Margaret Weis Q&A Document - Dragonlance Nexus

Questions and Answers from DragonLance Co-Creator Ms. Margaret Weis aka The Queem of Darkness

Sec. 1: Questions Concerning Raistlin Majere 1.1 Q: When did Raistlin Majere die...and where is the Staff of Magius currently residing. 1.2 Q: While Raistlin's spirit was with us during the WOS could he have used magic if he chose to do so? 1.3 Q: Is Raistlin dead in DoSF, because it seems he is alive in WoS, and how does he affect the time traveling device when magic is not present on Krynn? 1.4 Q: Does Raistlin use magic in DoSF, and if so how is that possible? 1.5 Q: Did you create Raistlin on your own or did someone aid with his development and that of the other companions? 1.6 Q: Once you had the description of Raistlin how long did it take you to fully develop his character? 1.7 Q: You once said "Raistlin is what Sherlock Holmes said about the beast in 'The Hound of the Baskervilles'." Could you elaborate?

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1.8 Q: Who came up with the idea of Raistlin s quote about hope at the end of DoAT? 1.9 Q: With Legends Raistlins story ends. Isn't it best to let him rest in peace? 1.10 Q: Is there any relation to the Bother's Majere and the god Majere? 1.11 Q: The brothers last name Majere wasn't mentioned until TotT. Did the name exist before Legends? 1.12 Q: Is there any chance that Raistlin and Crysania met during the end of the Chaos War? 1.13 Q: Who actually won the battle between Raistlin and Fistandantilus? 1.14 Q: Did the lich try to drain life-force from Raistlin after he entered the Tower but before he traveled to Istar? 1.15 Q: Were you proud of Raistlin when he claimed the Tower of High Sorcery or when he managed to become a god? 1.16 Q: Have you always been empathetic with Raistlin? 1.17 Q: How is it that Raistlin was able to find Krynn when the gods themselves could not? 1.18 Q: You're saying that Raistlin loved Tas? 1.19 Q: Why is Raistlin your favorite? 1.20 Q: Do you know someone personally with a condition similar to Raistlins or did you just use your imagination? 1.21 Q: Where did you come up with the idea for Raistlin Majere? 1.22 Q: What is Raistlin like when he's drunk?

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1.23 Q: In WoS Raistlin seemed like show for the fans, why didn t he get more gratitude for saving the world and what do you think the companions are doing in the afterlife? 1.24 Q: Considering the amount of respect all 3 gods of magic have for Raistlin is WoS really the end for him? 1.25 Q: Was it the real Raistlin that tested Palin and if so was Raistlin considered dead then? 1.26 Q: If Raistlin is as powerful as he seems why does he keep the curse of the hourglass eyes? Couldn't he remove it if he wanted?

1.27 Q: What did Raistlin and Crysania discuss during their meeting in DoSF 1.28 Q: What ever became of the bargain Raistlin struck with the gods at the end of WoS? 1.29 Q: Since Raistlin is symbolized by an hourglass where do you think the sand would be? 1.30 Q: Did you ever imagine Raistlin speaking with some sort of accent? 1.31 Q: Why was Raistlin given hourglass eyes? 1.32 Q: Was Raistlins move to evil his own choice or was he pushed by bigger forces? 1.33 Q: Will Raistlin make any appearances in upcoming DL novels? Sec. 2: Questions Concerning Mina and the Dark Disciple Trilogy 2.1 Q: Did you decide on Mina's destiny before you started the Dark Disciple Trilogy, or even before the WoS? 2.2 Q: Rhys Mason's name bares some similarity to the name Raistlin Majere. Was this intentional or does his name some other special meaning. 2.3 Q: Why didn't you work with Mr. Hickman on the Dark Disciple Trilogy? 2.4 Q: Will the conclusion of the Dark disciple Trilogy change the pantheon? 2.5 Q: In Amber and Iron, Majere says Mina is, or was a god of light. Does that mean Mina is lost forever? 2.6 Q: Will there be any future stories about Mina's companion Galdar? 2.7 Q: If Mina is a new goddess of darkness what will that mean to the balance that Gilean is trying to preserve? 2.8 Q: Mina was originally created in a gaming module, but since you developed her character do you feel she belongs to you? 2.9 Q: Did the inspiration for a certain Vallenwood guard in the Dark Disciple Trilogy come from someone on this board, say a managing editor for MWP? 2.10 Q: What would you say was the hardest part of writing Amber and Blood? 2.11 Q: In Amber and Blood you make several comments about Rhys being barefoot wearing nothing but his robe, but in Amber and Iron you have him in leggings and boots. Why? 2.12 Q: Will Amber and Blood make any lasting changes to the pantheon of Krynn? 2.13 Q: Unlike Tas who feels fear for others Nightshade fears for himself as well as others. Is there something unique about him? 2.14 Q: As a goddess unaware of her own nature Mina seems to speak to our own human need to know ourselves. Was this your intention? 2.15 Q: Did you base any part of Rhys Mason off Saint Roch? 2.16 Q: Are you planning any kind of tour for the release of Amber and Blood? 2.17 Q: When exactly did you decide the fate of Mina? 2.18 Q: Why did you introduce the High God in Amber and Blood and give him a direct hand in the affairs of men and the gods? 2.19 Q: Do the Monks of Majere breed their working dogs? 2.20 Q: In WoS and into the Dark Disciple trilogy you begin to describe weaponry in more Renaissance terms. Why the change? 2.21 Q: If Mina was originally a good goddess wasn't the balance disturbed from the beginning, or does this imply other dark gods? 2.22 Q: Is Mina's story done or do you have any further plans for her?

2.23 Q: In the Dark Disciple why did you use the Beloved of Chemosh rather than vampires? 2.24 Q: I loved you portrayal of Atta in Dark Disciple. Do you have plans for anymore books involving dogs? 2.25 Q: Will Amber and Blood be translated into German? 2.26 Q: Did Atta get his name from the phrase "atta boy/atta girl'? 2.27 Q: Are you saying I'm write about the 'atta boy/atta girl' being the source of Atta's name? Sec. 3: Questions Concerning Kang and his Draconians 3.1 Q: Did Kang receive a promotion from First Dragonarmy Bridging Company to the First Dragonarmy Engineering Regiment? 3.2 Q: Were the draconians that captured the Companions in DoAT the same draconians under Kang's command? 3.3 Q: Did the First Dragonarmy Bridging Company's story take place just after the return of the Metallic Dragons in the Spring of 352.

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3.4 Q: Kang s command is mentioned as before the war. Does before the war mean before the companions or some other time? 3.5 Q: Will Kang's city of Teyr ever be recognized as a legitimate citystate? 3.6 Q: Does that mean there will be no more novels about Kang and his draconians? 3.7 Q: The Canadian Army has an airborne unit called the Queens Own. Is there any relation between this unit and the Sivaks Queens Own unit? 3.8 Q: Will there ever be a trilogy about the draconians of Teyr? 3.9 Q: How many draconians hatch from each dragon egg? It seems like there are thousands of draconians. Did each one come from a single egg? 3.10 Q: I grateful for the closure coming in DotHM, but what about Kang? doesn't he deserve and ending? Sec. 4: Questions Concerning the Other Companions and Villans of DragonLance 4.1 Q: In the short story "Here be Dragons" (from the Anthology Dragons: Worlds afire) it says something about Tas' "four-some legs". What does that mean? 4.2 Q: It is known that Tas has a younger sister; will we see Tas talk about her or her parents in the upcoming books? 4.3 Q: Do you think Tas' conversation with Takhisis after time traveling instigated her awakening of the dragons and the War of the Lance, or was this irrelevant? 4.4 Q: Did Takhisis send Tas back to die so he couldn't defeat Chaos thus keeping her from stealing Krynn, or was she making sure no one could find Krynn? 4.5 Q: In the Soulforge you mentioned Flint can never return to his clan, why not? 4.6 Q: Would it be possible for Nuitari to bring Raistlin back from the dead and do you think Dalamar will ever recover his spell book from the tower in Nightlund? 4.7 Q: If you had known DoSF would not be the end of DL would you have let Tanin and Sturm survive?

4.8 Q: Could you tell us more about how Nightshade was developed, and considering your opinion on wild magic how do you feel about mysticism? 4.9 Q: Is Usha the daughter of Tasslehoff? 4.10 Q: You're joking right? 4.11 Q: At the beginning of DoWN Sturm is deeply interested in the DragonLances but by the end of DoWN Sturm seen barely interested in them. Why the change? 4.12 Q: Hedrick is so obnoxious, how did you come up with him? 4.13 Q: I love Soth but I've heard there was some bad blood concerning him being in the Ravenloft books. Is this true? 4.14 Q: Why did Tanis get such an obscure death? 4.15 Q: Riverwind seemed pretty distant in DoAT but in DotDD he and Tanis had developed a solid friendship. How did they get so close? 4.16 Q: Does Crysania love Valin? Would you have written it differently? Can Raistlin and Crysania come together again? 4.17 Q: What was the fate of Kitiara's soul? It was left as a mystery. 4.18 Q: In DotHS you describe Iolanthe has having brown flesh. Is she actually dark-skinned or just well tanned? 4.19 Q: Even though he ended his life as a hero why was Steel Brightbaled killed off so quickly? Also with my husband deployed your writing has meant a lot to me. Thank you. 4.20 Q: Will a young Ariakan make a DotHM appearance? Or is it too early to be asking? 4.21 Q: Are there any living members of the Brightblade family living in the current age? 4.22 Q: Will the reclamation of the Tower of Nightlund/Palanthas be written out in story form? 4.23 Q: Since the Tower of the Blood sea is no longer underwater does Dalamar really have any argument for not becoming the Tower's Master? 4.24 Q: What exactly is the ring Lauranna gave Tanis made of? 4.25 Q: Thank you for finally explaining in DotHS how Soth was apparently "punished" by being granted awesome powers. 4.26 Q: At the end of DoWN when Tas placed the feather on Sturms body, did he know at that time that Fizban was Paladine? 4.27 Q: Since no sensible shopkeeper would allow a kender to enter his store, where do they buy their clothes? 4.28 Q: In DoAT Goldmoon says "Su Torakh". What does this phrase mean? 4.29 Q: Does Kitiara truly love Tanis? Sec. 5: Advice for New Authors 5.1 Q: Now that you solely write for a living would you say the money for being an author is very good? 5.2 Q: As a writer how do I know when I've written enough to fill a novel? 5.3 Q: When do you think a reader would actually give up reading a novel due to its length? 5.4 Q: Do you make a lot of money being an author for DL, or is a second job always good to have at hand? 5.5 Q: An author once told that it's always best to write the ending first, would you agree with this approach? 5.6 Q: If I write my own DL novel do you think it would be a good idea to write a second version for other publishers, changing the DL specifics?

5.7 Q: I have heard the publishers will not accept unsolicited works. Do you have any advice for new authors wanting to write DL novels? 5.8 Q: I want to help continue DL. Who would I need to talk to about this? 5.9 Q: Could someone who has good ideas but can not write well still find work as an author? 5.10 Q: You've recommended Stephen Kings "On Writing" for new authors. Have you read the book yourself and did it change your writing style any? 5.11 Q: Do you have any advice for helping someone develop their character? 5.12 Q: I want to try my hand at my own DL novel. Could you suggest a location on Krynn that hasn't written about? 5.13 Q: Do you ever listen to pitches for new DL stories? 5.14 Q: How profitable is it to be an author for DL? 5.15 Q: I have a manuscript that has been rejected. what should I do? 5.16 Q: What if I want to try and self-publish my work. Any advice? 5.17 Q: I have a background story I thin is great. Can I get your comments on it? Sec. 6: Insight into the Creation of DragonLance 6.1 Q: You seem to have more detail in your books about blue and silver dragons. Why is that? 6.2 Q: How much input do you or Mr. Hickman have in the choosing of artwork for the DL novels you've worked on? 6.3 Q: Why do you sometimes include gaming information at the end of some of your novels? 6.4 Q: Who came up with the concept of the Greygem? 6.5 Q: At the end of DoSD Astinius mentions to a dying Raistlin something about the Key of Knowledge. Could you elaborate on what this Key actually is? 6.6 Q: How did you come up with Gerard? He doesn't seem like one of your stereotypical knights. 6.7 Q: What made you and Mr. Hickman decide to write the Legends Trilogy? 6.8 Q: When exactly does DotHS take place in the Chronicles timeline? 6.9 Q: I loved the interior art work in the books. Was removing them a way to reduce costs? 6.10 Q: Why aren't the relevant dates put at the beginning of each book? 6.11 Q: In the WoS, since their power has returned, can clerics and mages contact the dead or have their spirits moved on? 6.12 Q: Is the Solamnic language declension heavy language or pronoun heavy? 6.13 Q: Why was the title Dragons of Summer Flame and not Dragons of Summer Day? 6.14 Q: What was the thought process for the names to the titles in WoS and the Lost Chronicles? 6.15 Q: The DragonLance seems similar to the lance from the movie Dragonslayer. Have you seen it and were any ideas drawn from the movie? 6.16 Q: Larry Elmore originally imagined Tas with a bulbous nose and rounded ears, why did he change Tas' appearance? 6.17 Q: How did you come up with the original characters and their professions? 6.18 Q: Where did you come up with the ideas of the different orders for the knights?

6.19 Q: Were you part of the original team that came up with the DragonLance campaign setting? 6.20 Q: Do you know how the team came up with the original ideas? 6.21 Q: Where did you get the idea to create the annotated version of Chronicles and Legends? 6.22 Q: Was the Last Unicorn your inspiration for the Forestmaster in DoAT? 6.23 Q: In mythology white stags are considered "messengers from the otherworld." Were you aware of this when you wrote of the white stag in Chronicles? Sec. 7: General DragonLance Questions: 7.1 Q: Why was the Academy of Sorcery never rebuilt? 7.2 Q: Are you implying the Academy should not be rebuilt? 7.3 Q: What are your opinions on "wild" sorcery, and do you think you and Mr. Hickman will expand on its practice? 7.4 Q: Was Cyan always meant to be an epic dragon character and how did he get his last name? 7.5 Q: Will the throne of Takhisis ever be filled again? 7.6 Q: Any word yet about DragonLance gift sets?

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7.7 Q: If Marquesta Kar Thon was suppose to be half elven why didn t Tanis catch it or make mention to it? 7.8 Q: A while back a student group in Europe created trailers for Chronicles. did you see them and if so what did you think? 7.9 Q: Should I wait to read DoWN until after I have read DotHS? 7.10 Q: Does DotHS take place mostly during the first and second subbooks in DoWN? 7.11 Q: Which translated version of DL sells the best? 7.12 Q: After Porthios was struck down by the chaos Dragon he was nursed back to health by the Kagonesti Chief, but in Alliances he's seen fending for himself. What happened? 7.13 Q: Was Paladine mortal when Silvanoshei saw him in the temple or when he cut himself with Tas' knife? 7.14 Q: I read that you were instrumental in the introduction of black powder to Krynn. What other advances would you like to see introduced? 7.15 Q: I bought an ARC copy autographed by you and Mr. Hickman. Do you get paid for these copies? 7.16 Q: When writing a DL novel how much research do you do with other DL authors to ensure the integrity of the DL world? 7.17 Q: Why was Dragons of Summer Flame hard to write? 7.18 Q: In the games gods take aspects, in Lost Chronicles Takhisis

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appears in avatar form. What s the difference? 7.19 Q: How long were the companions involved in the War of the Lance? 7.20 Q: Dragons of the Dwarven Depths is in the Top Ten list of fiction books in the Philippines. Congratulations! 7.21 Q: In DotHS was there a reason why Soth's relationship to Kit was kept to a minimum? 7.22 Q: How potent is Dwarf spirits? Is it anything like whisky?

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7.23 Q: In DotDD there s a chapter called "Faith, Hope and Hedrick." Is this a takeoff on a season 3 episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer entitled "Faith, Hope and Trick"?

7.24 Q: In DotHS you mention that Derrick has a wife and children. Could you elaborate? 7.25 Q: In DotDD Tas' comments about how he'd like to be remembered after he dies are very similar to what actually happened. Were you implying that Tas can tell the future? 7.26 Q: Also in DotDD Flint says if Arman get the hammer he will lose his soul. Should we be worried for Flint since Arman did get the hammer? 7.27 Q: Could it be that Flint actually saved his soul by giving Arman the hammer or am I breaking the rules? 7.28 Q: when preparing to write WoS did you research any of the previous books about the Fifth Age? 7.29 Q: For DotDD did you have a new editor or use a ghost writer for any of the book? 7.30 Q: Raistlin said something to Tas about the Glasses of Arcanist 'seeing too truly'. What does this mean? 7.31 Q: In DotHS I was expecting something in regards to Skie's true nature. Why was nothing mentioned about this? 7.32 Q: How is it that almost all the DL books are about the same length? If the writer comes up short do they have to go back and make them longer? 7.33 Q: After Palin discarded the Staff of Magius in the Abyss Raistlin is seen with it in DoaVM. Does this mean that Raistlin recovered the staff from the Abyss? 7.34 Q: The original close up of Pyros from the DL movie screen shots seem a lot like Flamestrike. Could you shed any light on this? 7.35 Q: What ever happened to Astinius after WoS? 7.36 Q: Are you saying you consider Astinius to be dead? 7.37 Q: Was it ever told if Marquesta Kar-Thon survived the Maelstrom? 7.38 Q: what do you think of Inath-Wakenti as the name of the valley where the elves have settled? 7.39 Q: Any opinion on what the capital city should be named? 7.40 Q: Are you going to make a movie for all of the books? 7.41 Q: Is everyone on Krynn heterosexual? 7.42 Q: Why not make a central character gay? 7.43 Q: With the conclusion of the Lost Chronicle and the Dark disciple coming at the same time which was more of a challenge for you to tackle? 7.44 Q: I have heard that the licenses for DL were taken back. What happened there? 7.45 Q: Did the War of Souls trilogy lend you and Mr. Hickman more freedoms in writing? 7.46 Q: would you mind elaborating a little more about what was going on towards the end of TSR and the role Ms. Rabe had during that time? 7.47 Q: Do you think the artists that contributed to Lost Leaves would be interested in selling their art? 7.48 Q: I see several anthologies that say edited by Weis and Hickman. Do you both edit the books or does WoTC just like having your names on them? 7.49 Q: In DoAT what was at the top of the slippery pedestal that Tas could not reach? 7.50 Q: Are you going to publish DotHM through your own company? 7.51 Q: Who chooses what book will move the DL timeline forward? 7.52 Q: Could you tell us how it was done over the past 20 years? 7.53 Q: As one of the initial DL authors do you read any of the other DL stories with a critical eye?

7.54 Q: Did you know when you were writing Chronicles that Skie was going to be an alien dragon? 7.55 Q: How did the Staff of Magius get out of the High Tower of Sorcery in Palanthas? 7.56 Q: What would you think of Krynn as an MMO? Would you play? 7.57 Q: Which of your many characters is your favorite? 7.58 Q: Do you feel your DragonLance "child" has matured into an adult over the last 24 years? 7.59 Q: If there was anything you could change about the characters in Chronicles what would it be? 7.60 Q: I like Palin but why were Tanin and Sturm killed off so soon? Didn't you and Mr. Hickman want to explore them a little more? 7.61 Q: I get white and black robes for good and evil, but were did the idea of red representing neutrality come from? 7.62 Q: Was there ever a short story about Tas coming to Caramon's future before Krynn was stolen? 7.63 Q: Takhisis swapped Krynn with some other planet having a single moon. Were you and Mr. Hickman implying that Krynn was swapped with Earth? 7.64 Q: If my memory is correct Soth wasn't even mentioned in DoWN was he? 7.65 Q: Draconians seem to have a thing for fair human females. Was there ever any plans for a draconian/human hybrid? 7.66 Q: Did you ever imagine Dalamar as one of the more popular characters? 7.67 Q: In DoWN was the dream in Silvanesti a foreshadowing of Raistlins betrayal of Caramon during the Dwarfgate War in War of the Twins? 7.68 Q: Who is Raoul? In Second Generation, he is mentioned in the last poem 'Raoul and the little one'. 7.69 Q: In Second Generation what was the motive behind Dalamar's rescue of Porthios and Alhana? 7.70 Q: So Dalamar loves Alhana and rescues her, and rescues Porthios to belittle him because he hates Porthios. And he hates Porthios because Alhana loves Porthios. Correct?

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7.71 Q: What s the name of the High God and will He/She/It have a more prominent role in future stories? 7.72 Q: Why a blue crystal staff? Was this an influence from Mr.

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Hickman s religious beliefs? 7.73 Q: Did Kitiara ever really love Tanis? 7.74 Q: What is this perfect day and does it even matter any more since Takhisis and Paladine are gone? 7.75 Q: In Soulforge Sturm mentions a figure with a grey robe and a hat. Who was this? It wasn't Gandalf was it? 7.76 Q: A while back I was going through the same problem as Caramon in Legends. Just wanted you to know that reading that trilogy really help me deal with my own drinking problem. 7.77 Q: I'm in Turkey and I know you love all your works but which one was the most fun to write? 7.78 Q: Yes. I am reading the books published in Turkey. 7.79 Q: Was there anything in DL that you wanted to do but just didn't get a chance? 7.80 Q: What's the normal period for an elven pregnancy someone told me it could be as long as 2 years?

7.81 Q: In DotHM will you expand more on the interaction that happened between Lauranna and Raistlin in DoWN? 7.82 Q: Who is your favorite DragonLance god?

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7.83 Q: Since I m an attorney a lot of people compare me to Fistandantilus with his bloodstone. Thank you for the "solace" you've given me in your writings. 7.84 Q: With Takhisis and Paladine now gone what has become of the dragons who worshipped them?

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7.85 Q: Mr. Elmore s cover art has Sturm with brown hair. Is it brown or blonde? 7.86 Q: What happened to the Knights of the Axe? 7.87 Q: Does Fistandantilus live in this timeline? 7.88 Q: The timeline where Takhisis stole Krynn. 7.89 Q: Wait a minute, are you saying there's a different timeline? 7.90 Q: Was Fistandantilus' fate in the hands of you and Mr. Hickman? Is Fistandantilus still around? 7.91 Q: Who's you favorite next to Raistlin? 7.92 Q: Who came up with Kitiara Uth Matar? 7.93 Q: Any relation between the Inn of the Last Home and the Last Homely House? 7.94 Q: Where did you get the idea for the knights to have handlebar mustaches? 7.95 Q: Who was the one person who really created DragonLance? 7.96 Q: What exactly is the Key to Knowledge? 7.97 Q: You originally said Cyan wasn't in DotHM but now you've added him. Was this at the direction from the editors? Sec. 8: Works Other than DragonLance 8.1 Q: Is yours and Mr. Hickman's new project DL related or Death Gate Cycle related? 8.2 Q: Do you and Mr. Hickman have any plans to continue the Death Gate Cycle? 8.3 Q: What about an annotated Death Gate Cycle or other non DL books by you and Mr. Hickman? 8.4 Q: Do you plan to write anymore Dragonvarld books? 8.5 Q: I picked up a book called The Endless Catacombs by Margaret Baldwin Weis. Would that happen to be you? 8.6 Q: What kind of project would you like to do when you are finished with DL? 8.7 Q: Which of your non-DL books would you recommend? 8.8 Q: Will MWP put out a DeathGate Cycle game on a system you have helped develop like Serenity or BSG? 8.9 Q: There was a Death Gate Cycle RPG computer game a while back. Were you involved in that? 8.10 Q: I finished reading Dark Heart and was wondering if the story will ever be finished? 8.11 Q: Are the other worlds you've written about being considered for future RPGs? 8.12 Q: I've been trying to locate the elusive 'Mice from Weis' but they are nowhere to be found. Do they still make appearances? 8.13 Q: Which of your non DL series would you recommend?

8.14 Q: I love your writing. Will there ever be anymore books about Haplo and Alfred from the Death Gate Cycle? 8.15 Q: Have you or Mr. Hickman considered making Rose of the Prophet or the Darksword Trilogy into an RPG, and who created the concept for Matthew? 8.16 Q: Do you envision Dragonships continuing on past 6 books and becoming a shared world like Krynn?

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8.17 Q: I m assuming you and Mr. Hickman own the rights to Dragonships. If it becomes a shared word like Krynn would you two be assigning the writers? 8.18 Q: Dragonships looks good but I think I'll stick with DL. 8.19 Q: I'm really liking Bones of the Dragon. When will the next book be released? 8.20 Q: Any plans for crossover between DL and Dragonships? Maybe a character with A B F I N Z in the name?

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8.21 Q: I m rereading Star of the Guardians after 12 years and loving it. 8.22 Q: For your new series Dragonships, Rose of the Prophet was not mention in the list of your earlier works. Considering the times we live in do you feel its too controversial?

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8.23 Q: I m really liking the Norse aspect of Bones of the Dragon. Can we expect some form of Ragnarok in the series? 8.24 Q: I like DL but my first love is the Death Gate Cycle. Will we ever see a sequel? 8.25 Q: Everyone seems to love the kender race. Will we see some form of them in your new series? 8.26 Q: Are there any plans for a Dragonship RPG? 8.27 Q: When's the next book for Dragonship going to be released? If it's a long way off I might wait for the whole series to be finished before picking them up. 8.28 Q: Any chance of returning to one of the non Dl world you and Mr. Hickman created?

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8.29 Q: I m reading Warrior Angel and noticed a reference to Mrs. Pomfrey. So who's the Herriot fan you or Lizz? 8.30 Q: Any ideas for characters in your dog novel if you're able to write it? 8.31 Q: You have unpublished manuscripts? When will we get to read them? 8.32 Q: Just because some stuffy editor rejected your previous work doesn't necessarily mean its bad. Why not let the fans decide? 8.33 Q: You've mentioned Serenity several times. I'm a huge Firefly fan as well as a DL fan. What did you think of the series? Sec. 9: Contribution by other DragonLance Authors 9.1 Q: Did other DL authors ever contact you to go over their ideas or plots? 9.2 Q: You've said the fate of Krynn should be placed "Into new hands..." Could you elaborate? 9.3 Q: When other DL authors write stories involving characters that you created do they ever ask your advice on their development? 9.4 Q: What is your favorite DL novel written by another author, and what is your least favorite?

9.5 Q: Do you see any kind of contribution to DL from Mr. Salvatore or Mr. Greenwood?

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9.6 Q: I ve just picked up the Taladas Trilogy. What is your opinion about more continents on Krynn? 9.7 Q: What is your response to the new continent of Taladas? 9.8 Q: Have you read Mr. Knaak's book, the Black Talon? If so what did you think? 9.9 Q: When writing the DL novels did you ever feel like you were limiting future DL authors? 9.10 Q: Do you feel another DL author has taken one of your characters in a direction you didn't want them to go? 9.11 Q: Do you read other DL authors? 9.12 Q: Do you accept all of the interpretations and directions that Krynn has taken? Sec. 10: Margaret Weis Productions 10.1 Q: What would have been the DL books published if MWP had maintained the rights of DL RPG products? 10.2 Q: How can your fans contact you? 10.3 Q: It seems like the MWP website hasn't recovered from the hack attack. Is the site dead? Sec. 11: Personal Information about Margaret 11.1 Q: Of all the novels you have written, including non DL titles, which series has been your favorite? 11.2 Q: Do you think current characters like Coryn, Rhys and other should be considered DL icons? 11.3 Q: How old were you when you began writing your first novel? 11.4 Q: Have you ever thrown a chalk board eraser at Tracy? 11.5 Q: What character do you feel closest too?

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11.6 Q: What s the best way for me to get a signed copy of a book by you or other DL authors? 11.7 Q: Why are your stories always the last in anthologies? 11.8 Q: Do you still role-play? 11.9 Q: Do you have any plans to release a biography of yourself? 11.10 Q: How do you seem to get so much done in a day and what is your main source of caffeine? 11.11 Q: Will SP reprint the out of print DL titles before the DL license runs out? 11.12 Q: What novels did you enjoy writing most, DL or non-DL? 11.13 Q: Which of the DragonLance projects are you most fond of? 11.14 Q: If you could have dinner with any character who would it be and where would you eat? 11.15 Q: Back when you and Mr. Hickman were first playing the D&D game which character did you play? I've heard Mr. Hickman was the DM and Terry was Raistlin. 11.16 Q: Which one of the DragonLance novels did you feel you had the hardest time writing? 11.17 Q: Are there any books that inspired you as a writer? 11.18 Q: You've referenced a "Punch & Judy Show" a couple of times in your books. Could you explain what is a "Punch & Judy Show?"

11.19 Q: Do you ever get tired of DL fans thanking you? 11.20 Q: Do you have any tattoos? 11.21 Q: I just visited the Source in St. Paul and it was an amazing store. Thanks you for telling me about it. 11.22 Q: I've heard a rumor that Hasbro is looking to sell WoTC. Is there any truth to this? 11.23 Q: Have you considered releasing any of your novels in podcast format? 11.24 Q: See anything cool at Comic Con besides the DL trailer? 11.25 Q: If you had just one book, just one story that would sum you up, what book would that be? 11.26 Q: Do you ever plan on starting your own podcast? Originally Posted by hello

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11.27 Q: Why don t you do a podcast? You were great on Mr. Hickman's "Dragonhearth" podcast. 11.28 Q: What books did you read before you were a writer? What do you read now? 11.29 Q: Do you and Mr. Hickman go to gencon every year? 11.30 Q: What do you consider to be some of the best written books that you have read? 11.31 Q: What is your favorite DL book? 11.32 Q: If were up to you in what medium would you like to see Chronicles portrayed? 11.33 Q: Now that your done with DL is there any chance you'll stop coming around here? 11.34 Q: Have you read every DL novel? 11.35 Q: If you don't read fantasy how are you able to edit fantasy books? 11.36 Q: If you could create a new series with any author in history who would it be?

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11.37 Q: I m just starting David Copperfield. What other Dickens books do you like? 11.38 Q: Do you get excited or nervous when a book comes out? 11.39 Q: If you had something big to tell us you would wouldn't you? 11.40 Q: Would you care for some nice tea for that cough? 11.41 Q: What's your favorite type of dragon? 11.42 Q: Why is blue your favorite type of dragon? 11.43 Q: What book if any are you currently working on? 11.44 Q: Do you still play D&D? My group is almost through Spectre of Sorrows by Cam Banks and its great fun. 11.45 Q: If you don't play anymore would you consider running a game instead? 11.46 Q: Not including Elistan who was your least favorite character? 11.47 Q: Any plans on submitting your DNA for project Immortality? 11.48 Q: Who was your least favorite DL character and why? 11.49 Q: Do you have a favorite Krynnian race? 11.50 Q: Do you have a favorite antagonist? 11.51 Q: Who is your second least favorite DL character? 11.52 Q: Besides Elistan was there any character you disliked writing about? 11.53 Q: If you had the chance of visiting one place on Krynn where would that be? 11.54 Q: What kind of games do you like other than RPG's?

11.55 Q: On a lighter note. do you like Fruity Pebbles? 11.56 Q: So what does the Queen of Darkness eat in the morning? 11.57 Q: Do you ever plan to come to Israel?

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11.58 Q: Do you watch a lot of movies or television? What s some of your favorite shows? 11.59 Q: What about the television show the Shield and the movie Braveheart? 11.60 Q: Do you watch Stargate? 11.61 Q: Do you have a favorite Star Trek Series? 11.62 Q: Do you like Dr. Who? 11.63 Q: Do you watch any "reality" television? 11.64 Q: Do you think the "too American" comment simply a reflection on the way we American talk? 11.65 Q: Interesting screen name you have here. Do you really consider yourself the Queen of Darkness? 11.66 Q: Is there any novel you wished you had rewritten? 11.67 Q: Do you have a favorite Nancy Drew book? 11.68 Q: Do you think you might ever take a break from writing and give yourself a rest? 11.69 Q: What character affected you the most and do you share any of their personal traits? Sec. 12: Future DragonLance Works 12.1 Q: Any chance of us seeing a "Lost Legends" trilogy filling in gaps in the Legends trilogy once Lost Chronicles is completed? 12.2 Q: Do you think you will ever write books similar to The Soulforge except for different characters of the book? 12.3 Q: Will we ever see other DL books annotated like chronicles and legends?. 12.4 Q: Will we ever possibly see a tale from you with the Legion of Steel as the main characters? 12.5 Q: Do you feel that Dragons of Summer Flame is complete or will you ever expand on it? 12.6 Q: Will there be any novels with a dragon as the central character, say Mirror or Razor? 12.7 Q: Do you believe there will ever be another band of adventurers as popular as your Companions? 12.8 Q: With the end of the dragon overlords which direction do you feel DL should take? 12.9 Q: Will we ever see a series based on Kitiara? 12.10 Q: Have you considered writing a new DL trilogy with new companions and adventures? 12.11 Q: It seems that after Dark disciple and the Lost Chronicles you and Mr. Hickman aren't planning any more DL novels. 12.12 Q: I love Atta. Do you plan to write anymore stories involving dogs? 12.13 Q: Is there any chance that the Irda or Maschta will appear in future novels? 12.14 Q: Are you telling us we can see lost chapters of Summer Flame in the future? 12.15 Q: Ansalon has been covered pretty well up to now. Any chance we'll be traveling to new lands with ne gods?

12.16 Q: Are you planning on writing anything in DL anymore? 12.17 Q: If it were up to you would you like to go back and produce more annotated works?

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12.18 Q: I ve heard that Forgotten Realms will be going through a time jump of 100 years or so to fit with the new rules. Can we expect the same with DL? 12.19 Q: Will you and Mr. Hickman adventure on other continents or stick with Ansalon? 12.20 Q: Any chance that a journal of play testing sessions of the original DragonLance games could be published? . 12.21 Q: Is it over between you and Raistlin, and DL for that matter? I hope not. 12.22 Q: Will the novel series still continue? 12.23 Q: I just read your comment about having nothing more to do with DL. Is it really over? 12.24 Q: So are you expecting them to call you in about 5 years offering you a stack of cash to come back? 12.25 Q: If given the chance do you think you and Mr. Hickman would write the DoSF trilogy? 12.26 Q: Was there any consideration for a prelude type story involving Tanin and Sturm? 12.27 Q: Is there any chance you will be writing another DragonLance novel? 12.28 Q: Are you and Mr. Hickman leaving the Krynn behind or will you come back with more stories? 12.29 Q: Now that there seem to be more of a chance for future DL books do you plan on doing anymore DL novels? Sec. 13: Personal Writing Techniques 13.1 Q: When you work with another writer do you use the same techniques as you do with Mr. Hickman? 13.2 Q: Why do you put so much emphasis into a characters eyes? Most notably Raistlin and Mina. 13.3 Q: Why are all the books formatted around 400 pages? Is this intentional?

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13.4 Q: Have you ever come to the point in your writing where you didn t know how to get your characters where you wanted them? 13.5 Q: How much do you rely on game stats when developing your characters? 13.6 Q: Have you ever started a book only to find yourself not enjoying the direction it had taken? 13.7 Q: How long does it typically take you to write a book? 13.8 Q: How many books do you write at a time? 13.9 Q: Do you get writers block very often? 13.10 Q: The nine months you mentioned, does that include everything involved in the publishing process? 13.11 Q: When you start a trilogy do you know how it will end before you finish the books? 13.12 Q: Do you have any books you use to assist you in your writing? 13.13 Q: Have you ever used music as a means of inspiration in your writing?

13.14 Q: I keep a journal with me all the time jotting down story notes. Do you do anything similar and what advice do you have to a new author looking to get published? 13.15 Q: Of the creative process what part is your favorite, least favorite, easiest and hardest? 13.16 Q: Do you listen to music while in the process of writing? 13.17 Q: Do you see your characters as friends or children? 13.18 Q: Which do you feel is harder, developing a plot or writing the story around the plot? 13.19 Q: Typically how many words are in one of your novels? 13.20 Q: When writing a story do you start by developing the antagonist and then develop the protagonist, or the other way around? 13.21 Q: Before computers or the internet what was your favorite way of recording your thoughts? Did either of these advances make you a better writer? 13.22 Q: What is the most rewriting that you have had to do? 13.23 Q: What was the oddest source of inspiration for you?

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13.24 Q: It seems you don t control your characters environment. Does this make writing a DL novel more difficult? 13.25 Q: Since you develop a synopsis of the storyline first what are the factor of the storyline you try to establish during this phase? 13.26 Q: What has been the harshest criticism of your work and did you use it as constructive? 13.27 Q: When you're in the middle of a project do you ever find yourself obsessing over the characters and plot? 13.28 Q: What were some helpful tips your editors gave you? Sec. 14: Working with Mr. Hickman 14.1 Q: In the battle with Verminaard he seemed to hold his own even after the loss of Takhisis' power. Was this final clash yours or Mr.

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Hickman s idea? 14.2 Q: Do you and Mr. Hickman kill off regular characters with the intention of making other authors develop their own heroes and villains? 14.3 Q: Did you or Mr. Hickman ever get writer's block while you were writing? If so, what did you do to solve the problem? 14.4 Q: Do you and Mr. Hickman discuss what should be in the story, or do you alternate chapters and books? 14.5 Q: In the Lost Chronicles you and Mr. Hickman include references from the later books. was this intentional or did it just come on the spur of the moment? 14.6 Q: Where did you an Mr. Hickman get the ideas for the books? 14.7 Q: Have you ever felt that you and Mr. Hickman might be an obstacle to the continuing story of DL? 14.8 Q: Why is there such a seemingly big difference between yours and

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Mr. Hickman s opinion on DotHM? 14.9 Q: What was the biggest disagreement you and Mr. Hickman had during the writing of the Chronicles? 14.10 Q: But weren't you trying to leave Elistan out of DoWN until Mr. Hickman promised you could kill him in Legends?

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14.11 Q: Yours and Mr. Hickman s writing seem to contain a large amount of morals. Were you influenced by any particular religious faith?

14.12 Q: Did you and Mr. Hickman every create character only to remove them because you felt they did fit? 14.13 Q: Is it hard for you knowing that the DL rights are owned by a company and not by you and Mr. Hickman the actual creators? 14.14 Q: Did you and Mr. Hickman have anything works that were unpublished? 14.15 Q: Can you tell us a little bit more of the process of writing when working with Mr. Hickman? Sec. 15: Returning to DragonLance 15.1 Q: Elistan 15.2 Q: writing 15.3 Q:

What was it like for you to start writing DotDD and realize was going to live again? In writing the Lost Chronicles do you find it at all odd to be about characters you created more than 20 years ago? I read that Leaves will be your last DL book. Is this true?

Sec. 16: Non Novel DragonLance Media 16.1 Q: Some band have done song like 'The SoulForged' and 'Wishmaster'.

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What s your opinion of these? 16.2 Q: Is it true they're going to make a DoWN movie? 16.3 Q: Has the release of the DL movie increased DL novel sales? 16.4 Q: Any chance of developing any of your stories into video games? 16.5 Q: What do you think of the band Nightwish? Do you feel they are a good influence on DragonLance? 16.6 Q: Do you plan to make another DL movie? 16.7 Q: Did you imagine anyone else playing the companion than the chosen actors? 16.8 Q: Any word on a second DragonLance movie? 16.9 Q: Have you seen the DL comics produced by Devil's Due? What do you think of them? 16.10 Q: There's been a call for CG DL shorts. If a DoAT movie gets the green light will it include material from DotDD?

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16.11 Q: DragonLance has been covered so thoroughly. what s the point of playing the games? 16.12 Q: What do you think about merchandise commemorating DL? Things like stamps. 16.13 Q: Who would you like to see make a parody of DragonLance? 16.14 Q: With the new DL movie would you like to see other series made into movies, and if so which ones?

Sec. 1: Questions Concerning Raistlin Majere 1.1 Q: When did Raistlin Majere die...and where is the Staff of Magius currently residing. 1.1 A: Raistlin dies at the end of Legends, when he is granted peace in "sleep" (death) by the gods for his sacrifice at the end of that

book. His spirit is tied to Caramon's, however, and thus his spirit cannot leave the world until Caramon dies. The bond between the brothers and between Raistlin and Palin wakes Raistlin from his "sleep" and he returns to the world to help in the war against Chaos. Because his spirit is still in the world, Raistlin is caught up in the War of Souls. The Staff of Magius was taken away from Palin at the end of Summer Flame and since we haven't heard anything about it, I would say that its whereabouts are currently a mystery. 1.2 Q: While Raistlin's spirit was with us during the WOS could he have used magic if he chose to do so? 1.2 A: Raistlin's spirit was searching the universe for Krynn. His spirit being tied to Caramon's, Raistlin needed to find his brother and that helped lead him to the world Being a spirit, he could not have used mortal magic. 1.3 Q: Is Raistlin dead in DoSF, because it seems he is alive in WoS, and how does he affect the time traveling device when magic is not present on Krynn? 1.3 A: Beats the hell outta me... 1.4 Q: Does Raistlin use magic in DoSF, and if so how is that possible? 1.4 A: There is no explanation. Raistlin is who he is and does as he does. 1.5 Q: Did you create Raistlin on your own or did someone aid with his development and that of the other companions? 1.5 A: Actually Raistlin was my creation. I was given the task of coming up with personalities and backgrounds for all the characters. The game group had the stats and they knew what they looked like. The idea from Raistlin came for my asking why he had golden skin and hourglass eyes. The answer: "The artists though it would look cool!" So I had to find a reason for the fact that he looked like this. His twin was normal, so I figured it must have something to do with his magic. That led me to the idea of the Test in the Tower and how would his brother feel about it? That led me to understand the co-dependent nature of the twin's relationship, etc. Terry Phillips played Raistlin based on my description and he added

the whispering voice, which I thought was very cool. 1.6 Q: Once you had the description of Raistlin how long did it take you to fully develop his character? 1.6 A: I can't remember exactly, but you're right. It did take a lot of time. I had help with many of them. For example, I just didn't get Tanis. Then Tracy told me he was like James Kirk of the Starship Enterprise! I got him right away after that!:) 1.7 Q: You once said "Raistlin is what Sherlock Holmes said about the beast in 'The Hound of the Baskervilles'." Could you elaborate? 1.7 A: Not sure. I know I had Sherlock Holmes in mind when I created Raistlin, particularly the detective's cold, cynical detachment toward his fellow man. Perhaps that's what I meant.

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1.8 Q: Who came up with the idea of Raistlin s quote about hope at the end of DoAT? 1.8 A: That would be me. 1.9 Q: With Legends Raistlins story ends. Isn't it best to let him rest in peace? 1.9 A: The story of Raistlin's most dangerous adventure will be told in Dragons of the Hourglass Mage. 1.10 Q: Is there any relation to the Bother's Majere and the god Majere? 1.10 A: The origins of the name is lost in history. It was probably taken or given as homage to the god, but, no, the Majeres are not relatives! 1.11 Q: The brothers last name Majere wasn't mentioned until TotT. Did the name exist before Legends? 1.11 A: That's lost in time, as well. I would guess Tracy came up with it, but I can't remember. 1.12 Q: Is there any chance that Raistlin and Crysania met during the end of the Chaos War? 1.12 A: They never met. 1.13 Q: Who actually won the battle between Raistlin and Fistandantilus? 1.13 A: Actually I never knew who won--and neither did Raistlin. 1.14 Q: Did the lich try to drain life-force from Raistlin after he entered the Tower but before he traveled to Istar? 1.14 A: I haven't a clue. Sorry! Tracy was the only one who ever understood the whole time travel/Fist/Raistlin thing. 1.15 Q: Were you proud of Raistlin when he claimed the Tower of High Sorcery or when he managed to become a god? 1.15 A: I'm not sure I was proud of him. I knew where his ambition was going to lead him. 1.16 Q: Have you always been empathetic with Raistlin? 1.16 A: Raistlin was a character I came to know very well. And that

pretty well says it all. 1.17 Q: How is it that Raistlin was able to find Krynn when the gods themselves could not? 1.17 A: I've always wondered that myself. Okay seriously I think (and this is just me, mind you) that it was his mortality; his love for Caramon and Palin and Tasslehoff that led him to find the world. 1.18 Q: You're saying that Raistlin loved Tas? 1.18 A: Raistlin was really pretty tolerant of Tas, if you stop to think about it. How many other powerful wizards would have put up with the kender for as long as Raistlin did? I think Raistlin loved Tas as much as he was capable of loving anyone. 1.19 Q: Why is Raistlin your favorite? 1.19 A: Some characters are acquaintances. Some are friends. Some you know better than you know your own family. Raistlin was one of those. I can't explain why. 1.20 Q: Do you know someone personally with a condition similar to Raistlins or did you just use your imagination? 1.20 A: I based a lot on myself. I wasn't sick, but I was introverted and withdrawn. I spent much of my time with books. Thanks! Great question. I had to stop to think about it. 1.21 Q: Where did you come up with the idea for Raistlin Majere? 1.21 A: I had to answer the question "Why did he have golden skin and hourglass eyes?". 1.22 Q: What is Raistlin like when he's drunk? 1.22 A: Given Raistlin's precarious health and his strict selfdiscipline, I don't see him allowing himself to lose control by drinking to excess.

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1.23 Q: In WoS Raistlin seemed like show for the fans, why didn t he get more gratitude for saving the world and what do you think the companions are doing in the afterlife? 1.23 A: Raistlin was planned. Seemed fitting. I don't think he did it for gratitude. Nor do I think he cared. He had his reward. I think the heroes went to Disney World.:) 1.24 Q: Considering the amount of respect all 3 gods of magic have for Raistlin is WoS really the end for him? 1.24 A: It's interesting to speculate about what Raistlin is doing on the next stage of his soul's journey. Any thoughts, people? 1.25 Q: Was it the real Raistlin that tested Palin and if so was Raistlin considered dead then?

1.25 A: Yes. 1.26 Q: If Raistlin is as powerful as he seems why does he keep the curse of the hourglass eyes? Couldn't he remove it if he wanted? 1.26 A: To remind himself of his own mortality. 1.27 Q: What did Raistlin and Crysania discuss during their meeting in DoSF 1.27 A: Since their conversation was private, we have no way of knowing. 1.28 Q: What ever became of the bargain Raistlin struck with the gods at the end of WoS? 1.28 A: Raistlin's soul was allowed to continue on its journey. 1.29 Q: Since Raistlin is symbolized by an hourglass where do you think the sand would be? 1.29 A: I think Raistlin would see it as more sand in the bottom. As frail as he is, he must secretly fear that he will not live long enough to fulfill his dreams. 1.30 Q: Did you ever imagine Raistlin speaking with some sort of accent? 1.30 A: A quiet voice, but no accent. 1.31 Q: Why was Raistlin given hourglass eyes? 1.31 A: The artists thought it would look cool. 1.32 Q: was Raistlins move to evil his own choice or was he pushed by bigger forces? 1.32 A: Raistlin knew exactly what he was doing. He came to many crossroads, where he could have gone one way or the other. He chose to walk in the shadows. A prime example is that he chooses to go to Neraka to serve the Dark Queen. 1.33 Q: Will Raistlin make any appearances in upcoming DL novels? 1.33 A: At the moment, there are no more DL novels planned. If and when there are, that will be up to whoever is working on the world. Sec. 2: Questions Concerning Mina and the Dark Disciple Trilogy 2.1 Q: Did you decide on Mina's destiny before you started the Dark Disciple Trilogy, or even before the WoS? 2.1 A: I didn't know when we wrote War of Souls. The truth hit me while I was sitting in a bar in Austin, Texas. I wrote her story down on a cocktail napkin. 2.2 Q: Rhys Mason's name bares some similarity to the name Raistlin Majere. Was this intentional or does his name some other special meaning. 2.2 A: Rhys is Welsh for ardour. Mason because his family are stone masons. 2.3 Q: Why didn't you work with Mr. Hickman on the Dark Disciple Trilogy? 2.3 A: Tracy and his wife were working on Bronze Canticles. I decided to do Mina on my own.

2.4 Q: Will the conclusion of the Dark disciple Trilogy change the pantheon? 2.4 A: Come now, did you really think I'd tell?:) 2.5 Q: In Amber and Iron, Majere says Mina is, or was a god of light. Does that mean Mina is lost forever? 2.5 A: Ah, now, if I told that, I wouldn't need to write the third book.:) 2.6 Q: Will there be any future stories about Mina's companion Galdar? 2.6 A: Doug Clark is writing a novel about Galdar and Gerard getting back together (reluctantly) for an adventure. I'd tell you the title, but it has slipped my mind. I'll try to find out. 2.7 Q: If Mina is a new goddess of darkness what will that mean to the balance that Gilean is trying to preserve? 2.7 A: That's what the third book is about. 2.8 Q: Mina was originally created in a gaming module, but since you developed her character do you feel she belongs to you? 2.8 A: Tracy and I both worked on Mina in War of Souls. I was the one who discovered her true history while working on Amber and Ashes. I did discuss it with Tracy to get his blessing. 2.9 Q: Did the inspiration for a certain Vallenwood guard in the Dark Disciple Trilogy come from someone on this board, say a managing editor for MWP? 2.9 A: Yes, of course! 2.10 Q: What would you say was the hardest part of writing Amber and Blood? 2.10 A: The third book took me years to figure out how I could say what I wanted to say. 2.11 Q: In Amber and Blood you make several comments about Rhys being barefoot wearing nothing but his robe, but in Amber and Iron you have him in leggings and boots. Why? 2.11 A: I don't recall anything about leggings! He started wearing the boots when he worked in the Inn due to health code restrictions. 2.12 Q: Will Amber and Blood make any lasting changes to the pantheon of Krynn? 2.12 A: You really think I'll answer that?!:) 2.13 Q: Unlike Tas who feels fear for others Nightshade fears for himself as well as others. Is there something unique about him? 2.13 A: Nightshade has common sense and that balances out his lack of fear. Many kender can feel fear for others, if not necessarily for themselves. And, no, he is NOT afflicted! 2.14 Q: As a goddess unaware of her own nature Mina seems to speak to our own human need to know ourselves. Was this your intention? 2.14 A: My original inspiration for Mina was Joan of Arc. She's evolved since then! 2.15 Q: Did you base any part of Rhys Mason off Saint Roch?

2.15 A: No, not really. 2.16 Q: Are you planning any kind of tour for the release of Amber and Blood? 2.16 A: Amber and Blood ends the Dark Disciple series. 2.17 Q: When exactly did you decide the fate of Mina? 2.17 A: As I've said before, sometimes you know something you don't know you know. Which makes it hard to say exactly when you realize you know it. 2.18 Q: Why did you introduce the High God in Amber and Blood and give him a direct hand in the affairs of men and the gods? 2.18 A: The High God saw that bringing those powerful artifacts back into the world would definitely upset the balance and perhaps even destroy the world. The gods would have fought over them (were already fighting over them) and so would the followers of the gods. 2.19 Q: Do the Monks of Majere breed their working dogs? 2.19 A: Yes, absolutely. 2.20 Q: In WoS and into the Dark Disciple trilogy you begin to describe weaponry in more Renaissance terms. Why the change? 2.20 A: Basically I was tired of hearing my characters clanking around in plate armor.:) 2.21 Q: If Mina was originally a good goddess wasn't the balance disturbed from the beginning, or does this imply other dark gods? 2.21 A: That was why Majere put her into what should have been eternal sleep. If Takhisis had not stolen the world, Mina would have never wakened. Which means that the universe always strives to maintain the balance. No, no more gods. Mina's domains are not easy to define. You have to look beyond rule books. 2.22 Q: Is Mina's story done or do you have any further plans for her? 2.22 A: As of right now, I have written my last DragonLance book. 2.23 Q: In the Dark Disciple why did you use the Beloved of Chemosh rather than vampires? 2.23 A: I could not get Buffy out of my head.:) 2.24 Q: I loved you portrayal of Atta in Dark Disciple. Do you have plans for anymore books involving dogs? 2.24 A: My flyball team wants me to write a book on flyball dogs. Still trying to think up a plot. 2.25 Q: Will Amber and Blood be translated into German? 2.25 A: That would be up to the German and Russian publishers. I rarely know

about foreign sales unless the editors contact me with questions. You need to contact the publishers. 2.26 Q: Did Atta get his name from the phrase "atta boy/atta girl'? 2.26 A: That's pretty cool. I really just liked the way it sounds. 2.27 Q: Are you saying I'm write about the 'atta boy/atta girl' being the source of Atta's name? 2.27 A: I like the "atta" girl. Sec. 3: Questions Concerning Kang and his Draconians 3.1 Q: Did Kang receive a promotion from First Dragonarmy Bridging Company to the First Dragonarmy Engineering Regiment? 3.1 A: Yes, he received a promotion. 3.2 Q: Were the draconians that captured the Companions in DoAT the same draconians under Kang's command? 3.2 A: Actually on reconsidering this, I don't think it was Kang's command who captured the companions. It was Kang's people who constructed the fake dragon and put it in the cage with the intent of fooling the none too bright baaz draconians into thinking it was a real dragon. Not that Kang wouldn't have captured the companions if he'd had the chance. (I think if he had, he would have simply killed them!:)) 3.3 Q: Did the First Dragonarmy Bridging Company's story take place just after the return of the Metallic Dragons in the Spring of 352. 3.3 A: Beats the hell outta me.:)

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3.4 Q: Kang s command is mentioned as before the war. Does before the war mean before the companions or some other time? 3.4 A: One has to remember that the war for the draconians started long before it started for Tanis and the others. If that helps any... 3.5 Q: Will Kang's city of Teyr ever be recognized as a legitimate citystate? 3.5 A: Interesting questions. If there are ever more books, they might be answered. 3.6 Q: Does that mean there will be no more novels about Kang and his draconians? 3.6 A: All I meant was that I have no plans to write any more draconian novels. Someone else could write them. 3.7 Q: The Canadian Army has an airborne unit called the Queens Own. Is there any relation between this unit and the Sivaks Queens Own unit? 3.7 A: Yes. 3.8 Q: Will there ever be a trilogy about the draconians of Teyr?

3.8 A: Not by me! 3.9 Q: How many draconians hatch from each dragon egg? It seems like there are thousands of draconians. Did each one come from a single egg? 3.9 A: Not a clue. Sorry. 3.10 Q: I grateful for the closure coming in DotHM, but what about Kang? doesn't he deserve and ending? 3.10 A: One of Kang's crew has a cameo appearance in Hourglass Mage.:) Sec. 4: Questions Concerning the Other Companions and Villans of DragonLance 4.1 Q: In the short story "Here be Dragons" (from the Anthology Dragons: Worlds afire) it says something about Tas' "four-some legs". What does that mean? 4.1 A: The quote is "four-some feet" and it means he was four something feet tall. 4.2 Q: It is known that Tas has a younger sister; will we see Tas talk about her or her parents in the upcoming books? 4.2 A: I think kender have very loose ties to family and those are broken when wanderlust sets in. Kender children are raised in a communal situation, with wandering parents cheerfully handing off their kids to relatives, friends, or perfect strangers. Lots of kender orphans, too, and those are taken in by the community. Thus knowledge of one's real father or mother isn't all that important to a kender and probably explains the popularity of "Uncle Trapspringer" as a parent-figure. Of course, not all kender are alike. Nightshade, for example, seems to have had relatively close ties to his family, though we get the idea that they were not typical kender. 4.3 Q: Do you think Tas' conversation with Takhisis after time traveling instigated her awakening of the dragons and the War of the Lance, or was this irrelevant? 4.3 A: No. I think Takhisis had been planning her return since Huma drove her and her dragons from the world. As to seeing the future in Tas' mind, that would not have had any effect because the future had already happened in the past. And this gets into one of those maddening time-travel loops that are better left to be discussed over a pitcher of beer.

4.4 Q: Did Takhisis send Tas back to die so he couldn't defeat Chaos thus keeping her from stealing Krynn, or was she making sure no one could find Krynn? 4.4 A: No. Yes. No. Yes. No. Yes. No... (I'm stuck in a time loop.) 4.5 Q: In the Soulforge you mentioned Flint can never return to his clan, why not? 4.5 A: I guess we'll never know... 4.6 Q: Would it be possible for Nuitari to bring Raistlin back from the dead and do you think Dalamar will ever recover his spell book from the tower in Nightlund? 4.6 A: 1) I doubt if Nuitari would do that. Remember, he was not all that pleased with Raistlin. I don't think any of the gods wanted Raistlin back! 2) Interesting question! I'm sure Dalamar would at least give it a try! 4.7 Q: If you had known DoSF would not be the end of DL would you have let Tanin and Sturm survive? 4.7 A: No, their deaths were part of the plot. War is hell. 4.8 Q: Could you tell us more about how Nightshade was developed, and considering your opinion on wild magic how do you feel about mysticism? 4.8 A: Since I try to make each character a unique individual, developing Nightshade wasn't that difficult. I see him in my mind, hear him talk. He's himself, not Tas. I've enjoyed working with him as a mystic, especially since this book is about the gods and how mortals deal with the gods and faith. Nightshade serves as an interesting counterpoint to Rhys. 4.9 Q: Is Usha the daughter of Tasslehoff? 4.9 A: Wow! I wish I'd said that! 4.10 Q: You're joking right? 4.10 A: No, it's just that I get asked that Usha question SO MUCH! As for Tas having children, it's always seemed to me that kender have a very relaxed and casual attitude toward sex so that I doubt if either parent really knows or cares if the kids hanging about the house are theirs or not. It just simply doesn't matter to them. So if Tas had children, he probably wouldn't know it. And it's likely that no one else would either. That's why every kender can claim to be a relative!:)

4.11 Q: At the beginning of DoWN Sturm is deeply interested in the DragonLances but by the end of DoWN Sturm seen barely interested in them. Why the change? 4.11 A: As we see in Dwarven Depths, Sturm is desperate to attain glory, mainly for himself. (We'll learn more about why in Highlord Skies.) Sturm sees the quickest way to achieve glory is through the legendary DragonLances. That's why he gives way to temptation when Raistlin persuades him to cheat the dwarves out of the Hammer of Kharas. What Sturm will come to learn by the time he reaches Winter Night is that DragonLances alone won't win the war. The war will be won by heroes, by those willing to sacrifice themselves for the cause, not for personal glory. 4.12 Q: Hedrick is so obnoxious, how did you come up with him? 4.12 A: I had lots of fun with him. He's the epitome of the self-centered, ambitious-at-any-cost politician. 4.13 Q: I love Soth but I've heard there was some bad blood concerning him being in the Ravenloft books. Is this true? 4.13 A: Let's just say there was a disagreement. 4.14 Q: Why did Tanis get such an obscure death? 4.14 A: Because, sadly, that's the way it happens during war sometimes. 4.15 Q: Riverwind seemed pretty distant in DoAT but in DotDD he and Tanis had developed a solid friendship. How did they get so close? 4.15 A: By the time of Dwarven Depths, he and Tanis had been through a lot together! (Plus he'd just gotten married!) 4.16 Q: Does Crysania love Valin? Would you have written it differently? Can Raistlin and Crysania come together again? 4.16 A: Yes. No. No. 4.17 Q: What was the fate of Kitiara's soul? It was left as a mystery. 4.17 A: And a mystery it shall stay. 4.18 Q: In DotHS you describe Iolanthe has having brown flesh. Is she actually dark-skinned or just well tanned? 4.18 A: Since she's from Khur, I picture her as dark-skinned. 4.19 Q: Even though he ended his life as a hero why was Steel Brightbaled killed off so quickly? Also with my husband deployed your writing has meant a lot to me. Thank you. 4.19 A: You pretty much answered your own question!:) By the way, you and your family are the true heroes! Thanks for all you do for us. 4.20 Q: Will a young Ariakan make a DotHM appearance? Or is it too early to be asking?

4.20 A: Way too early. 4.21 Q: Are there any living members of the Brightblade family living in the current age? 4.21 A: I have no idea. 4.22 Q: Will the reclamation of the Tower of Nightlund/Palanthas be written out in story form? 4.22 A: I have no idea. 4.23 Q: Since the Tower of the Blood sea is no longer underwater does Dalamar really have any argument for not becoming the Tower's Master? 4.23 A: Ah, another sneaky attempt to get me to reveal what's going to happen in Amber and Blood. Won't work.:) 4.24 Q: What exactly is the ring Lauranna gave Tanis made of? 4.24 A: I always pictured it as being made of gold throughout. 4.25 Q: Thank you for finally explaining in DotHS how Soth was apparently "punished" by being granted awesome powers. 4.25 A: One reason we wrote these books was to add material that we were forced by time and space constraints to leave out of the first books! Tracy and I had a long discussion about Soth as we working on this book and this was the result. 4.26 Q: At the end of DoWN when Tas placed the feather on Sturms body, did he know at that time that Fizban was Paladine? 4.26 A: No. He understood the feather was special, however. 4.27 Q: Since no sensible shopkeeper would allow a kender to enter his store, where do they buy their clothes? 4.27 A: My guess is they don't buy them! They "borrow" them. And I also think kender make a lot of a their own clothes, which accounts for the garish color schemes. 4.28 Q: In DoAT Goldmoon says "Su Torakh". What does this phrase mean? 4.28 A: Too long ago for me to remember! Sorry, 4.29 Q: Does Kitiara truly love Tanis? 4.29 A: Love as in being willing to sacrifice oneself for the good of the beloved? No. Love as in being obsessed with the only man she couldn't bend to her will? Yes. Sec. 5: Advice for New Authors 5.1 Q: Now that you solely write for a living would you say the money for being an author is very good? 5.1 A: Nope good question. You need to remember that my first published novel, Dragons of Autumn Twilight, hit the NY Time Bestseller list. That doesn't happen to too many authors! My best advice: if you're writing to make money, you won't succeed.

If you're writing because you love to write, you will succeed, even if you don't make a dime. 5.2 Q: As a writer how do I know when I've written enough to fill a novel? 5.2 A: A novel is as long as it needs to be. 5.3 Q: When do you think a reader would actually give up reading a novel due to its length? 5.3 A: There's really no magic formula. And what you find boring and tedious, another reader may love. Plus you really don't want exciting action on every page. That in itself grows boring. The reader needs some time to catch his breath, relax, get ready for the next development. Most writers use the concept of "rising action". Sort of like a stair case. You start small and go up a little higher every time. And there are "landings" where the reader can rest. You can use down times to give the reader insight into the characters, to have some fun, to create conflict among the characters, provide tender moments. Take Autumn Twilight. Story stars with Flint sitting on a rock, resting. Then he meets Tanis and they discuss their travels. We learn something about the characters. Then Tasslehoff enters--comic relief. Then Toede and the hobgoblins arrive--menace. By this time, we care about Tanis, Flint, and Tas and we want them to win. The fight is not that perilous. We're pretty sure our heroes will win. We learn about a blue crystal staff. Mmm. Wonder what's up with that. Then we go off to meet the rest of our friends. More talk, learn about more characters. Raistlin is intriguing. Tas and Caramon provide comic relief, but a hint of trouble to come with the breaking of the oath. Then Goldmoon and Riverwind and Sturm enter. Build tension. Talk of war. Weird old man. A miracle happens. Danger. Flight. This time it's more serious. And the action rises from that point. 5.4 Q: Do you make a lot of money being an author for DL, or is a second job always good to have at hand?

5.4 A: An author friend of mine once gave this advice to wanna-be authors: "Keep reading, keep writing, keep your day job!". I am now lucky enough to be able to write for a living. However, I worked my "day job" for over fifteen years before I arrived at that point! 5.5 Q: An author once told that it's always best to write the ending first, would you agree with this approach? 5.5 A: I very much doubt if this would work, since the end wraps up everything that has come before. And if nothing has come before, it's hard to wrap it up. 5.6 Q: If I write my own DL novel do you think it would be a good idea to write a second version for other publishers, changing the DL specifics? 5.6 A: A good DL novel is world specific. That is, you can't just change the names and make it Greyhawk. My suggestion would be to create your own world. Much more fun! 5.7 Q: I have heard the publishers will not accept unsolicited works. Do you have any advice for new authors wanting to write DL novels? 5.7 A: That's true. In order to maintain a modicum of control on continuity, DL books are written by invitation only and generally fit into ongoing series. Never hurts to write anything for fun, however! It's a good learning experience. 5.8 Q: I want to help continue DL. Who would I need to talk to about this? 5.8 A: Well, it would definitely be someone at WoTC because they own DragonLance. I have no idea who. I'm completely out of the DL loop these days. 5.9 Q: Could someone who has good ideas but can not write well still find work as an author? 5.9 A: You could always work with a co-author. 5.10 Q: You've recommended Stephen Kings "On Writing" for new authors. Have you read the book yourself and did it change your writing style any? 5.10 A: I haven't read the book! I was going on advice of others who have read it. Every writer has his or her own way of working. I always plot out my books in advance. That way, I know where I'm going. 5.11 Q: Do you have any advice for helping someone develop their character? 5.11 A: Characters are like teenagers. You need to listen to them, respect

their viewpoint, but always remember that you are the parent and they need to obey your rules! In regard to characters, I always recommend reading Charles Dickens, an author who created superb characters. Study his technique. Suggested reading: David Copperfield. 5.12 Q: I want to try my hand at my own DL novel. Could you suggest a location on Krynn that hasn't written about? 5.12 A: My suggestion is: ask Cam or Tal or Dragonhelm or one of the other experts! I barely know where I am half the time. (As Cam can attest.) 5.13 Q: Do you ever listen to pitches for new DL stories? 5.13 A: Tracy and I no longer have anything do to with DragonLance. WoTC's decision. 5.14 Q: How profitable is it to be an author for DL? 5.14 A: Really difficult to say. Figuring author payment is a very complicated system, based on numbers of books sold, books returned, advances, royalty rate, escalator clauses, etc. 5.15 Q: I have a manuscript that has been rejected. what should I do? 5.15 A: Pack up that book in a box and start the next one. Don't ever remain fixated on a single book. I have a box of novels I wrote that will never see the light of day! I wrote books for ten years before I sold a single one. That said, an editor might be a good idea to help you learn where you're going wrong. The editor should be used primarily to provide feedback. Are there problems with dialog, pacing, plot, characters? Lots of professional editors advertise on line, but I don't know how many are trustworthy. I would tend to look for a creative writing teacher, perhaps take some classes. Or attend a writer's workshop at a convention. These can be invaluable. Get one-on-one feedback. Most important, keep writing. I heard a great quite the other day. "Talent is the desire to practice." Malcolm Gladwell. 5.16 Q: What if I want to try and self-publish my work. Any advice? 5.16 A: Read Stephen King's book, "On Writing". He gives great advice. 5.17 Q: I have a background story I thin is great. Can I get your comments on it?

5.17 A: you like it,

My life will be so much easier if I don't comment! If go for it!

Sec. 6: Insight into the Creation of DragonLance 6.1 Q: You seem to have more detail in your books about blue and silver dragons. Why is that? 6.1 A: Because the books tend to deal with knights (dark and light) and knights tend to ride either silver or blue dragons, that's why I tend to write more about them. Gold dragons are not all that common and they don't much like air combat, whereas blue and silver enjoy it. Red dragons are not keen on riders, though they do tolerate them. 6.2 Q: How much input do you or Mr. Hickman have in the choosing of artwork for the DL novels you've worked on? 6.2 A: We provide cover art suggestions and we see the artist's sketches. We can offer advice and opinions, but the WoTC art director has final say. 6.3 Q: Why do you sometimes include gaming information at the end of some of your novels? 6.3 A: Also we find that non-gamers enjoy reading the expanded information about aspects of the novel. Many non-gamers buy the DL game material to more about the world. 6.4 Q: Who came up with the concept of the Greygem? 6.4 A: I have no idea. That was part of the story that was in place when I arrived at TSR. 6.5 Q: At the end of DoSD Astinius mentions to a dying Raistlin something about the Key of Knowledge. Could you elaborate on what this Key actually is? 6.5 A: The Key of Knowledge is self-knowledge. Raistlin at this point looks inside himself and sees the truth of what he is and what he wants to be. It ain't pretty... 6.6 Q: How did you come up with Gerard? He doesn't seem like one of your stereotypical knights. 6.6 A: I thought it would be interesting and suitable to write about a knight who was atypical. Someone who was the opposite of Mina, who was more paladine-like than he was, making a good counterpoint to her.

6.7 Q: What made you and Mr. Hickman decide to write the Legends Trilogy? 6.7 A: We knew the story of Raistlin and Caramon was not finished with the end of Chronicles and we just decided we wanted to continue it! The characters led us to understand how it would unfold. 6.8 Q: When exactly does DotHS take place in the Chronicles timeline? 6.8 A: It takes place during Winter Night. Some scenes in Winter Night are in Highlord Skies, just viewed from a different perspective. As Tracy and I stated in the beginning, these books are not meant to be read in chronological order. They're meant to be read after you've read the Chronicles and Legends. Having read those books first will provide added depth to the Lost Chronicles. 6.9 Q: I loved the interior art work in the books. Was removing them a way to reduce costs? 6.9 A: That and the fact that some thought the interior art made them look like "kid's" books. 6.10 Q: Why aren't the relevant dates put at the beginning of each book? 6.10 A: Because as soon as posted a date, someone would come on this board and tell me it was wrong. So I prefer to leave time nebulous.:) 6.11 Q: In the WoS, since their power has returned, can clerics and mages contact the dead or have their spirits moved on? 6.11 A: Not so much prevented in that their spirit has moved on to another stage in their life's journey and they do not look back. 6.12 Q: Is the Solamnic language declension heavy language or pronoun heavy? 6.12 A: Tracy designed it to resemble Latin. 6.13 Q: Why was the title Dragons of Summer Flame and not Dragons of Summer Day? 6.13 A: Dragons of a Summer Day sounds like a book about the Heroes at Disney World.:) Summer Flame is much more dramatic. 6.14 Q: What was the thought process for the names to the titles in WoS and the Lost Chronicles? 6.14 A: Tracy came up with the titles for War of Souls. I have my own ideas, but you should ask him. I think Lost Chronicles are pretty self-explanatory. Dwarven Depths means dwarven depths. Highlord Skies refers to Kit and her travels, with a nice play on words with her dragon's name. Hourglass Mage is Raistlin, of course, referring both to his eyes and time.

6.15 Q: The DragonLance seems similar to the lance from the movie Dragonslayer. Have you seen it and were any ideas drawn from the movie? 6.15 A: I never did. Can't answer for anyone else. 6.16 Q: Larry Elmore originally imagined Tas with a bulbous nose and rounded ears, why did he change Tas' appearance?

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look after he read Dragons of 6.16 A: Larry changed Tas Autumn Twilight. He said the new look reflected the way he felt about Tas. 6.17 Q: How did you come up with the original characters and their professions? 6.17 A: The stats for the characters were determined by the game group. I was book editor, so I had nothing to do with that. I came up with their past histories and personalities. 6.18 Q: Where did you come up with the ideas of the different orders for the knights? 6.18 A: I didn't come up with them. Tracy and his group had that all determined before I came on board. Sorry! 6.19 Q: Were you part of the original team that came up with the DragonLance campaign setting? 6.19 A: Yes, though I came on board several months after work was started. 6.20 Q: Do you know how the team came up with the original ideas? 6.20 A: No, I really didn't think to ask! (We were incredibly busy!) The group was the DL design team at TSR, Inc. formed during 1982/93 and led by Tracy. Some members were: Tracy, myself, Michael Williams, Jeff Grubb, Doug Niles, Harold Johnson, and Larry Elmore. The other artists, Keith Parkinson, Clyde Caldwell, and Jeff Easely, would also share their ideas, and other people, such as Roger Moore, were involved in play testing and offered valuable help and advice. It was a remarkable group of amazingly creative people. One of the best times of my life! 6.21 Q: Where did you get the idea to create the annotated version of Chronicles and Legends? 6.21 A: The idea wasn't mine. It came from WoTC. 6.22 Q: Was the Last Unicorn your inspiration for the Forestmaster in DoAT? 6.22 A: No, not really. Great book, by the way! 6.23 Q: In mythology white stags are considered "messengers from the otherworld." Were you aware of this when you wrote of the white stag in Chronicles? 6.23 A: Tracy and the team came up with the stag. Sec. 7: General DragonLance Questions:

7.1 Q: Why was the Academy of Sorcery never rebuilt? 7.1 A: It 's pretty complicated, having to do with the bottom falling out of the real estate market in Solace, sub prime lending, devaluation of the steel dollar, etc. 7.2 Q: Are you implying the Academy should not be rebuilt? 7.2 A: In other words, if someone wants to rebuild the Academy, it's fine by me! 7.3 Q: What are your opinions on "wild" sorcery, and do you think you and Mr. Hickman will expand on its practice? 7.3 A: Strictly from a writer's vp, I'm not a big fan of wild sorcery. I have much more fun writing about mages with moons, robes, rules, and bat guano. So, I doubt if I ever write much about it. 7.4 Q: Was Cyan always meant to be an epic dragon character and how did he get his last name? 7.4 A: He became an important figure (along with Skie) because of his dealings with Lorac, which meant he played a major role in Silvanesti. I don't remember how or why he came by his name. 7.5 Q: Will the throne of Takhisis ever be filled again? 7.5 A: Her Majesty has no comment at this time. Have your people contact my people at a later date. We'll do lunch. 7.6 Q: Any word yet about DragonLance gift sets? 7.6 A: No word on that yet.

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7.7 Q: If Marquesta Kar Thon was suppose to be half elven why didn t Tanis catch it or make mention to it? 7.7 A: He had lots of more important things on his mind! And usually upon first meeting a person we generally do not make comments on their race! (At least I hope not!) In addition, we know this was a painful point with Tanis. I don't see him having a cozy chat about his racial heritage with a stranger. 7.8 Q: A while back a student group in Europe created trailers for Chronicles. did you see them and if so what did you think? 7.8 A: Yes, I saw them. I really enjoyed them! 7.9 Q: Should I wait to read DoWN until after I have read DotHS? 7.9 A: As I've said before, the Lost Chronicles have been written with the intent that readers read the original Chronicles FIRST! You will have much more enjoyment reading Highlord Skies if you've read the Chronicles (and even other DL books. One of my favorite characters

from another series makes a guest appearance!). So--finish Winter Night. Finish Spring Dawning. Read Legends and anything else you want. 7.10 Q: Does DotHS take place mostly during the first and second subbooks in DoWN? 7.10 A: Most of it takes place simultaneously with DoWN. While the heroes are doing their thing, we're following Kit doing hers. We do switch to Laurana and the Icewall group and pick up their adventures, but Kit has a hand in those, as well. So, not sure what to tell you. 7.11 Q: Which translated version of DL sells the best? 7.11 A: I really have no idea. Reporting of foreign language sales is hard to track. Sorry! The most interesting translation was the first Russian. The books made it behind the Iron Curtain and were translated and published secretly in the days of the old Soviet Union. We had fans in Russia for years and we never knew it! I met a Russian at Gen Con who showed me a copy of one of these underground books. Now the books are being published officially in Russia. 7.12 Q: After Porthios was struck down by the chaos Dragon he was nursed back to health by the Kagonesti Chief, but in Alliances he's seen fending for himself. What happened? 7.12 A: I guess you'd have to ask Porthios. 7.13 Q: Was Paladine mortal when Silvanoshei saw him in the temple or when he cut himself with Tas' knife? 7.13 A: Paladine became mortal at exactly the same time Takhisis did. 7.14 Q: I read that you were instrumental in the introduction of black powder to Krynn. What other advances would you like to see introduced? 7.14 A: Since the Queen of Darkness is soon to be leaving the building, I think I'll keep quiet.:) 7.15 Q: I bought an ARC copy autographed by you and Mr. Hickman. Do you get paid for these copies? 7.15 A: Arcs are sent to book reviewers, book store owners and employees, publisher sales reps, etc. Since review copies are given away free, not sold, we don't make anything on them. We're happy to have them go out, however! 7.16 Q: When writing a DL novel how much research do you do with other DL authors to ensure the integrity of the DL world? 7.16 A: Ask Cam and Trampas. I bug them all the time!

7.17 Q: Why was Dragons of Summer Flame hard to write? 7.17 A: Because it should have been three books. Not one. 7.18 Q: In the games gods take aspects, in Lost Chronicles Takhisis

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appears in avatar form. What s the difference? 7.18 A: Cam--help! 7.19 Q: How long were the companions involved in the War of the Lance? 7.19 A: I'll let someone else answer that. I have no clue! 7.20 Q: Dragons of the Dwarven Depths is in the Top Ten list of fiction books in the Philippines. Congratulations! 7.20 A: That's awesome! Thank you so much! 7.21 Q: In DotHS was there a reason why Soth's relationship to Kit was kept to a minimum? 7.21 A: Because she was nearly dead?!:) Seriously, as Tracy and I have always said, some things should remain mysterious. 7.22 Q: How potent is Dwarf spirits? Is it anything like whisky? 7.22 A: Very potent and can be addictive.

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7.23 Q: In DotDD there s a chapter called "Faith, Hope and Hedrick." Is this a takeoff on a season 3 episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer entitled "Faith, Hope and Trick"? 7.23 A: Actually it's a take-off on the virtues, "Faith, Hope, and Charity." 7.24 Q: In DotHS you mention that Derrick has a wife and children. Could you elaborate? 7.24 A: I decided it was important to our understanding of Derek's character that he have a family. 7.25 Q: In DotDD Tas' comments about how he'd like to be remembered after he dies are very similar to what actually happened. Were you implying that Tas can tell the future? 7.25 A: Nope, Tas is just having fun. 7.26 Q: Also in DotDD Flint says if Arman get the hammer he will lose his soul. Should we be worried for Flint since Arman did get the hammer? 7.26 A: I think his soul is safe! 7.27 Q: Could it be that Flint actually saved his soul by giving Arman the hammer or am I breaking the rules? 7.27 A: Good answer, though! 7.28 Q: when preparing to write WoS did you research any of the previous books about the Fifth Age? 7.28 A: I talked to Jean Rabe about her books. 7.29 Q: For DotDD did you have a new editor or use a ghost writer for any of the book? 7.29 A: I've answered this question in previous threads. The short version: It has nothing to do with my editor, who has been my editor for nearly twenty years. It has to do with the number of steps the book undergoes before it finally gets to print. With Highlord Skies, I tried a new method for dealing with this and it seems to have

worked. Raistlin said something to Tas about the Glasses of Arcanist too truly'. What does this mean? You'd have to ask Raistlin. In DotHS I was expecting something in regards to Skie's true Why was nothing mentioned about this? Really the only thing we could have done would have have Skie thinking about his home world and that would have required a lot of explanation which would have confused readers new to the series. It seemed far more logical to us that Skie would be concentrating on his current problems! 7.32 Q: How is it that almost all the DL books are about the same length? If the writer comes up short do they have to go back and make them longer? 7.32 A: A story is as long as it needs to be. It was only in the early early days that we had to cut to fit length. A word count is usually put into a contract (just so a writer won't turn in a 50 word book!), but so long as the novel works, writers don't usually have to either write "up" or write "down" to meet it. 7.33 Q: After Palin discarded the Staff of Magius in the Abyss Raistlin is seen with it in DoaVM. Does this mean that Raistlin recovered the staff from the Abyss? 7.33 A: The staff would not have been of much use to him on the next stage of his journey. Therefore I think he secretly bequeathed it to someone before he left. And, no, I have no idea who that person was. It would make an interesting story, however! 7.34 Q: The original close up of Pyros from the DL movie screen shots seem a lot like Flamestrike. Could you shed any light on this? 7.34 A: No, I can't. Sorry. I saw the animatics for just the first 45 minutes of the movie. 7.35 Q: What ever happened to Astinius after WoS? 7.35 A: I have no clue. Sorry! I was as astonished to hear he was gone as anyone else. 7.36 Q: Are you saying you consider Astinius to be dead? 7.36 A: I honestly have no idea. 7.37 Q: Was it ever told if Marquesta Kar-Thon survived the Maelstrom? 7.37 A: Not that I know of. 7.38 Q: what do you think of Inath-Wakenti as the name of the valley where the elves have settled? 7.38 A: I like that name! 7.39 Q: Any opinion on what the capital city should be named? 7.30 Q: 'seeing 7.30 A: 7.31 Q: nature. 7.31 A: been to

7.39 A: No clue. Paul and Tonya are working with the elves! 7.40 Q: Are you going to make a movie for all of the books? 7.40 A: That would be great, but it's not up to me. 7.41 Q: Is everyone on Krynn heterosexual? 7.41 A: I think Cam's answer, "No more than in the real world." is the best. 7.42 Q: Why not make a central character gay? 7.42 A: Okay, before this goes away, I would like to point out that I have written two series with central gay characters: Rose of the Prophet and the Dragonvarld trilogy. 7.43 Q: With the conclusion of the Lost Chronicle and the Dark disciple coming at the same time which was more of a challenge for you to tackle? 7.43 A: Actually the Dark Disciple books were some of the most difficult I have ever written. Much more difficult dealing with gods than mortals! 7.44 Q: I have heard that the licenses for DL were taken back. What happened there? 7.44 A: WoTC took back all their licenses due to the advent of Fourth Edition. 7.45 Q: Did the War of Souls trilogy lend you and Mr. Hickman more freedoms in writing? 7.45 A: Summer Flame was more limited by the fact that TSR, Inc. was going bankrupt. The company was back on its feet when we wrote War of Souls after WoTC purchased it. 7.46 Q: would you mind elaborating a little more about what was going on towards the end of TSR and the role Ms. Rabe had during that time? 7.46 A: Tracy and I were invited to write Dragons of SF by the editor in charge of publishing at TSR. They were insistent that it be one book, not a trilogy. We were not sure why, at the time. I have heard since from people who were involved that it was due to financial problems. I DO know that was the case with the Soulforge, which I wrote later. My editor carried the manuscript around in the trunk of his car because he feared that it would be seized as an asset if the company went bankrupt. As to ending DL, Tracy and I had an idea of how we wanted the Fifth Age to develop. The design team took it in a different direction. We offered to act as consultants and I did go out to lunch with them to

discuss where they were headed. I wasn't sure I liked it, mainly because of the time leap, which I thought would leave the readers going, "Huh?" I understood they had to do this, however, in order to make the game system work. So, no problem. Hugs all around. There were several reasons the game was NOT tied to D&D. One of the most interesting has to do with the fact company management had made a deal with some movie people (I'm being deliberately vague here) that gave them the right to do all D&D worlds as movies for almost nothing. There had been interest in DL as a movie property and they decided to remove it from D&D in order to keep it out of the agreement. Another reason they went with SAGA was that Magic the Gathering was hot at the time and TSR wanted to jump into the card market. Thus they tried combining cards and role-playing. As to Jean Rabe, I was part of the editorial discussions regarding her books, because I was acting as consultant to the book department at the time. Jean was NOT responsible for the Goldmoon debacle. Jean wrote her books from outlines provided by the 5h Age team. They were the ones who insisted that she kill off Goldmoon in the second book. I know because the editor asked me how I thought fans would react. It was later decided that Goldmoon was needed in the third book. Jean did not want to bring her back to life. Jean is a very sensible writer and she knew how this would look. TSR was adamant, however, and thus Jean had to do this. Jean has quite wrongfully taken a lot of heat for this over the years and I hope this sets the record straight. 7.47 Q: Do you think the artists that contributed to Lost Leaves would be interested in selling their art? 7.47 A: You can contact MWP art director, Renae Chambers. She'll put you in touch with the artist. Renae's email is: [email protected]

7.48 Q: I see several anthologies that say edited by Weis and Hickman. Do you both edit the books or does WoTC just like having your names on them? 7.48 A: I edit the stories in the anthologies along with Pat McGilligan. Tracy is involved in discussing proposed plot lines, etc. One of my great joys has been working with the other authors on these anthologies. I'll miss them. No more are planned, at least at this time. 7.49 Q: In DoAT what was at the top of the slippery pedestal that Tas could not reach? 7.49 A: That was an in joke between the DL team. 7.50 Q: Are you going to publish DotHM through your own company? 7.50 A: No. WoTC controls all the rights. 7.51 Q: Who chooses what book will move the DL timeline forward? 7.51 A: I could tell you how it WAS done. Not sure how it will be done in the future. If there is a future. 7.52 Q: Could you tell us how it was done over the past 20 years? 7.52 A: Well, back in the very early days, when Tracy and I moved on to write the Darksword books and Rose of the Prophet, TSR, Inc. let the writers and editors for DL mostly do what they wanted. They were told not to talk to Tracy and me (due to the fact that the current owner of the company was considering suing us over Rose of the Prophet, claiming we came up with the idea while we working for TSR and therefore they owned it. They never followed through on that threat.) After the fans complained about a lack of continuity, the editors decided to pay attention to this. We wrote Summer Flame working with the editors. After that, the 5th Age group came up with their own story lines and worked with the author, Jean Rabe, to develop novels for that. Then the company went bankrupt. Peter bought it. Tracy and I were invited back and worked with the game design group to create War of Souls. After that, editors worked with games to create story line for both and then worked with the authors. Tracy and I were hired on

as consultants. That continued when my company had the license. My staff looked over author proposals to make sure the continuity was followed as best we could. Keeping in mind we always tried to let the author be as creative as possible. 7.53 Q: As one of the initial DL authors do you read any of the other DL stories with a critical eye? 7.53 A: I only read the short stories that I help edit. 7.54 Q: Did you know when you were writing Chronicles that Skie was going to be an alien dragon? 7.54 A: Skie happened in War of Souls. We had a reason for it, but at the moment I can't recall what it was! 7.55 Q: How did the Staff of Magius get out of the High Tower of Sorcery in Palanthas? 7.55 A: No clue. Been too long! Sorry! 7.56 Q: What would you think of Krynn as an MMO? Would you play? 7.56 A: Yes, I think it would be great. No, I don't play mmos. I'd never get any writing done! 7.57 Q: Which of your many characters is your favorite? 7.57 A: Raistlin and Tas. 7.58 Q: Do you feel your DragonLance "child" has matured into an adult over the last 24 years? 7.58 A: As any mother will tell you, no matter how old a child, that child is always the little child you brought into the world and loved and nurtured and tried very hard to protect from harm. 7.59 Q: If there was anything you could change about the characters in Chronicles what would it be? 7.59 A: Nothing about the characters, except to add more detail and depth (cut due to shortened length). 7.60 Q: I like Palin but why were Tanin and Sturm killed off so soon? Didn't you and Mr. Hickman want to explore them a little more? 7.60 A: Perhaps we would have if we'd had a trilogy. But we didn't. And Palin needed to stand on his own, something he would not have done if he'd been dependent on his brothers. 7.61 Q: I get white and black robes for good and evil, but were did the idea of red representing neutrality come from? 7.61 A: The decision had already been made before I arrived at TSR. No clue. Sorry! 7.62 Q: Was there ever a short story about Tas coming to Caramon's future before Krynn was stolen? 7.62 A: Not that I know of! 7.63 Q: Takhisis swapped Krynn with some other planet having a single moon. Were you and Mr. Hickman implying that Krynn was swapped with Earth?

7.63 A: I don't think even Takhisis would want to deal with earth!:) 7.64 Q: If my memory is correct Soth wasn't even mentioned in DoWN was he? 7.64 A: By the time we see Soth in Spring Dawning, Kit had in fact been in Dargaard Keep some time. We find out what she and Soth are doing during that time, before their return to Neraka, in Hourglass Mage. 7.65 Q: Draconians seem to have a thing for fair human females. Was there ever any plans for a draconian/human hybrid? 7.65 A: No. Not possible. 7.66 Q: Did you ever imagine Dalamar as one of the more popular characters? 7.66 A: I liked Dalamar. He was fun to write. 7.67 Q: In DoWN was the dream in Silvanesti a foreshadowing of Raistlins betrayal of Caramon during the Dwarfgate War in War of the Twins? 7.67 A: Yes, you are right. 7.68 Q: Who is Raoul? In Second Generation, he is mentioned in the last poem 'Raoul and the little one'. 7.68 A: A very long story! 7.69 Q: In Second Generation what was the motive behind Dalamar's rescue of Porthios and Alhana? 7.69 A: Love and hatred. 7.70 Q: So Dalamar loves Alhana and rescues her, and rescues Porthios to belittle him because he hates Porthios. And he hates Porthios because Alhana loves Porthios. Correct? 7.70 A: You got it!

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7.71 Q: What s the name of the High God and will He/She/It have a more prominent role in future stories? 7.71 A: He/She/It does not have a name. I have no idea what plans are being made for the future of DragonLance. 7.72 Q: Why a blue crystal staff? Was this an influence from Mr.

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Hickman s religious beliefs? 7.72 A: I never asked why it was blue crystal! Sorry! 7.73 Q: Did Kitiara ever really love Tanis? 7.73 A: Kit was obsessed with Tanis. He was the "man who got away". 7.74 Q: What is this perfect day and does it even matter any more since Takhisis and Paladine are gone? 7.74 A: The last day is the end of time. 7.75 Q: In Soulforge Sturm mentions a figure with a grey robe and a hat. Who was this? It wasn't Gandalf was it? 7.75 A: Middle Earth is a long, long, long way from Krynn. 7.76 Q: A while back I was going through the same problem as Caramon in Legends. Just wanted you to know that reading that trilogy really help me deal with my own drinking problem. 7.76 A: Thank you so much for sharing! That means a great deal to me. I am thankful you are better.

7.77 Q: I'm in Turkey and I know you love all your works but which one was the most fun to write? 7.77 A: Thank you! Are you reading the books published in Turkey? I've been corresponding with the editor. I think the first book, Autumn Twilight, was the most fun because of all the wonderful experiences. 7.78 Q: Yes. I am reading the books published in Turkey. 7.78 A: The Turkish editor takes a lot of care with the books. She writes me with questions about the translation and catches proofreading errors and mistakes! (Better than WoTC!) 7.79 Q: Was there anything in DL that you wanted to do but just didn't get a chance? 7.79 A: I've done everything in DL I want to! 7.80 Q: What's the normal period for an elven pregnancy someone told me it could be as long as 2 years? 7.80 A: I would think it would be nine months. Elves are not elephants. 7.81 Q: In DotHM will you expand more on the interaction that happened between Lauranna and Raistlin in DoWN? 7.81 A: It's been so long since I worked on that book . . . I forget.:) 7.82 Q: Who is your favorite DragonLance god? 7.82 A: Zeboim. I loved writing her.

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7.83 Q: Since I m an attorney a lot of people compare me to Fistandantilus with his bloodstone. Thank you for the "solace" you've given me in your writings. 7.83 A: Thank you. And thank you for being an attorney. I rely on mine for all types of counsel. 7.84 Q: With Takhisis and Paladine now gone what has become of the dragons who worshipped them? 7.84 A: I always thought dragons didn't so much "worship" the gods as they allied with them. We know that Cyan Bloodbane, for example, had no use for any god, including Takhisis. It is interesting to think how the gods might now be scrambling to woo the dragons.

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7.85 Q: Mr. Elmore s cover art has Sturm with brown hair. Is it brown or blonde? 7.85 A: I go with Larry's art. 7.86 Q: What happened to the Knights of the Axe? 7.86 A: I have no idea. I don't remember them. 7.87 Q: Does Fistandantilus live in this timeline? 7.87 A: What timeline? 7.88 Q: The timeline where Takhisis stole Krynn. 7.88 A: Tracy was the only one who could explain that time line. And he had to use a chalkboard to diagram it!:)

7.89 Q: Wait a minute, are you saying there's a different timeline? 7.89 A: Sorry, I was thinking of something else. 7.90 Q: Was Fistandantilus' fate in the hands of you and Mr. Hickman? Is Fistandantilus still around? 7.90 A: Of course, he plays a very important role in Hourglass Mage! That was the time I was thinking of. 7.91 Q: Who's you favorite next to Raistlin? 7.91 A: I really enjoyed getting know Kitiara better in Highlord Skies. 7.92 Q: Who came up with Kitiara Uth Matar? 7.92 A: Tracy came up with the initial three characters: Tanis, Laurana, and Kit. 7.93 Q: Any relation between the Inn of the Last Home and the Last Homely House? 7.93 A: Not sure. That work was done before I joined the DL team. 7.94 Q: Where did you get the idea for the knights to have handlebar mustaches? 7.94 A: Larry Elmore first painted Sturm with the mustache. You'd need to ask him!:) 7.95 Q: Who was the one person who really created DragonLance? 7.95 A: All the DL authors have had a hand in shaping the world. All the editors and artists. And the fans. 7.96 Q: What exactly is the Key to Knowledge? 7.96 A: Understanding oneself. 7.97 Q: You originally said Cyan wasn't in DotHM but now you've added him. Was this at the direction from the editors? 7.97 A: No, Cyan was our idea. Other than the usual editorial fixes from my editor nothing else was changed. Sec. 8: Works Other than DragonLance 8.1 Q: Is yours and Mr. Hickman's new project DL related or Death Gate Cycle related? 8.1 A: No. Entirely new. 8.2 Q: Do you and Mr. Hickman have any plans to continue the Death Gate Cycle? 8.2 A: No, we're moving on! New worlds to conquer! 8.3 Q: What about an annotated Death Gate Cycle or other non DL books by you and Mr. Hickman? 8.3 A: I doubt it. Those are really difficult to do when so much time has passed! 8.4 Q: Do you plan to write anymore Dragonvarld books? 8.4 A: At this time, I don't have plans to write any more Dragonvarld books. My company is working on a Dragonvarld RPG, however, featuring dragon and half-dragon PCs who have dragon magic. Very

cool, if it doesn't make you go insane first. 8.5 Q: I picked up a book called The Endless Catacombs by Margaret Baldwin Weis. Would that happen to be you? 8.5 A: Yes, that's me! 8.6 Q: What kind of project would you like to do when you are finished with DL? 8.6 A: Dragonships of the Vindras! Bones of the Dragon, Volume One A new series by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman to be published by Tor Books. Thanks for asking!:) 8.7 Q: Which of your non-DL books would you recommend? 8.7 A: Depends on what you like. DeathGate is more serious. Rose of the Prophet is more action-filled. 8.8 Q: Will MWP put out a DeathGate Cycle game on a system you have helped develop like Serenity or BSG? 8.8 A: We are planning to, but we keep getting sidetracked by such things as Battlestar and more Serenity product. (Yeah!) 8.9 Q: There was a Death Gate Cycle RPG computer game a while back. Were you involved in that? 8.9 A: Yes, though not much!:) 8.10 Q: I finished reading Dark Heart and was wondering if the story will ever be finished? 8.10 A: I wrote that book with my son, David Baldwin. Sadly, David died several years ago. I just didn't feel I could continue the series without him, since it was his idea and he'd done much of the writing. David was very proud of that series and it would please him to know you liked it. Thank you for writing! 8.11 Q: Are the other worlds you've written about being considered for future RPGs? 8.11 A: We have plans to release Dragonships as an RPG. We also have plans for DeathGate and Dragonvarld. 8.12 Q: I've been trying to locate the elusive 'Mice from Weis' but they are nowhere to be found. Do they still make appearances? 8.12 A: LOL! I still do mice, but generally only at conventions.:) 8.13 Q: Which of your non DL series would you recommend? 8.13 A: DeathGate is probably our bestselling series after DL. 8.14 Q: I love your writing. Will there ever be anymore books about Haplo and Alfred from the Death Gate Cycle? 8.14 A: Thanks! No, seven books was enough! 8.15 Q: Have you or Mr. Hickman considered making Rose of the Prophet or the Darksword Trilogy into an RPG, and who created the concept for Matthew? 8.15 A: No plans at the moment. Matthew was my creation. After I'd done a

lot of research on medieval Arabian society, I realized that it would be extremely foreign to Western readers and I needed a "touchstone" for them to understand. 8.16 Q: Do you envision Dragonships continuing on past 6 books and becoming a shared world like Krynn? 8.16 A: That would be fun if it did!

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8.17 Q: I m assuming you and Mr. Hickman own the rights to Dragonships. If it becomes a shared word like Krynn would you two be assigning the writers? 8.17 A: We have some plans, but we're still trying to work it out. They're very exciting and different! 8.18 Q: Dragonships looks good but I think I'll stick with DL. 8.18 A: Good grief! Expand your horizons. There are LOTS of fascinating worlds out there! 8.19 Q: I'm really liking Bones of the Dragon. When will the next book be released? 8.19 A: We're just starting work on it. No pub date has been set yet. Thanks! 8.20 Q: Any plans for crossover between DL and Dragonships? Maybe a character with A B F I N Z in the name? 8.20 A: No!:)

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8.21 Q: I m rereading Star of the Guardians after 12 years and loving it. 8.21 A: Thank you. That series holds a special place in my heart. 8.22 Q: For your new series Dragonships, Rose of the Prophet was not mention in the list of your earlier works. Considering the times we live in do you feel its too controversial? 8.22 A: That book turned out to be controversial because it's based in an Arabian-type culture. Of course, at the time we wrote it in the late 80s, this was not a problem. I just we're not attacked by Vikings now.:)

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8.23 Q: I m really liking the Norse aspect of Bones of the Dragon. Can we expect some form of Ragnarok in the series? 8.23 A: Thanks! Sorry, but I can't reveal the ending.:) 8.24 Q: I like DL but my first love is the Death Gate Cycle. Will we ever see a sequel? 8.24 A: No, seven books was enough! Thanks! I thought magic system in that series was really interesting. I'd like to explore that more, just not sure when and where. 8.25 Q: Everyone seems to love the kender race. Will we see some form of them in your new series? 8.25 A: No kender. WoTC has them trademarked.:)

8.26 Q: Are there any plans for a Dragonship RPG? 8.26 A: We have plans for not only an RPG, but also a board game based on the game that is played in the book, and lots of other exciting things! 8.27 Q: When's the next book for Dragonship going to be released? If it's a long way off I might wait for the whole series to be finished before picking them up. 8.27 A: No release date has been set. We had to write Hourglass Mage before we wrote the second Dragonships book, so we're just now starting to work on it. I know that some people wait until the series is completed, which is fine if they want to buy the paperbacks, but the hardbacks go out of print before the series is finished. Then we get these same fans who are upset that they can't find all six hardbacks! Argh! 8.28 Q: Any chance of returning to one of the non Dl world you and Mr. Hickman created? 8.28 A: Always another world out there . . .

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8.29 Q: I m reading Warrior Angel and noticed a reference to Mrs. Pomfrey. So who's the Herriot fan you or Lizz? 8.29 A: Both of us! Good catch! 8.30 Q: Any ideas for characters in your dog novel if you're able to write it? 8.30 A: And there's this old, befuddled basset hound named Fizbone . . . 8.31 Q: You have unpublished manuscripts? When will we get to read them? 8.31 A: Trust me. There were reasons they were rejected!:) 8.32 Q: Just because some stuffy editor rejected your previous work doesn't necessarily mean its bad. Why not let the fans decide? 8.32 A: Trust me, they were bad!:) 8.33 Q: You've mentioned Serenity several times. I'm a huge Firefly fan as well as a DL fan. What did you think of the series? 8.33 A: Huge Firefly fan! Sec. 9: Contribution by other DragonLance Authors 9.1 Q: Did other DL authors ever contact you to go over their ideas or plots? 9.1 A: Meetings and Preludes were written many years ago, back in the old TSR days. At that time, Tracy and I had left the company and were being published by Bantam books. We offered to continue to work with DL authors (for no charge!), but we were turned down. In fact, authors were told they were not to talk to us.

Fortunately that's not true today, thank goodness! 9.2 Q: You've said the fate of Krynn should be placed "Into new hands..." Could you elaborate? 9.2 A: Ah, now, if I told that, I wouldn't need to write the third book.:) 9.3 Q: When other DL authors write stories involving characters that you created do they ever ask your advice on their development? 9.3 A: I would much rather the author uses his or her own voice, rather than try to mimic mine. This makes for a much better book in my view. This is also one reason I urge authors to use their own characters. An author who develops a character is much more interested in that character than trying to work with another author's characters. 9.4 Q: What is your favorite DL novel written by another author, and what is your least favorite? 9.4 A: Sorry, but it would not be wise for me to answer this.:) 9.5 Q: Do you see any kind of contribution to DL from Mr. Salvatore or Mr. Greenwood? 9.5 A: No, although both have guest entries in our upcoming Dragons of Krynn book. WoTC doesn't like to have authors cross worlds.

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9.6 Q: I ve just picked up the Taladas Trilogy. What is your opinion about more continents on Krynn? 9.6 A: The more the merrier. 9.7 Q: What is your response to the new continent of Taladas? 9.7 A: I think Chris is doing a great job with it. 9.8 Q: Have you read Mr. Knaak's book, the Black Talon? If so what did you think? 9.8 A: Actually I don't read fantasy. I need to hear my own voice in my head. 9.9 Q: When writing the DL novels did you ever feel like you were limiting future DL authors? 9.9 A: Well, when we started, we had no idea there would BE other writers! DragonLance is huge. There's enough room for every kender to wander! 9.10 Q: Do you feel another DL author has taken one of your characters in a direction you didn't want them to go? 9.10 A: Since our editor, Pat McGilligan, was also their editor, we consulted a lot. The most important thing to me was to make sure the authors felt comfortable with the characters and plot so that they could tell the story they wanted to tell. 9.11 Q: Do you read other DL authors?

9.11 A: truly cared

I think DL was fortunate to have so many authors who

about the world. 9.12 Q: Do you accept all of the interpretations and directions that Krynn has taken? 9.12 A: It has always been important to both of us that DL authors feel free to tell their own stories. Krynn is big enough for all of us! And I don't think the other people were trying to make you feel guilty. They were pointing out a problem. I think the idea of a summary is good. Don't lock the thread, though! I enjoy visiting with everyone. Sec. 10: Margaret Weis Productions 10.1 Q: What would have been the DL books published if MWP had maintained the rights of DL RPG products? 10.1 A: Not sure we ever talked about it. 10.2 Q: How can your fans contact you? 10.2 A: You can contact me at [email protected] 10.3 Q: It seems like the MWP website hasn't recovered from the hack attack. Is the site dead? 10.3 A: Nope, MWP is going strong. We've been concentrating on getting out product. The new Supernatural game is going to hit stores in August (and be on sale at Gen Con!). The new Serenity book, Big Damn Heroes is on its way to the printer. Sec. 11: Personal Information about Margaret 11.1 Q: Of all the novels you have written, including non DL titles, which series has been your favorite? 11.1 A: That's like asking a mother which child is her favorite! I like them all for different reasons. Star of the Guardians will always have a special place in my heart because it was my "first born", so to speak--the series I worked on for over ten years. DragonLance because of the fun times at TSR and all the wonderful characters. Rose because it was so much fun to write. Death Gate because it was so very intense. Mistress because of my "little slut", Evelina (love that gal!). Darksword because of Simkin. Sovereign Stone because of

the dwarven pony riders. Mag Force 7 because of Raoul and the Little One (and I think Robot Blues is the best book I ever wrote). 11.2 Q: Do you think current characters like Coryn, Rhys and other should be considered DL icons? 11.2 A: Since we never started out to make anyone iconic in the first place, I guess my view is that we just enjoy telling stories. 11.3 Q: How old were you when you began writing your first novel? 11.3 A: I was a story teller before I could read or write. My kindergarten teacher put me in a little chair in front of the class every day to tell stories to the kids while she did paperwork. I wrote my first "book" in sixth grade. It was about a collie, as I recall. (I was reading Albert Payson Terhune's books at the time!) 11.4 Q: Have you ever thrown a chalk board eraser at Tracy? 11.4 A: Nope! 11.5 Q: What character do you feel closest too? 11.5 A: Raistlin has always been my favorite DL character, followed closely by Tas and Kitiara. I took a real liking to her while working on Highlord Skies. Of all my characters, the Lady Maigrey, from Star of the Guardian, is probably my favorite. She's not who I am, but who I'd like to be.

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11.6 Q: What s the best way for me to get a signed copy of a book by you or other DL authors? 11.6 A: I would be glad to sign it. The easiest way is to order it from the DL store website. I'm sure Jamie would be happy to sign it as well. 11.7 Q: Why are your stories always the last in anthologies? 11.7 A: The editor, Pat McGilligan, arranges the stories in what he considers to be an entertaining reading order. He'll might put in a few serious stories, then liven up the mix with some that aren't so serious, then go back to more serious ones. Or he may start with light stories and go darker. Just depends on the mix. 11.8 Q: Do you still role-play? 11.8 A: I still enjoy role-playing, especially Serenity. (I do a great Jane!) 11.9 Q: do you have any plans to release a biography of yourself? 11.9 A: No. I'm a pretty private person.

11.10 Q: How do you seem to get so much done in a day and what is your main source of caffeine? 11.10 A: Actually I have a wonderful staff who handles MWP for me! And I have a very organized day. I write every morning. Afternoons I walk the dogs and plan what I'm going to write the next day. I work holidays and weekends (when I'm not racing my dog in flyball tournaments!). And I do drink coffee.:) 11.11 Q: Will SP reprint the out of print DL titles before the DL license runs out? 11.11 A: We never had plans to reprint Towers. We are still receiving some copies back in return from bookstores, so if you need a copy, you might try putting in an order for it. Also it's available for download online. The revised and improved Bestiary is back from the printer and should be available in stores any time now. 11.12 Q: What novels did you enjoy writing most, DL or non-DL? 11.12 A: The Star of the Guardians series. 11.13 Q: Which of the DragonLance projects are you most fond of? 11.13 A: DragonLance Legends. We didn't have to follow the game material. We had fewer characters. We could be more creative. 11.14 Q: If you could have dinner with any character who would it be and where would you eat? 11.14 A: Of course, we'd eat at the Inn! I'd invite Tracy. We'd have all the Heroes and Kitiara, of course. I'd love to have Soth there, too, but he'd probably ruin everyone's appetites. Ariakas would be interesting. We'd have Toede for entertainment value. If some of the gods would drop by, that would be cool. And Elvis... 11.15 Q: Back when you and Mr. Hickman were first playing the D&D game which character did you play? I've heard Mr. Hickman was the DM and Terry was Raistlin. 11.15 A: Actually this is an urban legend. The game and books were created before we ever play-tested, developed by Tracy when he came to work for TSR. We only play-tested them twice that I remember. I think I played Goldmoon. 11.16 Q: Which one of the DragonLance novels did you feel you had the hardest time writing? 11.16 A: Dragons of Summer Flame. 11.17 Q: Are there any books that inspired you as a writer?

11.17 A: Dickens,

I couldn't begin to list all of them! Bleak House by Jane Austen's novels, the Alexander trilogy by Mary Renault,

the Three Musketeers by Dumas, Sherlock Holmes by Doyle, The Chosen by Chaim Potok, Nero Wolf mysteries by Stout, the Jeeves series by Wodehouse, the Lord Peter Wimsey mysteries by Sayers, Killer Angels . . . on and on. 11.18 Q: You've referenced a "Punch & Judy Show" a couple of times in your books. Could you explain what is a "Punch & Judy Show?" 11.18 A: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Punch_and_Judy 11.19 Q: Do you ever get tired of DL fans thanking you? 11.19 A: One can never have too many thank yous! (Old kender saying) 11.20 Q: Do you have any tattoos? 11.20 A: Actually I do!:) But I'll bet no one could ever guess how or why. I'll give you a hint--they were for medical purposes. 11.21 Q: I just visited the Source in St. Paul and it was an amazing store. Thanks you for telling me about it. 11.21 A: Any time! 11.22 Q: I've heard a rumor that Hasbro is looking to sell WoTC. Is there any truth to this? 11.22 A: Actually we've been hearing this for years. 11.23 Q: Have you considered releasing any of your novels in podcast format? 11.23 A: Since the rights belong to WoTC, we couldn't do that. And I dislike hearing books read aloud. Just a pet peeve of mine. Tracy is putting the Immortals on podcast. 11.24 Q: See anything cool at Comic Con besides the DL trailer? 11.24 A: I met lots of DL fans! Probably the most mind-boggling thing I saw were the lines of people! The line for the BSG panel was a mile and a half long! 11.25 Q: If you had just one book, just one story that would sum you up, what book would that be? 11.25 A: I have always identified with Lady Maigrey from Star of the Guardians. I'm not her, but I would like to be! 11.26 Q: Do you ever plan on starting your own podcast? Originally Posted by hello 11.26 A: No. (God forbid!)

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11.27 Q: Why don t you do a podcast? You were great on Mr. Hickman's "Dragonhearth" podcast. 11.27 A: Thanks, but I'm not tech-wise. I leave that to Tracy! 11.28 Q: What books did you read before you were a writer? What do you read now?

11.28 A: long

Since I was a literature major in college, that would be a list! Right now I'm reading the Rumpole novels for the

upteenth time. Just finished the Book of Air and Shadows by Gruber. 11.29 Q: Do you and Mr. Hickman go to gencon every year? 11.29 A: We've been going every year since 1984. God willing, we'll be there next year! 11.30 Q: What do you consider to be some of the best written books that you have read? 11.30 A: These books are some of my favorites: Bleak House by Charles Dickens. David Copperfield by Dickens. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austin. Barchester Towers by Anthony Trollope. The Chosen by Chaim Potok. The Mask of Apollo by Mary Renault. The Three Musketeers by Dumas. The Bertie and Jeeves stories by P.G. Wodehouse. The Sherlock Holmes stories by Doyle. 11.31 Q: What is your favorite DL book? 11.31 A: That's like asking a mother which child is her favorite! 11.32 Q: If were up to you in what medium would you like to see Chronicles portrayed? 11.32 A: Honestly, I'd like to see a DragonLance stage play. DL on Broadway. 11.33 Q: Now that your done with DL is there any chance you'll stop coming around here? 11.33 A: Oh, I'll still be around. I'll also be on the new message boards at the MWP site. 11.34 Q: Have you read every DL novel? 11.34 A: No. 11.35 Q: If you don't read fantasy how are you able to edit fantasy books? 11.35 A: Oh, I do editing! I don't read fantasy for pleasure. 11.36 Q: If you could create a new series with any author in history who would it be? 11.36 A: I would sit at the feet of Charles Dickens.

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11.37 Q: I m just starting David Copperfield. What other Dickens books do you like? 11.37 A: David Copperfield is one of my favorites. Mr. Micawber's character is amazing. And note the wonderful writing in the storm scene. Bleak House is his best. I also like Our Mutual Friend and Pickwick Papers. 11.38 Q: Do you get excited or nervous when a book comes out? 11.38 A: I'm always excited to hear what the fans think about it! 11.39 Q: If you had something big to tell us you would wouldn't you? 11.39 A: Meaningful cough... 11.40 Q: Would you care for some nice tea for that cough?

11.40 11.41 11.41 11.42 11.42 11.43 11.43

A: LOL!:) Q: What's your favorite type of dragon? A: Blue dragons. Q: Why is blue your favorite type of dragon? A: Probably because of Skie and Kit. Q: What book if any are you currently working on? A: Tracy and I are working on Bones of the Dragon, Volume One, Dragonships. This is the first in a six volume series about

Skylan Ivroson, a young Vindras lord, whose warrior clan is caught on the losing side of a battle between three groups of gods. Skylan has the world's dragons on his side (or he thinks he does). The dragons have their own problems, however. Bones of the Dragon is currently scheduled to come out January, 2009. You can more info at margaretweis.com. 11.44 Q: Do you still play D&D? My group is almost through Spectre of Sorrows by Cam Banks and its great fun. 11.44 A: Since I'm spending my weekends racing or training my dogs in flyball, I don't have time to play! I'm glad you're enjoying it. Cam's great! 11.45 Q: If you don't play anymore would you consider running a game instead? 11.45 A: I don't run games. Frankly, I never understood the rules. Someone always has to tell me what dice to roll. 11.46 Q: Not including Elistan who was your least favorite character? 11.46 A: I liked everyone (except Elistan!).:) 11.47 Q: Any plans on submitting your DNA for project Immortality? 11.47 A: Yes. I'm going to be my own clone army.:) 11.48 Q: Who was your least favorite DL character and why? 11.48 A: Elistan. I thought he was boring. 11.49 Q: Do you have a favorite Krynnian race? 11.49 A: Kender and draconians. 11.50 Q: Do you have a favorite antagonist? 11.50 A: Kitiara! 11.51 Q: Who is your second least favorite DL character? 11.51 A: Probably Eben. He was so obviously a red herring! 11.52 Q: Besides Elistan was there any character you disliked writing about? 11.52 A: No, not really. 11.53 Q: If you had the chance of visiting one place on Krynn where would that be? 11.53 A: The Inn of the Last Home. 11.54 Q: What kind of games do you like other than RPG's? 11.54 A: I play all sorts of board games when I have time. I also enjoy playing bridge and Mahjong. 11.55 Q: On a lighter note. do you like Fruity Pebbles? 11.55 A: Bleh!:) 11.56 Q: So what does the Queen of Darkness eat in the morning?

11.56 A:

Product endorsement!:) Heritage Heirloom Whole Grains. Yeah, I know. Healthy. 11.57 Q: Do you ever plan to come to Israel? 11.57 A: I'd love to visit Israel some day. I'd also love to visit Turkey and go back to Australia and see Japan and . . . oh . . . just take a world tour!

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11.58 Q: Do you watch a lot of movies or television? What s some of your favorite shows? 11.58 A: Favorite movies: Lion in Winter, Buckaroo Banzai, Magnificent Seven, Kelly's Heroes, Lawrence of Arabia, Star Wars (first two only), the Long Riders, O, Brother Where Art Thou. Favorite TV: WKRP, Firefly, Burn Notice, Slings and Arrows, Wizards and Warriors Love Star Trek. Looking forward to the new movie. 11.59 Q: What about the television show the Shield and the movie Braveheart? 11.59 A: Didn't see either of them. 11.60 Q: Do you watch Stargate? 11.60 A: No, 11.61 Q: Do you have a favorite Star Trek Series? 11.61 A: I have a love for the original, just because I remember when it first aired and how exciting it was to have a science fiction series on TV. 11.62 Q: Do you like Dr. Who? 11.62 A: Only those written by Douglas Adams. 11.63 Q: Do you watch any "reality" television? 11.63 A: No! I have enough reality it my life.:) 11.64 Q: Do you think the "too American" comment simply a reflection on the way we American talk? 11.64 A: That can be a problem! I once had my German editor send me an email asking me if I could explain "flapjacks".:) 11.65 Q: Interesting screen name you have here. Do you really consider yourself the Queen of Darkness? 11.65 A: Actually the name was in joke from my TSR days. I always identified with the dark characters, such as Raistlin and Kit and Lord Soth. Tracy was Fizban.:) 11.66 Q: Is there any novel you wished you had rewritten? 11.66 A: Even after doing Lost Chronicles, I would love to go back and rewrite and expand Autumn Twilight and the other two. 11.67 Q: Do you have a favorite Nancy Drew book? 11.67 A: Didn't really like Nancy Drew. I read Sherlock Holmes. 11.68 Q: Do you think you might ever take a break from writing and give yourself a rest?

11.68 A: flyball

Thanks! I already do lots of things for "fun", including racing, herding lessons for Dixie, reading, and taking long

walks. So I plan to keep writing as long as the gods allow.:) 11.69 Q: What character affected you the most and do you share any of their personal traits? 11.69 A: Raistlin. Don't think he has any of my traits.:) I'm very fond of my sister Sec. 12: Future DragonLance Works 12.1 Q: Any chance of us seeing a "Lost Legends" trilogy filling in gaps in the Legends trilogy once Lost Chronicles is completed? 12.1 A: No. The Legends story was told the way we wanted to tell it. We didn't have to cut any material as we did in Chronicles. 12.2 Q: Do you think you will ever write books similar to The Soulforge except for different characters of the book? 12.2 A: Soulforge was really never meant to be. The head of the book department came to me (back in the old TSR days) and said they wanted to publish a book about Raistlin's test in the Tower and would I like to write it? If I didn't, they were going to get another writer. So, of course, I wrote it! That being said, I don't have any plans to write such stories about any other character. 12.3 Q: Will we ever see other DL books annotated like chronicles and legends?. 12.3 A: No plans so far as we know. 12.4 Q: Will we ever possibly see a tale from you with the Legion of Steel as the main characters? 12.4 A: No. Sorry! 12.5 Q: Do you feel that Dragons of Summer Flame is complete or will you ever expand on it? 12.5 A: I think it's complete in that it is its own book. There were lots of other factors at work here, but I really don't want to get into all that again! 12.6 Q: Will there be any novels with a dragon as the central character, say Mirror or Razor? 12.6 A: Nothing so far, but it's an interesting idea. I'll pass it on to the WoTC editors. 12.7 Q: Do you believe there will ever be another band of adventurers as popular as your Companions? 12.7 A: Will there ever be a dark elf as popular as Drzzt? Or hobbits as

popular as Frodo and company? Or another ship's crew in Serenity? I'm not saying there couldn't be, but there's something special about all these characters which makes them hard to follow. Mainly, I think, because another crew or another party or another dark elf would always be compared to those who have gone before. Just my thoughts.... 12.8 Q: With the end of the dragon overlords which direction do you feel DL should take? 12.8 A: Into new hands . . . 12.9 Q: Will we ever see a series based on Kitiara? 12.9 A: You'll learn a lot about Kit in the new Lost Chronicles book, Dragons of a Highlord Skies. I know I did! 12.10 Q: Have you considered writing a new DL trilogy with new companions and adventures? 12.10 A: Not at this time. Tracy and I have a new project in the works. We're very excited about it. 12.11 Q: It seems that after Dark disciple and the Lost Chronicles you and Mr. Hickman aren't planning any more DL novels. 12.11 A: Tracy and I have a new project we're very excited about. More details on that will be forthcoming! 12.12 Q: I love Atta. Do you plan to write anymore stories involving dogs? 12.12 A: My flyball team thinks I should write a book about flyball dogs and their owners.:) 12.13 Q: Is there any chance that the Irda or Maschta will appear in future novels? 12.13 A: Not from me. 12.14 Q: Are you telling us we can see lost chapters of Summer Flame in the future? 12.14 A: No. 12.15 Q: Ansalon has been covered pretty well up to now. Any chance we'll be traveling to new lands with ne gods? 12.15 A: Can't really discuss this. Sorry! 12.16 Q: Are you planning on writing anything in DL anymore? 12.16 A: I'll never say never because Tracy and I always seemed to get drawn back home, but for the near future, he and I are very interested in pursuing our new series with Tor, Dragonships, and working on the exciting ideas for games he has planned for that. 12.17 Q: If it were up to you would you like to go back and produce more annotated works? 12.17 A: No, not really. It's hard to go back ten years to try to remember

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what I was thinking and why I was thinking it!

12.18 Q: I ve heard that Forgotten Realms will be going through a time jump of 100 years or so to fit with the new rules. Can we expect the same with DL? 12.18 A: I don't know. I'm not being included in their plans. 12.19 Q: Will you and Mr. Hickman adventure on other continents or stick with Ansalon? 12.19 A: We're moving on to other worlds. 12.20 Q: Any chance that a journal of play testing sessions of the original DragonLance games could be published? . 12.20 A: Actually you've heard the story. Since there were only two or three play test sessions, that's about it. The DL characters have moved on. And so have we. 12.21 Q: Is it over between you and Raistlin, and DL for that matter? I hope not. 12.21 A: Me, too! 12.22 Q: Will the novel series still continue? 12.22 A: Sorry. Forgot to answer. I have no idea what WoTC plans to do. 12.23 Q: I just read your comment about having nothing more to do with DL. Is it really over? 12.23 A: Tracy and have one more book to write, Dragons of Hourglass Mage. (If WoTC wants us to write it.) After that, we're working on a new series called Dragonships for Tor. As for what happens with the DragonLance series in general, I have no idea. You'd have to ask them. 12.24 Q: So are you expecting them to call you in about 5 years offering you a stack of cash to come back? 12.24 A: This time, I wouldn't bet on it. 12.25 Q: If given the chance do you think you and Mr. Hickman would write the DoSF trilogy? 12.25 A: I have the feeling we're not going to be asked to write anymore for DL. At least for awhile. 12.26 Q: Was there any consideration for a prelude type story involving Tanin and Sturm? 12.26 A: Not as far as I know. 12.27 Q: Is there any chance you will be writing another DragonLance novel? 12.27 A: Not for a long, long time. If ever. 12.28 Q: Are you and Mr. Hickman leaving the Krynn behind or will you come back with more stories? 12.28 A: Tracy and I are going to be working on our new series for Tor Books, Dragonships. The first book, Bones of the Dragon, comes out in January.

12.29 Q: Now that there seem to be more of a chance for future DL books do you plan on doing anymore DL novels? 12.29 A: The future remains uncertain. And, no, I don't plan to do any more DL books. I'm working on a new series called Dragonships with Tracy and I'm having lots of fun with that. Sec. 13: Personal Writing Techniques 13.1 Q: When you work with another writer do you use the same techniques as you do with Mr. Hickman? 13.1 A: Every author pair works differently. I work differently with my daughter than I do with Tracy. He and I work together on the plot--this may take weeks. Then I do the writing and he handles background, maps, buildings, how magic works--the nuts and bolts. And when I get the characters into unfortunate situation, I call on him to get them out!:) 13.2 Q: Why do you put so much emphasis into a characters eyes? Most notably Raistlin and Mina. 13.2 A: "The eyes are the mirrors to the soul." Old English proverb. 13.3 Q: Why are all the books formatted around 400 pages? Is this intentional? 13.3 A: A book is as long as it needs to be to tell the story. Authors at WoTC are no longer asked to edit in regard to length.

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13.4 Q: Have you ever come to the point in your writing where you didn t know how to get your characters where you wanted them? 13.4 A: Characters are like teenage children. Parents need to respect them, listen to them, give them their freedom. But always remember that you are the parent and you set the rules! 13.5 Q: How much do you rely on game stats when developing your characters? 13.5 A: Actually the novels did NOT originate as a game. I've explained that somewhere else. I don't really pay much attention to stats. I do use spell levels (or try to, though I cheat sometimes)! 13.6 Q: Have you ever started a book only to find yourself not enjoying the direction it had taken? 13.6 A: Fire Sea, the third book in the DeathGate series. That book was so incredibly dark and depressing, with all those corpses roaming about, I really had to force myself to work on it.

13.7 Q: How long does it typically take you to write a book? 13.7 A: Nine months to a year. I write every morning--weekends and holidays included. 13.8 Q: How many books do you write at a time? 13.8 A: One at a time. 13.9 Q: Do you get writers block very often? 13.9 A: I can always write. For me, writer's block is when I know the book is going the wrong way and I can't figure out how to head it in the right direction! 13.10 Q: The nine months you mentioned, does that include everything involved in the publishing process? 13.10 A: No, that's basically just writing. For Dragonships of the Vindras, Tracy and I actually took about two months to work on the synopsis, which ran to about 75 pages. Editorial revisions usually don't take long, maybe a week or so. 13.11 Q: When you start a trilogy do you know how it will end before you finish the books? 13.11 A: I always work from a detailed synopsis and I have a general idea of where the story is going. Dark Disciple was different. What I learned about Mina as I wrote about her totally astonished me. 13.12 Q: Do you have any books you use to assist you in your writing? 13.12 A: The Oxford English Dictionary. The Oxford Book of Names. The Illustrated Oxford Dictionary. Google. 13.13 Q: Have you ever used music as a means of inspiration in your writing? 13.13 A: No, I can't' write to music. I have to hear the rythym of the words. 13.14 Q: I keep a journal with me all the time jotting down story notes. Do you do anything similar and what advice do you have to a new author looking to get published? 13.14 A: I put all my energy into writing the book. I suggest reading Stephen King's book "On Writing". He gives some great advice. 13.15 Q: Of the creative process what part is your favorite, least favorite, easiest and hardest? 13.15 A: Creating is my favorite part. I don't have a least favorite. It's all good! Coming up with plot/story is hardest. Easiest? Walking the dogs... 13.16 Q: Do you listen to music while in the process of writing? 13.16 A: No, I need to hear the rhythm of the words as I'm writing. 13.17 Q: Do you see your characters as friends or children? 13.17 A: Friends. I walk the world with them.

13.18 Q: Which do you feel is harder, developing a plot or writing the story around the plot? 13.18 A: The plot. Always the hardest part. For me, at least. It took Tracy and I months to develop the plot for the Dragonships book. 13.19 Q: Typically how many words are in one of your novels? 13.19 A: 100,000 at least. Usually more. 13.20 Q: When writing a story do you start by developing the antagonist and then develop the protagonist, or the other way around? 13.20 A: Actually I've done both. With DeathGate, the first character was the thief Hugh the Hand. With DragonLance it was the conflicted hero Tanis. With our new book, it was our anti-hero, Skylan. 13.21 Q: Before computers or the internet what was your favorite way of recording your thoughts? Did either of these advances make you a better writer? 13.21 A: I remember typing my first books on a manual typewriter. If you wanted to rewrite a paragraph, you had to retype the entire page! Either that or try to white it out. I used to get covered in white-out! It is SO much easier to rewrite. Yes, that has made me a better writer. As to the internet, that has made research a lot easier! Though I do kind of miss doing research in the stacks. 13.22 Q: What is the most rewriting that you have had to do? 13.22 A: I rewrite constantly! 13.23 Q: What was the oddest source of inspiration for you? 13.23 A: Probably the inspiration for Tasslehoff which came from Harpo Marx.:)

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13.24 Q: It seems you don t control your characters environment. Does this make writing a DL novel more difficult? 13.24 A: The more rules you have to follow, the more creative you must be! 13.25 Q: Since you develop a synopsis of the storyline first what are the factor of the storyline you try to establish during this phase? 13.25 A: The story itself, the characters, the world, the heavens and how it all relates. 13.26 Q: What has been the harshest criticism of your work and did you use it as constructive? 13.26 A: I don't think I considered this constructive, but the review of Chronicles that has always remained in my mind was the British newspaper who slammed Dragons of Autumn Twilight for being too "American". That one always puzzled me.

13.27 Q: When you're in the middle of a project do you ever find yourself obsessing over the characters and plot? 13.27 A: Absolutely! Once when I was in the grocery store I was thinking about the plot I was working on and I signed a character's name to the check.:) 13.28 Q: What were some helpful tips your editors gave you? 13.28 A: The change I appreciated the most came from my editor at Bantam, Amy Stout. I had turned in the third book of the Star of the Guardians series and I was not happy with it. I knew it wasn't working, but I couldn't figure out what was wrong. She spotted the fault immediately. "Your hero is whining too much! Make him stronger." I saw at once she was right and I went back and fixed it. Sometimes authors can't see the trees for the forest. Sec. 14: Working with Mr. Hickman 14.1 Q: In the battle with Verminaard he seemed to hold his own even after the loss of Takhisis' power. Was this final clash yours or Mr.

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Hickman s idea? 14.1 A: Both of us. 14.2 Q: Do you and Mr. Hickman kill off regular characters with the intention of making other authors develop their own heroes and villains? 14.2 A: No, but that's an interesting idea!:) 14.3 Q: Did you or Mr. Hickman ever get writer's block while you were writing? If so, what did you do to solve the problem? 14.3 A: I can always write. For me, writer's block is when the book is not going the way I want it. I know there's something wrong. I just don't know what. Usually I keep slogging on until I figure out what this is, then I toss everything that was wrong and start over. 14.4 Q: Do you and Mr. Hickman discuss what should be in the story, or do you alternate chapters and books? 14.4 A: Tracy always says that he writes the nouns and I write the verbs and flip coins for the adverbs.:) Actually Tracy is the story teller and world builder and I'm the writer. It's important to us that the book have "one voice". 14.5 Q: In the Lost Chronicles you and Mr. Hickman include references from the later books. was this intentional or did it just come on the spur of the moment? 14.5 A: That was what made this book so much fun. We can put in references

to other books for the pleasure of the readers who are familiar with the series. 14.6 Q: Where did you an Mr. Hickman get the ideas for the books? 14.6 A: There's this warehouse in Detroit . . . 14.7 Q: Have you ever felt that you and Mr. Hickman might be an obstacle to the continuing story of DL? 14.7 A: I'm not sure why we'd be an obstacle! Other writers like Paul Thompson, Jean Rabe, Rick Knaak, and Doug Niles are moving the story forward, whereas one might say Tracy and I are moving backward!:) 14.8 Q: Why is there such a seemingly big difference between yours and

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Mr. Hickman s opinion on DotHM? 14.8 A: Actually we think very much alike on this. We just express it differently. 14.9 Q: What was the biggest disagreement you and Mr. Hickman had during the writing of the Chronicles? 14.9 A: The only major disagreement we ever had was that I maintained Laurana would not give up her responsibilities as the Golden General to run off to save Tanis. Tracy (who is more romantic) maintained that her love would save the day. Which, in the end, it did. 14.10 Q: But weren't you trying to leave Elistan out of DoWN until Mr. Hickman promised you could kill him in Legends? 14.10 A: That was just fun...

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14.11 Q: Yours and Mr. Hickman s writing seem to contain a large amount of morals. Were you influenced by any particular religious faith? 14.11 A: I've always been fascinated by all kinds of religious beliefs. I can't say that anyone influenced me. 14.12 Q: Did you and Mr. Hickman every create character only to remove them because you felt they did fit? 14.12 A: No. The main is that for every series we always do a comprehensive synopsis of the plot, so we know in advance which characters are involved and what they're doing. 14.13 Q: Is it hard for you knowing that the DL rights are owned by a company and not by you and Mr. Hickman the actual creators? 14.13 A: Tracy and I knew when we started the project that we would have no control over it. We didn't care. We loved the world and the story so much all we wanted was for the book to come out. And it has been fun sharing the world with other authors who have become our friends

over the years. As for what the future holds, none of us know, but it's bound to be interesting!:) 14.14 Q: Did you and Mr. Hickman have anything works that were unpublished? 14.14 A: Maybe when we were back in TSR . . . Game material maybe. No books. 14.15 Q: Can youtell us a little bit more of the process of writing when working with Mr. Hickman? 14.15 A: Tracy and I work on the plot synopsis together, then I do the writing. He does world building, magic creation, etc. And if I get the characters into trouble, he has to get them out!:) Sec. 15: Returning to DragonLance 15.1 Q: What was it like for you to start writing DotDD and realize Elistan was going to live again? 15.1 A: I was bummed. Not only that, but he's in Highlord Skies, too! Arrgh!:) 15.2 Q: In writing the Lost Chronicles do you find it at all odd to be writing about characters you created more than 20 years ago? 15.2 A: It was a challenge. Tracy and I talked about that: how to make a book suspenseful when everyone knows the ending. What we chose to do was to focus on how the ending came about--with a twist or two. 15.3 Q: I read that Leaves will be your last DL book. Is this true? 15.3 A: Yes, I'll be at Dragon Con, along with Jamie, Cam and the rest of the MWP staff. Leaves is the last book MWP will be publishing related to the DL license. Sec. 16: Non Novel DragonLance Media 16.1 Q: Some band have done song like 'The SoulForged' and 'Wishmaster'.

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What s your opinion of these? 16.1 A: Very cool. 16.2 Q: Is it true they're going to make a DoWN movie? 16.2 A: No final decision has been made on this yet. The minute I hear anything I'll let you know. 16.3 Q: Has the release of the DL movie increased DL novel sales? 16.3 A: It's very hard to tell. The statements I receive are always very confusing to try to read. 16.4 Q: Any chance of developing any of your stories into video games? 16.4 A: Actually we're working to sell Dragonships as a computer game. That

said, we've got a lot of work to do with Dragonships, which will be a six book series. Q: What do you think of the band Nightwish? Do you feel they are a influence on DragonLance? A: Sorry to say I've never seen them! Q: Do you plan to make another DL movie? A: The decision on the movie isn't up to us. The producers to make that call. We'd love to see another movie! 16.7 Q: Did you imagine anyone else playing the companion than the chosen actors? 16.7 A: I always wanted to see James Marsters play Raistlin, but I loved Kiefer in the role. And I could not have picked a better Tasslehoff! And Tanis was simply fantastic. 16.8 Q: Any word on a second DragonLance movie? 16.8 A: I have not heard anything about a second movie. The moment I do, I'll let you know. 16.9 Q: Have you seen the DL comics produced by Devil's Due? What do you think of them? 16.9 A: I thought they did a great job! 16.10 Q: There's been a call for CG DL shorts. If a DoAT movie gets the green light will it include material from DotDD? 16.10 A: Sometimes a trailer is just a trailer. 16.5 good 16.5 16.6 16.6 have

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16.11 Q: DragonLance has been covered so thoroughly. what s the point of playing the games? 16.11 A: Read the game product War of the Lance and you'll find that the heroes of the Lance were just a small part of the war. Your heroes need to be heroes, fight their own part of the war. That being said, they could always "bump" into Tanis or Flint or some of the others along the way. 16.12 Q: What do you think about merchandise commemorating DL? Things like stamps. 16.12 A: There were D&D telephone cards in Britain, so I guess stamps would be a possibility! 16.13 Q: Who would you like to see make a parody of DragonLance? 16.13 A: Knights of the Dinner Table. 16.14 Q: With the new DL movie would you like to see other series made into movies, and if so which ones? 16.14 A: Hollywood is so very weird, I have no clue! I guess it will depend on how well fantasy movies like DL do.