Click Here To Purchase Kevin J. Anderson's Books

Today, Norm Goldman Publisher & Editor of Bookpleasures.com is honored to have as our guest, Kevin J. Anderson. Kevin J. Anderson is the award-winning author of more than 100 novels, 48 of which have appeared on national or international bestseller lists. He has over 20 million books in print in 30 languages. By any measure, he is one of the most popular writers currently working in the science fiction genre.

Good day Kevin and thanks for participating in our interview.

Norm:

What do you think over the years has driven you as a writer?  Why have you been drawn to the science fiction genre?

Kevin:

I have always loved telling stories, imagining new worlds, new adventures.I grew up in a small town in Wisconsin and was drawn to tales set in exotic places, Fantasy or SF universes.  That was what I was reading in books and comics, that was what I watched on TV or in the movies.  My mind kept coming up with new stories, and I had to write them down. Fortunately, I can make a living at it.

Norm:

As a follow up, are there aesthetic advantages and disadvantages peculiar to this genre? Does it have a form?

Kevin:

SF or Fantasy has unlimited potential, vast scope, a wide-open playground of the imagination.  But you can¹t just make everything up -- so much world-building is involved.  In a mainstream story, a writer can start with the modern world, a familiar city, a set of characters everyone can relate to; in a science fiction story, a writer must create everything from the world, the future, the government, the history, the culture, the language, the biology -- everything.  So, you have a lot of amazing freedom as a storyteller, but there¹s a lot more work involved.

Norm:

Is your work improvisational or do you have a set plan?

Kevin:

I always plan and research my novels very meticulously before I begin writing. I am most comfortable with large-scale epic stories -- such as my Terra Incognita fantasy series or my Saga of Seven Suns SF chronicle.  A hundred chapters or more, multiple storylines, many point-of-view characters.  To write something like that without a plan ahead of time would be like building a giant skyscraper without drawing a blueprint.

Norm:

In fiction as well as in non-fiction, writers very often take liberties with their material to tell a good story or make a point. However, how much is too much?

Kevin:

I try to do my research thoroughly before I start writing, so I know what the parameters are.  Sure, some ³liberties² are taken for granted in science fiction‹for instance, writing a galactic empire story practically requires the use of faster-than-light travel, which is supposed to be impossible, but without it there wouldn¹t be much of a story.  You need to be consistent in your own universe, follow your own rules, keep everything straight.

Norm:

What do you see as the influences on your writing?

Kevin:

I read a lot, particularly my favorite writers -- Frank Herbert, Larry McMurtry, James Clavell, Dean Koontz -- as well as nonfiction on various subjects that are relevant to the novels I¹m working on.  I also love to travel, to hike, to see and experience new things. I do most of my first-draft writing while I¹m out in the mountains on trails.

Norm:

Where do you get your information or ideas for your books?

Kevin:

Ideas are everywhere; you just have to know how to see them, to view the world (or the news, or people you meet, or places you visit) from a perspective that makes you ask ³What if?² and try to fit a story around it. Other kinds of research depend on the particular story at hand -- I will try to read books or articles, search the web, maybe talk to other experts in the field.

Norm:

What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating your books?

Kevin:

I started out writing short stories, and I spent years writing story after story, and submitting them to magazines.  Common wisdom was that new writers should concentrate on short stories, and I published some of them.  However, it wasn¹t until I began working at novel length that I really hit my stride. I very much enjoy working at the 500-700 page length, with many plotlines, a broad canvas, room to explore my ideas and my universe.

Norm:

Do you feel that writers, regardless of genre owe something to readers, if not, why not, if so, why and what would that be?

Kevin:

Of course writers owe the readers -- without an audience, the creator is nothing.  As an author, I am a reader, too.  When we publish a book, we promise something to the audience, and we have to deliver or the readers won¹t be back.  People have so many entertainment options, I have to convince them that reading a book -- my book -- is a better choice than all of the other possibilities.

Norm:

Do you have any advice for other writers of science fiction?

Kevin:

Read a lot, including outside the genre.  Too many SF writers read only SF, and so they are only creating leftovers.  Keep up with politics, current events, scientific discoveries.  Then write.

Norm:

What are you upcoming projects? Our readers would love to hear about them.

Kevin:

THE WINDS OF DUNE was just published, our tenth Dune novel in a row to hit the New York Times bestseller list.  Right now, I am working on my next fantasy novel in the Terra Incognita series, THE MAP OF ALL THINGS   For the first book in the series, we did an innovative crossover project, a rock CD that adapted one of the storylines in the novel, from the supergroup Roswell Six; we¹re just starting work on a second CD to tie in with the second novel.  So, keeping busy as usually.

Norm:

Where can our readers find out more about you and your books?

Kevin:

My website is www.wordfire.com.  I¹m on Facebook, and you can follow me on Twitter as The KJA.

Norm:

Is there anything else you wish to add that we have not covered?

Kevin:

I could go on for pages!  But I should save my words for the novel projects.

Thanks for chatting with me.

Click Here To Purchase Kevin J. Anderson's Books