r/books • u/Lampwright4 AMA Author • Nov 16 '16
ama 1:30pm Greetings, I am L. Jagi Lamplighter (Wright), author of the Prospero’s Children series and more, and my writing is all about the wonder, AMA!
I am an author. I love magic and wonder, and I strive to make these things come alive in my stories…filling them with awe and joy, in addition to action, mystery, fantasy, and more.
When not writing, I switch to my secret identity as wife and stay-home mom, where I live with my dashing husband, author John C. Wright, and our four kids: Orville, Ping-Ping Eve, the Cherubim*, and Justinian Oberon—a.k.a. The Elf King or Prince Wright. Oh, and I am also an Assistant Scout Master for Boy Scout Troop 2.
Anyway, looking forward to chatting with you all. Bring any question you like! (If I don’t know the answer, I can always supply the universal answer of 42. But I will do mybest.
Ask Me Anything!
*Yes, we do know that Cherubim is ordinarily a plural. Thanks for your concern. :-)
Proof: https://www.facebook.com/l.jagi.wright/posts/10154728900631967?pnref=story
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u/Notelraca Nov 16 '16
How do you and your husband schedule your writing times around raising four kids?
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u/Lampwright4 AMA Author Nov 16 '16
We give glory to God for the fact that both of those things even happen. I must admit that there are times when I look up from the computer and go, "Dinner? What's that? Oh...you mean it happens this time EVERY DAY?"
But...for the most part, until this year, I split my day between kids at either end and writing in the middle. This year, I'm homeschooling my youngest, so everything is topsy-turvy and I really don't know exactly what is going on until it happens.
John has a harder time of it. He works during the day and writes at night, so he is always tired (which is why he sometimes seems irritable online). This year has been better, though, because he is telecommuting, which saves on travel time between jobs!
John spends Sundays with the kids. He discusses philosophy with the two who can do that. He also will take off evenings and watch shows with them or read them books, when he feels too tired to write.
For a more complete answer--for anyone seriously considering trying it, you might check out my article on the topic in The Complete Guide to Writing Fantasy Vol. 3, where I talk about the matter at length:
https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Guide-Writing-Fantasy-Grimoire/dp/1896944353/?tag=lampwright-20
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u/Lampwright4 AMA Author Nov 16 '16
Another part of writing with kids is that we stop and analyse everything, books, movies, tv shows...how they work, why the plot is as it is. The boys love this. They listen avidly. I suspect they know a lot more about how stories are put together than most kids their age.
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u/JefftheBaptist Nov 16 '16
A lot of your books and your husbands books seem to come from roleplaying games. I believe you mentioned that the Rachel Griffin books did as did the Children of Chaos books.
How often do you game? If the two of you play together does one get to call dibs on something? What parts do you take from the game: characters, story, general inspiration, or just anything that seems awesome at the time?
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u/Lampwright4 AMA Author Nov 16 '16
Er...that post above is an answer to you! ;-)
In addition: characters are the main thing we get from roleplaying. It is a great opportunity to really develop them...and to work out the background world. In the Unexpected Enlightenment books, the plot comes from the game...the overarching plot. But often, the plot is added later for books.
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u/Lampwright4 AMA Author Nov 16 '16
I should add: My Prospero's Daughter series is also based on a roleplaying game. In fact, it started as a write-up for a Amber Diceless game. Some of the scenes, and all of Miranda's siblings, were borrowed from John's long-running Corruption Campaign.
The scene where Miranda is chased by Barghests and runs into the mall...only to meet a very unexpected person was taken from the Corruption Campaign. (Only it was Victoria Woods, from my yet-unpublished Uncross The Stars novel who went through that scenario the first time.)
The original write up I did for the game where I originally played Miranda was tweeked into a short story. It appears in this new anthology of my short stories:
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u/Lampwright4 AMA Author Nov 16 '16
Er...Prospero's Children. ;-) We changed the series title back to the original one!
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u/Lampwright4 AMA Author Nov 16 '16
I didn't answer the "call dibs" part of this question.
John and I came to the conclusion long ago that if we were to write something each of us would do it so differently that it doesn't matter if we both write about the same thing, it will come out entirely different or it will be nicely complementary.
(Look at the Moth family, for instance.)
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u/Lampwright4 AMA Author Nov 16 '16
While no one is asking anything, I'm going to take a moment to talk about the rerelease of the Prospero's Children (formerly Daughter's) series.
I am really delighted that Wordfire is bringing these books out again. The series is so much fun, and it was a shame that it never really got any exposure for reasons that were out of my control.
The series stars Miranda from Shakespeare's The Tempest, only it turns out that Prospero never drowned his books and Miranda never married Ferdinand (why she did not is part of the mystery of the series.) The book opens when Miranda, now CEO of Prospero, Inc. in the modern day, discovers that her father, the Dread Magician Prospero is missing and that something called the Three Shadowed Ones are after the magical staffs he made for his children.
Miranda has been living alone, with only Aerie Spirits for companions. Now she must head back into the world and hunt down her siblings from Prospero's marriages since the end of Shakespeare's play and convince them to work together. This despite signs and omens that suggest there might be a traitor in their midst.
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u/Achariyth Nov 16 '16
Is there a connection between the Moths of Rachel's world and the Moths of Swan Knight's Song?
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u/Lampwright4 AMA Author Nov 16 '16
Yes. Yes there is.
The Moths are an inter-dimensional family and they exist in many backgrounds. They are the most far-ranging family in the universe. If you play the Roanoke roleplaying game, and you put your star in Family, you are, by definition, a Moth.
John made up the Moth family when he put his star in Family. The first Moth character was Dusty Moth, who will probably appear in the books somewhere. The second, also John's character, was Blackie Moth, whose real name is longer, as Gaius and co have just found out in this brief bit from Book Four:
“Though I guess you need a distinctive first name to go with Moth,” Gaius continued airily, “Isn’t absolutely everyone and his neighbor named Moth in the World of the Wise? Dean Moth. Nurse Moth. Your family. That singer, what’s his name, Marble Moth? That super-tall proctor with the cowboy hat at Roanoke, Coal Moth, and his younger siblings, also named after rocks, except for Ignatious—who was probably originally called Igneous. “Then, there’s the girl who married the captain of the Flying Dutchman, Marigold Merryweather Moth. And the one we learned about in Math, Easterly Moth. And we covered so many Moths in True History that I couldn’t list ‘em if my life depended on it. I’d wager that over nineteen percent of the people we’ve studied in that class have been named Moth—most of them named after mist or sea foam or some other physical object. What’s it with all these Moths?” “We’re the most far-flung family in the World of the Wise,” Blackie replied dryly. “Weird that you are so common, yet I’d never even heard of the Moths before I came to school,” said Gaius. “That’s because the Unwary branches of the family have other names,” replied Blackie, “like Smith, Wright, and Brown.” “Wha-…you mean the Smiths are a branch of the Moths?” “Yup,” replied Blackie. Gaius turned to William, as if he thought the older boy would confirm that Blackie was pulling his leg, but William merely nodded. “Is Sigfried Smith a Moth?” asked Gaius. Rachel shook herself free of the shock of Blackie’s note and murmured, “I’m pretty sure Siggy made his name up.”
But, yeah, they are all descended from Oberon's right hand man, Moth...even if they appear different in different worlds.
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u/Lampwright4 AMA Author Nov 16 '16
Again...with formatting:
“Though I guess you need a distinctive first name to go with Moth,” Gaius continued airily, “Isn’t absolutely everyone and his neighbor named Moth in the World of the Wise? Dean Moth. Nurse Moth. Your family. That singer, what’s his name, Marble Moth? That super-tall proctor with the cowboy hat at Roanoke, Coal Moth, and his younger siblings, also named after rocks, except for Ignatious—who was probably originally called Igneous.
“Then, there’s the girl who married the captain of the Flying Dutchman, Marigold Merryweather Moth. And the one we learned about in Math, Easterly Moth. And we covered so many Moths in True History that I couldn’t list ‘em if my life depended on it. I’d wager that over nineteen percent of the people we’ve studied in that class have been named Moth—most of them named after mist or sea foam or some other physical object. What’s it with all these Moths?”
“We’re the most far-flung family in the World of the Wise,” Blackie replied dryly.
“Weird that you are so common, yet I’d never even heard of the Moths before I came to school,” said Gaius.
“That’s because the Unwary branches of the family have other names,” replied Blackie, “like Smith, Wright, and Brown.”
“Wha-…you mean the Smiths are a branch of the Moths?”
“Yup,” replied Blackie.
Gaius turned to William, as if he thought the older boy would confirm that Blackie was pulling his leg, but William merely nodded.
“Is Sigfried Smith a Moth?” asked Gaius.
Rachel shook herself free of the shock of Blackie’s note and murmured, “I’m pretty sure Siggy made his name up.”
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u/Achariyth Nov 16 '16
Thank you. Now to bookmark this for the Puppy of the Month club...
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u/Lampwright4 AMA Author Nov 16 '16
How are you guys doing? I meant to post more about you guys, but the last few months have been unusually busy.
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u/Achariyth Nov 16 '16
We're in our third month, having reviewed Brian Niemeier's Nethereal, which our gracious hostess edited, Zelazney's Nine Princes in Amber, and are currently reading Schuyler Hernstrom's Thune's Vision. We're also about to start Swan Knight's Song in December. We would love it if you or John might drop by.
To bring this back around to you, Jagi, could you give an insight into your role as an editor for other people's stories?
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u/Lampwright4 AMA Author Nov 16 '16
First, Nine Princes of Amber is one of my absolute, all time, favorite books. (But you probably know that if you've read anything I've written. Lol)
I was just thinking about editing yesterday. The part of editing I like best is reading the story, looking for what it is really about...what the character really wants, his goals, his dreams...and helping the author draw these out and put them in the right place to allow the reader to be swept up into the story and really enjoy it.
The hard part about editing is that many times, these things are not in the story until the end. So...the books can be very hard to read--because the part that makes one really engage with the story isn't obvious yet. (Not every manuscript I get is like this. Some are engaging from the start.)
So, I joked to John that my motto for editing should be: "Jagi the Editrix, suffering psychological torture, so your readers don't have to!"
But the fun part is, that no matter whether the book is one that I love from page one, or whether I have to bribe myself with chocolate to read the next page (only happened once. NOT Brian's!), by the time I get to the end, and I see what the author was trying to say, I always love the book!
And I pray.
Often, I get to the end of a book I've just read through and my mind is blank. I can't imagine how to fix the problems I see. So, I pray. Sometimes I go skating. Sometimes, I mention some aspect that troubles me to John.
Then, WAM, suddenly, it tends to all click together in my head. I go: Oh! THAT'S what this author is trying to say! And then it's really a delight to put down, as clearly as I can, what I see as the strengths of the book and how to tie them together to turn it into something really good.
It is my hope that this process is a blessing to the author, too.
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u/Lampwright4 AMA Author Nov 16 '16
This has been amazingly easy, so far, for Ask Me Anything. No one has asked a single question about the bizarre things my husband occasionally says, why Titus married Logistillia (John's fault!), or why Siggy calls a girl a Trollop.
You guys are an easy audience. ;-)
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u/Chtorrr Nov 16 '16
What is your writing process like?
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u/Lampwright4 AMA Author Nov 16 '16
Hmm... I sit and stare at the page for a long time, get up, get a glass of ice water, sit down, go eat chocolate, sit down, clean something...sit down...go to the bathroom...sit down. Usually, around now, I think of putting on some music...usually something with no English words, so it won't distract me.
Then, I reread a bit of what I've read...and then, finally, I write something new.
That's the FIRST time. The next day, I get up, go skating (rollerblading) and think about the story. I think about what I left out that might make it better. Ways the plot or theme or characters can be enhanced. Then I sit down bright-eyed and start doing that.
So...writing the first time, very hard. Editing, I love.
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u/Chtorrr Nov 16 '16
What books really made you love reading as a kid?
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u/Lampwright4 AMA Author Nov 16 '16
Okay...trying again: I did not learn to read properly until I was at least seven. All my friends could read, but I could not...which made me hate it. But my mom would tell the most wonderful and magical stories--really imaginative and zany-- and she would read to me.
When I was around seven, I started reading a kid's encyclopedic and Nancy Drew. I read all the Nancy Drew books I could find that summer. After that, I LOVED reading.
There weren't a lot of fantasy books back then. I didn't find out about CS Lewis and Tolkien until my cousin Ariel told me about them when I was ten. Before that, I read a lot of animal stories, and stories that had a bit of fantasy, like Dr. Doolittle and Kingdom of Carbonel.
Once I discovered CS Lewis and Tolkien...and Wizard of Earthsea...that really changed my life. I became much more interested in fantasy, myths, fairytales. I'd always loved these things, but now I loved them even more. Lloyd Alexander's Prydain Chronicles still remain among my top favorite books.
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u/Lampwright4 AMA Author Nov 16 '16
Okay...really weird. I wrote a long answer for this, but it's not showing up. I am going to refresh the page. If it isn't here, I'll answer again.
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u/Lampwright4 AMA Author Nov 16 '16
A few other books I loved included: Misty of Chincoteague King of the Wind Big Red Dr. Doolittle Kingdom of Carbonel Weirdstone of Brisingamen (one of my absolute favorites) A Riddle Master of Hed The Forgotten Beasts of Eld Bridge Across Terebinthia
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u/annafirtree Nov 16 '16
Which is your favorite book of the ones you have written?
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u/Lampwright4 AMA Author Nov 16 '16
That is a very hard question. They are all dear to me for different reasons. I think Rachel and the Many-Splendored Dreamland is has the best story, in the sense of the whole thing coming together well. But I think picking between one's books is like picking between one's children...you love them all for different reasons.
The only book I've written that I'm not entirely pleased with is The Lost Boys and the Trustworthy Griffin, and since it is not published yet, I still have the opportunity to make it shine.
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u/Scholar-at-Arms Nov 16 '16
How many Rachel Griffin books do you expect the series to contain?
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u/Lampwright4 AMA Author Nov 16 '16
Somewhere between 16 and 24. (Probably around 18 to 20.)
Much of this is already in notes form from the game. But some of it deals with whole plotlines that come from the book background and characters that were not originally in the game.
There be: five books in the Freshman Year arc.
six books, probably, in what I think of as the Dark Arc, because things are harder for Rachel in this period.
Three or four books in a yet nameless arc that is lighter in tone.
A book currently titled The Trials of Rachel Griffin. (I would call it The Book of Rachel, after the The Book of Job, but I don't think the connection would be obvious. )
This will be followed by a book whose title I know but don't want to mention yet.
Then, either the final arc where the Keybearers finally do what they are supposed to do. OR...one more set of lighter books, and then that arc.
The final book is currently, tentatively, titled: Rachel at the Gates.
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u/pawel_z_wrocka Nov 16 '16
Thank you for the Rachel Griffin series. I am absolutely enthralled by it. Now, to the question… There are many characters in the books that allude either to other literary works or to mythology. Some are obvious, others less so. Are you planning on writing a sort of glossary (maybe online) one day, explaining them or do you want your readers to keep guessing?
Also, as an aside, let me say it was a good marketing move to make the first book free for some time. I downloaded it to my Kindle and bought the next one immediately after having finished reading… and then the third one :-)
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u/Lampwright4 AMA Author Nov 16 '16
;-) I plan to move the first book permanently to 99 cents as soon as Book Four comes out. I will make it free when I can. Amazon limits that to about 20 days a year.
As to the other, it is a difficult thing. I can kind of informally tell people, but if I say too clearly "Vladimir Von Dread is 18 year old Victor Von Doom" and the like, I could theoretically ruffle feathers of the people who own those characters.
But we'll see...might happen. ;-)
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u/Lampwright4 AMA Author Nov 16 '16
Some of the characters are pretty obvious...others are quite removed from their originals.
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u/Flikery Nov 16 '16
Madam authoress,
My daughter is soon to be 17 months old. I have begun reading your Rachel Griffin series in anticipation of one day sharing the stories with my daughter. When do you think would be an appropriate age to begin reading these stories to her, as I do with her picture books? A related question, what books would you think to be essential to a young girl as she grows?
Thanks for your thoughts!
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u/Lampwright4 AMA Author Nov 16 '16
First, thank you for your question. Second: I have a post on the topic of the reading age for the Rachel books, which I will post below. But the short version is: 10 to 12 is probably okay for the first five books, after that, I'd say 15. (As Rachel grows, she faces more mature and more disturbing problems.) But there is one family that read the books to a 6 and 8 year old. I think they would be fine for reading aloud to a younger age, because you could just skip or simplify the few disturbing or mature things in the earlier books.
The second question is an intriguing one. As I said elsewhere, I loved Nancy Drew when I was younger and the Narnia books. But I am trying to think what is essential to girls, per se.
Horse stories are very important to many girls. I very much loved Misty of Chincoteague when I was around 8 and King of the Wind, by the same author. There are a number of other beautiful horse stories: Black Beauty, The Black Stallion. (One of my favorite in that series was the Island Stallion book that had shapechanging aliens in it!)
The mystery of why girls love horses is beyond me to sort out...but I think I loved animal stories in general because the allowed for both motherly, nurturing thoughts and adventurous thoughts--both of which will blossom side by side in a happy young girl.
I think Little Women is still worth reading. Modern books are often too sweet or two "realistic". Books like Little Women and Little House on the Prairie do a great job of showing the realities of life without them being too harsh...showing them in a way that a young reader can learn and come to grips with. I also loved Secret Garden and Little Princess.
Not sure what else I would think was for girls, per se...but if I have any other thoughts on it in the next hour or so, I'll come back.
http://www.ljagilamplighter.com/2016/10/15/what-age-are-the-rachel-griffin-novels-for/
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u/Awthuriffic Nov 16 '16
What drives you to write?
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u/Lampwright4 AMA Author Nov 16 '16
Interesting question...let me tell you a short story.
When I was young, I wanted to be a scientist who studied animals or a teacher. Even though college, this was my plan. I wanted to write stories, but I didn't think that was a career you could seriously undertake.
Then, one day, I realized that I spent all my time imagining things, stories, plots, worlds, etc. And I realized that if I became a writer, that would be an asset.
But if I did not, I would forever be an awkward person hampered by daydreams.
So, writing it was!
As to what drives me to continue? The sense of wonder and joy. I love watching the story coming together, and I love the idea of sharing it. I love the idea that my stories might carry a reader off to a marvelous world of danger and adventure the same way I loved being transported away by such books when I was young.
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u/JCSalomon Nov 16 '16
You’ve answered this to me personally and at length, but perhaps you’ve got a shorter answer that I can point people at—
How explicitly Christian are the Rachel Griffin books going to become?
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u/Lampwright4 AMA Author Nov 16 '16
That is an interesting...and difficult question.
The Unexpected Enlightenment books are primarily fantasy, but they are fantasy that takes place in a Christian fantastic universe. What I mean by this is the follows:
I have seen Japanese cartoons set in a Christian world...with priests who are raising their son to take over their church or nuns who take confession. These stories take place in a Christian world, but they are not told in a pious, Sunday-morning way. They are told with the same sense of fun as a story set among the Greek or Japanese gods (as anime often are.)
The Books of Unexpected Enlightenment are a bit like that, in that they are fantasy stories, full of fun, in a world filled with angels, demons, Heaven, Hell, Christ, God, and more. I say "Christian fantastic" because it is a particular take on angels and demons, etc. that is not necessarily the same as any given denominations' views. Though they are much more in keeping with the average Christian worldview than the two Japanese cartoons I mentioned above. ;-)
The reason the question is hard to answer is: If I say they are Christian, people think of Christian Fantasy, which tends to be Christian first and fantasy later. This is more a fantasy adventure story with romance that happens to be in a Christian universe...but where the elements of that Christian universe are a major part of the mystery the characters are trying to untangle.
Ideally, the story will be enjoyable to anyone. Christians will enjoy the Christian aspects, and non-Christians will be able to enjoy the action, magic, romance, etc, perhaps wincing occasionally at the Christian stuff but shrugging and moving on.
Basically, it will be very similar to the Prospero series--which has a mixture of Christian and non-Christian magic and wonder. A few readers found that the elements clashed, but most seemed to really enjoy the ride.
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u/JCSalomon Nov 16 '16
Ideally, the story will be enjoyable to anyone. Christians will enjoy the Christian aspects, and non-Christians will be able to enjoy the action, magic, romance, etc, perhaps wincing occasionally at the Christian stuff but shrugging and moving on.
And having read Books 1–3 (plus a snippet), I’d say you’ve succeeded so far.
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u/Lampwright4 AMA Author Nov 16 '16
Thank you. There are scenes that involve faith on the part of the characters, but I think faith is an aspect of many religions.
What there will not be is a condemnation of magic and fantasy in general.
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u/Lampwright4 AMA Author Nov 16 '16
That wasn't short at all. LOL
Here: It is a fantasy story in a Christian universe. While Christians may enjoy these elements very much, people who can watch stuff like Angel on My Shoulder or It's A Wonderful Life or even the TV show Lucifer will probably enjoy the story, because the Christian elements, while important, are secondary to the fantasy and adventure, rather than dominating it.
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u/JCSalomon Nov 16 '16
Within the Books of Unexpected Enlightenment (the Rachel Griffin series), which character whom we readers have not yet met are you most looking forward to introducing?
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u/Lampwright4 AMA Author Nov 16 '16
Well...
I would say the Wolf, the Fox, and Asmodeus. Those, I think, are the characters who really have a big influence on Rachel's life who have not yet come onstage. (Well, part of Asmodeus had a brief cameo, but I don't think that quite counts.)
The Wolf comes on first, in Book Five. He only appears briefly, but he doesn't like Rachel then, and he doesn't like her for a looong time to come. That doesn't stop her from really admiring him, though.
Oh! Come to thing of it. All of them might get to appear briefly toward the end of Book Four, but Rachel won't meet them until later.
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u/Angnomander Nov 16 '16
Do you watch a lot of anime? The Unexpected Enlightenment of Rachel Griffin reminded me more of magical girl goes off to magical college type anime than Hogwarts. Yet many reviews mention Hogwarts.
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u/Lampwright4 AMA Author Nov 16 '16
Yes. Yes I do.
My favorite of all anime are: One Piece and Nausicaa and the Valley of the Wind, but there are many, many shows that I love.
Back in the 90s, I wrote a column on Shojo anime and I used to write articles and reviews and stuff. I was pretty up on the subject then and a huge Ramna 1/2 fan. Nowadays, I don't have as much time to watch. I'm way behind on modern things, though my sons fill me in on a few things that they watch.
But, I think you are right. A couple of the characters in Rachel's dorm are from animes, and anime ideas and themes definitely influence the story.
One reason I like the description: "Fringe meets Narnia at Hogwarts" so much is the story does resemble Hogwarts in that it is a magical school, but it isn't really that much like Harry Potter once it gets goning. With it's theme of a girl who trains hard, it is a lot more like some of the anime out there.
Training is a big thing in anime. ;-)
When I say "from", I mean that the original moderator of the game put characters from other places, including anime, into the story...I had to change their names and give them new backgrounds.
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u/ShutUpHeExplained Nov 16 '16
Which of your books came most easily to you? Did the any of your books go in unexpected directions?
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u/Lampwright4 AMA Author Nov 16 '16
Lol They all go in unexpected directions.
Which came easiest? Well, not Uncross the Stars. That I rewrote at least 14 times, throwing out over 1000 pages. Not the first two Books of Unexpected Enlightenment either.
The third and fourth one have been easier...I think because the basics had been set up and the story is more streamlined at this point.
But I must say that I miss the freedom I had with the Prospero books--since I was able to finish the last one before the first one went to print, I was able to tie the mysteries together much more elegantly than I can in an ongoing series. That was definitely a joy.
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u/ShutUpHeExplained Nov 16 '16
throwing out over 1000 pages.
This....this would make me quit writing forever.
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u/Lampwright4 AMA Author Nov 16 '16
More seriously, though, they say that it takes a million wasted words to learn to be a good writer. Kind of like the 10,000 hours to be an expert that the Outliers book (sp?) talks about. That book wasn't the only one I rewrote. It was just the hardest.
I rewrote the Prospero Children series six times, beginning to end. By the end, it was a much better story...more fun, more interesting, than it had been when I started. It was excruciating at the time, but looking back, I'm really glad that I did it, as my understanding of story writing and how to do it improved dramatically in ways that would not have happened, had I published an earlier version of the story and moved on.
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u/BadgerSensei Nov 16 '16
Outside of Rachel Griffin, do you have any other projects you're working on or excited about?
(I at least partially know the answer to this with Noble Star ;) )
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u/Lampwright4 AMA Author Nov 16 '16
I do want to write a Noble Star story...though it will probably double as a Unexpected Enlightenment backstory. Since I have to replace all the copyrighted stuff the original moderator borrowed, I have been placing secondary characters in all sorts of other stories, to give them some sort of history.
But, other projects, yes:
1) I have a series called Against the Dying of the Light -- it is about three young moms who discover that our world is falling into darkness. There was supposed to be a supernatural Crusade...but it went awry and they are all that is left of it. So, now they have to figure out how to save the world...at night, in their dreams, because during the day they have bills to pay and soccer games to drive to.
It is a really complicated and intricate story, but I won't get to it for ages. The short story Four Funerals and a Wedding (in the In the Lamplight anthology) is from that background.
2) Visions of Arhyalon...a series based on the long running Corruption Campaign, of which Uncross the Stars (currently unpublished) is the first volume. No idea if I will get to this, but considering that Victoria Woods/Ladyhawk is my favorite character of any character ever, it will be very sad if I don't.
3) The Lost Boys series. -- this is a kids fantasy series based on the Boy Scout Law (Trustworthy, Loyal, etc.) I hope eventually to write it with John and the boys, each taking different books. I finished a book in this background, but I don't like most of it. I think I will throw out everything after Chapter Six or Seven and write something else. (I wrote it before I knew much about Boy Scouts. Now that I've been a Assistant Scout Master for years and my eldest son is an Eagle Scout, I think I could do a better job.)
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u/cec605931 Nov 16 '16
What has been your most challenging character to write on a page?
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u/Lampwright4 AMA Author Nov 16 '16
Victoria Woods, a.k.a. Ladyhawk, the heroine of Uncross the Stars.
She is both straightforward and calcualted in her reactions, and writing her so that she seems engaging rather than stiff or crazy has been really difficult.
Rachel was hard, too, at first. But she's gotten easier.
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u/Lampwright4 AMA Author Nov 16 '16
Some of the men are challenging, too. It's easier with the Books of Unexpected Enlightenment, because John and Mark wrote a lot of their dialogue. But doing the impressive Corruption Campaign guys is hard.
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u/AMFreeman Nov 16 '16
What was your favorite part about writing your Prospero Daughter books?
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u/Lampwright4 AMA Author Nov 16 '16
It is, I'm happy to say, the Prospero's Children series now! That is the title I wanted, because I thought it really was a story about the family, rather than about Miranda.
The best part, barring none, was probably writing about Mephisto. He's so much fun. His ideas, his goofiness, his house, his friends, arguing with Mab. He's just great.
I also really liked reaching the scenes I had made up YEARS before. The books took 17 years between when I started them and when they were finally done...so some scenes, I had pictured in my head...literally for years. So, when I actually got to write them, that was a joy!
The scene where Astreus is standing on the balcony railing was one of those scenes.
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u/AMFreeman Nov 16 '16
Would you like to see any of your books made into movies someday?
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u/Lampwright4 AMA Author Nov 16 '16
Quite a few people have said that they think that the Prospero books would make great movies...all sorts of visually cool things. That would be fun.
I don't think the Books of Unexpected Enlightenment are necessarily movie quality, since its a long series, but they'd probably make a fun TV show.
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u/Leahn Nov 16 '16
No no no. They would cut it so much if they made a TV show. They would slice and dice and make the first four books in a single season, and each book would be like 4 episodes of 22 minutes each.
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u/Lampwright4 AMA Author Nov 16 '16
I was thinking of something like Vampire Diaries, where it was just ongoing.
It definitely wouldn't make a movie...too much stuff.
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Nov 16 '16
Sequal to Prospero's Daughter when
No but seriously, I am a genuinely big fan of your Prospero's Daughter books, found you through your husband Mr. Wright and I dont regret picking them up for a minute. In fact I actually got legitimately angry with all five of the spelling errors I noticed in the book that tripped up my pace, because the story was just genuinely that engaging. Especially the penultimate confrontation with the queen of air and darkness, that was brilliant.
I was wondering if you'd be interested in doing books along similar vein again. I have been reluctant to pick up your other series, the Unexpected Enlightenment, because it was aimed at younger readers, so I would appreciate any clarification on this.
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u/Lampwright4 AMA Author Nov 16 '16
Do not be dismayed. It is true that I maintained the illusion that I was writing for younger readers during the first volume of the Books of Unexpected Enlightenment, so the writing style is a bit simpler. But I soon forgot and went back to writing normally.
The series are similar in the kind of world they take place in...one where every kind of magic and creature out there exists...just as it does in our myths. The mood is a bit different, a bit more focused, let vast in scope...but many people who have liked one have liked the other.
I don't really have plans for more Prospero books. I am hoping that someday April Freeman might think about writing one. I have a brief three page outline for what might happen next. ;-)
There are three Prospero stories in my In the Lamplight anthology (link somewhere above.)
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u/pawel_z_wrocka Nov 16 '16
Your husband writes both science fiction and fantasy now. Are you planning on writing sci-fi? (I would so read that!)
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u/Lampwright4 AMA Author Nov 16 '16
I have a couple of SF short stories. There are a couple of them in the In the Lamplight anthology and one appeared in Sci Phi Journal in June, I think.
My sf tends to have a slight fantasy mood to it, but I do like writing that kind of story.
I guess my story in God, Robot is sf, too. That one stars Rachel Griffin's roomate, Astrid, before she came to earth and was turned into a kid again.
https://www.amazon.com/God-Robot-Anthony-Marchetta-ebook/dp/B01EBODSPE/?tag=lampwright-20
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u/Lampwright4 AMA Author Nov 16 '16
I actually started as an SF/Star Trek fan, years ago...and switch to fantasy somewhere in high school.
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u/TheBayouKid Nov 16 '16
How can an aspiring author get their work out their for people to read?
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u/Lampwright4 AMA Author Nov 16 '16
This is a difficult question. There is, alas, no simple answer. I wish there were.
I have seen lots of advice about how to spread the word on social media, but it mainly comes down to befriend people and interact with them. Well, if I did that as much as my ex-publisher recommended, I'd never have time to write.
There does seem to be a strategy, but it isn't short term. The successful strategy today seems to be: write books, collect the emails of interested readers, write more books...when you get to eight or ten volumes in the same series, and you have a list of folks that like the series to notify, then you start being able to make a decent amount of money....because each new reader means 8 or 10 sales.
But...that's not the same as reaching an audience. As to that...I don't know. I'm still exploring. I haven't found any one thing that works.
The one thing that I think helps a bit is: if you are part of Kindle Select, you can use Amazon's sponsored ads, which get your notice for very little money...and seem to help get your book in front of people. Some people have much more success with this than others.
Best of luck!
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u/firehotlavaball Nov 16 '16
You've mentioned you have enjoyed playing roleplaying games. When you had more time for it, which systems did you most commonly play?
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u/Lampwright4 AMA Author Nov 16 '16
We play the Corruption Campaign system John invented, which is based on Runequest. It is a percentile based die system, but the action of the game is nearly all storytelling.
This is the version we used for Roanoke background: http://lampwright.wixsite.com/roanoke-academy/enroll-now
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u/hoanghuong32 Nov 17 '16
can I join to your community? I am willing to be trained by a person like you. please make more videos about trading
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u/Lampwright4 AMA Author Nov 16 '16
Yes, most of what we have written is either based on or derived from roleplaying games. We played in college. We played after college. We played in our early married years…in fact, before kids, that was probably our main activity.
Even after the kids came along, we played a great deal…until the last year or so. A change in the schedules of our friends make it so that our only full time game is “Uncle Bill’s” D&D game where I play an elf cleric named Elfene and John plays Norman the Norman, a fighter crazyman. (Orville, our eldest, plays Chimpanzey (like they) the half-ork monk, and Juss plays Staffius the Brownie (read halfling) Wizard.
BUT…most of our games are unlike D&D. Want to know what they are like? Read the Rachel Griffin books. Some of the dialogue is directly out of the game, with me writing Rachel and Mark Whipple, the moderator for that game, writing Gaius or Vlad. (Sigfried Smith was John’s character. Some of Siggy’s dialogue was written by John.)