Notes from the Perilous Realm

Thank you! This is the first time I've heard f...

2012-05-11T08:00:12.551-06:00

Thank you! This is the first time I've heard from a reader in Asia. I actually didn't know the books were available there.

Thank you so much for gracing me with an incredibl...

2012-05-10T21:56:11.515-06:00

Thank you so much for gracing me with an incredible book such as The Shadow of Malabron. Without a doubt it is my favourite of all the books I've read and I am deeply enchanted by the enriching storytell that you've put so much effort into.

I have been long awaiting the second book to the trilogy since the day I finished the first book. To make up for that period of time, I have been reading the first book a number of times so that by the time I have the sequel at my fingertips, the plot of the first book will still linger in my head to lead up to the next unfolding story. In other words, I am thoroughly snared by the story, forcing me into a spellbinding trance. And I mean that in a good way.

I still remember the time I stumbled upon The Shadow Of Malabron in a local bookstore. As soon as I began reading the first few pages, I was instantly drawn into the world of Story. At that moment, I knew I had to get the book right then and there.

I am really looking forward for the Fathomless Fire to hit the stores in Singapore and Malaysia. Your work has even touched the hearts of us Asians and I'm thankful that I had the opportunity to witness such an inspiring masterpiece from an outstanding writer. I hope to see more great storytelling from you!

Thanks for this!

2012-05-05T15:43:49.379-06:00

Thanks for this!

Thank you for this and you offer to answer other w...

2012-05-02T09:47:13.534-06:00

Thank you for this and you offer to answer other writing questions. I think I'm in a place where I don't know what I don't know.

People waiting for the fireworks. I like the cross...

2012-04-29T13:10:00.273-06:00

People waiting for the fireworks. I like the cross-section of ages, and the preponderance of red, which I enhanced by fiddling with hue & saturation.

That's a cool little photo.

2012-04-29T12:08:34.820-06:00

That's a cool little photo.

I wondered why Master Pendrake had that old suit o...

2012-04-28T23:15:27.294-06:00

I wondered why Master Pendrake had that old suit of armor in his library!

Karen, Good question! I found that working on a tr...

2012-04-21T08:05:57.682-06:00

Karen,
Good question! I found that working on a trilogy forced me to do more early plotting than I usually would. If I was going to draw out a story over three books I had to have a pretty good idea of the overall structure and the destination. So how to stay motivated when I already know the story? I think that's a question for another post!

Weird. I had the exact same experience in high sch...

2012-04-20T20:59:12.959-06:00

Weird. I had the exact same experience in high school, multiple times. I plotted several "novels" from beginning to end (and had a blast figuring out plot twists, details, etc.), but by the time I got down to writing the actual story, it was like I had this "plot cloud" hanging over me, and it was so de-motivating.

The trouble is, how do I resist the urge to "discover" how my stories end? When I'm writing (or should I say, plotting), it's like I become one of those readers who has to skip to the "good parts", but then once I find out what those good parts are, I don't want to read/write the rest of the story. Sigh. And so another plot gets abandoned.

ElibeeToo, Will do.

2012-04-18T08:59:09.268-06:00

ElibeeToo,

Will do.

Can you talk about how to write good dialogue? Tha...

2012-04-17T15:30:56.197-06:00

Can you talk about how to write good dialogue? Thanks!

I'm looking forward to this answer too. M

2012-04-15T14:58:57.603-06:00

I'm looking forward to this answer too. M

Good question and I will try to answer it in anoth...

2012-04-14T15:05:16.709-06:00

Good question and I will try to answer it in another post!

I still don't get it, whats the difference bet...

2012-04-14T15:02:49.382-06:00

I still don't get it, whats the difference between story and plot?

Dear Anonymous, I take it you're wondering if ...

2012-04-10T09:10:28.812-06:00

Dear Anonymous,
I take it you're wondering if one can start with the ending of a story and work backwards. That was actually a bit of advice I got from one of my own writing teachers, Rudy Wiebe. If you're having trouble with a story but you know where it's going to end up, then write the ending first. Then you've got something to work toward.

One of Rudy's own famous short stories, "The Naming of Albert Johnson," starts with the violent ending of the main character's life and then moves backwards in time to narrate the events that led to that ending.

Richard, Thank you for the kind words about my boo...

2012-04-10T09:05:09.618-06:00

Richard,
Thank you for the kind words about my books, and for planning your Christmas present buying so far ahead!

Glad to hear you're looking forward to book 3 as well. I won't say much about it but I can tell you that in the grand tradition of fantasy there will be a mighty battle (two in fact).

cheers,
Tom Wharton

Can you write a story backwards?

2012-04-10T08:07:10.515-06:00

Can you write a story backwards?

Many thanks, Tom, for replying to this enthusiasti...

2012-04-10T00:43:09.473-06:00

Many thanks, Tom, for replying to this enthusiastic young writer and reader! I have just found "Shadow" in our local library (Apr 2012), and it so clearly cried out for a sequel. I am so pleased that - just as I found it! - I find the sequel has been published (hah! one in the eye for the Black King!).

I plan to buy the first as a 2012 Xmas present for a friend (yes, I do plan that far ahead!), and dig around for "Fathomless Fire".

Really looking forward to reading the final part of the trilogy, which to me is every bit as good as Alan Garner's wonderful books, and echoes Tolkien in its depth and landscape description (which I love).

Hi Susha, It's funny you should mention Spirit...

2012-03-27T09:17:26.726-06:00

Hi Susha,
It's funny you should mention Spirited Away and Miyazaki's other films. I love those movies and I went to see "Arietty" the other day and thought how wonderful it would be to have Studio Ghibli animate my books! A writer can dream...

But I have to say I usually don't think much about movie versions of my books. One reason is that my goal as a writer is to weave a world of words -- a world that can come alive in a reader's head as their own "movie." And another reason is that the chances of anyone ever making movies of these books is pretty slim!

But I understand what you mean when you say you get an image of an actor while you're reading or writing. I sometimes do that, too. Sometimes an actor's face and voice can give me a place to start with a new character -- I can say to myself, "I imagine someone who talks and moves like that guy..."

Thank you for your kind words about my books and my writing. It's much appreciated -- helps keep me going during the long haul of writing a novel!

Thank you for this post, it clears a few things up...

2012-03-26T23:16:08.813-06:00

Thank you for this post, it clears a few things up that I needed to know!

I also have a question...

I am sure without a doubt you have thought about what the cinema version of your book might look like, (I know I have!) and I was just wondering who you would cast to play certain characters whether it be live action or just voice over.

Would you rather it be a live-action movie adaptation(LotR, Eragon, Spiderwick), CGI adaptation (Happily Never After, Monster House, Beowulf), or an animated adaptation (Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, Howls Moving Castle).

I must confess, if you have not noticed already, I am a bit of a movie geek, so forgive me if this is too much to think about, as I understand planning for such things is a hard decision.

Whenever I read or write a story, I always get an image of the character I am reading or writing about in the form of an actor. Certain characters remind me of certain actors and so forth and I sort of create a character profile around the information I read or write and the face I see in my mind...If that makes sense...tee hee.

I have faces in my mind when I read the books for many of your characters in the book, but I know everyone interprets books differently, so I do not expect other people to agree with my opinion.

By the way, these are YOUR characters, YOUR ideas, YOUR plans, and I am by NO means attempting to adjust your characters, ideas or creations. Just thought I would put that out there...

Perhaps I am getting a little bit TOO into the book and the Realm itself, but I cannot help it when I get attached to a certain character, and with your magnetic writing style and empathetic characterization , I got sucked in during the first chapter straight through to the last.

Throughout my life nearly every single movie (or book for that matter) I have loved, my favourite character almost always seems to die. They are most often a more of a minor supporting character compared to others, but they still play an important role, and unfortunately one of your characters fell into that category.

I am, however, glad to have had the opportunity to have come along on this journey across the Realm with all the companions, and besides his death, I found Moth and Morrigan to be very fascinating, very noble and very intriguing and I cannot wait for the next book to see Morrigan's come back and course of action!

Anyways, I have taken up FAR too much time and space writing this, so I will just wrap it up and wish you the very best!

-Susha

Hi Susha, I'm glad to have a name for you othe...

2012-03-13T08:07:17.224-06:00

Hi Susha,
I'm glad to have a name for you other than Anonymous! Thank you for the feedback and the great questions. One of the best things about writing a book is to hear from thoughtful readers like you.

I'm going to answer your questions as best as I can, but I'm going to answer them in upcoming blog posts, since many of them deserve a detailed answer.

So stay tuned!

Hello, for the past couple of comments, I've p...

2012-03-12T14:02:21.013-06:00

Hello, for the past couple of comments, I've put anonymous because I've been very shy about asking questions, but if you need to refer or address me in anyway ( I like to ask a lot of questions the Realm)you can call me Susha. As for my questions...correct me if I'm wrong.

Since the Realm is a huge world would places such as the Screaming Wastelands, Bourne, Snowlands, Twilight Land, Dark Aunc, Tirreth Dree and Arzareth like seperate provinces/states/countries within it?

After hearing about the mirror shards Will encounters right after he enters into the Realm, I don't remember hearing about them afterwards. Perhaps I skipped some details, but I can't for the life of me remember their signifigance. Did the Tain Shee place them on that tree? Is it the same kind of mirror that Will was given right before he goes home? Who was looking at Will through the mirror shard, Lotan or Malabron?

If 2 people from the Untold entered the Gateless Gate at the same time, would they both see the same thing? (e.g, Will sees the blue and red lights of the police car) Would another Untold see the same thing, or would they see their own previous circumstances (e.g, crashing into a tree, running away from a parent, etc) or would they emerge with the other person? What was the actual boundary of the Realm Will went through? Can anyone get through or do you have to have a certain trait (bravery, wit, fencing skill)or have a certain role in the Story?

Since Moth was the one to find little Rowen after the mordog attack, do you think he carried her back to her grandfather? With his aloof nature and independentness, I found it kind of hard to believe he would, but I guess he couldn't just let a 2 year old walk on her own feet, especially after witnessing such destruction.

Anyways, I hope I didn't bug you too much, as always, I love your work, best of luck,

Susha

I was reminded by a reader that this is supposed t...

2012-03-08T22:27:14.923-07:00

I was reminded by a reader that this is supposed to be a kid-friendly blog, and so I have cleaned the story up a little. I hope the point still comes across.

Dear Anonymous, I don't have any plans right n...

2012-03-04T15:24:21.069-07:00

Dear Anonymous,
I don't have any plans right now to create a collection of stories about the background of The Perilous Realm trilogy. But "imagining for yourself" is certainly something I encourage readers to do. If anyone who reads this blog has stories of their own based on these characters, I'd love to see them. I'm also planning a post on this topic, so more later...

This post, and some others, allude to many stories...

2012-03-04T10:41:43.515-07:00

This post, and some others, allude to many stories that happen before or during the adventures of Rowen and Will. Are there plans for these stories to be told in a collection or are we left to imagine them for ourselves?