Q&A with Richard Lee Byers discussion

This is a thread for questions and discussion centered on fantasy, sword and sorcery, the Forgotten Realms, and Dungeons and Dragons. Let me pose a couple questions to get the ball rolling.

Do you like your fantasy high or gritty?

Do you like gargantuan multi-volume epics or shorter works?

I am glad you brought this up! I have been a fan of the fantasy genre for quite some time and definitely have an opinion on this particular topic. While I can appreciate stories of virtually any length, I generally prefer a somewhat shorter story that can be wrapped up in a few books at the most. I very much enjoyed reading Robert Jordan's "Wheel of Time", but in retrospect, I would not want to embark on such a long journey again. I have read countless fantasy works fit into three or less entries, with all of the quality and detail that one can expect from an epic story. This leaves my time open to explore other authors and writing in general!

I'm not against the humongous multi-volume fantasy epic in principle. I'm reading A Song of Ice and Fire, and I read everything Tad Williams puts out. But like you, I'm leery of getting involved in multi-million-word stories by other writers. I just don't have that much time to read, and I'd rather read a greater number of books by a larger pool of authors.

I'm also somewhat bemused that it's come to this. Many of the best fantasy stories I've ever read are short stories or novels of moderate length by writers like Fritz Leiber, Robert E. Howard, Jack Vance, Roger Zelazny, and Poul Anderson. I think it's unfortunate that their kind of fantasy storytelling has somewhat gone out of style.

The Masked Witches, my new Forgotten Realms/Brotherhood of the Griffon novel, is now available. Roses are bursting into bloom in the dead of winter, the angels are dirty dancing up in Heaven, and you, o fortunate one, can obtain the source of their jubilation here:

http://www.amazon.com/Masked-Witches-...

Diehard GameFAN's review of The Masked Witches is up.

http://diehardgamefan.com/2012/02/20/...

Thanks to my good friend Wade, I belatedly found out that an article to which I contributed my thoughts on writing successful series characters has gone live. Check it out here:

http://www.wizards.com/DnD/Article.as...

"Howard and Burroughs: Box Office Poison?" is my new column at Airlock Alpha:

http://airlockalpha.com/node/9010/ast...

Info on my next Forgotten Realms/Brotherhood of the Griffon novel:

http://www.amazon.com/Prophet-Dead-Ri...

Blogger Larry Gent interviewed me:

http://42webs.wordpress.com/2012/05/2...

Although this isn't related to your recent posts here, I just wanted to say that I finally ordered a copy of The Rage, The Rite and The Ruin! I went with the omnibus edition so I can read them all in one fell swoop. I definitely look forward to checking these out.

I hope you enjoy them!

My new urban fantasy novel is now available for preorder. More info here:

http://www.amazon.com/Blind-Gods-Bluf...

Here's information and the cover art for Called to Darkness, my first Pathfinder novel.

The anthology When the Villain Comes Home is now available. I have a story in it that's a prequel to my Impostor series. Check it out here:

http://www.amazon.com/When-Villain-Co...

Check out the cover for my next Forgotten Realms/Brotherhood of the Griffon novel Prophet of the Dead. I love it!

http://www.amazon.com/Prophet-Dead-Ri...

For those who are interested, my 2012 Gen Con schedule. This is where to find me if you want to say hi, get books signed, or listen to me expound on whatever.

THURSDAY

11:00 AM – SEMINAR – In the Mood
1:00 PM – SEMINAR – Painting with Words

FRIDAY

8:00 AM – SEMINAR – This Means War
9:00 AM – SEMINAR – Mano a Mano
11:00 AM – SEMINAR – Stealing from History
Noon – SEMINAR – Pathfinder Tales Author Summit
3:00 PM – WORKSHOP – Advanced World Building
4:00PM – SIGNING – Wizards of the Coast booth (Exhibition Hall)

SATURDAY

9:00 AM – SEMINAR – Breaking Into RPG Fiction
Noon – SEMINAR – Self-Publishing
3:00 PM – SIGNING – D&D Experience room

SUNDAY

9:00 AM – SEMINAR – Self-Promotion

Gabrielle Harbowy's new blog posts contains a brief interview with me that relates to my story in the new anthology When the Villain Comes Home. Check it out here:

http://www.gabrielle-edits.com/2012/0...

I'm currently writing a novelette about the adventuring duo Basil and Moebius, who star in a forthcoming series of graphic novels. Timothy Zahn is doing a story, too, so I'm in excellent company.

Basil and Moebius also appear in "No Rest for the Wicked," a short film starring Zachary Levi, Ray Park, and Malcolm McDowell. If you're going to DragonCon, you can catch it there.

To find out more about Basil & Moebius, click the link:

http://www.whoisthecollector.com

Here's a link to video of the Wizards of the Coast keynote address and other presentations from Gen Con 2012. There's info about D&D Next and the Sundering, the Forgotten Realms novel series being written by Ed Greenwood, R. A. Salvatore, Troy Denning, Paul S. Kemp, Erin M. Evans, and yours truly.

Crap. Forgot the actual link mentioned in the previous post. This is it:

http://www.wizards.com/dnd/Article.as...

Check out the cover of Blind God's Bluff, my forthcoming urban fantasy novel. I like this painting a lot. It reminds me of the covers of private-eye and spy paperbacks I read when I was a teenager, and that vibe is quite appropriate for the story.

http://www.amazon.com/Blind-Gods-Bluf...

"Happy Birthday, H. P. Lovecraft" is my August feature on Airlock Alpha. It includes my list of Lovecraftian movies worth seeing.

http://airlockalpha.com/node/9335/hap...

Do you want to read my forthcoming urban fantasy novel Blind God's Bluff? Naturally, I hope so, and if you do, you may be interested in this. The book lists for $14.99. But if you pre-order it now, Amazon will let you have it for a paltry $9.99. Here's the link:

http://www.amazon.com/Blind-Gods-Bluf...

I just discovered that Called to Darkness, my first Pathfinder novel, is available for pre-order on Amazon. Weirdly, the cover on display is not the actual cover. The art you'll see is cool, but the real cover is even cooler. Anyway, here's the link for anyone who's interested:

http://www.amazon.com/Pathfinder-Tale...

"Professor X, RIP (Again)" is my new column on Airlock Alpha:

http://airlockalpha.com/node/9364/ast...

I just signed a contract for the publication of a new story. That's always a good feeling. The story is a novelette set in the Pathfinder universe and a prequel to my first Pathfinder novel Called to Darkness, which comes out at the start of next year. The novelette's called "In Red Rune Canyon" and will run as a four-part serial on the Paizo.com website starting in the second half of November. You'll be able to read it for free there, so I hope everyone will check it out.

In honor of Halloween, I wrote a poem about a certain sub-genre of horror movies I may have watched way too many of. Check it out:

http://rleebyers.livejournal.com

For months, I've been telling everyone how gorgeous the cover art for Called to Darkness, my first Pathfinder novel, is. Check out Michal Ivan's painting here:

http://michalivan.deviantart.com/gall...

For those who enjoy filk and in honor of the season, a Halloween filk song: http://rleebyers.livejournal.com

My October column, a comparison of "Arrow" and "Smallville," is up at Airlock Alpha:

http://airlockalpha.com/node/9401/ast...

According to Amazon, the "estimated arrival" date for my urban fantasy novel Blind God's Bluff has been moved up to Dec. 21st.

Dec. 21st...have I mentioned that the books makes a great Christmas present?

The Paizo website has made my novel Pathfinder Tales: Called to Darkness available as an ebook starting this Wednesday, 12/19/12. You can order the paperback there, too; you just won't get it quite as soon. Or, you can wait and order the novel from Amazon and they'll start sending it out on the 1/1/13 release date.

To order from Paizo:

http://paizo.com/products/btpy8v37?Pa...

Audible.com is releasing four of my Forgotten Realms novels as audiobooks on 1/8/13. I'm hoping these will the first of many. The novels are the three books that make up the Year of Rogue Dragons plus Whisper of Venom. More info here:

http://www.audible.com/search/ref=sr_...

THE MAYANS PREDICTED YOU WILL DIG BLIND GOD’S BLUFF

Today (12/21/12) is noteworthy for two reasons: It kicks off the Mayan apocalypse, and, more importantly, it’s the official release date for my novel Blind God’s Bluff.

What a happy coincidence! Whether you end up in the afterlife or the post-apocalyptic wasteland, you’ll want something to read. What could be better than the book Carol Wolf, acclaimed author of Summoning and Binding, describes as “the best kind of urban fantasy, a rollicking, fast-paced adventure.”

And you won’t even have to pay for it! The financial system can’t survive the collapse of the rest of civilization. Trust me, your January Visa bill will never arrive.

So check it out:

http://www.amazon.com/Blind-Gods-Bluf...

You can check out a sample chapter of my novel Pathfinder Tales: Called to Darkness here:

http://paizo.com/paizo/blog/v5748dyo5...

Check out the Paizo web site for Part One of "In Red Rune Canyon," a new (and free) novelette that's a prequel to my novel Pathfinder Tales: Called to Darkness.

http://paizo.com/paizo/blog/v5748dyo5...

Check out a sample chapter of Prophet of the Dead, my new Forgotten Realms/Brotherhood of the Griffon novel:

http://www.wizards.com/DnD/Product.as...

Amazon now has my novel Pathfinder Tales: Called to Darkness in stock:

http://www.amazon.com/Pathfinder-Tale...

Here's an interview with me focusing mainly on Pathfinder Tales: Called to Darkness. The latest podcast on the same site includes a review of the novel.

http://35privatesanctuary.com/index.p...

The final chapter of "In Red Rune Canyon," my free Pathfinder web fiction serial, is now up. (The previous chapters are, of course, still available as well.)

http://paizo.com/pathfinder/tales/serial

Prophet of the Dead (my new Forgotten Realms/Brotherhood of the Griffon novel) is now available:

http://www.amazon.com/Prophet-Dead-Br...

The first two Amazon reviews of Prophet of the Dead are up, and they both give it five stars. Not too shabby!

http://www.amazon.com/Prophet-Dead-Br...

My new post to The Night Bazaar deals with SEX!And also some classic pulp writers and characters.

http://night-bazaar.com/the-princess-...

A reader posted the following review of my urban fantasy novel Blind God's Bluff on candlekeep.com, the Forgotten Realms fan site. Vanity and my desire to entice others into buying the book prompted me to reproduce the review here (with his permission):


"I recently read Blind Gods Bluff and the book was great.

One of the things I like most about forgotten realms is that it’s a shared fantasy universe with established rules. The magic, healing, races, locations, characters, and gods are somewhat familiar so I can enjoy a story without having to work that hard puzzling out the world the characters exist in. I can give authors I am unfamiliar with a chance, because I don’t need them to have the capacity to compose all of that, while simultaneously crafting an engaging story, to like the book.

When it is done well, it can be a lot of fun to read a fantasy or science fiction book that is completely original. Blind Gods Bluff was done well. Byers has the skill to flesh out a new universe, with new rules, while developing new characters, and still tell a great tale. It was a pleasure to read.

A recurring thought I had while reading Blind Gods Bluff was that it would make an awesome movie. It has a wonderful plot and would probably be much cheaper to film, with fewer set pieces, than most fantasy stories.

I hope there will be more Billy Fox novels soon."



Blind God's Bluff is available here:

http://www.amazon.com/Blind-Gods-Bluf...

My new post to The Night Bazaar deals with religion in science fiction and fantasy:

http://night-bazaar.com/faith-and-fan...

My new column on #AirlockAlpha has my unsolicited advice to the new writers of Green Lantern: http://airlockalpha.com/node/9527/ast...

This is coming up:

Reddit AMA, r/fantasy
Richard Lee Byers and Tim Pratt
March 7, 2013

Join acclaimed authors Richard Lee Byers and Tim Pratt to discuss their new Pathfinder Tales novels, fantasy and adventure. The site will take questions all day, so don't worry about missing out!

Several Pathfinder Tales gift packs will be offered, in digital or print (winner's choice), in a random give-away.

My new post to The Night Bazaar is "A (Vaguely) Political Defense of Sword-and-Sorcery." Check it out:

http://night-bazaar.com/a-vaguely-pol...

The Wizards of the Coast Novels Book Club is now discussing my Forgotten Realms/Brotherhood of the Griffon novel The Captive Flame. I'll be joining in periodically to answer questions. If you'd like to join the discussion as well, here's the link:

http://community.wizards.com/bookclub

The Reddit AMA with Tim Pratt and me is today. You can post questions throughout the day, but he and I will actually be online starting at 7 EST to provide the answers. We're sharing the spotlight because we've both done Pathfinder Tales novels, but as "AMA" implies, you can ask us anything. In my case, that would include questions about Blind God's Bluff, The Impostor, my Forgotten Realms work, or whatever. Two of those who post questions will be randomly selected to receive prizes from Paizo, the Pathfinder publisher.

Here's a link to the AMA:

http://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comme...