You have probably heard of
The Sundering from
Wizards of the Coast, a series of novels and events that will have dramatic changes to the worlds of
Dungeons & Dragons! We talked with author Erin Evans about her
Sundering novels, her involvement with the event and her background as a writer.
Dorkland: First off, let's talk a little bit about your background. How did your degree in anthropology get you started down the path of a career in writing?
Evans: It was a little more of a side quest, really. I wanted to be a writer, but I knew very early on that one doesn’t usually make a living just by writing. (One also doesn’t tend to make a living as an anthropologist, but I guess I figured two not-quite-suitable careers made one okay one). I loved it. I loved learning how to learn through it. And as odd as it may sound, I get a decent amount of mileage out of it: I might not be studying other cultures, but I do sometimes get to make them up, and having that background makes it all the more fun and interesting.
Dorkland: I know that you used to be an editor at
Wizards of the Coast, how did that lead to your work on
D&D novels?
Evans: While I was an editor, one of my colleagues, Susan J. Morris, asked if I wanted to audition for a book in the
Ed Greenwood Presents Waterdeep series. She was short an author, if I recall correctly, for a limited call, and she had read some of my work and liked it. I submitted a story idea about a woman who insists she’s a dragon trapped in a human body. Susan and Ed loved it, and that became my first book,
The God Catcher.
Dorkland: What is it about the
D&D universe that appeals to you as an author?
Evans: The interesting thing about writing in the
Forgotten Realms setting is how many elements you have to draw from—and how many little suggestions and discrepancies and hints just beg to be a story. On the flipside, you also have the fun of weaving in little hooks and ideas for other people to pick up, whether they’re designers or other authors or DMs or players.
Dorkland: With
The Sundering event, how closely do you work with the other authors and the designers at
Wizards of the Coast?
Evans: From the start, the authors have all been in fairly close contact. We all had access to each other’s outlines and some of the first drafts. I sent scenes to Paul Kemp, Richard Lee Byers, and Troy Denning in particular, because we had found places where our stories overlapped and I wanted to be sure I was presenting things in the right way. Our editors have been very good at coordinating us as well. (And I like to pester Ed on the regular. Mostly because he’s such fun to talk to.)
Dorkland: How does it feel to be an architect on such an iconic setting?
Evans: It’s absolutely an honor, but the actual work of it is just that: it’s work. It’s what I love to do, and it’s kind of a thrill to sit in a room with other authors and riff on each other’s ideas, to dig through sourcebooks and find these little gems. But I don’t think too much about the enormity of it—I think that would just get in the way.
Dorkland: What can you tell us about
The Sundering, and its impact on the
D&D universe?
Evans: The Sundering is a world-shaking event that will affect all of the Forgotten Realms setting. Things are changing, the world is reshaping, and not even the gods know what they’re in for (although they’ll soon find out!) The meta-goal is to bring the world back to a place where it feels like the Realms to readers and gamers again, without disrupting the continuity. The novel series is nice because it’s a sextet of stories set during this enormous event, but featuring people in various parts of the world and told on that personal scale.
Dorkland: What advice do you have for people who want to become novelists? What sort of advice do you have for people interested in doing licensed fiction like the
D&D novels?
Evans: Write—a little of everything. Read—a little of everything. Learn how to read with a critical eye, and then learn to manage that critical eye before you start to hate everything (It can be a phase, I promise). Write what you’re passionate about, and make sure there’s something true in everything you write.
I think licensed fiction is a strange beast—people who write very well in general can be wholly unsuited to it, because the restrictions throw them off. But it’s a skill like anything, and adapting to those restrictions is a big part of it. I would also say you should love the IP—but not too much. The best tie-in authors I’ve read have just enough distance to bring something new to the table, and enough respect to do it in a way that makes the setting shine.
Dorkland: If you could go back in time and give yourself one bit of advice, what would it be?
Evans: Honestly? Get an agent.
Dorkland: What is the next book that we can expect to see from you?
Evans: My next Farideh novel will be out in September 2014. Fire in the Blood will take my characters to the Forest Kingdom of Cormyr, which is embroiled in a multi-front war as the Sundering rages on.
August 14, 2014 – Renton, WA –
The biggest and most exciting year for Dungeons & Dragons hits a
