Интервю за Michael J. Ward

Здравейте,

Наскоро си обмених няколко думи за Michael J. Ward - авторът на Destiny Quest.

Като цяло критикувах книгата му, но също и му съобщих за новата вълна тук.

Много е радостен за това че нещата се раздвижват, дори предложи да даде итнервю за сайта.

Въпорса ми е към хората които отговарят за Списанието - Искате ли да вземете интервю от него?

Ако да пратете ми въпроси тук (или на ЛС ако искате да ги пазите в тайна ).

Бутни го за след три-четири месеца, че ше има да си го чекаме тоя пусти Колин pt. 2 до Трето+ Пришествие.

Няма проблем когато кажете . През това време трупайте въпроси.

grindingtovalhalla.wordpress.com ... el-j-ward/


ето го.

Не съм чел Дестини Куест-а, но имам някаква представа за това какво представлява бойната система. Ако трябваше да пресъздавам най-доброто от УаУ, бих акцентирал на играта в екип, взаимоотношенията танк-лечител-биячи, а не точно изпълняването на куестове.

То в тази книга няма куестове, изискващи вземане на решения. Решенията са в стил "наляво или надясно", "нагоре или надолу", като никога няма информация, която да ти помогне да вземеш решение. Наляво има едни предмети и протвници, надясно други. Принципна разлика в противниците няма, така че няма логика магьосник да предпочете наляво, а паладин - надясно.
Винаги важи правилото да обикаляш навсякъде, преди да преминеш нататък, за да вземеш всичко, което може да бъде взето.
Акцентът не е върху изпълняване на куестове, а по-скоро върху подбор на оръжия не само заради показателите им, а и заради специалните им качества (повечето от които се използват еднократно в битка).

В интервю с този автор е интересно да се знае нещо повече за бъдещите му планове, както и по принцип с какво се занимава. Несериозно е да се смята, че човек може две години да пише такава книга професионално. Дори първата наистина да му е отнела толкова време и да е имал пари да си го позволи, интересно е какво смята да прави след това.
Разбира се, всякаква информация за продажби, хонорари и т.н. също е интересна, стига да е официална и човекът да има желание да я сподели.

Няма ли втора част или вече се е отказал да пише книги игри?

това на сайтът е същата книгата но преиздадена втори път.

Вътре ще намерите добавките от саитa. Дали има нещо ново освен това незнам.

Втора част ще има, в момента я пише и тества. Даже е в доста напреднал стадии до колкото знам.

За комерсиалната гледна точка не съм го питал. Както казах съберете някой друг въпрос пуснете го тук или на ЛС и аз ще ги събера в едно интервю. Ако изявявате желание може и с него директно да се свържете .

Миналата седмица пристигна специалното издание на Legion of Shadow .

следващата събота се прибирам и ще го разгледам.

Ще пусна едно бързо ревю на допълненията.

Здравейте ,

Забравих да пусна интервюто с MJW в форума и реших да се поправя.
Оригинално бях подготвил идеята като презентация MJW + TIN MAN interviews за София диша (май. за там беше..) но мястото и атмосферата не бяха много удачни за такова нещо .

ИИ това е интервюто

Hello Michael, quite some time has passed since the release of your first game book! Now when you have already experienced major success, the second book is about to be published and a third sequel is currently in the works does anything changed for you? One year ago you were making a new path toward your personal and professional development while now may be the hardest path comes, to pass the threshold you have placed!

Yes. It’s certainly been an eventful couple of years! I’ve been incredibly lucky and blessed that there was an audience for DestinyQuest. The support from gamers and bloggers has been overwhelming – and that really helped my self-published version to sell and come to the attention of the larger UK publishers. Getting the book deal with Gollancz/Orion Books was a dream come true. DQ is not the first book I have written and tried to get published, so I know the frustrations of the process – so to finally get that approval from a major UK publisher was a very big moment for me.
I still think there is a long way to go. This is something of a military campaign – I might have won the first battle/skirmish, but there is still a lot that needs to be done to win over more people to the gamebook format. US publishers are still unsure about the format, so that is a hurdle I am currently trying to get over, but at the moment my focus is just producing the best books I can and hope they get the attention of reviewers and bloggers – and of course, please the fans!

We know that writing started as a hobby and by employment you are web freelancer. How do you manage working on both? Sometimes dedication to one goal causes lack of motivation for another.
Is it possible writing to become your main employment?

I’ve always been writing, but it is difficult to balance the two. When I was working full-time in publishing (as a magazine editor), I really struggled to write (I write best in a morning, so I had to set my alarm extra early and try and do some before I went to work. Not always achievable!)
I went freelance so that I could manage my schedule better and make more time for my personal projects, such as DestinyQuest. Freelancing is difficult – sometimes there is lots of work, sometimes it is very quiet. The economic climate here is rather gloomy so finding work (even freelance) is hard. I focused on the writing as at least I felt like I was working towards something when there wasn’t anything else on offer.
When I completed DestinyQuest, it almost became a full-time business for me – setting up the website, sorting out signings, contacting publishers, doing all the self-publishing. It very much took over my life. When I started the second book, The Heart of Fire, I was still trying to juggle the freelance work with the writing, which is frustrating when you just want to focus on one thing (I am dreadful at multi-tasking!). However, once I got the call from Gollancz about the book deal and was given my deadline for the second book (plus a deadline for the extra content for Legion of Shadow) there was no longer time for freelance! So I really had to focus on the writing every day.
It is hard. I think every writer dreams of that moment when they can write for a living. However, the reality is more difficult. Knowing you have a tight deadline means you have to try and produce something everyday (even days when the last thing you want to do is write). Staying motivated is the key – but I’ll confess I went through some tough times with the second book, mainly due to the stress of getting it all done on time. But stress can bring out the best in you. I am so proud of the second book – a significant improvement on the first in every way. It is my proudest writing achievement to date; people will be very surprised (I hope) when they open that book and start reading and playing. I want each book to set a new standard for gamebooks.
So, writing every day leaves no time for freelance – so I am now a ‘full-time’ writer (at least 90 per cent of the time) and living off my advance from the publisher (which isn’t much, I promise). But I am happy to be doing what I love doing – and I hope the hard work eventually pays off with increased sales and interest.

Talking about DQ: Any thoughts on how many books from this series you will write and what diversity will there be?

At this point it is hard to say how many books there will be. I originally had plans for seven books, but because some plot elements have already changed (in the writing of the first two) then there is potential for a lot more books. However, the future of the series is dependent on popularity and sales. Gollancz has a lot of faith in the series, so I am hopeful I will get to write them all – but the sales of The Heart of Fire, I think, will be pivotal in their decision. I’m already signed for a third book, so that will definitely happen.
I think each book will be very different to the last. You play a different character in each – and I want every hero/character you play to be as interesting (or more interesting, I should say) than the last. You will also experience different environments in each book – each one giving you more of a view of Valeron and the history/geography of the continent. Each book will also introduce new rules. For example, in The Heart of Fire, there are added rules for the Team Battles (where you team up heroes together to take on larger ‘raid bosses’) and also rules for runes and glyphs that you can use to boost your items. In the third book, there will be death penalties when your hero dies (which link to the lore of the hero). So, each book is a discovery – but the core rules will remain the same.

Do you have any plans on writing something different than DQ in the future? New game book series with different gameplay, time setting and story or may be just a regular book? Usually the authors in this brand in UK prefer to stay in the boundaries of what is considered successful by the audience – Fighting fantasy series , Lonely Wolf series etc.
I would probably write something completely different. I have outlines for two novels that are more in the thriller/suspense category. I’m happy to write gamebooks as long as I feel the audience is there – but I also want to challenge myself as a writer. I’d certainly like a chance to write a regular book. I’d also be interested in scripting for computer games, if I got the chance.
Your first book was recently published for a second time. Is this a sign that the game book market is awaking after a long hibernation? Are you aware if other writers will take their chance in this genre?

I think the fact that Gollancz took a chance with DestinyQuest is a very positive sign, but I think it is a very small step on a long road. I’m not aware of any other UK publishers taking on gamebook properties at the moment (perhaps they are and I don’t know!). I think a lot of eyes will be on DestinyQuest to see how well it performs. If it does well, I would not be at all surprised to see a new wave of gamebooks emerging. But if the response is lukewarm then I doubt other publishers will take the chance. Having said that, I have sold rights for DestinyQuest to French and Spanish publishers, both of whom are very excited about the concept – so that is another good sign. I think the mobile/app market is also helping to get gamebooks noticed again.

Do you know about the company “Tin Man Games”? They are creating book-game android applications for phones. What is your opinion about moving on the genre towards the modern world? While Tin Man Games are claiming this trend has brought them fortnight success it is claimed that the magic a game book brings is ruined.

Yes, I’m very much aware of Tin Man Games and I’ve been impressed with their Game Book Adventure series. I think the gamebook is a perfect fit for the app market, as you will get players who prefer to have all the rules and mechanics done for them. I still have mixed feelings – not only about apps but eBooks in general. There is a magic to rolling dice, turning pages and having something physical to play/read. I find with playing an app, my attention span is lessened so I tend to skim read the text because I just want to get to the next button (or dice) to click. I think apps are great for making the game-side of it accessible, but I don’t think they always do justice to the words or the story.
I would like a world where there are both – apps and print gamebooks, so there is a choice. However, I worry that publishers/writers are increasingly looking towards e-media to deliver books/games so this might seriously damage the future of paper-and-dice gamebooks. If the two can support each other and co-exist, then I think that would be great for the hobby.

Are you going to leak any teaser for the fans awaiting the upcoming second part of Destiny Quest?

Ooh, I love teasers! Well, the second book takes place a year or so after the events in Legion of Shadow. Your hero has a power that has put them in trouble with the church, so they start their adventure as a prisoner in the dungeons of the Inquisition. Of course, I am sure you can guess what happens next…
The second book puts a lot more emphasis on your choices – something I know I didn’t do as well as I could have with the first book. To give one example, there is a quest in Act 2 where you make several pivotal decisions early on – each one leading to a completely different quest and series of outcomes. I really wanted to add that replay value. In Legion of Shadow, the replay comes more from wanting to try new heroes and builds, and find new items. In The Heart of Fire, it is the story that will draw people back, to play it a second or even a third time. It is impossible to play once and see everything – there is so much content packed into this book, even veteran gamers will be surprised, I promise. It’s bigger than the Legion of Shadow special edition!

Lastly, would you share a few words for the Bulgarian game book fans?

A massive geek hug to you all - thank you for supporting me and helping to keep the gamebook genre alive. I know Bulgaria had its gamebook craze a while back, but I think and hope that it is coming back – and coming back with a vengeance! We’ve just got to keep fighting the fight – and rolling those dice, and hope the rest of the world wakes up to how awesome gaming is.
I’m just sorry there isn’t a Bulgarian translation of DestinyQuest. Nothing would make me more happy. Perhaps you should all get onto your Bulgarian publishers and convince them to take a chance on it – I’d be happy to talk to them!

Thank you for the great interview! All people from our small society wish you luck in your writing career!

I’m honoured to be asked – and hope you enjoy the rest of the books in the series!

MJW