Discuss BP with Kathy -- Spoilers Welcome

Hi kathy,

I recently read the chat transcript and found it good reading. Sorry I couldn't make it, courtesy of the 5 hour time difference, between US-UK.

So what's with this post? To tell you that the depiction of the violence in BP was the best to date.

I have held the view, and continue to do so, that the violence in NJO 1-3 was overdone and in its excessiveness not true to SW.

In BP, while there were horrors aplenty, the depiction was restrained and more effective.

This is indeed a compliment to you as far as I'm concerned. Consider ANH, Leia on the Death Star. Would the scene work better with a long sequence of us seeing Leia tortured or as it did, with the door closing and our own imagination scaring the life out of us? One BP example is when Lah takes the tkun and orders the first victim for sacrifice to be bought forward, scence change. Scary indeed but also true to SW in its method.

Regards

Jedi Ben

 

You speak the truth, Jedi_Ben!

 

if you look, the entire bacta tank is upside down...the base(the bigger end)is towards the top and the smaller end is towards the "hidden meaning"

 

Good news!

If you guys are looking for out of date books or rare editions, be sure to look in used bookstores in your area. I browsed thru one yesterday and found the entire XWing series (still in print, I know, but I got it at a much reduced price), some of the Adventure Journals (50 cents each!), and Kathy's book, Fusion Fire. And that was just one store. I know of two others in my area that specialize in used books.

 

I am in ecstasies tonight, finally beginning a re-read of my own all-time favorite work of fiction, LORD OF THE RINGS. In the Foreword to the Second Edition, I found this delightful quote:

"Some who have read [my book], or at any rate have reviewed it, have found it boring, absurd, or contemptible; and I have no cause to complain, since I have similar opinions of their works, or of the kinds of writing that they evidently prefer."

He says so many things so very well, and so much more boldly than I would ever dare.

Jedi Ben -- Thank you humbly and sincerely. I was aghast, at first, when I realized what I would be expected to write. But as you say, our own imaginations can scare the life out of us -- better, IMHO, than any explicitly written or filmed scene. Bless you and thanks, and to you too, Austin Solo.

Vergere . . . Well, it's . . . egad, you're right! <g> I suspect one reason that tank is so bright, and at such an odd angle, is to do two very clever things simultaneously: to draw attention AWAY from the hidden picture, and to hint subtly that the artwork needs to be viewed from all angles. That reminds me -- I haven't thrown any bouquets in Mr. Nielsen's direction yet. Here is a BIG one -- Cliff, on the longshot chance you would ever read this thread, this is absolutely fabulous cover art. Thank you!

Katriel -- Used bookstores are treasure troves. And every living author hopes that kajillions of readers will "discover" their work in a used bookstore, love it, and then buy the next novel as soon as it comes out. ;-)

Kathy

 

! i thought everyone realized that by now !

 

Kathy, unfortunately I was unable to keep people out of my office nor figure out IRC - so I read the transcript of your chat. One question:

"I do remember sitting in an extremely impressive conference room at Skywalker Ranch -- And the idea of a certain character's death was suggested by another participant -- And my reaction was instantaneous & negative -- And met with enormous approval from the LFL people"

LFL were agreeing with the suggestion or your reaction? Opinion, as I can judge, seems to be that Delrey / LFL are out for the shock value of knocking off a few main characters in order to pass the torch to the next generation. However the response to your book , I believe, shows the readers want something else -- adventure and romance -- keep the old and weave in the new. I am well aware I am known as a sap - but can't Luke, Mara, and the skycrawler live happily ever after. What's wrong with retirement? Oh I must be getting old
-Ella

 

Thanks, Vergere.

niqella -- I'm sorry I said that so poorly. Actually, another individual at that conference suggested that the death of another major character would be appropriate. I strongly disagreed. The LFL representative (Lucy Autrey Wilson, sitting next to me) agreed with me wholeheartedly.

So here's to the saps!

Kathy

PS Did I ever say that in a glass case in this building's entry way were a gold-metal hand (Threepio's) and a tarnishing brass idol (from the first scene in "Raiders of the Lost Ark")? I tried to act professional and nonchalant, but I suspect our tour guide saw right through that.

 

Wow, if you were able to be nonchalant many kudos to you. I'm sure the rest of us wouldn't be able to be. Thank you for sticking up for us saps with LFL and Del Ray. And Jedi Master Ben makes a wonderful point about the way you depicted violence. I enjoyed the other books, but they were a little too gory for me. You have given us such a wonderful book and I am very greatful! I'm sorry if I sound like a moron; I'm afraid I'm still a little star-struck. (I obviously wouldn't be able to play it cool at Skywalker Ranch!)

 

Marie Jadewalker -- When I say I was "nonchalant," I mean that I confined myself to wide-eyed excitement instead of begging to have the case opened so I could touch the thing. Thank you --

Skywalker Ranch is, IMO, a testament to what can be done with exquisite visual taste and very deep pockets. Our conference took place inside the "big house," a white Victorian three-story that simply doesn't look as enormous as it is inside. The conference room (IIRC) is mostly redwood reclaimed from old bridges and trestles, with a mile-long conference table and refreshments tastefully laid out on a sideboard: the kind of room that makes its own statement of importance. I was duly impressed; it was a huge kick to be there; and I found the LFL people friendly, approachable, and quite serious about the responsibility they carry.

Kathy

 

Hi Kathy,
I loved BP, it was a great new addition to the series and really does a good job of leaving the reader hanging and waiting for the next book.
Just one Question: If I am not mistaken during the prolouge when Jiana's Xwing gets blownup it mentions a Chiss. How come this issue isnt talked about any further inn the novel. Any other info on this issue is relavant..
THanks

 

Hooray for saps! Hooray for Lucy Autrey Wilson! And Hooray for You! Don't worry about the phrasing -- I am very impressed at you're ability to keep up with all the questions thrown at you during a chat. Lucky for all of us you are so handy for clarification

Goodnight
-Ella

 

Hi Kathy! Fantastic book! I just finished reading it a couple hours ago, and it was a good one! Great writing style and it was good to see some reoccuring problems (ie: Jacen's struggle, H/L, etc.) tied up nicely. I read your Bio on your page too. Good stuff! It's exciting for me to read a SW book written by a Christian! Besides, SW, and the Bible, the only other books I read are the Left Behind series.
Anyhoo, I read about 4 pages of this thread before I clicked to the end. 30 pages. Whew. Forgive me if I'm repeating a question that's already been asked. That said, here's my two Q's:
1) The NJO books were coming out about every couple of months and now, after a great book with a great cliffhanger, we have to wait until April. Do you have any insight to why?
2) Have you read any of the Left Behind series?
Thanks!

 

Ack! 15 pages! Sorry if this has been discussed already KT, but I have school work to do (public speaking for 2 weeks, ugh).

Anyhoo, I was just re-reading the "Tales of the Bounty Hunters" over the weekend, and I noticed something. Tinian thinks Daye is dead there, but he's alive in BP (and they have a kid). I seem to recall you saying something about a third Tinian story that was published in the Adv. Journals, but not in a book. Any chance of seeing it in the FanFic Forum here? I always liked Tinian, and wouldn't mind another story of her.

Thanks.

 

Congrats on the great success BP is, Kathy (I still feel nervous calling you by your first name, but if it's fine with you, it's fine with me, you deserve it.

 

The more characters who die just for the sake of "shaking things up" and/or "passing on the torch" the more disinhartened I could see myself becoming with the NJO.

What purpose did Chewie's death serve? Not much, except for shaking up Han and Anakin's lives. In HT I was expecting Han and Droma to go to Belkaadan, load the Falcon up with proton torpedos, thermal detonators and other ordance and do some demolition work.

Chewie's death did nothing to push the plot forward one ioda.

If character's are going to die, I want their death to actually spur their loved one's into taking some sort of action.

I see Wurth's death as having more significance than Chewie's. Wurth was Kyp's top lieutenant and Kyp also discovered what was left of his physically and spritually broken body. This is just one more tragedy in a life filled with tragedy for Kyp. Additionally, Kyp saw what the Vong do to Jedi and factor in Lah's "bring us your jeedai" and poor Kyp is going to be one frightened Jedi. With both Corran and Wurth in a self-imposed exile or killed, both Luke and Kyp have lost their proxies. This will hopefully enable them to debate each other one-on-one.

 

Poor, poor Kyp. The big strong Jedi scared? Sure. C'mon, Kyp isn't going to be scared, he's going to vent his anger out through hatred, thus going to the Dark Side. Unless he becomes a convert, and soon.

 

Kathy- I just started LotR for the first time! I read the Hobbit this summer.

They're like listening to your grandfather tell a story, with all the rambling details. It's great!

I think I have the same edition as you, because mine has the same foreword. JRRT seems like a cool guy. I wonder what he would have made of Star Wars. Or the new LotR films (which I hope will be excellent.

 

Repeating this as you might not catch it on the single, small thread I posted!

What prompted you to get involved in the Star Wars genre in the first place? I mean, from what I see, it becomes what seems like a lot more work then it can be worth. Maybe I'm just reading too much into some of this stuff, but the Star Wars Universe is a bit of an undertaking, IMHO.

Anyways, if you catch this thread, and can answer, then cool! If not, then it's still all good.

 

MasterYoni -- The Chiss' theater of action is well removed from the action on Duro, and I wanted to stay close to my assigned plot & characters. I expect to see more of them as the series progresses.

niqella --

Chewbubba (that name's a howl!)
1) We have to wait until April because a trilogy scheduled for early 2001 was cancelled.
2) I read #1-4 of the LB series back when only 4 had been published.

wild_karrde: Amazing, isn't it? Thanks for the Tinian request. I never did write their reunion, but the published stories were "Tinian on Trial," "To Fight Another Day," "Prize Pelt," and "Only Droids Serve the Maker." Happy hunting. Maybe some day there'll be more.

Austin -- Many thanks.

GAW -- Intriguing points. All I can say is, "Stay tuned . . . " because I have no idea what's next for Kyp.

MJM -- I'd race you through LotR, but I want to read slowly and savor it (I read only 2 chapters last night. So-o-o satisfying.) Just keep me posted (PM = OK) as you get to scenes you really like, so I can enjoy them "for the first time" again. If you have time!

Albion -- I hope you don't mind my responding here. If other folks started a discussion on your other thread, that could become one more thread I had to check regularly, and I'm getting pressed for time as it is. Thanks for understanding --

"In the first place" -- meaning when Janna Silverstein at Bantam asked me to write TRUCE -- I said "yes" because I was already swept away by the SW mythos (and especially the Luke Skywalker character). I'd loved the Zahn trilogy as well. Yes, it's a bit of an undertaking now -- with the entire EU as continuity -- but I felt (both times) it was worth the effort to get the privilege of adding my two decicreds' worth to the SW universe.

Also, SW is a series where a person firmly committed to writing G- or PG-rated fiction can feel right at home.

Kathy

 

sorry kathy i didn't mean to sound mean...there's been so many threads about it, though

 

Very cool with the G/PG writing. I suppose with all the different genres of Sci-Fi out there, Star Wars does sometimes lend itself to the more warm and fuzzy side to it.

Movie-wise, the deaths have never been bloody, the plot levels appeal to multiple ages for different reasons, and in general there was never much towards the swearing and nudity. (Though Carrie Fisher went rather risque during that whole Jabba/Sand Barge thing. )

Here's another off-the-wall question for ya, Kathy.

What do you find inspirational outside of other author's materials for your work? Is there like some music you listen to while writing, or a TV show on in the background? Maybe you watch the 4 Star Wars movies already out?

Again, just checking, and if you respond or anot, it's all cool. I just like the fact that you're here, and you're so friendly!

 

I didn't actually mean that Kyp would be scared per se. Remember: "Fear leads to anger, anger leads to hate; hate leads to suffering."

Kyp's fear wouldn't exactly cause him to go into hiding or anything, since that would be out of character for him to do so. He isn't a coward. But Kyp could go underground for a little while to develop a strategy with as many adherents he can gather.

Fear wouldn't paralyze Kyp. Fear would light a fire under him that would spur him into action even more. Kyp's fear would be being captured by the Vong or galactic citizens who but into Lah's propaganda and being tortured or whatever else.

 

Albion -- 100% true about the movies.

Actually, I find my best inspiration simply in focusing on the characters, getting under their skins and inside their minds & motives as well as possible. With exceptions such as breaking a writers block, music or TV is generally more distracting than helpful.

GAW -- Yes, I can imagine Kyp going underground.

Kathy

 

Though it's a bit off topic, along the lines of Lord of the Rings, if you aren't a Led Zeppelin fan, I suggest listening through some of their work anyway. You can trace the Lord of the Rings series through their song lyrics as you read the books, and Zeppelin makes great background music for reading LotR. Anyway, that's my two cents...btw really enjoyed Balance Point (had to put in some reference to the topic at hand)