In your opinion, who would win in a “western style” showdown: a chaos/order mage, a Spellsong singer, or a talent wielder?

Obviously, the question assumes all are comparatively equal in ability, because one who is strong in one area would always overcome one of a different persuasion who was a weak representative of that class/type of magic. That said, a spellsong singer would win hands down because she could direct greater forces from a greater distance. If any were suddenly thrown together without advance warning, the order/chaos mage would prevail because those skills take less preparation to use.

Have you given any thought to writing about the universe from which the Angels and Rationalists in the Recluce books came?

Actually, I’ve thought about it a number of times, and the question does come up often. Right now, I’m more interested in writing about differing universes, but I’m not ruling out that possibility for the future.

Will there be any more writings in the Ecolitan Universe?

At this point I have no immediate plans to write another Ecolitan book, but that doesn’t mean I won’t at some time in the future.

Why did Creslin lose his sight permanently, while Dorrin only lost his sight for a short period of time?

Creslin did not lose his sight permanently, but was blind often in much of his later life. The reason was that, in effect, Creslin was an indealistic extremist, while Dorrin was an indealistic moderate, who was much more aware of the need for the Balance and for maintaining it. Creslin literally remolded the climate of a large chunk of the world, and then used order to create a great deal of chaos on top of that.

Through your different series, there are links that indicate a shared history, particularly between Recluce and the “Parafaith” histories, including a black ordermaster. Will we see a joining of timelines, or are you just going to continue to tease us?

This question, or variants of it, has come up a number of times. The reason is simple. For me, the future cannot ignore the past. So when I write about possible alternative futures in SF, there are always cultural links to the past which alternative futures will share. Second, certain technologies will also exist in various alternatives, such as fusion generators. I’ve chosen to use the same name, rather than use different names in different futures. Third, I address fantasy universes as alternatives to the historical universe, if in the present or the past, and that means links of sorts do exist. As for Cassius, the black ordermage, his story appears in the recently published Viewpoints Critical.

Why is it that the Lord-Protector of Lanachrona has no Talent, even though he is a descendant of a Talent wielder?

Actually, both Mykel, the very first Protector of Tempre, and his wife Rachyla have Talent, but the problem is that subsequent generations of Lords-Protector did not always marry those with Talent, and the gene for Talent tended to get bred out of the line. This issue comes up in The Lord-Protector’s Daughter, coming out from Tor in hardcover in November.

Will you approve of others to write in your “universes”?

While an author should not ever say “never,” it is highly unlikely that I will allow others to write adventures in any world or set of worlds I have created.

Do you anticipate an encyclopedic volume for the Saga of Recluce, something that would tie together the places and people, with maps and pictures?

While a volume like that is always possible, at this point, since I’m still writing in the world of Recluce, it would appear very premature.

Exactly what is a “sander” in the Corean Chronicles, the male form of the Ancients?

Sanders are indeed the male “ancients,” while soarers are the female form.

Are there any plans for Recluce audio books?

I’ve been working with a group interested in a start-up audiobook operation, but it’s in a very preliminary stage, and I can only hope that it will work out.

When will Imager and Imager’s Challenge be in the bookstores?

Imager is scheduled for February/March of 2009. Imager’s Challenge is not yet scheduled, but it’s likely to be in the fall or winter of 2009 or the spring of 2010.

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.