Robert Jordan Speaks!
Dean M. West, II
Robert Jordan was at Barnes & Nobles on Sunday Aug. 4,1996.
While in line to get some books autographed I overheard and asked a few
questions. Here is what I remember:
1) What _is_ the title of the next book?
RJ: I don't know that yet. I don't really come up with a title
until about half way through the book. As of right now it
has a working title of "Book 8".
2) When is the next book coming out?
RJ: As of right now I am supposed to deliver it on Novemeber of '97.
However, it might not get released until Jan. or Feb of '98.
(looks like another long run fella's/gal's.)
3) Are you gonna conclude each plot? Little and big? (He really doesn't
like when authors do this!)
RJ: No. I plan to leave some things left unanswered(Asmodean??? ARrgh!)
I do not like it when other authors clean every little thread up.
It is too clean. It isn't very realistic of problems, especially
problems of this magnitude. They just don't _always_ get solved.
Also, I plan to leave the very last scene with a big hook leaving
you with a great big question.(After he said this his wife looked
at him and said,"Really?".)
4) If you were unable to complete the series who would finish it up?
RJ: (Very strongly) No one. If something happens to me I have a friend
who has agreed to go over to my house and format my computer 3
times. _I_ am the only person going to finish this series or
no one is. (I guess this blows all you Piers Anthony people out of
the water!! Well at least we know it _is_ on a computer...any
hackers out there in S.C?) ;-)
This is all just a paraphrase, but a pretty good one. When I
heard question # 3 I just wanted to go over and strangle him, but that
really wouldn't solve the problem especially with the last question in
mind.
Gil-galad
Thanks for the info. You were a bit lucky. I was at a signing in
Charleston (again - I'm thrilled to live in S.C.!) and we mostly
talked about RJ's life. But, to my main purpose in writing this
letter. I do hope he wraps up at least half of the small things
(ASMODEAN!!!!!) or I know that at least half of this group, including
myself, will instantly be taken by madness upon reading the final
prophecy in the last book, take one last longing glance at the "about
the author", and then go about Breaking the World. Or, we might argue
in flame filled years until the end of eternity. But, here's hoping,
Gil-galad
FlipRE
J.D. Annett wrote:
> Okay, did I miss something, or is book 8 supposed to be the final
> novel in the series?
I guess you missed something. RJ has said that after ACoS, he would
write three or four more books. I think he said on a chat session, "a
few more, not too many," or something to that effect. Up until actually
reading ACoS, I also thought that book * was the last one, but realized
that it would be impossible to finish the series in eight. It was the
following quote from the jacket of LoC that gave me that impression:
"The fifth volume of a probable eight in Jordan's splendid Wheel of Time
saga..._Fires of Heaven_ upholds the veery high standards of this major
fantasy epic..."
Why they put a quote for TFoH on the LoC jacket, I'll never know.
Perhaps nobody had read it as of the jackets' printing.
--
Phil
Fli...@pacbell.net
"Everybody asks me how she's doing,
'Has she really lost her mind?'
And I say, 'I couldn't tell you - I've lost mine.'"
-D. Matthews
J.D. Annett
:>>3) Are you gonna conclude each plot? Little and big? (He really doesn't
:>> like when authors do this!)
:>
:>>RJ: No. I plan to leave some things left unanswered(Asmodean??? ARrgh!)
:>> I do not like it when other authors clean every little thread up.
:>> It is too clean. It isn't very realistic of problems, especially
:>> problems of this magnitude. They just don't _always_ get solved.
:>> Also, I plan to leave the very last scene with a big hook leaving
:>> you with a great big question.(After he said this his wife looked
:>> at him and said,"Really?".)
Okay, did I miss something, or is book 8 supposed to be the final
novel in the series?
J.D. Annett
[Team OS/2]
gre...@servtech.com
FlipRE
FlipRE wrote:
> reading ACoS, I also thought that book * was the last one, but realized
That should say "book 8." For some reason I held down shift...
Mike Hoye
In article <320848...@pacbell.net>, FlipRE <Fli...@pacbell.net> wrote:
>FlipRE wrote:
>
>> reading ACoS, I also thought that book * was the last one, but realized
>
>That should say "book 8." For some reason I held down shift...
I personally thought that book & was going to be the last one,
but that was just after book # was released.
--
Mike Hoye To err is human.
mh...@descartes.uwaterloo.ca To forgive, however,
www.undergrad.math.uwaterloo.ca/~mhoye is not our policy.
HankQ
"Dean M. West, II" <dmw...@nando.net> wrote:
>4) If you were unable to complete the series who would finish it up?
>RJ: (Very strongly) No one. If something happens to me I have a friend
> who has agreed to go over to my house and format my computer 3
> times. _I_ am the only person going to finish this series or
> no one is. (I guess this blows all you Piers Anthony people out of
> the water!! Well at least we know it _is_ on a computer...any
> hackers out there in S.C?) ;-)
Hmmm. I have a strong feeling that if RJ were to die tomorrow and
even if his friend did destroy his work, TOR Books has too much to
gain by not allowing a third party to continue on.
Preferably, I'd like to read it with Jordan's words, though.
-Hank
HankQ
>Hmmm. I have a strong feeling that if RJ were to die tomorrow and
>even if his friend did destroy his work, TOR Books has too much to
>gain by not allowing a third party to continue on.
Er. What I meant to say was that TOR Books has too much to gain *not*
to allow a third pary to continue...
... Looks like my 1997 reissue of the NPA licence (National
Profreaders Association) wont be comeing in january.
-Hank
Spelled wrong on purpose. Thank you!
-------------------------------------------------------
i want ears that truly hear and eyes that truly see.
A heart that truly feels, and a mind that's truly free.
-Robert D'Ambrosia
J.D. Annett
:>>> reading ACoS, I also thought that book * was the last one, but realized
:>>
:>>That should say "book 8." For some reason I held down shift...
:>
:>I personally thought that book & was going to be the last one,
:>but that was just after book # was released.
Near the beginning of the series I had 7 books in mind (there are
7 spokes to the wheel of time). Now I have a feeling that 12 or 13
will be what it takes to finish the series nicely.
J.D. Annett
:>> Okay, did I miss something, or is book 8 supposed to be the final
:>> novel in the series?
:>
:>I guess you missed something. RJ has said that after ACoS, he would
:>write three or four more books. I think he said on a chat session, "a
:>few more, not too many," or something to that effect. Up until actually
:>reading ACoS, I also thought that book * was the last one, but realized
:>that it would be impossible to finish the series in eight. It was the
:>following quote from the jacket of LoC that gave me that impression:
Well that is what I meant, I read that he was still unsure of the
number of books that it would take him to finish the series, but there
were a couple of posts here that implied that the next book would be
the last.
Chris Nelson
On Thu, 08 Aug 1996 22:29:14 GMT, HQu...@wallawalla.com (HankQ) wrote:
>
>
>>Hmmm. I have a strong feeling that if RJ were to die tomorrow and
>>even if his friend did destroy his work, TOR Books has too much to
>>gain by not allowing a third party to continue on.
>
>Er. What I meant to say was that TOR Books has too much to gain *not*
>to allow a third pary to continue...
Ummm....do you really think that TOR is in a position legally to
continue the series if RJ does not want it to continue?
Chris
Adrian von Bidder
gre...@servtech.com (J.D. Annett) wrote:
> Near the beginning of the series I had 7 books in mind (there are
>7 spokes to the wheel of time). Now I have a feeling that 12 or 13
>will be what it takes to finish the series nicely.
Well, if RJ continues to invent new characters like that
[censored][censored][censored][censored][censored] old thought-dead AS
(Cos*?@*#) woman (I REALLY hate her!), it'll be "I'll write two or three
books more after the next one" forever. Even by his 79th book!
[...read my .sig...]
Ciao
Adrian......http://www.datacomm.ch/avbidder.......avbidder@datacomm.ch
-- Don't take life too seriously - you'll never get out of it alive --