Video: Sleep Sound (D&D)

R. A. Salvatore has written a nursery rhyme introducing his famous Drow warrior Drizzt Do'Urden, narrated by Benedict Cumberbatch with some stunning visuals. While it's called an 'introduction', if you're unfamiliar with the Forgotten Realms (now just called Dungeons & Dragons apparently), then you won't understand what's going on or who any of the characters are. Also, don't watch this if you don't like (not cute) animated spiders.

Blast From the Past: The Dark Elf Trilogy by R. A. Salvatore

Before I started reviewing books online I loved rereading my favourite SF/Fantasy books.  Since I don’t have time to do that anymore, this column is a trip down memory lane, where I’ll rave about books I love to read.  And then read again.  These aren’t reviews, as I won’t necessarily mention criticisms, they’re my chance to fan girl about books I love and hopefully garner some interest in some older titles.

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After reading the Shannara books at 13, I found I had a real passion for fantasy books and started combing through my brothers’ collections to see what else was out there.  I read R. A. Salvatore’s Icewind Dale trilogy and enjoyed it a lot.  Then I saw that there was a prequel trilogy about Drizzt Do’Urden’s life.

I LOVED the Dark Elf trilogy, especially Homeland.  Drizzt’s childhood and his skill with swords fascinated me.  I loved reading about Menzoberranzan and the conflict between his parents, a powerful follower of the Spider Queen and her contentious weapon’s master.

Exile and its descriptions of the Underdark and what happened to those who gave him a chance was also fascinating.  Watching him try to retain his humanity in the face of the horrors that live there, as well as the family hunting him, was gripping.

Sojourn was my least favourite of the books, probably because Drizzt heads for the surface, so the interesting underground society was left behind.  Still, seeing him try to make a place for himself and prove that he wasn’t evil, when the rules of the world stated that if you were ‘x’ race, you’re good and if you’re ‘y’ race you’re evil, was very interesting.

I did notice a few inconsistencies between the original books and the prequels, but I’m willing to bet Drizzt’s got a few fuzzy memories, considering his long lifespan.

The books were rereleased a few years ago with gorgeous new covers.  (In fact, I liked the new cover of Homeland so much I bought a copy of the image from Todd Lockwood's website.)   I’m not as keen on some of the reformatting of the text, but ah well, that’s why I’ve got my original copies.

If you like action and adventure and gut wrenchingly horrible family dynamics, then this is the series for you.  Indeed, I read a bunch of Forgotten Realms books (and you don’t have to be familiar with the series to jump into most of the books), and enjoyed a lot of them.

R. A. Salvatore Signing at the World's Biggest Bookstore

We had a fabulous event on Thursday when R. A. Salvatore came to the World's Biggest Bookstore in Toronto to talk about and sign books. If you want to see more pictures, click this link. I spent yesterday editing clips from the Q&A. Fellow Forgotten Realms author, Ed Greenwood, was in the crowd. Here's a video of them, holding each others newest release, answering the question, "What's the best thing about being an author?"


And some other videos that relate. I'll be posting more videos next week. So stay tuned.

Meet R. A. Salvatore in Toronto October 7th, 7pm

Just a reminder, R. A. Salvatore will be meeting fans and signing books at the World's Biggest Bookstore on Thursday October 7th, at 7 pm. Here's a book trailer for his newest release, Gauntlgrym.

From his site:

When one of his oldest friends, Bruenor Battlehammer, chooses to spend his final days searching for the fabled dwarf kingdom of Gauntlgrym, Drizzt readily agrees. Drizzt joins Bruenor on his quest for the fabled dwarven kingdom of Gauntlgrym: ruins said to be rich with ancient treasure and arcane lore. Unfortunately, the more they uncover about the secret of Gauntlgrym, the more it looks like they can’t stop it on their own.

Not in Toronto? He'll be visiting numerous cities, so check out his tour list either on facebook or his website (which also mentions his online tour - in case he's not coming to a city near you).

R. A. Salvatore Booksigning in Toronto

That's right, author R. A. Salvatore, of Forgotten Realms (and other) fame, will be returning to the World's Biggest Bookstore in Toronto on October 7th, 7 pm, for a booksigning to promote his new book, Gauntlgrym. If you missed him last year, he's a great public speaker so head on down to the store and show him some fan love.

Not in Toronto? Check out his tour page to see if he's coming to a city near you.

R. A. Salvatore video clips

My husband showed me how I could upload the videos faster, so here are two more clips from R. A. Salvatore's book signing at the World's Biggest Bookstore. Once again, sorry for the quality of the videos (which will probably be worse than the one I posted yesterday).

In the first video he's explaining why he started writing and why he chose to write fantasy over other genres.


In the second video he's answering the question of how he disciplines himself to write and how he handles writer's block. It's a great response. If you find yourself constantly procrastinating when it comes to your own writing, I'd highly recommend listening to his advice.

R. A. Salvatore in Toronto

As promised, here is a video clip from the R. A. Salvatore signing last night at the World's Biggest Bookstore. In the picture he's being introduced to the audience by the marketing director of Random House Canada, Mike Fuhr.

Mr. Salvatore spoke of the 4 projects he's currently working on, his influences when it comes to writing and several other topics. I took these video clips with my camera so I apologize for their less than professional quality. :)


In this video Mr. Salvatore is asked why the heroes in his books are all highly moral characters and what sources he got those ideals from.



I have two more videos to post but uploading time is such that I can't add them today anymore. Look for them tomorrow.

R. A. Salvatore Author Interview

Books: Again, too many to list. Check out his website.

Most recent books: Orc King
Pirate King
Ghost King

The Dame

website: www.rasalvatore.com

If you could, would you change places with any of your characters?

Sure, until I had to take a shower with cold water.

Seriously, there is a certain purity in fantasy worlds that I wish existed in our world. The idea that one person can be the hero, can slay the dragon and save the town, is very appealing to me, as is the idea of having a very clear reason to go to battle. I’d love to visit the unspoiled lands of Icewind Dale, or the great monastery of St. Mere Abelle in DemonWars. I’d love to be the Highwayman, robbing the lairds to help the ordinary folk get by. Of course I would.

Isn’t that why we read fantasy, after all?

What was the hardest scene for you to write?

The hardest scene for me to write, ever, was the last part of Brother Francis’s tale in the book Mortalis. I wrote that book while watching my best friend, my brother Gary, wither away from cancer, and Francis came to symbolize Gary’s struggle for me, a struggle I knew he could not win, as much as I wanted to deny it.

Any time you kill a character, or send some of your favorites off on a different road, it’s difficult. I remember way back when writing The Halfling’s Gem, when I thought I had killed Catti-brie. I had to take a break and go for a walk. It really hits hard.

What's the best/worst thing about writing?

The best thing is that I get to escape from our world as a matter of course. When I get going, it’s like I’m there in the story; I get the same thrill from writing that most people get from reading, and I’m constantly surprised by the twists and turns in the stories I write.

The worst thing is that, like every writer, I’m cursed. I can’t escape a book. It won’t leave me alone, won’t get out of my head. It’s with me when I’m driving. It’s with me when I go to bed and when I wake up.

Do you have any advice for hopeful authors?

If you can quit, then quit. If you can’t quit, you’re a writer. I mean that, and not at all facetiously. You write because you have to write, because if you’re not writing, you’re miserable. You write because you have all these stories inside of you, clawing at your skin and demanding to be told. One thing I want to make very clear here: writing and publishing are two different things. I write because I’ve got the curse, because I have to write, because I won’t be happy unless I’m telling my stories. I publish because, since I’m writing anyway, I might as well share the stories.

So, as far as advice on publishing goes, I’d say, go to the library and look in The Writer’s Market. Learn the business end of the business, and send the publishers exactly what they want, content and format. And as soon as you mail out your work, forget about it and get back to writing, and never, ever forget that you are a writer if you’re writing. Publishing is just the icing on that very tasty cake.

How do you discipline yourself to write?

I’m a professional writer. I’m my own boss. Without discipline, I fail, period. There are many days where I’d rather be out in the sunshine, or watching a ball game, or getting an ice cream, but I have deadlines and I have responsibilities.

You don’t need to have that sense of responsibility to be a writer, but you need it to be a professional writer. And here’s the most important thing I’ve learned: once you start typing, you’ll fall back into the work and very quickly forget anything else you thought you’d rather be doing.


Remember R. A. Salvatore's blog tour continues tonight on Suvudu (www.suvudu.com) 7-8 EST,
and tomorrow at Fantasy Book Critic (www.fantasybookcritic.blogspot.com).

R. A. Salvatore Blog Tour

In addition to his live book tour, R. A. Salvatore will be doing a book tour at various blogs throughout the coming week. Be sure to check back here Friday Oct. 16th for my portion. And here are the rest of his stops:

Monday, 10.12.09

SciFiChick

http://scifichick.com

Tuesday, 10.13.09

BSCreview

www.bscreview.com

Wednesday, 10.14.09

SciFiGuy

www.scifiguy.ca

Thursday, 10.15.09

Elitist Book Reviews

http://elitistbookreviews.blogspot.com

Friday, 10.16.09

Suvudu (7:00 to 8:00 p.m. EST)

www.suvudu.com

Saturday, 10.17.09

Fantasy Book Critic

http://fantasybookcritic.blogspot.com

And remember, October 21st 7 pm, meet him live at the World's Biggest Bookstore in Toronto!