A&A The Official Matthew Woodring Stover Discussion Thread

Sure. And then you want to know if I've stopped beating my wife.

Sean Stewart, by the way, rocks.

Dude, Matt, if you wrote a Kyp novel...I'd...joygasm all over the place.

In all seriousness Matt, what are the chances of you writing another Star Wars novel in the near future? I would think that for the next few years, the Del Ray contract is kinda full up. But I want MORE STOVER!

Anyways, with your recent completion of HFF, whats your next move?

-Grego

Barring the offer of another bathtub full of cash, I'm moving out of the genre. My thriller is rockin' along, and I'll ride it till I find out where it's goin'.

Here's the thing about Star Wars. I turned in Traitor on time. Even since then, my deadlines have been anywhere from a crisis to a life-or-death Reichenbach Falls episode. Plus, two of my four SW novels have failed to make the NYTimes Actual Bestseller List, making #17 and #16 (that would be Shatterpoint and Luke Skywalker & the Shadows of Mindor respectively, if I recall correctly). In the current publishing environment, I'm not what anyone would call a good risk.

Plus, after LS&TSOM, I made Shelly Shapiro, Sue Rostoni and my agent all promise to shoot me in the head if I ever took on another SW project. Right now, I'd loooooove to do another SW book. I need the money. But it's not really in the interests of the Powers That Be to offer me any, and I don't blame them. If you want to be treated as a professional, you have to deliver like a professional: that is, bring in quality work on time and under budget. Unfortunately, that's not my track record.

It is what it is. I am what I am. Sometimes it's not much fun, but still . . .

It is what it is.

If we gathered up a petition, would you do it?

Gather up the bathtub full of money. Then worry about the petition.

Really?

If your not i'd love to know who IS considered a money making SW author.

Seems unreal that you wouldnt be considered a "draw".

Also worth noting that Shatterpoint was a book about a second-string PT character that came out during the peak of PT backlash after AotC but before RotS.

I honestly don't know why Mindor wasn't more successful, except that perhaps it speaks to what a good job LFL and Del Rey have done driving away Luke fans.

My understanding is that Mindor wasn't more successful because it was delivered so late they didn't have time to coordinate publicity and still get it out by the end of the year. It's also worth noting that according to my sources, both my non-NYTBestsellers sold cumulatively just as well as other SW hardcovers. They just didn't sell as fast.

Look, it's really not about the quality of my books (I hope), but more about my shoddy track record on deadlines. Tie-in fiction has to be in on schedule, or you screw up the whole machinery of the franchise. And there's the whole "promise you'll shoot me in the head" part, too.

Because sure, it's easy to say I'd love to take on another. But once I've cashed the advance and have to actually write the thing, I might feel differently on the subject.

^True, Mace has never been a hugely popular character.

No, seriously, some parts (all the fanboys, the bad fanfiction, the image of Cronal as a really annoying Luke fanboy) were funny. Take Cronal:

Cronal is a huge fan of Luke Skywalker, to the point of writing apocryphal stories about him. (Hilariously, everyone assumes Han Solo's the Stu.)
Cronal wants to be Luke Skywalker.
Cronal wants Luke Skywalker to be Emperor.

All three are indications of a huge fanboy.

Other parts, I mean, seeing the heat death of the universe falls straight in cosmic horror. (Y'know, that's Allston, Golden, and Denning's bit right now.) Having some guy mess with your mind the way Cronal did to Luke and Leia is also a form of horror. Spikes in your brain? Horror. Being kept in a completely sealed coffin? Horror.

Judging by your response, I'll say comedy.

So, new book then eh? One of the Chicago crime novels that you've mentioned in the past? Or you going to remain mum about it for a while longer? As for genre-y stuff: HFF. Any particular due-date on that one?

HFF is delivered. I have yet to hear an official reaction . . . but 2011 is still possible. Even with the rewrites which are certainly necessary.

For me, comedy and horror are flip sides of the same coin. The only difference is whether you care if the character suffers.

Please forgive me quoting myself:

?Come at this with solemn resolve and it will eat you alive. Forever. And its teeth aren?t even sharp.?

--the horse-witch
His Father's Fist

Wheel of Morality, turn turn turn, tell us the lesson that we should learn:

Moral #42:

"Don't take anything seriously, especially when Matt Stover's involved."

Man, for once it made perfect sense.

I'm always serious. I try to avoid being solemn.

Have you ever seen Sullivan's Travels?

Shev's Addendum:

"If you want to make your shared universe more interesting, invite Stover to the party."

And then watch me feel envious at how bloody good his manuscript is. (Gotta ask Matt - is Test of Metal getting any sort of marketing in North America? Or like Mindor was it also a bit late?)

Actually in the middle of reading Shatterpoint for the second time. I generally read good books a second time, but they usually wait quite awhile, and Shatterpoint is getting a reread barely a month after finishing it the first time. In fact, the only books I've done that for in recent memory are "Of Mice and Men" and The Dark Tower series (though that waited two or three months). Especially noteworthy because, while I read a lot, I still don't put enough time into it as I'd like. In other words, really good job on it.

Kar Vastor is a really interesting character; a character that, for me, I can call him a good character, yet intensely want him to get the snot beaten out of him throughout the entire book (oh man was I disappointed that he beat Mace the first time around ). I don't have too much experience in writing, but I know it's really difficult to write a character that you can find interesting and like yet also hate at the same time. Good written villain, there. The same can be said, to a lesser extent, about the kid, Terrel. Part of me wanted him to get what happened to him, but I also wanted him to realize he was wrong, and by extension is father was wrong, about hating the Jedi.

One question about Kar; does his huge amount of power come directly from the jungle? The book mentions the natural darkness of the jungle a lot, and it also makes a point of Kar being in tune with it somehow, almost drawing power from it. So, my question, if Kar were any other place in the galaxy, would he be nearly as powerful? Does he rely on the jungle? Is that how he's captured and held captive on Coruscant? Also, when they fight at the end, would you say Mace won the fight through luck more than anything, or for cleverness as opposed to Kar's animal-like brutality? I mean, the guy did have a hole in his stomach, so really any amount of fighting back is pretty amazing.

Also, when writing Shatterpoint, did you at all have Samuel L Jackon in mind when Mace was in his "tough guy" mode? . I'll be honest, Shatterpoint has made it difficult to watch a movie with Samuel L Jackson in it, and I mean that as a sincere compliment

Anyway, I plan to get Shadows of Mindor pretty soon. I like Luke a lot, so I'm looking forward to it. If you ever write another SW novel, I suggest writing a Jar Jar novel. Or perhaps a novelization for the Holiday Special; you did a great job with Episode 3, I'm sure you can work the same magic for the Holiday Special!

I need some help:

I half remember a passage of outstanding prose that may have come from one of Matt's books that ends with something resembling: 'an explosion shattered the world into smaller and smaller pieces until all that was left was the charred, black remains.'

I believe it was in one of the Caine novels but it could have been in Shatterpoint or Traitor. I've thumbed through my copies and have been unable to stumble across it again.

Does anyone remember this passage? If so, can you point me toward the book and page number that I can find it.

My apologies to Matt if this line did not come from one of his books.

Thanks.

It doesn't ring a bell. But it's a nice line; I'll gladly claim it if no one else does.

Like what I tell people when they say, "Matthew . . . Stover? You're a writer? I'm not sure I've heard of you."

Me: "You know me by my pen name. Ernest Hemingway."

"I thought you were dead."

"Nope. Just retired the name. Since then, I've been publishing as Stephen King."

Oh, and for the Caine fans among you . . .

OVERWORLD TV IS NOW ON THE AIR.

Well, the Internet, anyway.

There is more Caine coming your way . . . in LIVING COLOR!

Fangasm imminent!

-Grego

I finished HEROES DIE last week - I think I gobbled it up in about 2-3 days? - and bought BLADE OF TYSHALLE that same day (I got a Kindle for Christmas and this series has been on my wait-list for years now so I started it that same day), and I just can't get enough of this world you've created, Mr. Stover - all of these characters are spectacularly written, but the gut-wrenching plot twists, the grisly violence and the nonstop action have been so gruesomely awesome, I haven't been able to put it down. My Kindle actually broke last week (the screen went crazy) and I had to wait for them to send me a new one, but in the meantime I was able to upload BoT onto my PC and continue reading from there. I've even let my SW reading fall by the wayside in order to make room for this series - I'm not even sure I want to read anything else until I finish CAINE BLACK KNIFE, to be honest.

Just wanted to stop by and show my gratitude for these books - particularly during a time when SW literature hasn't really lived up to its sterling reputation, the Caine series has opened up a new world for me as far as SF/Fantasy fiction go.

Hey, thanks.

It is exactly people like you who are the driving force behind OverWorld TV(shameless plug, but also factually accurate).

Live long and prosper! (Am I allowed to say that on this site?)

Anyway, thanks.

I did check out OverWorld TV, but only briefly due to internet limitations. I will, however, make it a point to explore the site more thoroughly when I am able. I gather that it's an 'everything Caine' kind of thing, with a bit of behind-the-scenes look at the making of the new graphic novel?

I'm not one for eBooks (don't own a "reader," and I'm certainly not interested in reading a novel on my laptop), but I just discovered that Heroes Die is in print and available through Borders and Barnes&Noble. I took advantage of Borders' free shipping weekend to order it. It's in transit now, and I'm really excited for it. If I like it, I hope I'll be able to find the next book without too much trouble.