Monday, October 20, 2008

Lawrence Watt-Evans


Author Pen Name:
Lawrence Watt-Evans

Author Interview Questions:

CA: How did you choose your pen name?

LWE: I didn't; the editor of my first novel did. I wanted to use another pen name he thought was stupid. I explained that I couldn't use my real name unless we included the middle name because there was another author with that name (who, it turned out, was never going to publish another word after 1978, but I couldn't know that in 1979), and Lester, my editor, came up with the current hyphenated version as a compromise.

CA: What genre(s) do you write? Why do you write the stories that you write?

LWE: I write fantasy. I like the freedom of fitting the world to the story, rather than making the story fit the real world.

CA: When did you first realize you wanted to be a writer?

LWE: Second grade. My teacher praised a writing assignment I'd done – my very first creative writing assignment, actually – and said maybe I'd be a writer someday, and I realized yeah, I wanted to do that. A lot.

CA: Who or what was your inspiration for writing?

LWE: Haven't a clue. I've just always wanted to tell stories.

CA: What is your work schedule like when you're writing?

LWE: My wife goes to bed around 11:00; when she's asleep I go down to my office and start writing. I quit around 3:30 in the morning and go to bed.

CA: Your book is about to be sent into the reader world, what is one word that describes how you feel?

LWE: Depends which book, but really, I mostly don't worry about it because I'm already focused on the next one.

CA: What was your biggest challenge in writing your book(s)?

LWE: Well, for this one, which is my first book-length non-fiction, I had no idea how time-consuming the research would be. It wasn't all that difficult or unpleasant, but going through everything over and over to make sure I had it all straight and hadn't missed anything significant ate up a lot of hours.

CA: What do you like to do when you're not writing?

LWE: I'm boring. I watch TV and mess around online.

CA: How many books have you written? Which is your favorite?

LWE: I lost count, and it depends how you figure it – do collaborations count as one or as fractions? Do reprint collections of short stories count? What about novelizations?

But it's more than forty, fewer than fifty.

My favorite is probably Dragon Weather. I think I got it right with that one.

CA: Do you tend to base your characters on real people or are they totally from your imagination?

LWE: They're mostly out of my own head.

CA: Do you have any advice for the aspiring writers out there?

LWE: Don't quit your day job. Even more than in times past, writing's a very precarious source of income; the web is changing everything.

CA: How can a reader contact you or purchase your books?

LWE: My books are in bookstores everywhere, and all the usual online outlets, but if you can't find them or want to reach me, my website's at www.watt-evans.com. New readers are always welcome in my discussion area.

CA: I have a copy of Mr. Evans’ book for review so check out my blog site within the next few weeks for that : )

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

"I like the freedom of fitting the world to the story, rather than making the story fit the real world." That is just...wow. Gorgeous. I love it. Mr Evan's made me sigh out loud.

Asylumgirl said...

This cover is so cute. I have a pet turtle of my own and he's a sweetie.

Deidre

Anonymous said...

I can relate to the pen name issue. I include the initial of my middle name due to a rather famous children's fantasy writer already using my (his) name.

Awesome cover art for the book!

Zulmara said...

Love that cover...que cool...and fantasy has always intrigued me for the same reason...it is soooo freeing...

Great interview...

ADELANTE!!

Zulmara