Ask the Authors (Fandemonium)

[Elizabeth Christensen]

Well I for one thank you for doing so... they're fab photos and it's nice to see what you look like Beth!

More specifically, what I look like when I forget to pack my hair spray.

[Princess Awinita]

Hey Elizabeth C, just weanted to say great job on Exogensis! I have the novel(got it for my birthday along with Entanglement) and I just love how you wrote it! you and Sonny know your thing! the detail is good too, I could see it happening in my minds eye.

which reminds me, not too long ago a story of mine(a fanfic) that I had first wrote as a three chapter off the wall goofy story with Red Skelton in it(as a Ascended Ancient) soon grew on me and I ended up ending the story with a "to be continued" chapter, though with a total of 32 chapters in the story I was wondering of who I should go to to at least have someone give it a look over?

again you guys are doing a great job! I am actually reading Exogensis now though i'm flat broke and really want to get CoW.... maybe for the holidays.... oh well, I really want to read that book!

and a little question here, when you write a single chapter of a book do you set yourself a deadline? like so many words a chapter or something?

~Teyilia

[OaTmEaLfAiRy]

Hey, I didn't even know this was here!

Well Chicago Con was my first convention, and was full of many surprises for me. And by that, I mean things/people I didn't know I'd enjoy so much. One such surprise was you, Elizabeth. I loved Exogenesis, and couldn't put it down. I will definitely be picking up Casualties of War. I am ashamed to say, I skipped your Q&A, but have since learned my lesson. I hope to see you next year.

So, Elizabeth, how many 'cons' have you been to? Were there any that were better or worse than any others, which was your favorite?

[Alipeeps]

Hey Beth! Just wanted to pop in and say how much I loved Casualties of War! It arrived yesterday morning (this is why I much prefer to wait and order direct from Fandy - order placed Sunday evening, shipped on Monday, arrived Tuesday! ) which was perfect timing as I was flying over to the French office yesterday. So between the airport, the plane, the train and an evening in a hotel with no internet, I read the whole thing in one day!

It was a great read and had me really gripped, wanting to know what would happen next. Most importantly, I think you really captured the characterisation - the banter between the team was perfect and I could absoutely imagine the actors' voices saying those lines (always a good sign that the author has got it right!) and even the more minor characters such as Lorne and Zelenka were spot on. I also enjoyed seeing Weir as a diplomat and negotiator (something the show has rarely portrayed) and I loved what you did with Sheppard - you managed to portray a more vulnerable, emotional Sheppard without making him out of character. Just wonderful. This novel joins Reliquary and Chosen in my top 3 favourite Fandy novels.

I'm going to write that Amazon review once I get back from France and actually have internet access in the evenings...

[Elizabeth Christensen]

Hey, I didn't even know this was here!

Well Chicago Con was my first convention, and was full of many surprises for me. And by that, I mean things/people I didn't know I'd enjoy so much. One such surprise was you, Elizabeth. I loved Exogenesis, and couldn't put it down. I will definitely be picking up Casualties of War. I am ashamed to say, I skipped your Q&A, but have since learned my lesson. I hope to see you next year.

So, Elizabeth, how many 'cons' have you been to? Were there any that were better or worse than any others, which was your favorite?

<waving hello and welcome> What a sweet thing to say -- thank you! Don't sweat missing the Q&A; that was a packed day. If I'd had to choose between getting Morena's autograph and listening to an author talk, I wouldn't have picked me, either.

I'm still a newbie at this, relatively speaking; I've been to the Chicago con twice, and that's it so far. Both times I've really enjoyed meeting fans, and I learned a lot of things the first time around that I was able to put into practice this year. Namely, 1) bring more books! and 2) take care of your own business, because the con staff has enough on their plates as it is. I'd love to do more cons in the future, but scheduling things like that often requires a balancing act with my day job.

again you guys are doing a great job! I am actually reading Exogensis now though i'm flat broke and really want to get CoW.... maybe for the holidays.... oh well, I really want to read that book!

and a little question here, when you write a single chapter of a book do you set yourself a deadline? like so many words a chapter or something?

Cool, more people discovering this thread. I owe GW a drink for putting CoW on the front page. Thanks much, Teyilia -- glad you're enjoying Exo!

When Sonny and I write together, we don't really put a word limit on our chapters. For the first couple of books, they tended to be in the range of 20 pages (in Word) per chapter, but for Blood Ties we switched over to making each point-of-view change a chapter break, i.e. a chapter from Sheppard's POV, then a chapter from Teyla's POV, etc. Sonny and Jen did Roswell the same way, I believe. The result is shorter chapters -- and more of them. Other authors may have a different take ...

[Elizabeth Christensen]

It was a great read and had me really gripped, wanting to know what would happen next. Most importantly, I think you really captured the characterisation - the banter between the team was perfect and I could absoutely imagine the actors' voices saying those lines (always a good sign that the author has got it right!) and even the more minor characters such as Lorne and Zelenka were spot on.

Ali, if it wasn't for that pesky ocean in the way (as well as the Channel at the moment, apparently), I'd give you a big hug right now. You hit on exactly what I believe to be essential about writing these books: capturing the characters. It's my favorite part of the process, and it can be tricky, because the readers are just as familiar with these characters' voices as the authors are. When someone thinks I got that aspect right, in my mind, there's no higher compliment.

If anyone needs me, I'll be over here grinning goofily to myself. And possibly talking like a pirate. (Yes, it's Talk Like a Pirate Day for a few more hours -- look it up on Wiki if you doubt my sanity. One of my coworkers was once in a squadron nicknamed the "Buccaneers," so my office actually celebrates TLAP Day. Seriously. Ladies and gentlemen, the United States Air Force, at your service. )

[Maya]

Hi. I've been lurking for a while but I've just finished reading Casualties of War and wanted to say how much I liked it.

[Elizabeth Christensen]

Hi. I've been lurking for a while but I've just finished reading Casualties of War and wanted to say how much I liked it.

Thanks very much! Glad to have coaxed you out of lurkerdom.

[H Louise]

If anyone needs me, I'll be over here grinning goofily to myself. And possibly talking like a pirate. (Yes, it's Talk Like a Pirate Day for a few more hours -- look it up on Wiki if you doubt my sanity. One of my coworkers was once in a squadron nicknamed the "Buccaneers," so my office actually celebrates TLAP Day. Seriously. Ladies and gentlemen, the United States Air Force, at your service. )

I believe you! lol. Just playing a pirate game on facebook and it has Talk like a pirate day was Sept 19th. So Shiver me timbers, it goes to show real life is just as weird and wonderful as fiction.

Eik - couldn't find CoW on Play or a link on Fandy - gonna have to have a look again...*runs to have a look.*

[Alipeeps]

Eik - couldn't find CoW on Play or a link on Fandy - gonna have to have a look again...*runs to have a look.*

It's a bit hard to find on Fandy's website. If you go to the shop page it lists CoW but doesn't have a link/option to buy it. If you go to Fandy's homepage though there is an article about CoW on the front page and right down at the bottom of that little article there is a link for "buy now".

[H Louise]

Thanks Ali. Quite elusive - well it was for me, I wasn't looking with my eyes open! lol. Argh, I could have had it for a week by now! lol.

[Princess Awinita]

Hey Elizabeth, I just got CoW, though I'm waiting until dark to read it(something about a nice warm bed, a nightlight and a book makes me remember when i was just a new reader just starting to learn to read, I read anything and everything I could get my little paws on, and I still do.) Anyhow, can't wait to read it! I just finished Exo(third time now) and I noticed that you know how to get every team member injured(I myself am a Teyla whumper and couldn't help but smile seeing how well you wrote those scenes of Teyla in the Jumper. great job to both you guys!!!)

~Tey

[sonny1]

Hey Elizabeth, I just got CoW, though I'm waiting until dark to read it(something about a nice warm bed, a nightlight and a book makes me remember when i was just a new reader just starting to learn to read, I read anything and everything I could get my little paws on, and I still do.) Anyhow, can't wait to read it! I just finished Exo(third time now) and I noticed that you know how to get every team member injured(I myself am a Teyla whumper and couldn't help but smile seeing how well you wrote those scenes of Teyla in the Jumper. great job to both you guys!!!)

~Tey

Thanks, it's nice to know a few people out there have read Exo a few times, because we wrote it as a multi-layered story, with the 'value for money' view that each time you read it, you picked up the greater complexities and themes throughout, that a first reading couldn't possibly give you.

I'm a real fan of fish out of water characters (hence throwing Rodney into that predicament), and Teyla is very much a character who has to deal with being quite different things to many people. How she has to resolve her role as a leader of a very spiritual and essentially pacifist appearing people with her inherent strength and her role as a someone who sees such potential in the Earth team as a real hope against the Wraith, has always intrigued me. While we touched on it in The Chosen, in the scene where she's in the tree watching the Wraith advance on the citadel, this story was a great opportunity to re-address that thread in the context of being with her own people and with the military. Beth brings such an amazingly dead accurate portrayal of the military mindset, that bouncing a scene like that around together is sheer, unadulterated fun.

I had a talk about Teyla with Rachel Luttrell about a year back (Rachell had read the teaser on page one of Exo, before it went to print) and yeah, I think I'd always return to this theme in some form when writing her character. This next season is going to be very interesting, seeing her character's development along new threads.

Sonny

[Alipeeps]

Wheee! As promised Beth, I've reviewed CoW on Amazon.... mind you, thinking about it... I've doen the review on Amazon.co.uk... I'm guessing that won't carry over the Amazon.com? Hmm... maybe I'll go post it there too...

[Elizabeth Christensen]

Wheee! As promised Beth, I've reviewed CoW on Amazon.... mind you, thinking about it... I've doen the review on Amazon.co.uk... I'm guessing that won't carry over the Amazon.com? Hmm... maybe I'll go post it there too...

Fantastic -- you rock, Ali! I don't think the reviews transfer between Amazon divisions (seems like they should, though, doesn't it?), so thanks very much for covering both!