Will there be new volumes in the “ghost” series?

My editor has suggested that I write other books in the “ghost” universe, but not about Johan and Llysette. I’m still considering that possibility, but if I do, it won’t be for a while.

Most of your “strongest” mages visit or know about Naclos and what it means to be a gray mage. Should all mages in the world of Recluce attempt to become gray in order to gain strength, live longer, and influence others?

The short answer is no. Initially, all mages have a tendency toward being either black or white, but some are so firmly oriented toward one extreme or the other that attempting to move toward “grayness” would destroy them. Consider the results of the trials that all full druids must undergo and the fact that many do not survive such trials.

When you were first beginning as an author, how much time on average were you able to devote to writing between the pressures of work and family.

The time varied tremendously, but on the average, once I started on novels,I managed 4-8 hours a weekend and 1-2 hours most evenings, sometimes very late evenings. Before that, when I was writing short fiction, it was only 4-5 hours a week.

Do you ever try to mold your readers into your view on a topic or issue — on politics, for example?

Although I’ve been accused, upon occasion, of being “preachy,” that’s never been my intent. I do have an agenda on most issues, however, and that agenda is to raise issues and questions in a fashion that will cause readers to think about them and to question their preconceptions on those issues. In particular, I like to take on what the British philosopher Alfred North-Whitehead called the unexamined and obvious assumptions of society — those assumptions that are so fundamental to a society that they are seldom, if ever, scrutinized. The problem with this, of course, is that readers often say, “That’s so obvious.” And it is… except that it wasn’t obvious until I raised the question.

Who is your favorite Recluce character?

This question has come up a number of times over the years, and I’d have to say that I can’t name a favorite character, because I’ve written different characters for differing reasons. Obviously, characters appeal to readers individually as well, because I’ve had every single main character about whom I’ve written cited as a favorite by some reader or another.

How long does it typically take you to write a book?

Over the past fifteen years, I’ve averaged writing about 2 1/2 books a year, but the writing time varies considerably by book. The shortest time has been about three months, and the longest slightly more than eight months.

Do you have any new worlds in the works for a new series?

As a matter of fact, I have completed Imager and Imager’s Challenge — the first two volumes of The Imager Portfolio — which take place on the world of Terahnar, a world I’ve never written about before.

In the world of Recluce, is it not possible for a white wizard to remove the chaos from a person’s body and thus allow order to overwhelm and freeze them?

Since both order and chaos are necessary for life, removing either completely, or even largely, will result in death. While a sufficiently strong chaos mage might be able to do so, there’s little point in doing that, because for a mage strong enough to accomplish that, there would be easier ways to kill someone.

What actually constitutes a “cyb” or a “demi” in Adiamante?

Despite various claims to the contrary, effectively demis can only be born on old earth, and generally, but not exclusively, to demis, as result of earlier genetic engineering. Such genetic modifications largely postdated the flight of the cybs. Because of genetic regressions and other quirks, not all children of demis are demis, and the offspring of those who are draffs [normals]could have offspring with demi characteristics. Such offspring, or even the children of demis, do not have to become demis, but if they do not, then they must abide by the restrictions — or lack of privileges — accorded draffs.

In several of your books, documents of one variety or another dictate principles necessary or employed by a society, such as the Paradigms of Power in Adiamante. From what sources do you draw these?

Actually, the majority are drawn from my own past experiences, particularly from the 17-odd years I spent in political situations in Washington, D.C. Some obviously come from an analysis and synthesis of what I’ve read, but most would be hard to trace to any one source.

Is there a chance that you will expand and publish as a separate volume the snippets of The Basis of Order from the Recluce Saga

It’s unlikely that any such volume will be produced in the near future, because it’s possible that more sections of The Basis of Order may appear in Recluce books yet to come.

Is there a chance that you will expand and publish as a separate volume the snippets of The Basis of Order from the Recluce Saga?

It’s unlikely that any such volume will be produced in the near future, because it’s possible that more sections of The Basis of Order may appear in Recluce books yet to come.

You seem to have written the Corean Chronicles in a way that additions are impossible, but do you have any plans to continue the series?

I’m actually working on another, if much shorter, Corean Chronicles novel.

What is your involvement in the cover art on your books?

The art director at Tor is the one who actually chooses the cover artist, after consultation with my editor. My involvement ranges from not knowing even what the subject will be until I see the sketch to being asked to suggest the cover scene, all depending on the book. The art director and editor are usually thoughtful enough to run the preliminary sketch by me, and are normally quite receptive to my suggestions for improvements.

Why do you use “ser” instead of “sir?”

I haven’t always used “ser” exclusively, but when I have, it’s because I was looking for a sexually neutral term of respect for a superior.

In The Hammer of Darkness, where does Thetis fit in? Is it their son whom Martel refers to as “the demigod she tried to protect”? To what does the leaden gray shield refer?

In classical mythology, Thetis was the mother of Achilles, and the implication in the book is that Martel is his father, since Martel twists time to send them both back to the “wine dark sea.” The leaden gray shield is an allusion to a poem about Thetis by W.H. Auden.

Do you have, or have you considered, a recipe book for some of the food you describe in your books?

A number of people have asked, or requested this, over the years, but while I have made many of the dishes in the books, I don’t have a recipe book, and I’m not considering doing one at this time. I have not foreclosed that option in the future, however.

You wrote the first and fifth book of the Recluce Saga in the first person perspective, but not any of the others. What was the reason for doing it that way?

When I develop a novel, I try to pay as much attention to the viewpoint perspective and the tense as to the plotting and the story. I thought about writing Lerris’s story in the third person, but, frankly, he would have come across as incredibly dense and spoiled unless I had literally filled the pages with his thoughts — even more so than is the case. By telling it directly in his words, I could let the reader see what he thought in a way far more effective and direct than telling the story in the third person. Each viewpoint and tense has strengths and limitations, and I believe an author should choose the perspective and tense which provide the greatest strength to the story at hand, and not necessarily tell every story in the “default” third person past tense.

Is there a chance you will write more about the world of Adiamante?

In the case of single, stand-alone novels, there’s always the chance that I might revisit that world or setting, but, at this point, I have no plans to do so in the world of Adiamante.

Do you plan on revisiting any of the Recluce characters from previous books?

No, at least not as main characters. I’ve never had more than two books in the Recluce Saga about any one set of main characters, and I don’t plan to change that, certainly not at this time.