Ask the Author: Fred Van Lente
Answered Questions (27)
Fred Van Lente
Thanks so much for reading Bruce! I've written plenty of non-Marvel books too, if the current Marvels aren't to your liking you can check those out as well. ;)
Fred Van Lente
I wouldn't mind going to any era in historical fiction...just so long as I could come back here. I'm a time traveler at heart.
Fred Van Lente
Never! I am putting down payment on my yacht today. :)
Thanks for the kind words, and Ryan and I are thrilled the kids are digging our books.
Thanks for the kind words, and Ryan and I are thrilled the kids are digging our books.
Fred Van Lente
Yes! But not until 2020. HarperCollins wanted us to do them in color, and so that's taken us some time to convert the black and white art...! All 4 books (Wash, Abe, TR, JFK) will come out all at once, though, so it's one of those good news/bad news things...!
Hey Amy, the wait is over! All four books will be available TOMORROW and in full color! Get 'em wherever you get books!
Hey Amy, the wait is over! All four books will be available TOMORROW and in full color! Get 'em wherever you get books!
Fred Van Lente
You know, I am perfectly happy with the book as a standalone, but recently I have had the urge to return to the adventures of Greene and Fayez. So not any time soon, but I wouldn't rule it out entirely!
Fred Van Lente
Thanks for the kind words! If you're talking about the actual writing process, that usually takes about 6-8 months, but then I write multiple books at a time. (And comics, games, etc.) I try to work on one project in the morning and a different one in the afternoon to keep you fresh.
Pro tip my friend: If you're a writer, use your real name in your avatar/handles! This business does not reward shyness.
Pro tip my friend: If you're a writer, use your real name in your avatar/handles! This business does not reward shyness.
Fred Van Lente
Hi Susan, I'm afraid I wasn't involved in the giveaway, so I don't know anything about it! Apologies!
Fred Van Lente
I knew the first, and now the second! Thanks!
Fred Van Lente
That's the way to do it. No real mystery or trick to it, just a combo of shoe leather and knocking and doors, which comes from you, and luck, which comes from the Universe.
Fred Van Lente
I am lucky enough to have some ARCs of upcoming relases in my hot little hands, including HOW TO BEHAVE IN A CROWD by Camille Bordas, THE COOKING GENE by Michael W. Twitty and KILLER CHOICE by Tom Hunt.
Fred Van Lente
You've contacted the whaling museum in Cold Spring Harbor to do an event like a reading and/or book signing right? If not got on that immediately! ;)
No need to overthink these things -- identify the obvious audiences for your work and leverage 'em. So, start small, with Long Island historical societies and libraries, museums, and that sort of thing, and expand also for libraries. And of course there are lots of great whaling and maritime museums on the East Coast who can help you out, like Mystic Seaport, the one in Salem, Mass., who's name I can't remember...
I am a huge historical fiction nut and one of my first-ever writing jobs, believe it or not, was a CD ROM adventure game (yes it was the 1990s) set in the Age of Sail so I have a certain background in your field. ;)
No need to overthink these things -- identify the obvious audiences for your work and leverage 'em. So, start small, with Long Island historical societies and libraries, museums, and that sort of thing, and expand also for libraries. And of course there are lots of great whaling and maritime museums on the East Coast who can help you out, like Mystic Seaport, the one in Salem, Mass., who's name I can't remember...
I am a huge historical fiction nut and one of my first-ever writing jobs, believe it or not, was a CD ROM adventure game (yes it was the 1990s) set in the Age of Sail so I have a certain background in your field. ;)
Fred Van Lente
Hi James, thanks for the question and the congrats. I mean, you've got to keep in mind I have spent most of my professional career in comics, which is a pretty niche market to begin with even with recent expansions, so transitioning into novels it just seems like another niche market to me. The point being I don't think you necessarily need a large audience to make a living at it, you just need a consistent one.
Unfortunately, exploring new ideas has never been a prominent feature of the human animal. Paradoxically, social media allows to silo ourselves off from opposing views even more easily by locking ourselves into networks with just like-minded ditto-heads.
That's why I am always profoundly moved when someone tells me my work moved them. It means I got through the veil and made a connection with a total stranger, and that's a rare and special thing.
Unfortunately, exploring new ideas has never been a prominent feature of the human animal. Paradoxically, social media allows to silo ourselves off from opposing views even more easily by locking ourselves into networks with just like-minded ditto-heads.
That's why I am always profoundly moved when someone tells me my work moved them. It means I got through the veil and made a connection with a total stranger, and that's a rare and special thing.
Fred Van Lente
Hotel Showers: How Do They Work
Fred Van Lente
I loved the DARK IS RISING series by Susan Cooper. She writes so beautifully, and the stories combined Arthurian legend with modern-day horror, so it was a perfect combination of everything that enthralled me as a kid: https://www.goodreads.com/series/4442...
Fred Van Lente
Just got asked this on a pro Facebook group I'm a member of: You could do worse than David Mamet's "Three Uses of the Knife" and "On Directing Film," even though they apply to theater and movies, respectively, and not prose. Mamet's views of storytelling, while often extreme, are worth hearing and considering, even if you end up not agreeing with all of them.
Fred Van Lente
Nick and Nora Charles. Cocktails and sass, what's not to love.
Fred Van Lente
What do you prioritize more, how you spend your life, or your continued existence as a living being?
The story is the whole ball of wax, the plot, the theme, the emotional beats, which is expressed through characters' journeys.
None of these things can be considered separate from story.
This is where the phrase "Kill Your Darlings" comes from: If something is hurting the story, you change it, or cut it. There is no other option.
So you question is more like, what do you tend to prioritize, your heartbeat or that half-eaten bag of Skittles over there? ;)
The story is the whole ball of wax, the plot, the theme, the emotional beats, which is expressed through characters' journeys.
None of these things can be considered separate from story.
This is where the phrase "Kill Your Darlings" comes from: If something is hurting the story, you change it, or cut it. There is no other option.
So you question is more like, what do you tend to prioritize, your heartbeat or that half-eaten bag of Skittles over there? ;)
Fred Van Lente
Write selfishly. Write for yourself. No one cares if you write but you. Make something beautiful based on how you define the beautiful. Everything in your life, from your own experiences to stuff you read secondhand, is nothing more than grist for this mill. The challenge comes in honing your skill to the point where you can understand the difference between the good and the better. We will all spend the rest of our lives honing this skill.
Fred Van Lente
Practice, practice, practice.
Fred Van Lente
Thinking _is_ entertaining...or it should be!
About Goodreads Q&A
Ask and answer questions about books!
You can pose questions to the Goodreads community with Reader Q&A, or ask your favorite author a question with Ask the Author.
See Featured Authors Answering Questions
Learn more