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Alaundo
Head Moderator
United Kingdom
5695 Posts |
 Posted - 12 Feb 2004 : 19:15:20
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Well met
This being a collective scroll of any questions the Scribes and visitors of Candlekeep wish to put to a new author of the Realms, namely - Don Bassingthwaite, author of The Yellow Silk.
Present your questions herein and check back to see what news may also come forth from the quill of this author.
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Alaundo
Candlekeep Forums Head Moderator
Candlekeep - The Library of Forgotten Realms Lore
http://www.candlekeep.com -- Candlekeep Forum Code of Conduct
An Introduction to Candlekeep - by Ed Greenwood
The Candlekeep Compendium - Tomes of Realmslore penned by Scribes of Candlekeep
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R0GUE
Seeker
USA
54 Posts |
Posted - 22 Feb 2004 : 22:40:28
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Hey Mr. Bassingtwaite. Great book!
Spoiler: highlight the text to read it.
How soon can we expect to see a story centered around Lander, the new wereboar?
I pictured Li as Jet Li the whole way through. Did you have a kung-fu or martial arts actor in mind for this character when you wrote the Yellow Silk? |
You have had your pocket pilfered by the R0GUE.  |
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dbassingthwaite
Forgotten Realms Author
Canada
64 Posts |
Posted - 23 Feb 2004 : 14:04:42
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Rogue -
Thanks very much! I'm glad you enjoyed it.
To answer your spoiler question in completely non-spoiler terms: not soon, unfortunately. My next books with Wizards of the Coast will be venturing afield to Eberron. I'd like to go back to Lander (and Hanibaz), but the ways of writing assignments are mysterious.
Tycho and Li will be making an appearance in a story in the Realms of the Dragons anthology, though.
In terms of picturing Li as any particular actor, I didn't actually, but then I don't tend to link characters to actors. Then again, the cover art isn't exactly how I pictured him either. :) (I still think it's awesome art though - personally I think I lucked out and got the best art of the Rogues series!).
Don |
Don Bassingthwaite
www.sff.net/people/dbassing |
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R0GUE
Seeker
USA
54 Posts |
Posted - 23 Feb 2004 : 21:10:16
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quote:
Originally posted by dbassingthwaite
(I still think it's awesome art though - personally I think I lucked out and got the best art of the Rogues series!).
Don
I most definitely concur. |
You have had your pocket pilfered by the R0GUE. |
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Adrian Moonbow
Seeker
Denmark
64 Posts |
Posted - 24 Feb 2004 : 10:25:17
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Great book Don. It took me a weekend, but now I have read it.
I love the way you picture the bard(s) in the book, but: Shouldn't this book be part of the Bard-series? Or: Will there be a Tycho-sequel in that series?
I want more of Tycho and Li. More! More!
PS: Any link, whatsoever, to the famous danish astronomer Tycho Brahe? I didn't think so, but the name kept on grating on me... |
"I would have wanted not to die.
I would have wanted never to grow up!"
-Quidam
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dbassingthwaite
Forgotten Realms Author
Canada
64 Posts |
Posted - 24 Feb 2004 : 14:49:01
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Adrian -
Thanks! I would love to write more Tycho and Li if I get the chance.
I'm glad you liked the way I handled bards - they actually happen to be one of my favorite D&D classes, so I was pleased to get the chance to write one. I definitely wanted to get away from the blond courtier "lute and harp" or Harper do-gooder feel that bards generally seem to end up with and write someone down, dirty, and fairly selfish. Of course, at the same time, you can't get away from the music, wit, and magic side of bards - I didn't want that to over-power the character, so I had to figure out how to balance it.
And yes, there was a slight relation to Tycho Brahe, but only in so far as he's the only other Tycho I've heard of. There are no silver noses in the book. (Although The Silver Nose might make a good sequel title... )
Don
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Don Bassingthwaite
www.sff.net/people/dbassing |
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BrokenRulz
Acolyte
USA
29 Posts |
Posted - 24 Feb 2004 : 15:10:04
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| Just finished the Yellow Silk and I have to say it's probably my favorite of the Rogues Series. Just something about that evil little halfling that lent the story an edge, I just wanted him to die throughout the whole book! And yes, more Tycho and Li stories would be great. |
D. |
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R0GUE
Seeker
USA
54 Posts |
Posted - 24 Feb 2004 : 23:14:21
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| Bards are my favorite class. Thanks for answering my questions! |
You have had your pocket pilfered by the R0GUE. |
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dbassingthwaite
Forgotten Realms Author
Canada
64 Posts |
Posted - 25 Feb 2004 : 15:08:20
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quote:
Originally posted by BrokenRulz
Just something about that evil little halfling that lent the story an edge, I just wanted him to die throughout the whole book!
Thanks! I really enjoyed Brin - I couldn't think of anyone doing a really psycho nasty halfling before and thought it would be interesting. It was!
Don |
Don Bassingthwaite
www.sff.net/people/dbassing |
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Lord Rad
Great Reader
United Kingdom
2080 Posts |
Posted - 25 Feb 2004 : 17:02:41
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quote:
Originally posted by dbassingthwaite
quote:
Originally posted by BrokenRulz
Just something about that evil little halfling that lent the story an edge, I just wanted him to die throughout the whole book!
Thanks! I really enjoyed Brin - I couldn't think of anyone doing a really psycho nasty halfling before and thought it would be interesting. It was!
Don
Brin is great...as a villain I mean Being a halfling takes away that age-old stereotype of the cheeky fun-loving halfling...... and replaces it with some nasty little [CENSORED]!! Excellent character. Im just past page 220 at the moment, loving every page....will comment once ive wrapped it up.  |
Lord Rad
"What? No, I wasn't reading your module. I was just looking at the pictures"
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R0GUE
Seeker
USA
54 Posts |
Posted - 25 Feb 2004 : 21:38:25
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| And yet somehow you feel compelled to like the little snot, even if he is a murdering little gang-boss! |
You have had your pocket pilfered by the R0GUE. |
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Shadowlord
Master of Realmslore
USA
1298 Posts |
Posted - 26 Feb 2004 : 05:27:06
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Well, its obvious that evil characters definitely appeal to the masses, especially those who don't fit their general stereotype. But on another note, Excellent Work! Hmmm, however, I did have something grating on me after I read the book......
[[SPOILER]] Highlight Area
I thought that what happened to Veseene (spelling, Mr. Bassingthwaite? ) was somewhat of a waste, as I had become somewhat attached to "The Lark." Killing her seemed a bit too dramatic. Does she have official statistics for when she was younger, and not afflicted with sickness? I might be hoping to feature her in my campaign.....
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The Chosen of Vhaeraun
"Nature is governed by certain immutable rules. By virtue of claw and fang, the lion will always triumph over the goat.Given time, the pounding of the sea will wear away the stone. And when dark elves mingle with the lighter races, the offspring invariably take after the dark parent. It is all much the same. That which is greater shall prevail. Our numbers increase steadily, both through birth and conquest. The dark elves are the dominant race, so ordained by the gods." Ka'Narlist of the Ilythiiri. |
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dbassingthwaite
Forgotten Realms Author
Canada
64 Posts |
Posted - 26 Feb 2004 : 15:24:39
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quote:
Originally posted by Shadowlord
Does she have official statistics for when she was younger, and not afflicted with sickness? I might be hoping to feature her in my campaign.....
Shadowlord -
No, no stats official or otherwise for Veseene. I don't generally stat out my characters beyond having a rough sense of level equivalent, spells available, and possibly feats for main characters. In Veseene's case most of that wasn't important. My concept for her was basically that she was quite a high level bard (high enough to throw around raise/lower water, shout, and a sufficiently high summon monster spell to get a big elemental), very self-assured and charismatic (but fairly down to earth), and able to move easily between different levels of society.
As for the other part of your comment (writing around the spoiler here), I did like Veseene, too, but it was really a necessary part of the story. I can't really think of any way that it could have been done differently and still worked out for the sort of mood and moment that I wanted to create.
Thanks!
Don |
Don Bassingthwaite
www.sff.net/people/dbassing |
Edited by - dbassingthwaite on 26 Feb 2004 15:28:14 |
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PyrateJenni
Acolyte
20 Posts |
Posted - 28 Feb 2004 : 02:25:33
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| Just wanted to let you know Pomegranates, Full and Fineis one of my favorite "comfort reading" books. In fact, bought two copies! |
"The difference between fiction and reality? Fiction has to make sense." -- Tom Clancy_ |
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dbassingthwaite
Forgotten Realms Author
Canada
64 Posts |
Posted - 01 Mar 2004 : 23:04:56
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Thanks very much, Jenni! Pomegranates Full and Fine has always been one of my personal favorites - I'm really glad you found it meaningful.
Don |
Don Bassingthwaite
www.sff.net/people/dbassing |
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Graxx Shadowstone
Acolyte
USA
10 Posts |
Posted - 01 Mar 2004 : 23:33:11
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quote:
Originally posted by dbassingthwaite
As for the other part of your comment (writing around the spoiler here), I did like Veseene, too, but it was really a necessary part of the story. I can't really think of any way that it could have been done differently and still worked out for the sort of mood and moment that I wanted to create.
Thanks!
Don
Yes, you did an extremely good job on setting "the mood". I especially like the Psychopath Halfling, Brin. Went completely against the whole "lazy, fat, and generally well liked halfling law."
(You know what I mean) |
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dbassingthwaite
Forgotten Realms Author
Canada
64 Posts |
Posted - 02 Mar 2004 : 02:35:38
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Thanks, Graxx!
BTW, on the topic of playing against type, it has been pointed out to me that my comment several posts ago about wanting to get away from the "blond courtier 'lute and harp' or Harper do-gooder" image of bards might be mistaken for a knock against the way other Realms authors have written bards - that certainly wasn't my intent. It's an accurate way of describing what I knew I wanted Tycho NOT to be, but he's certainly not the first less-than blond, less-than courtier, less-than do-gooder bard to be written for the Realms.
If anyone was inadvertantly offended by the comment, I do apologize.
Don |
Don Bassingthwaite
www.sff.net/people/dbassing |
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R0GUE
Seeker
USA
54 Posts |
Posted - 02 Mar 2004 : 07:06:26
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Haha! Did Danillo come and rap your knuckles for that one?
I love Tycho AND Danillo. I wish I could write a novel for the "Bard's" series if there were to be one. |
You have had your pocket pilfered by the R0GUE. |
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Lord Rad
Great Reader
United Kingdom
2080 Posts |
Posted - 02 Mar 2004 : 08:41:03
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Well I finished The Yellow Silk last night and just wanted to come over and say what a great story you did, Don
A nice gritty feel throughout. Spandilyon has just a dirty slummy atmosphere. made a nice change. After having not long since read The Sapphire Crescent (another fantastic novel!) it was like going from one extreme to another with Arrabar and Spandilyon.
Highly recommended! |
Lord Rad
"What? No, I wasn't reading your module. I was just looking at the pictures"
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dbassingthwaite
Forgotten Realms Author
Canada
64 Posts |
Posted - 31 Mar 2004 : 00:09:34
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quote:
Originally posted by Rad
After having not long since read The Sapphire Crescent (another fantastic novel!) it was like going from one extreme to another with Arrabar and Spandilyon.
Sorry to take so long to reply to this, Rad. Thanks very much and I'm glad you enjoyed Yellow Silk.
I haven't read The Sapphire Crescent yet, but if the cover art is anything to judge by, there would be QUITE the contrast between Arrabar and Spandeliyon.
Ironically, when I was first doing the proposal for Yellow Silk, I turned in an idea under the title of The Amethyst Flame - shot down because the gem theme was already in use for Thomas' series.
Don |
Don Bassingthwaite
www.sff.net/people/dbassing |
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dbassingthwaite
Forgotten Realms Author
Canada
64 Posts |
Posted - 31 Mar 2004 : 00:17:27
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I was rearranging files on my hard drive the other day and came up with something kind of nifty - the sketch map of Spandeliyon I turned in for Yellow Silk.
Check out the finished map (all professionally done up by Dennis Kauth) in The Yellow Silk, then go to my web site (below) and check out what he had to start with. This is the first time I've had a map in one of my books and I think it's very cool to see how my amateur map-making skills translated into something real.
Cool!
Don |
Don Bassingthwaite
www.sff.net/people/dbassing |
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Lord Rad
Great Reader
United Kingdom
2080 Posts |
Posted - 31 Mar 2004 : 08:29:39
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Excellent! Did WotC give you instruction to base the location of The Yellow Silk on somewhere of your own creating or do you choose to base it somewhere new yourself? Did you find it easier to work on a new location rather than using a town which had already been developed and contained existing lore?
Thanks |
Lord Rad
"What? No, I wasn't reading your module. I was just looking at the pictures"
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Steven Schend
Forgotten Realms Designer & Author
USA
1715 Posts |
Posted - 31 Mar 2004 : 16:54:07
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quote:
Originally posted by dbassingthwaite
I was rearranging files on my hard drive the other day and came up with something kind of nifty - the sketch map of Spandeliyon I turned in for Yellow Silk.
Check out the finished map (all professionally done up by Dennis Kauth) in The Yellow Silk, then go to my web site (below) and check out what he had to start with. This is the first time I've had a map in one of my books and I think it's very cool to see how my amateur map-making skills translated into something real.
Cool!
Don
Hi Don. I'm going to hijack your group for a second to also sing the praises of Dennis Kauth, one of the best hidden secrets of TSR/WotC/the Realms there is.
Dennis is the guy who, faced simply with a photocopy of a bunch of blank buildings in Waterdeep, asked if it'd be okay to make a miniatures scale model to photograph for a poster map in CITY OF SPLENDORS. 
And yes, he's the Rumplestiltskin of the Mapping Department, turning into gold whatever crosses his desk. And let me confess to having made some pretty rough/crude turnovers to him that became utterly marvelous things when he was done....and yes, your map sketch, in comparison, is a work of art compared to some map sketches I've done at 4am before a turnover was due...
Steven Schend
Bad designer, no donut... |
For current projects and general natter, see www.steveneschend.com
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dbassingthwaite
Forgotten Realms Author
Canada
64 Posts |
Posted - 31 Mar 2004 : 17:29:41
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quote:
Originally posted by Rad
Did you find it easier to work on a new location rather than using a town which had already been developed and contained existing lore?
I was basically given the location (I might have been able to push it a little bit within the region of the Unapproachable East, but I think the editor was being kind to me with an undeveloped location!), which is pretty standard for most of the novel work I've done.
Actually, both new and existing locations have things to reccommend them (I've done both in various novels).
New locations are almost never entirely blank canvases - even Spandeliyon had a one paragraph description I had to work within - but they can pretty close. Generally there's more freedom to shape the location to the story, which is always convenient. There's also less temptation to take the travelogue approach by drawing familiar sites gratuitously into the story (like when TV shows go to Paris and there's always a shot of the Eiffel Tower or the Arc de Triomphe).
Depending on the overall design hierarchy of the company in question, though, there's always the danger that what you're doing in your little undeveloped location will be overwritten or ignored by writers or designers later on (I think Wzards of the Coast is very good about drawing information from the novels into game canon though, so I do feel fairly safe with what I did in Spandeliyon).
Existing locations are good because you don't have to worry too much about fussing with layout, history, politics, names,etc - it's usually done for you. OTOH, you are stuck with some features that can be inconvenient to the story, but that can just make it more challenging to work around. I've found that even existing locations have lots of room to throw in little touches, though. In this sense, it's not really that much different from writing something set in the 'real' world (Chicago in my DarkMatter books, for instance) except that you can never actually go there.
Don
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Don Bassingthwaite
www.sff.net/people/dbassing |
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dbassingthwaite
Forgotten Realms Author
Canada
64 Posts |
Posted - 31 Mar 2004 : 17:45:22
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quote:
Originally posted by Steven Schend
[brI'm going to hijack your group for a second to also sing the praises of Dennis Kauth, one of the best hidden secrets of TSR/WotC/the Realms there is.
Dennis did CITY OF SPLENDORS? Ooooo!!
I am seriously in awe of Dennis. One of the first things I did when I got the first copy of Yellow Silk in my hands was flip to the map - it looks SO good.
Don |
Don Bassingthwaite
www.sff.net/people/dbassing |
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Lord Rad
Great Reader
United Kingdom
2080 Posts |
Posted - 06 Apr 2004 : 19:43:12
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Well well, just thought id mention something that raised my eyebrows...
Ive been sorting through my bookcases (to make room for yet more FR material ) when I stumbled upon a set of novels tucked into a corner, from the World of Darkness series (by White Wolf)....Lo and behold, there stands a novel for the Mage RPG, entitled Such Pain....by Don Bassingtwaithe. Well whadya know Maybe ill read this one after all, FR related or not
And thats not all....look here |
Lord Rad
"What? No, I wasn't reading your module. I was just looking at the pictures"
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Edited by - Lord Rad on 06 Apr 2004 19:44:22 |
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dbassingthwaite
Forgotten Realms Author
Canada
64 Posts |
Posted - 06 Apr 2004 : 20:43:18
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quote:
Originally posted by Rad
when I stumbled upon a set of novels tucked into a corner, from the World of Darkness series (by White Wolf)....Lo and behold, there stands a novel for the Mage RPG, entitled Such Pain....by Don Bassingthwaite. Well whadya know Maybe ill read this one after all, FR related or not
Yep, that would be my very first novel, Rad. Go ahead and read it - I got (and, considering it's been out of print for years, surprisingly still get!) some good comments on it. And yes, Richard Lee Byers and I actually date to about the same vintage with White Wolf novels (I think he may have started writing novels over all before I did though).
Just out of curiosity, do you have the purple HarperCollins edition or the crayon-coloured Boxtree edition that was distributed in the UK?
Don |
Don Bassingthwaite
www.sff.net/people/dbassing |
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Lord Rad
Great Reader
United Kingdom
2080 Posts |
Posted - 06 Apr 2004 : 22:42:51
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quote:
Originally posted by dbassingthwaite
Yep, that would be my very first novel, Rad. Go ahead and read it - I got (and, considering it's been out of print for years, surprisingly still get!) some good comments on it. And yes, Richard Lee Byers and I actually date to about the same vintage with White Wolf novels (I think he may have started writing novels over all before I did though).
Just out of curiosity, do you have the purple HarperCollins edition or the crayon-coloured Boxtree edition that was distributed in the UK?
Don
Ive got the Boxtree version. Which one looks best? Ill be sure to give them a read, once Ive cleared up a bit more FR backlog. |
Lord Rad
"What? No, I wasn't reading your module. I was just looking at the pictures"
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dbassingthwaite
Forgotten Realms Author
Canada
64 Posts |
Posted - 07 Apr 2004 : 04:43:07
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quote:
Originally posted by Rad
Ive got the Boxtree version. Which one looks best?
HarperCollins, without a doubt. When I describe the Boxtree edition as crayon-coloured...
Go to my website (below) and follow the Tomes link off the main page - both versions are shown (scroll down).
Mind you, I have some of the ORIGINAL cover flats that were supposed to appear on the HarperCollins edition. Where the centre illustration of the actual cover is deep purple, they did initially run the cover in HOT PINK. White Wolf made them change it.
Don
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Don Bassingthwaite
www.sff.net/people/dbassing |
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VEDSICA
Senior Scribe
USA
466 Posts |
Posted - 26 Oct 2004 : 23:10:02
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| Don,I really enjoyed your short story in Realms of the Dragons.It was good to see Tycho and Li again.Also the choice of a celestial dragon was cool.Any chance of those two popping up in a novel again?Especially with them travelling to Shou Lung.... |
LIFE,BIRTH,BLOOD,DOOM---THE HOLE IN THE GROUND IS COMING ROUND SOON----BLS |
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dbassingthwaite
Forgotten Realms Author
Canada
64 Posts |
Posted - 01 Nov 2004 : 15:48:30
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quote:
Originally posted by VEDSICA
Don,I really enjoyed your short story in Realms of the Dragons.It was good to see Tycho and Li again.
Thanks! I enjoyed going back to show a little of their journey as well and the celestial dragon was just a natural choice.
As far as a novel sequel, I'd love to do one (or more!), but there's nothing in the plans - my current project is an Eberron trilogy. If Wizards ever decides to revisit Kara-Tur, maybe there's a chance.
Thanks!
Don |
Don Bassingthwaite
www.sff.net/people/dbassing |
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Questions for Don Bassingthwaite
