Stump the Author---And WIN!

[Archer]

Okay, while we're all having fun reading Elfhunter (hopefully we're having fun), let's test your abilities at Stumping the Author!
If you ask me a question related to matters Alterran that I cannot answer, you will win either a. a hard copy of the book or b. a t-shirt. Your choice!

We had a thread like this on the Amazon page. It was started by a reader, and it was a lot of fun...somebody finally DID stump me, too!

Try it...you might just flummox me! 

[Winter9]

I do think you will be able to answer this, but we will see. Well... I just wonder. Elves are supposed to live forever right? How long does it take for them to grow up? Do they stop growing at some point? Does it exist old looking elves? I mean like elves looking like they are a hundred human years old..?

[Archer]

Winter:

Good questions, which I can answer. Elves take about fifty years to reach 'maturity' (reproductively speaking). Once they achieve their full growth at about age twenty-thirty,they look like youthful adults unless/until they are stressed by grief or trial. Hence, Gaelen looks young, but in her eyes you can 'read' her age in her eyes. Same with Galador.  Ri-Elathan (Rain) bore a heavy burden of responsibility, and as such he looked 'mature'--no grey hair, but there were lines in his face. He was VERY old, even for an Elf, when he met his terrible fate.

Interestingly, Rain did not meet his 'life-mate' until the end. Poor Gaelen will never have children now.  

The one Elf in the story who actually appeared to be AGED was kept in captivity by Lord Wrothgar for centuries...he was understandably stressed!

[ibrewalot]

Hmmmm, I'll have to noodle on this one.  Could be interesting.

I'll start with an easy one I've not seen in any of the three books so far, but something you likely have already thought of:
  - How long "is" an elf pregnant when they do have children?  They whole immortal thing comes into play and there's no obvious reason for it to have to be 9 months, right?

[Tip10]

And to go along with Brew's questions....

I believe we know that elf/human off-spring are possible, and, also elf/olca, but what about elf-dwarf?  or human/dwarf?

And to further that -- which attributes would be followed in such off-spring.

Gorgon seems to possess mostly the elf attributes -- would it be dependant upon birth mother? 
Since Gorgon was born to an Elf mother is that why he had the preponderance of elf attributes?  Would it have been different were he born to a different birth mother?

Would that mean if Galador and his initial beloved had produced off-spring they would be "more" human whereas if Orogond and Gaelen reproduced the off-spring would be "more" elf?

Hmmm, can you imagine a more formidable foe than a cross between Orogond's sensitivity, sense of right and fierce protectiveness crossed with Gaelen's overwhelming confidence and sense of indestructibility?   

Of course you could also end up with a mass of jello -- Orogond's reasoned thought processes countered by Gaelen's rash actions.....

And to ramble further -- if Rain had chosen a dwarf lifemate could they have produced 7 foot tall dwarves?

And to have some fun would we have dwelfs or dwumans, humarfs, helfs or humelfs, or maybe elfmans???


Archer -- don't hurt yourself rolling on the floor now!!

[Archer]

Oh, Tip! That was definitely a cheerer-upper! My response will have to wait until I can type a little better, though.

One brief bit of enlightenment: Gorgon favors his Elven side because he is actually the product of an artificial blending of an existing embryo (Amandir/Brinneal's child) with Olcan DNA. In order for the offspring to be carried to term, the majority of the DNA had to be Elven. Gorgon's minions had learned this from earlier attempts. (ugh!)

More later when I am not quite so far into the realm of 'happy drugs'!
 

[Archer]

Okay...more on the fascinating world of 'Sex and Childbearing'.
Elf/Olca is impossible without a great deal of dark sorcery aka 'science'.
Elf/human offspring are possible, but only out of human females. They cannot be sired by humans.
The birth mother connection is that Elves reproduce very rarely (logical in an immortal species) and this is entirely controlled by the females. (Their gestation is approximately the same as humans, though--a trade-off between their rapid cell growth and the need for additional development. They are a lot more 'aware' when they are born).

A She-elf will bear children only of the one with whom she is destined to bear them. Gaelen and Rain 'recognized' one another at/near the very end of his life, regrettably (for him). They might, of course, enjoy the (ahem) pleasant company of anyone, but once they recognize their life-mate they are bonded for eternity. Part of Gaelen will always turn to Rain, and Orogond knows it, but he doesn't care. She loves him to the limit of her ability and that is enough for him.

Elven males can (and do) freely sire children of human females--there are no biological constraints. However, it is unlikely that they will do so because of behavioral/cultural/social mores. It IS considered unseemly. Those mores came out of the realization that loving a human results in endless heartache upon separation (ask Galador). And the Elves cannot deny their (fairly pervasive) snobbery, either! Some Elves, like Galador and Gaelen, truly appreciate and admire humans. They are not in the majority. Wood-elves don't disparage humans to the degree that High-elves do, but Wood-elves tend to be suspicious of everybody.

As far as Dwarves are concerned, talk about social constraints!! Their 'reproductive biology' is revealed in the next book, and I will speak no more of it for the moment. Biologically, they are (relatively) compatible with (male) Elves and with humans, but there might be mechanical difficulties due to size differences. Offspring are unheard of (at least in the West), but if they appeared, they would be sterile.

[Archer]

Tip: I can't shake the vision of 'Dwarves playing basketball' now.
Thanks a lot!

What do you get when you cross a man with an orc from Mordor?

--A humidor.

(ahh! You gotta love codeine!)

[ibrewalot]

You're having WAY too much fun for someone just out of surgery! 

[Archer]

Llewellys in the Sky-y...with Dromadin,
Llewellys in the Sky-y...with Dromadin,
Llewellys in the Sky-y...with Drom-a-din...
...AHhhhhhhhhh!

Pic-ture your-self
on a boat on the Ambros,
With Tangerine trees and Honey-streaked skies!

[geoffthomas]

Uh.....just what chemicals have you been ingesting for your pain?

Just askin......

[Carmyn]

You been hittin' the honey, Archer? 

[Archer]

I have brought back spoils from the realm of KO-DEEN.

Ahhhhhh....feel better!

[Winter9]

Now I have a few questions for you..

-How many books do you think the series will consist of?
-Who is your favorite character?
-Who would you have to play Orogond?

And the thing I wonder most :

-Does the story to some degree show some of your childhood dreams? And have you used some of your experience and qualities in some character?

If I ever stump you I will have to use that on a book for the library here, might as well just buy the map  when I can afford it Probably just happening at most one time. I haven't met another person so committed to her/his work as you. Which is a great thing! Makes it so much more fun for us and perfect for a bookclub!!

[Archer]

Here are some answers:
The Elfhunter trilogy is complete at 3 books.
The new Alterran series, Undiscovered Realms, will be as long as it takes to tell the story. I don't know yet how many books will be required--that depends on several factors. I anticipate at least 3-4 books, because these are shorter and the scope of the story is broader. There are other writing projects planned for Alterra, including a set of short stories ('Tales of the Skulking Raven').
I might actually write a spin-off novel or two featuring some of the second-tier characters. A lot of readers are curious.

My favorite character in the Elfhunter trilogy is Gorgon. Gaelen is my favorite protagonist, followed closely by Fima.

As far as who would play Orogond, well...to be honest, it's probably an actor we've never heard of yet. By the time they get around to making this movie, everybody we have in mind will be too old!  A few ideas from 'today's pool'--Johnny Depp, Stuart Townsend, Daniel Day Lewis.

Yes, I have enriched the story with a LOT of my experiences. There are two characters who share a lot of my personality traits, but I won't say which ones. I tend to express my own world view through these two characters. You can see the influence of my experience as a field biologist, as a life-long horsewoman and endurance rider, and as an archer and maker of longbows. Several of the characters are based on people I know. Again...to protect the innocent, I'll keep that to myself! 
Most of the horses are based on horses i have owned or currently own.

I was just talking with the map-maker today, and she will be happy to autograph a map for you.

[Winter9]

Wow! How did I miss that??? I thought that Outcaste was the fourth book. An original trilogy, I think that is cool!! Kind of like In Her Name and The Lord of The Rings.

I hope you take this the right way: Reading your work is like having Tolkien reborn. By that I DON'T mean that you plagiate him or don't have your own style. What I DO mean is that you are a truly GIFTED writer, and you have made a world to experience in the same way that Tolkien did. And reading your book(s) make me feel like discovering The Lord of the Rings for the first time. After finished the first book I will write you a review on amazon.


That is so cool! I would love to have a signed map  Say thank you to her!!!

I was wondering something else.. If I could find the money to buy the next books for my sister, do you sell them yourselves? I would really like to have them signed as well..How much does the books cost (if you do sell them)? Just so that I know. To bad her birthday is in november :/ I don't know if she can wait till then. She has just started Elfhunter, but she has a lot she must read for school. She is attending a writing course on her school, and she has to read lots of Norwegian classics (and Shakespeare).

Back to topic. I think Johnny Depp could work although I prefer Bloom for Orogond. I just see him as somewhat younger than Depp. Maybe because he is human and I want he and Gaelen to have many happy years together

I wish they would make movies out of them soon  It would be such a great movie! But maybe a few more years for the books to establish would do it good There are still lots of people that needs to experience them. I seriously want these books to reach Norwegian libraries, even if they will be in english. Do you think your books will be translated to other languages at some point?

I love your influence as a horsewoman. And I love Eros!!

Now... Do I have another question for you?

How do you keep the whole world balanced and together? I mean Alterra.. You know all parts have to fit, and it just seems like you have the whole picture in your mind as you write. 

[Archer]

Ooh...replying to this is gonna keep me busy.
I'll start by saying that the fourth book is really the first book. In other words, it's et in the same world and (some) of the same characters are present, but it's the beginning of an entirely new tale. It begins 20 years after the ending of Ravenshade. The trilogy is the Tales of Alterra, the World that Is. This one is the Tales of Alterra: Undiscovered Realms.
I didn't want to interfere with the 'closure' we get at the ending of RS.
See? You didn't miss anything after all. 

Well...see, I can cast Orli as an Elf, but in my opinion he's too 'pretty' to play Orogond. Too willowy--not manly enough. We need a manly-man for the role. Orogond is young, yes, but he's weathered a bit. Orli reminds me of Erroll Flynn (whom I love)--but he's just a little too 'slick' for Thaylon. I would sooner see Orli as Galador or Llewellys. He'd do a great Llew. (I love Llewellys--he's sort of adorable. The story of how he came to be friends with Gaelen is an interesting one.) You needn't worry--if Orogond manages to die of old age, it won't be for about a hundred years yet. 

Your heartfelt compliment has left me speechless. I appreciate your faith in my ability, and I think I understand what you mean. Tolkien was the most influential architect of the genre, and I will hear no argument to the contrary. I freely admit to making little tiny tracks of my own within his enormous footsteps. Tolkien took me on the journey with him. If your comparison is based on having transported you on a journey with me, then I can accept it with thanks. All I can say is...just you wait!

Do me a favor, will you? find out the cost of your ordering the books through Amazon. I want to see how much it costs to get a copy of Fire-heart through them.

More in a while--off to the doctor's now!

[Winter9]

Tolkien was the most influential architect of the genre, and I will hear no argument to the contrary.

You won't get any, I agree...


About Orlando Bloom. Now I can totally see what you mean. Could we maybe settle on Depp as Orogond and Bloom as Llewellys? I didn't know which one I would put on him, but when you mentioned it I can totally see Bloom in the role!

Fire-Heart costs $18.97 on amazon.

[geoffthomas]

I would suggest perhaps Matt Damon for Orogond.

[Archer]

Okay, Winter...so you can get Fire-heart shipped to you in Norway for under twenty bucks? Really? That's great!!
Now I know how to get the books to you. (It cost me that much to ship one copy of Elfhunter to Norway...I'm trying to avoid that again!)
So...I now have an evil plan. (Muahahahaha!)

As far as your last question, I believe the way to keep a story/world coherent is to develop good characters and then let them drive the story. They will tie up each and every detail somehow. I know that some authors work from outlines...I actually make notes but don't use an outline. The characters have freedom to change the course of the story that way.

Geoff:  I hadn't thought of Matt Damon. He's certainly a fine actor and would do the role credit! Good idea.

[ibrewalot]

This might be me just missing something, but "I'm" stumped:

 - Why did Koto go back to drag Gorgon to meet up with Queen Tansy?  He normally does things for a purpose, right?
 - And along the same lines, when Koto comes back for him 6 days had gone by with Gorgon only having water enough for 2 days...does that mean the Company was entertaining Queen Tansy for 6 days?

[Archer]

Yes...they had been captive for six days. It took a while to get Tansy 'on board' with the nightly dreams and befriending the raven. Tansy is VERY intelligent, actually. She might have been suspicious otherwise. Kotos promised Tansy that Orrion would come to her if she let the Company go. If he hadn't, she might have changed her mind and gone after them. As it was, she was in no condition to chase them. As to the 'rest of the story'...you'll find out in book three of the next series!

(I'm sure Galador was quite relieved to have Kotos take over...)

[ibrewalot]

Fairly difficult to do this without spoilers, isn't it?  Thanx for answering the question AND for covering it up. 

[Archer]

I feel a little like the guy who puts those black rectangles over the 'naughty bits' in the racy magazines.

censored censored censored censored! 

[Winter9]

No no! I can get it with shipping for $29. Still not halfbad! But you do know that if you sell the books yourself and I bought from you, I would pay the shipping of course!! But as it is right now I don't have money for it yet. You are in America right? It said Poland I think also on the package I got from you, so I wondered.
Now what is your evil plan?

If I can just manage to stump you for that map