaps keeping them apart? Arilyn's life has certainly been active since she learned of her father's identity.
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Before I say much more, I should check to see what, if anything, has befallen Bran in the game lore. A while back, there was a possibility that he would be involved in the problems with Hellgate Keep, and I don't recall offhand what became of that.
The last gaming product I recall seeing Bran's name mentioned in was Cloak and Dagger and that was regarding the Moonstars split from The Harpers. I don't recall hearing of a recent connection with Hellgate Keep, but I may be mistaken. Perhaps another kind scribe knows the answer. |
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ElaineCunningham
Forgotten Realms Author
2396 Posts |
Posted - 15 Mar 2004 : 04:07:47
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quote:
Originally posted by SiriusBlack
The last gaming product I recall seeing Bran's name mentioned in was Cloak and Dagger and that was regarding the Moonstars split from The Harpers. I don't recall hearing of a recent connection with Hellgate Keep, but I may be mistaken. Perhaps another kind scribe knows the answer.
I'll have to ask Stephen Schend. I seem to recall quite a while back that he was looking for a high-level Harper to kill in a game product that dealt with the closing of Hellgate Keep, and he called to ask if Bran was available for destruction. Alas, due to sleep deprivation (not to mention advanced age...) I don't recall how that scenario eventually played out. |
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Dargoth
Great Reader
Australia
4607 Posts |
Posted - 15 Mar 2004 : 04:36:52
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quote:
Originally posted by ElaineCunningham
quote:
Originally posted by SiriusBlack
The last gaming product I recall seeing Bran's name mentioned in was Cloak and Dagger and that was regarding the Moonstars split from The Harpers. I don't recall hearing of a recent connection with Hellgate Keep, but I may be mistaken. Perhaps another kind scribe knows the answer.
I'll have to ask Stephen Schend. I seem to recall quite a while back that he was looking for a high-level Harper to kill in a game product that dealt with the closing of Hellgate Keep, and he called to ask if Bran was available for destruction. Alas, due to sleep deprivation (not to mention advanced age...) I don't recall how that scenario eventually played out.
2 harpers a Bard calld Cryshana Fireglen and Spellviper a Cleric of Mystra died when the Mistmaster activated the Gatekeeper Crystal in the Hellsgate keep module by Steven Schend |
“I am the King of Rome, and above grammar”
Emperor Sigismund
"Its good to be the King!"
Mel Brooks |
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ElaineCunningham
Forgotten Realms Author
2396 Posts |
Posted - 15 Mar 2004 : 04:52:29
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quote:
Originally posted by Dargoth
2 harpers a Bard calld Cryshana Fireglen and Spellviper a Cleric of Mystra died when the Mistmaster activated the Gatekeeper Crystal in the Hellsgate keep module by Steven Schend
Thanks for clarifying that. I just couldn't remember what the final decision was concerning Bran's involvement with Hellgate Keep. |
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Steven Schend
Forgotten Realms Designer & Author
USA
1715 Posts |
Posted - 15 Mar 2004 : 19:06:19
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quote:
Originally posted by SiriusBlack
However, the thing that makes the Daemonfey from House Dlardrageth stand out from me is the interesting part in history this house plays. A noble, sun elf family, turns to fiends to breed better members for their house. Given how most sun elves treat half-elves, how big of a gong on the hypocrite scale does this action sound?
Quite a big hypocritical gong, and thanks for noticing. This was one of the things I'd picked up when reading Elminster in Myth Drannor and one of the reasons I expanded upon it in Hellgate Keep. After all, some of the best game product ideas came out of toss-away references and minor notes in some novels.
Steven Schend
PS: Hi Elaine! 
PPS: A previous thread here reminded me of the first time I talked to you (as a lowly TSR wage slave). I think we were talking about Elfshadow in relation to my writing City of Splendors at the time an you were amazed that I knew the proper way to pronounce Siobhan (a Watch commander, as I recall). <shrug> The silly things one remembers.... |
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Steven Schend
Forgotten Realms Designer & Author
USA
1715 Posts |
Posted - 15 Mar 2004 : 19:18:14
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quote:
Originally posted by ElaineCunningham
quote:
Originally posted by Dargoth
2 harpers a Bard calld Cryshana Fireglen and Spellviper a Cleric of Mystra died when the Mistmaster activated the Gatekeeper Crystal in the Hellsgate keep module by Steven Schend
Thanks for clarifying that. I just couldn't remember what the final decision was concerning Bran's involvement with Hellgate Keep.
Further clarification is only a few keystrokes away. ;)
At the time we spoke on this, I debated about putting a few named Harpers in harm's way for that plot, but we agreed that it'd be a waste of Bran's potential at that time.
When the C&D work started up, I asked your permission to put Bran on the conservative side of a Harpers dust-up and play up his snarkiness vs. Khelben. As the schism was really a disagreement of method among good guys, it didn't harm either character but set up some long term stuff.
Unfortunately, I think the schism probably makes it more difficult for Arilyn & Bran to smooth out their family stuff, given how closely her husband is tied to Khelben....
Thanks again for letting me/us use Bran as the foil for that Schism; wonder what's going to be the end result of all of it, I wonder?
Steven
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SiriusBlack
Great Reader
USA
5517 Posts |
Posted - 15 Mar 2004 : 23:14:17
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quote:
Originally posted by Steven Schend
Thanks again for letting me/us use Bran as the foil for that Schism; wonder what's going to be the end result of all of it, I wonder?
Mrs. Cunningham, is the, still, recent split of Khelben from the Harpers addressed at all in the upcoming Waterdeep novel? Or is it a subject you and Mr. Greenwood choose not to touch on regarding the novel?
If, you can at all answer, thank you. If you can't get that specific, I more than understand, but you know I had to try.
Take care and I hope the words are flowing. |
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Lord Rad
Great Reader
United Kingdom
2080 Posts |
Posted - 16 Mar 2004 : 08:38:01
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Thats a damn good question SiriusBlack! 
I hadnt been over at the WotC forum before its demise, but is it confirmed that the new Waterdeep novel will follow the same vein as Cormyr: A Novel and Evermeet: Island of Elves? Being that it will cover the complete history of the city, from the origins of Undermountain, to the first small fishing settlement and through to present day? If so, is it a gradual span through time or based mainly in present day? |
Lord Rad
"What? No, I wasn't reading your module. I was just looking at the pictures"
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ElaineCunningham
Forgotten Realms Author
2396 Posts |
Posted - 16 Mar 2004 : 13:42:42
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quote:
Originally posted by Steven Schend
PS: Hi Elaine!
PPS: A previous thread here reminded me of the first time I talked to you (as a lowly TSR wage slave). I think we were talking about Elfshadow in relation to my writing City of Splendors at the time an you were amazed that I knew the proper way to pronounce Siobhan (a Watch commander, as I recall). <shrug> The silly things one remembers....
Steven! Bubbela! ::pinches cheek::
I remember the Siobhan thing. :) Coming back at you, I also remember you going over the manuscript for Elfsong, checking it against the gaming lore, crawling up its every bodily orifice with a microscope, and then announcing in amazement, "It all works." It was like a Fab Five moment in which they comtemplate the mystery that is Angel, the straight guy from Buffy who actually knows how to dress. :)
God/dess, I miss those days! Last time I contacted a game designer asking for a copy of a gaming product that was in the pipeline, he told me, "You don't need that." I could almost picture him doing the little Obi-Wan hand wave. |
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ElaineCunningham
Forgotten Realms Author
2396 Posts |
Posted - 16 Mar 2004 : 13:50:29
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quote:
Originally posted by Steven Schend
Further clarification is only a few keystrokes away. ;)
At the time we spoke on this, I debated about putting a few named Harpers in harm's way for that plot, but we agreed that it'd be a waste of Bran's potential at that time.
When the C&D work started up, I asked your permission to put Bran on the conservative side of a Harpers dust-up and play up his snarkiness vs. Khelben. As the schism was really a disagreement of method among good guys, it didn't harm either character but set up some long term stuff.
Thank you, Steven. It's all coming back to me now. (Note to self: increase dosage of ginko biloba...)
quote:
Unfortunately, I think the schism probably makes it more difficult for Arilyn & Bran to smooth out their family stuff, given how closely her husband is tied to Khelben....
Thanks again for letting me/us use Bran as the foil for that Schism; wonder what's going to be the end result of all of it, I wonder?
Technically, Arilyn and Danilo aren't married -- or to be more specific, the wedding has not occurred in any published book. But I agree about the family complications.
Bran was the natural choice for catalyst, since he and Khelben have some (unspecified) issues that go way back. As for the end result, do not get me started about the demise of the story thread started in Thornhold! Hopefully that story will be told someday.
But to answer Sirius Black's question, this story will not be told in the upcoming Greenwood/Cunningham Waterdeep novel. The editors wanted the book to focus on new characters in a current time. So that's what it is. It's intended to be a fun, fast, swash-buckling romp. |
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ElaineCunningham
Forgotten Realms Author
2396 Posts |
Posted - 16 Mar 2004 : 14:02:40
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quote:
Originally posted by Rad
I hadnt been over at the WotC forum before its demise, but is it confirmed that the new Waterdeep novel will follow the same vein as Cormyr: A Novel and Evermeet: Island of Elves? Being that it will cover the complete history of the city, from the origins of Undermountain, to the first small fishing settlement and through to present day?
Years ago, when Ed and I first started talking about this book, that was what I had in mind. But by the time WotC got around to saying, yes, we want this book, the "Rutherford historical novel" story pattern was no longer on the table.
On a sort-of-related note, I think Candlekeep would be another interesting setting for a historical novel. The adventures of various "collectors" could make for an interesting framework for a story that catalogues not only the development of the library, but the changing political/social climate of the Realms. The acquisition of books might sound rather tame to those of us who order from amazon.com, but consider the history of the Book of Kells. Those who read Irish history might recall the Battle of the Book, a brief war fought over an illegally copied manuscript. In a world where scrolls can unleash spells and words quite literally have power, this could be one hell of a novel.
By the way, I just bought another Rutherford historical. This one is set in Dublin. I will not start reading it until Waterdeep is finished, lest I mourn overmuch what might have been! Also, because I simply don't have time. First draft deadline is April 1.
Must run -- got to finish a scene this morning and a chapter this afternoon!
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Steven Schend
Forgotten Realms Designer & Author
USA
1715 Posts |
Posted - 16 Mar 2004 : 17:13:14
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quote:
Originally posted by ElaineCunningham
[But to answer Sirius Black's question, this story will not be told in the upcoming Greenwood/Cunningham Waterdeep novel. The editors wanted the book to focus on new characters in a current time. So that's what it is. It's intended to be a fun, fast, swash-buckling romp.
Well, I suppose it's too late to put in a wish for even a cameo appearance of my favorite halfling Waterdhavians, the Buckleswashers! ;)
Steven
Who's never before been a bubbela, but is happy to accede that for the lady Elaine... 
PS: Looking back on some stuff I did in City of Splendors, I want to apologize to my fellow authors and fans alike. Gemidan was an intriguing idea that went sour quite quickly and I wish I could undo his existence...
PPS: I for one cannot wait to see what Elaine & Ed are up to in Waterdeep, as the city and its tales loom large in my heart. Of course, the best stories won't ever get published, but I can imagine the writers' conferences over the phone as Ed & Elaine try to outdo each other in the naughtiness afoot at certain nobles' galas.  |
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ElaineCunningham
Forgotten Realms Author
2396 Posts |
Posted - 16 Mar 2004 : 18:38:50
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quote:
Originally posted by Steven Schend
Well, I suppose it's too late to put in a wish for even a cameo appearance of my favorite halfling Waterdhavians, the Buckleswashers!
I think you'll be pleasantly surprised by some of the Small Folk.
quote:
Steven
Who's never before been a bubbela, but is happy to accede that for the lady Elaine...
What, never? You poor, Yiddish-deprived thing! Not to worry: If you ever find yourself in need of a Jewish grandmother, you know my number. (Speaking of which, you never write, you never call...)
quote:
PS: Looking back on some stuff I did in City of Splendors, I want to apologize to my fellow authors and fans alike. Gemidan was an intriguing idea that went sour quite quickly and I wish I could undo his existence...
I think every writer can point to a few things like that. Probably the best approach is that taken by Gizz, my Siamese cat. When you leap down from the fridge to the water dispenser and learn that water bottle is empty when it crashes to the floor and rolls across the kitchen with you atop it doing an imitation of a lumberjack in a log-rolling competition, you should disentangle yourself from the situation as swiftly and gracefully as possible and indicate with a haughty, blue-eyed glare, "I MEANT to do that..."
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Edited by - ElaineCunningham on 16 Mar 2004 19:14:44 |
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SiriusBlack
Great Reader
USA
5517 Posts |
Posted - 17 Mar 2004 : 04:18:29
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quote:
Originally posted by ElaineCunningham
I think every writer can point to a few things like that. Probably the best approach is that taken by Gizz, my Siamese cat. When you leap down from the fridge to the water dispenser and learn that water bottle is empty when it crashes to the floor and rolls across the kitchen with you atop it doing an imitation of a lumberjack in a log-rolling competition, you should disentangle yourself from the situation as swiftly and gracefully as possible and indicate with a haughty, blue-eyed glare, "I MEANT to do that..."
Nice to see an author I enjoy has a cat with the same attitude as my own. If I recall, didn't you mention sometime way in the distant past that the way cats carry themselves can be very much seen as the manner elves carry themselves? |
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Bookwyrm
Great Reader
USA
4740 Posts |
Posted - 17 Mar 2004 : 08:12:45
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Oh, if only you caught that on film!
Gizz: "If she had, she would have found the film shredded and the lens scratched beyond repair."
I'm reminded of the words of Winston Churchill: "Cats look down on us, dogs look up to us, but pigs just treat us as equals." Boy, what a character reference.
Mrs. Churchill seemed to share my feelings on the matter, of course. I certainly prefer the cat to either of the others. |
Hell hath no fury like all of Candlekeep rising in defense of one of its own.
Download the brickfilm masterpiece by Leftfield Studios! See this page for more. |
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Phoebus
Acolyte
18 Posts |
Posted - 17 Mar 2004 : 08:13:31
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Seniora Cunningham,
Greetings from the Far East (or Even Farther West, as you like it)! I have two small questions...
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1) Kymil Nimesin never really intrigued me until I read Evermeet. Specifically, the scene where Lolth and Ghaunadaur arrive in his planar prison was priceless. Judging by his reaction, it appears Kymil never thought of his actions as "wrong" in the classical sense (as in, I know robbing a bank is wrong, etc.)--or at least not justifiable by the ends he sought. After his experiences in that novel, could you imagine Kymil seeking some sort of redemption?
2) Any chance his fate might be addressed anytime soon? |
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ElaineCunningham
Forgotten Realms Author
2396 Posts |
Posted - 17 Mar 2004 : 13:42:42
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quote:
Originally posted by Phoebus
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1) Kymil Nimesin never really intrigued me until I read Evermeet. Specifically, the scene where Lolth and Ghaunadaur arrive in his planar prison was priceless. Judging by his reaction, it appears Kymil never thought of his actions as "wrong" in the classical sense (as in, I know robbing a bank is wrong, etc.)--or at least not justifiable by the ends he sought. After his experiences in that novel, could you imagine Kymil seeking some sort of redemption?
2) Any chance his fate might be addressed anytime soon?
Kymil does not think of his actions as wrong. In his opinion, they are means to a worthy end: the re-establishment of the Council. He sees himself as a revolutionary who wishes to overthrow the monarchy in favor of a republic. He is further incensed by the fact that that royal family are moon elves, who he sees as less worthy than -- indeed, inferior to -- the gold elf race. For much of the history of Faerun's elves, power has resided in the hands of the gold elves. Kymil seeks a return to past glories.
Real world history teaches us that people are willing to accept very strange allies and do terrible things to reach ends they consider worthwhile. I don't see Kymil repenting any time in the near future.
I don't have a story in the pipeline that includes Kymil as a character. It's possible that he might show up in another book or game product, but I haven't heard any rumors to that effect. |
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ElaineCunningham
Forgotten Realms Author
2396 Posts |
Posted - 17 Mar 2004 : 13:49:53
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quote:
Originally posted by Bookwyrm
Oh, if only you caught that on film!
Gizz: "If she had, she would have found the film shredded and the lens scratched beyond repair."
Indeed. I've considered using the following as an online signature:
"Never meddle in the affairs of wizards, for they are subtle and quick to anger." --J.R.R. Tolkien
"Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and good with ketchup." --Fridge Magnet
"Never meddle in the affairs of cats, for they are vengeful and will piss on your manuscripts." --Personal Experience
What do you think? Too long? Not catchy enough?
Seriously, if I could catch a feline moment on film, it would be the cats' response to the harp. They curse and run when I pick up the fiddle, but when I play the harp they usually come into the room to listen. A couple of times, Gizz got up on his hind legs and started tapping the bass strings with his front paws, as if he wanted to play a duet. I've never seen a cat look more elf-like than in that moment. Had I been able to capture that on film, I might have had to re-think my opposition to author photos. |
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Simon Says
Acolyte
36 Posts |
Posted - 17 Mar 2004 : 20:58:17
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Personally, I think an author photo that said, "Elaine Cunningham" and depicted a lone feline with two paws on a harp would be a fine, fine thing.
You should send one in with the submissive, "Oh, alright, you win - here's my photo for the book!" attached.
Granted, it may be difficult to POSE a cat...
Scratch that. Nigh impossible.
Which is why we dog loving photogs smugly appreciate the simple word "stay", and remain chin-high above the bizarre cat people of this star system.
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And the trees were all kept equal - by hatchet, axe, and saw. --Peart |
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ElaineCunningham
Forgotten Realms Author
2396 Posts |
Posted - 18 Mar 2004 : 12:47:14
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quote:
Originally posted by Simon Says
Personally, I think an author photo that said, "Elaine Cunningham" and depicted a lone feline with two paws on a harp would be a fine, fine thing.
Actually, I had in mind a photo that included both human and cat, as if we were playing a duet. But your idea is better. |
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Bookwyrm
Great Reader
USA
4740 Posts |
Posted - 18 Mar 2004 : 14:26:07
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I think that's a great signature. A bit long, true, but that's before adding some extra coding to make it look like this. It makes it a trifle more manageable.
In case you don't know how to do that (just putting this in as an 'in case'), you place "size=1" in brackets at the start, and "/size=1" (in brackets) at the end.
(Feel free to say "Bookwyrm, do you really think I'm that computer-illiterate?" ) |
Hell hath no fury like all of Candlekeep rising in defense of one of its own.
Download the brickfilm masterpiece by Leftfield Studios! See this page for more. |
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Foxhelm
Senior Scribe
Canada
592 Posts |
Posted - 19 Mar 2004 : 00:35:09
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So other than Dream Crystals, have you ever thought of place a cat in your novels? Or the Elven Cat (imagine how they would act)?
With the new "Awaken" Druid spell, have you thought about making an awaken cat as a character?
Just curious.
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Ed Greenwood! The Solution... and Cause of all the Realms Problems! |
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Bookwyrm
Great Reader
USA
4740 Posts |
Posted - 19 Mar 2004 : 09:14:36
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You been peeking at my character notes, Foxhelm? 
Well, okay, she hasn't been awakened. She's actually a former familiar. Soon to be a familiar again, too.
I was thinking of keeping it secret, but I've talked about my love for cats so much that it's hardly worth it. So yes, Jack Archer's familiar will be a cat. An all-grey cat he finds half-dead on the streets of Waterdeep, nurses back to health, and decides to bond with.
She, however, is a cat. A very typical cat, with human intelligence. Low-scale, of course (-1 modifier), but she knows how to use it. And she has . . . 'opinions' about her person. Anyway, her former mistress was a militant feminist man-hater, and her familiar picked up on that. So the cat (Shadow) does't like the fact that her new person is male. She's still quite loyal -- he saved her life, after all, and gave her a new bond to use (she likes being a familiar), but he's still a male . . . . As if not being a cat wasn't enough.
And before you get huffy about the info I just dropped, Ms. Cunningham, I'd like to point out two things. First, it's not really a fan-fiction, it's acutally a campaign log. Second, if you were to use anything like Shadow, I wouldn't care. I know about that clause in your contract, but if anything I write in an "open" story like this one were something you'd like to use (however unlikely an event that would be  ), I'd be happy to hand the right(s) over to you if you ask. (Unless you've got a contract different than those I'm familiar with, that ought to cover it . . . .)
I admit I did that partially because I didn't like the idea of you having to not look at anything I put up. I'm not asking you to read what I posted (when I linked it for Mr. Greenwood, I never expected he'd read the whole thing, I was just asking about Earth/Toril connections), mostly because I figure you've had enough people asking the same of you to last a lifetime. I just didn't want that obstacle hanging around . . . .
And I'm babbling again, aren't I? Probably because I feel like I'm arguing with my favorite Realms author . . . . |
Hell hath no fury like all of Candlekeep rising in defense of one of its own.
Download the brickfilm masterpiece by Leftfield Studios! See this page for more. |
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The Cardinal
Senior Scribe
Canada
647 Posts |
Posted - 19 Mar 2004 : 10:37:39
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Bookwyrm, Don't you mean there's a claws in her contract? MWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!Heheheheheheheh! Sorry we couldn't help ourselves. ... Ah, we kill ourselves
...If only |
It has to be Certain, the Gods Hate Me. For whatever irrevokable Fate, I have been made the walking Joke. Either that, or Beshaba is overlyfond Of Me.
-Unknown |
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Bookwyrm
Great Reader
USA
4740 Posts |
Posted - 19 Mar 2004 : 10:48:07
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| Aw, Cardinal, don't be getting up my hopes like that! |
Hell hath no fury like all of Candlekeep rising in defense of one of its own.
Download the brickfilm masterpiece by Leftfield Studios! See this page for more. |
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ElaineCunningham
Forgotten Realms Author
2396 Posts |
Posted - 19 Mar 2004 : 13:17:42
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quote:
Originally posted by Bookwyrm
And before you get huffy about the info I just dropped, Ms. Cunningham...
Me, huffy? ::clutches the pearls::
Cat-as-familiar is a very common notion in fantasy, and it's fun to do variations on this theme. I used it myself in Unicorn Hunt, a young adult book I wrote for TSR years ago. The premise was that most apprentice wizards could communicate with their familiars mind to mind; those wizards who lacked this gift, or who had not yet developed the ability, were given cats as familiars. As Percival, the cat in question, told his startled young companion, "Of course cats can talk. We just don't want to."
Cat-as-feminist is an interesting device, but Jack Archer should be aware that this might complicate his social life, as the cat is likely to side with Jack's lady friends.
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I admit I did that partially because I didn't like the idea of you having to not look at anything I put up. I'm not asking you to read what I posted (when I linked it for Mr. Greenwood, I never expected he'd read the whole thing, I was just asking about Earth/Toril connections), mostly because I figure you've had enough people asking the same of you to last a lifetime. I just didn't want that obstacle hanging around . . . .
Okay, I'm having a bit of a problem decoding the subtext of all that, and not quite sure how to respond. So the following might not adequately address your comments.
I'll readily admit that I'm probably missing a lot by making a hard-and-fast rule about reading fanfic or unpublished work. I'm more adament about this issue than are some writers. In addition to contract issues, possible copyright entanglements, and time contraints, I'm taking into consideration my own inclinations. At heart, I'm a teacher. Always have been. My idea of fun involves learning stuff, and it's second nature to pass some of that stuff along when the situation seems to warrant it. (And occasionally when it does not. At times my boys gently remind me, "Too much information, Mom.") I left the classroom behind years ago, but haven't broken the habit. Editing could very easily become addictive.
And yes, a lot of people do email and ask me to read their stuff. One week I had thirteen requests, ranging from "here's my new character... to "I'm writing a trilogy and would like to set it in the Realms, but I don't want to do all that research. Could you read my manuscripts, check all the facts for consistency, and add any addition material needed to make it publishable in the Realms?" (::drumroll:: "And this year's Aspiring Writer Chutzpah Award goes to....")
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And I'm babbling again, aren't I? Probably because I feel like I'm arguing with my favorite Realms author . . . .
No worries. And, as you might have gathered by now, I'm less likely to argue than pontificate. Seriously now, I appreciate hearing differing points of view on issues. Attempting to view life through other people's eyes is what I do.
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Edited by - ElaineCunningham on 19 Mar 2004 13:19:59 |
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Questions for Elaine Cunningham
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