Ask the Author: Garrett Calcaterra
Answered Questions (8)
Garrett Calcaterra
Hmm...tough call. I could pick Narnia, where animals can talk. Or Rivendell, where there's sure to be some good reading and secrets to discover. I'm tempted to pick Pern, where I'd get a chance to ride a dragon, but it's just a visit, so it'd be a bummer to leave behind a dragon after Impression. Too many choices...I think I'd have to consult a travel agent on this one!
Garrett Calcaterra
Two books are at the top of my list: The Laird of Duncairn by Craig Comer and An Oath of Dogs by Wendy Wagner.
Garrett Calcaterra
Hmm, not a lot of great couples come to mind from the SF/F genres. Most of the genre classics have men in the leading roles, and their women partners, if they appear at all, are weak stereotypes. Toran and Bayta Darell, the husband and wife duo from Foundation and Empire, might be a possible exception, although it's been a long time since I've read the book.
I'd be a remiss (and anger my wife), if I didn't mention Daenerys and Khal Drogo from A Game of Thrones as one of my favorite couples, though I can't say it's my favorite.
Genly Ai and Estraven from The Left Hand of Darkness, while not what some might think of as a couple, read very much like a realistic couple to me, or at least portray a sense of what it means to deeply love another person.
I guess my favorite fictional couple, though, would have to be Andrew and Rose Vanbergen from Jim Blaylock's The Last Coin. They balance each other out really well, and are just a fun couple that remind a lot of the real Jim and his family.
I'd be a remiss (and anger my wife), if I didn't mention Daenerys and Khal Drogo from A Game of Thrones as one of my favorite couples, though I can't say it's my favorite.
Genly Ai and Estraven from The Left Hand of Darkness, while not what some might think of as a couple, read very much like a realistic couple to me, or at least portray a sense of what it means to deeply love another person.
I guess my favorite fictional couple, though, would have to be Andrew and Rose Vanbergen from Jim Blaylock's The Last Coin. They balance each other out really well, and are just a fun couple that remind a lot of the real Jim and his family.
Garrett Calcaterra
Hi Nahid,
Thanks for the question! "Page Fault" started off as a story set in shared-world project for a creative writing class I was teaching, with the idea being that we'd have different virtual worlds representing all the genres of SF/F/H so each writer would have flexibility to write whatever genre story they wanted. If memory serves me, here's what we came up to work with:
-Terra-serv: modeled off our contemporary real world
-Elysium-serv: fantasy world
-Novus-serv: sci-fi world, or more accurately, a collection of planets
-Vot Dermo-serv: (SP?) horror world
-Calypso-serv: water world (because, hey, someone wanted to write a story with mermaids!)
I only focused on Terra-serv and Elysium-serv in "Page Fault" but all the other worlds were fully fleshed out by my students with maps and everything.
Thanks for the question! "Page Fault" started off as a story set in shared-world project for a creative writing class I was teaching, with the idea being that we'd have different virtual worlds representing all the genres of SF/F/H so each writer would have flexibility to write whatever genre story they wanted. If memory serves me, here's what we came up to work with:
-Terra-serv: modeled off our contemporary real world
-Elysium-serv: fantasy world
-Novus-serv: sci-fi world, or more accurately, a collection of planets
-Vot Dermo-serv: (SP?) horror world
-Calypso-serv: water world (because, hey, someone wanted to write a story with mermaids!)
I only focused on Terra-serv and Elysium-serv in "Page Fault" but all the other worlds were fully fleshed out by my students with maps and everything.
Garrett Calcaterra
Hi Tina! Sorry for not getting back to you sooner. Apparently I had my notifications turned off, and I didn't see your question until just now. In any case, congratulations on winning the contest, and if you've delved into Souldrifter yet, I hope you're enjoying it.
Thanks so much for your question. The concept for Souldrifter was really a conglomeration of different ideas I had. With Makarria being a young monarch and a powerful Dreamwielder, I analyzed her as her political enemies would. How could she be manipulated? What strengths did she have that could be turned against her?
This led to the multi-faceted attack that Makarria faces in Souldrifter, which hopefully results in a page-turning adventure with lots of intrigue, while at the same time resonating with some of the conflict we see in the modern world.
I was inspired by several books and authors. One of the primary "bad guys" in Souldrifter was inspired by the werewolf character in Tim Powers' The Anubis Gates (although, there are no werewolves in Souldrifter, I promise!). I was also inspired by George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series, too, which doesn't bode well for Makarria, Caile, and many of our other heroes!
Thanks so much for your question. The concept for Souldrifter was really a conglomeration of different ideas I had. With Makarria being a young monarch and a powerful Dreamwielder, I analyzed her as her political enemies would. How could she be manipulated? What strengths did she have that could be turned against her?
This led to the multi-faceted attack that Makarria faces in Souldrifter, which hopefully results in a page-turning adventure with lots of intrigue, while at the same time resonating with some of the conflict we see in the modern world.
I was inspired by several books and authors. One of the primary "bad guys" in Souldrifter was inspired by the werewolf character in Tim Powers' The Anubis Gates (although, there are no werewolves in Souldrifter, I promise!). I was also inspired by George R.R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series, too, which doesn't bode well for Makarria, Caile, and many of our other heroes!
Garrett Calcaterra
Well, the book I just finished is THE FACELESS ENEMY, which is the sequel to DREAMWIELDER. The opening sequence of DREAMWIELDER was literally dreamt up by my mother. Take that opening vignette--a young woman dreaming her farm hovel into a castle--mix it with my dark imagination, and you get the subsequent books!
Garrett Calcaterra
There's only one sound piece of advice for aspiring writers: read and write a lot! Like any craft or art, mastery of your skill only comes with time and practice.
Garrett Calcaterra
I'm starting up a new novel (unrelated to The Dreamwielder Chronicles), tentatively titled The Beasts of Qaza. The goal is for it to be a high-action pulp novel with modern sensibilities, characters, and writing style, mixing components of fantasy with steampunk and lost world adventures.
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