8 Aug 2012 Four Questions With kja, By Jon Roe, Swerve

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8 Aug 2012 Four Questions With kja, By Jon Roe, Swerve

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http://www.calgaryherald.com/entertainm ... story.html


Four Questions With: Kevin J. Anderson
By Jon Roe, Swerve August 8, 2012


The sheer volume of science-fiction author Kevin J. Anderson’s oeuvre
is staggering: more than 115 novels including a handful set in the Star
Wars universe, over 23 million books in print and a pile of awards.
There’s no stopping for Anderson, either, who was about to write two
chapters of a new Dune book and submit the manuscript of another novel
when he took a short break for a phone conversation with Jon Roe.
Anderson has three books out this September, which he’ll be promoting
during his stay at the When Words Collide festival this weekend, including
Clockwork Angels, a collaboration with Rush and Neil Peart that’s a
novelization of their new album.




How did your collaboration with Rush and Neil Peart come about?


.... My very first novel was almost entirely inspired by their Grace
Under Pressure album. I saw a story in that album; I’m not sure it
was the story that they thought it was, but it inspired my imagination.
I wrote the novel and published it. After I had the printed copies, I just
signed three copies and then addressed it to the three members of Rush
and just mailed it off to Mercury Records. I sort of forgot about it for a
year. Neil, in the meantime, read it and wrote me back. We started a
correspondence that’s been going on for close to 25 years now. We wrote
a story together a while ago and we’ve always been playing around with
the idea of doing a crossover novel and an album.





Could you talk a bit more about the two other books you have coming
out at the same time?


The other one is called Death Warmed Over and it’s the first in a series
called Dan Chambeaux, Zombie P.I. It’s a very humorous horror, (about a)
laugh out loud, zombie detective working with cases that involve werewolves
and vampires. .... My third book is called The Martian War, which is also a
steampunk, fantasy historical where H.G. Wells and his professor T.H. Huxley
go to Mars to stop the Martians from launching their invasion.





So you’re a big H.G. Wells/Jules Verne fan?

Yeah, in fact the thing that turned me into a writer was watching the
movie of War of the Worlds when I was like five years old. I decided
this was the coolest thing ever and that I wanted to tell stories like that.




You give a lot of writing workshops at these conventions.
What’s your No. 1 piece of advice for aspiring science-fiction writers?


I think persistence is the most important thing. It’s so hard to get your
first thing published. I had 80 rejection slips before I had anything published.
I talk to so many aspiring writers who gave up after getting 20 rejections.
I say, “If I had given up after 20, I would never have gotten anything
published.” You just have to stick to it. Don’t expect it to be an overnight
success. It might take you 20 years to be an overnight success.







...
When a brand knew urinal puck showed up in the bathroom of my studio, I knew what I had to do.
-AToE
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Re: 8 Aug 2012 Four Questions With kja, By Jon Roe, Swerve

Post by D Pope »

There’s no stopping for Anderson, either, who was about to write two
chapters of a new Dune book and submit the manuscript of another novel
when he took a short break for a phone conversation with Jon Roe.
I guess Jon caught him on his way out.
When a brand knew urinal puck showed up in the bathroom of my studio, I knew what I had to do.
-AToE
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Re: 8 Aug 2012 Four Questions With kja, By Jon Roe, Swerve

Post by Freakzilla »

...Rush and Niel Peart...
Last time I checked Neil was part of Rush.
They were destroyed because they lied pretentiously. Have no fear that my wrath
will fall upon you because of your innocent mistakes.

~Leto II, God Emperor
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Re: 8 Aug 2012 Four Questions With kja, By Jon Roe, Swerve

Post by lotek »

D Pope wrote:I guess Jon caught him on his way out.
It's crazy if you think about it, he writes crap that you can use to wipe shit.
Image
In short, the Jihad is over. It ended just as SandRider predicted it would, not with a bang or even a whimper, by simple attrition.
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Re: 8 Aug 2012 Four Questions With kja, By Jon Roe, Swerve

Post by Nekhrun »

Best Part...
So you’re a big H.G. Wells/Jules Verne fan?

Yeah, in fact the thing that turned me into a writer was watching the
movie of War of the Worlds when I was like five years old. I decided
this was the coolest thing ever and that I wanted to tell stories like that.
Seriously, the thing that made him want to be a writer was a fucking movie. There's never been anything close to a written word near this hack.
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Re: 8 Aug 2012 Four Questions With kja, By Jon Roe, Swerve

Post by lotek »

And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.
In short, the Jihad is over. It ended just as SandRider predicted it would, not with a bang or even a whimper, by simple attrition.
- D. Pope
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Re: 8 Aug 2012 Four Questions With kja, By Jon Roe, Swerve

Post by Nekhrun »

lotek wrote:
And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.
Is there a movie version of that?
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Re: 8 Aug 2012 Four Questions With kja, By Jon Roe, Swerve

Post by Serkanner »

Nekhrun wrote:
lotek wrote:
And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.
Is there a movie version of that?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apocalypse_Revelation
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Re: 8 Aug 2012 Four Questions With kja, By Jon Roe, Swerve

Post by Freakzilla »

Serkanner wrote:
Nekhrun wrote:
lotek wrote:
And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.
Is there a movie version of that?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apocalypse_Revelation
Gurney also quoted it in Dune, the Duke recalls this in the scene where he dies. But it wasn't in the movie, of course.
They were destroyed because they lied pretentiously. Have no fear that my wrath
will fall upon you because of your innocent mistakes.

~Leto II, God Emperor
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Re: 8 Aug 2012 Four Questions With kja, By Jon Roe, Swerve

Post by Nekhrun »

Serkanner wrote:
Nekhrun wrote:
lotek wrote:
And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.
Is there a movie version of that?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apocalypse_Revelation
Excellent. Someone send this to Keith. The KJV Bible is another work in the public domain just waiting for one of his additions!
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Re: 8 Aug 2012 Four Questions With kja, By Jon Roe, Swerve

Post by Hunchback Jack »

D Pope wrote:The sheer volume of science-fiction author Kevin J. Anderson’s oeuvre
is staggering: more than 115 novels ...
Perhaps I'm a stickler for actual facts, but this 115 number is b.s., isn't it?
Could you talk a bit more about the two other books you have coming
out at the same time?


The other one is called Death Warmed Over and it’s the first in a series
called Dan Chambeaux, Zombie P.I. It’s a very humorous horror, (about a)
laugh out loud, zombie detective working with cases that involve werewolves
and vampires. .... My third book is called The Martian War, which is also a
steampunk, fantasy historical where H.G. Wells and his professor T.H. Huxley
go to Mars to stop the Martians from launching their invasion.
That third one is a reprint, isn't it? I wonder if he counts it twice in the 115 novels?
So you’re a big H.G. Wells/Jules Verne fan?

Yeah, in fact the thing that turned me into a writer was watching the
movie of War of the Worlds when I was like five years old. I decided
this was the coolest thing ever and that I wanted to tell stories like that.
Oh, this again. Apart from the delicious fact that he got into writing novels from watching a movie - and the fact he repeats this story oblivious to what it indicates about his writing - does anyone believe he was 5 at the time? That seems a little young.

HBJ
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Re: 8 Aug 2012 Four Questions With kja, By Jon Roe, Swerve

Post by lotek »

Freakzilla wrote:
Serkanner wrote:
Nekhrun wrote:
lotek wrote:
And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.
Is there a movie version of that?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apocalypse_Revelation
Gurney also quoted it in Dune, the Duke recalls this in the scene where he dies. But it wasn't in the movie, of course.

Nope but I loved that quote. IIRC it's when they first meet a worm with Kynes, the worm that swallows the crawler ?
the sand of the sea then the beast rises out of the sea... but Keith, Keith... it's still sand... upon your head is the name of blasphemy.
In short, the Jihad is over. It ended just as SandRider predicted it would, not with a bang or even a whimper, by simple attrition.
- D. Pope
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Re: 8 Aug 2012 Four Questions With kja, By Jon Roe, Swerve

Post by Freakzilla »

lotek wrote:
Freakzilla wrote:
Serkanner wrote:
Nekhrun wrote:
lotek wrote:
And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.
Is there a movie version of that?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Apocalypse_Revelation
Gurney also quoted it in Dune, the Duke recalls this in the scene where he dies. But it wasn't in the movie, of course.

Nope but I loved that quote. IIRC it's when they first meet a worm with Kynes, the worm that swallows the crawler ?
the sand of the sea then the beast rises out of the sea... but Keith, Keith... it's still sand... upon your head is the name of blasphemy.

He may have said it then in the movie, I'd have to check. But in the book it was recalled while the Baron was gloating over the captured Duke:

Leto suddenly recalled a thing Gurney Halleck had said once, seeing a
picture of the Baron: " 'And I stood upon the sand of the sea and saw a beast
rise up out of the sea . . . and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.' "
"We waste time, Baron," Piter said.
"Perhaps."
The Baron nodded. "You know, my dear Leto, you'll tell us in the end where
they are. There's a level of pain that'll buy you."
They were destroyed because they lied pretentiously. Have no fear that my wrath
will fall upon you because of your innocent mistakes.

~Leto II, God Emperor
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Re: 8 Aug 2012 Four Questions With kja, By Jon Roe, Swerve

Post by lotek »

Thanks for the heads up !
In short, the Jihad is over. It ended just as SandRider predicted it would, not with a bang or even a whimper, by simple attrition.
- D. Pope
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Re: 8 Aug 2012 Four Questions With kja, By Jon Roe, Swerve

Post by D Pope »

HBJ wrote:Perhaps I'm a stickler for actual facts, but this 115 number is b.s., isn't it?
It looks like that's a good number, counting his "prequel novella(s)" and the anthologies he's edited and contributed to.

viewtopic.php?f=622&t=1787
http://www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/a/kevin-j-anderson/
HBJ wrote:Apart from the delicious fact that he got into writing novels from watching a movie - and the fact he repeats this story oblivious to what it indicates about his writing - does anyone believe he was 5 at the time? That seems a little young.
I think he believes this to be a marketing tool like 'i'm always writing' and dictahiking.
When a brand knew urinal puck showed up in the bathroom of my studio, I knew what I had to do.
-AToE
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