Q: Will we see more of Ellie being awesome? I've really enjoyed her growth over the series - TheRedLass
A: I'm glad you like her! There's a lot of polar responses around Ellie, especially her POVs but I personally think she's shaped up to be a nice character and not fall too much under the "younger sister in need of protecting" trope. You'll definitely continue to see Ellie develop and her presence will always have a part in the story, but maybe not quite as much as before!
Q: This question popped up inna little discussion in lance chat a few weeks ago. Were Diviners actually a type of deviants, or is that something Rinia made up to cover why her and her sister could see the future? (And adding on to that, are there any deviant types you were planning on adding, and then ended up scrapping?) - Tobygamercom
A: Diviners are actually a type of deviants, albiet much more rare. They're able to unknowingly (and sometimes rarely, knowingly) tap into aether like emitters do. But while I never fully got into diviners in-depthly, I would say a normal diviner might help you better guess the weather, for example.... not something as nearly as powerful as Rinia.
There have been other deviant types (mostly elemental and others) that I have thought about adding up didn't... one would be the classic necromancy.
Author-Related Questions
Q: Have you ever thought of turning Sovereigns Quarrel into a board game? - Camo7
A: Yes T_T. I know a lot of you have been asking about this and there has been some delays, but we've been speaking with several board game rulemakers and consulting them on the general direction of Sovereigns Quarrel. I want to be sure there aren't any holes in the rules and that the game can't be exploited so that when we do release it, it'll be as polished as possible. I know many want this ASAP so apologies for the delay on this but know that we are working on it.
Q: Here's an author related question. Have you ever gotten stuck in a "worldbuilding trap" and had a hard time escaping? And if so how did you. I've been trying to write for a while now but everytime I look back at it i just keep thinking about the lore / history of the world and can't stop thinking about it and adding things. I believe it may also be partly procrastination lol. Do you have any advice? - CZPokeblade
A: Of course! I think part of my success with TBATE was the fact that I was ignorant of this trap and just wrote on it without thinking too deeply on the world aside from general rules, concepts and directions. I think you can always worldbuild as you write (it's why a lot of authors start their protagonists in a small setting... like the inside of a house, or in a small remote town, and then slowly expand as they further flesh out the world. I think too many writers get caught up in writing a great story from the first round but you don't have to release the chapters you write until you're confident. You can retcon previous chapters if you think of something great to add. I think it's just important to get and stay in the habit of writing your novel, no matter how little.
Q: Which character do you feel you relate to the most in personality? If any. - Karma
A: I don't particularly see myself relating to any one character. Sometimes, I tend to give a character one attribute of myself since it makes it easier for me to more believeably write, but I don't really find myself writing a character that is a lot like me.
Q: How do you keep track of all the characters you create ? I mean, do you have a document for each of them summarizing, who they are, their personality, what they've done, what they will do and so on? - Themis081
A: You know... I wish I did that from the beginning. It would save my editors a lot of effort and time so I would probably say this is good advice to future writers out there, but to answer your question... No, I do not have a complete document. I have some that I've tried to use to keep track of characters but they usually become outdated and I keep forgetting to update them.
Q: What method has helped you the most in developing your writing abilities? The last chapter was amazing btw - ryzn
A: Reading. I find myself highlighting and taking notes when I read fantasies now. When there is a part of a book that introduces a concept really seamlessly into the story, I take note...when a writer is able to describe a character really naturally without using a paragraph of description, I take note....when they use a really good dialogue tag, I take note. I think as you write, you learn where where you're weak and so when you read other books in your genre, you can see when another author does something really well.
Q: When coming up with the names for Arthur's spells/abilities or abilities in general, what is your process? Do you first come up with the name or do you lay out the spell/ability's capabilities first? Also, which one of his abilities would you want to have in everyday life? I'd want Godstep for sure. - Marcutio | Caera FCP
A: I usually come up with the abilities first and then come up with a name for it after! There's no real process and I tried to have the name itself allow readers to somewhat imagine what it would do since that's what invoking that name is supposed to do (make the caster visualize what it can do). As for which ability I would want, I would say Godstep for the cool factor, but for practicality, I would have Aroa's Requiem. If I could fix anything, I could buy broken things, fix them and sell them. Infinite money ;)
Q: Author based question this time around: Do you ever look at where you are nowadays as an author and amazed at how you got to this point? You have employees now, a lot of fans, and are slowly nearing the conclusion to your first series of novels. - Dragoncommands
A: Of course! I still remember being hunched over my laptop in a Starbucks at night writing the first chapters of TBATE for fun, excited and ignorant. There were charms then that I sometimes have to remind myself of. Back then, I wrote with no burden or responsibility. It didn't matter if I wrote a crappy chapter, or if my story sucked, it was purely for my enjoyment in actually weaving together a world that I had full control of. I still try to keep that mindset, but it's much harder to now. Despite how much support and love TBATE gets--maybe it's because--every chapter, I find myself asking if my readers will like this chapter or not. Seeing my comic in the shelves of Target and bookstores is great, I still get excited seeing it, but I still feel the best after releasing a chapter (whether comic or novel) and seeing the reactions of everyone in the comment sections. There's a lot more now at stake for me, with employees that I am responsible for, and publishers, editors waiting on me every day but I'm super happy at where this journey has brought me.
Q: Have you ever been inspired by certain "epics" when writing parts of your story? If so, which one? - Imava
A: I've said in a few interviews that Eragon was a favorite of mine growing up, along with the Percy Jackson series. I also really enjoyed the Guardians of Ga'hoole and Gregor the Overlander when I was younger. In high school, the Cirque Du Freak series really stood out to me as well as some of the other, more horror-filled, stories by Darren Shan. It's something I wanted to incorporate into TBATE in certain moments since fantasy isn't always...fantastical. I loved the prose of the Kingkiller Chronicles, but what everything has in common was that I just loved getting lost in another world.