|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Brian A. Hopkins November 22, 2002 10 pm ET Go To Chat How To Chat Hopkins's Website The November '02 Q&A The April '02 Q&A The October '97 Q&A |
Three time Bram Stoker Award winner Brian A. Hopkins is the author of Something Haunts Us All (1995), Cold at Heart (1997), Flesh Wounds (1999), The Licking Valley Coon Hunters Club (2000), Wrinkles at Twilight (2000), These I Know By Heart (2001), Salt Water Tears (2001), and El Dia de los Muertos (2002). His short stories have recently appeared in Weird Tales, Historical Hauntings, Sol's Children, The Darker Side, Dreaming of Angels, Mystery Scene Magazine, Realms of Fantasy, Space and Time, Bending the Landscape, Black Gate, Cemetery Dance, and others. His story, “Diving the Coolidge,” was selected by Robert Silverberg and Karen Haber as one of the best fantasy stories of 2001. Darrell Schweitzer (Weird Tales) has called him "one of the most intriguing voices to emerge from the small presses since Thomas Ligotti." Brian has been a finalist for both the Nebula Award and the Ted Sturgeon Memorial Award for science fiction. Brian lives in Oklahoma City. Bibliography:Fiction:
As Editor:
|
|
H.E.Astra: Hi BAH!!! Hopkins: Arrrrrrrrrrroooooooooooooooooo! Erev: howdy i was saying nice things about you but since you are here i will stop H.E.Astra: Too late, Ere. I already told him :-D Erev: damn Hopkins: Sure you were, Kelly. I know better! H.E.Astra: Let the BAH lovefest begin :) Erev: i was only saying that if someone has not read the watcher stories they are deprived Hopkins: Nice to have another talented author here with me, though. Folks, erev is d.g.k. goldberg. KNITE: Is there protocol tonight??? MCat watcher stories...where can they be found? an anthology? H.E.Astra: Just trying to keep it more organized, Knite. You can still yak :) Hopkins: Good to see everyone else here, too! Hopkins: And thanks OWC (and Cycling!) for having me out yet again. You guys and gals are great. H.E.Astra: BAH, where can your watcher stories be found? Hopkins: MCat, the Watchers stories consist of "Ten Days in July," "Five Days in April," and "11 Minutes in September." Hopkins: You can find the first two in my collection THESE I KNOW BY HEART. Hopkins: The third one is in the anthology BRAINBOX II, edited by Steve Eller. H.E.Astra: tear-jerker stories Erev: incredible stories which everyone should read Erev: more than once Hopkins: Ultimately, there will be 12 stories (one for every month). MCat duely noted for future reference Erev: they are great for someone who wants a primer on how to write, every word either defines character or advances the plot Hopkins: I mentioned that the first two Watcher stories can be found in THESE I KNOW BY HEART. I will be raffling a copy of that book off later this evening. MABOB: will they ever solve roswell? H.E.Astra: Ooooh. cooool. E: They've moved on to the Abduction Diaries now, Model : H.E.Mars: JudiR: Will there be a sequel to MUERTOS? You left it open-ended. Hopkins: Good to see you, Judi. There will indeed be a sequel to MUERTOS. It will be called XIBALBA, which is the Mayan underworld. Hopkins: You can expect it in 2004 from the same publisher, Earthling. JD: Will there be a sequel to Cold At Heart? Hopkins: XIBALBA will address MANY things: Maria, Peteso, the fate of the world ... expect it to be much longer than MUERTOS. H.E.Astra: Now, how did I know JD would ask that? :) Hopkins: MUERTOS, for those who don't know, is my new book -- EL DIA DE LOS MUERTOS. Hopkins: We ALL know what JD is going to ask! JD: :) Hopkins: ICE CASTLES, the sequel to COLD AT HEART, is still percolating in my backbrain. one day... Hopkins: You can learn about all this and more, of course, by visiting the official bahsite at http://bahwolf.com. H.E.Astra: Brian - I have a question from Ere .... Erev591324: Could you please ask BAH a bit about how he researches things . . . Hopkins: How does bah research things? Diligently! LOL. Erev: giggle H.E.Astra: Watching spiders in his office :) Hopkins: Should I give a current research example? (Judi knows about this one.) H.E.Astra: Go for it, Bri Hopkins: I am presently working on a Martin Zolotow novella. In it, a girl is murdered while being featured on a pornographic web cam site. Hopkins: So, naturally, I have researched such sites. LOL. H.E.Astra: LOL OWG: ::ears perk up:: Hopkins: But today I went one step further. Hopkins: There's a hacker who breaks into their site so that he can watch all the private stuff for free. This is how he saw what was a private event -- the cyber snuff film, if you will. Hopkins: So, I wanted to prove that one of those sites could be hacked. Hopkins: It took me two hours. Hopkins: Anyway, there are no lengths to which I won't go. H.E.Astra: Brian --- OWG: H.E.Astra: How do you feel about mistakes in describing firearms in books? H.E.Mars: JudiR: Will XIBALBA a have a happier ending or do you ever write those? Hopkins: Mistakes in firearms ALWAYS bug me. Few writers take the time to learn about firearms. JSolu: Amen to that! OWG: ! ::tail wags quickly:: JSolu: Shark would love to hear that! Hopkins: Even though I know quite a bit (and own quite a few), I still took the time earlier this year to attend a firearms seminar in Tulsa (course, part of the fun was the people who I attended it with -- Joe Lansdale, Elizabeth Moon... Hal'sBabe: Hey, I got here. Its Hairy Shannon Hopkins: ...Judi Rohrig, etc) H.E.Astra: Go for it, Wolf :) Hopkins: Judi, according to my buddy Jack McDevitt, I don't know how to write a happy ending. H.E.Astra: I saw pictures of that! Hopkins: I tend to subscribe to the Orson Scott Card school, which says that a character must suffer. JSolu: I love McDevitt!!!!! Kak: You just put "and they lived happily ever after" before "the end". Erev: i thought that the licking valley coon hunters club HAD a happy ending Hopkins: You're right, Kelly! H.E.Astra: I ached all through Coon Hunters. Poor guy was always getting beat up. Hopkins: But wait until you see what I do to poor Zolotow in THE BIKINI BOTTOMS OPTIONAL OYSTER BAR. Erev: ya'll make note of this BAH said i'm right, it will never happen again Hal'sBabe: Love the title alone Solstice: Zolo makes an admirable punching bag. ::grin:: OWG: rofl Kak: Please tell me that's not the title? JD: did someone say bikini? Hopkins: LOL, Kelly. H.E.Mars: SBurg: Brian, I would like to know where you got the idea for the sticky baby H.E.Mars: fingers. Erev: ---has the hots for Zolo Hopkins: Susan, I don't know that the sticky baby fingers (in MUERTOS, I presume) came from anywhere in particular. Hopkins: All just part of imagining what it must be like to hold a decomposing infant corpse. Hopkins: Hell, Kelly, even I have the hots for Zolo. LOL. H.E.Astra: ::: watches her toes curl :::: Erev: BAh, that is incestuous and kinky Hopkins: Since we're talking about Zolo... Hopkins: I'm presently hard at work on the new Martin Zolotow book: LIPSTICK, LIES, AND LADY LUCK. This will be a compilation of old and new Zolo material. JD: WOO-HOO Hopkins: Of major significance is the brand new novella-rapidly-turning-novel, THE BIKINI BOTTOMS OPTIONAL OYSTER BAR. Hopkins: There will be a couple other new Zolo stories too, including "The Great Alaskan Beaver Pelt Emporium." Ya gotta love Zolo titles. LOL. Solstice: They're a little like Bond Girl names. Hopkins: (Bah doesn't really type that fast. He cut and paste it from something else. Heh heh) H.E.Astra: Are these titles left over in your brain from the 60's, Bri? Kak: Miss Money Penny and Miss Beaver Pelt? H.E.Astra: Oh, I was just being a smart mouth :) Hopkins: My brain has long been twisted, Astra. H.E.Mars: KristyandPierre: Q: A friend of mine wants to know whether there will be any mice H.E.Mars: characters in the sequel to MUERTOS. Hopkins: Kristy and Pierre (a mouse who has been abusing my credit cards!) -- good to see you're here! Hal'sBabe: existential chord........:-D KristyandPierre: uh oh, Pierre's hanging his head! Hopkins: If there are an mice in XIBALBA, you can bet that they'll be the first ones laid out on the altar at Chichen Itza! Hal'sBabe: laid on the altar...hmmm..... H.E.Astra: ::: thwaps Hal ::: LOL BLR: Virgin Mice? Hopkins: LOL H.E.Mars: Brian I have a question for you...unless someone else has asked you where you H.E.Mars: travelled in Mexico for El Dia... Kak: ex mousia virgine, gaudete. H.E.Mars: Have they already? KristyandPierre: Yikes! KristyandPierre: Yeah, Pierre says he wouldn't mind being tied up... Hopkins: jan, I actually wrote MUERTOS before I traveled in Mexico. Hopkins: I've since been there to visit some of the sites that will be featured in XIBALBA and to see what I might have screwed up in MUERTOS. H.E.Astra: "Oops. I got that wrong." Hopkins: Thankfully, my offsite research was pretty good. I didn't really make any goofs that I've found. Hopkins: (bah is frantically scribbling down names for the raffle -- bear with him) H.E.Mars: Thanks a lot Brian...consider Oaxaca next. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised by it as H.E.Mars: well. Hopkins: (he also talks about himself in third person sometimes. LOL) H.E.Astra: Y'all can see pics of his trip at bahwolf.com :) But not now. After chat. Hal'sBabe: My Mexican experience was limited to a binge drunk with my father when I was fifteen or sixteen back in the mid sixties. Hopkins: Have I missed anymore Qs? Hopkins: I had a great time in the Yucatan (as you can tell from the pics). I hope to go back next year, see the other side of the peninsula and venture inland to Palenque. Hopkins: Palenque isn't easily reached, though. H.E.Mars: Bah...can you throw up that website URL just for our edification? Hopkins: http://bahwolf.com is the official place for all things bah. Kak: Sounds kinky. H.E.Mars: KristyandPierre: Will you be traveling to the underworld to do research for XIBALBA? H.E.Astra: LOL Hopkins: Kristy: I hope not to visit the underworld anytime soon, though I am sure I will ultimately wind up there. Hopkins: LOL KristyandPierre: LOL. I'll see you there then! KristyandPierre: LOL. You're right, he's there already... BLR: You will be in good company BAH ;) Hopkins: Let's just see what else I have prepared to cut and paste. ::grin:: Hopkins: I want to point out that anyone not currently receiving my newsletter (Shame on you!) can subscribe by sending a blank email to bahnews-subscribe@yahoogroups.com Hopkins: Heh heh Hopkins: The newsletter keeps you informed of all things bah. Ara: Good ol' BAJ H.E.Astra: Get the newsletter just to read the P.S.!! ::grin:: Hopkins: ::hugs Astra:: H.E.Mars: SBurg: Which do you enjoy to write the most, tales like Muertos or tales like Zolo? Ara: What is there in P.S? Hopkins: Good Q, Susan! SBurg: thanks..;-) KNITE: ARA- Post Script Hopkins: I enjoy both. Zolo stories tend to be written more "from the cuff" and are a lot of fun just for that reason. Hopkins: I don't work nearly as hard, in other words. And, of course, Zolo is a smart-ass, just like me. It's fun crawling into his skin. Hopkins: With stories like MUERTOS or a Watchers story, it's more like work. Lots more research. No humor. When I get under the skin of someone like, say, Bennington... Hopkins: ...in MUERTOS, it can be painful. H.E.Astra: I have a question for you Bri - do you think you'll ever do another e-mail story (or whatever you called it), like you did with Wading Inland? H.E.Astra: You spoiled us :) Hopkins: But the rewards -- the finished product -- generally make it all worth while. I'm very pleased with how MUERTOS turned out. It was worth all the... Hopkins: ...tears I shed for Bennington and that dead baby, etc. Ara: Is MUERTOS sorta Mexican Halloween? Kak: Dia de los muertos is the day the dead come back to talk to the living. It's a holiday. Hopkins: Astra, though I'm sure I will eventually finish WADING INLAND, I'm not sure I'll ever do another email serial. Kak: Halloween is when we're supposed to scare the dead away from coming back. Hopkins: Kak's right -- Mexican Day of the Dead. Big festival. Nov 2nd. H.E.Astra: More on that same subject ... Solstice: Astra... ask him if he's ever going to finish WADING INLAND. ::grin:: Kak: Of course I'm right :-p Hopkins: Laughing at Solstice (Delice!). I beat you to that one. Hopkins: More news of upcoming stuff (cutting 'n pasting)... Hopkins: ...I'll have stories in the upcoming issues of both CEMETERY DANCE and BLACK GATE -- both issues should be out around the 1st of December, if not sooner. H.E.Mars: lolol... Ara: Hey, Sol, why is Astra interpreting for you? H.E.Astra: Bri - can you explain your Watcher stories again? Some people don't know what Watchers are. Kak: Because we're not allowed to ask questions in chat, Ara? H.E.Astra: Ara - because we've asked people to IM us with questions :) Hopkins: Ara, Solstice is following the rules. LOL. Kak: :snort: Solstice: But I'm still chiming in with smart comments. Ara: Humph Solstice: Or smart-alec. Take your pick. Hopkins: Astra, I'd be happy to explain the Watchers stories! H.E.Astra: Smart mouths rule :) Hopkins: ::gives Solstice a swift kick:: Kak: /me jumps on Soli's lap. OWG: I seem to be talking with my big, furry tail, tonight. ;-) Ara: Two wolves, wow Hopkins: The watchers are various characters from history tasked with watching events predicated by a higher order species called the timekeepers. Hopkins: predicted Kak: Sounds like Buffy almost. Hopkins: In "Five Days in April" that predicted event was the Murrah Bombing. The watcher involved was a fallen angel. H.E.Mars: Okay...back to the next questin here...KristyandPierre: Will there be any mice in your H.E.Mars: Zolo stories? H.E.Astra: I can't wait until all twelve Watcher stories get written and published in one big fat book :) Hopkins: The idea is that at some point in time these predictions, which are not always 100% accurate, will begin to fail more and more often. Hopkins: In other words, bad shit will quit happening (Jan told me I could cuss!) H.E.Astra: LOLOL OWG: ::chuckles:: Hopkins: When all the bad shit stops happening, then we humans, as a species, are ready for some big thing that comes next. Kak: Oy, not fair! H.E.Mars: lolololol...ahem..:::blushes contritely::: H.E.Astra: Solstice: Ask him if he will continue to use real-life events in his watchers stories. Hopkins: It's a fairly simple concept -- perhaps not even terribly original -- but what makes the stories work, I think, is that they involve the sentiments of those who have... Hopkins: ...been tasked with watching the events. Hopkins: As they grapple with understanding why these things happen -- why we do these horrible things to each other -- they are, of course, grappling with ... Hopkins: ...those thoughts for all of us. Hopkins: The watchers stories -- though grim -- are really all about hope. H.E.Mars: Okay...BAH... I think I'm gonna need you to give us a GA when you're done, if you don't H.E.Mars: mind, so Astra and I can stop... Hopkins: Sol, I know that the next Watchers story does not involve real life events. After that, I can't say. Hopkins: And since it's not written, I can't even guarantee that the one in my head will actually wind up being the next story. Hopkins: Sometimes other stories cut in line. ::grin:: H.E.Astra: I like stepping on his toes! Hopkins: Sorry, Jan. Will try to remember. GA H.E.Mars: Thanks Brian. OWG: ::hides paws under chin:: :-) H.E.Mars: Did you see that question from Kristy and Pierre about the mice in Zolo? Hopkins: Did I miss any Qs? GA Hopkins: Kristy, please keep Pierre's paws off the keyboard. Tell him he'll be in my first motion picture if he behaves himself. KristyandPierre: Wow, sounds more and more fascinating... H.E.Mars: JudiR: You seem to like to hang on to the same characters -- Zolo, the Watchers, Julie and Hopkins: Shoot. H.E.Mars: Gabe, One-Eyed Jack, and now Ricky Bennington. Do you find it better to build that way or H.E.Mars: are you just fighting KristyandPierre: OK, but he says he wants to produce your first motion picture! Hopkins: fighting what? Hopkins: ::blink:: ::blink:: H.E.Mars: a longer book Kak: I have no questions, just comments. JudiR: Writing a longer book! Hopkins: Judi, thanks for another interesting Q. Hopkins: (Tries to look like he's in deep thought) Kak: :laughs: Hopkins: I think there are just some characters that refuse to get out of my head. Hopkins: I'm trying to think if I ever start out to write a series character. OWG: ::thoughtfully gnaws soup bone from dinner:: :-) JudiR: Or fighting answering questions? Hopkins: I don't think I ever have -- maybe One-Eyed Jack. He'd come the closest to a character that I consciously decided to make into a series character Hopkins: The others just sort of decided they wanted me to continue writing about them. GA. H.E.Astra: Erev591324: pls ask BAH the differance for him in thinking as an editor and thinking as a writer? TAM: :::sitting over here by BAH so I can scratch his ears Hopkins: Tam remembers the good old days! Hopkins: Kelly, I don't think there's a big difference. When I sit down to write, I try to write stories that I would like to read. Hopkins: When I sit down as an editor to select stories for an anthology, I do the same thing. I'm looking for the good stuff. Hopkins: One's a creation process and one's a hunt for the proverbial needle in a haystack, but both have the same goal. GA H.E.Astra: BLR: BAH, do any of your friends end up as a template for characters in your books? Hopkins: Not very often, Wiz. My friends usually aren't that interesting. Some of the prostitutes in COON HUNTERS were named after ladies in a chat room called Literatzi. Judi was used as a saloon girl. LOL. H.E.Astra: Maybe that's a hint for a tuckerization auction :) Hopkins: But I usually build from scratch. H.E.Astra: TAM: Is there a sequel coming to COLD AT HEART? BLR: Thx BAH Hopkins: I have some "bah as editor" projects that are worth mentioning... Hopkins: I was asked to edit an anthology to be released at next year's World Horror Convention -- 13 HORRORS (the title indicating that next year's convention is the 13th). Hopkins: The anthology will feature all new fiction by Steve and Melanie Tem, Gene Wolfe, Graham Masterton, John Shirley, Ramsey Campbell, Chelsea Yarbro, Nina Kiriki Hoffman, Charles Grant, Jessica Salmonson, Michael Bishop... Ara: Like 13 Ghosts TAM: :::::Scratching ears:::: nice wolfie Hopkins: ...Ed Bryant, and one other TBD. Joe Lansdale will be penning an introduction. Next year, you'll can also see print editions of PERSONAL DEMONS and THE BEST OF EXTREMES, two other volumes that I edited. Kak: Oh, Gene Wolfe writes horror? H.E.Mars: Okay...I have a question here....When you start a project, do you always know whether it's H.E.Mars: going to be a story, novella, or novel? Hopkins: Yes, Kak, he does (though he's better known for his SF and F, of course.) H.E.Mars: And that's from Kristie and Pierre. Hopkins: good Q, Jan. I used to think I know -- and sometimes I still do -- but a lot of my work of late has been expanding on me, demanding more layers, more details. Hopkins: It's just the muse trying to push me into being a novelist. Pesky bitch! GA H.E.Astra: OWG: Have you ever put someone you didn't like as antagonist in a story? Hopkins: Old Wold -- laughing, I'm doing that now in the current Zolo story. Though I will probably change his name before it's published. Hopkins: Okay, we should probably do one of these raffles. Hopkins: Problem is, I don't know if I have the names of everyone in the Cybling room...? H.E.Mars: One more question first? Hopkins: Sure! H.E.Mars: And I have a question here: BG: Who was the woman he sat next too at the autograph H.E.Mars: party at World Fantasy? BG: I have a reason for asking this. KristyandPierre: Don't forget there are two of us! H.E.Astra: LOL KristyandPierre: Two chances to win, LOL! Hopkins: BG -- that would be Judi, who is with us tonight. BG: Judi who? Hopkins: Sorry. Judi Rohrig. OWG: ! ::evil chuckle:: I did it, once, too. Hopkins: Judi is a wonderful writer in her own rights, but she also does a lot of PR stuff for me. And she's a dear friend. BG: Thank you! I did a photo of the two of you together and they ask me to id it. I only knew your name. Erev: Judi is a sweetie Hopkins: Glad we could get her identified. I think the FBI has a similar photo. Hopkins: Laughing at Kristy and Pierre. H.E.Astra: LOL Mars BLR: lol Solstice: No, Bri, that's the Interpol picture. The FBI one is just her. JudiR: Thanks, Kelly! Hopkins: Okay, here's what we are raffling off! KristyandPierre: Pierre wants to know if you're raffling off a motorcycle. JaniceMars: lol JudiR: Me! JudiR: LOL! H.E.Astra: Win prizes at the BAH chat. I like it :) Hopkins: This is a copy (trade paperback) of my 2001 collection, THESE I KNOW BY HEART. The first two Watchers stories that we've been discussing... Hopkins: ...can be found in this book, along with some other schtuff. Hopkins: First edition. Autographed or inscribed (your choice). BLR: Free Books are always welcome ;) H.E.Astra: Is Summer still awake to pull a name from your hat, Bri? :) Kak: Free food is better :runs: Hopkins: Given out of the goodness of my big wolf heart, 'cause you was nice enough to show up. yada yada yada KNITE: I love any free stuff Erev: books are morr important than food Hopkins: {making a last check that he has everyone...) TAM: If I don't win this, I'm gonna have to get BAH's address to order one H.E.Astra: bahwolf.com, TAM :) Erev: even if you win yu should order15 as xmas gifts TAM: There is that Hopkins: Drumrolll.... Hopkins: ... Hopkins: .. Erev: better than fruitcakes H.E.Astra: ::: beginning to think Ere is on Bri's payroll ::: LOL Hopkins: And the winner is! Hopkins: .. Hopkins: ... Hopkins: Ara! H.E.Astra: Yay!!!! BLR: WTG Ara Ara: Huh? TAM: yayyyyyyyy Ara Erev: yay!!!!!!!!!! Solstice: :::clapping wildly for Ara:::: E: yay Ara! SBurg: Congrads! Ara! Hopkins: Winner chosen completely at random. Not responsible for bribes that may have been pocketed, but not honored. KNITE: Yay Ara!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! OWG: ::applauding Ara Ara: Why am I so lucky, BAH :) KNITE: Can wolves really clap?? Hopkins: It's just in the stars, Ara. Erev: ---been stalking and bribing for years, it doesn't work H.E.Astra: They paws a lot, Knite Ara: What do I get? TAM: Yeah KNITE you know the old Zen thing about one paw clapping? OWG: We wag out tails really, really hard, Knite. :-) Ara: A character? H.E.Astra: Ara! You weren't paying attention?? Hopkins: Ara, email an address to me (brian_a_hopkins@sff.net) Hopkins: You get a lump of coal! Ara: Distracted by doggie chewing things, AStra KNITE: the fault is not in our stars, but in ourselves Ara: BLAH Ara: OK, BAH, will do :) Hopkins: You get a copy of THESE I KNOW BY HEART (check the website for info -- http://bahwolf.com) KNITE: The first? Theres More?????????/ Hopkins: Should you have a copy, you may redeem it for the lump of coal. OWG: ::sneaks over and chews on Ara's shoes:: :-) Ara: COOL Hopkins: There will be one more raffle later in the evening. H.E.Astra: Bri is not just a good writer - he's generous too :) BLR: BAH remembers his roots. Hopkins: Wolves don't have roots, Wiz! LOL. H.E.Astra: Blond ones do :) TAM: Did Brian ever say if there was a sequel to COLD AT HEART? Hopkins: Not yet, Tam. One day. I have the first 50,000 words written. ::grin:: TAM: Good start :) H.E.Mars: Okay...I have a question here......KristyandPierre: Can you tell us something about the H.E.Mars: story that will appear in Cemetery Dance? Hopkins: Thanks, Kristy! I was just cutting and pasting that info! LOL. Hopkins: I'll have stories in the upcoming issues of both CEMETERY DANCE and BLACK GATE -- both issues should be out around the 1st of December, if not sooner. Hopkins: The CD story is called "Communion with the Worm" (a line taken from a verse in the Dead Sea Scrolls) Hopkins: This story is set in Sicily and involves the Mafia, an ancient artifact, and the catacombs beneath the Capuchin Convent. Ara: Oh, cool, BAH H.E.Astra: OK. I have a question. H.E.Astra: When are you coming to a WorldCon, dammit? :) KristyandPierre: Wow!!!: JudiR: There's also a nice interview with Brian in the same issue of Cemetery Dance Magazine. KristyandPierre: Which issue? JudiR: 41. KristyandPierre: Thanks, Judi! JudiR: It isn't out yet. Erev: ---LOVES SICILY Hopkins: One of these says, Astra. TAM: Toronto would be a nice one Hopkins: I gotta start making more money from this writing gig. LOL. Kak: /me sends BAH a dollar. Hopkins: I do have an invitation from Canadian friend and fellow writer Edo van Belkom to come to Worldcon in Toronto and stay with him and his wife. Hopkins: So there's a good chance that I will go. H.E.Astra: Aha! Kak: /me needs to remember he's not on IRC too. TAM: Yayyyyy H.E.Mars: lol TBIRD: ::::thanking BAH for enewsletter::::: H.E.Astra: Mars, sign him up for a WoldCon chat. Then he'll show up :) Hopkins: Of course, all of you need to attend next years CONTRACEPTION in Kansas City, where I am the GUEST OF HONOR. Hopkins: It's an adults only convention and the theme is the Arabian Nights. H.E.Mars: Brian, I have another question here...I see you won another Stoker this year, and I saw a H.E.Mars: picture of Beth Gwinns...is it the same every year? Do you have 3 haunted houses on your H.E.Mars: shelf? H.E.Astra: GoH? COOL! TAM: When is it, BAH? Hopkins: I will need many women dressed appropriately. Hopkins: Next November, Tam. Hopkins: Check my website for specific dates. Solstice: What would be appropriate attire, BAH? KNITE: What is adult about it? H.E.Astra: Leather and lace, Sol :) TAM: LEATHER!! Solstice: I have that. KNITE: My kind of convention OWG: ! I've noticed how BAH gets his picture taken with lovely ladies at conventions, on his Web site. :-) KNITE: Can i wear just the lace Hopkins: Jan, I do indeed have 3 haunted houses collecting dust there across the room from me. The last one arrived broken! H.E.Astra: Ack! KristyandPierre: yeah, he's always surrounded by the ladies, lol! Hopkins: It's a tough gig, but someone's got to do it, Old Wolf. Kak: :wonders if he'll ever get his picture taken with Harlan Ellison again: OWG: lol Hopkins: HWA offered to have it repaired (the front gable is broken off), but I never have mailed it off... Rowr: Harlan shows up on photographic film? Hopkins: Doubtful, Kak. Kak: LOL Rowr! Hopkins: Not unless he is dressed like a strumpet! Hopkins: (bah heads for his cut 'n paste file again ... heh heh) Hopkins: There's a French collection of my work in production right now. At one time there was to be a German collection, but that publisher might have fallen by the wayside, since I can't seem to reach him anymore. TBIRD: :::::thought a strumpet was a musical instrument played by ladies of the night::::: Hopkins: I think that's a wolf, Tbird. SBurg: theme is the Arabian Nights! appropriate attire..harem girls..giggle! TBIRD: lol BAH TAM: Yah T "If you're gonnna bump it, bump it with a trumpet" H.E.Astra: Bri - are any of your stories in other languages now? Which ones? KNITE: Ooo, i wanna be a harem girl Rowr: T83..and the one on the floor of the all girl pyramid was the Base Strumpet Hopkins: Astra, I've been published in French, German, and Italian. Oh, and the Queen's English. TBIRD: ouch Rowr Kak: I know all about Queen's English. Hopkins: I have a story coming up in the new French magazine, ASPHODALE. H.E.Astra: I'll tell my German daughter about you then :) H.E.Mars: Brian...I have another question for you here...Nebula Award. It's not just Horror that's H.E.Mars: swimming around in that wonderful brain of yours? Hopkins: See the blip above about French & German collections. H.E.Mars: As in you were nominated for a Nebula award. Hopkins: Astra, "Five Days in April" was nominated. It was actually a jury pick, which is something of a curse. Hopkins: To be honest, I don't think I play enough in SFWA's sandbox to ever win a Nebula. Erev: NO MATTER WAHT YOU DO,M JUST RECALL THIS: I AM STALKING Hopkins: Winning those awards requires not just good writing, but being read by the voting members. They tend to read work from their own members to a great extent. H.E.Astra: LOLOL H.E.Astra: (at Ere) Hopkins: I'll never forget it, Kelly. LOL. Hopkins: I'm excited about the chapbook I have coming out early next year from Yard Dog Press. It's an usual fantasy for me -- a bit of a departure (but everyone knows I love diversity) -- and it's a whole lot of fun. Hopkins: ...This is the Turtle Knight story, of course. I think I found the perfect artist for it, Antonia Zehlers. Though, truth be told, she really found me. Erev: I love the turtle knight story H.E.Astra: TBIRD: Brian, do you have any hard SF projects pending or under way? Hopkins: Tbird, I have an SF novel that I've wanted to write for years (even have the opening -- LOL -- I always have the openings written). Hopkins: It's not very high on my priorities, though. Hopkins: Pretty much at the bottom. H.E.Astra: Tell me when you need a Beta reader, Bri :) Ara: BAH likes to scare people ;) TBIRD: bak Thanks, Brian. H.E.Mars: Okay...I have another one here... Hopkins: I will write SF shorts if asked and paid, though. Example, my story "Mirrors" in SOL'S CHILDREN, ed by Jean Rabe and Marty Greenberg. H.E.Mars: KristyandPierre: Q: What's with you and poetry? Are some of your stories inspired by H.E.Mars: poems? Hopkins: Kristy, I love poetry. Collect it like crazy. And, as you've undoubtedly noticed, I do tend to use it in my own work, either as an epigraph or as something a character... Hopkins: ...knows and perhaps even quotes. Hopkins: Sometimes I worry my characters are a bit more literate than the average humanoids. LOL. GA H.E.Mars: JudiR: Where would you like to be in five years, career-wise? Hopkins: ::kicks Judi under the table:: H.E.Astra: Oooh. Judi asks the tough ones :) Erev: bah don't kick judi or i will spank you Hopkins: Why ... chatting with all you wonderful people, of course. LOL. H.E.Mars: lol OWG: lol JudiR: Ouch! JaniceMars: lol Hopkins: Seriously, where ever my muse takes me. I can't tell you I'll be any better known or have written this or that ...or whatever. I'm still having fun with this writing bit. H.E.Astra: LOL Hopkins: Long as it stays fun and my work is appreciated, I'll keep after it. Hopkins: Maybe that means I remain a popular writer of the specialty press. Maybe it means some big publisher/agent will one day notice me and make me a household name. I couldn't tell you. H.E.Astra: Do you have an agent? Hopkins: Astra, no agent. GA. Hopkins: (Checks cut 'n paste file .... finds one last item. Heh heh) Hopkins: My next major project will be a novella for Cemetery Dance's hardcover novella series. I haven't titled it yet, but it involves 19th century whalers, pirates, and bad, bad mojo on the high seas. Erev: Bah love you to peices but I havwe been up since 430 AM this time, g'night bro" KNITE: What is the differance between a novel, novella, novellet, and a short story? Hopkins: (If it looks like bah's too busy to be cracking internet porn sites, he is. LOL.) KNITE: I have never known the differance JudiR: But does that stop him? ::grin::: H.E.Mars: Okay...Brian, you're one of the best writers I know...and a lot of people have read your H.E.Mars: work...but I don't think everyone is familiar with the fact.... H.E.Mars: that you also run a publishing house. Can you tell us a little about that? URL? Hopkins: Ah ... Lone Wolf Publications (http://lonewolfpubs.com). OWG: It's the length of the piece, Knite and sometimes the conventions used in writing it. Hopkins: LWP specializes in multimedia titles, what some publishers would call electronic fiction. Hopkins: We give you more than just text on a screen though. Audio. Video. Art. Photography. Dark: ah, familiar with the name LWP Hopkins: There's no other publishing house doing what LWP is doing. KNITE: I know, but which is longer, a novella or a novellet? Dark: knite, novella is longer JudiR: And LWP has a new audio line as well. Hopkins: Knite, sorry, I missed your question the first time around. KNITE: It wasnt really for you, BAH, just for anyone who knew :) Hopkins: The others are correct -- the difference in short, novelette, novella, novel, etc has to do with length. Hopkins: Definitions vary. H.E.Astra: Do you take open submissions at LWP, Bri? Hopkins: We do when we are reading for things, Astra. At the moment, we're only asking for audio submissions. We just closed submissions on the anthology CIRCUS, Jean Rabe editing. H.E.Mars: And I have a question here....KristyandPierre: Q: It's rumored that you have a thing about H.E.Mars: spiders. Any plans to write about 'em? H.E.Astra: LOLOL H.E.Astra: -- likes K&P! Hopkins: Not sure, Kristy. The spider bit came from one that took up residence outside the window of my library. Hopkins: She watched me work. Hopkins: I fed her bugs, Hopkins: It was a good arrangement. Hopkins: Interested parties will find her pictures on my website, of course. ::grin:: KNITE: WHat is the url again?? Hopkins: http://bahwolf.com Hopkins: Time for raffle #2? Hopkins: This is probably a fairly collectible item, H.E.Astra: Off the wall question - do you have a 2003 calendar with your picture on it, like 2002? :) Hopkins: Laughing. Yes, Astra. Ask Judi to send you one. ::grin:: H.E.Astra: Hey, I actually use it :) TAM: Is that just for Astra, or can anyone ask? Hopkins: Judi? You up to filling calendar orders? H.E.Astra: I'll even send a SSE :) Hopkins: (checking my stash. I have small ones. Judi has big ones. ::grin::) SBurg: and I have my calendars on my wall at work I use mine too! thanks Judi! JudiR: Sure. I have signed ones even. Hopkins: Judi might be mad cause I kicked her. LOL. H.E.Astra: LOL TAM: Probably just at the emergency room JudiR: No you didn't! I just happen to have a bruise tattoo on my shin. Hopkins: It was a reflex action. Delice squeezed my knee. Hopkins: Okay, the raffle item, JudiR: JRohrig@aol.com Kak: :slaps delice: You're married lady :-p Hopkins: There may only be two of these in existence. I have both. Hopkins: My novel COON HUNTERS was recently reprinted with a new cover. Hopkins: The printer sent the publisher (Yard Dog Press) what amounts to an unbound proof. The pages are placed in the cover, but there's no glue. H.E.Astra: Yay! And when we're done with the raffle, I have another question :) Dark: Question: Lone Wolf Publications publish horror as well as SF? Hopkins: That Judi can work magic! How'd she get me to sign those already? LOL. H.E.Mars: As do I. JudiR: A gun. SBurg: while you were signing all those books at WFC she just slipped a few in! Hopkins: Primarily horror, Dark. Dark: figures Dark: that name came up when I was at another site Hopkins: Back to the raffle item -- it essentially looks just like the book (if all the pages were ready to fall out) Hopkins: Like I said, as far as I know, there are only two. The publisher sent both copies to me. Kak: Why would they send you an unglued book? TAM: Do NOT read in the wind Kak: hahahaha Ara: LOL Hopkins: Proof, Kak. Something to look at and say, hey, you screwed this up! Fix it before you print it. KNITE: LOL Dark: (turns on the giant turbine fans) SBurg: LOL Kak: I know what a proof is, have to make them for graphics classes. But, they should at least glue it. Dark: (watches the papers fly) Hopkins: Anyway, I'll scribble my name in this one for some lucky someone. Hopkins: Cool? KNITE: Very cool Hopkins: Or would you rather we go for that lump of coal? H.E.Astra: Is my name still in the back? :) Hopkins: Your name is still there, dear. JaniceMars: Hey! I'm interested! KristyandPierre: Tres cool! JaniceMars: Put two or three slips of paper in that hat with MY name on it. H.E.Astra: I always offer to sign copies at cons. No on is interested, LOL Hopkins: The only difference in the second edition and the first is the cover. H.E.Astra: on = one Hopkins: I didn't change any of the words. Even if I should have. ::grin:: Kak: Well, on the one hand...coal can become a diamon... :runs: Hopkins: ::kicks Kak under the table:: Hopkins: Okie dokie. H.E.Astra: Hey, it's only 1 of 2. Collector's, unite!! Kak: /me gets out of the way and bah kicks ara instead. Ara: OK, who squeezed BAH's knee this time Kak: Collectors untie! Ara: :: kicks back ::: Hopkins: Let me consult my random number generator again ... BEEETTTTTTTTTTTTTYYYYYYYY! (Summer is spending the night with a friend.) SBurg: me too! Dark: kak, untie what? TAM: If you were in both rooms, would your name be in twice? SBurg: Let Lucky Dog pick it Hopkins: Oh no! She fell asleep. LOL. Kak: I'unno. Hopkins: Jan, pick a number between 1 and 100. H.E.Mars: 72 H.E.Astra: LOL TAM TAM: But I left the other room :( Kak: The answer to Live, the Universe and Everything is...72? Do the calculations again, something's wrong... Hopkins: Is Erev (Kelly Goldberg ) still here or did she leave? KristyandPierre: LOL! No, the answer to everything is bah! H.E.Astra: All gone :/ Dark: she already left Hopkins: Then our winner is .... Hopkins: drumroll Kak: Oh just spit it out. Hopkins: Astra! H.E.Astra: Oh lordy. TAM: FIX!!!!!! BLR: It is FIXED SBurg: Congrad! Astra! H.E.Astra: THANKS, BAH! OWG: ! I've just read the essay "Full of Blood". Nicely done and researched piece. Ara: The "A's got it Dark: This demon demands a recount Solstice: LOL, TAM. The hotel key I slipped him obviously didn't do me any good. H.E.Astra: LOL Ara KNITE: No, i think the picking process is broken Hopkins: That was the lump of coal we were doing, right? TAM: LOL Sol seems not Kak: Kak has an A in it...two, actually... :looks at Brian wistfully: H.E.Astra: Hey, I take anything :) Hopkins: LOL, Sol. BLR: WTG Astra Hopkins: Thanks, Old Wolf! OWG: You're welcome, BAH :-) Dark: congrats astra H.E.Mars: LOLOLOLOLOLOL ....okay...we have time for the last two questions... Solstice: Congratulations, Astra!! H.E.Astra: BLR: BAH, are you familur with wrsmith@wordsmith.org Where they send you a defination of a word every day? It can be interesting! Kak: Only 2? It's only quarter till. H.E.Astra: We babble a lot, Kak :) Kak: Not that much. Kak: Geeze, I was here for the whole 2 hours. Hopkins: Wiz, I used to get a couple of those things, but seem to have dropped off their lists somewhere along the way. Please forward this one to me. Thanks! GA BLR: Babble, Babble, Babble, Babble. OWG: ::does a brook impersonation:: :-) TAM: I like that one BLR BLR: Ok BAH Kak: Gobble, Gobble, Gobble, Gobble. Dark: I thought Tower of Babel was long gone H.E.Mars: Okay...and I have one here... KNITE: Ask BAH what authors do you read? Hopkins: Just send the next one you get and I can subscribe. Thanks. GA Hopkins: Knite, I read a LOT of authors. Hopkins: Favorites ... Hopkins: George R. R. Martin. Hopkins: Orson Scott Card. Hopkins: McCammon. Hopkins: Lansdale. Hopkins: (I did have a list on my website, but removed it the other day.) Hopkins: James Morrow. Hopkins: Tim Powers Kak: I need to read more, I've only ever heard of Card. Hopkins: Kak, come here so I can kick you again. H.E.Astra: LOL Kak: Hey, be glad I've heard of you :-p Hopkins: Go read everything Martin's ever written. Now. Dark: I second that motion Ara: I read his Fevre Dream H.E.Astra: Martin will be GoH at Toronto :) H.E.Mars: Folks this is a bit of a record...We've kept BAH typing his fingers to the bones for Kak: I just finished reading all 4 Harry Potter books. H.E.Mars: almost 2 hours here. Let's give him a standing ovation for his stamina, his books and his Hopkins: (wondering why Kak hasn't logged off and left for the bookstore) H.E.Mars: wonderful stories! Dark: I've read Tuf Voyaging H.E.Astra: ::: wild applause for Bri! :::: Kak: :wondering why Brian hasn't sent me the money for the books: Ara: :: clap, clap, clap ::: Hopkins: Dark, that's the only book of his I wouldn't recommend., LOL. H.E.Astra: You were right Bri - you can last 2 hours :-D Hopkins: Thanks everyone for coming tonight. I had a good time. KristyandPierre: YAY! STANDING OVATION! wOWIE, ZOWIE!!!! Hopkins: Thanks Jan and Karen for having me. TAM: Yayyyyyyyyyyyy Brian!!! KNITE: :::Claps loudly::: Ara: will email you on my laptop, BAH BLR: Thanks for the chat BAH. Don't be a stranger.... Kak: The longest I've seen you on in over 2 years, Soli. OWG: ::applauds:: Kak: Come to think of it, 5 minutes is the longest... Solstice: I had good reason tonight, Kak KristyandPierre: Yep, one of the best writers on this planet or any other! KristyandPierre: (even if he never writes about mice) TAM: I think K andP may be right Hopkins: I don't pay that mouse (Pierre) enough. Course, he does have my credit card numbers. LOL. BLR: Thanks for the chat BAH. Don't be a stranger.... KristyandPierre: Thanks, Bri! DerHexer: BAH, a quick question if I may? What do you consider your best work?? Hopkins: Der, best work? Hmmm... Hopkins: I tend to like what ever I just finished the most. Read MUERTOS. DerHexer: MUERTOS?? OK, I'll look for it. Tanx H.E.Mars: KristyandPierre: Got enough left on your AMEX card for a motorcycle? Hopkins: Info on the website, of course - http://bahwolf.com Hopkins: Read the blurbs and reviews. Hopkins: Get it before it's gone. Hopkins: LOL H.E.Astra: My favorite is the April story. It affected me for days. DerHexer: What was the April story?? Solstice: Der... All of the "Watchers" stories, "Sand King" and "Though A Million Stars Were Shining" in the short stories. Hopkins: Der, Astra is referring to "Five Days in April." It's in my collection THESE I KNOW BY HEART. TAM: "All Colors Bleed to Red" I still think about that one Hopkins: I have been known to sell personally autographed copies. Hopkins: :::grin::: Ara: And I won it, right, BAH ;) TAM: Really? Hopkins: Yes, you did, Ara. Unless you want the coal instead. H.E.Mars: I looked all over Amazon.com for your book....no go...where do I get it? Ara: Plus the coal too, if you pleaase Hopkins: ::makes note to go find a piece of coal:: H.E.Mars: Judi says: www.earthlingpub.com or www.shocklines.com H.E.Astra: No Amazon? Shame on them. H.E.Mars: Just got that from Judi...anywhere else we can order your book? Hopkins: Oops, missed Jan's comment. No, Amazon isn't carrying MUERTOS. Buy from the two places mentioned or from me. H.E.Astra: Preferably from ... ? Hopkins: Long as you buy it, I don't care where from. LOL. Hopkins: Shocklines has it $3 below retail. Hopkins: I sell it at retail, but don't charge shipping.\ Hopkins: Earthling has a contest going on if you buy it there. Ara: How much is retail? H.E.Mars: BAH, does your site take paypall? Ara: Do you take paypall? Hopkins: It's a $30 signed limited edition hardcover Hopkins: There's also a $150 lettered edition, leather, traycased. Hopkins: Yes, I take paypal. BLR: I should order a dozen or so. H.E.Mars: Looooves paypal BLR: ;) Hopkins: Funny, in "Bikini Bottoms," when Zolo emails the hacker and tells him that he'll take the case... DerHexer: Heard bad things about Paypal Hopkins: He tells the hacker "$500 a day plus expenses. First week in advance." H.E.Astra: Never had a problem with them myself, Der. Hopkins: The hacker replies immediately, via email: "Do you take paypal?" H.E.Astra: LOL. TAM: LOL DerHexer: They make mistakes and its months to sort it out OWG: lol OWG: Do you take porkchops? :-) Ara: LOLOL BLR: lol Hopkins: Been using them for three years, Der. No problems. Not one. Kak: Pay pal will suspend your account if you get too much money at once. H.E.Astra: ::: watches the Wolves trade ::: Hopkins: LOL, Old Wolf. Now you have me wondering who you are. OWG: rofl Hopkins: I've moved a lot of money through there, Kak. No problems. H.E.Astra: Thanks Brian!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Ara: Yaaaay for BAH! TAM: Thanks Brian! TAM: BAH! BAH! BAH! Hopkins: I'd better cut out as well. Good night everyone and thanks for coming. And now, one more time for old time's sake: Hopkins: Arrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrroooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo! Ara: LOLOL TAM: ::::scratch:::: Hopkins: Thanks, Tam. Get both ears, please. H.E.Mars: lolololol Hopkins: Night, Sol. Sleep tight. BLR: Everyone turns into a pumpkin. TAM: ::::scratch other ear::::: Hopkins: Poof!!! (Who was that masked wolf?) |
janicemars Okay, here we go...Brian is grabbing a beer right now, he'll be with us shortly.
Ryan Is the webcam on? :) Hopkins Do I get nekkid now? Gand BAH!! Hi!! Hopkins Hi, Gand! Iwant COOL! Gand Oh cool. Hopkins Hi, JD! Iwant does the web cam have a zoom lens? Hopkins Hi, Karen. Why aren't you here? Hopkins There's cold beer and everything! Hopkins You want to see my nose hairs, JD? Gand Got a party to go to tomorrow night, BAH. Sorry :) Iwant BAH, I'm saving some jpgs of you right now, I'll send them to you Gand WHen's Ice Castles coming? (Beating JD) Hopkins ICE CASTLES will be out next week, Karen. Didn't you get the newsletter?[g] Iwant HA!!! Right after I get my copy of These I know By Heart, right! Hopkins So here I am, all alone in a hotel room with Jan. heh heh Iwant Actually, Are you going to complete Wading Inland? Hopkins Actually, I have some guests. Judi Rohrig is here, as is Kim Taylor and Susan Burgard. ncb lol MoonG Who are those people? Hopkins JD, I have a couple more novellas to write, then I want to write the next Zolo novel ... then either ICE or WADING INLAND. Hopkins Course, I'll change my mind ten times between now and then.[g] Hopkins Karen, I don't think there will ever be a hardcover of HEART, so we should settle up, dear. How's a tradepaperback and a partial refund sound? Hopkins Or I could apply the money toward EL DIA DE LOS MUERTOS. phire heh Hopkins Or I could go out and get drunk on it. Hopkins Hi, Phire. phire hello Iwant No These I Know By Heart in hard cover? Chip Moon, I believe the webcam is on the Cybling site. Correct, WHC/Jan? Gand Can I take it out in trade? Hopkins I doubt the publisher is ever going to come through, JD/ Hopkins Only if you were here, Karen.[g] Iwant Loved The Trouble With The Truth in Unnatural Selection. Any new stuff? Hopkins Thanks, JD. Glad you liked "Truth." I have a new/old story in the current issue of MYSTERY SCENE. Hopkins A new story in the DAW antho SOL'S CHIDLREN (the story is called "Mirrors" -- hard SF). Hopkins That s.b. CHILDREN of course. Who said I could type? Kara Hehe Gand Hard SF? Go, Bri! Hopkins Of course, I'm really excited about MUERTOS, which will be my first hardcover. Gand Who 's the editor of Sol's Children? Hopkins There's a new antho out called DREAMING OF ANGELS. I have a story in it. Hopkins SOL's is edited by Jean Rabe and Marty Greenberg. Hopkins If you missed "Diving the Coolidge" in HISTORICAL HAUNTINGS, you get another chance to read it in BEST FANTASY 2001, edited by Silverberg, Haber, Greenberg. Hopkins That's a cool one for me, because there'll also be an audio version. MoonG will Muerto be in Espanol? Hopkins Only some words will be in espanol.[g] Hopkins The title, for instance.[g] Hopkins Anyone want to hear about World Horror? (bah begins pandering for Q's.) Gand oooh alcohol. MoonG Where is the WHC? Anybody? Hopkins World Horror this year is in Chicago, Moon. Iwant World Horror this year is in Chicago, Moon. phire Hopkins phire I would actually Kara I do. Iwant Will you ever visit that land of Eire again? I loved Rhueshan's Palladium! Hopkins Not sure, JD. Fantasy (of that nature) has always seemed to easy for me -- though I had a lot of fun writing some of that stuff. Hopkins Jean Rabe wants me to start writing for TSR and some of the gaming companies. They'd probably like the Eire material. Gand Who is that guy with you? Ara Are you having fun. Hopkins That was Weston Ochse sticking his tongue in my ear. Hopkins Sadly, he left. Hopkins Well, this year the Stokers are in NY instead of here with WHC. They are doing the IHG awards here, though. Saturday night. My only prediction would be that Norm patridge will take the IHG for best collection. Hopkins That'd be for Norm Patridge's MAN WITH THE BARBED WIRE FISTS. Iwant Do you have a favorite story? I loved All Colors Belled to Red. Bleed, that is. Hopkins s.b Partridge, of course. (Mistyped that twice!) Hopkins Generally, whatever I've written last becomes my favorite story. I'm really pleased with MUERTOS. Hopkins I'm also pretty excited about the new novella that I'm working on: THE CRACK IN THE WELL AT THE BOTTOM OF THE EARTH. Hopkins Be sure and check out the research photos on my webpage.[g] Hopkins I've always been fond of "All Colors," though. Wish that story could have gotten more attention than it did. Ara When is Muertos going to be out. Iwant How are you feeling? Hopkins Looks like I'm done here. Thanks everyone for turning out. Buy MUERTOS! Check out the bah webpage at http://bahwolf.com Hopkins Ah ha! A Q. Hopkins Ara, MUERTOS will debut at WFC. Hopkins You can order here -- {www.earthlingpub.com} {http://www.earthlingpub.com} Hopkins And I'm feeling great! Thanks everyone! Hopkins Goodbye, everyone! |
|
Hopkins Why are we here? Tech After meeting some of the charactors I'm not real sure myself. DJAR To stare at the writer dude. Hopkins 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 Hopkins 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! Hopkins Early work, Tech. I've slowed down a bit. JanCyberC LOL. GlengaerifCallin LOL...I like the warning! Hopkins 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? Hopkins 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? Hopkins Yes, that warning, Jan. Tech You think those were just mere splatter? Hopkins 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. Hopkins Thanks. I take that as a big compliment. Okie dokie. DJAR What do you want to know? Hopkins Oh, Glen/BlackC answered it. DJAR <------slow on uptake. :/ Hopkins 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? Hopkins 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? Hopkins 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? Hopkins 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? Hopkins 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. Hopkins 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? Hopkins 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. Hopkins 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? Hopkins 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? Hopkins 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? Hopkins 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 Hopkins 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 Hopkins 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 Hopkins 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? Hopkins 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 Hopkins 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 Hopkins 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? Hopkins 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 Hopkins 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 Hopkins 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? Hopkins 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 Hopkins 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. Kelly Who is your muse? Hopkins 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. Hopkins 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. Hopkins 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. 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? Hopkins 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? Hopkins 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. Hopkins 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 Hopkins 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 Hopkins 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 Hopkins 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. Hopkins 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 Hopkins 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) Hopkins 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::: Hopkins 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 Hopkins 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 Hopkins 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 DJAR Do you find research fun? Or a necessary evil? Hopkins 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? Hopkins 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 Hopkins 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? Hopkins 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 Hopkins 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. Hopkins 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? Hopkins 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? Hopkins Sure, Jan, one could make that argument. Next.(g) GA JanCyberC LOL. Brian, how do you feel about FTL? Explosions in space, etc. GA. Hopkins 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. DJAR LOL Tech GlengaerifCallin Yes it is Tech! Hopkins Ah, no! Next you'll ask where I get my ideas! DJAR Schenectedy, right? JanCyberC Yes...I believe that's another required Hopkins 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." Hopkins 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 Hopkins (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? Hopkins 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? Hopkins 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. Hopkins 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? Hopkins 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.... Hopkins Glen, did you read the sequel (of sorts) to "Rhueshan"? It appeared in COSMIC VISIONS. GlengaerifCallin NO..REALLY? JanCyberC Which issue? Hopkins 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! Hopkins Thank you for having me, Jan. Thanks everyone for showing up! DJAR Hopkins 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 |
|
|
|
|
|
|