The Epherium Chronicles: Embrace

Cover Reveal!

The new cover for Embrace is ready!  If you also haven't seen the updated cover blurb, I have it here:

Book one of The Epherium Chronicles

Hope. Captain James Hood of the Earth Defense Forces remembers what it felt like. Twenty-five years ago, it surged through him as a young boy watching the colony ships launched by mega-corporation Epherium rocket away. He, like so many others, dreamed of following in the colonists’ footsteps. He wanted to help settle a new world—to be something greater.

Then came the war...

Hope. During years of vicious conflict with an insectoid alien race, it was nearly lost. Though Earth has slowly rebuilt in the six years since the war, overcrowding and an unstable sun have made life increasingly inhospitable. When mysterious signals from the nearly forgotten colony ships are received, Hood is ordered to embark on a dangerous reconnaissance mission. Could humanity’s future sit among the stars?


Hope. Hood needs it now more than ever. As secrets about the original colonists are revealed and the Epherium Corporation’s dark agenda is exposed, new adversaries threaten the mission, proving more dangerous to Earth than their already formidable foes…

Embrace will be released on March 3, 2014.

And Yet, Another Quiz

Yes, the quizzes just keep on coming.  This one is what character from The Game of Thrones are you?  I tried it and, of course, I'm Ned Stark.  The one character I really admired and dies...sigh.  Try the quiz and find out what character you are.  Be sure to post it here and compare it to others.

Here is the link:  http://www.zimbio.com/quiz/hpbWxCCmzMR/Game+Thrones+Character

Who Would You Cast To Play In The Dragonlance Movies?

On Tuesday, I posted my interview with extremely talented fantasy author, Margaret Weis.  Since this is the 30th anniversary year of the first Dragonlance novel, Dragons of Autumn Twilight, I think it's high time we started to cast out characters for a motion picture series based on the books.  Take a few moments and put your minds back into the world of Krynn.  Go on, just try.  Now, what actors/actresses of today would fit those roles?  Post your cast lists here and we can discuss them.  There are no crazy suggestions, just suggestions.  Heck, I thought selecting Michael Keaton for the first Batman was going to be really bad, but now there's Ben Affleck.  Not sure they could get much lower...LOL.   

Go ahead post your ideas.  I think that David Tennant or Tom Hiddleston would do really well as Raistlin.

What Star Wars Character Are You?

Since I'm hyping quizes today, here is a great Zimbio quiz.  What character would you be from Star Wars?  I was really shooting for Han and thought that if anybody, I would be Kenobi.  Somehow, I got Yoda.  Hmmm, Grand Master of the Jedi I am...hmmm.  See which character you are and post it here to share.

Here is the link:  http://www.zimbio.com/quiz/Ukldm8Pi5Ub/Star+Wars+Character?result=lR7oWcH3DZp

What Fictional City Would You Live In?

Buzzfeed has a new quiz out to find out what fictional city you would best fit to live in.  I know that there is Springfield from the Simpsons, Rivendell from Middle Earth, but I got Cloud City from Star Wars.  Try your luck and post your results here to share with others.

Here's the link:  http://www.buzzfeed.com/awesomer/what-fictional-city-should-you-actually-live-in?bffb

An Interview With Margaret Weis

I have always been of a huge fan of the Dragonlance novels and the RPG game since the first day they appeared on the shelves at the bookstore.  In the early 1990s, my gaming group at Wright State University, The Adventurer's Guild, held our regional gaming convention.  One year, we invited Margaret Weis to be our special guest of honor.  The two day event concluded with a special charity event.  We auctioned off slots at a table to play a Dragonlance Kender adventure, with her as Tasselhof.  The entire event was a absolutely hilarious.  During her time at the convention, I had the privilege to escort Margaret around the convention and got the opportunity to talk with her about creating worlds, making fun and believable characters and, of course, dragons.  Each year after, I made it a priority to seek her out at the Gen Con Game Fair/Expo.  Whenever I bought something, she made certain I got it signed.  I still have the complete Death Gate Cycle collection that she literally thrust into my hands one year.  She pulled Tracy Hickman over to sign them as well.

Today, I am not as avid as I once was on the gaming scene, but I still read about everything Margaret publishes.  She is a living icon in the world of fantasy fiction and I was thrilled when she agreed to an author interview with me.

T.D. Wilson:  Many people don’t know how you got started in your author career before your work at TSR and the Dragonlance novels.  What path took you to that position as an author at TSR?

Margaret: The path was very long and serendipitous. I’ll be providing the story on the Dragonlance Legacy Facebook page. (https://www.facebook.com/dragonlancelegacy)

T.D. Wilson: You have a good mix of novels that are your works and collaborations with other authors.  Which do you prefer and how do collaborations in the writing world work?

Margaret: To me, its important when writers are collaborating for the work to have one voice. You don’t want the reader suddenly being disconcerted by the voice changing in mid chapter. In most collaborations, I work with my co author to design the world and create the story. Lots of time I share the writing, then I put everything into the same voice.

T.D. Wilson: For some of my readers who don't know, Dragonlance is entering its 30^th anniversary year.  In the process of creating the characters for the story, Tracy Hickman said that he and his wife Laura brought Tanis, Laurana, and Kitiara, but Raistlin was all yours.  Explain your genesis of Raistlin and how you viewed him and his role in the series and the World of Krynn.

Margaret: Raistlin came about because I asked why Larry Elmore had painted him with golden skin and hourglass eyes. Larry’s answer: “Because it looked cool.” So I had to think of a reason Raistlin looked so different from his twin brother, Caramon. I asked myself if it must have something to do with his magic. That led me to the Test in the Tower and suddenly I understood Raistlin and his co-dependent relationship with Caramon. He became very real to me.

T.D. Wilson:  Seeing the pictures of Raistlin was an initial hook for me, too.  Reading about him, made him one my favorite characters.

T.D. Wilson: Cosplay has been the new rave these past few years.  A group called Artyfakes has created a whole new cosplay for Kitiara and her dragon Skye from Dragonlance.  What do you think of their work and should you and Tracy Hickman do a photo shoot with them?

Margaret: I love them! I’d be glad to do a photo shoot! 

T.D. Wilson: I think many of us would love to see that as well..  I think we need to let Tabitha Lyons and the crew at Artyfakes know too.  Post it on their FB wall at https://www.facebook.com/artyfakes or https://www.facebook.com/TabithaLyonsArtyfakes.  Here is a quick video teaser of their work creating a Kitiara and Skye Cosplay.




T.D. Wilson:  Lets look at another character from Dragonlance.  I know you have a great fondness for Tasselholf.  Was he your character and if so, did you use him as a great comic offset to Raistlin and Flint?

Margaret: Tasslehoff was a combination of Harpo Marx and the child actress, Margaret O’Brien in the movie Meet Me in Saint Louis. She could tell the most outrageous lies with a look of utter innocence. Roger Moore added to Tas when he wrote the first short story about him.

T.D. Wilson: With the release of great fantasy movies based on The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, fans all over are dreaming of a series of Dragonlance movies.  I know there was an original animated movie for Dragons of Autumn Twilight, but if Wizards of the Coast decided to negotiate for a live action creation for Dragonlance, which would you prefer to see: a  major film trilogy, a TV/(or Web TV series), or a cable TV mini-series on let’s say Syfy Channel?  If it was created, what is your dream cast?

Margaret: I know so little about today’s actors, I wouldn’t know where to start. Though I’d like David Tennant as Raistlin.

T.D. Wilson: He would be a great choice.  He was my favorite of the Doctors, from Doctor Who, with Matt Smith a very close second.  I think Benedict Cumberbatch (Sherlock and Khan from Star Trek: Into Darkness) or Tom Hiddleston (Loki from the Thor movies and Avengers) would also do nicely in that role. 

Outside of the Dragonlance original novels, what novel or story have been your favorite to create and who was your most admired character?

Margaret: My favorite series is always the one I’m working on. Now that would Dragon Brigade. My most admired character is Lady Maigrey from the Star of the Guardians.

T.D. Wilson: Your current series is the Dragon Brigade, with the latest novel, Storm Riders, released July 2013.  What has it been like creating this new fantasy world and is there a third  book planned for the series?

Margaret: We are working on the third book, The Seventh Sigil. Not sure where it is going from here. It’s been a lot of fun working on this series, which is not your standard fantasy world! (Although it does have dragons!)

T.D. Wilson: Finally, in your spare time you and your team of Shelties are Flyball champions.  What is the sport of flyball and how can we follow your championship team?

Margaret: You can follow our team at the Facebook page: BC Boomerangs. As for flyball, it is a relay race for dogs. You see videos of our if you go to YouTube and type in BC Boomerangs. I race a border collie, Dixie, and two Shelties, Joey the Thug and Clancy the Hooligan.

T.D. Wilson:  Margaret, I love following the antics of your dogs and the competitions.  I have a few friends who have Shelties and they are a riot.  Well, that's all the questions I have for you.  I really want to thank you again for taking time to do this interview.  I hope we can do this again in the near future after your fabulous photo shoot with Artyfakes or at the premiere of the first Dragonlance motion picture.

.

About Margaret Weis

Margaret Weis was born and raised in Independence, Missouri. She attended the University of Missouri, Columbia, graduating in 1970 with a BA degree in Literature and Creative Writing. In 1983, she  moved to Lake Geneva, Wisconsin, to take a job as book editor at TSR, Inc., producers of the DUNGEONS & DRAGONS® role-playing game.

At TSR, Weis became part of the DRAGONLANCE® design team. Created by Tracy Hickman, the Dragonlance world has continued to intrigue fans of both the novel and the game for generations. Hickman and Weis wrote the first of many fantasty novels, the DRAGONLANCE CHRONICLES, which are still in print after almost thirty years. The books have sold over twenty million copies world wide. The first novel,  Dragons of Autumn Twlight, was made into an animated film from Paramount Pictures

Weis is the author/co-author of several other New York Times best-selling series, including DARKSWORD, ROSE OF THE PROHET, STAR OF THE GUARDIANS, THE DEATHGATE CYCLE, DRAGONSHIPS. Her new series, with author, Robert Krammes, THE DRAGON BRIGADE, is being published by Tor Books.

Weis and her daughter, Lizz, have written two paranormal romance novels, WARRIOR ANGLEL and REBEL ANGEL, published by DAW.

Weis lives in Wisconsin with four dogs, Max, Dixie, Joey the Thug and Clancy the Hooligan. Weis and her dogs, Dixie and Joey and Clancy, enjoy competing in flyball tournaments with their team, the BC Boomerangs. 

The Epherium Chronicles: Embrace

Prologue Excerpt

One of the many aspects of a great story is to have solid beginning.  Today, some publishers and readers frown on the use of prologues in novels.  I decided to put a prologue for my first novel to my science fiction space opera series, The Epherium Chronicles, because I needed the readers to understand two points.  The first was the trigger point for a nearly disastrous war with an alien species known as the Cilik'ti.  The second was to give them a brief mindset of what Earth was trying to do before the war and how in an instant, humanity lost its innocence.   Also, I need readers to understand there is a big gap between the events in the prologue and chapter 1.  When the main story begins, the war has been over for years and Earth is still not fully recovered.  A perfect environment for my protagonist, Captain James Hood.

I originally came up the idea for this series years ago and wrote a small short story called "Into the Black" in which I chronicled Earth's first encounter with an alien species.  The story walked through the entire sequence of events where the Apollo, a newly designed spaceship, is sent to investigate the loss of contact with our station on the surface of Pluto.  I changed some of the story over the years and had nearly forgotten about it until one summer afternoon about five years ago.  That day, I was helping my parents move to a new home.  To my surprise, I discovered a printed copy of the story I had stuffed into a box in their garage along with several of my old knick-knacks.  It got me thinking about writing again.  It was something I always wanted to do.  So I added a new walk in my life and this series is only the beginning of the journey.

I'll be posting more excerpts later in preparation for the March 3, 2014 release date, but I hope it gets you ready for what's to come.

The Epherium Chronicles: Embrace Prologue Excerpt from wilsontd

I received the official cover copy blurb from my publisher, Carina Press,  for Embrace last night. I hope to see the final cover very soon. Here it is:

Book one of The Epherium Chronicles

Hope. Captain James Hood of the Earth Defense Forces remembers what it felt like. Twenty-five years ago, it surged through him as a young boy watching the colony ships launched by mega-corporation Epherium rocket away. He, like so many others, dreamed of following in the colonists’ footsteps. He wanted to help settle a new world—to be something greater.

Then came the war...

Hope. During years of vicious conflict with an insectoid alien race, it was nearly lost. Though Earth has slowly rebuilt in the six years since the war, overcrowding and an unstable sun have made life increasingly inhospitable. When mysterious signals from the nearly forgotten colony ships are received, Hood is ordered to embark on a dangerous reconnaissance mission. Could humanity’s future sit among the stars?


Hope. Hood needs it now more than ever. As secrets about the original colonists are revealed and the Epherium Corporation’s dark agenda is exposed, new adversaries threaten the mission, proving more dangerous to Earth than their already formidable foes…

Disney/Star Wars Op-Ed and My Take

On Jan 10, 2014, an op-ed was posted about Disney and its plans for the Star Wars Universe, specifically the Expanded Universe (EU).  The op-ed is here: http://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2014/01/op-ed-disney-takes-a-chainsaw-to-the-star-wars-expanded-universe/.

Now, I understand that certain people have their opinions and I am going to give mine about what Disney plans to do and this person's op-ed (which I vehemently disagree with).

For the Disney part, I know they want to make this new toy they purchased their own.  The Expanded Universe goes in many directions: forward, backward, and in the middle between the movies (i.e. after the fall of the Republic, most of the Clone Wars, and so on.)  The Star Wars Old Republic era has really taken off over the past few years.  I see Disney wanting to focus more on the next three movies, but there is some really legitimate story lines there that it can use for future projects.   With budgets and wanting to make it their own, I can see them holding off.  For the middle areas, this is something Disney WILL expand upon.  The next cartoon series, Star Wars Rebels, is a prime example.  I do hope it continues some of the Star Wars: The Clone Wars story lines and perhaps touches on the topic of what happened to Ahsoka Tano, but it probably won't.  But I'm ok with it.  I want to see Disney's spin of what is going on and remember, Lucas isn't gone.  He still consults with them.

On the future side, this is where I see the most changes occurring.  Disney is making three movies and how do you integrate those into some really great material that has been created over the years.  Yes, I would be heart broken if Disney tossed it all out and started over there, but I don't think they will.  The new movies will take on a different flavor with new characters, but we possibly will see or get references to the ones we love.  Now, Disney could pull the whole timeline divergent tactic that the new Star Trek movie series developed by J.J. Abrams, but I don't think so.  What most likely will change in the Disney scope is story lines after these movies.  We look at the whole Yuuzhong Vong invasion and lives of the Solo and Skywalker children.  I could see Disney taking more liberty there since the timelines are farther out.  I doubt we will see any new books or graphic novels in those areas until the Disney movies are complete.

Back to the horrible op-ed that was written.  Calling the EU a horrible tumor that needed to be ripped out was just insulting.  I have met several talented authors who worked with Lucas' people to develop quality material that fit a very nice fit timeline in the Star Wars Universe.  This op-ed author points a lot to the fan based ideas, but we have that everywhere in many sci-fi and fantasy worlds.  There is always an official line.  Mr. Hutchinson needs to get over himself.  His claim that the Star Wars EU is layers upon layers of garbage is laughable.  For one, the galaxy is one huge place.  There can be endless stories written in a huge environment like that and many can tie back to the story-line.  He thinks Disney should just nuke all of the post Return of the Jedi (ROTJ) material.  I totally disagree.

Now, he does say that Timothy Zahn's books are the best (in his opinion), but they are only a small and latter piece of the fall of the Empire.  In the Heir to the Empire series, we are introduced to not only Grand Admiral Thrawn, but Mara Jade, one of the most favorite characters in the post ROTJ Star Wars era.  Some of the EU best material is found the X-wing Squadron books.  If Disney wanted to start a true live action TV show based in the Star Wars universe, I would look there.  Michael A. Stackpole and Aaron Allston's work there was phenomenal for defining the road to taking Coruscant for the New Republic and focused on more of the true fall of the Empire.  I think Disney can work to embrace these ideas and stories created by these authors and can focus more on the near future for the movies.  Mr. Hutchinson's claim that most of the material in the EU is rubbish is a tremendous disservice to the authors who helped to mold and shape a sci-fi universe that we as fans enjoy.

In conclusion, it's Disney's world now.  I know there will be changes and we may see more drastic cuts than we would like, but to call it garbage that needs to be tossed to a dianoga is a more repulsive a remark than the actual act itself.