Ask the Author

[Mark Robson]

You don't pay an agent?

Oh, that's interesting. I've only managed to find ones that require payment. Maybe I'm getting confused.

I'll see what I can find then.

Finish your book, then drop me an email. Don't submit anything until I've had a chance to look it over for you. I won't be able to edit it all, but I should be able to give you a few steers on what you need to do before you submit.

 

[Threddy]

Ok

Thanks a lot Mark.

 

[Hannah Tindall]

Hello Mark

It's been a long time since I last spoke to you!! I figured that now we're settled for a while I'd check to see what you were up to... and it appears that I have a lot of books to read!

My question is simply when do you come to East Yorkshire??!! Got some books that need signing

Hope you're well anyway!

 

[Mark Robson]

Hi Hannah! Long time no speak indeed! Lovely to hear from you. I do come up to Yorkshire occasionally. In fact I'm hoping to set up a signing in York early next year, so keep an eye on the news page of my website for details.

Hope all's well.

 

[Hannah Tindall]

Oooo, definately I'll send you an email later, catch you up with everything!

 

[Hannah Tindall]

I sent you an email... I hope It's rather long though... as always!!

 

[Ramoth's Rider]

OK I know it says ask the author but hey Im blonde!!!

I'ld just like to say that i just finished The Imperial series and loved it! Not read or bought any more of your stuff lately as i was seduced by big names and promises of new books that sadly didnt appear.

Thanks for a brilliant read. I Had to read the Darkweaver ones again just to catch up!

 

[Mark Robson]

Thank you, Ramoth's Rider. I'm pleased to hear that you enjoyed them.

Have you read Dragon Orb yet? Given your McCaffrey given name, I'd guess you will enjoy them.

 

[Ramoth's Rider]

Thank you, Ramoth's Rider. I'm pleased to hear that you enjoyed them.

Have you read Dragon Orb yet? Given your McCaffrey given name, I'd guess you will enjoy them.

Just bought them as a present to myself after all it is Christmas.

 

[Mark Robson]

Happy to hear that.

Hope you enjoy the stories.

 

[M@.Price]

Hi Mark, just wondering how you go about planning a story once you have an initial idea? Do you have a specific method you always stick to, or just see how it goes?

 

[Mark Robson]

Hello, Matt. What I normally do is reduce the plot of the book to a page of A4 notes before I begin - a series of bullet points if you like. This must happen, this must happen, this must happen ... then I use each of these bullet points as focus events for chapters. It makes it easier for me conceptualise each phase of the story if each focuses on one, or two events. This helps me keep on track without restricting my creativity too much as to how each of the separate scenes play out.

I hope that makes sense.

 

[M@.Price]

That makes perfect sense, thanks.

 

[M@.Price]

Hey Mark, I have another question
Do you think it is important for a book aimed at young adults to have a young adult as the central character?

 

[Mark Robson]

That's a great question, Matt. My personal view is no, but the publishers clearly do not agree with me. Whenever I come up with characters for stories, I try to make them a sensible age to be able to realistically have the experience/ability to do the things in the story. However, I am constantly asked to make my characters younger by my publisher and we normally end up with a compromise.

Femke at 19 was the oldest character I've been allowed, but in her case I gave the publishers no choice, as she had already been developed as a character in books that were in print and could not be changed.

 

[M@.Price]

Ok, that's interesting, thanks.

 

[MikeyLegg]

Hello there!

Not so much a question as a general ramble.

I've just finished the imperial trilogy after having it strongly recommended by a friend. A brilliant read, that kept me up reading far later then I'm sure I should have been awake.

I've recently started reading the Dark weaver legacy series (although I understand I should have read the two series the opposite way around!)

Are you planning or writing some more about Femke and Reynik & co.? I enjoyed the books with them in very much. Something like Femke training Reynik to become an imperial spy and then having Reynik + Femke working together to....overcome issues.

I've certainly enjoyed what I've read of your books so far, and will continue to follow you with great interest. Thanks for the great reads!

Mikey Legg

 

[Mark Robson]

Hi Mikey. Sorry for the long delay in replying. I've been away on holiday for a couple of weeks.

My publishers seem quite keen for me to return to Femke and Reynick in the future. After Dragon Orb they wanted me to write another Imperial book - Imperial Dilemma, but I pitched a new idea at them, which they liked more.

I've no doubt I'll get back to Shandar at some point, but for now I'm writing a Bermuda Triangle thriller series - The Devil's Triangle. The first book is on the second round of edits now and looking good. I'll start writing the second book in the series next week.

 

[MikeyLegg]

Hey!

Thanks for the response. I've been away as well, hope you enjoyed your holiday as much as I enjoyed mine!

I've just finished Trail of the huntress and am eagerly awaiting the arrival of the next in the series from my local library.

I wish I had read the Darkweaver series before the imperial one as I"m now reading the Darkweaver and wondering how the plot shall unfurl in such a way that a series of events that I have read about in the Imperial series, can come about.

I am very much looking forward to your new series and will read the dragon orb series after the Darkweaver, thus eating my way quickly through all you've written.

I'm quickly becoming a huge fan. Keep up the great work!

Mikey Legg

 

[Mark Robson]

Thanks, Mikey. Glad to hear that you're enjoying my work. I think you'll enjoy Dragon Orb even though it's not related in any way to the other two series. The idea was to target a slightly younger audience, but I wrote subtexts into the stories that are very much for an adult audience to enjoy.

Even though Dragon Orb is a classic fantasy quest style adventure story that is in many ways derivative of stories that have been done before by far better writers, I feel it's the best work I've got in print at the moment. There are layers to it that I never managed to achieve with the Imperial and Darkweaver books. I do like to feel that I'm still improving, so I hope that folk will find The Devil's Triangle even better still.

I'm going to have to get my head back into the research soon, as the second book in the new series will have a lot more history in it than the first (which is now finished).