realwritercarl

Did Dinosaurs Have Feathers?

Like dinosaurs, maybe dragons are imagined sans feathers, but if they actually existed, they would have strategically placed feathers.

Welcome! This is a post on my author blog. If you find yourself here, unsure who I am, let me introduce myself. My name is Carl and I’m an author from Portland, OR. I write epic fantasy and children’s science fiction.

FeatherTRex

I recently came across a question from one of my friends on Facebook that asked if dinosaurs really had scaly skin or if that was just how we imagined them.

I found the question particularly intriguing, and the answers in some of the comments engaged me too. One commenter speculated that dinosaurs might have had feathers, I think another mentioned Godzilla.

But a google search turned up some more meaningful answers. One of the newest pieces of information among the results was that scientists have uncovered amazingly well preserved skin traces in Korea that reveal exactly how dinosaur skin looked. (Src: https://www.newsweek.com/preserved-dinosaur-skin-100-million-years-korea-1393230).

Though from the reading the article, it seems some traces may have been discovered in the past, but the traces in Korea seem to reveal more than anything found before.

We do know, of course, that dinosaurs did not completely die out millions of years ago. While many did, the smallest of the dinosaurs adapted and evolved, becoming modern birds today. In undergoing that shift, at some point, the dinosaurs had to grow feathers.

But when?

Actually, it seems that scientific evidence has revealed that feathers evolved in dinosaurs long before they were changing into birds (source: https://www.britannica.com/story/did-dinosaurs-really-have-feathers). And in fact, the growth of feathers was not a quick change. It wasn’t like flipping a switch. It was instead more like moving a slider.

According to Encyclopedia Britannica, dinosaurs evolved a type of feather first that had a hair-like appearance. The plumage was made mostly from keratin, but each “feather” was only a single stalk without any of the softer branches on the side that form the wider, feather shape we are familiar with today. Over time, and perhaps in some dinosaurs themselves, the feathers evolved to resemble those of modern birds today. Other dinosaurs had only the earlier forms of feathers, the stalks, and some may have had no feathers at all. And like mammals, how widespread the feathers were on a dinosaur’s body is thought to have varied. Birds of course have feathers everywhere but on their feet and beak. One could speculate that dinosaurs might have had them only on their heads, like us humans with hair, or in other places only.

I find this all fascinating because dinosaurs in modern media are so predominantly portrayed sans feathers. They are instead given scaly skin, and a reptile-like appearance. In fact, if a five year old looked at a dinosaur, as portrayed in a movie like Jurassic park, and tried to guess whether it is more reptile or more bird, with no knowledge of the truth, I think it safe to assume that five year old would say reptile.

Which in fact makes me think about dragons.

Since I have taken such an interest in writing about dragons in my novels, I do think about them quite often. My debut novel, Sand and Smoke, actually featured both eastern and western dragons. Dragons are traditionally portrayed as reptiles, either as western dragons with huge bat-like wings, scales (like dinosaurs!), and four feet. Or eastern dragons with a more snake-like appearance. Either way, they might easily be categorized as reptiles if they existed.

But like dinosaurs, that might easily be wrong. Like dinosaurs, maybe dragons are imagined sans feathers, but if they actually existed, they would have strategically placed feathers. Another avian beast that could be mistaken for a reptile.

Just my crazy thoughts as an author. I like to think about the real and use it to inform the imaginary. Dragons, however, are mythical beasts so unlike with dinosaurs there will never be one factual image of what they look like. But the portrait of them with feathers does, I think, at least inspire creativity. And that creativity has led to me imagining new looks for dragons in lots of my novels, like my upcoming Dragons of Marak series and even Sand and Smoke, a series where I crafted two of my own breeds of dragons, the Sun dragons and the Wesech dragons.

December, Technology, and Books

Do you say Merry Christmas or Happy Holidays?

Welcome! This is an update on my author blog. If you find yourself here, unsure who I am, let me introduce myself. My name is Carl and I’m an author from Portland, OR. I write epic fantasy and children’s science fiction.

I’m never really sure which to say around this time of year. Usually I go with Happy Holidays. But of course Christmas has become as much a secular holiday as a Christian one, so I suppose saying Merry Christmas is fine too. I think the main point is that you wish people well, as with all things in life I suppose.

This month I’ve been going some through some technological mishaps which is kind of an interesting coincidence because the book I’ve been working on, School Robots, makes use of heavy amounts of technology.

In total my car door got dented when someone hit me in a parking lot, my phone shut off in the middle of the day and decided it was never going to turn back on, and then I had a near scare when my check engine light went on in my car (and then the next morning it mysteriously went off). Hopefully it stays off.

On the plus side, I got a Google Pixel 3a. It’s been a pretty good phone so far, and I’m getting an Otterbox Defender case for it in the mail soon (the best type of case, imho).

I’ve also somehow managed to find vestiges of time to work on Middle School Robots, and I’m still roughly on track to wrap up editing on it by January (those on my list will get a free ARC!). I’m getting to the phase of editing now where I focus on all the specific minute details to the robots, and since they are essentially smartphones, computers, printers, and other real world devices, kids are going to be able to learn a lot by reading the book!

In addition, I’ve been thinking about dragons, and soaking in Avatar: The Last Airbender stuff. I know those are two very different things, but my mind feeds off different things and looks for unique ways to combine them. That’s kind of what I did with Sand and Smoke–I combined westerns and dragon-rider fantasy.

In a little over a week I’ll be heading to Chicago to spend Christmas and the holidays. Currently my aunt, uncle, grandmother, and cousins live there, and my dad and sisters will also be flying in. My family is spread out all over America, so it’s the normal for us to fly pretty regularly.

So far as I know, we have planned for the trip a gift exchange and a movie-going adventure to see Star Wars Episode IX. So I’m definitely looking forward to the latter half of December. Though what I like most as always is just seeing family and friends and spending more time with them.

Thanks for reading! And if you like receiving updates from me, please don’t forget to subscribe to my mailing list. You’ll also get cool perks like notifications when I host a giveaway or notifications when I discount one of my books.

Book Updates for a Sandy November

Welcome! This post is part of my author blog. If by chance you find yourself here, wondering who I am, I’m an author from Portland, OR. I write epic fantasy and children’s science fiction. Feel free to check out my books using the menu bar above!

This month I am participating in Nanowrimo! Even though I am a chronic write-aholic, I thought I would give it a go just to be involved a bit more in the writing community, rather than being very hobbit-like about my writing. Which I usually am. But though I’ve got 49,200 words already written for the month (don’t judge me, I write like a cat sheds) I really don’t think I’ve spoken with anyone else who’s doing Nanowrimo all month. Or if I have, I haven’t spoken to them about Nanowrimo. Anyway, I’d done Nanowrimo twice in the past, once I failed and once I succeeded, so despite my bragging about being a write-aholic I can occasionally fail to get the words out too. The point I’m trying to get across is that I would love to speak with others who are doing Nanowrimo just because connections and community.

But beyond Nanowrimo this month, I’m going to be trying a whole bunch of new things in my writing plans regarding my books and I’ve been gearing up for them! The first of those was that I purchased a brand new epic cover for my fantasy novel titled Sand and Smoke. My last cover was self-designed, and so I think this one looks a whole lot more professional! And it’s on display below using a 3d mockup.

Also I wrote a short story to accompany the novel. If you want to read the short story and find out everything there is to know about this awesome dragon-infested world I’ve created, all you need to do is subscribe to my mailing list, and I’ll send it to you for free: https://www.rebrand.ly/ingridrising.

What else?

My book Middle School Robots is gonna be exclusively available for my mailing list subscribers in January, and then later on I’ll be publishing it, I’m not sure exactly when yet.

Oh, and I am going to be doubling down on my efforts at writing and publishing YA fantasy books, probably ones with lots of dragons in them. Honestly I am feeling pretty good about what I’ve accomplished so far in writing and publishing TWO full books, completing a first draft for a third book (School Robots), and completing over three-quarters of the first draft for a fourth book this month for Nanowrimo, since roughly April of 2018 when I started all of this bonanza.

But despite the fact that I’ve written pretty much what I’ve aimed to, I know that I need to write faster and write more, especially in completing some of the series I started. With that in mind I have a kind of bold goal for myself in 2020, and I’m not sure if I’m going to be able to meet it, but I’m going to try hella hard. My bold goal is to write a book a month, or depending on how I feel midway through I might adjust that goal to be 10 books in 10 months with 2 rest months worked in there somewhere.

It’s gonna be hard, but I think I can do it. Nanowrimo this month is already going fantastic for me. It’s kinda ending up being the warm-up exercise. Now that I’ve hit a stride with understanding how to churn material out, how to structure my writing, what genre I want to target and knowing a few subjects of things in that genre that seem to grip my readers, I think I am ready to tackle the one-book-a-month challenge for a year.

I even have some ideas for those months. The book I’m writing right now for Nanowrimo, I want to make it into a trilogy. I want to write books 2 and 3 in the Sand and Smoke trilogy. I want to revive an old book I wrote as a kid, improving upon the execution with a complete rewrite and a more distinct and engrossing world. I want to make that book into a series, five books I think. And I’m not wholly sure about the other three months, maybe I can find other writers who are just as hungry as me to team up with, or maybe I’ll think up new ideas in the interim. All in all, next year’s goal is going to be producing a lot of first drafts, which will probably mean not a lot of new publications, other than School Robots. But writing the first draft is the most enjoyable part for me at least…so it should be fun! And if I’m successful, there should be a bonanza of new publications coming in 2021. I might see if I can revise one well enough to publish next fall in 2020 also…we’ll see.

One Last MIQ: The six most interesting questions I missed (Part 2)

I’ve decided to retire the MIQ blog…and to convert it.

Welcome! This post is part of my Most Interesting Questions series, which means I’ll be answering the most interesting questions I can find or think of. This post will focus on a variety of different novels and franchises.

By the way, if you’re wondering about who I am, I’m an author from Portland, OR. I write epic fantasy and children’s science fiction.

Being that it’s early in my author career, things are very fluid. Therefore, my blog is going to be changing a little after this post.

Instead of exclusively answering the most interesting questions about various bestsellers, I’m going to focus this blog on my day to day author activities too. And possibly I’ll highlight other things in my life. Mostly, I’ll keep the blog writing related.

One part of that conversion will be accepting review requests. Over the last year, I’ve read a few indie published novels, and reviewed them on Amazon. However, in attempting to gather reviews for my own books, I’ve come to appreciate just how hard it can be, especially when starting out, to get those reviews.

So if you are an author, feel free to request a review of your novel. One thing I won’t be doing is creating a book blog. I leave that to those more skilled than I. But I like reading and would not mind helping some indie authors out with getting reviews on Amazon, Goodreads, Barnes&Noble, Bookbub, etc. If you’re not an author, just ignore that little plug. Instead, you could check out my books.

Now, I’ll get to my last MIQ blog post. This post covers Percy Jackson, Avatar: The Last Airbender and The Legend of Korra, Mistborn, and Ken Follett’s Century Trilogy, among other works.

Q#1: If you could add anything to Camp Half-Blood, anything, rules, places, items, etc., what would you add?

A: Honestly, probably more interaction with the gods. I know it’s not in greek mythology for them to interact with their kids more, but I feel like they should do it, so many of the kids just get abandoned and not claimed. Or at least maybe there should be a movement from some of the campers or counselors to try and convince the gods to do that.

Q#2: Who would win in a fight, Katara or Amon?

A: Probably Amon. But it depends. As we know Katara can bloodbend on the full moon. Amon can blood bend any time he wants. So if it’s not the full moon, then Amon wins. But if it is, then they are both blood benders. Would one be stronger than the other? And though Amon has bloodbent more than Katara, Katara probably has just as much fighting experience as him, and there would be more to their fight than just bloodbending if their bloodbending cancelled each other out. So if it was a full moon, I could see Katara winning the fight.

Q #3: Which kind of Twinborn would you most prefer to be (Mistborn)?

A: Honestly I think it would be awesome to be able to fly, so I would like to be a Coinshot for one of my abilities. Then for the other one I would probably take the steel feruchemical ability, and be a Steelrunner too. That would strengthen my abilities too because they both use the same metal.

Q #4: Do I have to read the Mistborn trilogy to get Wax&Wayne?

A: I would say no. Brandon Sanderson repeats a lot of how the magic system and the world works in the beginning of his books. So if you hadn’t read Mistborn, you would still understand Wax&Wayne. However, that said, I believe you will appreciate Wax&Wayne a lot more if you read Mistborn first. Because there are a lot of things that carry over. It is kind of like cookies and milk. You can drink milk without cookies, and you can eat cookies without milk, but they taste better together.

Q #5: Which one is your favorite character in Ken Follett’s Century Trilogy?

A: In Book 1, I loved reading Grigori’s chapters, and I also loved reading about Ethel. In book 2, my favorites were probably Daisy and Lloyd. In book 3, I actually really came to appreciate Dimka and I would say Walli, but just at the beginning of the book. It’s hard to narrow it down even that far. But if I had to choose a favorite character overall, it would probably be Daisy. Just because her character changes so much, and in such a great way, and I really think she is probably the most well-written character in the entire series.

Q #6: Who is your favorite fictional dragon from books?

A: I love Sapphira from Eragon. Maybe I am biased because she is one of the first dragons I read about in a book, back in 6th grade. But she is really human at heart, she’s not just some wild creature or an all-knowing godlike creature, she interacts and converses in meaningful ways with the world, and has a magnetic personality. Aside from Sapphira, I also love Cuicao from my own books. She’s the dragon partner in Sand and Smoke. I guess it’s cheating to choose my own character, though.

The Seven Most Interesting Questions about the TV show The 100

Welcome! This post is part of my Most Interesting Questions series, which means I’ll be answering the most interesting questions I can find or think of on the TV show The 100. The 100 is a dystopian sci-fi show and it has seven total seasons, which means there isn’t a season 8, there is a season 7 and a season 6, however. Those two seasons together really bring the series to a conclusion. The 100 is also a series of books by Kass Morgan, the first of which was published in 2013. This post is about the TV series. There are breaks below so that you can avoid spoilers if you haven’t seen certain episodes yet. This post was written after season 6 aired but before season 7 aired.

By the way, if you’re wondering about who I am, I’m an author from Portland, OR. Many of my books would also be great reads for any fan of The 100, feel free to check them out using the menu above!

Here are the most interesting questions about The 100.

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Q #1: What do you think of The 100 and its underlying message?

A: I personally love the show! However, it is definitely not for everyone. At times, the writers make some questionable and sometimes disappointing decisions (I do feel like it could be a bit more friendly to its diverse characters) and also there is quite a bit of violence, so if you’re looking for something clean this isn’t it. However, it does do a really good job of creating tension, high stakes, and the characters never get off easy.

*———-*
* SPOILERS FROM SEASONS 1-5 BELOW *
If you haven’t watched seasons 1-5 yet, you’ll encounter spoilers if you read on. No spoilers from season 6 will be in the next few questions, however.
*———-*

Q #2: In The 100, if grounders are supposedly the survivors of the nuclear war in the second Dawn Bunker who were allowed to leave the bunker due to Becca’s Nightblood serum, how did their descendants without Nightblood survive?

A: In a similar way to how the sky people survived. In the show, they explain that those on the ark have adapted, after absorbing radiation in space, to those radiation levels. Similarly, those on earth have adapted to the new radiation levels on earth. If I remember correctly, they represent this with a dial that goes from green to yellow to red. Those on Mount Weather are protected from all radiation, they haven’t adapted at all. They can only survive in the green. The grounders and the sky people, who have evolved and adapted, can survive in the yellow. But only nightbloods can survive in the red, the most lethal level of radiation. At the time of The 100, radiation levels on earth are in the yellow. Presumably, maybe some of the nightblood genes didn’t get passed on completely, and/or humans started evolving away from being nightbloods, when radiation levels fell back down into the yellow.

Q #3: When will The 100 season 6 be shown in the UK?

A: I had to do a quick search for this one. It looks like it’s going to be shown starting September 4th, 2019, at 9pm on channel E4. Source: https://www.geektown.co.uk/tvairdates/the-100/

*———-*
* SPOILERS FROM SEASON 6 BELOW *
If you haven’t watched season 6 yet, you’ll encounter spoilers if you read on.
*———-*

Q #4: In The 100, does Madi have access to all of Lexa’s memories of Clarke?

A: Yes, while she has the flame in. However, now that the flame is out, she doesn’t have access anymore. One interesting thing to think about, at least for me, is how memory works. If I watch something like a home movie, then I will later have a memory of watching it, and because of that, a memory of the event I watched too. Similarly, if Madi were to have accessed Lexa’s memories, before she lost the flame, could she still recall those memories she accessed later on? It would make sense that this was possible, meaning that Madi, and probably Clarke too, still have access to memories from the flame, even if they don’t have it anymore.

Q #5: What happened to Octavia in The 100?

A: What we saw was that she was taken by the anomaly. And the anomaly spit out Diyoza’s daughter. Beyond that, it’s a question that we’ll have to wait until season 7 to have answered. However, my theory is that Octavia was allowed to leave by the anomaly, and that it was actually supposed to be Diyoza’s daughter who left. Octavia was only allowed to leave because she had unresolved business (either her part to play in taking down the primes, or making amends with Bellamy). Either way, once she had accomplished that, the anomaly took things back to how they were supposed to be. But still, what is the anomaly exactly? And how has Diyoza’s daughter already grown up, while Octavia is still the same age? There must be some sort of time travel involved, I think. Whatever is happening, it must have to do with whoever created the anomaly.

Q #6: Will there be aliens in season 7?

A: Very possibly. Based on the events of what the anomaly is doing and is capable of, it seems like aliens must be behind it. And technically, we have already seen aliens. The bugs on Planet Alpha are aliens. However, they are not intelligent life, at least as far as we know.

Q #7: Why is Murphy not affected by the Red Sun eclipse psychosis on The 100?

A: I think he’s still affected. He just conquers it quickly. We see him at one point sitting with the guns, taking deep breaths, trying to convince himself everything is going to be okay. The Red Sun, gets to him, however…

Murphy also deals with a ton of self-destructive thoughts on a daily basis, when the Red Sun is not around. We’ve seen him evolve from a season 1 psychopath to a guy who actually, usually, tries to do the right thing. So he’s learned over time how to deal with what the Red Sun presents him with. Others in the group haven’t ever had those thoughts, and so it’s harder for them to combat them. He’s not immune, he’s just learned to fight it.

Thanks for reading! Now I invite you to check out more MIQ posts below, or my book Sand and Smoke, which is an epic fantasy novel for young adults. If you liked The 100, and if you enjoy reading fantasy, then I think you would love it! It has lovable characters, a ragtag group of criminals, and lots of dragons in it.

The Six Most Interesting Questions about Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom

At BookCon 2019, Bardugo said that for the first season of the TV show, they are going to be combining the first Six of Crows book with the first Shadow and Bone book.

Welcome! This post is part of my Most Interesting Questions series, which means I’ll be answering the most interesting questions I can find or think of on Six of Crows and Crooked Kingdom by Leigh Bardugo. The Six of Crows characters are some of the most lovable in epic fantasy, in my opinion. Leigh Bardugo wrote Shadow and Bone first; it takes place in the same world as Six of Crows, but many people start reading at Six of Crows first. There is a Netflix series coming up. These two books are duology, which means that there are only two books in the series, though there may be a Six of Crows book 3 coming at some point in time, more on that lower down the page.

By the way, if you’re wondering about who I am, I’m an author from Portland, OR. I write epic fantasy and children’s science fiction.

Here are the most interesting questions about the Six of Crows duology:

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Q #1: As a beginner in fantasy novels is Six of Crows a good read?

A: Yes, it’s a great read for a beginner! It’s a YA novel and the writing is easy to understand. I read it fairly quick, in about a week. It’s also an engaging story, with a cool magic system, and Bardugo does an excellent job of plotting the novel so that the twists and turns feel real and surprising.

Q #2: Who is your favorite point of view to read from in Six of Crows?

A: Definitely Inej or Kaz. I like reading Kaz’s chapters because he’s such a well-rounded character and has a dark side to him that other characters don’t have. He takes everything super seriously, and as the leader of the gang he usually deals with the problems that have the most stakes, so his chapters often feel like the most productive and important. Inej, on the other hand, is interesting simply because she’s the Wraith. She doesn’t have darkness inside her like Kaz does, but she can accomplish things no one else can, and like Kaz, she takes everything seriously. Because she often can’t be replaced on missions, her chapters feel critical.

Q #3: What happened to Nina after Leigh Bardugo’s Crooked Kingdom?

A: I’m going to try to answer this without giving away spoilers. Nina undergoes some changes in Crooked Kingdom, if you’ve read the book you will know what those changes are. It’s partially explained, but not completely. Presumably, she is going to find out more about that because of where she’s going by the end of the book. It seems like we’d need a third book to really get a conclusion to what happens to Nina, as beyond some surface level stuff, these changes have not really been explained.

Q #4: Is there a third book of Six of Crows series by Leigh Bardugo?

A: Right now there’s not! It just goes 1. Six of Crows 2. Crooked Kingdom. However, I was at BookCon 2019 and attended a panel where Leigh Bardugo spoke about the books. One of the things she did address was the possibility of a third book. She said that she’s always imagined writing a third book, and would like to, but that her schedule is packed right now with other projects. She said that if we (the fans) are still around in a few years and interested in a third book she would write it. So presumably there will be a third book in a few years, as long as the series’ popularity doesn’t unexpectedly plummet. In the meantime, I’d like to shamelessly plug my own book Sand and Smoke. It’s also an epic fantasy book, but set in a world with dragons, and like Six of Crows it follows a group of criminals, but in it they seek to stop a devastating weapon.

Q #5: Are the main characters in Six of Crows bad people (like Kaz Brekker) or are they normal people in unlucky situations?

A: I think whether or not they’re bad people is subjective. One of the things Bardugo does a great job of is showcasing how bad the world these characters live in is. Compared to the rest of the Barrel, Kaz and his crew are like saints. Compared to most people that you or I encounter on the planet earth, they’re not so great. But I think what still makes them likeable characters is that they were just normal people who found themselves in unlucky situations. And those unlucky situations have led them to become bad. But each of these characters wouldn’t be bad if the world hadn’t been bad to them first.

Q #6: Will Six of Crows be made into a movie?

A: It’s not going to be made into a movie, as far as I’m aware. However, it is in the process of being made into a Netflix TV series. When I was at BookCon 2019, Leigh Bardugo also spoke some about this. She said that she’s been very involved in the process (she’s an executive producer) and she sounded really pleased about who they cast in the lead roles (it sounded like they had already cast the lead roles, though she did not name any names and as far as I’m aware it’s not been made public). She also mentioned they were doing something unique with the TV series. At BookCon 2019, Bardugo said that for the first season of the TV show, they are going to be combining the first Six of Crows book with the first Shadow and Bone book. She sounded very confident that the decision to combine the books into one for the TV show is going to work out great, though I myself am curious to see how it’s going to work given that they take places at different times.

Thanks for reading! Now I invite you to check out more MIQ posts below, or my book Sand and Smoke, which is also an epic fantasy, with lots of action and a ragtag group of criminals, and draws inspiration from Six of Crows in some ways. Sand and Smoke also features a bunch of dragons, and I had a blast researching dragon mythology for the book! It’s going to be a trilogy.

Six Most Interesting Questions about Isaac Asimov’s Foundation series

Welcome! This post is part of my Most Interesting Questions series, which means I’ll be answering the most interesting questions I can find or think of on Isaac Asimov’s Foundation series. Pictured below are the first three books in the series, but there are many more books. Foundation spans many generations, covering a history of somewhere around 1000 years. The second book is called Second Foundation and the third is called Foundation and Empire. There isn’t a movie as far as I’m aware, but Apple TV is working on a Foundation TV series. I can’t wait! Foundation is one of the best gems that Asimov has given the world, in my opinion.

By the way, if you’re wondering about who I am, I’m an author from Portland, OR. I write epic fantasy and children’s science fiction.

Foundation

Q #1: What do people think of the Foundation series by Isaac Asimov?

A: I can’t speak for other people, but I think it’s great. It’s a sci-fi series, probably primarily meant for adults, but can be read by advanced readers in high school also imho. One of the things Asimov does really well is to create a compelling story on an epic timescale. The first book alone spans multiple generations.

Q #2: Are there overlaps between the western roman empire’s decline and Isaac Asimov’s Foundation?

A: YES. And it’s in all-caps because I think that is the parallel for this whole thing. The roman empire, like the empire in Foundation, is far-reaching, encompassing almost all of Europe. It breaks up in pieces, similar to how the empire breaks up in Foundation. And after the break-up, there comes a dark ages, similar to the medieval times in Europe. The main difference is that the empire in Foundation is the roman empire on a massive scale. This is highlighted by the fact that The Foundation will enable the empire to recover in a thousand years, but without it the empire could take 30,000 years to recover.

Q #3: Is the story of Interstellar similar to the story of the Foundation by Isaac Asimov?

A: No. I think they are completely different. Interstellar is a story about space, and about family. Foundation is a story about the entire human race, and a crumbling space empire. The only real similarity is that they can both be classified as science fiction, but there the similarities end.

Q #4: How realistic is a predictive science of psychohistory, a la Hari Seldon in Isaac Asimov’s Foundation series?

A: Just fyi, I have little to no real life experience that would inform an answer to this. However, after reading the book, and based on what I know, I would say that it’s fairly unrealistic. Hari Seldon is able to predict events with eerie accuracy, and I don’t think this would be possible. In particular, I don’t think it would be possible to pinpoint the exact years that things would happen. Obviously, it is inevitable that a grand empire will fall. Everything comes to an end eventually. So it is believable that Hari Seldon would predict that. But how could he know it will happen so soon? I think psychohistory could definitely exist right now, and in the future, to predict future events, but I don’t think it could predict nearly as much or nearly as accurately as it does in Foundation.

Q #5: What similarities and differences does Donald Trump have with Isaac Asimov’s character The Mule from the book Foundation and Empire?

A: I would say they actually have surprising amount in common. Donald Trump’s presidency was unexpected. And he’s done a lot to alter the direction of our country. The Mule is similarly an unexpected force thrown into the mix, and he also alters the direction that the Foundation is so carefully attempting to guide humanity in. The difference between them is that the whole reason The Mule is able to do what he can do is because he has a superhuman ability to manipulate people. Donald Trump doesn’t have that ability, though it might seem like it at times with how readily people dismiss what he’s doing and support him. Donald Trump also comes from wealth, and was already a public figure before his presidency. The Mule was just an ordinary person who used his mutant abilities to rise through the ranks.

Q #6: Without spoiling the book, what is Isaac Asimov’s Foundation about?

A: Isaac Asimov’s Foundation is about the fall of a galactic empire. It’s about the people from a single planet called The Foundation. Before the collapse of the empire, a man who predicts its fall establishes The Foundation with the goal of guiding humanity through the dark ages after the fall of the galactic empire, and to the bright new days of a second galactic empire. It spans many generations, as the whole process will take a thousand years.

Thanks for reading! Now I invite you to check out more MIQ posts below, or my books. I write mostly in epic fantasy and children’s science fiction, so it may be more juvenile than Foundation, but it could still be a great read for you if you like stuff with lighter tones.

Seven Most Interesting Questions about A Wrinkle in Time

This kind of behavior quickly leads to a society that is conditioned to all do the same things, all act the same way, all think the same way, and run the same way, like a machine.

Welcome! This post is part of my Most Interesting Questions series, which means I’ll be answering the most interesting questions I can find or think of on Madeleine L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time. The A Wrinkle in Time book is part of the larger A Wrinkle in Time series. It was also made into a movie in 2003. The main characters are Meg Murry, Calvin O’Keefe, and Charles Wallace Murry, Meg’s little brother. A Wrinkle in Time is really a good read, and ahead of its time (it was published back in 1962). Here are the most interesting questions about Madeleine L’Engle’s famous series:

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Q #1: Is the novel A Wrinkle in Time worth reading?

A: Yes. Well, I would say yes depending on what type of books you like. A Wrinkle in Time is science fiction, and it’s a children’s book, though I think it could be enjoyed by teens also. Adults might like it as light reading, it’s a great story, though the story is more in line with what a child or teen might enjoy, in my opinion.

Q #2: What’s your favourite line in A Wrinkle in Time?

A: This is a great question! There are lots of great lines. However, one that sticks with me is Mrs. Whatsit’s last line in the first chapter. She just says casually: “there is such a thing as a tesseract” and it completely draws you in and makes you want to read the rest of the book.

Q #3: In A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle the protagonists encounter a city where everything runs on a schedule and is controlled by a nefarious machine if memory serves. If you read the book what was your impression?

A: This is one of the best parts in my opinion. Most obviously, it’s a warning that uniformity is the enemy of freedom. But also, that is just the surface-level meaning. Given the time this book was published, smack dab in the middle of the cold war, I think it’s likely this was an analogy for the dangers of communism. However, in present day it’s easy to see these dangers popping up in the capitalist world too. Given the connectivity of everyone, and the booming population, people have become more like a number than ever before, and big corporations are plugging them into a pipeline where everything runs on schedule and everyone is expected to act in a uniform machine-like manner. Beyond this, social media and the connectiveness of the world has made it easier than ever to quickly learn what is popular and what is not. People post on Facebook en-masse about TV shows like Game of Thrones, and then more people go to watch Game of Thrones because everyone else is posting about it, and then they post about it, and the cycle continues. It’s great for popular shows like Game of Thrones (and this isn’t a commentary on that show, it’s just a recent example of this I’ve seen) but this kind of behavior quickly leads to a society that is conditioned to all do the same things, all act the same way, all think the same way, and run the same way, like a machine.

Q #4: What is the worst book to movie inaccuracy in A Wrinkle in Time (2018)?

A: In my opinion, the worst inaccuracy has to do with the tone of the movie. Hollywood made it all about adventure and action. There was a point in the movie when I remember Meg and Calvin running away from the It, in a sort of chase that I distinctly remember didn’t happen. They also had another scene where Meg goes riding on the backs of these giant green things that didn’t belong. Adventure and action isn’t bad, necessarily, but it wasn’t the point of the book. The book had a lot of messages about society, about culture, about family, about growing up, and these were sacrificed to make a movie that was essentially a fun romp through a wrinkle in time.

Q #5: Is the book A Wrinkle in Time for teens (15y)?

A: Yes, I think it absolutely can be a great book for teens! It’s usually targeted at middle grade, which is ages 8-12, but I believe it could easily appeal to a teen as well.

Q #6: Is A Wrinkle in Time considered to be a children’s book?

A: Yes. It’s great for kids ages 8 and up!

Q #7: Is it possible to tether (teleport) just like characters from the movie A Wrinkle in Time?

A: I would say not that we know of. Of course, in A Wrinkle in Time, the three women who show Meg how to tesser are all otherwordly beings. Their knowledge surpasses our own. Even fifty or more years after the book was written, I would have to say that we don’t know enough about the universe to know whether or not tessering is possible. With our current technology, we can’t do it. However, with all of the laws of the universe we know, as far as I am aware, we can’t rule it out as possible.

Thanks for reading! Now I invite you to check out more MIQ posts below, or my books. I am an author of epic fantasy and children’s science fiction from Portland, OR. If you liked A Wrinkle in Time, you may very well enjoy one of my pieces,which I worked very hard on.

Four Most Interesting Questions about Ken Follett’s Century Trilogy

One of the things I really enjoyed about the first two books in The Century Trilogy was seeing life and the struggles of ordinary people in world wars 1 & 2.

Welcome! This post is part of my Most Interesting Questions series, which means I’ll be answering the most interesting questions I can find or think of on Ken Follett’s Century Trilogy. This post is a little different than my usual posts. I’m veering away from sci-fi/fantasy this month to look at a trilogy of historical fiction books. These are Ken Follett books, and they are really good in my opinion. The first book is called Fall of Giants. As of writing this, there is not a Fall of Giants movie, or a The Century Trilogy movie, but there may be one in the future! The second book is called Winter of the World, and it is the best book of the three in my opinion. All of the books follow a couple different families, through the century. There is even a Century Trilogy family tree you can probably find online, and in some of the books.

By the way, if you’re wondering about who I am, I’m an author from Portland, OR. I write epic fantasy and have dabbled in children’s science fiction.

Anyway, let’s get to the Ken Follett books. Here are the most interesting questions about The Century Trilogy.

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Q #1: How historically accurate are Ken Follett’s Century Trilogy novels?

A: I’d say they are very historically accurate. I have a friend who is a history buff and he’s the one who recommended them to me. I don’t think he would have done so if they weren’t historically accurate. Also, Ken Follett puts a little disclaimer in the back of all the books. In each of them he uses a mixture of fiction characters with real characters. He only places the real characters in situations or locations where they either are known to have been at a specific time, or could have been at a specific time according to public knowledge. Ken Follett also consults experts on the various time periods he writes about – you can see who he consults in the acknowledgements section at the back of each book.

Q #2: Did anyone make a movie about Ken Follett’s Century Trilogy?

A: Not yet, as far as I am aware. However, according to Ken Follett’s website, Sony Pictures and ABC are working on making it into a TV series: https://ken-follett.com/faq/

Q #3: Are the British culture & government really as stagnant & stubborn as depicted in Ken Follett’s Century Trilogy?

A: I’ll do my best to answer this, though I don’t live in Britain, and have only been once, when I studied abroad from January-May in college. During that time, I didn’t really get to know a whole lot about British politics, so most of what I do know comes from films or other books I’ve read, which may or may not be accurate. I do remember seeing the film Darkest Hour a year or so ago, which seemed to depict a similarly stagnant and stubborn political landscape. In it, Winston Churchill has to fight tooth and nail against politicians who don’t want to go to war against the Nazis. Since I live in America, I know a lot more about American politics, and I will say that many of our politicians are stagnant & stubborn, so I don’t think those are necessarily traits unique to British politicians. In America it seems like every other day one politician or another is saying that something is too ambitious or radical to be passed, and we should aim for a more moderate solution. I think part of that is the nature of good politics, the other part might be some sort of selfishness or greed. The argument for things being stagnant is that if change happens too fast there’s a risk it can be the wrong sort of change. The government has a responsibility to make sure its people are cared for, and if something changes that makes things worse for the people, it can be worse than no change at all, especially if the people are already generally well cared for.

Q #4: What are your thoughts on Ken Follett’s The Century Trilogy?

A: I think it is a solid read! The characters are very easy to relate to, and the history is written in a really appealing and educational way. However, I do feel that the third book in the trilogy was a little too spectacular. One of the things I really enjoyed about the first two books in The Century Trilogy was seeing life and the struggles of ordinary people in world wars 1 & 2. By the third book, a lot of these ordinary people have produced extraordinary children, and at times things that happened seemed cheesy or too convenient to happen in real life.

Thanks for reading! Now I invite you to check out more MIQ posts below, or my books. If you enjoy epic fantasy or children’s books, you might find something you like.

Six Most Interesting Questions about Mistborn

A band of peasants, with magic powers that they can only use by consuming metal, make and execute a plan to kill the tyrant who oppresses their kind.

Welcome! This post is part of my Most Interesting Questions series, which means I’ll be answering the most interesting questions I can find or think of on Mistborn. The Mistborn books are written by Brandon Sanderson, an epic fantasy series set in a world where people can perform magic by swallowing and burning different kinds of metals. The first book in the series Mistborn: the Final Empire, is a heist story, where a group has to break into the evil Lord Ruler’s castle. In my opinion it’s a great series, one of the best in the epic fantasy genre, and while there isn’t a Mistborn movie out right now, as of the time I’m writing this, there may be one some day (more on that in the post). The Mistborn characters are some of the most bad-ass characters out there. Here are the most interesting questions about Mistborn.

Q #1: Without spoilers, is Well of Ascension as good as the original Mistborn?

A: I personally don’t think it’s as good as the first book. And the reason for is that the characters are not as active. In the first book, the whole plot hinges upon Kelsier, Vin, and their crew taking action against the Lord Ruler. In the second book, the plot hinges on others taking action against Vin, Elend, and the crew. There are other subplots that keep things interesting, and mysteries to solve, but since the main characters feel more passive in the main plot, it isn’t quite as good as the first, I feel like.

Q #2: Is there a Mistborn movie?

A: There is an IMDB page for one. Check it out: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6638042/ . One thing that concerns me about a Mistborn movie is that Sanderson’s novel is pretty long. Not as long as his Stormlight Archive books, but I think it would still be hard to condense it into a movie without sacrificing major pieces of the plot or characters.

Q #3: What is a quick summary of the plot of Mistborn (Brandon Sanderson)?

A: I’ll keep it super quick. A band of peasants, with magic powers that they can only use by consuming metal, make and execute a plan to kill the tyrant who oppresses their kind.

Q #4: If you could be one race in Brandon Sanderson’s Cosmere which one would you be?

A: Since these are Mistborn questions I’ll answer that I’d love to be a Terrisman. In particular, a Feruchemist. Their power is essentially limitless if they can store up enough of it.

Q #5: Who would win, Kaladin Stormblessed or Vin the Mistborn?

A: Oooh, fun battle! I think it depends on if Vin has Atium. If she does, she will be able to see into the future, and know his every move. Then she would win for sure. Unless Kaladin just decided to flee. I think Kaladin could move faster, with his lashes, in an open sprint than Vin could. Vin would have to rely on dropping coins, or having other metal around that she could push or pull away from. If Vin doesn’t have Atium, and can’t see Kaladin’s every move, she would still have pewter, to increase her strength, so I think she would still win. Unless Kaladin can fight her from a distance, but mostly he seems not to wield long range weapons.

Q #6: What allomancer power would you pick from Brandon Sanderson’s Mistborn series?

A: If I couldn’t be Mistborn, I’d pick steelpushing and be a coinshot. Reason being is that it would let me fly up into the air which would be awesome. It’s also a pretty good ability for protecting yourself, since you can push metal that might harm you away.

Thanks for reading! By the way, if you’re wondering about who I am, I’m an author from Portland, OR. I write epic fantasy and have dabbled in children’s science fiction. My book Sand and Smoke would be a great read for any fan of Mistborn, please check it out if you want a new great fantasy read!

Sand and Smoke is my fantasy debut and takes place in a world where dragons inhabit the same continent as humans. They live apart, but do interact from time to time. And Sand and Smoke also deals with a ragtag group of criminals, but instead of stopping an evil tyrant, they are looking to stop a devastating weapon from being created…one that’s capable of genocide.