Ask the Authors (Fandemonium)

[prion]

Hey Elizabeth,

I am almost done reading Casualties of War, just have the last 30 pages to go which because of RL will have to wait until tomorrow. Really like the book alot! Some really nice Sheppard/McKay moments!

Ah, when my book arrived (a friend got me a copy at the Chicago con), I started reading almost immediately. I even ignored *gasp* the internet for a while! I quite enjoyed it so actually did up a review (none-spoilerish variety) at http://wraithfodder.livejournal.com/101517.html

[Gate Geek]

I finished reading my copy of CoW this past weekend. I had to send little Geeklet off to a friend's house so I could read in peace.

I really enjoyed this book. There was lots off good Shep-McKay interaction, the story line was well done and a page turner for me. My only complaint - not enough Shep whump/angst. Then again, I'll be hard pressed to find a book that will actually have enough of it for my taste.


------------------------------------

Soo......what is the next Stargate book due out? I've lost track of the books and their projected publication dates.

[Rosehawk]

I really enjoyed this book. There was lots off good Shep-McKay interaction, the story line was well done and a page turner for me. My only complaint - not enough Shep whump/angst. Then again, I'll be hard pressed to find a book that will actually have enough of it for my taste.

Wow, you must really like Shep angst, cause I thought there was alot in the book!

The book also had some really nice Teyla and Ronon interaction and my personal favorite Zelenka! And let's not forget Lorne!

[Elizabeth Christensen]

Gang, you've made my night. (And it needed to be made, after a day spent weathering the endless "What happened to your football team?" taunts at work today. If you know where I went to school and where I now live, that'll make sense; otherwise, just be glad college football doesn't rule your community.)

Special props to prion for the review -- that's the first review anywhere, and I'm thrilled to see it! FYI, that comment of Shep's that was later answered in "McKay and Mrs. Miller"? That was intentional, meant to lead into "M&MM," because the book was set before the episode. Am I being vague enough to annoy everyone yet?

Speaking of reviews, if any of you care to hop over to Amazon and leave one there (which you can do even if you're not buying the book there), that would be spiffy. Of course, don't feel the need to give it five stars just because you know me from the forums. I'm of the belief that honest reviews of any flavor are useful, because one person's pet peeves might be another person's highlights. And let's face it: the synopsis posted over there isn't exactly overflowing with detail ...

[Alipeeps]

Am I being vague enough to annoy everyone yet?

Yes! *mutters and grumbles about not being able to read this book yet*

Speaking of reviews, if any of you care to hop over to Amazon and leave one there (which you can do even if you're not buying the book there), that would be spiffy. Of course, don't feel the need to give it five stars just because you know me from the forums. I'm of the belief that honest reviews of any flavor are useful, because one person's pet peeves might be another person's highlights. And let's face it: the synopsis posted over there isn't exactly overflowing with detail ...

Rest assured I will do so as soon as I get to read the book... I like leaving detailed Amazon reviews..

[Alipeeps]

Beth - do you know when CoW will be available on Fandy's website? What is the actual publishing date?

[GermanAstra]

Ah... finally, someone noticed

The reference to a grassy knoll in Houston (rather than Dallas) is a leftover from several alternate reality chapters we had to cut, which involved a fabulous scene with Teal'c, the men in black and a homage to Close Encounters of the 3rd Kind, (Jack and Daniel landing an Asgaard escape pod and asking for directions...LOL) all of which centered around Houston. It was such a pity it had to go. It was really good stuff).

Now finally I do understand what you all were talking about weeks ago. I just made it to the sentence Jack is saying to Daniel. And I didn’t get the meaning of it the first time I read it. Since it wasn’t important to the main story I just shrugged it off and thought it would be yet another reference to a certain thing only Americans could understand.

But then the word “Houston” triggered a memory and I remembered that here was a lot of talking about it. So I went back to the sentence and after some more thinking finally understood what Jack actually is saying.

But not everybody is reading here. I don’t know whether this will be explained further in the book since I did not read on yet but if the whole chapter truly was deleted and this is the only reference then how could Jack know that they started a different timeline with going to the past? Nobody told him which things would be changed, so he would think everything would be the same as he knows it.

I just think I would have made the connection much easier if the words “grassy knoll” and “Dallas” had been together in this sentence. But I can't know whether there might be also a famous grassy knoll in Houston or elsewhere. There are some words that are connected to certain things and like Dallas is connected to the JFK shooting Houston (at least for me) is connected to “Houston we have a problem”.

This actually reminds me at a test my little brother should do at school. The children should recognize different countries just by their outline. He had memorized every country, still he failed since the teacher made it almost impossible to recognize. She had turned all of them at different angles but of course one would memorize it as they can be seen at a world map so suddenly they all looked very unfamiliar to him.

Sorry, I don’t want to start the discussion all over again, these were just my thoughts about it. And this is such an interesting topic, actually. If Daniel truly went back and looked who is standing there then his curiosity might be satisfied but will he really be able to stand back and just look? I’m sure he would try to prevent the events from happening, and nobody knows which consequences that could have.

Which brings us to the next point, which also came up in our discussions, and is the reason we moved the grassy knoll... the Stargate universe operates in an alternate reality. If it was set in our universe, they wouldn't have a President Hayes, they'd have a President Bush.

This is actually an interesting argument! Although I always was under the impression that the Stargate universe was ours as well. The credibility of it actually was a main reason for me to start to watch the series since I’m not much into science fiction series that take place far in the future or in a different unfamiliar universe at all.

Of course I understand there can’t be a president Bush in it since it isn’t allowed to use real people. But with all the other references to well known things like the Simpsons or the wizard of Oz, with all the series and movies Mitchell always is referring to and with the guest appearances of “real” Air Force generals it always felt very real and realistic to me. Otherwise there surely should more things be “off” and different. And this is what makes you wonder what there really might be in Cheyenne Mountain

And weren’t the dates for Tunguska and Roswell also “real” ones? Or do I have to check them for differencies now, also?

It’s actually the same with the reference to the “Santa Maria” – if this truly is a different universe the ship easily could have had any different name and then nobody would have gotten the meaning at all. The reader just needs some familiar surroundings to find his way.


Having said that, I just want to add that I really enjoy your book and I agree, Vala has some of the best and funniest sentences!

[Elizabeth Christensen]

Beth - do you know when CoW will be available on Fandy's website? What is the actual publishing date?

I keep expecting to hear from Fandy any day now ... next week, ideally, but I think September 25th (the originally stated date) would be the latest. Then again, it's been demonstrated that I don't exactly have my finger on the pulse of the publishing industry ...

Sorry for the clock-watching -- hope it will have been worthwhile very soon!

[prion]

Special props to prion for the review -- that's the first review anywhere, and I'm thrilled to see it! FYI, that comment of Shep's that was later answered in "McKay and Mrs. Miller"? That was intentional, meant to lead into "M&MM," because the book was set before the episode. Am I being vague enough to annoy everyone yet?

Ah hah! Duh, should have thought about that

[HiddenSky]

I've been lurking on the boards for several months, but a chance encounter with a fellow Stargate fan today is drawing me out of hiding. I work at a Barnes & Noble store in suburban Philly and helped someone order a few of the Fandemonium novels today...they told me their GW posting name, but after a long day at work, all I can remember is that it starts with "S" - if you're out here, hello!

Anyway, I also wanted to mention that "Casualties of War" is making its way out there, since my own special order arrived at work last week. Great job, Elizabeth! I loved Sheppard's internal dilemma.

[Alipeeps]

I've been lurking on the boards for several months, but a chance encounter with a fellow Stargate fan today is drawing me out of hiding. I work at a Barnes & Noble store in suburban Philly and helped someone order a few of the Fandemonium novels today...they told me their GW posting name, but after a long day at work, all I can remember is that it starts with "S" - if you're out here, hello!

Anyway, I also wanted to mention that "Casualties of War" is making its way out there, since my own special order arrived at work last week. Great job, Elizabeth! I loved Sheppard's internal dilemma.

Welcome HiddenSky - nice to see you delurk!

[sonny1]

And weren’t the dates for Tunguska and Roswell also “real” ones? Or do I have to check them for differencies now, also?

It’s actually the same with the reference to the “Santa Maria” – if this truly is a different universe the ship easily could have had any different name and then nobody would have gotten the meaning at all. The reader just needs some familiar surroundings to find his way.

The term you're looking for is verisimilitude. The appearance of fact for the creation of fiction. As you say, Santa Marie is familiar, and I was almost tempted to have it sail into the Gulf of Maine but that’s another whole story…

Spoiler:

The photo that Daniel refers to in relation to Howard Carter actually exists, but of course, Vala is not in it. Tunguska, the first radio broadcast, baseball and Lovecraft’s financial status, age, publishing history, emotional stability and status as a writer who created elder gods with a city in Antarctica, and even the story he told about his grandfather is 95% factual. Harry Houdini, also factual. Roswell, there’s such a conflict of information and uncertainty of absolute dates, I’ve chosen to use accounts from all over, according to what fitted our story. So, info about the nurse (who supposedly went missing) the motor bike accident, the issue of refusing to do autopsies because of the smell, the crash sites, where bodies were supposedly found and their condition, indeed, vast chunks of information about aircraft movements and type, who arrived, which generals left when and so forth, are all based on sworn affidavits or various texts, but with some differences because the time line was already screwed up by Mitchell and Vala’s escape through the Stargate.

I based the dichotomy between Air Force and NID on the Majestic 12 documents, which helped explain away why no mention of the bodies ever appears in Stargate. However, UFO buffs have emailed me to tell me I got the location of the second site ‘wrong’, the decay of the bodies indicated they had been left out in the wild longer/shorter, and the location of the café where certain events took place, also ‘wrong’.

Uhm… this is Roswell we’re talking about here, folks. What UFO and what bodies?

I have no idea what really happened but I know sloppy logic and elaborate embellishment when I see it. The difference between fiction and lies is that fiction is not meant to deceive.

Bottom line, I took what I wanted from mythology and history and used it to create a fictional story about a fictional universe, and because of timelines, I can do pretty much what takes my fancy because the operative word here is fiction. That it gets people thinking and talking about it is exactly what I aim for, as it becomes entertaining beyond the mere act of reading the novel. And when it comes right down to it, Fox Mulder really did nail it when he said, ‘sometimes the need to mess with their heads outweighs the millstone of humiliation’.

[GermanAstra]

The term you're looking for is verisimilitude. The appearance of fact for the creation of fiction.

Thanks, I just learnt a new word! Can't find it in my dictionary, though.

Spoiler:

The photo that Daniel refers to in relation to Howard Carter actually exists, but of course, Vala is not in it. Tunguska, the first radio broadcast, baseball and Lovecraft’s financial status, age, publishing history, emotional stability and status as a writer who created elder gods with a city in Antarctica, and even the story he told about his grandfather is 95% factual.

You know what, since I'm no dedicated science fiction fan and therefore didn't know him before I actually looked up the name of

Spoiler:

Lovecraft

and compared what I read with what you told in the book. Also all the other things you mentioned - that's what I like about using "real" things - I learn something new by reading every day, though it is fictional. I also never ever will forget the exact year when

Spoiler:

Tunguska

happened, now.

Spoiler:

Harry Houdini, also factual.

That one I know!

Bottom line, I took what I wanted from mythology and history and used it to create a fictional story about a fictional universe, and because of timelines, I can do pretty much what takes my fancy because the operative word here is fiction.

Of course you can. And I never would accuse you that you had certain things "wrong".

Just for explanation: Being born in Eastern Germany, I just have to struggle really hard sometimes to understand what others are talking about. Children in Western Germany watched different movies and TV series than me, and I often feel left out of the joke when my friends are talking about it.

And though I was born in 1973, ten years after it happened, I actually considered myself knowing a lot about the discrepancies and the different bullets that hit JFK, since I took great interest in watching movies and documentations about this theme. And that I wasn't even with this knowledge able to detect the reference for what it was, makes me a little sad resp. feeling inadequate. Of course I could enjoy a book without these sidenotes also, but there's nothing like the "Uhu!" when realization suddenly dawns.

A friend of mine actually said to me that there were lots of errors in "Roswell" and I'm beginning to wonder whether she might have meant something like that.

I will now rush for your defence and enlighten her as soon as possible!

[Elizabeth Christensen]

I've been lurking on the boards for several months, but a chance encounter with a fellow Stargate fan today is drawing me out of hiding. I work at a Barnes & Noble store in suburban Philly and helped someone order a few of the Fandemonium novels today...they told me their GW posting name, but after a long day at work, all I can remember is that it starts with "S" - if you're out here, hello!

Anyway, I also wanted to mention that "Casualties of War" is making its way out there, since my own special order arrived at work last week. Great job, Elizabeth! I loved Sheppard's internal dilemma.

Thanks very much, HiddenSky! Terrific to hear, on both counts. Speaking of availability, folks, I was just on my AmazonConnect page earlier and saw that Casualties is listed as "In Stock" now, rather than "Not Yet Released." So I checked B&N's website as well, and they say it ships in 24 hours. I know many people here prefer to buy from Fandy, and there's been no official release announcement yet, but I just thought I'd throw that tidbit out there ...

[sonny1]

A friend of mine actually said to me that there were lots of errors in "Roswell" and I'm beginning to wonder whether she might have meant something like that.

I will now rush for your defence and enlighten her as soon as possible!

LOL! Don't be too hard on her, just remind her of the term 'fiction'

For what it's worth, I, too, lived for twenty years without seeing television, except on occasional trips to Sydney, LA or Mexico, and while English is my first language, there were long periods when I rarely spoke it. The world I lived in was a very different cultural environment and I often feel that I missed the 80s and 90s entirely. I'm assured by some that that may not have been any great loss...

If Jen and I do get another book together (and I confess, we've bounced around an idea, but we're both busy on other projects at the moment, so it won't happen until 2009 or so) it'll be based almost entirely on conspiracy theories that we haven't yet used, and haven't been seen in the X-Files. There's a veritable feast out there. So standby for us making many more 'errors', because we're going to have a ball jamming them into the Stargate universe and messing with them as we see fit.