A big thank you to everyone who participated in Christopher’s live Q&A on Facebook in February! For those of you that missed the event, we’ve collected the questions and will repost them in our Q&A series–the first batch is below. Keep an eye out for our next installment and don’t forget to peruse our Q&A archive for hundreds of answers to fans’ most pressing (and hairsplitting) questions!
INHERITANCE CYCLE
Andrew Tidswell: What happened to Galbatorix’s original sword, and do you have a name for it? Did he see wielding Vrangr as more of a power statement?
Vrangr was *definitely* a power statement. His original sword was placed into storage after Galbatorix defeated Vrael. No name for it, though.
Johann Polak: Little hello from France! Do elves know some things about the dwarves’ gods? Especially Gunthera?
And hello from Montana! Yes, elves know about the dwarves’ gods, but whether they truly understand the nature of the dwarf gods is a different question altogether. There are some deep and powerful forces in Alagaësia that rarely show themselves but that nevertheless still have great influence. Some of these forces we’ve already seen (the Eldunarí, for one). Some we’ve glimpsed in passing. And some Eragon and his cohorts still remain almost entirely ignorant of. (Though not Angela. Angela knows many things.)
Sam Inskeep: Do you think Isidar Mithrim could be a weapon for the Dwarvern Riders? They could store so much energy in it!
Gee, I wonder why the dwarves put a giant gemstone in the center of their giant city. Hmm. What could it POSSIBLY be used for? *evil grin*
Miles Everson: When Nasuada was Galbatorix’s prisoner, he didn’t know that Murtagh was coming to see her, so how could he have to pretend he was Murtagh 7 years from that current moment, you know, with the children and everything?
Galbatorix was very much aware that Murtagh and Nasuada were attracted to each other. That was all he needed to know in order to mess with Nasuada’s mind. Besides, I wouldn’t be surprised if Galbatorix WAS aware of Murtagh’s visits and was just allowing it as a way to get more leverage on the both of them.
BOOK FIVE
Evan Parquette: I know you said at one point book 5 wasn’t going to be a continuation of Eragon. But Will we ever see the rise of the new riders with Eragon, Arya and possibly Murtagh as the leaders?
Of course! I think we all want to see what happens with the next generation of Riders. (I know I do!)
Miles Everson: Say that (this is theoretical) Eragon and Arya did end up together, and because of that Saphira and Firnen were able to be together too, and after say, 15 years or so, both have a child, and Saphira’s egg is set aside to become a rider. All that being said, would the theoretical elf/human child have a better chance off having that specific egg hatch for him/her than other people? In other words: does having a dragon-in-law help your chances of becoming a rider yourself? It worked for Eragon (Brom) and Murtagh (Morzan)
Yes. The kid would have a slightly higher chance of becoming a Rider, but ultimately it would depend on both the child and the dragon involved. No guarantees for anyone.
Gopi Krishnan R: Will Arya be trained by Eragon or will she not attend formal training? Also, now that that war is over do you think they will decide to do away with Eldunari for good, considering the amount harm it brought about when it got into the wrong hands?
Arya received Rider training from some of the elves still in Du Weldenvarden. Also, as was said in the deluxe edition of Inheritance (and also in later printings of the main version of Inheritance), several of the Eldunarí were left behind with the elves to help oversee the training and upbringing of Fírnen and Arya.
#TSiaSoS – SCIENCE FICTION NOVEL
Matej Macinić: How is the new book going? Did something go wrong since you haven’t published it yet?
Ha! Well, after finishing the first draft, I realized that the manuscript had a few issues, so I’ve spent the better part of the last year expanding and rewriting the book. It’s much the same process I went through with “Eragon”. Heck, in the first draft, Eragon was named Kevin!
Bradley Huntoon: Could we get a rough estimate on when the sci-fi book will be finished, as in a year? I know that rewrites, edits, and more edits can take time, so it wouldn’t be a concrete answer.
Hmm. I’m not sure I can answer that at the moment. Depends on the publisher. I should have some more concrete dates and details to talk about in the next few months.
WRITING ADVICE
Bryce Sanders: I’m an aspiring novelist and was wondering if there is any helpful tip you could give for staying energized to write?
Outline your story beforehand. Try to get through the first draft in three to six months. Anything more than that just becomes a drag. Oh, and coffee. Lots of coffee and tea.
Jay Vollmer: My question is for young (ish) writers. How do you suggest we start getting ourselves and our work out there? (other than writing a full length novel.) I have heard blogs are a good starting point but would like your opinion on it. I have been posting a collection of my work one by one. Would you suggest something different?
Yeesh. I may not be the best person to give advice on this matter. My first novel got published right off the bat, so not exactly the typical experience. Overall, I’d say, keep writing, consider e-books (we didn’t have ’em when I started out), and submit your stuff to agents and publishers. And don’t give up! I know it can be a daunting process sometimes, but you’ll get there eventually.
Conor Etherton: The Inheritance Cycle inspired me to put on paper a story I’ve had for a long time, but over the past year my drive to write has slowed to a stop. Have you experienced severe lack of motivation, and if you have, how did you manage to beat it?
Habit. Just sit down and write, whether you feel like it or not. Don’t wait for inspiration. Just write.
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