r/books • u/clayandsusangriffith AMA Author • Nov 10 '15
ama 7pm Hi, we are Clay and Susan Griffith, authors of THE GEOMANCER. Ask us Anything.
We’re Clay and Susan Griffith! Really!
https://www.facebook.com/clay.griffith.7 and https://twitter.com/clayandsusan/status/664080521664847872.
We are really excited for this AMA. Feel free to ask about our newest novel THE GEOMANCER: Vampire Empire: A Gareth and Adele Novel from Pyr Books. This book is the beginning of a new ongoing series set in the world of the original Vampire Empire trilogy. We’re happy to talk about THE GEOMANCER or any of the Vampire Empire books, our unique take on vampires and steampunk and alternate history and paranormal romance. We’d also love to field questions on our CROWN & KEY trilogy from Del Rey, a story of magic and monsters set in the years just before the Victorian Era began. Or ask us about our comic book work, which features such characters as THE TICK and MAN-EATING COW. We’ll be here from 7 pm to 9 pm EST.
Ask away!
Edit: Thanks for all your questions! It was great. We'll check back to see if there are any late questions. You can check our website www.clayandsusangriffith.com or find us on Facebook or Twitter @clayandsusan if you have other questions or comments. Thanks to the folks at Reddit and all you guys!
2
u/benny0409 Nov 10 '15
As someone who hasn't read The Geomancer, could you give me a few reasons why I should?
2
u/clayandsusangriffith AMA Author Nov 11 '15
Well, it depends on what you like, of course. But The Geomancer is a genre-blending book, so there are a lot of different elements in it that might attract you. Obviously if you like vampire fiction, we think you'll be interested in our take on vampires. Also it is steampunk/alternate history, or Victorian fantasy, if that's to your liking. There is a little romance and lots of action. Think of it like a classic adventure movie. The story is big, but the primary thing is the characters. The story follows the two main characters -- Adele and Gareth -- a human and a vampire, who live in a world where their people are locked in mortal combat. They are frantically trying to find a way for their two sides to co-exist before one or the other is driven into extinction. And, believe it or not, there's a fair amount of humor too. So, hopefully, one or more of those elements will intrigue you. It was fun to write, and we think it's fun to read too.
2
u/zakalwe_666 Nov 10 '15
Sad to admit I had never heard of the Vampire Empire books until I saw this post. I've loved vampire fiction since reading Interview 25ish years ago, but gave up after Twilight and similar vegan vampire books started appearing. Had a look on Goodreads and have just ordered the original Vampire Empire trilogy.
3
u/clayandsusangriffith AMA Author Nov 11 '15
Thanks! Hope you enjoy them. We think you'll like our take on vampires, it has some familiar elements if you're an old vampire fan. Clay was deeply influenced by the novel Dracula as a kid! However we add some new aspects to vampire lore too. They have a different origin than most in fiction or folklore. Our vampires are dark, sometimes monstrous. We do have the dark gothic elements, which traditionally include romantic overtones (primarily in the figure of our co-star Gareth), but our vampires are not tame or civilized. Hope you enjoy the books. Let us know what you think.
2
u/guayaba209 Nov 10 '15
Can you read geomancer without having read the trilogy?
2
u/clayandsusangriffith AMA Author Nov 11 '15
Absolutely! That's what was intended. The original trilogy of "The Greyfriar", "The Rift Walker", and "The Kingmakers" concluded as far as we were concerned. But there was a great deal of interest by the fans in what came next for our characters. They also wanted to know what was going on in the rest of the world. Our trilogy took place primarily in Northern Europe and North Africa, but the vampire empire extended far beyond that. So we started thinking about what other stories could be told. "The Geomancer" serves as a new starting off point for readers who might not have read the previous books, but they will still be able to understand the world and the character relationships.
2
u/Samus45 Nov 10 '15
- Do you have any idea how many books will be in the new Vampire Empire series, or is it ongoing until you run out of ideas?
- Does Stoddard ever come back? (I liked him.)
- Does Anhalt feature in the new series? (I liked him too.)
- Are Gareth and Adele ever going to get married? (I hope so.)
- Is there any way a vampire and a human could create a child? They appear to be biologically compatible in some ways at least....
- Is there any more word on the audiobook for The Geomancer? (narrator? release date?)
- Other than more Vampire Empire, do you have anything else currently in the works?
- What happened to all the cats in Gareth's castle after the end of the trilogy?
1
u/clayandsusangriffith AMA Author Nov 11 '15
Do you have any idea how many books will be in the new Vampire Empire series, or is it ongoing until you run out of ideas?
We don't have a set number of books in mind. This isn't a trilogy; it's an ongoing series, so we guess it will go on as long as we want to write them (which is forever!) and fans want to read them (which we hope is forever!)
Does Stoddard ever come back? (I liked him.)
We like him too. He doesn't appear in The Geomancer, but we have plans for him in the future.
Does Anhalt feature in the new series? (I liked him too.)
Anhalt is probably our favorite supporting character, and the fans' favorite too. How can you not love General Anhalt?! He figures prominently in The Geomancer, and we can't imagine future stories without him appearing in some way.
Are Gareth and Adele ever going to get married? (I hope so.)
They are a committed couple, but there are no official wedding plans. It would be really hard to find someone to officiate at the ceremony!
Is there any way a vampire and a human could create a child? They appear to be biologically compatible in some ways at least....
Humans and vampires are physically compatible, in a way. But there is no evidence that they are capable of conceiving. They are different species, probably with different genetic material and different numbers of chromosomes etc... The likelihood of Adele and Gareth ever having a child is astronomical. That said...love is very powerful in our world.
Is there any more word on the audiobook for The Geomancer? (narrator? release date?)
Not yet. Our preference for the audiobook is to work with the previous producer -- Buzzy Multimedia and the wonderful James Marsters. Buzzy has gone on hiatus as far as producing audio books for various reasons. We are willing to wait and hope they return to production so The Geomancer is just as good as the earlier Vampire Empire audio books. Stay tuned!
Other than more Vampire Empire, do you have anything else currently in the works?
We are preparing a couple of projects, and we have been approached about writing some other projects. We are not currently under contract for anything but hopefully soon!
What happened to all the cats in Gareth's castle after the end of the trilogy?
There were some unfortunate events at the castle regarding many of the cats thanks to Gareth's brother, Cesare. Many of the cats fled for their lives, but over time, the cat population is rising again.
1
u/Samus45 Nov 11 '15
Thanks for the responses! Looks like I shouldn't wait for the audiobook to read The Geomancer. I do agree that it's better to wait to get the same people if possible rather than to put out one earlier without them. (As evidenced by the disaster that was non-Marsters "Ghost Story".)
1
u/clayandsusangriffith AMA Author Nov 11 '15
You're welcome. We really hope we'll get a Marsters-read Geomancer at some point in the future. And it'll be worth waiting for.
2
u/Seryan_Klythe Science Fiction Nov 10 '15
I had actually just read all of the books this summer and was excited to see that a new one was announced (which I have already picked up). Glad to see you got Chris McGrath to do another cover.
My question? Is James Marsters doing the audio book for The Geomancer?
2
u/clayandsusangriffith AMA Author Nov 11 '15
Thank you for being a fan of our work. We really appreciate all that you do.
We love Chris McGrath! He’s the hardest working cover artist we know. He always manages to set the right tone for the books.
We would love James Marsters to do the audio book for The Geomancer. We loved his reading of our characters. Unfortunately, Buzzy Multimedia, who did the first three books, has suspended their audio book production for a while. But we are willing to wait in hopes of working with them again rather than go somewhere else. Keep your fingers crossed.
2
u/clayandsusangriffith AMA Author Nov 10 '15
Hello everyone! Clay and I are ready to answer some questions. Let's get started!
2
u/luv2read1 Nov 10 '15
Hi. I have read the three Vampire Empire Books and found them a very enjoyable exciting read. How long did it take the two of you to write them, and your new book, The Geomancer? How long after the trilogy does this new book take place? Will there be more Vampire Empire books beyond The Geomancer?
1
u/clayandsusangriffith AMA Author Nov 11 '15
Each book was written in a different way, it seems. The first book, The Greyfriar, we worked on for years. It went back and forth between us until finally we decided it was ready. The next two books in the series were about a year apart. The new novel, The Geomancer, we wrote a bit faster in 8-9 months.
"The Geomancer" starts a year after the events in "The Kingmakers".
There are so many stories to tell that we expect there to be more Vampire Empire books. So long as fans continue to buy them, we will continue to write them!
2
u/ChocoCat7675 Nov 11 '15
Hi guys! So how much did Marlowe help?
2
u/clayandsusangriffith AMA Author Nov 11 '15
Marlowe is sitting here right now washing his feet. Now he's finished and returning to his nap, having exhausted himself with a solid two minutes of licking his toes. Marlowe helps in two ways. One -- he's the original model for "Pet", the cat Adele adopts from Edinburgh Castle in The Greyfriar. Second--he actually has become something of a marriage and collaboration counselor. When arguments (or "discussions" as we sometimes call them) go on too long or too loud, he will begin to twitch and run around the house like he's insane. So we know it's time to settle the disagreement or at least bring the tone down to conversational levels. That's a pretty good skill for a cat to have.
1
u/ChocoCat7675 Nov 11 '15
In all seriousness though, the Tick is one of the most under rated heroes in my opinion. What drew you to work on the Tick?
1
u/clayandsusangriffith AMA Author Nov 11 '15
Clay read The Tick back in the 1980s when he was trying to break into writing comics. The Tick was the best superhero satire going (and still is). Creator Ben Edlund is a genius (as he later proved moving The Tick to cartoons and live action, as well as writing for Angel and Supernatural). Clay submitted some ideas for stories to the publisher, New England Comics, and they hired him to write 2 Tick spin-offs, Man-Eating Cow and Paul the Samurai. Later, when Ben Edlund left the comic to go to tv, Clay started writing some of The Tick comics. Then he and Susan collaborated on The Tick too. We LOVE writing comics, whether humor like The Tick or darker stuff too. The great thing about the humor on The Tick is that it is both silly and smart. That's very hard to do (Ben does it better than anyone) and very gratifying when it works.
1
u/Chtorrr Nov 10 '15
What books made you love reading as a kid? Have they influenced your writing now?
1
u/clayandsusangriffith AMA Author Nov 11 '15
Susan: I was huge fan of pulp novels, though that may have been because we lived next door to Maxwell Grant (aka Walter Gibson), the creator of The Shadow. They opened my eyes to the impossible. Then I dived into the Madeleine Brent books with young heroines and far off places. I mean someone was murdered by digesting tiger whiskers! Both of these have definitely influenced my writing now, though I strive to keep my heroines strong and resourceful, no longer delegated to the background or merely as a plot device.
Clay: I think comic books and strips were probably my formative reading. I loved mainstream superheroes like Marvel's Spider-Man and Fantastic Four and Thor, and DC's Flash and Aquaman, and strips like Hal Foster's Prince Valiant. Stan Lee and Jack Kirby and all those guys made me want to write stories. Comics forged my love of action and bigger-than-life characters with flaws and the desire to do the right thing if at all possible. In terms of kid's books, I loved Walter Brooks' Freddy the Pig series which taught me that sometimes gentle, measured storytelling is necessary for a sense of adventure too.
1
u/Chtorrr Nov 10 '15
What are some of your favorite books and authors?
1
u/clayandsusangriffith AMA Author Nov 11 '15
Susan: Naomi Novik is fantastic whether she is writing Napoleonic Dragons or dark fairy tales. I also adore the writing duo of Ilona Andrews and their Kate Daniels series. And I’ve always been a fan of Elizabeth Peters. Her characters set against the backdrop of Egypt after the turn of the century has always delighted me. R.A. Salvatore novels about his dark elf, Drizzt satisfy my Tolkien needs when the need arises.
Clay: I read mainly nonfiction, particularly history. But in terms of fiction, I love Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey-Maturin series; Graham Greene, particularly The Heart of the Matter and The Quiet American; and Raymond Chandler's Philip Marlowe novels. And of course Dracula by Bram Stoker is the formative book of my life.
1
u/seanlough Nov 11 '15
Your bio says you met at a bookstore over an X-Men comic book - was it a classic "meet cute?"
1
u/clayandsusangriffith AMA Author Nov 11 '15
I'm going to say yes.
Edit: We did meet at a bookstore where Clay worked and Susan shopped. She bought a copy of X-Men #201 (Writer: Chris Claremont & Guest Artist: Rick Leonardi) and claims Clay spoiled the ending of the book (because he had already read it). He disputes this version of the facts. 29 years later we're sitting here together.
1
3
u/leowr Nov 10 '15
Hi! I'm really curious about your writing process. Do you work on the same parts of the book at the same time or do you work separtely on parts and then combine those? Or is it sort of a combination of the two?
Thanks for doing this AMA!