Cybling

October 8, 1997

Brian A. Hopkins

Author

 Brian A. Hopkins February 28, 1998
Panelist
The Brave New World of Publishing

BIO


Brian Hopkins has sold more than fifty stories to a variety of professional and semi-professional publications. His short story collection, Something Haunts Us All, published in 1995 as a limited edition trade paperback, has now become virtually impossible to find. An electronic collection of vignettes, The Endless Masquerade and Other Vignettes of the Fantastique, received high praise, impressing readers with this talented author's range of vision. In collaboration with David Niall Wilson, Brian was nominated this year for HWA's prestigious Bram Stoker award for "La Belle Dame Sans Merci" (Deathrealm, Jun 96), a story which has gone on to spawn two much-demanded sequels. Future projects include a collection of stories, Joined at the Muse, written with David Niall Wilson.

An active member of both SFWA and HWA, Brian is still forced to make a living doing something other than writing. He does that as an electronics engineer. Brian lives in Oklahoma City with his wife and two children, splitting the remainder of his free time between carpentry, firearms, computers, books, and daydreaming. He generally foregoes sleep.

The Q&A

BAH Why are we here?
Tech After meeting some of the charactors I'm not real sure myself.
DJAR To stare at the writer dude.
BAH Oh, sure, I remember you Blackcyber. Hope you enjoyed the story!
GlengaerifCallin I'm here because I'm a sponge...thirsty for knowledge. Yes I did
BAH Well soak up what you can. Just leave me enough brain cells to find my way home.
Tech Just read the three horror stories on your work link page, Brian, and WOA INTENSE dude!
BAH Early work, Tech. I've slowed down a bit.
JanCyberC LOL.
GlengaerifCallin LOL...I like the warning!
BAH The warning came after a few people made some comments. They seem to feel the warning was necessary.
Tech I can see that, but glad I went past it.
GlengaerifCallin LOL, I loved it...made me REALLY want to read the stories!
DJAR Losing interest in horror, are you?
BAH Not really. Just trying to be a bit more versatile. MOre depth to my characters. More intricate plots. At the time I wrote those, it seemed all I could sell. Stories with messages and complex meanings were getting rejected and splatter was getting bought. Go figure.
DJAR Give the people, or editors what they want.
JanCyberC The warning on your site about the graphic quality of your stories?
BAH Yes, that warning, Jan.
Tech You think those were just mere splatter?
BAH Well, I think I did more than that, but strip some of that away and there's not as much as I'd like there to be. What did you think? Splatter or more? (Is the guest allowed to ask questions? )
GlengaerifCallin more
JanCyberC LOL....of course, Brian. But you have to wait until we answer before you can ask another. 8^7
Tech Much deeper than that, although some might only see the blood.
BAH Thanks. I take that as a big compliment. Okie dokie.
DJAR What do you want to know?
BAH Oh, Glen/BlackC answered it.
DJAR <------slow on uptake. :/
BAH Just wanted to see if he thought there was more there than just splat. I'm always more critical on myself though.
DJAR Aren't we all, more critical of ourselves, that is.
JanCyberC Brian...how do you see your horror and your SF as different?
GlengaerifCallin I loved the fantasy story as well!
DJAR How do you target markets, then, if you don't segregate genres?
BAH Hmmm...I don't tend to segregate my work into genres that way. Much of what I've done tends to cross genres. I do tend to do more homework in the SF areas.
GlengaerifCallin Which is "easier" to write?
BAH Much of the horror I wrote early on, I wrote simply because it was easier to write than the SF. Well, certainly I have to think about that when marketing the work. But I've had SF markets reject what I thought was SF because they thought it had too many horror elements. And vice versa.
JanCyberC So you don't actually set out to write either a horror of SF story? What impells you to set fingers to keyboard?
BAH What I meant about segregating is I don't consciously make the decision when I start writing to ensure that a particular story falls within a certain genre.
Tech If what I expect is true it's sad, but can you enjoy your stories as others do?
BAH Actually, I love my stories. I tend to write what I enjoy reading, for the most part. I don't read them until years after they've been completed, but you get the idea.
Tech This is good! It'd be so bittersweet otherwise.
BAH I agree, Tech. Course, when I just finish something, I've gone over it so many times I'm kinda sick of it. My first rereading come either after it's pub'ed or when I'm rereading between rejections.
Kelly How do editors determine which is SF and which is horror?
BAH I'd like the answer to that one, Kelly. I think they just go on thier experience more for what they think their readers like. For years F&SF was printing what I called pure horror.
JanCyberC REally. I've really been out of touch with that magazine.
BAH I'm not sure what direction it's taking with its new editor, Jan. I quit reading it, too.
DJAR I enjoyed your story "Parental Consent". . .your webpage says you have kids. . .would you send one of yours?
BAH That's a good question, DJAR. There's background to "PC" -- there is to every story, of course. I was watching a PBS special one night when I shoud have been writing. It was one of those pump you up and send you out to conquer space things. My son was about two then. When my wife walked in, I said something to the effect that I would send my son out to conquer space, even if it meant I'd never see him again. She came unglued. Said most of the things that the character in the story says. When she stormed out, I turned off the TV, looked at the blank computer screen, and went to work on "PC."
JanCyberC Okay folks...time to take a small breather here. Everyone...just a note...if you can type GA... when you're finished with a question or comment....it will help us all avoid stepping on each other's lines. GA
Kelly What will you have published soon?
BAH Kelly, I have a short novel due out "any day now." COLD AT HEART is the title.
Kelly Saw that on your page. Anything else?
BAH Short stories and novellas. They're all listing on the "forthcoming" page on my web site. GA
JanCyberC Thanks Brian.
GlengaerifCallin When will the stories for Eternity be published? GA
BAH I'm not sure, Glen. I've signed the contracts and returned them. The nice thing Eternity is doing is putting up a message board where writers can see what's happening with their stories. If you've ever played this game, the waiting is the hardest part. GA
JanCyberC Brian, do you feel that the market for Horror and Dark Fantasy is dwindling? GA
BAH Definitely. Greater minds than I have predicted this. GA
JanCyberC Is this cyclical? Do you see an upswing again once King stops writing? Any thoughts? GA
BAH I think part of the problem is the sheer volume of crap horror that was pub'ed in the last ten years. There is some REALLY bad stuff out there masquerading as fiction. Quite a bit of it got bought and pub'ed (for whatever reason) to fill a real or imaginary craving. I think less people are actually reading horror now. As to whether it'll swing back the other way, I'm not sure. This may just be a weeding process. A necessary one. Get rid of some of those who shouldn't be writing. That may sound brutal. (?) Darwinistic even.
DJAR Truth can be brutal.
JanCyberC Life is brutal, if you're a writer these days you're a victim of brutality. Thanks Brian...your collaboration?
DJAR I stumbled upon your collab, One Eyed Jack. . .neat story, felt like there were more coming. Is there?
BAH DJAR, Dave Wilson and I have other John Chance stories in work -- and in our heads -- but both of us are tied up on novels at present. He's rewriting the second in a three book contract. And I am desperately trying to complete my first REAL novel (I wrote about a dozen in high school that I'm not counting as real), which is a sequel to COLD AT HEART, title; ICE CASTLES.
DJAR Oh, wonderful about Ice Castles. . .thanks for info.
Kelly What is your preferred genre?GA
BAH kelly, I don't really have a preferred genre. I tend to write about what interests me at any given time. Depending on what that is, the genre kinda just happens.
Tech I like that. /ga
BAH For instance, I just completed a story with Jim Van Pelt called "In the Days Still Left." It was my story, but I wanted to write something with him because I respect his work (mark him as a name to watch!). He helped solidify the plot and we went from my couple a thousand word start. Anyway, "ITDSL" deals with reaching out from the other side of death and seeing the connections you didn't make in life and should have. The very nature of the plot kinda drove it to be a horror (or dark fantasy story) -- though it's very mild, what I hope is thought-provoking horror. GA
GlengaerifCallin Do you sit down together and write, or e-mail pages back and forth?
JanCyberC Collaboration is a tricky thing. We just had a short discussion of that on another GOH board. How do *you* work the mechanics of it?GA
Kelly How do you find people to collaborate with? Who else have you worked with?
BAH Glen, We email the story back and forth, taking turns, making copious notes for each other about where we think it's heading and stuff we don't want the other one to forget. Leastwise, that's how the process has worked for the three other writers Ive worked with in the past. Kelly, I've worked with David Niall Wilson the most. Dave was kind enough to buy some of my first horror stories when he was publishing a magazine called THE TOME. He pub'ed a story of mine called "Of A Darker Kind." years later, he called me out of the blue and said the character was bugging him and he wanted to write a sequel with me. At first I declined, but the more I thought about it, the more I saw that he was right. Anyway, we wrote "LA Belle Dame Sans Merci" together -- a story that made the Stoker ballot. We have another sequel coming out in the TERMINAL FRIGHTS anthology about the same character. I hoping to see that one get a Stoker nod as well. (fingers crossed!) GA
JanCyberC Thanks for the insights, Brian.
DJAR What do you like about collaborating, over solo work, if anything? /ga
BAH The main thing I like about collaborating is that I'm a lazy SOB with a million distractions. Writing with someone else means I have someone constantly saying, "HEy, what's up with story? When you gonna get your part done and send it back?" GA
DJAR Ha, nagging as a muse!
GlengaerifCallin LOL
JanCyberC LOL. I can see how that would work. Brian, do you have readers? Folks who do preliminary reads of your story for you? GA
BAH My wife is generally my first reader. She's pretty tough. After that there are a lot of people in the office who don't read horror or SF at all, but think it's neat to read mine. I've got other people on line -- a few other writers, but generally they're busy with their own stuff. Most of my readers are tough because they of the fact that they don't read that much SF and H. My wife only reads what I tell her, which means her basis of comparison is ONLY the good stuff that's out there. That makes her a really tough critic. Pretty hard competing in her mind with King, McCammon, and others. GA
Tech Doesn't that tend to mainstream your work? /ga
DJAR Why be compared to anything less than the best?
BAH I don't know if it mainstreams it, Tech. It just means she's not gonna let me get sloppy. I can still be pretty far off the beaten path and have her indicate whether I've maintained certain standards or not.
GlengaerifCallin Do you put works in progress on-line to let the average fan read it and comment on it, as Orson Scott Card used to do?/ga
BAH What I do have to watch out for is cliches that some of my readers might let me get by with. They might not recognize them because they;re not well enough read. Fortunately, I am pretty well read. (one of those distractions I mentioned earlier.) GA Glen, I don't think I have a fraction of the following that Card has. However, there are people who I ask to read works in progress. This is an extrememly aggravating practice (so they tell me) because I am so undisciplined. You might read something in progress and get excited about it and then have me set it aside for months one end. GA
Kelly Who is your muse?
BAH Ah, muses are everywere. Orson Scott Card said something that I really like and have repeated many times. he said that a writer drags a net behind him as he walks through life (paraphrasing, of course) and that everything gets swept within that net and eventually used in something or other.
DJAR Rather like Harlan's comment that writers take tours thru other people's lives.
BAH Rereading stories I wrote years ago, I often find things about me, about the things that were going on arouind me, and about people I know that I;ve since forgotten. It's kinda neat when that happens. GA
DJAR That trait will come in handy, aggravating readers, when you start writing trilogies.
BAH Good, point on the trilogies, DJAR. Don't think I'll ever go there though. I have a rather low opinion of 99% of what is published as "Book One of the Whatever Trilogy" And Ellison is a big hero of mine. GA
DJAR Yeah, I hear ya, Brian. Oh, Ellison is a hero of mine, too.
GlengaerifCallin Will you be doing any book signings in New York City?
BAH Glen, I will as soon as someone asks me and buys the plane ticket!
DJAR Hold out for first class.
GlengaerifCallin Well I'm asking .:::Searching my empty pockets::::
Kelly Why low opinion of trilogies?
BAH Kelly, I just haven't seen much decent fiction published that way. Most of it is self-replicating fantasy. Glen, I'd be happy to autograph and mail most anything though. I'm still amazed to find such things as people wanting my autograph! GA
DJAR That must be a thrill, to have people ask for an autograph.
Kelly No.
BAH Well, it happens a dozen times or more a day in my "real' job.
JanCyberC Brian...I see that you have a great deal of your work online. Do you feel that this medium is compromising some author's ability to be published in mags, etc.? That is, do you feel this medium is "safe" for an author? GA
BAH I look at the internet medium as a great place to get work out which has already been published. most of my earlier stories appeared in magazines, mostly small press, that you simply cannot find old copies of anymore. Even the stories I've had in "bigtime" magazines like DRAGON are still difficult to get ahold of. So I try to get as much out there as possible. It's certainly not hurting me any.
GlengaerifCallin What is your "real" job? GA
BAH by day I'm an electronics engineer, Glen. I've been in management for 7 years though, so I don't do any real work.
GlengaerifCallin LOL
JanCyberC YOu're not concerned about any compromising of your copyright? GA
BAH I don't think that there is really much copyright infringement going on. There have been a few incidences of websites running work without permission, but I think even in those cases, the author was given a byline. Maybe it would bother me if I was King or Silverberg, but I'm not worried at this stage. The worst that can happen, I think, is that someone try to rip me off with the story. If I have proof that it was previously published under my name, I should be able to win the resulting argument. Maybe I'm just naive. I dunno. GA
Kelly I found your page via the page of your collaborator, Dave Wilson.
BAH Dave's a great guy and a wonderful writer. Writing with him taught me alot. GA I can talk about COLD AT HEART and the sequel?
JanCyberC Do you ever see yourself as become solely a writer? No day Gig...and sure, please do! GA
BAH Oh, I long for that day, Jan! If I had those 8 to 10 hours I spend in the office every day and spent just half that time writing (I'm honest enough to know I'd spend the other half sleeping in and goofing off) I'd be able to accomplish so much more. It's really tough to come home, spend time with the kids, do the other things I like (I have a LOT of hobbies) and then sit down and get some writing done. It sounds like whining, I know, but I'm generally satisified with what I do get done. I'm generally a slow, methodical writer, constantly rewriting the previous paragraph at the same time I'm writing the next one. Most people think I;ve got a couple of screws loose.
Tech What's COLD AT HEART about. And it's sequal? (G)
BAH Tech, CAH takes place in the Arctic, as close to the north pole as you can get and still be on firm ground, a place called Ellesmere Island. A spent a couple years researching the story (the neat thing about taking that long to research it is that so many different things came up that totally changed the scope of the story, BTW). it involves a wolf biologist who has gone there to study canis lupos arctos, the white arctic wolf, his daughter, and a down and out photographer. The biologist has a hidden agenda centered around werewolves (please note, this is NOT a werewolf novel!).
diamond Bah humbug...(G)
JanCyberC Ooooh. Too bad :::shutting up again:::
BAH The story jumps back and forth between these three characters in present day and an 1800s expedition to discover the northwest passage. Trust me diamond and Jan, you won't be disapointed that there's no werewolf. There's more than enough werewolf facts and my nasty is worse than any werewolf! In COLD AT HEART, the nasty critter makes mention of his mate hibernating at the south pole. ICE CASTLES takes place there, on the Antarctic Peninsula. I'm attempting not to repeat myself with ICE though. ICE is more about the monsters in us. When I wrote COLD AT HEART, I wrote a in a monster that you really had no sympathy for. The draw there was how would these characters, who I hope I made you care about, come out of the ordeal alive. They were, of course, faced not only with the monster, but with the environment itself. In ICE, environment and beastie are downplayed, and the tragedies come from within. GA
JanCyberC And a very unforgiviing environment it is. Brian...how did you research these novels? I'm assuming you didn't actually go to either pole? GA
BAH Oklahoma City has a fantastic library system. Their catalog is online and I can simply dial in -- well, don't even have to do that anymore because they have a website -- and search and reserve anything I want. A day or two later I check back and see if it's ready to be picked up. The entire metro area is joined in this, which means the book can be 60 miles away in a different branch and I'll still know it exists and it;ll be sent to the library near me. When the books are there, I send the wife to get them. [g] I've also become VERY fond of the internet as a means of research. Many writers complain about this, stating that there's too much to wade through and a lot of it is garbage, but I've discovered that I can find some of the neatest information on Joe Blow's "MY visit to the Cayman's" webpage. Joe is going to tell you what kind of shells he picked up on the beach. What kind of things he had trouble conveying to the neighbors. Etc. GA
DJAR That is so neat, about Joe. Never would have thought of that.
JanCyberC You mentioned you do more research on SF than horror. How come? GA
BAH When I write what I call science fiction, Jan -- as opposed to what I guess i would call science FANTASY -- I try to be very thorough in those scientific elements. I'm a stickler about that in all my work, sometimes going to some real extremes, but it tends to come across more in the SFstuff. I have a story, "Glooms a Graveyard," coming out in Starlance's anthology, SOLAR, in 1998, that involves the collapse of the sun (they're giving me the last slot in the antho, naturally), which took a lot of research. There's a pasage in there that describes the life of a sun from the first accumulation of solar dust to it's collapse into dwarfism . That took some work. Then there are these "spokes' ringed around the sun, designed to catch neutrinos in order for us humans to get a better idea of how much time we have left. That took a lot of work. I want my stuff to be believablel. If nothing else, if Hawking calls me and says, "YOu know, BAH, that won't work." I want to be able to say, yeah, I know it, Stephen -- and be able to understand where I cheated the physics and explain it back to him. GA
DJAR Do you find research fun? Or a necessary evil?
BAH I think as I get older, I am a lot more fond of learning, DJAR. When I was younger, I couldn't stand being told to go learn about something. Now that I'm doing it for something I'm writing, I love it. The problem I have, though, is that one research item invariably leads me to another. I already have more on the books than I have time to write.
DJAR Sure way to avoid writers' block, good for you, Brian.
Kelly So how old are you? How long have you been writing?
BAH Kelly, I am 37. I have been writing since the third grade (including those dozen or so novels written in high school -- novels which I'd never show a soul today!). In 1989 friends pushed me to try and sell what I was writing. It really hadn't occured to me! When they pressured long enough, I tried. The story sold and appeared in DRAGON magazine in 1990. I've been trying to sell everything else ever since. GA
Tech Do you see cyber life as having other affects on your writting other than research? /ga
BAH Well, email is an incredible means of comunication. It would be whether I was writing or not. In the early 80s, I ran a bulletin board out of my home (on a C64!) and learned early on that cyber space was coming and it was going to change an awful lot. GA
DJAR Have you written anything of the cyberpunk genre?
BAH Closest thing, DJAR, would be a story I wrote with Dave Wilson, "Virtue's Mask," about a future where there are all these substitutes for sex. It appeared in SYMPHONIE'S GIFT, and unless Bryan Lindenberger has taken it down, it's online at his web site. GA
JanCyberC Brian, is there any story you have online right now that you would recommend as your best? GA
BAH I'm not sure about my best. Best as in writing craft, I'd always say I hope it's my latest. Best as in story/character/plot, is a subjective kind of thing that will and should vary for everyone. My personal favorite is "The Sorrows of Your Changing Face," an SF piece which originally appeared in ABO and is online at DARK PLANET right now.
JanCyberC Thank you Brian.
BAH You wanted a simple answer, though, right?
DJAR I loved that story, "Sorrows", fyi.
JanCyberC LOL...that was very clear, Brian. Thankyou.
DJAR Thanks. Does the cyber punk genre not interest you, tho you've been wired so long?
BAH DJAR, cyberpunk, like some horror (vampires, fer instance!) has just been overdone, IMO. I'd be more interested in writing something more near future about cyberspace, if I was to move in that direction. Of course, in most of my SF-- hell, in any SF these days, there are cyberpunk props. We can no longer get away from them, they're jsut too much a part of the genre now. GA
DJAR OK, thanks, Brian.
JanCyberC Couldn't the same be said of ST or SW and more conventional spaceopera though? About the influences that is?
BAH Sure, Jan, one could make that argument. Next.(g) GA
JanCyberC LOL. Brian, how do you feel about FTL? Explosions in space, etc. GA.
BAH Well, as an SF prop, it's kind of necessary. As to whether such a thing will ever exist in any form that we can actually use it . . . well, does it really matter? GA
Tech Hummm... we haven't done the who influanced you the most question, don't we have to ask that? It's in the rules I think. /ga
DJAR LOL Tech
GlengaerifCallin Yes it is Tech!
BAH Ah, no! Next you'll ask where I get my ideas!
DJAR Schenectedy, right?
JanCyberC Yes...I believe that's another required
BAH yeah, I get Ellison's rejects.
DJAR LOL BAH
JanCyberC "Question Author's hate."
Tech .:::looks at list::: yep that's next.
JanCyberC Right before "What's your favorite color and who's your favorite Beatle."
BAH I'm not sure who really "influenced" me. I know who I read as a kid. I know who I like. Blue. The dead one.
JanCyberC Thank you.
DJAR LOLOL Bah
BAH (uh, is there more than one of 'em dead now?)
Tech ROFL!
JanCyberC NO...still one.
DJAR Nope, just John, so far. OK, so, who do you like, writer-wise?
BAH Well, my top favorites (there are actually a LOT of people that I like) would be George R. R. Martin and Dan Simmons. Martin's DYING OF THE LIGHT is one of only two books I've read three times (the other being Ken Grimwood's REPLAY). Simmons burst on the scene and totally blew me away. For awhile there, I was disapointed in his work -- especially his horror -- but he seems to be getting back into the swing of it, leastwise in SF, with the Endymion books.
JanCyberC You know, Brian, a few of the authors who have been with us mention writers groups or mentors, you're readers seem to be your driving force. Have you ever done the writer's group thing?
BAH Jan, I tried the writers group thing once. I think I got a bad group. What I discovered was that everyone else in the group only wanted to hear the good things about their stories. Likewise, they only wanted to tell me how good my stories were. Now, maybe they were right, but I was driving a couple hours to Tulsa to hear this and just didn't see that it was worth the time or gas. Not to hear them argue everything constructive I said about their work and hear them tell me mine was just fine as it was. I haven't tried another one. Jim Van Pelt, whose opinion I consider very good, swears by them.
DJAR I think the internet and email can give you the same value as a group, without the milage.
JanCyberC LOLOL....I hear ya there. I think getting a good writer's group is almost as much work as writing...and you may have a better idea with non-fan readers.
BAH Mentors. hmmm....never had one. Never knew how to approach a "name" and ask him/her to be a mentor. True about the internat, DJAR.
JanCyberC Okay...do we have any final questions for Brian?
BAH You guys wore out yet? I am! (g)
DJAR I'm here!
GlengaerifCallin Just getting warmed up!
JanCyberC LOL...really...time for final finals if there are any.
Tech LOL I could keep up all night, Brian, but I don't think that would be fair to you.
JanCyberC Then Brian gets to tuck the kids in.
DJAR Before he sends one off to space.
JanCyberC Going once...
JanCyberC Going twice....
BAH Glen, did you read the sequel (of sorts) to "Rhueshan"? It appeared in COSMIC VISIONS.
GlengaerifCallin NO..REALLY?
JanCyberC Which issue?
BAH Yeah. Not sure, Jan, but it's in the biblio on my page. "Rhueshan" is actually one of a series of stories that I wanted (want?) to write. I wrote one other, "Do the Walls Come Down?" If you can't get it from CV, just email me and I'll send you the file. I gave both to CV for nothing because there didn't seem to be a market for them. "Rhueshan" was too long for everybody.
JanCyberC Thanks Brian. Okay everyone. Let's give Brian a round of applause and thank him for.... being so patient with us this evening.
GlengaerifCallin .:::Clapping wildly:::
Tech Thanks Brian! I really enjoyed it!
DJAR Thanks, Brian!
GlengaerifCallin Yuo'll be getting an e-mail soon!
JanCyberC Thank you Brian. I can't tell you how happy we are to have had you with us tonight.
GlengaerifCallin Sure you can, Jan...tell him!
BAH Thank you for having me, Jan. Thanks everyone for showing up!
DJAR Good show, dude!
BAH And the curtain falls.
From the 2 Cents Board

Posted by Susan Burgard on October 08, 1997 at 20:52:02:

Brian,

What resorces did you use for your research for Cold at Heart.......

Good Luck with it....

Posted by Brian A. Hopkins on October 09, 1997 at 14:03:59:

In Reply to: research - Cold at Heart posted by Susan Burgard on October 08, 1997 at 20:52:02:

The short and sweet answer is EVERYTHING I could get my hands on!

Some of the material is acknowledged at the end of the book. I read most of what I could find on arctic wolves, getting a lot of inspiration from the work of biologist L. David Mech and photographer Jim Brandenburg. I read everything I could find -- which was very little, actaully -- on Franklin's expeditions in search of the Northwest Passage. I what little I could find on actual case histories of werewolf incidences, focusing primarily on those in Europe, mainly in France. I read a lot of unrelated stuff just because it dealt with the arctic -- much of that did not appear in the book, but helped me to set the right atmosphere.

I also bugged a lot of people!

bah

Posted by Susan Burgard on October 08, 1997 at 20:56:37:

Brian,

How long did it take you to write Cold at Heart? And will there be a second....coming soon.....gotta keep you busy.....

Posted by Brian A. Hopkins on October 09, 1997 at 13:58:56:

In Reply to: Female lead posted by Susan Burgard on October 08, 1997 at 20:56:37:

Hi, Susan!

I spent a couple years off and one working on COLD AT HEART. Because my bizarre habit of working on so many things at once, it's hard to say how much time was actually put into it.

The sequel, ICE CASTLES, is in work. Presently at 40,000 words and growing (just like a fungus!). This will be my first full-length novel (COLD AT HEART is a 30,000 word novella). I hope to finish it before the end of the year. Then comes the arduous task of trying to sell it.

bah

NOVELS BY BRIAN HOPKINS