Charleston, WV -- August 22, 2007


Reading Seeds of Betrayal, by David B. Coe. He also reads Kate Elliott, George Martin (he’s waiting for the fifth book), Robert Jordan, Terry Goodkind, Margaret Weis…. All of them. He doesn’t read Piers Anthony, not his Xanth novels. You see, he said, he writes things like a “spelling bee” is a bee who can spell—it’s mundane writing.

He wants big words and long plots.

His favorite book of all time is a series by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman--Dragons of Spring Dawning. He likes how they write and the characters—there's a character who likes to steal things and a Mage with glass eyes and a really good dry sense of humor. He loves it when an author catches his attention with good humor.

He writes himself, though claims he would never have the patience to write a book.

He would want it not to sound like other books, a whole different style of writing, but feels that all the books he's read would rub off on his writing and it wouldn't be unique.

He plays Dungeons and Dragons, goes to Renaissance festivals, has immersed himself into that life. He looks for symbolism and true to life facts.

Some writers have twisted his mind, they make him think one thing and not another.

Fantasy, he said, has mystery, romance, just about all the different types of writing in one book. You can transport yourself there and figure out the mystery.

He’s read close to a hundred thousand books. He used to read one book of this size a day, a lot of times he spent months doing nothing but reading, living like a hermit.

What does he like about Charleston? It’s peaceful, quiet, like, he waved his hand in front of him, like this. Phoenix, he said, used to be a lot like Charleston, though in a desert setting, but then it got big. He has lived in Charleston for about 2 years.


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