Q: So the continuation of the story and a map with definitions too, that’s off to a great start. I’m assuming then that it will have maps and interior artwork as well.

    A: Oh yeah. More maps and Ed has put together some incredible artwork for the interior and Carrie [Hall] has done a wonderful job on the cover as well.

Q: Do you have a page count then for the book?

    A: I think the last time I saw it the numbers were about the 440 range; perhaps around 442. I’m not sure about that but that sounds about right.

Q: How about a release date?

    A: At this point I’m going under the assumption that it will be available shortly after the release of Seer’s Quest. That would put it in or around July of this year. It might be the beginning portion or the middle or the end but it should be about that time when it will be available nationwide.

Q: So are you excited about getting this second book in print?

    A: I’ll be more excited when I start doing some promotions for it. Right now I’m sort of in a mode of expecting it to have been here already so it’s not a real emotional high or anything like that. Having finally gotten Seer’s Quest off and running I look forward to getting this trilogy completed because there are a lot more things I want to write and see get printed but we have to put this out there first.

   Aspirations Media has been fantastic in helping me see this book come to print. Out of all my experiences so far with publishing this has been the best. I don’t know how I could have done this without them. It would have taken so much longer on my own and the whole way it was approached by AMI was just refreshing and so worthwhile.

Q: So you might be continuing future publications with them then?

    A: (Laughing) Oh yeah, you can say that.

Q: Path of Power is an interesting title. What’s the story there?

    A: It ties into the nature of the two known paths of magical endeavor. One is the Path of Knowledge, the other the Path of Power. The Master is on the Path of Power and, for the most part, we are allowed to see just how far and high one can come to travel it in this part of the series.

Q: So this story is all about The Master then?

    A: No, but it does help to show just how great the ripple effects can be when one strives to do bigger and better things. The entire outcome of this action and attitude are bigger and farther reaching than one might think.

Q: Were there any surprises for you in writing this book?

    A: They’re always surprises in anything I write. I try to listen to what the characters are wanting to do- where they are wanting to go and work that in as best I can to what I have laid out for the tale. For the most part I really accommodate them, even reworking things in the general plot line to fit ideas that they have which are better than my own initial ideas at the time.

    For Path of Power I think the biggest surprise for me was how well the relationships worked out. I really got to know the characters a lot better and that showed in how they interacted with others and by themselves. I learned a lot about the characters as I wrote the book. It was almost as if they started to really open up to me for some reason.

Q: It seems like you had a nice ending to Seer’s Quest and that The Divine Gambit Trilogy  could kind of end on its own right there. Sure there were plot strings that were left out a little here and there, but it didn’t really need to go on in the sense that the whole event seemed to be wrapped up. How does Path of Power fit into Seer’s Quest then and expand the story?

    A: You mean besides picking up the dangling plot strings?

Q: Yeah.

    A: Well, you’re right. On one level the story could have been completed with Seer’s Quest. If it wasn’t for that “Trilogy” part of the title it could have rested on its own. It might not have been the most rewarding story as it didn’t answer all the questions and areas of uncertainty that it left to remain, but it was a definite beginning-middle- and end set up. They had completed their quest and the story could have ended, but it didn’t...

Q: That’s what was a bit different for me. It was sort of a climax already to the overall tale. I was thinking, “so what’s left to do now that this part is over?” All that seemed left was to have them go after Cadrissa but after I read Path of Power I was just amazed at how much was done and still remains to be done. How big is this thing going to get?

    A: You’ll just have to wait and see on that. As to the nature of Path of Power, yeah I wanted to write a book series that way-         take some chances, do a few new and inventive things that might not be “traditional” in the genre. I’m hoping they prove to be successful and are enjoyed by many readers.

Q: No worries there. I’m sure many people will like what you’ve got in store for them. So what’s up with Clara and Rowan then? Inquiring minds are curious about this budding relationship.

    A: Those inquiring minds will just have to read the book to find out.

Q: Any surprises for the readers in Path of Power?

    A: Now if I told you then they wouldn’t be surprises, would they? However, there is further exploration of The World of Tralodren®, and the inner workings of many of the characters and their flaws. It’s just more indepth and far ranging in scope.

Q: This was a very different book in the sense you have it showcasing a collection of more or less little novellas or scenes tied to the characters rather than a unified tale. Was this planned or just happened to work out that way?

    A: It was planned really. After what happened in the end of Seer’s Quest, that set up kinda demanded the format. Having this time alone, more or less, with each character also gave me a chance to showcase them more away from the others and in a new environment of sorts. It was just a lot of fun to see this come together and the characters come into their own.

Q: You mentioned earlier that you have included some more material in the appendix of Path of Power, is this something that you plan to do with all your books?

    A: I’m not sure really. If there is something that fits I will include it, sure, but I don’t think it’s a must have for every thing that is written for Tralodren. The thought process behind these appendices was to allow for some further fleshing out of the world. You read the story and that gives you a part of the setting but you don’t really see anything beyond it in a larger sense and so that’s what I wanted to do. That and it also helped fill in some possible blanks or confusion that a new reader might have about the setting.

Q: So is that why you have included the pronunciation guides then too? For new readers?

    A: I wanted to do something different, and thankfully my publisher let me give this a try. I don’t think it will be on everything I write, but for this series at least I wanted to put it in and see what people thought of it- if it helped them any.

    I know when I first started reading fantasy I was kinda put off by these weird sounding names and places. Sometimes it even seemed as if the author was just trying to make a name as difficult to say as possible. I think part of it was a hold over from Tolkien and RPG work but I didn’t like it really and I don’t think I’m alone. That’s why I try to make names and place settings in my works as easy to figure out as possible. I might not be able to do so every time but I want the majority of people and places to be easy to say and understand and to become familiar with.

    If people use the pronunciation guide to help them then that’s wonderful, if not that’s fine too as it’s you alone who is reading the words on the page and if you want to say something a certain way in your head you’re the boss of that.

Q: Are all your works going to have interior art? I think it’s something different and fun and would imagine people like it too.

    A: For The Divine Gambit Trilogy there will be illustrations in each book. As for illustrations in other books that’s a matter that my publisher and I will work out with each project. Obviously, it’s an added cost and both my publisher and I don’t want to put art in a book just for the sake of fluffing up page count. It has to add something to the story before we’d even consider it.

    For this trilogy, I just thought it would be fun to try something different of that nature as it really felt sort of “old school” in a way and reminded me of all the Conan books I read that had the illustrations in them. I guess it was a partly selfish thing and partially useful thing. Thankfully AMI humored me.

Q: It sounds like you have plans for many more things then to come based upon your mentioning of future work. Do you wish to share anything about them?

    A: Not a whole lot, if anything, as I don’t like to comment for the most part on things that haven’t been finalized or are not ready to go. I’ve learned in recent months and years that things can migrate and change and release dates and even options for various projects and who can and will work on them are often times in flux until the thing is done and so it would be a bit premature to say much about them until the concrete has dried.

    That being said, however, I can say that it looks like I will have two more novels coming out in 2007.

Q: I assume that one is Gambit's End, the third part of the trilogy, but what is the other... if you don’t mind sharing?

    A: Right. The first is Gambit's End. I’ve been looking over the cover art from Carrie [Hall] and it is another dynamite cover, even better than all the others she’s done thus far I think. Ed [Waysek] has continued to amaze me with the fantastic concepts he’s putting down for the next set of interior pictures. If you like what he did in the last two books you’ll love what he is putting together for Gambit's End.

    The other book, which looks like the concrete has just about hardened now to set it in place, will be a short story collection called The Adventures of Corwyn. It’s a collection of short stories that take place in various parts of Tralodren with a traveling bard.

Q: Is The Adventures of Corwyn part of a new series then or a stand alone book?

    A: Yes and no.

Q: The concrete still too wet there to comment further?

    A: Yeah, it’s just being poured as far as that area of discussion goes so it’s best to wait and let it cure a while.

    Thanks for the interview, Chad.

    Seer’s Quest and Path of Power should be hitting stores this month. Make sure you keep your eyes peeled for them and the future releases that Chad mentioned, which we’ll endeavor to keep you informed about, in the months ahead.

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