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    Ask the Authors (Fandemonium)

    So as some of you will have noticed, we've had an increased amount of authors from Fandemonium popping over here. So what better idea than an "Ask the Authors" thread. Basically, just consider it like an Ask BamBam thread but with the authors.

    So far I know. Sonny Whitelaw, James Swallow and Karren Miller are on at the moment. I believe Sonny will also be asking their fellow authors to come over.

    So if one of you mods could please Sticky this?

    Anyway, straight off the mark.

    Sonny: How different was it writing "Chosen"? It was easily twice the size of "City of the Gods" and you didn't write it alone either. What's it like co-authoring a book? How does it work?
    Last edited by Elite Anubis Guard; 24 February 2007, 01:27 PM.
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    Stargate Destiny - Coming Again Soon

    #2
    Fantastic thread!!!

    To all the authors: How were your first forays into the world of Stargate, and what published writing have you done before?
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    Part 2 coming very soon!! (this is a fic btw, not the Fandemonium novel)

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      #3
      City of the Gods started out at about 85K and I cut it back to 72K, because it costs more to manufacture, transport and stock a physically larger book. Once Fandemonium had tested the waters and found them very receptive, we had the green light to go to 100K plus. That was a sheer joy, because my preference as a storyteller is to create multilayered stories with three dimensional characters. To do this, I personally prefer 100-110K stories.

      The partnership thing was a hell of a lot of fun, and something I’d highly recommend. About a year ago I’d been doing some research on Wright Patterson Air Force base for an SG-1 story (I’ll start on that late next month after my thesis is written…again) when I stumbled across Beth’s article on the shuttle disaster. I was so taken with her style of writing that I contacted her. One thing led to another and I suggested she submit a brief story concept to Fandemonium. Beth came up with the idea of a genetic hegemony titled, The Chosen. The publisher came back with a variation on the core idea and suggested a little storming the Bastille. Then I kinda went nuts with the ‘let’s chuck Rodney in something really nasty’, added a heavy dash of world building, ripping out a people’s mythology to see what happens, and such juicy battles, and voila, a partnership was born.

      I think the crucial thing with a partnership is that we both had a clear idea where things were headed in the story, so we could each write sections then email them to each other. Then we’d each re-write the other’s work, which is an incredibly fast way of picking up problems. That requires absolutely no ego and equally, no hesitation to overwrite the other person if something isn’t working. The Chosen is a complex story, and that required some careful set ups at the outset. Certainly two head allowed us to develop this far faster than one.

      Exogenesis was a little different in that I had the complete story in my head before we started, but Beth took the ball and ran with it, literally to the finish line, using a similar technique of writing, passing it along, and writing over something until it's whupped into shape.

      Stargate is a big sandpit created by some wonderfully talented people, and we’re lucky enough to play in it with them. The trick is to remember that it’s more fun playing with others than playing by yourself. Beth is truly wonderful partner, and I’m incredibly lazy, so from my POV it’s the sort of synergy that works like a dream <g>.
      Sonny
      www.sonnywhitelaw.com

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        #4
        Thanks for the question, SueKay.

        I started watching SG-1 via videos sent to me by very kind friends in the US, just after Season 1 finished airing. I'd loved the movie, I was a fan of RDA, and really enjoyed the series. Good friends kept on sending me the tapes as the seasons progressed (they still do, bless them!) and after a time I had a stab at writing some fanfic -- the Medical Considerations series, starring the fabulous Janet Fraiser. I wrote a bunch of those, and a postscript piece to The Devil You Know, but that's all.

        I loved writing the fanfic, but my goal has always been to publish professionally in the spec fic genre. After long years of learning my craft, submitting and being rejected, my first fantasy duology 'Kingmaker, Kingbreaker' was accepted by HarperCollins Voyager (Australia) in 2003. Book 1 was published last August (wow, a year ago now!) and bk 2 appeared in January of this year. The duology has just been sold to Orbit UK, and will be published there in March/September of 2007. I'm currently working on bk 1 of a trilogy that will appear through Voyager in May of next year, with books 2 and 3 appearing at 6 month intervals after that.

        SG-1 Alliances, my first Stargate novel with Fandemonium, is due out in mid-September. Basically, it picks up where the season 4 episode 'The Other Side' left off, and deals with the fallout from the traumatic events on Euronda as the team gets involved with a joint Earth/Tok'ra initiative spearheaded by Jacob Carter. It goes without saying that the mission doesn't quite go to plan ... which results in mayhem and much kerfuffle.

        I had the most fun writing this book. Brad Wright is hands down my favourite of the Stargate scriptwriters. I consider myself extraordinarily fortunate to be telling a story inspired by his great writing. I'm also fortunate that the folk at Fandemonium had read the Medical Consideration series, enjoyed it, and wanted me to come on board.

        The original SG-1 team was so beautifully created, so wonderfully written and portrayed for 8 seasons, it's a gift to someone writing fiction based on the show. They and all the regular characters, like Hammond and Jacob, have rich and complicated histories and relationships, with loads of conflict and affection which form the basis of all good drama.

        There are folk who like to sneer at 'media tie-in' books and writers. I've always loved them, right the way back to Barbara Hambly's Classic Trek novel 'Ishmael', which remains one of my favourite reads. When you love a show as I love Stargate it's the biggest thrill to be allowed into that sandbox to play for a while. So thanks to the fans who support these novels, because without that support I wouldn't be having this amazing experience.
        http://www.karenmiller.net
        http://karenmiller.livejournal.com

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          #5
          Originally posted by sueKay
          Fantastic thread!!!

          To all the authors: How were your first forays into the world of Stargate, and what published writing have you done before?
          Woo Hoo! Thanks, sueKay - I have another excuse to avoid work <g>

          My foray into Stargate was Sabine C Bauer's fault <g>. It was a little daunting at first because fandom is such a vast entity. What one loves about Stargate, someone else hates. Science Fiction writers have traditionally created contention, pushed boundaries, and generated discussion, and I for one would never be happy if it were otherwise. Some highlights have certainly included the day one of my author friends, Marianne dePierres, rang up and congratulated me on making WH Smith’s bestseller list with City of the Gods. While that’s enormously satisfying, the best part has been direct interaction with the fans. I’ve met some wonderful, very intelligent people who’ve been exceptionally courteous and generous (thanks for the wine, chocolates, sleeping kangaroo and black cockatoo, guys!) Even more generous with their time re insights to their characters have been several of the actors, and most recently Bam Bam, who clued me in on some neat ways to deal with a Wraith.

          Published work… I’ve been a photojournalist for almost thirty years. I worked as a foreign correspondent for a stint, and staff writer for one of Ansett’s Pacific magazines for several years. Most recent work…lemme see. National Geographic, and the cover shot and feature article in January 2006 Australian Photography magazine. Titled, Photos at the Gates of Hell, it’s a ‘how to get this close to lava and get those National Geographic shots without getting killed, but don’t try this at home’ story <g>. I’ve written three non-Stargate novels: The Rhesus Factor - about half of which has come true since it was published - Ark Ship, and Chimera. Last month I compiled an anthology of stories from some of the top name speculative fiction writers in Australia, Journeys of the Mind, and dedicated it to a vineyard. You’ll never guess who owns the vineyard—I sure didn’t until my third visit <g>. There’s a more comprehensive list of works, some of which can be downloaded on my website. Currently I'm writing a thesis, which I now better get back to <sigh>.
          Sonny
          www.sonnywhitelaw.com

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            #6
            Okay, a bit touchy subject maybe but Sonny, City of the Gods was probably the least receptive novel of the line so far due to the complexity of the content and with all the alien pretending to be an alien who was pretending to be a god and all the complicated names. How did it feel when you read the response?

            And a general one. How did you all get involved in writing for Fandemonium?
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            Stargate Destiny - Coming Again Soon

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              #7
              Karen and Sonny..fantastic answers!!

              Sonny...a bit off-topic, but how did you get into photojournalism? I'm a keen amateur photographer, but I have no idea how to go about selling my work.
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              Part 2 coming very soon!! (this is a fic btw, not the Fandemonium novel)

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                #8
                I'd like to thank the authors for answering our questions.

                I would like to know how difficult it is to stick to the show canon in your stories. If you get a great idea do you then have to cut it because, say, Jack would be out of character?
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                  #9
                  Hi there!

                  ::sidles in beside the water cooler and ogles Sonny:: Weren't you supposed to work on your thesis?

                  Nice to meet you, Karen. OzKaren, huh? I'm a huge fan of the Medical Considerations series-to the point of being a bit wary of even tackling Janet Fraiser in Survival of the Fittest, because you're such a hard act to follow.

                  And great to meet you all! ::waves to folks on the board:: Apologies for showing up here a little late, but I’m hip-deep in renovating my house and on top of that was racing to meet a deadline with a short story for the official magazine.

                  I agree, this thread is a terrific idea and sueKay's question is really good as well—although it's bound to provoke novel-length answers.

                  Let’s see… I first came across Stargate SG-1 in ’99 when I was teaching at Berea College, Berea, KY. Anyway, at the time SG-1 was running in the Saturday midnight slot on Fox—I think the very first episode I ever saw was The Nox—and I was hooked right there and then, not least because, like Karen, I think RDA rocks (and, coincidentally, ditto on Ishmael by Barbara Hambley). Cue the usual, i.e. trying to get my paws on all the episodes, and eventually I stumbled to fan fiction, initially reading- and then writing-wise. The latter partly because, right around that time, I’d slipped back into writing anyway. I’d got a commission from a London-based theatre company to write a children’s play and suddenly remembered how much fun there is to be had with a keyboard. It’s also a much, much cheaper creative outlet than producing plays, but that’s by-the-by

                  So, I happily (and without any intention of ever doing this professionally) played in that wonderful fanfic sandbox for three or four years, until—about three quarters of the way through a 140K monster of a story—I realized that I was having altogether too much fun with the OCs, and started toying with the idea of an original novel. Which, by the way, is still languishing in a ten-elevenths finished stage, because sometime in late summer of 2003 I got this email from Fandemonium, asking if I would consider writing a Stargate novel for them.

                  Excuse me?

                  Things don’t usually happen that way, not in publishing and definitely not in my life, so yes, I was a pinching myself for about a month. I still can’t thank everyone who read my fanfic enough, because if it hadn’t been for you guys passing the word in the fandom (and seeing fit to bestow the odd award ), I very much doubt Fandemonium would have known or been interested.

                  It’s been a wild ride—still is—and I’m absolutely with Sonny on the subject of vertical learning curves and meeting the most amazingly generous people. And speaking of, many thanks to Albion for the very kind review of Survival. I'm really and truly glad you enjoyed it

                  Sabine

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                    #10
                    Originally posted by dipsofjazz
                    I'd like to thank the authors for answering our questions.

                    I would like to know how difficult it is to stick to the show canon in your stories. If you get a great idea do you then have to cut it because, say, Jack would be out of character?
                    You're welcome

                    As far as I'm concerned it isn't actually that difficult--then again, I've always tried to follow canon with the fanfic as well, simply because it was a personal preference and a bit of a challenge, too.

                    Basically, our guideline from MGM is that we can do pretty much anything we like, as long as it's PG and we achieve a 'reset' by the end of the book. In other words, killing a main character in Season 5 and saying 'oops!' won't fly

                    What can be really tricky--though these days it probably applies more to the Atlantis novels than to SG-1, simply because the SG-1 books so far stick with the original team--is navigating the canon yet to be written by upcoming episodes. The writers and producers are very good about answering questions and trying to give pointers, but fact of the matter is that even for them things can be up in the air sometimes and content has a way of changing. Case in point, in the original manuscript of Trial by Fire Ba'al and Moloch were one and the same. We'd cleared that with MGM, and got approval, since at the time there were no plans of letting Moloch make a personal appearance on the show.

                    Unfortunately, plans change, we did get to see the guy in one of the episodes, and he definitely wasn't Ba'al. Go figure ::shrugs:: So I had to do a quick last-minute rewrite, but that kind of thing really lies in the nature of the beast. Definitely keeps you on your toes, though

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                      #11
                      Confession time: I'm a technocretin and can't figure out the whole quote thingy. So bear with me ...

                      Sabine -- oh, you doll. Back atcha! This is so cool! And I have no doubt your Janet rocks. Go for it! Very much looking forward to reading your latest! Also, I hear you on the whole theatre thang. I'm heavily involved in my local theatre, acting and directing. Covering costs is our constant headache!!! We have a fully equipped theatre at our disposal and boy, is that puppy expensive!

                      As far as staying in canon and character and so forth, I find that my ideas for stories spring directly from events/actions in the show. So hopefully what I write about has a direct connection with what we've seen on screen. As Sabine says, I think the SGA writers have it tougher since there's not as much established ground to work from. When you're talking the original SG-1 team, with 8 years of adventures to use as reference, that's a pretty cushy position to be in. We've got ample material to use as a check and balance against wandering out of character. We've seen SG-1 and the other characters in such a wide variety of situations now, we've been shown pretty definitively what they will and won't do in response to an emergency or event -- and there are Fandemonium and MGM to keep us honest, too. Not to mention the imagined Wrath of the Fans.

                      At the end of the day, I think we novel writers have an obligation to know the show inside out and back to front so that anything we do write about in our adventures can be backed up with textual evidence from the show. For example, it would be highly unlikely to find Daniel arguing passionately for the total annihilation of a civilisation because they write with their toes and not their fingers. Unless he'd been goa'ulded of course. There's always the chance of a difference of opinion when it comes to nuances and interpretation, pale grey areas where folk see an event or a character through their own unique filters, but in broad strokes I think staying on track isn't so difficult. And that's because Wright and his team have done such a superlative job of creating and defining the characters for us.
                      http://www.karenmiller.net
                      http://karenmiller.livejournal.com

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                        #12
                        Don't mind me, I'm just testing my signature ...
                        http://www.karenmiller.net
                        http://karenmiller.livejournal.com

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                          #13
                          Originally posted by Elite Anubis Guard
                          Okay, a bit touchy subject maybe but Sonny, City of the Gods was probably the least receptive novel of the line so far due to the complexity of the content and with all the alien pretending to be an alien who was pretending to be a god and all the complicated names. How did it feel when you read the response?
                          G’day Elite Anubis Guard…eh, that’s kind of a mouthful. Can I call you Elite?
                          Why on Earth would it be touchy? Fandom is *huge* and as such the market is amazingly diverse. A little while back I asked an audience of around 150 people, all but one of whom had purchased City of the Gods, if they ever looked for information or used a board such as this, to discuss Stargate. I was surprised to see that only 3 raised their hands. Yet all of them raised their hands when I asked if they regularly used the Internet. My point here is that having an opinion about whether something is good or bad, well received or poorly received, is a function of what information you have to hand. That information may cover only a tiny fraction of a percentage of the population at large, with a specific demographic, but because it is the *only* information you have, and it comes from some very vocal people, it seems to carry a great deal of weight. That does not mean your opinion is not valid, it most certainly is otherwise I would not be here answering your question, but it needs to be considered in a much larger context. The overwhelming response I had was that people were pleasantly surprised by the dimensionality of City of the Gods, because they had expected ‘just another tie in’ novel. This was not in reference to Fandemonium, but, I suspect, but an older style of tie-in. Many, I think most, understood instantly and were delighted by my deliberate playing with and homage to the ideas of von Däniken, and so many, many readers picked up the in-jokes that I considered running a competition on ‘spot the modern and post-modern’ cultural reference.

                          One only has to look at the number of topics on this user board to see that fans are incredibly polarized about what they love and hate, want and need from the show, that the novels are bound to generate the same reactions. As I stated in one of the answers above, SF has always been at the cutting edge of provoking strong reactions and discussion. Media tie-in novels have come a long way in their time, and as an SF writer, I will always aim to produce works of depth and complexity that hopefully get people thinking and talking. To quote Sabine as I wandered around my bedroom mumbling nasty things about my thesis, [she stood in my doorway with that sly grin of hers], and said, ‘SF has always fulfilled the ontological needs of its generation’ :: ogling Sabine right back. See, I am too working on the *^%#@ exegetical work, so there!::

                          Originally posted by Elite Anubis Guard
                          And a general one. How did you all get involved in writing for Fandemonium?
                          It's all Sabine's fault!!! She twisted my arm! I was writing a short story on time travel while my kids (and various ring-ins that appear to think this is their second home) were watching Stargate DVDs back to back something like 24 hours a day, after I'd purchased, I think, about 5 seasons in one hit. Anyway, the characters kept spilling across into the short story.
                          Now, don't get me wrong, I love the characters, but not when I'm trying to write my own stuff. Sabine was also writing a short story (just published in Journey's of the Mind - go check it out, www.journeysanthology.com) and busted a gut laughing when she read mine. The solution, she declared, was to write a Stargate novel.
                          Of course, it's never as simple as that, because it required I go through the same submissions process with Fandemonium and MGM as everyone else, but it really is all her fault.
                          Sonny
                          www.sonnywhitelaw.com

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                            #14
                            Originally posted by sueKay
                            Karen and Sonny..fantastic answers!!

                            Sonny...a bit off-topic, but how did you get into photojournalism? I'm a keen amateur photographer, but I have no idea how to go about selling my work.
                            Hay sueKay,

                            Photography is a profession and while you may have the skills to take good photos, as with fan fiction writers who might have the skills to write stories, you need so much more than raw talent to become a professional in a cutthroat industry. Realistically, these days, as with creative writing, I'd recommend a university or college degree. I'm not sure why people seem to think this is not necessary for a creative profession, because you need formal qualifications for any profession. Pro athletes train under professionals in their careers. Bam Bam, for example, spent years studying under different marshal arts masters, and continues to learn and study, just as every actor who is not working, is out there studying dance, or fencing, riding…whatever it takes to get a diversity of roles. The creative industry is just that, an industry, and as such it will generally recruit from within. So, for example, if you do a degree in journalism, you will be ideally placed to learn what jobs are available and meet people in the industry, as well as learning the necessary skills from professionals. It’s not about the bit of paper at the end, it’s about the journey, what you learn and who you meet along the way.

                            Sure, some amateurs can break into pro work with natural talent, but it is not common. The best I can suggest if you are not looking to do this as a pro, but as extra pocket money, is hop onto my website and go have a look at the pages on articles and short stories, and the pages on volcanoes, there's quite a few large images and a couple of 'how I did it' comments. Then go out and browse the shelves for magazines on topics you know a bit about (including photography magazines) and check out their submissions requirements. Then, you need to follow those submission requirments to the letter. Even when you are well known, editors will round file your submission unless it follows their exact format, because they get stacks of stuff every day, all brilliant. In the January issue of Australian Photography for example,
                            I wrote a step by step guide to where to go and what to do, right down to aperture, lenses and film type. Contrary to what some think, it is possible to get quite close to lava without getting cooked or killed, but there is risk, and I never, ever (okay...maybe that one time on Yasur when I got lost on the rim at 2am. And then there was the time we crossed Ambrym, but I digress) go to an active volcano without a vulcanologist telling me where not to stand. And I never, ever turn my back on the things. Like sharks, you can generally avoid lava if you can see it coming. [BTW Sabine, how's the dive course coming, hm??? <Sonny taps foot impatiently>]
                            My point here is, go take photos of what you like, learn about the subject, and write about it, and start building up a portfolio of published work by contributing to smaller, lower paying (or even non paying) mags. Then when you apply for something in another magazine, you can say, 'oh, I did this for such and such' and build from there.

                            cheers,
                            Sonny
                            www.sonnywhitelaw.com

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                              #15
                              Is there any character you find difficult to write, or do you find them all easy since we know them so well from the show?
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