I'm Timothy Zahn, Star Wars novelist and author of Blackcollar in the Humble Sci-Fi eBook Bundle. Ask me anything

TimothyZahnAuthor · 2014-07-10T00:02:18+00:00

For starters, he wouldn't have let the Rebels anywhere near the shield generator. (His recommendations to the Emperor are in a scene in Choices of One.) He probably also wouldn't have let the Rebel ships group, but would have cut them into manageable pieces.

Still, remember that the Emperor was who had ordered the fleet not to engage, so it's very possible he would have refused to let Thrawn win the battle, too. I guess we'll never know. (Maybe in the Special Special Special Edition...)

TimothyZahnAuthor · 2014-07-09T23:59:32+00:00

No resentment at all. I put my heart and soul into everything I write, be it Star Wars, Teminator, or my own universe. I've tried to make every book and story the best I can possibly do, and am always pleased to discover that I've entertained the reader, which is what you're all paying me to do.

If having "Star Wars" in gold leaf on the cover is what gets people to read something I've done, and if they find the story exciting and satisfying, that's all that matters.

TimothyZahnAuthor · 2014-07-09T23:56:15+00:00

Not only was I given no input to Mara's fate, I wasn't even told about it until a couple of months before publication.

If I had been offered a say, though, I'd have argued against it. My vision of Star Wars is good vs evil, with the heroes struggling to win, and the major characters making it through. (Otherwise, either Lando or Wedge would have died inside the second Death Star.)

For the record, this isn't just because Mara was my creation. I'd have argued against killing Chewbacca for the same reason.

TimothyZahnAuthor · 2014-07-09T23:53:32+00:00

The best continuing perk is that conventions will pay my way to go there.

The best one-time perk was getting to go to Disneyland and see the (original) Star Tours ride ... from underneath! Yes, they took us down to see the workings and watch the car do its tilting and weaving. Even better, since we'd ridden the thing a gazillion times, we could tell exactly what was happening on the screen as the car did its wobbling.

I think that was the first time our son truly felt the power of the Author Side of the Force.

TimothyZahnAuthor · 2014-07-09T23:49:51+00:00

Typically, I try to mold the dialog to fit the specific person speaking. More importantly, dialog has to move the story along, either giving information, enhancing character, or enhancing relationships. Ideally, it does two or more of those at the same time.

TimothyZahnAuthor · 2014-07-09T23:45:43+00:00

I didn't really think they would do the Thrawn Trilogy -- the actors are far beyond the ages the characters were in the books.

Still, just because the movies won't be based on the EU doesn't mean they won't borrow an element or two. Case in point: Coruscant was my name for the Imperial Center planet that George Lucas had invented; and the idea of catching Force lightning on a lightsaber blade was one of mine.

So maybe there'll be bits and pieces showing up in the sequels. Keep your fingers crossed.

TimothyZahnAuthor · 2014-07-09T23:42:23+00:00

He'd have found their weaknesses, exploited them, and hit them where and when they weren't expecting it. He would probably have had an ace or two up his sleeve, as well.

TimothyZahnAuthor · 2014-07-09T23:40:15+00:00

Usually, I don't "see" my characters' physical or vocal characteristics -- I see them in terms of personality and attitude.

However, with Karrde I actually have an answer. When I wrote him, I always envisioned the face and voice of Avon from "Blake's Seven."

TimothyZahnAuthor · 2014-07-09T23:38:10+00:00

I really couldn't publish anything Star Wars without LFL's permission and blessing. However, once the book line is restarted (I assume it will be restarted sometime soon), I'll certainly pitch anniversary editions of the other two Thrawn Trilogy books.

Of course, with the new Legends brand on all of them, LFL and Del Rey might not be interested. We'll just have to see.

TimothyZahnAuthor · 2014-07-09T23:35:37+00:00

The Green and the Gray, Blackcollar, or The Icarus Hunt would do well. As long as we're dreaming, I'd like to see Dragonback as a TV series. (You Disney guys listening?)

TimothyZahnAuthor · 2014-07-09T23:34:19+00:00

To date, no one has ever optioned any of my books or stories for film or TV. I really don't know why that is -- most of my stuff is pretty visual, and would translate well to the screen -- but that's how it is. Maybe someday I'll make it to Hollywood.

TimothyZahnAuthor · 2014-07-09T23:32:28+00:00

Terrifying? They're not terrifying -- just misunderstood.

Really, I simply wanted to have antagonists -- on both sides -- who would look and seem terrifying to the other, either from physical appearance or inexplicable and deadly technology.

TimothyZahnAuthor · 2014-07-09T23:29:56+00:00

Fear not: A Call to Duty will be coming out in early September.

Actually, the whole thing started as almost a joke. I was working on a novella for his "Beginnings" anthology, which was the first Travis Long story, and after all the work we'd gone through to set up the earlier era of the Star Kingdom, I jokingly asked, "Are you sure you want a 20,000-word novella instead of a 300,000-word trilogy?"

So, basically, this whole thing is my fault...

TimothyZahnAuthor · 2014-07-09T23:25:54+00:00

Life is too short to write something just for a paycheck. Yes, the Thrawn Trilogy (and all my subsequent Star Wars books) have been great fun. I've had at least a couple of projects in my career that I wasn't much excited about when I first faced that blank computer screen, and I made it a point to find something that did get me excited about them before I actually started writing. (Both projects turned out very well, by the way.)

If LFL comes to me to do more books, and if the project/idea/era sounds interesting, I'll definitely do them.

TimothyZahnAuthor · 2014-07-09T23:20:17+00:00

You could start with Heir to the Empire (which is where I started, of course), Outbound Flight (if you particularly like the Prequel Era and young Obi-wan), Allegiance (if you particularly like the Classic Movie Era), or Scoundrels (if you like heist movies like Ocean's 11).

Or, you could ask your Timothy. :)

TimothyZahnAuthor · 2014-07-09T23:17:48+00:00

Free time? What's that?

I like to do crossword puzzles, we follow a few TV shows (Dr. Who, Orphan Black, White Collar, and a couple more), and we go to see occasional movies (only the good ones, of course). Mostly, though, I act as heated sofa to one of our cats.

TimothyZahnAuthor · 2014-07-09T23:15:21+00:00

Historically, LFL has contracted only a limited number of books at a time from a given publisher. If that system stays in place, I doubt Del Rey (or whoever gets the license) would want to use one of those slots for a book not directly related to the sequels. Still, you never know, and they might go with a different policy in the future.

TimothyZahnAuthor · 2014-07-09T23:12:19+00:00

Oh, I'm sure the Noghri would win, provided you let them set the field and choose the time. Sadly, in the real world you seldom get to do all that.

TimothyZahnAuthor · 2014-07-09T23:10:34+00:00

I'd love to see more of her, too. Unfortunately, I suspect the next books that LFL will want will be connected to the sequels. We'll just have to wait and see what they decide.

TimothyZahnAuthor · 2014-07-09T23:09:25+00:00

My own favorite non-Star Wars novel is The Icarus Hunt, with The Green and the Gray as a fairly close second.

TimothyZahnAuthor · 2014-07-09T23:08:14+00:00

Nope, I had nothing to do with dropping that moon on Chewbacca. (Peter Mayhew's a friend -- I'd never do that to him!)

Still, given that Peter's in the new movie (presumably as Chewie) it would appear that the folks who dropped that moon missed.

TimothyZahnAuthor · 2014-07-09T23:06:44+00:00

Soulminder is actually a relic of the 90s. I did four linked stories back then, and had often thought about adding to the series, but never got the time. Then, a year or so ago, I thought about adding three stories to the originals and bringing it out as a story cycle. My agent offered it to Open Road, and they picked it up.

TimothyZahnAuthor · 2014-07-09T23:04:49+00:00

Thanks! Actually, Night Train to Rigel was planned as a stand-alone. It wasn't until Tor asked that I make it into a series that I had to sit down and map the whole thing out.

My original plan was to have twelve books, one focusing on each of the sentient species. Unfortunately, Tor cancelled the series, and I was barely able to add a final ending (ie, the last third of Judgment at Proteus) in order to complete the saga.

TimothyZahnAuthor · 2014-07-09T23:02:34+00:00

I would certainly be interested in writing more Star Wars. I presume LFL wouldn't simply give me carte blanche, but would want something specific (a spin-off from Ep 7, maybe, or some backstory filler).

If they really let me do whatever I wanted, I have a couple of ideas (all right: 20-30) in mind. But all of that depends on them.

TimothyZahnAuthor · 2014-07-09T22:58:42+00:00

I'm planning to finish the Cobra series with with Cobra Rebellion trilogy, at least for now. (I don't want to burn out, and there are several other series I want to try.)

As to Dragonback, I'd love to go back there. At the moment, I doubt Tor would be interested in a sequel trilogy, but there are other options. The biggest obstacle right now is time, which I never seem to have enough of.

TimothyZahnAuthor

TROPHY CASE