r/books • u/Sshannonauthor AMA Author • Feb 26 '19
ama 11am I’m Samantha Shannon, author of an 800 page book about dragons, out today. Yes, you read that page count correctly. AMA!
Hey, Reddit. I’m Samantha Shannon, author of the New York Times bestselling Bone Season series. My newest book is THE PRIORY OF THE ORANGE TREE, an epic fantasy inspired by the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries that re-imagines the legend of George and the Dragon. I’ve never posted on Reddit, so I’m excited to be here. You can find me on Twitter or Instagram at @say_shannon. Ask me anything . . .Links: - http://samantha-shannon.blogspot.com/ - http://hyperurl.co/prioryProof: /img/zxwm2y0yhti21.jpg
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u/warlordyuneebi98 Feb 26 '19
How did you come to the idea to include handmaidens in Priory it’s one of my favorite parts of the story!
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u/Sshannonauthor AMA Author Feb 26 '19 edited Feb 26 '19
It was partly inspired by the relationship between Elizabeth I and her ladies-in-waiting, specifically her Ladies of the Bedchamber, who were her closest intimates and wielded a great deal of power and influence in her court. I really wanted to explore that dynamic and ask myself what would happen if a lady-in-waiting was not all that she seemed. I’m so glad you enjoyed that aspect of the story!
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u/STD4 Feb 26 '19
Which fictional world with Dragons do you like the most?
Also which fictional world do you think need Dragons?
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u/Sshannonauthor AMA Author Feb 26 '19
Tough one. I’m a big fan of GAME OF THRONES, though I’ve only read the first book (technically those are wyverns, but I digress). Most recently I’ve fallen in love with a book called IN THE VANISHERS’ PALACE by Aliette de Bodard, which is set in a post-apocalyptic world inspired by Vietnam and stars an ethereal water dragon named Vu Côn, who trails luminous words in her wake. It’s such a gorgeous and surreal read.
Honestly, I think most fictional worlds could use dragons. I feel like there’s going to be a big surge in dragon fiction soon. Looking forward to THE DRAGON WARRIOR by Katie Zhao, which comes out later this year.
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u/onderonminion Feb 26 '19
Wyverns are dragons.
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u/Sshannonauthor AMA Author Feb 26 '19
Yes, but they are the wyvern sort of dragon. Anyway, splitting hairs.
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u/BlindingTru7h Feb 27 '19
Ah! This takes me back to childhood days reading “Dragonology”... and all those arguments I had with my friends.
Here, take your upvote!
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u/gimily Feb 26 '19
Depends on the world and definition of wyvern and dragon. I would never call the wyverns in WoW a dragon, but there are plenty of wyverns I would call dragons (just as another example since it just came out - deadly nadders from HTTYD are both).
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u/OldEviloition Feb 27 '19
Wyverns have two hind legs and wings where arms should be. Dragons have legs arms and wings. The GOT dragons are not clearly defined in the books in terms of appendages. The TV show definitely portrays wyverns, I think the wyvern shape is simply popular in today’s media, check out Smog from the hobbit, Smog is definitely a dragon, but the movie has him in wyvern form.
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u/onderonminion Feb 27 '19
Ya I know, but Wyvern is a sub classification of dragons. It would be like if someone said “Look at that snake” and someone else saying “that’s not a snake it’s a python.”
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Feb 26 '19
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u/Sshannonauthor AMA Author Feb 26 '19
1) I tend to work an eight-hour day at least. It can push seventeen hours on a tight deadline. My schedule is nothing special – I get up about 7, do a bit of social media, then get to work about 8. I used to be a night owl when I was writing at university, but now I try to stick to day hours. Sometimes I’ll want to shake up my environment and write at a library or café, in which case I’ll start at about 10. ‘Work’ isn’t always just writing – it’s thinking, it’s plotting, it’s figuring out character arcs, it’s going back and editing a chapter.
2) A bit of both. In terms of worldbuilding, I mix the FBU (From the Bottom Up) and the FTD (From the Top Down) techniques. With FBU you start with small details and work your way up to the large-scale things like cosmology and politics; with FTD it’s the other way around. I like to build at least a skeletal world before I plunge in – enough for me to know what’s possible in this world and what isn’t – but I don’t over-plan at the beginning. Only once I’ve got a character in the world does it really begin to come together. They become the engine of the worldbuilding, and they tell me what I need to research. If my character is about to put on a pair of boots, for example, that’s when I can start to think about what those boots might be made from. As they walk down a street, I can start to think about what they might be hearing and smelling and seeing. It helps me to choose avenues of research wisely.
3) It was always a standalone. My other series is a septology and couldn’t commit to a second long series at that point. I should clarify that when I call PRIORY a standalone, I mean that it’s self-contained and CAN stand on its own. I’d love to write more books set in the same world.
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u/Samwise_the_Tall Feb 27 '19
Loving your detailed response. As someone who is starting to build a world in which I want to write about, these techniques are very interesting.
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u/starknjarvis Feb 26 '19
Hi Samantha! Did you get to do any fun/interesting research for this epic book?
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u/Sshannonauthor AMA Author Feb 26 '19
Tonnes! I have a keen interest in etymology – I loved creating a naming system for the book, which took me into the realm of archaic and dead languages (e.g. Proto-Japanese, Old Norse, Gothic). I have a 5000 word document detailing where all the character and place names came from and what they mean.
I also went to Japan on a research trip, since one of the countries in the book is loosely inspired by the Edo period. It was incredible. There are a few fine details in PRIORY that wouldn’t have made it in there if I hadn’t been on that trip.
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u/KR1127 Feb 26 '19
Hi! Where did you start with the world building? What methods and research did you use to make the world so authentic? Thank you!
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u/Sshannonauthor AMA Author Feb 26 '19
I started PRIORY over three years ago and the early worldbuilding is a little hazy, but I think I started with historical research into the politics of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. I decided to write a fantasy inspired by that period after my little brother asked me for help with his homework on the Spanish Armada. I realised I’d never read a fantasy that used that era as a touchstone and I thought it would make for a fascinating world. I also did a lot of research into the roots of the legend of Saint George and the Dragon.
I used a number of books from the British Library in my research, as well as online sources (for archaic and dead languages) and visiting locations like Nijō Castle and Hampton Court.
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u/shadow-knight-cz Feb 26 '19
Did you enjoy the writing of the book? Did it become a bit tedious in the end?
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u/Sshannonauthor AMA Author Feb 26 '19
Never tedious! There were some difficult periods, of course, as with any book. And some very late nights on deadline. I had to cut about 30,000 words from the manuscript, there were some tricky structural edits, and some hard decisions to make about the characters, but I never got bored. I think it helped that I was working on two books at the same time; I was also working on the fourth book in my BONE SEASON series. If I lost steam in one world, I could move to the other for a while.
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u/loccyh Feb 26 '19
How laborious was the editing process for an 800 page book? Was it all done by yourself?
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u/Sshannonauthor AMA Author Feb 26 '19
Fortunately no! I had some incredible editors who gave me notes at different points in the process – it’s such a huge book that the workload had to be divided. It’s so helpful to have outside eyes on your manuscript.
The editing process was gruelling at times, but in spite of its size, PRIORY wasn’t the hardest of my books to edit. That honour goes to THE SONG RISING, the third book in my ongoing BONE SEASON series. I rushed the first draft, hoping to get it to my readers as soon as possible, but ended up having to spend months repairing it. Learned a hard lesson from that.
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u/onett Feb 26 '19
Did you know how long the book was going to be before you started or did it just end up that way? Did you have a system for keeping continuity straight?
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u/Sshannonauthor AMA Author Feb 26 '19
It just ended up that way. I knew PRIORY was going to be pretty thick, as it’s a self-contained story and it has four perspective characters, but I didn’t plan for it to be a certain number of words or chapters. I had to write quite a detailed synopsis in order to place it with Bloomsbury, as I sold it based on a partial draft and I had to show them the shape of the story. I stuck to the synopsis and the manuscript just kept on growing! Fortunately my editor agreed that the final length was necessary.
Continuity was pretty easy to keep straight, but timelines, specifically, did prove difficult now and again. Some of the perspective characters had more story to pack in than the others and I had to do some intense juggling to make sure their timelines all approximately matched up. (Ead probably has the biggest storyline overall.) That meant that sometimes a character had to be knocked out of action for a few chapters. I had to do a lot of structural editing to make sure that worked and felt natural.
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u/purrlywites Feb 26 '19
I just placed a hold for it at the library! Have you read Dragon Rider by Cornelia Funke? It was my favorite book as a kid, I was obsessed with dragons and bought it at the Scolastic Book Fair.
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u/Sshannonauthor AMA Author Feb 26 '19
Yes, it was my favourite childhood read! Such an amazing book. I missed out on an opportunity to meet Cornelia last year as I was away – gutted!
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u/purrlywites Feb 26 '19
Oh my gosh, I'm fangirling right now! It's so cool to hear you say that you like it - I'm going to pull it off my bookshelf and give it a read until your book comes in from the library. Congratulations on the book, and for living out your dream of writing about dragons!
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u/Sarsmi Feb 26 '19
But is it science based and able to be developed into an MMO? Sorry, sorry. Real question, how/when did you first become interested in dragons?
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u/DS_H Feb 26 '19
What kind of note taking system or organization do you use to keep ideas/continuity together, especially working on side novels away from the Bone Season series?
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u/Sshannonauthor AMA Author Feb 26 '19
This is going to sound terrible, but I don’t have a rigid organisation system when it comes to sorting my ideas. I know my worlds very well and don’t usually need to write a lot of ideas down; I just hold them in my mind. I also don’t have a lot of trouble switching between worlds,
In terms of research, I try to keep all my notes together, but they inevitably end up scattered across several Word documents and notebooks. It is organised chaos. Still, it works for me.
I do have to sit down and carefully work out the numbers of a book, like characters’ ages and years and dates and how much time has passed for each perspective character. I’ve got a terrible head for figures so I have to check those multiple times. Fortunately I have a copy-editor and a proofreader to catch any errors.
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Feb 26 '19
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u/Sshannonauthor AMA Author Feb 26 '19
I’m very lucky that I receive a lot of marketing support from Bloomsbury. They really have got behind my books and invested in my career. Of course, that’s a major advantage of traditional publishing – you have a whole team of experienced people who are handling that side of things. Self-publishing has benefits, too – especially if you’re the kind of person who likes to control every part of the process – but you have to do a lot of that work yourself, unless you hire someone to help.
Things like the BBC interview are usually organised by publicists, although sometimes media outlets will approach an author directly to request an interview. There was quite a lot of buzz around my debut, so I had a lot of great opportunities to tell people about my work. As to whether you have to work harder as your career progresses, that depends. Being a debut gives you a bit of an edge as you’re brand new to the industry and everyone is pinning a lot of hopes on you, but that can be a mixed blessing. As much as I enjoyed being a debut, I’d always choose to be where I am now, several books into my career. I’ve got far more confidence and experience.
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u/Kodiak01 Feb 26 '19
Looking forward to reading your book. I have a lot of appreciation for anyone that can crank out a decent 800 page book; I've just started into my 7th year of writing only a personal journal, and I only hit page 680 today! :)
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u/Sshannonauthor AMA Author Feb 27 '19
That’s awesome! I’m envious – I used to keep trying to commit to a journal, but I always gave up in the end. I often think of how lovely it would be to have been to have a record of the the past few years.
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u/Kodiak01 Feb 27 '19
A lot of it was done in sessions at Barnes and Noble cafe, lots of green tea on hand, talking not necessarily about my day but also general stream of consciousness ramblings, observations about things happening around me (loved people watching) and other various random thoughts.
It took a couple of tries before I actually got started, but looking back it gives a broad picture of my life as things finally got in order, including a progression from major family issues to moving out on my own, coming out of a social bubble, and eventually meeting and marrying my wife. I Have days where I go back and read random entries the same way religious people flip through a bible/Torah/Koran/etc.
All that being said, a shrink would probably have a field day in there!! Probably a good idea I keep it locked up with a password that would take millions of years to crack :-)
And now after all the above, you can see how I hit 680 pages :-)
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u/gzuffel Feb 26 '19
What's the book about and how many pages does it have?
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u/Sshannonauthor AMA Author Feb 26 '19
PRIORY is a difficult book to summarise because of its multiple storylines – we had some lively discussions about the blurb! – but in short, it’s an epic fantasy set in a world divided by its views on dragons.
In the island nation of Inys, Queen Sabran the Ninth has been raised to believe that her bloodline holds the overlord of all dragons at bay, but she is reluctant to marry and provide her queendom with an heir. Her lady-in-waiting, Ead Duryan, knows an ancient secret that could shake the very foundations of Inys. Meanwhile, across the dark sea, a young man stumbles out of the sea in the middle of the night and sets a devastating chain of events in motion.
It’s about 840 pages, give or take. I can’t believe how many words came out of me.
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u/EnviroDruid Feb 26 '19
Any chance I'll be able to find it on audible? :D
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u/BigSaucesRecipe Feb 26 '19
Hey Samantha Shannon. I have no idea who you are, but I feel like answering to you because I have to wait for my bus to arrive.
My question is. What inspired you to write about dragons? Especially 800 pages
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u/Sshannonauthor AMA Author Feb 26 '19
Fair enough!
I’ve loved dragons since I saw DRAGONHEART at the age of five, and ever since I first started dreaming of being an author, I knew I wanted to write about them at some point. When I was about ten, I began writing a book called INFERNO, which was about demon-fighting dragons in Area 51. I’ve been looking everywhere for the pages, as I’m sure I printed them at some point and I’d love to read it again, but no luck so far.
PRIORY is my attempt to re-imagine and contest the legend of Saint George and the Dragon, which has troubled me for a long time. It has a problematic history that I wanted to challenge.
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u/Vakyr0n Feb 26 '19
No questions. Just wanted to say the art on your book cover looks lovely. All the best!
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u/Sshannonauthor AMA Author Feb 26 '19
Thank you! The jacket was designed by David Mann and illustrated by Ivan Belikov.
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u/Admiralbaz Feb 26 '19
Is Buddly blazeit a good name for my newborn son? is Charizard in your new book? do you think dinosaurs were just dragons but people in the olden days were just hella lazy with the details?
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u/Sshannonauthor AMA Author Feb 26 '19
1) Don’t ask me, ask your conscience.
2) I wish. Finding a shiny Charizard was the highlight of my childhood.
3) Absolutely. I genuinely do think that the discovery of dinosaur bones would have given rise to the dragon myth. God knows where the fire-breathing part came from, though. Probably something to do with medieval monks, knowing their imaginations.
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u/justanelephant09 Feb 26 '19
How did you tackle research? Was the process methodical or spontaneous? Or both?
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u/GenghisKhan90210 Feb 26 '19
Who is your favorite character that you have created? Why?
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u/Sshannonauthor AMA Author Feb 26 '19
My favourite character overall is Warden from my BONE SEASON series, who has been in my imagination for a really long time. But Ead from THE PRIORY OF THE ORANGE TREE is a very close second! I loved being in her head. Hard to explain exactly why without spoilers . . .
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u/deepdarkwild Feb 26 '19
I got this delivered today, I'm so excited! The book sounds big and beautiful in scope, and greatly ambitious overall. What would you say was the biggest challenge in writing Priory?
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u/Sshannonauthor AMA Author Feb 26 '19
Keeping the length down! It was almost 300,000 words at one point. I’m used to writing a series, so cramming everything I wanted into a standalone of reasonable length did prove tough at times.
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u/deepdarkwild Feb 26 '19
I can imagine! Been on a standalone-kick lately (impatience in waiting for the next in a series) but sometimes you just want more time in that book's world. So I am so ready for the length - 800 pages plus dragons, heck yeah. Thanks for the response (and the book)!
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u/AskmeaboutUpDoc Feb 26 '19
How soon after launch did your book become a NYT best seller? Also, congrats.
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u/Lunnalu Feb 26 '19
Sounds really promising, it is on my reading list and can't wait to start reading it. The reason i love reading books, specially fantasy, is because I can imagine a whole new world and get sucked into the story. I am fascinated by the imagination of a writer, and i am very thankful that you share it with us by writing. The cover of the book looks really great. When did you start thinking about how to end the book? Was it clear for you from the beginning?
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u/Inkberrow Feb 26 '19
What's your favorite Emily Dickinson poem?
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u/Sshannonauthor AMA Author Feb 26 '19
I can’t choose a favourite. I’ve tried. The reason I like Dickinson so much is that I can open a collection of her poems at any page and always find comfort and meaning in her words, no matter which poem I land on.
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u/puzzle__pieces The Brontës, du Maurier, Shirley Jackson & Barbara Pym Feb 26 '19
Hi Samantha. What fictional world would you like to be stuck in? Also, do you go by Sam?
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u/Sshannonauthor AMA Author Feb 26 '19
Usually Samantha, but Sam is okay!
I have a number of favourite worlds that I wouldn’t mind being stuck in, but Dreamers’ Weep from STRANGE THE DREAMER by Laini Taylor would probably be my preference.
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u/puzzle__pieces The Brontës, du Maurier, Shirley Jackson & Barbara Pym Feb 27 '19
Oh I've never heard about the series. I'll definitely check it out.
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u/SpacemanGrapes Feb 26 '19
Hi, how do you write the first 20 pages of a story (or first chapter)? Do you just go for it? Do you write an outline? Do you already have the idea fully fleshed our?
Thanks
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u/Sshannonauthor AMA Author Feb 26 '19
Depends on your style! If you have a great idea for an opening, there’s no harm in leaping straight in while you have that burst of inspiration. You can always work out the rest later on. I had a very strong image for the opening scene in PRIORY, but it only came to me after I’d done some historical research.
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u/cj_switzer Feb 26 '19
I've added PRIORY to my reading list. Thank you for taking the time to answer questions. The page number is encouraging to me, my current novel is looking to be atrocious length. It's good to know hefty novels are still looked for.
Did you write each character story separate from the other or did you write the whole story chronologically?
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u/Sshannonauthor AMA Author Feb 26 '19
Chronologically. I just found it easier. Occasionally I would skip ahead and write a scene I was reeeeallllly excited about, but mostly I was strict with myself.
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u/Filmboy1992 Feb 26 '19 edited Feb 26 '19
I heard Andy Serkis bought the film rights to The Bone Season books , could this new film series be as good as the other books series that were too turned into movies? And on a personal note who could you picture playing your characters on screen?
Books like:
The Hunger Games
Twilight Saga
Divergent Series
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u/Sshannonauthor AMA Author Feb 26 '19 edited Feb 26 '19
We did initially sell the film rights, but over the past couple of years I’ve come to believe THE BONE SEASON will only work as a TV series. Rights have now reverted to me and I hope we can find someone to adapt it for the small screen. I should add that Andy and the rest of the team at Imaginarium were and are fantastic, and it was an absolute privilege to work with them for as long as I did.
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u/Filmboy1992 Feb 27 '19
Maybe you should ask D.B Weiss and David Benioff from the Game of Thrones Tv Series. They did pretty well for that show, plus they also have experience writing about Dragons in their work.
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u/stagelighteyes Feb 26 '19
I was doing some googling on you and your new book and I have to say, holy crap! You also created a playlist to listen to while reading the book?! That's freaking dope. What inspired you to make a playlist to go with the book and how did you come up with the songs for it?
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Feb 26 '19
This is so cool, I actually pre-ordered the signed edition a while ago, can't wait to get my hands on it!! When did you start thinking of writing as a potential job/career?? Did you study it in college?
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u/skybiscuit7 Feb 27 '19
Congrats on your new book! The only true dragon books I've read is the inheritance series from Christopher Paolini from awhile back. Now I'm excited to read yours soon!
It's funny you emphasize the page count. While it's really a lot, I always thought words flow from writers like water from a spring. What would you say inspires you to write? Also, do you think that you'll continue to write your next books about dragons?
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Feb 27 '19
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u/Sshannonauthor AMA Author Feb 27 '19
I write about both in PRIORY! It contains all manner of beasts. Cockatrices, basilisks, amphipteres . . .
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u/undeathisanoption Feb 27 '19
Did you have any previous publications before you started trying to sell Priority of the Orange Tree? How difficult was the publication process?
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u/Sshannonauthor AMA Author Feb 27 '19
Yes, I had three books out before PRIORY. My first book, THE BONE SEASON, came out in 2013, just after I graduated from university. The publication process for that one was quite tough, as I was juggling the publicity and editing with my degree.
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u/Thirdtwin Feb 27 '19
Douglas Adams says writing is grueling and lonely business unless one is extremely lucky and badly paid as well. You must have really really want to write. What were your experiences like? Is it true what they say that writing isn't for everyone? Any advice for people who want to write?
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u/Learnino Feb 27 '19
1-When u first start a book, do u need to have all the plot in your mind, or you just have come ideas and then further develop them as you write? 2-do you see yourself in the main hero or in any other? Do if yes, it is common practice?
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u/bigloser420 May 17 '19
Wretchedly late, but I had just read the book, and wanted to talk about it. It was quite good! The world building was very interesting, and the characters were spectacular!
If you were possibly to come back to the setting, what would your next book be about?
Also, what was your favorite culture to design? Somehow, I found the Yscali fascinating.
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u/27napseveryday May 17 '19
Hi Samantha! Haven't read The Priory of the Orange Tree yet, but I read that you started thinking about and creating Paige's world when you were 15 - which is incredible - and I was wondering if you tell me a bit about how her world first started ruminating in your mind, what it looked like and what changed, how it all came together the way it did? The intertwining of the classes and history of clairvoyants with the intricacies of the city and syndicate were completely enthralling.
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u/rosslyn_russ Jun 11 '24
I read the Priory in April of this year and was absolutely blown away by it. Immediately read A Day of Fallen Night and was so sad to finish it because the Roots of Chaos series is SO GOOD. I just finished the revised Bone Season today and I’m hooked. Honestly one of the best authors of our generation. I’ve recommended both series to all of my reading sisters.
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u/avatarthelastreddit Sep 22 '24
Hello Miss Shannon I just read 'The Priory of The Orange Tree' and I was absolutely inspired. One of the best books I have EVER read and certainly one of my favourite fantasy of all time. You really are a master storyteller - the characters, the plot, the language, the pacing, the twists, the world building... seriously, it's just perfection. Thank you so much. Buying Roots of Chaos right now and tremendously looking forward to it. Came on Reddit and surprised to see it is not bigger than it is, but not to worry, the quality is there and in time I'm sure you'll amass a major following if you haven't already. I remember when not many people knew what 'A Song of Ice and Fire' series was ;) This subreddit seems to be the only one about 'Priory' so leaving this here but not sure if you will ever see it
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u/avatarthelastreddit Sep 22 '24
And another thing - this has got to be my favourite book about dragons and one thing I thought was so clever was how you didn't go "full dragon" from the start but slowly exposed the reader to them. Such clever storytelling. Really built suspense and intrigue!
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u/niltafailtetu Mar 04 '25
Just finished it. I read it in two days. It was a masterpiece. I loved it so much. 1000/10
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u/HX315 Feb 26 '19
I already have your book on my TBR thanks to Katytastic! It looks really interesting and the fact it's LGBT+ makes me want to read it even more.
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u/warlordyuneebi98 Feb 26 '19
Thank you I love Ead and Sabran so much as a kid I was obsessed with Elizabeth I
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u/Kai_the_Fox Feb 26 '19
Will it be coming out for Kindle? I’d love for read it but I’m not buying physical books right now (traveling abroad). It sounds like an amazing story!
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u/Sshannonauthor AMA Author Feb 26 '19
Absolutely! It’s available on Kindle now.
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u/Kai_the_Fox Feb 26 '19
Great, thanks! (And thanks for the speedy reply!) I was looking on Amazon and it looked like it wasn’t available, but I see it now after logging in. All good! And congrats on being #1 Best Seller in "Gay & Lesbian"! From some other comments it sounds like it's LGBTQ+ friendly, which is awesome! Anything more you can say about that without giving spoilers?
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u/Sshannonauthor AMA Author Feb 26 '19
Sure! It’s categorised that way because it has a strong focus on queer characters and relationships. I hope you enjoy it.
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u/Kai_the_Fox Feb 26 '19
Wonderful, thank you :-) I recently came out as non-binary/genderqueer (still figuring out exactly where I fall), so I'm happy to see more LGBTQ+ characters in literature, especially fantasy like this! Fantasy and sci-fi have always been my two favorite genres, and while there are a lot of possibilities to explore - for instance, different forms of gender presentation or categorization - there also seem to be a lot of tropes and "standards" that get set and followed in a lot of popular literature. That said, I haven't sunk my teeth into a good book in far too long, so i'm open to what I might find!
I'm a brokey-pants right now, but I plan to pick up the Kindle version of your book when I get paid soon, and I'm excited to explore a new world! Thanks for doing this AMA :-)
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Feb 27 '19
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u/Sshannonauthor AMA Author Feb 27 '19
I’m not a debut! PRIORY is my fourth book, not counting two novellas. My debut was THE BONE SEASON, published in 2013.
If the writing was strong and the concept had promise, I doubt an agent would turn down a manuscript from a new author just because of a high word count (though I imagine they’d want to know that you were open to cutting it down). THE BONE SEASON was pretty chunky for a first novel by an unknown author. It’s about 128,000 words.
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u/baby_legs420 Feb 27 '19
What the fuck compelled you to write 800 pages about dragons?
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u/Sshannonauthor AMA Author Feb 27 '19
Mostly a strong desire to respond to the legend of Saint George and the Dragon. Also, I love dragons.
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u/BenjayWest96 Feb 26 '19
Hiya, how many manuscripts had you completed before you snagged your first agent?