20 Sept 12 Huffinton Post, kja interview by Phil Simon

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20 Sept 12 Huffinton Post, kja interview by Phil Simon

Post by D Pope »

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/phil-simo ... 08594.html


An Interview With Clockwork Angels' Author Kevin J. Anderson



In the dictionary under the word prolific, there ought to be a
picture of Kevin J. Anderson. The science-fiction author has
penned no fewer than 115 books over the past 25 years. His
most recent, the much-anticipated Clockwork Angels (a
novelization of the recently released and eponymous Rush
album) will be released next month along with two other novels.

I recently sat down with Anderson to talk about how Clockwork
Angels came about, the publishing industry and how it has
changed over the course of his career, and a few other topics.
The following is an excerpt of that conversation.




We spoke about how certain types of music inspire your and
inform your writing process. Can you elaborate?


I've always been inspired by music as I envision and write my
stories, and the music of Rush has been a particularly strong
influence. Listening to the music, along with innovative or
thought-provoking lyrics, was like a catalyst for my imagination,
triggering scenes or whole plots. My first novel Resurrection, Inc.
(1988, and just reissued) was almost entirely inspired by the Rush
album Grace Under Pressure. As I was developing the framework
of the novel, listening to that album, it seemed as if the songs
drove my plotting. Because of that novel (and a nod to the
inspiration of Rush in the acknowledgments), I got to know Neil
Peart, who writes the lyrics for Rush. We've known each other
for more than twenty years, interacted in our separate creative
fields -- his music, my fiction -- and we even wrote a short story
together. When Neil began to conceive the steampunk fantasy
story that eventually became Clockwork Angels, he used me as
a sounding board for some of his ideas, since he had read some
of my earlier fantasy novels that had steampunk elements,
Eventually, as the story of the album -- as told in snapshots of
the music tracks -- grew, Neil asked me to work on the novel.

We brainstormed the structure of the story, the characters,
the sequence of events, while we spent a day together
climbing a 14,000-foot peak in Colorado (because what could
be a better place for brainstorming?); the ideas kept flowing
even as the oxygen level decreased. Later, as Rush continued
on tour and I worked on other deadlines, and Neil kept writing
the lyrics for other pieces of the story, we let the story lie
fallow for a while, but when he had all the songs written, then
I could start working. But the album is more than just words set
to music; it wasn't until I finally heard the rough cuts of the
tracks, with Neil's drums, Geddy Lee's [Rush's lead singer] vocals
and bass, Alex Lifeson's guitars, that it all changed from black-
and-white Kansas to Technicolor Oz. Then the story was real, and
I was able to get to work, writing chapter after chapter as I
listened to song after song. I would send the very rough drafts
to Neil for his input, and he was like a conductor taking it to a
higher level, suggesting changes and additions that tied strands
together and pumped up the story.

Music has always been like that to me, fuel for imagination's
rocket, and I can think of many stories, scenes, chapters,
whole novels that were inspired by songs.





In Clockwork Angels and some of your books you've touched
upon a steampunk motif. Can you explain that and why are
you attracted to it?


I grew up fascinated by the work of Jules Verne and HG Wells,
and I added those ingredients into my fantasies -- steam-engine
cars, hot-air balloons, clanking automatons, chemistry that
worked more like magic than science. I even had a steam-powered
atomic bomb in my first fantasy trilogy. Of course, back in 1989
nobody called it "steampunk," I just thought it was cool. To me,
there's something wondrous about the technological optimism of
the subgenre, where science works and quirky inventors can save
the world. In recent years, steampunk has become a huge and
colorful subculture.





You are primarily a science-fiction writer. Has being associated
with one genre helped or hurt your career. Why?


I've always written the stories that most attracted me,
and in many cases the huge galaxy-spanning canvas gave
me enough room to tell the big stories I had in my head. My
seven-volume space epic The Saga of Seven Suns is a
particularly good example of that, spanning so much distance
and so many characters that I don't think it could be contained
in any other genre. However, I've also written lots of fantasy,
from high-fantasy epics to steampunk and urban fantasy, to
horror... even humorous horror, with my new Dan Shamble,
Zombie P.I. series that comes out the same week as Clockwork
Angels. I think if I only wrote one specific type of novel, I'd be
easier to label and the publishers and booksellers might feel more
comfortable, but fortunately I have a diverse and dedicated fan
base that follows whatever I write.





How has the publishing industry changed over the course of
the last 25 years? Is it easier or harder for first-time authors
to get their work out and get noticed?


One thing to remember, when looking at the turmoil and rapid
change in publishing and bookselling -- the closing down of the
Borders chain, the rise of e-books, the domination of Amazon --
is that while the delivery vehicle for books may be undergoing a
lot of upheaval, the stories are still the stories, and the beloved
characters are still the characters. People often ask me if I prefer
to read an e-book or a "real" book, and my answer is that I prefer
to read. Some part of me still loves the tactile sensation of holding
a paper book and turning the pages, but I also travel a lot, and I
love being able to carry a lightweight e-reader in my computer
case; and I love to listen to an audiobook when I'm driving or
working out in the gym. All of those are simply ways to convey
the story to me, and a reader has options now that were never
available before. I used to volunteer my time to record some of
my stories (at home, with a personal cassette recorder) for the
blind and dyslexic, because recorded books were such a rarity.
Now virtually all of my titles have been made available in
audiobook form; Neil Peart read the novel Clockwork Angels, so
his voice delivers the words we created. I myself just recorded
my first professional audiobook, a short science-fiction novel I
wrote last year. There are so many more options available now. So,
to answer your specific question, it's easier for a first-time author
to get his or her work out... but because so much is out there, it's
even harder to get noticed.






...
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: 20 Sept 12 Huffinton Post, kja interview by Phil Simon

Post by SandRider »

.... so ... Keith thinks he invented steampunk, too ?
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Re: 20 Sept 12 Huffinton Post, kja interview by Phil Simon

Post by Omphalos »

SandRider wrote:.... so ... Keith thinks he invented steampunk, too ?
'parently.
Something is about to happen, Hal. Something wonderful!

-James C. Harwood, Science Fiction Writer, Straight (March 5, 1956 - May 25, 2010)



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Re: 20 Sept 12 Huffinton Post, kja interview by Phil Simon

Post by lotek »

That's what you get when
the ideas [keep] flowing even as the oxygen level decrease
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: 20 Sept 12 Huffinton Post, kja interview by Phil Simon

Post by D Pope »

It's little wonder that he's constantly asked about getting published,
who among us hasn't thought that anyone could do what he does?
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: 20 Sept 12 Huffinton Post, kja interview by Phil Simon

Post by Eyes High »

D Pope wrote:It's little wonder that he's constantly asked about getting published,
who among us hasn't thought that anyone could do what he does?
If he can, then why not I? :shifty:
I shall lift up my eyes unto the glory of the Lord.
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Re: 20 Sept 12 Huffinton Post, kja interview by Phil Simon

Post by A Thing of Eternity »

Wow what a goof.
Steampunk is a genre that originated during the 1980s and early 1990s
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steampunk

:lol:
I deleted some of your posts because they were derailing the topic and not focusing on the issues asked, and instead going after the authors or their material. That's why. ~ BM
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Re: 20 Sept 12 Huffinton Post, kja interview by Phil Simon

Post by lotek »

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: 20 Sept 12 Huffinton Post, kja interview by Phil Simon

Post by D Pope »

Omphalos wrote:
SandRider wrote:.... so ... Keith thinks he invented steampunk, too ?
'parently.
Here it is, you saw the buildup.
the most awesome man alive wrote:Oddly enough I was writing steampunk back in the ’80s
before anyone knew it should be called steampunk.
viewtopic.php?f=622&t=1829
http://www.quillandquire.com/blog/index ... expo/?wt=2
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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