Scott King

It took me a bit of time, but I finally got the full Q&A from my Brad Meltzer interview typed up. The interview took place at Politics & Prose bookstore in Washington, D.C. and it was recorded so that everything you read is verbatim (except for stupid typos and lack of commas).

From Meltzer's website:

"Brad Meltzer is the best-selling author of The Tenth Justice, Dead Even, The First Counsel, The Millionaires, The Zero Game, and his newest novel, The Book of Fate. He's also the writer of the Justice League and the co-creator of the TV show, Jack & Bobby."

I should have a full article based on this interview, the book, and two events I went to with him by next week. The Q&A is after the break.

Continue reading "Brad Meltzer Q&A" »

Posted by ScottKing at 10:14 PM | Permalink

    NY Times Best Selling Author Brad Meltzer has made history by being the first writer to top the NY list and Diamond Comic Distributors top 100 at the same time.
    “The Book of Fate” is tearing things up in book stories while “Justice League of America” is kicking Civil War’s ass in comic book stores.
    I really enjoyed “The Book of Fate” but I’m holding off on JLofA until it hits graphic novel form. Also, I should have my Brad Meltzer interview transcribed by the end of the week.

Posted by ScottKing at 10:06 AM | Permalink

     For years, Tupac has been releasing song after song, even though he’s dead. So I find it fitting that the very deceased J.R.R. Tolkien is releasing a new unpublished novel, “The Children of Hurin.”
     The novel was put together by Christopher Tolkien, J.R.R.’s 82 year old son and was J.R.R.’s first novel that was never published. It was first written in 1918 and excerpts of the novel have been published in other books, but this will be the first time the whole novel has appeared in print.
    "It has seemed to me for a long time that there was a good case for presenting my father's long version of the legend of the 'Children of Hurin' as an independent work, between its own covers," Christopher Tolkien said in a press release.
    The book is supposed to be released in 2007 and took Christopher over 30 years to put together from various drafts and notes left by J.R.R.

Posted by ScottKing at 09:51 AM | Permalink

    The final “Harry Potter” book is nearing completion and J.K. Rowling has narrowed down two titles for the novel. Though, security restrictions on flights from NY to the UK almost forced her to give up flying.
    Rowling posted on her website:
    “The heightened security restrictions on the airlines made the journey back from New York interesting, as I refused to be parted from the manuscript of book seven (a large part of it is handwritten, and there is no copy of anything I had done while in the US). They let me take it on, thankfully, bound up in elastic bands. I don’t know what I would have done if they hadn’t’ sailed home, probably.”
    The author had participated in a book reading for charity with fellow writers Stephen King and John Irving. Security was drastically tightened after Aug. 10 when British police said they had intercepted a plot to blow up U.S.-bound airliners.

Posted by ScottKing at 11:03 PM | Permalink

I'm heading to Baltimore for the comic book convention. I know its less than a half hour away, but its just easier to stay up there. Then Sunday I'm showing some friends around D.C. and updates from Brad Meltzer through the whole weekend will be posted on Monday!

Posted by ScottKing at 12:09 AM | Permalink

   The party at the “Freemasons Temple” for Brad Meltzer and “The Book of Fate” was awesome. The place was incredible in terms of architecture and design, but that of course makes sense.
     The food was good and they had had wine but since Sarah and I aren’t drinkers we just had some bottled water. She got really excited over fresh figs and humus. I enjoyed some brie cheese and crackers.
     While there we got to see a Nascar car with two stickers on it for “The Book of Fate.” The car’s real-life driver or owner (I forget which) appears in the novel so he put two stickers on the car.
    Since I was considered “Press” I was allowed to walk all over the temple and take photos. I know I will NEVER get that chance again so using my professional camera I took two rolls with 36 pics on each roll. Of course I won’t develop them till next week so here are two digital ones to hold you over.
    The one above is the basic reception area from the party. The pink shirt guy near the bottom left is Brad.
    This second photo is of Sarah standing in this weird alter-thing that’s really hard to describe. Basically the place she is standing in is at the top of a big stairwell. When you stand at the bottom of the stairwell and look up, the alter-thing gives the allusion that there is a small building at the top (you can barely see it, but there is an outline of a building behind Sarah).

Posted by ScottKing at 12:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (1)

The interview with Brad Meltzer went great. He's an extremely laid back and down to earth guy. He's also really smart and funny. I'll have more from the interview in a few days. I just can't type up stuff now because I have classes in the morning and then the book party at the Freemasons Temple.

Posted by ScottKing at 10:19 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

   NY Times Best Selling Author Brad Meltzer is doing his huge book tour for “The Book of Fate.” Thursday you can see him on “Good Morning America” and his interviews are all over the major media.
    Today, I have my interview with Meltzer, before his book signing at Politics & Prose. I’m super excited about it and I’ll post more tonight. Tomorrow is the party at the Freemasons Temple in DC. It's supposed to be huge with a lot of famous people, so hopefully I won't feel weird or out of place there.
    To hold you over until later, here is a brief piece from Meltzer’s appearance on “Elliot in the Morning,” a radio show here in D.C:

Caller: I’m really interested in writing comics and have been trying to for years. I’m sure I don’t have to tell you but its hard to get in. I’ve done numerous scripts and have mailed tons of pitches and all I have from it is a stack of rejection letters. Do you have any advice on how I can get noticed?
Brad: I had to write four novels before I got invited to come write Superman and Batman. They all were best selling novels too. My advice is to go to things like the Baltimore Comic-Con this weekend and talk to Editors.
Elliot: Do you like writing comics or novels better?
Brad: I like novels better. There is nothing like owning the work. They are the house that I built. I put the bricks on it myself and I don’t need a corporate owner telling me what to do. With the novels I have my editor or my wife telling me when I messed up, but there is nothing like owning your own work.
Elliot: Really?
Brad: Let me tell you something though…
Elliot: Oh no, here we go. He’s gotta sit upright in his chair.
Brad: America hasn’t given many art forms to the world. We’ve done two. We did Jazz and then we gave comics.
Elliot: Comics is a US thing? I thought it was Japan.
Brad: You can say comics first came from cave paintings, but the modern comic comes form the US and I love when people try to quiz me on it during interviews. You have these artsy guys who get impressed that I write comic books, but when they ask about them they call them graphic novels. I’m like the only reason you call them graphic novels is because you are too snobby to just call them what they are. You know there is nothing like being able to sit at home and write the words that appear in Superman’s mouth. Every 13 year old boy has two dreams, to sleep with a playboy model and to write comic books.

Posted by ScottKing at 09:55 AM | Permalink

   I’m meeting with Brad Meltzer in a week. Does anyone have any good questions I should ask?
   I'll be focusing on his newest novel "Book of Fate" but will ask questions about his background, basic writing stuff, and comic books. So if anyone has anything good I should ask, let me know.

Posted by ScottKing at 01:15 PM | Permalink | Comments (1)

    In a week and a half I get to meet Brad Meltzer. The place we are meeting at is about a 15 minute walk form American University. It’s a small looking bookstore called “Politics and Prose” so I thought it was a weird place for him to do a book signing after our interview.

    But it turns out that the store is a hot spot for authors. It’s one of the prime places if not THE place in D.C. to do book signings. The interesting thing about it is that Neil Gaiman is doing a book signing at the end of September for an anthology of short stories he is publishing. I’m half tempted to try and get a hold of his publicist to see if I can meet him.

Posted by ScottKing at 10:20 AM | Permalink

    I got my press kit in the mail today for “The Book of Fate,” Brad Meltzer's newest novel, which comes out NEXT week. It was delivered 2-day mail from Florida… Man I feel special!
    Basically, the kit consisted of a folder with press releases and background info on Meltzer and the book. I also got a regular copy of the book itself, which is odd ‘cause I thought I was going to get an ARC Proof copy, but that’s sweet because now I have a real copy and proof copy instead of two proof copies.
     I’m just about finished the book and it’s odd because even glancing through the press kit I feel like Warner Books is trying to market the novel as a “DaVinci Code” style book, when it isn’t. This book is a Brad Meltzer thriller--no question about it. Maybe there is a big puzzles or something that comes in the last 63 pages, but if not I feel like they are doing Meltzer injustice.
    I’ll have to add that to the things to talk to him about during our meeting in two weeks. Actually, now that I think about it, I really should start comming up with my list of questions and topics I want to talk about with him.

Posted by ScottKing at 03:09 PM | Permalink

    I just talked to Brad Meltzer's publicist. She’s a really nice woman. She called to tell me there is a slight scheduling problem and she wants to move my meeting with Brad on Sept. 6 from 6p.m. to 5:30p.m. She just wants to make sure I have enough time to interview him.

     She also told me that the “Book of Fate” press kits are finally together and will be mailed out today or tomorrow.  I’m excited to get mine! I just started reading the ARC Proof copy that I bought off EBay and so far I’m really liking it.

Posted by ScottKing at 02:59 PM | Permalink

    I feel like Charlie when he got the golden ticket to Wonka's factory!
    I got an invitation in the mail today for Brad Meltzer's book party. It's going to be held at an actual Freemasons temple! I'm so excited. Having the over active imagination I have, I keep thinking up crazy things that will happen. Like I’m expecting to go to this party and end up getting sucked into a huge conspiracy!

    I’ve asked Sarah to be my date, not because we are close friends and it’s convenient that she lives with me. I’ve done it because Sarah is one of the smartest people I know and she knows things about science and biology (stuff I know nothing about) so if I get sucked into a real-life thrilling conspiracy I want to have her there to watch my back.

Posted by ScottKing at 08:07 PM | Permalink

    Today Rocks.

    Brad Meltzer just posted his tour dates. In the comics world he wrote “Ideneity Crisis” and is doing a 13 issue run on “JLofA.” To the rest of the world he is a New York Times best selling Author.  His new book “The Book of Fate” comes out on Sept. 6^th and I already have an ARC Proof copy that I’m reading.

    Giving Meltzer even more props was that he was executive producer on “Jack and Bobby” the TV show that aired two seasons ago on The WB. The writing on it was amazing.

    I sent some emails back and forth with him in June and he gave me the number of his publicist. Hopefully I can set up a meeting with him while he’s in the DC area. He will be here from Sept. 6th through the 9th. So I'm excited.

UPDATED @ 12:23 p.m.

Just worked it all out. I'm meeting with him on Sept. 6th at 6p.m. in D.C. and then going with him to his book signing. I'm also getting another book sent to me in advance and a press kit! I told the publicist that I could just get a copy off the internet and she said it would be no trouble sending it to me one.  I'll going to have to buy a third one at the book signing so I don't feel guilty.

Posted by ScottKing at 12:05 PM | Permalink | Comments (4)

      Check this out. I just got this story off the AP wire. Authors Stephen King and John Irving begged J.K. Rowling during a press conference to not kill Harry Potter in the final book.

     King is normally brutal to his main characters and puts them through hell. Many die. Who is he to ask Rowling to spare Harry’s life?

     The way I see it, is that Rowling needs to do whatever is best for the story. If dramatically it makes sense to kill Harry then she should. The same goes for any member of the supporting cast.

    If that happens, then everyone just needs to suck it up and deal with it. A writer needs to tell the story that they need to tell. A piece of fiction becomes corrupted when the author stops writing for themselves and writes for the fans.

Here is the article off the wire:

    NEW YORK (Reuters) -- Two of America's top authors, John Irving and Stephen King, made a plea to J.K. Rowling on Tuesday not to kill the fictional boy wizard Harry Potter in the final book of the series, but Rowling made no promises.

Continue reading "Begging to save Harry Potter" »

Posted by ScottKing at 12:51 AM | Permalink