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JamesLowder
Forgotten Realms Author & Game Designer
USA
310 Posts |
 Posted - 20 Jul 2006 : 19:31:46
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quote:
Originally posted by Verghityax
Indeed, it was published by ISA. And yes, I do have the ISBN code. In fact, even both of them for there is the ISBN with ten cyphers (83-7418-117-6) and the ISBN with thirteen cyphers (978-83-7418-117-4).
P.S. I hope that one day ISA will publish "Prince of Lies" and "The Empires Trilogy" as I would love to read those.
Thanks so much for the information. I'm a bit surprised that ISA hasn't translated Prince of Lies yet, though if they've done Ring, it seems likely they'll get to Prince sooner or later.
Was the copy of Jungles of Chult you read in English or was that a Polish translation, too?
Cheers,
Jim Lowder |
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Verghityax
Learned Scribe
131 Posts |
Posted - 20 Jul 2006 : 20:42:39
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quote:
Originally posted by JamesLowder
Was the copy of Jungles of Chult you read in English or was that a Polish translation, too?
It was in english as none of the 2nd ed. FR sourcebooks were released in polish language. Yet, reading it in english was quite a fun and I had no bigger problems with it. |
Edited by - Verghityax on 20 Jul 2006 20:44:28 |
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EytanBernstein
Forgotten Realms Designer
USA
704 Posts |
Posted - 21 Jul 2006 : 01:23:02
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quote:
Originally posted by Verghityax
Dear Mr. Lowder,
Last month "The Ring of Winter" was published in Poland. I've been waiting for this book for quite a long time. After reading it, I must admit that I'm really impressed by it. The other thing is that before reading "The Ring of Winter" I never thought Chult to be that interesting place. Recently I bought "The Jungles of Chult" module you penned with Jean Rabe. Fantastic job you done there. And now there's something I would like to ask you: do you possibly have any additional info you could share on Port Castigliar, Mezro and other interesting locations in this region? Maybe some historical events? Or something about the Eshowe? I would be grateful for any amount of info.
Are translated RPGs/novels regularly available in Poland. What about English versions? I'll be living in Olsztyn Poland from October to June teaching ESL. |
http://eytanbernstein.com - the official website of Eytan Bernstein |
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Verghityax
Learned Scribe
131 Posts |
Posted - 21 Jul 2006 : 07:45:13
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| There are no problems with getting translated FR novels and 3rd ed. sourcebooks. The sad thing is that the english version is not available in usual bookshops. When it comes to FR RPG sourcebooks, I prefer english version to polish one so I have to order them through internet bookshop. |
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JamesLowder
Forgotten Realms Author & Game Designer
USA
310 Posts |
Posted - 21 Jul 2006 : 14:23:44
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quote:
Originally posted by EytanBernstein
Are translated RPGs/novels regularly available in Poland. What about English versions? I'll be living in Olsztyn Poland from October to June teaching ESL.
The Polish publisher ISA has translated many of the TSR/WotC novels; they also translate other series (Warcraft and so on). Many other English-language fantasy and SF books are available in translation, as well, from different Polish publishers.
Cheers,
James Lowder |
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Mace Hammerhand
Great Reader
Germany
2296 Posts |
Posted - 21 Jul 2006 : 15:45:37
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James,
I was kinda/sorta wondering:
Would it be possible to bring General Vrakk back? That character was one of the most enjoyable support-dudes I met so far. Since I read Prince of Lies before Crusade (which are both excellent reads!) I wasn't that familiar with him, BUT I'd like to know more.
Cheers
Mace |
Mace's not so gentle gamer's journal My rants were harmless compared to this, beware! |
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JamesLowder
Forgotten Realms Author & Game Designer
USA
310 Posts |
Posted - 21 Jul 2006 : 16:00:00
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quote:
Originally posted by Mace Hammerhand
I was kinda/sorta wondering:
Would it be possible to bring General Vrakk back? That character was one of the most enjoyable support-dudes I met so far. Since I read Prince of Lies before Crusade (which are both excellent reads!) I wasn't that familiar with him, BUT I'd like to know more.
A few years back, I pitched a follow-up to Ring of Winter, set partly in Chult, that would have included some of the supporting characters from my various Realms books. One of those characters would have been Vrakk. So, yes, I agree that more could be done with him. 
WotC wasn't interested at the time, and I doubt such a book would work into their long-term plans for the Realms. And I'm doing less and less shared world work these days--in part because I like being able to write more about characters I create if I feel the creative impulse to do so.
Cheers,
Jim Lowder |
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Wooly Rupert
Master of Mischief
USA
36804 Posts |
Posted - 21 Jul 2006 : 17:36:05
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Vrakk in Chult? That would have been a hoot! 
One minor thing I always liked in The Ring of Winter: at the end, we find out Artus Cimber had rented a room from Razor John the fletcher. I liked Razor John, so that passing reference to him was cool.  |
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Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
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JamesLowder
Forgotten Realms Author & Game Designer
USA
310 Posts |
Posted - 21 Jul 2006 : 20:18:53
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quote:
Originally posted by Wooly Rupert
Vrakk in Chult? That would have been a hoot!
One minor thing I always liked in The Ring of Winter: at the end, we find out Artus Cimber had rented a room from Razor John the fletcher. I liked Razor John, so that passing reference to him was cool.
Glad you liked that! I really enjoy making little crossover references like that between stories and books.
Cheers,
Jim Lowder |
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Mace Hammerhand
Great Reader
Germany
2296 Posts |
Posted - 21 Jul 2006 : 20:29:32
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It's a great way of showing that these people still do stuff and don't join the pile of forgotten characters
Cheers |
Mace's not so gentle gamer's journal My rants were harmless compared to this, beware! |
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Rinonalyrna Fathomlin
Great Reader
USA
7106 Posts |
Posted - 22 Jul 2006 : 06:54:00
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Who is Razor John?
I want to mention that I enjoyed Ring of Winter, myself, and I felt Artus Cimber deserved at least one more novel. |
"Instead of asking why we sleep, it might make sense to ask why we wake. Perchance we live to dream. From that perspective, the sea of troubles we navigate in the workaday world might be the price we pay for admission to another night in the world of dreams."
--Richard Greene (letter to Time) |
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JamesLowder
Forgotten Realms Author & Game Designer
USA
310 Posts |
Posted - 22 Jul 2006 : 07:09:32
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quote:
Originally posted by Rinonalyrna Fathomlin
Who is Razor John?
I want to mention that I enjoyed Ring of Winter, myself, and I felt Artus Cimber deserved at least one more novel.
Razor John first appeared in Crusade, book three of the Empires Trilogy. That's where General Vrakk first appeared, too, and he later popped up in Prince of Lies. The villain from Ring of Winter--Kaverin Ebonhand--makes a cameo in Prince, too. He's the soul with no hands being tortured in Chapter IV.
Cheers,
Jim Lowder |
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Rinonalyrna Fathomlin
Great Reader
USA
7106 Posts |
Posted - 23 Jul 2006 : 00:30:03
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| Wow, thanks for the information. |
"Instead of asking why we sleep, it might make sense to ask why we wake. Perchance we live to dream. From that perspective, the sea of troubles we navigate in the workaday world might be the price we pay for admission to another night in the world of dreams."
--Richard Greene (letter to Time) |
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Charles Phipps
Master of Realmslore
1425 Posts |
Posted - 08 Jan 2007 : 21:05:18
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It's a pity I can't ask any questions about your Ravenloft works.
So James, if you have time, I actually have quite a few Prince of Lies questions.
1. Why HAS Cyric become such a nightmarish monster? He was fairly cunning and more Mask-like in the previous works.
2. Was the decision to off Leira yours or was that something that TSR handed down to you? If it was, why'd you choose to kill her?
3. Was Kelemvor always a god inside the sword in your mind or did you think he was made a God afterwards when he lead the revolt?
4. Did Mask possess the sword or was Godsbane the Avatar of Mask in your mind from the beginning?
5. Did you have any idea of how you'd portray Cyricism or did it come as you wrote it?
6. Do you think Gwydion really was a 20th level Paladin as Heroes Lorebook puts him at or would you put him as a straight fighter?
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My Blog: http://unitedfederationofcharles.blogspot.com/
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JamesLowder
Forgotten Realms Author & Game Designer
USA
310 Posts |
Posted - 08 Jan 2007 : 21:32:44
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quote:
Originally posted by Charles Phipps
1. Why HAS Cyric become such a nightmarish monster? He was fairly cunning and more Mask-like in the previous works.
That's really up to the people running the Realms now. I don't have any say in how Cyric has been depicted post-Prince of Lies.
quote:
Originally posted by Charles Phipps
2. Was the decision to off Leira yours or was that something that TSR handed down to you? If it was, why'd you choose to kill her?
The Realms deities that were eliminated or had their portfolios changed during the Avatar Trilogy and Prince of Lies were decided upon by a small group of designers and editors from the book and game divisions at TSR. I recall Jeff Grubb, the company's Realms RPG guru at the time, being the keeper of the "hit list." I was involved in creating the list, but I can't recall at the moment how Leira ended up on it.
quote:
Originally posted by Charles Phipps
3. Was Kelemvor always a god inside the sword in your mind or did you think he was made a God afterwards when he lead the revolt?
When writing Prince, I considered Kel a soul being hidden/held hostage inside the sword. He doesn't attain godhood until after he's released.
quote:
Originally posted by Charles Phipps
4. Did Mask possess the sword or was Godsbane the Avatar of Mask in your mind from the beginning?
I considered Godsbane an avatar of Mask.
quote:
Originally posted by Charles Phipps
5. Did you have any idea of how you'd portray Cyricism or did it come as you wrote it?
I had specific ideas for how it would be portrayed when I started the book, but some aspects developed as I wrote it. Like all despots, Cyric insisted that his version of the truth--no matter how disconnected from reality--be considered the only possible version.
quote:
Originally posted by Charles Phipps
6. Do you think Gwydion really was a 20th level Paladin as Heroes Lorebook puts him at or would you put him as a straight fighter?
Dale Donovan, one of the main authors of the Heroes' Lorebook, consulted me on some of those character write-ups. I think he did a good job capturing the spirit of the character.
That said, it's always very, very difficult to translate characters created for fiction into game stats. To me, Gwydion is just Gwydion, without class or levels attached.
Thanks for the questions.
Cheers,
Jim Lowder |
Edited by - JamesLowder on 08 Jan 2007 21:33:47 |
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KnightErrantJR
Great Reader
USA
5402 Posts |
Posted - 08 Jan 2007 : 21:34:45
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James, not really a question, and I'll do my best to tie this to the Realms, but I really have to say that your essay in Unauthorized X-Men was really an excellent read, and I think its really a good essay to read for anyone working in any kind of shared world setting, not just, as it was, about comics. Great work!
And a question . . . since its been a while since you checked in, what do you have on the burner that you can let us know about? |
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JamesLowder
Forgotten Realms Author & Game Designer
USA
310 Posts |
Posted - 08 Jan 2007 : 22:21:16
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quote:
Originally posted by KnightErrantJR
James, not really a question, and I'll do my best to tie this to the Realms, but I really have to say that your essay in Unauthorized X-Men was really an excellent read, and I think its really a good essay to read for anyone working in any kind of shared world setting, not just, as it was, about comics. Great work!
And a question . . . since its been a while since you checked in, what do you have on the burner that you can let us know about?
Thanks for the kind words about the X-Men essay. I agree that it applies to all shared worlds, not just the X-Men, and I certainly drew upon my own experience with the Realms in writing it. I might be doing another superhero-related essay for BenBella Books, later this year.
Things on the burner...hrmmmm.
The most current thing is the anthology Astounding Hero Tales, which is a collection of pulp-style fiction I've been working on for more than five years. The book has finally wrapped editing and typesetting, and should be going to the printer within a week or so. It contains original stories by Hugh B. Cave, Robert Weinberg, Robin Laws, and a previously unpublished tale by Lester Dent, creator of Doc Savage. Realms fans will want to note that Ed Greenwood and Thomas Reid both contributed original stories. The book should be out in early spring, from Hero Games.
Beyond that, I'm working on short fiction for various projects, including a short story for the Pulp Cthulhu book from Chaosium. (Another project that has been in the works seemingly forever.) I'm in talks with a publisher about a collection of my short fiction, which would be released at the end of 2007. It should be a mix of reprints and originals. The same publisher might also be picking up the Ebonacht Trilogy of dark fantasy novels. I'd be thrilled to see that come to pass; I should know about the latter two projects shortly.
The other big project is top-secret, at least for a couple more weeks, and involves lots of authors and game designers. I'll post the announcement for that here when the publisher makes the project public.
Cheers,
Jim Lowder |
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Charles Phipps
Master of Realmslore
1425 Posts |
Posted - 08 Jan 2007 : 23:04:15
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Thanks James. I appreciate your answers.
And all my question referred to Cyric as in Prince of Lies as opposed to elsewhere. I don't expect you to be able to answer elsewise!
;-)
One last question, were you the one who came up with the Faithless and False concept? It's become a fairly intimate part of Realmslore now. |
My Blog: http://unitedfederationofcharles.blogspot.com/
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JamesLowder
Forgotten Realms Author & Game Designer
USA
310 Posts |
Posted - 08 Jan 2007 : 23:31:40
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quote:
Originally posted by Charles Phipps
One last question, were you the one who came up with the Faithless and False concept? It's become a fairly intimate part of Realmslore now.
It's hard to recall exactly where some ideas originated.
As editor of the first three Avatar books I worked with Troy Denning on the original descriptions of the afterlife, as shown in Waterdeep. I expanded on that discussion when I wrote Prince. (Part of the thing I wanted to explore in Prince was what happened to the people who were not "good followers," the ones who betrayed their gods or stubbornly refused to believe in the gods as gods.) Ed Greenwood and Jeff Grubb were involved in the discussions, too, when I was hammering out how things would be depicted.
Cheers,
Jim Lowder |
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KnightErrantJR
Great Reader
USA
5402 Posts |
Posted - 09 Jan 2007 : 05:09:49
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| Thanks for the reply James, and I'll keep an eye out for those other projects. |
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Charles Phipps
Master of Realmslore
1425 Posts |
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JamesLowder
Forgotten Realms Author & Game Designer
USA
310 Posts |
Posted - 09 Jan 2007 : 15:19:30
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quote:
Originally posted by Charles Phipps
Can you share whom your favorite character you've written for the Realms is?
Artus Cimber. Cyric is a close second.
Cheers,
Jim Lowder |
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Charles Phipps
Master of Realmslore
1425 Posts |
Posted - 09 Jan 2007 : 16:30:46
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would it be wrong of you to speculate on where you think Artus would head from the place he was left in at the end of Ring of winter? He's gone through Hell and back over that damn ring.
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My Blog: http://unitedfederationofcharles.blogspot.com/
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Edited by - Charles Phipps on 09 Jan 2007 16:34:43 |
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JamesLowder
Forgotten Realms Author & Game Designer
USA
310 Posts |
Posted - 09 Jan 2007 : 16:59:07
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quote:
Originally posted by Charles Phipps
would it be wrong of you to speculate on where you think Artus would head from the place he was left in at the end of Ring of winter? He's gone through Hell and back over that damn ring.
I know where I think Artus goes after The Ring of Winter, and a lot of what he did before the book, but I also feel that part of "playing fair" as a creator in a shared world is not undercutting other writers who might work with the characters in the future. I'd certainly rather be the one to write any material with Artus, and some of the other characters I created, but I don't really have control over that.
Cheers,
Jim Lowder |
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ElaineCunningham
Forgotten Realms Author
2396 Posts |
Posted - 09 Jan 2007 : 17:42:44
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quote:
Originally posted by JamesLowder
I know where I think Artus goes after The Ring of Winter, and a lot of what he did before the book, but I also feel that part of "playing fair" as a creator in a shared world is not undercutting other writers who might work with the characters in the future. I'd certainly rather be the one to write any material with Artus, and some of the other characters I created, but I don't really have control over that.
Very true. As a shared world writer, you can't assume that "your" characters will remain in your control. Even if no other writer writes about them, they may do other things that will necessitate a change in your intended direction. The same can happen if there are significant changes to the rules, to the world, or in editorial tastes or directions. |
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Mandras
Seeker
Estonia
51 Posts |
Posted - 04 Feb 2007 : 18:21:16
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Well met James,
I posted these questions into another thread before I found this one, but I shall repeat them here in the hope to get some data from the creator of these characters:
What is known about the Mirrormane family (the most notable members are brothers Maskul and Xeno who were the high priests of Cyric's Temple in Zhentil Keep)?
What are the origins and roots of the Mirrormane family? What was it's social class and wealth before Time of Troubles? Were they nobles or merchants or just plain commoners who made quick career after the rise of Cyric?
Was this family somehow tied or connected with Cyric before his godhood?
What did the family do before the time of troubles?
Were the Maskul and Xeno members of Church of Bane?
Are any other members of this family mentioned somewhere? Or have You designed any other?
Best Regards,
Mandras
PS! Truly enjoyed Your Prince of Lies |
"The pure and simple truth is rarely pure and never simple."
Oscar Wilde |
Edited by - Mandras on 04 Feb 2007 19:01:33 |
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JamesLowder
Forgotten Realms Author & Game Designer
USA
310 Posts |
Posted - 04 Feb 2007 : 22:03:34
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quote:
Originally posted by Mandras
I posted these questions into another thread before I found this one, but I shall repeat them here in the hope to get some data from the creator of these characters:
Thanks for the kind words about Prince of Lies, but I'm afraid I don't have any additional information about the Mirrormane family to share. It's more likely any additional information would be in the hands of Ed Greenwood or one of the game designers who worked on the Ruins of Zhentil Keep boxed set.
Cheers,
Jim Lowder |
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iyuke
Acolyte
United Kingdom
1 Posts |
Posted - 05 Feb 2007 : 15:16:08
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Dear Mr. Lowder,
I am co-administrator of a Spanish website called Encrucijada (translated into English as Crossroads), which focuses in two narrative and role-playing series: Forgotten Realms and Dragonlance.
We contact some authors each year to ask them for an interview so that the Spanish-speaking fans can make all those questions they always wanted to know without any language barriers. We have already interviewed Douglas Niles, Richard A. Knaak, Margaret Weis, Don Perrin, Jean Rabe and Mary H. Herbert for Dragonlance. This is because we have been running the Dragonlance Authors section for longer than the Forgotten Realms one.
We are waiting for Ed Greenwood and Jeff Grubb to send their interviews back to us, but they seem to be very busy at the moment. However, Forgotten Realms fans in Spain are very eager to know more about the authors who offer us so many delightful stories in Faerūn, and we want to provide them with exclusive information about their favourite FR authors as we do for the Spanish-speaking Dragonlance fans. Prince of Lies hits the shelves this month in Spain, after many years waiting. We thought that it would be a good opportunity to request an interview from you.
I do not know if you would be willing to do this, but I will explain you a bit more about the interview itself so that you can make a decision. The interview is split into two Word documents: the first one is a proper interview with questions about your beginnings in Fantasy as well as in Forgotten Realms, your creative process, specific questions about your Forgotten Realms works, etc. whereas the second part is a common questionnaire we send to every author with short questions which would give us a better insight of who you are. There is no specific deadline to answer these questions- we understand you are very busy!
We would be very grateful if you accepted and I would like to apologize for any inconvenience this may cause to you. I guess the best way for you to contact me in case you were interested is to send me an email to the address specified on my profile. You can also check the website at the address provided there. Everything is in Spanish though, so I do not know if this will be useful.
Looking forward to hear from you, receive our kindest regards and congratulations for your work.
I would also like to apologize to the Candlekeep members for using this thread to request this, but I did not know another way to contact him.
Best regards,
iyuke |
Edited by - iyuke on 05 Feb 2007 15:18:39 |
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JamesLowder
Forgotten Realms Author & Game Designer
USA
310 Posts |
Posted - 05 Feb 2007 : 16:46:43
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quote:
Originally posted by iyuke
Prince of Lies hits the shelves this month in Spain, after many years waiting. We thought that it would be a good opportunity to request an interview from you.
Hi:
I just discovered the Spanish edition of Prince a few days ago. The same publisher had previously translated my two Ravenloft novels.
I'll be happy to do the interview and will contact you off the public board.
Cheers,
Jim Lowder |
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Rolindin
Acolyte
USA
46 Posts |
Posted - 09 Feb 2007 : 12:24:36
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Mr Lowder a question that came to me from the Crusade book is this:
(By the way I did like the book.)
When the Dwarfs had finished with the war with the horde, did some of the Corymr stragest learn the box formation from the dwarfs before the dwarfs left OR did the cormyr stragest's study with the dwarfs while they were parcticng the square formations.
Did the corymer tactions have any of their force practice with the dwarfs?
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Questions for James Lowder
