**Brandon** from x.x.x.100 started chat 7 minutes ago
**Brandon**: We'll start in about five min or so, after some people have had time to join.
**Brandon**: Hi. Brandon here.
**Brandon**: Ask away. I'll answer. It will be a blast.
**Brandon**: Oh, look. Howard is here too.
**Brandon**: Favorite Character: Probably Perrin, most days. It's hard to say. It's the one I'm writing at the moment, usually.
**Brandon**: Have I met Mr. Jordan: Saw him once at a convention. Was too chicken to go meet him. Still feel stupid.
**Brandon**: Hey, Erik. How's California?
**Brandon**: How much flack have I gotten: Oh, a medium amount. Most were mad at the start, but my post about why we split calmed many. Reading TGS calmed many more.
**Brandon**: I think, reading TGS, people could see just how much still has to be done in these books. So they understood I couldn't fit it all in one volume.
**Brandon**: ALL CAPS VOICE IN EOTW: I know what that was about. WIll it be in the next book. Er...Rafo. Sorry.
**Brandon**: When did I decide to connect my novels: Long before Elantris was published. In 99, I'd say. Maybe 98.
**Brandon**: Re: The Set of the trailer for TofM. I couldn't make it out. Too much work to do. But I did get some exclusive pictures sent to me from Jason.
**Brandon**: I'd say the trailer will be soon. After Tor and Harriet approve it. Maybe for Dragoncon?
**Brandon**: Re: Being mad that Robert Jordan didn't finish the book. I'm there with you all the way. Perhaps I shouldn't admit this, but a good friend and I used to have a thing where we would shake our fists at the sky whenever Mr. Jordan's name was mentioned. (This was before he died.)
**Brandon**: Re: Stefan Will we know about the Voice by the end of the series? I really can't say yes or no. This is one of the things Harriet has asked me to be very quiet about.
***Brandon*** Re: Will we see Rand in the next book? YES. The book will not be a 100% flash-back like Bk 10. There will be a little bit of catch-up for Perrin, but Egwene and Rand both have large parts too.
***Brandon*** Re: The prologue of TofM. You are right, that's up to the publisher. I'd guess you will see it around September, maybe a little later than last year. But you will probably see it early.
***Brandon*** Re: What has been the most difficult part of writing the books. I'd say it's split between a couple of things.
***Brandon*** First: Keeping track of all of the characters. (Like remembering which Aes Sedai are with which main character, and which members of the Black Tower are which rank.) Got one of those wrong in the book, by the way.
***Brandon*** Second: Making sure everyone's voice (the characters) is correct. That's the most important thing, and I spent a lot of time on it.
***Brandon*** Re: How do we get all the authors on Writing Excuses. Honestly, we don't have much trouble. Authors like to talk. (See: This conversation.) Give them a platform, and most will talk. Particularly on a podcast with a lot of listeners.
***Brandon*** Semirhage. I'm sorry. I did what I did because I love you.
***Brandon*** Re: The trailer for TofM. It will NOT be seen only at Dragoncon. It should be posted all over the place.
***Brandon*** Erik: We'd love to have him on.
***Brandon*** Re: Asmo. If you haven't heard, I DO know, and it WILL be in the books. Somewhere. I can't say if it will be in TofM or not.
***Brandon*** Re: Mat in TofM. Yes. Lots of Mat. Promise.
***Brandon*** Re: All the minor characters. You got it exactly. That is TOUGH. Obviously, I can keep track of the mains. But those minor characters... It takes a LOT of work to make sure I'm getting them all.
***Brandon*** Re: Signing this fall. I WILL be doing a signing for TofM in November. Right now, it's looking like New York, Texas, Charleston, Salt Lake, and maybe one or two other dates. And maybe Paris. (A con over there has invited me.)
***Brandon*** Re: Elayne. It was tough to decide that Elayne would not appear in TGS. I knew we didn't have room for everyone.
***Brandon*** Thing is, Elayne was way ahead of everyone else in her plotline. (Meaning what she needed to get done.) And so, with great regret, I moved her to TofM.
***Brandon*** She will appear, as will her wonderful warder.
***Brandon*** Re: Storm Leader type things for KINGS. I'm thinking we'll try something else that tour. The Storm Leaders were awesome, but we had Jason to set that all up. I may return to doing something like that on another tour, but this one will involve something else. I'll explain eventually.
***Brandon*** Re: 5th Alcatraz novel. Well, I do want to write it, and Tor would publish it in a second--but I can't take time away from wot right now. So MAYBE Tor will publish it. A lot depends on the film, which is being developed by Dreamworks Animation.
***Brandon*** The dreamworks option runs out in December.
***Brandon*** Also, I will have to go before too long. So get your questions in soon. I will post a "All questions after this will have to wait until next time" in a few moments.
***Brandon*** I take it as a great compliment when people say that, while reading TGS, they forgot Mr. Jordan hadn't written it.
***Brandon*** TWoK tour starts August 31st. Lasts about 3 weeks, with Dragoncon in the middle.
***Brandon*** Okay, I will answer all questions before this post. When I reach this post, I'll have to leave. (Very sorry.)
***Brandon*** Re: Will I come to Vroman's again? I probably will. But I love Mysterious Galaxy in San Diego so much that if I only have one day for touring in SoCal, I usually end up there. If I have a second day, it will be Vromans. Maybe next year. Probably not for TofM. (Sorry!)
***Brandon*** To Eric's random questions: Remind you to make you pay next time we go out to eat.
***Brandon*** Re: Do I work with any major Fan sites. I LOVE LOVE LOVE the Encycolpaeda WoT, Tar Valon's Wiki, and the 13th depository. (Wow, probably didn't spell that one right.) I really like Dragonmount, but I end up working with Jason more than hanging out there.
***Brandon*** Re: Mat's dying. In the books, Mat says that he's "Pretty Sure" that he'd already died. So use that as a guide.
***Brandon*** Re: Loving my work. Thank you so much, all of you.
***Brandon*** Re: Harriet's Encyclopedia. She says that it will come out one year after AMOL. She wants it to be complete, and include all of the inforamtion through the last book. She and Maria are working hard on it.
***Brandon*** Re: Another Mat being hung confirmation. Like I said, Mat's pretty sure that counted for him dying. He really doesn't want to try anything like that again...
***Brandon*** Re: New Zealand. (Sp?) Sorry about my spelling, by the way. I'm bad enough when going slowly. Anyway, I've never been to Australia or New Zealand. I'd love to visit both. And not just because it's Middle Earth.
***Brandon*** New Zealand is Middle Earth, that is. Not sure what Australia is....
***Brandon*** Re: Research for my books. I do a lot of broad-based reading in historical works. Things like the History of Warfare and the like. From there, I decide what I need to know for a specific book. For Mistborn, I read a lot on Canal Culture, Alchemy, Eunics, and early 1800's London. Mostly survey works.
***Brandon*** Re: What will Moiraine say when she gets back to the Real World? Oh, you totally knew I was going to RAFO that. ... RAFO. (Also, that's not a promise she will be back. RAFO that too.)
***Brandon*** Re: Maria my fountain of knowledge. Yes, yes, yes. Her and Alan are VERY useful. Encyclopaeda WOT is my starting point, and they are my deep-researchers.
***Brandon*** Re: Drive from CA to Salt Lake City. Well, if you want Numbered copies...yes. But I WILL be in San Diego and San Fran for the tour in September.
***Brandon*** Re: East Coast Girl's Given name. What is it?
***Brandon*** Re: Sleep at night. I do usually get 8 hours. My day goes like this: Get up, take my sons and play with them for an hour so Pemberly can nap. Work until 6 or 7. Eat dinner, hang with wife and kids. Back to work at 8 or 9, work until four. Sleep until noon.
***Brandon*** Re: Gawyn. I don't think even Gawyn has been a fan of Gawyn lately. But he's been through a lot, and has more to him than people are giving him credit for having. He still has a part to play.
***Brandon*** Re: Is Rand up to date with Elayne. To be honest, Luckers, I'd have to go look at my timeline. I'm pretty sure Rand was at June (our world months) at the end of TGS. Perrin ended at beginning of April. Elayne...grrr Can't remember. But Rand/Egwene are in sync with one another as of the end of that book. I think Elayne is just a tad behind.
***Brandon*** Re: My book covers. Mostly, those are the publisher's deal. I generally have some input, but only a small input. The longer I go, the more I have to say. Often, I will suggest scenes, but it's up to the publisher/artist to decide.
***Brandon*** For example, the cover of Mistborn 3 was originally a concept cover for the cover of Mistborn One. Everyone liked it so much, they decided to tweak the sketch and do a full painting for MB3.
***Brandon*** Re: Galad in TofM. so far, I'm on record as saying this: Almost everyone who did not appear in TGS appears in TofM. No promises on anyone other than Main Characters, like Mat/Elayne. But expect to see a lot of people return who didn't appear in TGS.
***Brandon*** Also, Galad happens to be one of my personal favorite characters.
***Brandon*** Re: Rand and his half brother. RAFO.
***Brandon*** Re: How is Min NOT pregnant. Uh... You'll have to ask her about that. I don't pry.
***Brandon*** (Actually, I think they talk about it in the books.)
***Brandon*** Re: Are there any male characters who don't know they can channel, but will learn? Wonderfully specific question that is EXACTLY the type of thing RJ would RAFO. I will say this. We are not going to be introducing new plot lines in the upcoming books. Robert Jordan was specific. These books are culminations, not thread-starters. So basically, they will be focused on plots you already know about. Mostly. (Not much help there, am I? Sorry.)
***Brandon*** RE: Will there be Q&A at the Eagle Mountain signing. Yes. Hopefully, a lot of it.
***Brandon*** RE: Magic system I'm most proud of. Oh, boy. That's like asking someone's favorite child. I really like what I've got in TWoK, but Mistborn's trio of magic systems have a tightness to them that is hard to match.
***Brandon*** Re: Do I look forward to being done with the wot. Yes and no. It is a LOT of work. These books are the hardest I've ever written. So I will feel good to have them done, and to have the closure out there.
***Brandon*** But at the same time...the wot Has been part of my life in one way or another since I was 14. It will be very sad to see it end.
***Brandon*** Re: Which of my books was my favorite to write. Each is different. The WoT books are the most challenging, the Alcatraz books the most fun. I think The Way of Kings was the most enthralling. Each have their high points.
***Brandon*** Re: Subject matter I research. I kind of answered this above, but I will say that MOST of it is along the lines of "How did this piece of technology work" or "how did this battle play out." Historical things.
***Brandon*** Re: Will Hoid appear in the WOT. No, he will not. I feel that putting a character from one of my own books into the wot world would be an act of arrogance. The wot world is not mine, and I don't want to imply that my characters have any connection to it, or that it's part of 'my' cosmology. (Sorry.) There are other easter eggs, though. The type Mr. Jordan liked to put in.
***Brandon*** All right, all. Thank you for listening. I'm going to read through the rest of the chat, so I'll see what you said. But I don't have time for more questions. (Hang around. I might post another thought or two.) But for now, we'll call this a wrap. I'll do it again in the future, I promise.
***Brandon*** I assume Dragonmount or someone will throw up an archive of this. They always do. If you do, please all pretend that my spelling was wonderful and I inserted a few extra chamingly witty comments.
***Brandon*** Also, lets hope that I didn't say anything that will have Maria on the phone to me Monday groaning about something wrong I said.
***Brandon*** As always, thank you very much for reading. (And yes, Luckers, I got your email. I totally forgot to reply, though.)
***Brandon*** One of the best things about being involved in these books has been the fan base. You lot are a pretty great group.
***Brandon*** Re: Finishing GRRM's books. Lol. I think I'd be the WRONG choice for those books, and would tell them that if they asked me. WoT was one of the few I'd have said yes to, seeing as to how Robert Jordan taught me to write. (Pretty much.)
**Brandon**: Re: Grading papers. I actually never graded finals for my last class. (Whoops.) I will be doing it during tour this year, probably. I teach for fun, so I do it as a hobby. I'm not sure how much longer I'll be able to do it. (I only teach one class a year.)
**Brandon**: Dana: I signed some books in the Salt Lake airport just a few weeks ago, and will do so again when I fly out to Comicon. So there's a good chance! If you call the bookstore and have them order you in a TGS, I could sign that. Last time I was there, they were out.
**Brandon**: Lol. Dana, I'm REALLY trying to publish as many as possible. Magic cards do help, though...
**Brandon**: In a more serious tone, I do offer to let people read my older books.
**Brandon**: So if you're starved for something, you can shoot and email through the website and ask for White Sand or Aether of Night.
**Brandon**: They're not up to my current standards, but they're okay. And if you're really interested in the larger story happening behind the scenes in my books, those two novels are important.
**Brandon**: Watch for the Wells of Power in Aether of Night, for example.
**Brandon**: There will be an Elantris sequel some day. Hopefully.
**Brandon**: Wait, someone if offering a BLACK LOTUS. Drool. (But I probably wouldn't take it, in all honesty. That's a little TOO much.)
**Brandon**: The Amazon wish list alone makes me feel uncomfortable. Really, reading my books is enough.
**Brandon**: As for comicon, I'm doing a panel on fantasy with Tad Williams and Christopher Poulini (sp?) and also the awesome Pat Rothfuss. Also, a signing with Pat and Brent Weeks.(sp?)
**Brandon**: I WILL play Magic at Dragoncon. Planning to have plenty of time. I wish I could figure out a way to do a draft with fans while out for Comicon. That would be great.
**Brandon**: Remind me, Magical Man, about this chat when you see me. You too, Hamm.
**Brandon**: Re: Shocklances(sp? I should really know that one) and Egwene/Cadsuane. Double RAFO. Pow!
**Brandon**: Re: Stormlight Archive and satisfying conclusions. I try VERY hard to do that in all of my books. So hopefully, yes it will.
**Brandon**: Also, My internet is going crazy. So I think I should just go ahead and say good night for real this time. In answer to those who want to contact me via email, try the web form on my site.
**Brandon**: Sorry if I missed anyone's questions. I will do this again. If I missed yours, email me. I'll try to get to it.
**Brandon**: Good night.