Do you get the same for an eBook purchase and a Kindle Unlimited purchase?
The Kindle Unlimited purchase varies based on the size of the book, so that's a little bit different. It also changes with time, sometimes. So there is not a solid answer for what I make of a Kindle Unlimited read, but its typically less than what I would make for a sale. But, it costs you nothing so, if you are reading through Kindle Unlimited, Great! That's awesome, I appreciate it.
Where did you start with your worldbuilding for Cradle?
I mean, I started from web cultivation novels and worked backwards. So they had a cohesive system based on Daoist mythology and I wasn't using that as a base, so I started from their result that they've developed with a really long, rich history, and I had to kind of be like, "Okay. Well I can't represent that accurately," so I had to do my own. Plus cultivation novels, especially Chinese cultivation novels rely on a lot of cultural understanding that the reader already has, so I knew I wanted to go - I know what effect I want to get, so I worked backwards in terms of going, "Okay, so now I have to set up a cohesive world that creates this magic system."
Are the dragons in the tournament not considered too old?
No, they are not. They are in the tournament because they are not considered too old. They are older than humans would be, but they are not considered too old.
Can you tell us more about the training or techniques of some of the paths the books don't focus on? Specifically Amberwell or Chainkeeper?
Well, the Chainkeeper Path is mostly focused on one particular technique.
(Interlude for Will to get blown up and drown)
So, Path of the Chainkeeper is mostly focused on one technique. So it is one of those single technique Paths. It's not literally single technique, there are a few, but it's focused mainly on the Strings of Shadow technique that Mercy uses because it is so versatile. It's also not a hugely combat focused Path, though of course they are all somewhat combat focused, but it is very versatile and it is focused on survival and just sort of everyday use. You kind of Spiderman around, and lots of fun things you can do with that Path.
(More discussion of Will's drowning habits-spoiler-it involves inhaling water)
All right. Amberwell. The Amberwell path is... I don't know that I can really give a whole lot more detail than was in the books, even though the books were vague, because I don't have the specific techniques or anything on the Path memorized. But it was an aggressive Path that was focused on using, on weaponizing dreams. So it's sorta a water/venom/dream Path, so it's really complex to cycle, and the results are usually, they're all at least semi-mental attacks; you can sort of erode people's awareness, give them nightmares, that kind of thing. But it is a very niche, very aggressive Path; a lot of other dream paths are flexible, and you can do things like make dream tablets and that sort of thing, but this one is like, nope, it's just about burning people's minds away. That is the Amberwell Path.
Is there a reason for the omission of Mercy, Pride, and Fury's father?
Fury's father, no, not really. He's just been dead for many generations. So, he's just not around. In terms of the omission of Pride and Mercy's father, frankly, it's because I've tried to write him into every single book since Skysworn and it has not been feasible because it's just not directly related to the plot or anything related to the plot. So, I keep trying to bring it up and it just hasn't worked. So, at this point it's like 'OK, well now it can't be a real big deal or it would have come up before now,' so I'm just gonna continue glossing over it, I guess. But I might give more information about who he is. I mean, I know who he is, it's just, you know, it didn't come up.
Fury path or techniques
I don't remember the name of his book. I know generally what it is. It's Book of the Dark Sun, Book of the Midnight Sun, Book of the.. something like that.
When is Lindon gonna beat Fury in an extremely close fight?
Good question. Maybe if Fury did what he threatened to do in the last book and slapped on wig and started pushing around some underlords.
Does your Path become irrelevant after you get to know how to use the Way?
No. It does not. So, the magic you learn in your iteration just evolves and changes as you ascend and you learn how to use the Way. And it gets worked into who you are and what you can do.
Akura Honesty
Ya. So I actually never created a character named Akura Honesty even though that fits the pattern because I just didn't think it sounded good as a name. Kind of like how Akura Justice should really be Akura Just, but that doesn't sound good, so he's Justice. And my reasoning for that is that the language that they are speaking in Cradle isn't technically English. So we can say that that made sense and was the same part of speech and there was a translation error and it just happened to sound cooler.
If your characters ever came to life, who would you be the most terrified to encounter?
One of the Great Elders. Any of them, that would be terrifying. Some of them I would not be terrified for long. So that would be, there's that. If I ran into Urg'naut, and I encountered him, I would be terrified for a few seconds before I was obliterated into nonexistence.
Would Eithan have released Wintersteel early?
Eithan would have released Wintersteel back before Unsouled came out, and you guys just wouldn't have found it till today, when he planned for it to happen.
When I write I consistently end up longer than I am shooting for. How do you keep your writing crisp and consistent?
Overwriting is common. The only way I got to the point where I don't overwrite is by writing a lot! One example is that my short stories. Initially a 2,000 word short story would end up being 4,000 words. Over time I have got that down and consistent. Now I can land short stories. Novels are still tricky. I plan to to write 100,000 words, then be 30,000 words in and only be 2% in. I changed all that with Wintersteel. I wrote so quickly that I didn't have time to overplan or tighten things up. So that is up to you to decide what works.
So, in order to keep your writing tight, first of all, I try to plan accordingly. So you underplan. So if you have a tendency to overwrite, and you want a 100,000 word book, plan for it to be 60,000 word book. Plan for way under what you think. That's one thing. Another thing is practice, just the more you write; like I was able to do this with Wintersteel and not end up with an unusable monstrosity because it's my 17th book. So I have a lot of experience at this point and I was able to keep it under control and still somewhat reasonable. So, practice is good. Continually reevaluating where you are and knowing that you have this tendency is another good thing. Then you just keep doing it. You keep working on it. You work on it throughout the process, and hopefully you get better and better at it.
Could you have a goldsign that looks like a giant chicken?
Yes.
What does Little Blue do when she is in Lindon’s void key?
She does a lot of things! She climbs around on all of Lindon;s stuff. She plays with her junk that she views as toys. Picture paperclips and you're close, but Cradle doesn't have paperclips. She gets bored, but honestly she doesn't stay in the void key as much as it sounds. I don't cover Lindon during his down time, and she is always out during downtime.
Is it possible to make a contract with a Remnant to advance to Gold, instead of absorbing it?
Yes, that is possible. You can advance to gold with any level of remnant. But to make a contract with a remnant the remnant would have to have a certain level of advancement. But you could do that. You could make a contract with a remnant to advance to gold instead of absorbing it.
Ok so you have stated that chicken exists in cradle. So my question is regarding sacred chickens. What madra type would the chicken have to use to become the most tasty sacred chicken?
Blood path. That way they get all meaty.
Visualization help: Lindon lifting Yerin like a doll, or Yerin lifting Lindon like a doll? Which would look more awkward?
I told you I was getting rid of doll characters, so no one is lifting anyone like a doll. So anyways, here is Risk of Rain 2.
Please confirm Lindon's height. I was not picturing an NBA player. I am confused.
I mean every time I describe Lindon I talk about how giant he is. So I don't know...I mean that is the only descriptor I use for Lindon. He is very tall.
When you were constructing the path that Lindon would follow what made you decide on a very brute strength path for him despite his personality leaning towards creativity?
I liked that dichotomy. I liked him being somebody who was a creative person who liked solving problems creatively and then all he has is a giant flaming hammer. I just enjoyed that little personality thing. If I had to do it now, i don´t know if I would give him the same path, I'm not sure. I like Blackflame a lot of course, I don't know if I'd do the same path now or if I would give him one that was more creative. The problem with giving him a more creative, intricate path is that it´s less straightforward, he has to come up with a lot of techniques. He's got to learn a new technique every book, he has to come up with new ways to use his techniques. It just seems very complex. So that might have been too much for the books, so giving him a path like Ziel has for instance might have been a little too much, even though he particularly would´ve liked it.
Did Eithan ever play hide and seek as a kid?
Actually in Eithan's household, in the Arelius household they play hide and seek all the time. Frankly they don't ever stop playing hide and seek. So, he's very good.
