Drew
Karpyshyn Creative Works
The Official Homepage of Drew Karpyshyn
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News This section is where I’ll share all the latest significant happenings in my life with my adoring public and rabid fans. You can find older news stories (2006 - 2009) in my news ARCHIVE You can also follow me on Twitter: http://twitter.com/drewkarpyshyn Next site update: August 9, 2010 July 26, 2010 Comic Con 2010 is in the books. I laughed; I cried; I ate too much. I also got to meet some of the fans, sign a couple hundred copies of my books, and participate in a panel on multi-player story. If you didn't get a chance to see our panel, you can check it out HERE. I'm the pudgy kid in the middle. We also announced that we will have space combat in SWTOR. I also did an interview with Darth Hater. It's a good interview, but it was transcribed almost word for word and at times I sound like a bit of a rambling idiot. (That's why I prefer e-mail interviews; I'm a WRITER, not a TALKER.) Still, some interesting stuff. So what's next on the agenda for me? Well, Mass Effect: Retribution goes on sale TOMORROW! Go now! Buy it. BUY IT! After that, it's back up to Drew July 19, 2010 Last update before Comic
Con in Thursday, July 22nd 7:30 - 9:30 pm Hanging at the Random House party at Jolt n' Joes. Friday, July 23rd 1:00 - 2:00 pm Star
Wars Day: Beyond Solo: Crafting the
Multiplayer Story in Star Wars: The Old Republic Join me, James Ohlen and Alex Freed (both also of BioWare) as we discuss the trials and tribulations of writing the multi-player story for this incredible MMO. Room 7AB: Get there early - seating may be limited! 4:00 - 5:00 pm I'll be signing copies of my books at the Random House/Del Rey booth (1514) in the main Exhibit Hall. There will be advance copies of Mass Effect: Retribution on sale, along with other titles.
5:00 - 7:00 pm BioWare Meet the Devs Join me and other BioWare folk at Dick's Last Resort for drinks, snacks and oh-so-witty repartee. 7:00 pm - 12:00 am Getting funky at the WOWIO Comic Cruise down by the marina. Saturday, July 24th 10:00 - 11:00 am Another round of book signings at the Star Wars pavilion by the Random House/Del Rey booth (1514) in the main Exhibit Hall. Rumor is they may have some free giveaways for REAL Star Wars fans... though you didn't hear it from me. That's it for my scheduled appearances. If anything else comes up last minute I'll post it on my Twitter account. I'm very interested to see how these signings go. The only other time I did author signings at a show like this was back at GenCon 2000. Unfortunately, none of my books had come out yet (though they were available for advance purchase). This was back in my Forgotten Realms days, before KOTOR and Darth Bane and Mass Effect. The turnout was... underwhelming. Let's just say I could count the number of books I signed on my fingers, and still be able to pick both nostrils at the same time. Hopefully things will be a little more spry this time around. So if you're a BioWare fan, or a Star Wars fan, or you just want to make a hard working author feel good, come by one of my scheduled appearances with a book, game, poster, napkin or body part you want signed. And if you see me at the show, come up and say hi. I don't bite (unless I'm hungry... which I usually am). I'll even sign things outside the appointed times for a very reasonable rate - FREE! Hope to see you there! I'll be back next week with a Comic
Con recap, as well as an update on Celebration V in Drew July 6, 2010 Okay, I'm a day late with the update. But in my defense, it was the Fourth of July weekend. It took me a while to recover. Plus, I'm a degenerate procrastinator. Deal with it. However, the wait is worth it, because I have an update on
my appearances at Comic Con in I'm not the only BioWare personality speaking at Comic Con. James Ohlen, the brilliant mind behind the Baldur's Gate series and KOTOR will also be there, along with Alex Freed, one of the senior (and talented) writers working on the SWTOR team. All the details (which hall we're in, etc.) will be posted HERE on the official Comic Con website in about a week . We don't have any other OFFICAL scheduled events (that I know of), but we might have a little unofficial "meet the fans" party on Friday night somewhere. I'll try to post details here if I get them before my next update, otherwise I'll send the info out on my Twitter account. If you can't make it down to Comic Con, maybe you can
catch me on the other coast at Celebration
V in And remember - Mass Effect: Retribution comes out on July 27! The Illusive Man is back... and this time he's PISSED! Only one more update before Comic Con. Hope to see you there! Drew June 21, 2010 A little late with the update. Let's just say I'm still recovering from Vegas. To summarize my trip: played like a total donkey at the poker tables, but was up big for 3 straight days at craps and blackjack. Unfortunately it was a 5 day trip. Vegas always wins in the end. I was hoping to have details on my appearances at both Comic Con in While I was in Vegas, BioWare was making a big splash at E3. We premiered the new HOPE cinematic trailer, as well as some videos showing armor progression and player ships. Oh, and we won some awards. In fact, we won so many awards I can't link them all. But don't worry - they're all listed on Google if you're interested. And don't forget - we're just over a month away from the release of the third book in my Mass Effect trilogy. Mass Effect: Retribution comes out: July 27 - available for pre-order now. Okay, that's it for this update. Hopefully I'll have details about Comic Con and Celebration V soon. Drew June 10, 2010 Quick update tonight. First, as I mentioned on my Twitter account, I'm going to be
making an appearance at both Comic
Con in Also, in case you didn't know, E3 - the Electronic Entertainment Expo - is next week in LA. This is a HUGE deal in the gaming industry, and while I won't be there BioWare certainly will. Click on the link for the Star Wars MMO if you want some sneak peeks at what we've got planned. Okay, that's it for this update. Now I'm off to win my
fortune in Vegas. Because nobody ever loses money in Drew June 01, 2010 Ah, June. When the temperature in So what's new in the world of Drew? Well, my parents are
visiting from Their visit has slowed me down a little on my writing, but I've managed to finish the 10 chapters (out of roughly 30) of Children of fire. To be honest, though, the beginning and ending were already mostly written. It's the middle bit that needs work; I know where the book starts and ends, but getting from the former to the latter isn't always easy. Still hope to have it done by my birthday, though. That's also the same time Mass Effect: Retribution comes out: July 27 - available for pre-order now. And speaking of Mass Effect, we just had an official update on the status of the Mass Effect Movie. One thing you'll notice if you click on the link is that I'm not writing the script for the film. That may surprise people, but it's understandable - this is a big budget picture, and when people are investing this much money into a project they want a proven name. I have exactly zero produced screenplays, so it only makes sense for someone with a solid track record to pick up the ball and run with it. Personally, I'm very excited to see what they come up with, and I'm going to use all my powers to try and get a sneak peek at the script. (Shh... don't tell anyone!) But Mass Effect isn't the only thing I'm excited about. We're working on a little game called Star Wars: The Old Republic right now. Here's an interesting interview with James Ohlen for those who want to know more about the Companion Characters for the MMO. For those who don't know, James Ohlen was one of the driving forces behind KOTOR, and he's taking a similar role on SW:TOR. Speaking of KOTOR, IGN released a list of the best Star Wars games ever made. Click on the link and you'll see KOTOR finished pretty high on the list. It's a great honor, but I honestly believe SW:TOR will do even better. Okay, that's about it. Could be some more interesting Star Wars related news coming in the next week or so. I'll fire an update on Twitter if I'm able to say anything more about it. Drew May 17, 2010 Okay, this is my last update in my rant of things I don't like in fantasy literature. Not sure if this has been interesting to anybody else out there, but it's been very therapeutic for me. And remember - you can follow me on Twitter http://twitter.com/drewkarpyshyn if you want to know when I'm giving updates, if and when I'll be doing signings, appearances, etc. Alright, time to rant! There are two kinds of protagonists in fantasy novels that piss me off. The first is what I'll call "the observer". He (or she) kind of goes along for the ride, but really it's everyone else in the book that's cool. Wizards and knights and warriors surround this character and do all the heavy lifting. Typically, this kind of protagonist has a "good heart", and they're usually some kind of "chosen one", though far too often there isn't really anything that special about them. If you're the heir to a throne/power/talisman, that doesn't justify making you the hero in my book. It's not enough. You have to earn it. The actions of the "hero" have to advance the story. If shit just happens around him and he just survives until the end through no real fault of his own, I don't want to read it. I'd rather read a story focused on the "cool" characters who make a difference in the world, not the "everyman" who just happens to stumble into some destiny. Why the hell would I want to read a book about an "everyman"? I'm an everyman. I'm not that interesting. I want to read a book about exceptional characters. Not perfect. Not flawless. Not invulnerable. But exceptional. They need to be different from the average Joe in some way besides some indefinable feeling that they don't belong. And they need to do significant things - even if it's the wrong things. So, obviously I don't like "passive" or "observer" protagonists. But even worse than the do nothing everyman is the primary protagonist who actively rejects their uniqueness. You know who I'm talking about. These characters have some special gift/power/ability, but they sit around moping and whining. "I don't want the responsibility, I want to be an ordinary person, wah-wah!" I cannot express how much I loathe and despise these characters. I read fantasy as an escape from mundane life. The last thing I want to read about is a character with some amazing talent that tries to reject it so he can have the boring life I'm trying to escape from! Seriously, nobody is like that! If you have an advantage - something that makes you superior to "ordinary" folks - you're going to use it! Is it too much to ask to make these characters act like a reasonable person? When they refuse to use their power (for good or evil) because they have some deep seeded emotional fear of their own destiny, I'm done. Spare me the Freudian bullshit, stop being a pussy, and seize the moment. Or at least try to seize the moment. Obviously there will be mistakes, failures and set-backs. Obviously the characters will stumble, fall and bite off more than they can chew; this is what makes a plot interesting. But I want them to at least try. When a character lets something undesirable (for the character) happen because they're "afraid" to use their special power/ability/item, I can't relate. That's an author taking a cheap cop-out and ignoring basic human nature because they can't think of a better way to do it. And I see it WAY too often. Whew... didn't realize I was so bitter. Feels good to get this out. I guess that's the end of my rant. So, uh... these are all things you won't see in Children of Fire. So what will you see? Cool characters doing cool stuff against cool opposition. Multiple points of view. Important characters getting killed off sometimes. A plot that actually progresses, develops and has interesting action and events. Because that's what story is to me: interesting characters doing interesting things in conflict with other interesting characters. And not everyone makes it out alive. Hopefully this intrigues you as a reader. Based on the reaction to my Mass Effect and Star Wars: Darth Bane novels, I think there is an audience for this style of fantasy novel. More importantly, it's the kind of novel I want to read... so I figure I'll just write it myself. Okay, that's it for this little series of updates. Next time I'll be back with my old style of updates: some Mass Effect or Star Wars news, some book or video game updates, some sports, Magic, poker or golf chat. Same old same old. Drew May 10, 2010 Today I am sad. The Spurs were swept 4-0 by the Phoenix Suns. You can point to a lot of reasons (missed FT, turnovers, poor 3-pt defense) but the simple fact is the Suns played better. The Spurs couldn't get stops when it mattered, and the Suns could. So, congrats to But that's probably not why most of you are here. As I've mentioned on my Twitter page: (http://twitter.com/drewkarpyshyn) I'm posting a series of rants about what I DON'T like in fantasy novels. The purpose of this is to give you a better idea of what you can expect when I finish my own fantasy project, Children of Fire. I've had some people ask for more info about Children of Fire, but I can't say too much at this point. It's what I would call "classic sword and sorcery" fantasy, though I like to think I'll have a few fresh twists on the genre. I'm shooting to have the manuscript done by end of July (hopefully in time for my birthday!), and then I'm going to start shopping it around to some agents. Once I find an agent, he/she will pass it on to various publishers. So it probably won't hit the shelves until mid-2011 at the earliest. But I can guarantee this much: when it does come out, it will NOT be written in the first person. I've noticed that a lot of fantasy/sci-fi novels written in the last 30 years tend to use first person narrators. I'll tell you why this doesn't work for me. First, it limits your perspectives to that of a single character. I prefer to have multiple points of view so you get "all sides" of a story. This also allows me to have a farther reaching narrative. With first person narration, if the narrator isn't around, you don't get to hear about it. (Unless you hear about it second hand and after the fact, which is a PAINFULLY boring way to tell a story.) You also only get a very biased view with a first person narrator, and while some authors use that bias as a tool, very few writers are skilled enough to pull it off properly. They'd be much better served by focusing on characters from both sides of a conflict to add complexity and depth to the simple good-bad dynamic. I understand why some authors want to have a first person narrator: it can build a very strong connection between the reader and that particular character. But it comes at the expense of other characters. Your readers better LOVE the narrator, or they aren't going to enjoy the story. In contrast, a story told from multiple points of view doesn't put all its eggs in one basket. A good example of this is George R. R. Martin's Song of Fire and Ice books. Most people have some characters they LOVE and some they're not crazy about. Since each chapter is told from a different character's perspective, you can tolerate a dozen or so pages of a character you don't like as much because you know your favorite character will become the focus in another chapter or two. But with a first person narrator, if you don't like the main character you're stuck... which means you'll either put the book down, or you won't enjoy it as much as you could have. Another issue I have with first person narration is that it typically tends to be in either flashback, memoir or diary form. This means the action isn't "live" - events are over and being retold, rather than happening "in the moment". This is a subtle thing, but it has some serious implications. I feel it takes away from the "urgency" of the story on some level. It also implies that the narrator is going to live through all the adventures (there are some exceptions to this, but I'm talking in generalities). If you're a fan of my books, you know I like to bump off "main" characters from time to time. It adds tension and keeps the reader guessing. I don't do it that often, but you know in the back of your mind there's a chance that some of the "heroes" of a book won't live to see the end. I think that adds value to a story, and it gives the action a dramatic edge it wouldn't otherwise possess. Okay, this update is getting rather long so I'm going to wrap it up. Remember that these rants represent my opinions about writing in general. I have read some good first person material, but most of the time it doesn't work. Let's sum this up with one last complaint that will set the table for next week's critique. First person narration leads to narrative bias; to offset this, some writers make their narrator very neutral or very objective. They try to put them into an observer role, and let the action happen around them rather than have them be a driving force of the story. This leads to bland characters and often contributes to another pet peeve of mine - the "paralyzed" protagonist. More on this next week. Remember - Mass Effect: Retribution comes out July 27; it's available for pre-order now. And if you enjoy my rants on the state of fantasy literature, feel free to re-tweet them or mention them to anyone who might be interested. Drew May 3, 2010 Spring has officially "sprung" here in Speaking of the Sun(s), the Spurs start their playoff
series with But that's not why you're here. I promised to talk a little more about my fantasy novel. Or, to be precise, I promised to tell you what it's *not*. Let me start by saying I'm not a fan of "fat" fantasy. I can understand an epic story taking 3 or maybe even 4 thick novels. But once you start getting into 5 or more novels of 800+ pages, you're just milking the cash cow. Hey, I understand how it could happen. An author writes a few books, they become wildly popular and somebody dumps a truckload of money onto their lawn if they find a way to turn 3 books into 5. It's win-win, right? Except for the readers. I've read fantasy books where you slog through 100 pages and NOTHING HAPPENS!!! That pisses me off. If a writer has something to say, they should damn well say it. Don't pile on a bunch of useless crap just to make the book thicker. It's almost like writers feel the length of the book is a testament to their writing skill. Well, guess what - it's not. A common lament I've heard about my books is that they're too short. Readers often say something like "the only thing I didn't like was that I finished it too soon". Well, I'm sorry to break it to you, but I consider that a compliment. Because I feel you still get the same amount of STORY in my 300 page novel as you do in a lot of 500 page novels that are padded out with pointless babbling. I know my limits. I'm not spinning words into pure gold; I'm not redefining literature as we know it. I'm just telling an interesting story. A story centered around characters and plot. In other words, my characters DO stuff. I won't give you a 10 page description of the afternoon journey down a woodland path with sun streaming through the leaves and reflecting off a bubbling brook. (Not unless there's a gory ambush somewhere in there.) So, that's my number one promise to you as a reader - if you take the time to read my books SHIT WILL HAPPEN! If nothing interesting is going on, I won't waste your time. And speaking of not wasting time, I'm going to stop this update right here. (Nice segue, no?) Tune in next week for another couple pet peeves - first person voice and "paralyzed" main characters. Drew April 26, 2010 Just got back from my vacation in Turks and Caicos. Had a
great time, got in plenty of golf, some scuba diving and a lot of great
meals. Food is expensive there, but all in all it was a great trip. (Didn't
hurt that the Spurs are up 3-1 in their series with Posted a couple Holiday Update tweets on Twitter. If you want to follow me, just sign up at http://twitter.com/drewkarpyshyn - it's the best way to keep on top of any interesting Drew-related news. (And tell your friends - I'm trying to get my followers up over 1,000!) Now I'm back, rested and refreshed. Unfortunately, while the vacation was great for the body, mind and soul it wreaked havoc on my e-mail backlog. I was almost caught up; now I'm way behind again. But I'll be chipping away, so if you sent me an e-mail please be patient - you will get a reply. I'm also going to be working on a project that has me very excited. For the past decade I've been kicking around my own original fantasy novel. But between the Bane novels, the Mass Effect books and my work at BioWare I never seem to get to dive in and finish it. Now, I'm finally taking a few months to focus on my (in?)famous unfinished manuscript. (Note - I'm not giving up on my other franchises; I'm just not working on any of them at the moment.) So, what can you expect from my novel? (Tentatively titled "Children of Fire", by the way.) I think the best way to answer that is to list some of my favorite fantasy novels, so you can get a sense of what I like. Then, I'm going to list some of the things I *don't* like about many of the fantasy novels I've been reading lately - things that I think the genre in general needs to get away from. All this won't happen in one post, however. It'll probably take place over a few weeks. Let's call this series of updates "A Journey through the Mind of Drew". (Hmm... does that sound pretentious and arrogant? Probably. But it's my website, so screw it.) What I like: Sword of Shannara by Terry Brooks (and Elfstones, and Wishsong). The Belgariad by David Eddings (I was much younger when I read it - it probably doesn't hold up as well as I remember, but it taught me a lot about pacing and dialog). Tigana and Last Light of the Sun by Guy Gavriel Kay. The first 3 books of George Martin's Song of Fire and Ice. Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman (he has other good books, but Neverwhere is by far my favorite). This list is by no means complete, but if you haven't read these books you should check them out. They're all great reads (in my opinion). Fantasy fans will notice some very conspicuous absences on this list. I've probably read the missing books (or at least some of the novels in the series), but I didn't love them, and I didn't feel like they shaped my style or approach to fantasy literature. (That's right - Tolkien didn't make my list. I appreciate what he did for the genre and I thought the books were good. Good, not great. I found his writing too slow, too filled with poetry and "artsy" descriptions, the characters too "perfect" and the overall style too "dated" to really grab me. Sacrilege, I know. But I'm not going to bow down just because everyone else loves it - I'll make my own opinions, thanks.) Okay, that's about all for this update. Next week, some of the things I don't like about fantasy literature. Here's a preview: first person voice; "fat" fantasy; kindly but kooky old wizard mentors; passive/observer main characters. Drew April 11, 2010 Time for another update. So what's new in my world? What's the "exciting" news I was going to tell you about? Well, I just signed up with Twitter. If you're signed up with this ubiquitous internet phenomenon, you can follow me by going to my home page: http://twitter.com/drewkarpyshyn May not seem like much to you, but this is a big step for
me. I've avoided FaceBook, MySpace and similar
sites with a vengeance. (If you want to understand why, watch last week's
episode of See, I figure if people start following me on Twitter, then instead of having to check my webpage all the time only to discover I'm late with my update (again), they can just wait for me to tweet that the site is updated. It's also a good way to be alerted when (if) I'm ever going to be doing personal appearances. Basically, I'm going to use Twitter as a way to keep people updated on important (and trivial) Drew related info. It was either this or put together a mailing list, and that just seemed like too much work. What can you expect if you follow me on Twitter? Honestly, not much. I won't be updating every day. But I will tweet every time I update my website. And I'll tweet if I'm ever doing personal appearances (like book signings). Probably tweet whenever I travel to another city for a Magic Tournament. If I ever hit another hole-in-one in golf. (That's right - I said "another" - I already have one!) I might start giving pithy movie reviews when I go to see films. And if anything cool or exciting happens on the BioWare, Star Wars, Mass Effect or general writing/screenplay front, twitter will be the first update. So go ahead and follow me on Twitter. It's free, and it's the best way to stay on top of what's going on in my professional life. Now, let's see what else I can talk about in this update. Hmmm... just finished watching the Masters (on tape - I can't watch sports on live TV anymore). Was kind of cheering for K.J. Choi, but it was fun to see Phil come through. Still think his caddie should have tackled him before he hit that shot from the trees on 13, but I guess it worked out. Also looking forward to the NBA playoffs starting soon. I'm feeling pretty good about the Spurs right now. Unfortunately, I won't be able to attend any of the first round games. Why not, you ask? Simple - I'll be out golfing, scuba diving or chilling on the beaches of Turks and Caicos. That's right - I'm taking a vacation. I still haven't caught up on my e-mails (though I'm only 2 weeks behind now), but you'll just have to be patient with me... I'm not going to be checking them when I get back. Okay, that's enough rambling. Maybe I'll have something more interesting to talk about when I get back. Drew March 28 Well, I wanted to have some interesting news for you this update. Unfortunately, things are running behind so I'll have to put off the "cool" update for a couple weeks. So I guess I'll just have to fill this update with some trivial personal info. Before I get into that, though, I'm happy to say I'm caught up to the point where I'm responding to March e-mails. (Yes, I know March is almost over.) It's nice to see my inbox sitting around 70 or 80 e-mails waiting for replies instead of 150. Hopefully I can get to where I'm only a week or so behind by the time of the next update. Now on to the unimportant details of my life. Let's start with the big Magic tournament in LA. Short version: I sucked. Longer version: I severely sucked on Saturday, and I moderately sucked on Sunday. Sometimes the cards just don't want to cooperate, so you shake your head and move on. However, my plummeting Magic rating is offset by the return of my golf game. I recently got fitted for a new set of irons (they're not here yet), and I've gone back to my old driver from a few years ago: a classic Taylor Made R7 425. It's an inch shorter than the Ping Rapture I was using - combined with the smaller head and an extra degree of loft, I'm able to control the ball a lot better. Which has led to some lower scores and, more importantly, a return of my confidence on the tee. Add in the new irons and I fully expect to be on the PGA Tour in another year or so. (Or at least, I expect to be WATCHING the PGA Tour.) Speaking of the tour, the Masters is coming up. Looking
forward to it as always, but the tournament has a different feel for me this
year. No, not because of Mr. Woods. In The Spurs are starting to show signs of life as well. Ginobli (who was born on July 28, like me!) is on fire,
and the defense is coming around. In professional news, BioWare just moved into a new building. We have a ton of room, and there's something exciting about being somewhere new - the whole team feels energized as we begin the push to final the SWTOR game. (Don't get too excited - "finaling" can be a very long, drawn out process.) I'm also excited because I have a friend from Okay, that's about all for now. Long update considering I had nothing to say. Drew March 07 Okay, I’m a day late with the update. But in my defense, I’m still trying to catch up on all the e-mails I’ve gotten over the last month. And, I got all the editor feedback on Mass Effect: Retribution, so I wanted to complete all the rewrites on the manuscript this weekend. (I’m happy to say it’s all done, and everyone who’s read it seems to love the book.) So, what am I working on now? Well, obviously I’m still involved with the Star Wars: The Old Republic MMO. In fact, they just recently posted a new developer dispatch video with a few short interview clips from yours truly. You’ll also get to hear from, among other people, James Ohlen - the creative director behind the Baldur’s Gate series, Neverwinter, KOTOR, Dragon Age and SWTOR. James is also the guy who convinced me to move down to Austin, and he’s my testing partner whenever we want to try out the latest Magic the Gathering decks in preparation for a big tournament. Speaking of big Magic tournaments, I’m heading out to LA in a couple weeks for the TCGplayer.com 5K tournament. That’s why the next update won’t be for three weeks. But I do hope to have my e-mails updated by then, and I might even have some other interesting news for you. (Well, I think it’s interesting, at least…) Later. Drew February 21 It’s been almost a month, but I’m back with another update. And let me tell you – it’s been one HELL of a month for me. Let’s do a quick recap of what happened. First, Mass Effect 2 was released. It’s setting all kinds of sales records, and it’s one of the most critically acclaimed games of all time. So, let’s chalk that up in the plus column. I also managed to complete the final draft of Mass Effect: Retribution – it’s sitting on my editor’s desk right now, waiting for final approvals. That’s another big plus, and a huge weight off my shoulders. Like most writers, I tend to push any project right to the deadline, so I’ve been busting my ass for the last month to get this book finished. In the end I’m happy with how things ended up, but there wasn’t any lack of stress or drama in the making. That’s because, for the second time this month, I had a computer crash. This time I lost 3 full chapters of writing because, like an idiot, I was only backing up twice per week. I had to finish the novel by commandeering my wife’s laptop, since my machine was toast. So that’s a pretty big negative. So let’s toss the computer crash redux into the negative column. That’s also the reason I’m about a month behind on my e-mail. I’m working hard to catch up, but I have over 100 e-mails in my inbox waiting for replies. So please, be patient with me – I’m doing my best to get back to everyone. Also in the negative column: my golf game (driver fell apart, had to take a lesson to get back on track), the Spurs (can’t seem to click as a team, in danger of another first round playoff exit or even – for the first time ever in Tim Duncan’s career – missing the postseason!), and the coldest Austin winter in 35 years (still one million times better than Canada). But I think with the book being complete I can see change on the horizon. I finally broke 40 for 9 holes for the first time this year at the golf course; I’m planning on hitting a few Magic tournaments in the next month; we’ve got a trip to Turks and Caicos planned in April; and I’m planning to attend some of the WSOP events in Vegas come June. So all in all it’s still pretty damn good to be me. Look for another update in a couple weeks. Drew January 25 So I’m a day late with this update. No real excuses; I’m just busy and it kind of slipped by me. And, just to prove I’m busy, notice that the next update isn’t for 4 weeks. That should give me enough time to catch up on all the things I’m behind on. But I do have some cool things to talk about, so on with the update! First, they finally officially announced the big, secret project I’ve been working on (that is keeping me so busy): a third Mass Effect novel! The book, Mass Effect: Retribution, is scheduled to come out sometime in July, though that could change. Click on the link to see the cover and a plot teaser for the novel. Basically, like the other ME books, this novel focuses on a story not directly involving Commander Shepard, but that still helps flesh out the ME universe while helping to set up elements that will be featured in the third game. I’ve been cruising the forums a little bit (yeah, I lurk there once in a while) and it seems like people are pretty excited about ME: Retribution. But there is also a little confusion I’d like to clear up. The novel takes place AFTER the events of the second Mass Effect game. So you can play ME2 when it comes out and not worry about spoiling the book. Speaking of the game, Mass Effect 2 is set to drop tomorrow. Here’s a little tidbit to file under “weird” – Dynast of Evil released on December 8th, my Mom’s birthday. Mass Effect 2 releases on January 26… my Dad’s birthday! Bizarre, yes? Well, maybe not bizarre, but odd. (I figure this means I don’t need to buy them gifts, since they get the pleasure and pride of seeing something their son made on the shelves. Plus, I’m cheap.) The early reviews for ME2 are fantastic – the game is blowing people away. Reviewers are raving about the characters, the story, the graphics and the gameplay… really, there isn’t anything they don’t like. As co-lead writer on the game, I’m pumped for the official release because I know it’s going to do much, much better than the first game – which was itself universally praised and won a ton of awards. If you want to get a sneak peek at how the sequel is tracking, check out the ME link on Game Rankings. On a side note, I was watching the NFC Championship game (Go, Saints!) and when the telecast went to commercial for the 2 minute warning I was surprised to see a commercial for Mass Effect 2 pop up. The timing was perfect, and the ad itself was awesome. Plus, it’s waaaay cool to know that millions and millions of people watching the game saw it. Okay, that’s all for this update. Back to writing Retribution and trying to get caught up on my e-mails. (I’m up to 2010 now, so I’m only about 3 weeks behind. I guess that’s progress.) Drew January 8 Happy New Year! I know I’m a few days late with this update, but my computer crapped out on me, so I wasn’t able to update the website or answer e-mails. Great way to start the New Year, right? A late update and over 100 e-mails in the in-box. But it’s not all bad. The Spurs are starting to put it together, and the Chargers are looking strong for the NFL playoffs. (I admit, I was trash-talking them earlier in the season. My bad. I should have known they’d make their second half of the season run.) The golf game is starting to come around, though with the
recent cold snap here in So, what to talk about for the first update of 2010? Well, I was hoping my “secret” project could be revealed, but the official announcement isn’t out yet. If you do a little poking around on the interweb, you can probably figure it out, but I don’t want to get in any trouble with the powers-that-be, so I’ll keep quiet for now. As for my Christmas and New Year’s, they were pretty good.
Went back up to Dynasty of Evil is hanging on in what they call the New York Times “extended” best seller list, ranking right around 30th place right now. It’s 3 weeks and counting, so that’s a good thing. And we’ve had more printings for the first two Bane novels, so I guess I’m collecting a few more fans. Okay, that’s about it. Next update in a couple weeks. Until then, I’ll start grinding away at the e-mails. Be patient. Drew December 21 Welcome to the last update of 2K9. Tomorrow I’m off to the frigid north to visit family over Christmas. I’m going to enjoy seeing them, but I am NOT looking forward to the weather. (I was just out golfing earlier today, and now I’m about to be thrust into a sub-zero, ice covered golfing wasteland!) I’ve tried to catch up on my e-mails as much as possible before I left, but I have been SWAMPED with e-mails from fans since Darth Bane: Dynasty of Evil came out. Don’t get me wrong – that’s a very, very good thing. It’s just a little overwhelming, so if you haven’t had a response yet please be patient – I’ll get back to you in the New Year. As for DoE sales, I don’t have any concrete numbers yet. But the most recent New York Times bestseller list came out and I placed at #18. At first I was a little disappointed: I was really hoping to crack the top 10 (the first two books both topped out at #11). Then I started to read the names on the list. Stephen King. Dan Brown. John Grisham. James Patterson. Sue Grafton. Michael Crichton. (Wait… isn’t he dead? How can he still be publishing!) Dean Koontz. The collaborative final book in the massive Wheel of Time series. That Kathryn Stockett novel that’s been clogging up the list for 37 straight weeks. Seriously – check out that list. It is EPIC. What I failed to realize was that the pre-Christmas push from publishers includes all the heavy hitters. For a (not-so) young up-and-comer like me, it’s hard to compete with the legends. So I don’t feel all that bad. I’m going to assume the numbers are there; the competition at this time of year is just a lot tougher than when Rule of Two came out (the week after Christmas). But I haven’t given up hope yet. There’s still a chance to
climb a few spots in next week’s list. So if you haven’t bought your copy
yet, rush right out and pick it up! Yes we can! Yes we can! (And if we don’t,
I’ll deal with my sorrow by playing an extra round of golf when I get back to
Okay, that’s all. Have a Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah, Joyous Kwanzaa, Festive Festivus (A Festivus for the rest of us!), and a spectacular New Year. Drew December 12 Wow – talk about a busy couple of weeks. First, we went to
So, how did I do? Answer: AWESOME! I wanted to break 2 hours 10 minutes, and I came in at 2:09:12 – not bad for a fat guy pushing forty. I also managed to beat the time of the full marathon winner, which was a secondary goal for me. If you’re interested in seeing the results, click this RESULSTS LINK. Overall it was a great experience: almost 30,000 runners in total for the full and half marathons, racing down the Vegas strip in the early morning hours. My aunt and my brother-in-law also participated, and my wife, parents and other aunt were there to cheer us on. Plus, VEGAS BABY! If you’re into running, I highly recommend it – interesting views, nice flat course and you can celebrate by staying up for 24 straight hours and losing your shirt at the blackjack tables (like I did). But be warned – there is a price to pay! I’ve been fighting the flu ever since I got on the plane to come home. It’s like I’m getting old or something. In other news, Darth Bane: Dynasty of Evil is now out! If you haven’t read it yet, go out and get yourself a copy! No sales figures yet (maybe next update), but the early reaction has been good. There is just one *small* problem. A lot of people are confused by the ending. So, if you’re one of those people you can go to my SUPER SECRET SPOILER page and read my thoughts on it. Okay, that’s about it for now. December is a busy time for me, but I’m going to squeeze in one more update before Christmas (hopefully with some early sales results for Dynasty of Evil). Drew |