Q.1)Hi James! Thanks for letting interview you for our mailing group PATH. Tell me a little about you. Who you are? What do you do for a living besides writing novels? Do you have hobbies or any interests that you want to you share with us?

Who am I? Humm....I guess that's a question that has baffled philosophers for many ages. Ever since I read "The Star Beast" by Robert A. Heinlein when I was about 11 yrs old, I've wanted to do nothing else but create stories. I've written since I was fifteen and haven't quit. Well, except during the two years that I went through a divorce, but other than that, I've been writing stuff steadily. Most of my earlier stuff is unpublishable and a bunch of starts and stops, but I was teaching myself how to write for quite some time. Quest for the Fallen Star was the only thing that I finished from first to last. And that took me six years. I've always been a slow learner.

Hobbies? Well, I collect soundtracks to movies. All sorts of movies. My latest additions include Practical Magic, Even Cowgirls Get the Blues, and Star Trek: Insurrection. I've got somewhere in the neighborhood of 250 CD's, most all soundtracks. I like listening to film score music while I write. Stuff like Raiders of the Lost Ark tends me make me write faster and more action scenes.

What do I do for a living? A man cannot be judged by his occupation alone, I can say. I heard a statistic once that 85% of people are doing jobs that they really don't like. I've been a school bus driver, a restaurant manager, a clerk, thrown newspapers, delivered pizza and delivered phone books. The only one that I liked was driving a school bus. Right now I write technical manuals for computer systems for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. I do technical writing because it pays more than my creative writing by far.

Q.2) So, James please tell us how you come about with the idea to write your novel? Do you have any inspiration when thinking about this story? How was that you collaborate with Piers and his
assistant Allan Riggs?

More about Quest for the Fallen Star? Basically I grew up reading fantasy and science fiction. I chose to write Quest because I knew that I could make up all the crap and get away with it. I could explain away everything with perfect nonsense. And I like doing that. I love making up stories. Fantasy gives me free reign to go wild, to tell a story and bring to heart some of the more deeper writing that I would like to put to the page. Quest was my first novel, and it was a stroke of good fortune to get it published, much less, get it tweaked by one of the masters of all Fantasy. I am so very glad that I did the collaboration with Piers because he helped me learn the craft of writing. And as I said, I'm a slow learner. So I need all the help I can get. The correspondences taught me a lot. The final work was even better than what I had before, I think. It was well worth it.

If there was any inspiration, it was wanting to tell a story about how I wish the world was like. Infinitera to me is a world that was very much like how I picture Heaven. No one dying, love ones always remaining with us, no suffering, no wars, perfect harmony. Of course telling a story in that kind of world would be boring, so I had the Creation have its flaw, and its bad guy. And it was the cause to fight for. I feel that I only scratched the surface of wanting to write more about such a theme. I do plan to write a sequel, when my men in the basement move in enough stuff to work with.

Well Marisol, it was really a lot of hard work and a stroke of luck that I was able to collaborate with Piers on our novel Quest for the Fallen Star. Basically, I was a fan of Piers, just like everyone else. I just happen to be committed to writing a story that was publishable.

Pretty much how I got involved with Piers was one day I was watching Piers on the television promoting his Xanth novels, and his newsletter (That was back in the days when he printed them up, not on the Internet). I subscribed to his newsletter, got his video, Conversation with an Ogre, and decided to write him a letter of praise, I believe on the Adept series, and he responded with a curt and courteous reply. Later, I decided to write him another letter relaying my woes of getting my novel published (It was around rejection #13 by then), and he replied with a surprise. He offered to read the first chapter and see if he couldn't give me some pointers. It's the only chapters that editor read. So if it isn't any good by the first few pages, the editor tends not to go any further than that.

So, of course I sent him the chapter! And in short order, he reviewed it, made some editorial suggestions, and I made them, seeing their merit. Then Piers offered to talk with his agent to see if there were any new agents taking on new writers. Piers later got back with me and told me that his agent, out of Hollywood, said to go ahead and send it to him. And so I did.

The agent was so pleased with it that he tried to go ahead and sell it for me. But alas, Quest for the Fallen Star <http://www.jamesrichey.com,> gathered more rejections, dimming my hope. Then Piers stepped back in. He offered to collaborate with me, careful not to step on my toes about it. And again, of course, I accepted. How could I not? I would be experiencing a collaboration with one of my most favorite writers! And so, the collaboration was begun. But--Piers indicated that he had previous scheduled works ahead of ours, and that it might be a year or two before we could get the thing rolling. So he offered me an option. He suggested that we bring in his research man who was looking to credit his name to a novel. I was hesitant at first, then decided that if it was in the interest of hurrying things up, getting this show on the road, so to speak, then I would gladly accept a third person in. And so the three-way collaboration begun. Alan was great to work with. He was funny and easy to get along with. We first did the work together by correspondence and phone, which took about a year. But he and Piers live in Florida, as I live in Texas. Then it was Piers' turn. Which took less than a month. And I was extremely pleased with the way the novel turned out. It still remained my story, with additions to weaker scenes, and the overall point of view change that Piers did to tighten the story.

Instead of seeing the novel through several character's eyes, the story was mainly told through my Elven Enchantress, Chentelle. With Alan's added imagination, Pier's storytelling talent, and my story, the novel took a life of its own. Better in subtle ways.

So, with Piers as a collaborator, Quest for the Fallen Star was almost a sure sale. If you get a chance to get a copy of the book, in the back there is Author's Notes from all three of it. It pretty much explains each of our points of view about the hows and whys the novel got published.

If you get a chance come check out my site. Quest for the Fallen Star at http://www.jamesrichey.com or take a look at the excerpt of my unpublished novel Journey of Rem <available at Xlibris>, for those of you that like to read science fiction. I'm welcome to any questions you have about Piers and the adventure in collaboration with him.

Editorial note: Journey of Rem is already available through Xlibris or Amazon.com

Q.3) Now tell us now that you novel has been published how has been the response of the public to it? Have you gotten any feedback from people that read the story? Are you planning to write
another novel in the near future?

Actually, I've gotten quite a few responses to the novel. I think in part because I have my e-mail address in the back of the book, under the Author's Notes. And I think people pick up Quest for
the Fallen Star because it's Piers, and then find a whole lot more to it. Every one of the e-mail's have been positive They like the story.

I don't know if I'm going to do a sequel to the novel. Certainly, it could be done again, but Piers is reluctant to do any other collaborations due to the difficulty in getting them sold.

Alan Riggs and I am working on a pre-sequel to Quest, though. During my working with the story, I found myself developing the history behind the story, and eventually drafted a 90,000 word draft of Wizards' War. I pieced it together and sent it to Alan for him to take a look at it. I guess, we'll just have to see if anything comes of that.

Currently, I'm working an my Ultimate Disaster Novel (working title), and don't expect to see it completed any earlier than Dec. 1999. This novel is different than my first, being that it is more mainstream, set in present day.

Q.4) Do you have someone that have inspired as a writer or as a person?

An inspired writer or person? Well, Piers of course. I can't get out of my head the image in Wayne's World when Mike Myers and that other guy were on the floor, bowing and worshiping Aerosmith or some such band. "We're unworthy! We're unworthy!" I kinda feel like that sometimes. I guess the other hero that I like is Han Solo. He's a rogue that does justice. I like to think of myself like that.

Q.5) As a Piers's fan, what do you more admire about him? What is the book or books that have influenced you more from him?

Ah, yes. I'm still a Piers fan, even though we've done a collaboration. I admire the man's "Ogreosity." His stubbornness to do what he believes is right. He fought very hard to get our novel into print, and for that I'm forever in his debt. The most cherished moment that I have in this entire adventure was the moment that I went to the post orifice to pick up the cover art for Quest. Imagine getting the cover of your novel in your hands after years of struggling to write it and sell it. I wept right there. For that I have Piers to thank.

Of course it goes without saying that A Spell for Chameleon was awe inspiring. The writing was truly fantastic, and I wanted to achieve that level of writing on my own. I also have an affinity for the Adept series, and of course my all time favorite, Incarnations of Immortality. All of them. All his books inspired me.

Q.6) Finally, what advice would you give to hopeful writers?

Write first and foremost for the fun of it. If someone is serious about writing something from start to finish, I would say do your best to encourage yourself, develop a little discipline, and don't be afraid of a little (or a lot!) of rejection.

Sometimes, I tell people not to be afraid of the successes in their lives. Don't be afraid to succeed in writing. Someday, I hope to be writing for a living. But if I don't, then that's okay. What matters most to me is that I write a little each day and get joy out of it.

I think that's why Piers enjoys writing so much. He loves to do it, and he likes to share the joy with other writers, and hopeful writers. And so do I. For me, writing is as natural as breathing, and just as necessary. If you find yourself unable to put your pen down, or stay away from the keyboard, then you, too, may be a natural born writer.

This Interview is copyrighted by Marisol Ramos © 1999.

This interview was done through email in March 23, 1999. You need the permission of PATH manager, Marisol, to use part of this interview for your website or any other medium. To ask permission just e-mail Marisol at marisol@ piersthread.com. Thanks, MR.

This page was last updated May 13, 2006

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