I have been unable to find the answer to my question: How does the United States “transparently convey” to the American public what it should in order to allow the people to effectively govern the nation”? Can you suggest a reference, or example from your experience in government, how our representatives and government agencies can and do communicate with us other than via the media? Should the President and our individual representatives use TV/radio on a regular basis to notify the public of relevant practical, ethical, legal news (sort of a fireside chats? Or perhaps DOGE can use Transforming Government for the 21st Century?

Some members of Congress have always made an effort to communicate to their constituents on important issues. One member for whom I worked sent out regular newsletters. Another did short television presentations on issues. The underlying problem is that, in a nation as large and complex as the United States, the number of issues — and the associated complexities — makes communicating on all of them virtually impossible. I was once asked to explain an environmental issue — the tradeoffs between two approaches of meeting wastewater effluent discharge standards — and before I’d finished two sentences, I was told not to “deliver a long-winded epistle,” even though the trade-offs involved hundreds of millions of dollars for the manufacturing plants involved.

The more urgent problem is that in electing public officials, usually the best public presenter wins the election, and all too often the best public speaker is neither good nor that knowledgeable a leader.

I’ve always wondered, with your massive collection of written works, has there ever been a proposition for a movie and/or series? (I’m biased for the Corean Chronicles but, just imaging a war torn Alucius firing a darkened bullet into a diving pteirodon on the big screen, got me wondering.) Also, the art for your covers are phenomenal, and belong in a museum, how did you acquire these master artists? Is it a certain institution or was it all via commission/freelance?

So far, while I’ve had occasional inquires from the movie/cinema field, no one has ever made even a proposition for a movie or TV production/series. The artwork for my covers was handled by the art department at Tor, and, as you’ve noted, in general they’ve done a very good job, especially with the fantasy covers, although some of the SF covers are among my favorites (Haze, Archform:Beauty, Quantum Shadows).

I went to Barnes and Noble to buy the book Overcaptain in Gilbert, AZ. They had 4 of your books on the shelf, one hardback, four paperback, all of which I have. Why don’t they have more of your books?

The short answer is greed and algorithms. The long answer is more complex, and involves a number of factors. Back in the 1990s, B&N bookstore managers could actually stock books that better fit their clientele. Now, from what I understand, that’s difficult, if not impossible. Beginning in the 1980s, the IRS applied the Thor Power Tools decision to book publishing, which made it unprofitable for publishers to keep large backlists in stock in their warehouses. Then, with the rise of Amazon, B&N further reduced the amount of books stocked in stores, and buyers in bookstores can’t buy what’s not there. More important, they often don’t know what’s missing. In the 1990s, B&N stores often carried the entire Recluce series. That enticed readers. But today, B&N relies on algorithms to predict sales of books, even before they’re published, based in large part on sales of the previous book by that author. But for authors like me, that’s deadly and misrepresentative, because readers are still purchasing books I wrote thirty years ago. So B&N orders books based on the last book, rather than on my total sales in the past year, and they don’t re-order when they run out, which makes increasing sales difficult, and why your local B&N doesn’t carry more of my books — and why Amazon and other booksellers get a larger share of my sales every year.

Why are you using such an odd tense in From The Forest, etc.? I think you used it in other narratives too. I find it strange to read neither here nor there. I can find no reference to it anywhere. Did you create this idea yourself?

The tense I used in writing From the Forest is known as the “present tense.” I certainly didn’t invent it. It’s always been part of the English language, but the majority of English/American fantasy and science fiction is written in the simple past tense. I chose the present tense as a way of keeping the action and thought close to the present and the character.

I know this is a bit personal but how do you pronounce your name. Is it Mo-desitt Mod-esitt or Mode-sitt Over here in the UK I’ve heard all three variations and as I have pretty-well every book you’ve written over the past forty odd years when I first met your books in a San Francisco book shop I’d really like to get it right.

It’s pronounced MODD (rhymes with “odd”) — ess — it. Of course, the way the family pronounces our name breaks every pronunciation rule, which might be why others have a problem with it.

Still reading; hope you’re still writing?

I’m still writing, and there are three books scheduled over roughly the next 20 months: Sub-Majer’s Challenge in August 2025; Legalist in October 2025; and Last of the First in mid 2026.