A: Yeah, this is a very busy and confusing time of my life right now. It's a good day indeed if i get to write something at the end of it.
Q: I hear you. Enough of the formalities, lets get started. When did you start enjoying fantasy?
A: The first fantasy novel i read that meant anything was The Hobbit. It was on a list of books for the summer book club in my elementary school, in Vermont. It was the end of fourth grade. I had an interest in reading it, but it was a little advanced for me and i just coming along in my school work enough where the teachers suspected i was not retarded after all. That summer I read the Hobbit, and the Lord of the Rings trilogy several times.
Q: Do you think reading fantasy gave you an interest in reading in general?
A: I'm sure it did. I read every time i got the chance after that, picked up some Shannara books from the library and some Dragonlance after that. Sometime i would only rewad half the book. When i came back to school and started the fifth grade i felt like the most intelligent kid in school. I did not have any friends that read for fun, drew maps of fantastic worlds that didnt exist, and write extensive lists and rules for games i made up in my mind. Fifth grade was when i found out about Dungeons & Dragons which was an awakening for me.
Q: Who introduced you Dungeons and Dragons?
A: My brother Jared played with his friends in the basement on the weekends. I was not allowed to play, but i watched from the top of the stairs and listened. I got ahold of one of the rule books from my girlfriends brother Aaron. He let me take it home for the weekend, and i copied every rule and table onto lined paper and made my own book out of it.
Q: You copied the whole book?
A: Yes. The whole fucking thing. I traced the art too.
Q: Your kidding.
A: No sir.
Q: When was your first time playing?
A: Not until after my parents got divorced and i moved to Florida. I finally found some people who didnt that it was that dorky and would play a little with me.
Q: Did your parents getting divorced cut into your "imaginative fantasy" time?
A: Not at all. I made the choice to go with my father after the divorce was final and he had no idea nor cared what i read or did. If i asked him for a book and he could afford it, he would buy it for me. Thats when i started to collect books and play less Super Nintendo. After the divorce my grades drastically improved to the point where i got my classes changed in middle school to "Gifted" classes. I attribute this to multiple hours of reading Fantasy and science fiction, expanding my vocabulary dramatically and reading way too much Isaac Asimov. Books were my escape. By the end of seventh grade i had about 100 books in a small book case behind my bed.
Q: Did you write at all?
A: I did write several short stories early on about my fictional D&D character i never got to play. I made tons of lists and maps, sometimes several a day about fictional family lines and cities layed out certain ways. I don't know why i did it really.
Q: Changing subjucts, what do you think about Harry Potter?
A: I really like the Harry Potter books and what they did for the genre. It's about time people can write fantasy and get paid for it. When i started reading fantasy it was not very... popular.
Q: Do you really like them?
A: Yeah, i waited in line for them with my wife. We really enjoyed them. I can name about 100 or so books i liked more and would have waited years in line, but i would caught up in the Harry mania. Since the last movie just got released this weekend, i guess its R.I.P. Harry for now.
Q: Rowling said she didnt know if she was done.
A: Of course she is not done. That gravy train will never derail. She made more money than the fucking queen last year for gods sake.
Q: Are you jealous?
A: Well, i'd take her money, thats for sure. There are a ton of authors out there that should have had their moment way before she did, that had the same ideas first. R. Feist had a great series of books, video games and sequels to follow but no movies or tons of money for him. And those book are way better than Harry Potter. The first 3 Xanth books by Piers Anthony should have been made into a movie series by now, and it would have been damn good. I guess i'm just pissed these great authors with awesome original content have not yet got their due.
Q: I'm getting the vibe you dont like Rowling at all.
A: She needs to hold a press conference and tell everyone the world over how her vagina is as big as her giant, exploded, egotistically swelling head.
Q: Wow.
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