#Blaugust2019 Day 1-- It was Overwatch killed the beast

You know, I used to play a wider array of video games until Overwatch jumped into my life like a Winston with no cooldowns, but now I've logged ~700 hours on that single game. And I still suck at it. Well, my Reinhardt is pretty scary.

OH! Those poor fools running into my ultimate!

If you play any Overwatch recently, then you know the big talk of the town is the incoming 2-2-2 role lock change.  For those of you who don't know anything about Overwatch, that means soon you'll have to declare up front in a match that you will play a dedicated role for the group, either Tank, healer, or DPS. 2-2-2 means that your group will now always have two healers, two tanks, and two DPS. It's a "beauty" of an idea that's had a "beast" of a debate, but overall people feel it's going to improve the game.

I'm sure it will . . . and if not, well, there's always Overwatch 2.

From what I understand, you'll actually do your competitive placement matches now on a per role basis, which is interesting. In my comp group I play heals about 80 percent of the time, the other 20 percent of the time I play either Mei or TORBJORN!

IT WAS TORBJORN KILLED THE BEAST!

Oh my gosh I love my new summer skin so much.

Anyway, our comp group has done a lot of switch-on-the-fly calls in the past where if a certain defensive team isn't working, one of our swaps is to a team where I play a more offensive role.  It's still a 2-2-2 comp for us, but once PTR hits live, we can't do that. I'll always be playing healer. That's OK in the long run, but it feels like flexibility for the group took a big hit. On the other hand, no longer will we see a 6-DPS meme team in comp mocking us for not being able to handle them.

One cool side benefit from all this is that, now I could play Comp outside of my group of friends in a totally different role (like tank) if I wanted to and not have to worry about getting out of the SR range our comp group needs to play together . . . either in the positive or negative . . . I worry more about the negative.

There's some speculation over on the Overwatch forums that the real losers from 2-2-2 are those that only play DPS roles, since that's the most popular role to play . . . or so it seems. Will there really be 20-40 minute wait times for a game? I have no idea.  Those that enjoy it say it's to be expected and will be worth the wait.

All I know is that I'll probably have to take my love for the beast, aka Torbjorn, over to the arcade where apparently the old mode of quick play will still be sticking around. That's a beautiful compromise. 

Happy Dueling!

Blaugust Prep Week -- Looking for inspiration? Use your Tools!

One thing that's great about Blogspot (and probably Wordpress too -- I'm less familiar with that blogging platform's tools) is that it gives you a nice page of your blog's statistics.  Here's a quick sneak peek under the hood of the Friendly Necromancer blog.

That's all pretty straight-forward, but the one tool I want to point you to is found under the heading called Traffic Sources. Within that heading is a great piece of information called "Search Keywords."

So, people that searched my blog and landed there were mostly looking for Wizard101 information. Some of those topics I covered a long time ago and they still get hits, but there is at least one search term that grabbed my eye . . . and that's the Gems of War one.

I actually feel a bit bad for that person. They searched my blog hoping for a guide or at least some insight into building a good necromancer team, and I failed 'em. Instead all they found was me rambling on about how great of a game Gems of War is. So now it's decided!  During Blaugust I'm definitely going to have a post on exactly that.

As for the other search terms . . . there's some outdated information, some good information, and some information that I haven't gone into detail on yet, but I do have some good links to where you can get information:

• Grizzleheim books: https://thefriendlynecromancer.blogspot.com/2009/11/where-are-all-grizzleheim-books.html
• Grizzleheim quest tree: http://www.wizard101central.com/wiki/Quest:Grizzleheim_Quest_Tree#axzz5v9yzYOzF
• How to get to Krokotopia: https://thefriendlynecromancer.blogspot.com/2009/03/google-searches-answered.html
• Wizard101 Mannequins: https://thefriendlynecromancer.blogspot.com/2009/06/tons-of-exclusives-mannequins-go-live.html
• Emperor's Retreat: https://thefriendlynecromancer.blogspot.com/2010/03/how-do-i-solve-puzzle-in-emperors.html
• Star School Boosts: http://www.wizard101central.com/forums/showthread.php?459453-Boost-Resist-Chart
• Wizard101 Fishing: https://thefriendlynecromancer.blogspot.com/2014/07/fishing-wizard101s-test-realm-is-live.html
• Gardeners in Wizard101: https://thefriendlynecromancer.blogspot.com/2010/12/where-are-gardener-moles-in-wizard101.html

I really like using that Search Keywords tool for finding out at least why people come to my page, and in my case it's 80 percent to find out old school information about Wizard101. And, now I have a topic I can add to my list of things to write about during Blaugust.

Happy Dueling!

Blaugust -- Prep Week Thoughts from The Friendly Necromancer

So, this week is intended to be a kind of a prep week for Blaugust. According to the official site, this week is where seasoned bloggers give tips and tricks to the newcomers, and I'm definitely SEASONED . . . like a fine steak of blogging with a side of savory podcasting and livestreaming with a little parfait of Pintrest for dessert.

There's no need for me to bore you too much with rehashing the past, but you can see the whole herd of blogs I've kept over the years from my profile (including the ones I kept with my kids when they were little and when blogging was more popular). Probably this blog's greatest claim to fame was that it got me a job, first, as a writer at Beckett's Massive Online Gamer magazine where I wrote mostly about Wizard101 and Dungeons and Dragons Online and, second, at KingsIsle Entertainment as the Community Manager for Pirate101.  

. . . After that, my writing and livestreaming was mostly for work, and since I could no longer theorycraft about the games I enjoyed playing (because, you know, I already knew what was coming up), my blog changed and eventually waned.  

Times also changed!  YouTube took over as well as microblogging and a number of other Internet innovations that made your standard blog kind of fade to the background, but that doesn't mean blogging isn't still alive and well (as evidenced by the outpouring of bloggers participating in Blaugust.) There's a lot a standard video game blog can provide still . . . even in 2019 . . . and especially for those who love to write.

Thing 1: You've got to love to write.

It kind of makes sense, but you'll have a better time blogging if writing just comes naturally to you, and if it doesn't come naturally to you . . . write until you do love it. If that still doesn't work, maybe blogging ain't for you, but surely there's something else that will quench that thirst inside ya. (Vlogging anyone?)

Thing 2: Scream into the universe with your blog and make it your place.

What's the saying over there at Penny Arcade? Stream like no one's watching? Yeah . . . Stream like there's nobody watching.

It's a power statement. I like it. BLOG like there's nobody reading 0 0 0.

When you make a place your own, you control all the cards and ain't nobody gonna take that away from you despite how unpopular or popular it is. At least you can point people there and say, if you want to know what I think, read my blog. BOOM. 

Side note: There's nothing cooler than when a topic breaks out and you can say, oh yeah, I wrote a blog post about that one time . . . link.

Thing 3: Build a community or be a part of a community.

While the power statement of "Stream like there's nobody watching" is amazing, it's a lot better when people are watching. For me, a really vibrant Wizard101 blogging community developed around me circa 2009 without much effort other than making a giant list of wizard101 bloggers and making a post. If you want on the list, contact me. Done. 210 posts later . . . I had a pretty cool community. They even made themselves a badge, and a couple of them still proudly display on their blogs. How cool is that?

Thing 4: Develop a thick skin and allow room for others.

Not everybody is gonna love ya, Smalls.  That's just not how it goes. I mean, as much as I would love for everyone to fawn over me . . . lol . . . it's not going to happen. In fact, for the majority of this blog's life, I've been an outsider to mainstream MMO blogs. Wizard101 just isn't everyone's cup of tea, and that's fine. I'm cool with that.

Even then, within our own community of Wizard101 blogs, there were times when the waters got rough as big fish and little fish alike fought for territory in the itty bitty community pond without even knowing we were fighting for territory.  It's real though.  The pull to be THE FIRST to blog about a new upcoming feature, game, or thing is tangible 100%.  In my blog's busy days, that drove us on.  It was fun. I tried to always give credit to another blogger if they posted about something before I did.

Thing 5: Always be thinking about what's next for your blog.

You know . . . Drive! Passion! All of that good stuff!

Obviously this is no longer a big concern of mine seeing as how my post count per year has tapered off to almost nothing . . . although Blaugust is going to be a really good refresher for me! PROMISE! Back in the day, I constantly kept a running list of things I could talk about or do on my blog. I tried all kinds of "features" like Pet of the Day, Ask Friendly a Question, Interviews, and even a really lame comic series (let's be honest, it was pretty bad.) 

Keep a steady stream of blog posts coming, and the readers will follow.

~~

So that's about all I've got in me for tonight.  Hope something in there made sense.

I do want to wish those new video game bloggers luck in their endeavors.  Blogging truly can be life changing if you let it.  (hint: Hard work trumps luck . . . you got this!)

Happy Dueling!

It's High Noon, Blaugust!

Well, I did done sign up, cowboys and cowgirls . . .

In case you cow hands have forgotten what Blaugust is, check out this post from the originator of the event himself, Belghast from Tales of the Aggronaut.

This here ain't my first rodeo. (I don't know why I have a McCree Cowboy voice running through my head this morning, but I'm going with it.) I did done participate in this waaaaay back in two aught one five. Yup, partner, them were the good old days of 2015. There was a trip to a Classic Game Fest and Hearthstone was my kind o' poker. Why, I posted every day of the month back then.  Who knows?! Maybe I can pull off the same buckin' bronco type of moves this year as well. How de doo!

Now let's tie it all together with a random video from the Internet:

I wish that was a card . . . then I'd actually be able to play McCree without feeling like I'm throwing.

If you have any ideas for posts or things you'd like to see me writing about next month, just leave a comment.

Happy Dueling!

Doin' the Death Deckathalon

Whoa . . . this weekend I was playing Wizard101 like it was a year ago! SO MUCH WIZARD101 THIS WEEKEND! I even got called out for it! (Thanks, Iridian)

Why?

I had to give the Death Deckathalon Event a really good go. I mean . . . I am the Friendly Necromancer, right?

So, I decided to really put my best foot forward, despite it being an extremely busy weekend with relatives in from out of town (that said, I did have a couple days off of work as well). I faithfully logged on every day and ran the event a few times.

I mean, I'm no Tara Dawnbreaker . . . look at this stuff she pulled off! *jaw drops*

GO TARA AND THE CAT CLUB!

No No No . . . I did manage by the end of my time yesterday to rise up to 221st place and complete my entire event bar though. Go me!

Participation Awards! Hooray!

I mostly did that by running Event 3 over and over, but on the final day I decided to really give Event 4 a go.  I watched Eric Stormbringer's great video, which helped (seriously, pick up some Triage treasure cards . . . they rock for this), but eventually the deck that did it for me looked like this:

The deck that carried me through Stage 4

The first floor was an easy win typically with a bladed Seraph spell and one death shield, but every once in a while you'd need a leprechaun to finish him up if you were unlucky.

The second floor involved a death shield followed by a fire elemental minion, then you just follow your fire elemental minion's lead until one of the two mobs is dead. Occasionally I'd need to cast a triage on myself to get rid of the Poison.

The third floor, sometimes I would cast a second fire elemental and sometimes I wouldn't . . . kinda just played it safe the first few times until I felt a bit more comfortable and had my final deck.

I experimented with all kinds of minions in place of the Fire Elementals. Ice Elementals, Troll minions and Cyclops minions were amazing. Storm minion and Minotaur minions took too long to hit, but still worked. The five pip minions just took too long to cast. I like having minions . . . it's just an extra layer of comfort.



Also . . . guys . . . healing pets are amazing in this tower.  Lady Dexter (the most healingest pet in the game) worked like a charm.

You bless me, Lady Dexter!

So, by the end of the event I had my pet, I had my improved death hands, I had my 4th deck, I had the Ravenwood Hamster, and I had a bunch of cool messages from wizzie friends.

Which reminds me! Elijah LightThief was online! Elijah has been playing Wiz since the early days and used to comment on this blog all the time. He gave me a great inside tip, which may actually be a bit OP. Although you will have to use treasure cards only, you can use the Death Deckathalete decks outside of the event. This can give a huge advantage to a lower level character because of the extra pip. Thanks for the tip, Elijah!

So, what did you think, fine readers of the Friendly Necromancer? Did you like the event? Did you have fun?  I thought it was pretty cool to be part of a community event like this. There's only one day left, so I hope you find some time to chip in so we can make that goal . . . we're getting closer!

Happy Dueling!

Gems of War: Diamond in the Match-3 Rough

While on my quest for a dungeon-based Match 3 game, I found a little treasure of a game that's actually been around since 2014. Gems of War is BY FAR one of the best Match 3 fantasy games I've ever played. I'm totally in love with it right now.

Does it have dungeons? Yes, but they aren't at the core of the game.

"Delves" are dungeon runs for treasure where you move along a map to a boss room.

 Does it have Match-3. Yup, at it's core, it's a match-3 battler game.

Does it have Necromancers? Yes it has to that too! In fact, just this weekend I unlocked the Necromancer class.

The Necromancer is just one of 20+ classes you can level up. Each with their own perks.

Is it available on PC and mobile? YES! This is a huge selling point for me. It's on Steam and it's on mobile, and even better I can connect my account to play the game on both platforms. (It's also on other platforms like the Nintendo Switch, but you can't connect Mobile and PC to the Switch version if I remember correctly.)

So let's back up a step and talk about what Gems of War is . . .

Gems of War takes place in a world called Krystara where you engage in battle for various kingdoms scattered throughout the map.

Krystara is huge, the shown image is only about 1/4 of the entire map

Those kingdoms eventually give you tribute daily based on your interactions with them.  You choose one of these kingdoms as your home base and gain extra benefits for doing so.

After you've conquered the main world, don't forget to plunge into the depths of the underworld, where dungeon delves and more questing await you.

Yes! Bring on the dungeons!

The real name of the game in Gems of War, however, is collecting troops, ascending those troops, leveling up, gearing up, and participating in weekly Guild Events. After spending about 3-4 months playing, let's see how I'm doing with that:

• Troops: I've collected 466 of the 685 troops available in game. I have a nice team of Undead creatures that I run with, all ascended to "mythic" levels.
• Level and gear: I'm currently level 208 (it appears to go on infinitely as I see level 1000+ people talking in the global chat).  I've also collected a huge array of weapons and pets to choose from, which give you bonuses and benefits in battle as well.
• Guild: My guild is a casual guild called Den of Wolves that does ok for our size. I think our highest level player is in the 700 range and I consistently place in the top 5 for our guild during guild events, like taking on other guilds or downing giant raid bosses.

So I'd say I'm . . . the fast one of the slow bunch, which is where I like to be anyway. ;)

My team is on the left . . . and we're about to completely destroy the team on the right. sorry. gg.

As for PvP in Gems of War, I actually like it a lot! In Gems of War PvP you pit 4 troops of your choosing (1 of which is most likely your player character, but it doesn't have to be) against another player's 4 troops. The computer controls the other player's 4 troops, so really you're just seeing how you fare against your competitor's team composition, which is pretty standard fare in the mobile space. Each week you can work your way up through 15 tiers of PvP ranks earning rewards along the way for doing so, but it's totally optional.

It's just such a huge and beautifully put together game. THIS is what a mobile game can become if it's successful across multiple years. It feels more like an MMO than a mobile game, and I love that about it.

I'm just happy to have stumbled upon it while on my quest to find THE ONE TRUE DUNGEON BASED MATCH 3 GAME TO RULE THEM ALL!  This is close and probably the game Puzzle Quest 2, which I haven't tried yet but is made by the same company, is really the game I'm looking for, but . . . now that I think about it . . . perhaps what I've been looking for all along isn't that game, but this one.

Gems of War has it all.

Ok, there are a few downsides . . . being that it's from 2014 some of the graphics seem a bit dated, but from what I can tell, they've already been working hard to update the look over the past 5 years. If you don't like Match 3's, this won't be your cup of tea. If you don't like grinding levels and building power slowly like you do in an MMO, you won't like this. I mean . . . It is what it is. I can't help that.

But did I mention that Gems of War has it all?

Happy Dueling!

An Interview with Lish McBride

I have a special treat for you today kind readers of The Friendly Necromancer. Lish McBride (author of Hold Me Closer Necromancer, Necromancing the Stone, and more -- see her website for details) agreed to do a Q&A interview for us! 

I'm so happy she could find some time in her busy schedule to talk with us today! I'll definitely be adding her to my list of VIPs on the sidebar. Enjoy!

~~

Click here for more about Lish McBride

Question: At the back of your second book, Necromancing the Stone, there is a really good Author Q&A that answers a lot of the standard questions. You explain that the story behind your necromancer books stemmed from essays about a fast food worker getting attacked by Vampires and the undead, which you wrote back in school. Was it hugely gratifying to finish these books and watch them come to fruition from those essays?

Answer: Not really an essay, but a truly awful short story that I wrote during down time in my brief stint in alternative school. Comparing that short story to my novel...well, they really only have the barest of things in common, but I consider that a good thing. Hopefully my writing has improved since I was eighteen. Ha! That being said, it's immensely gratifying to have anything you make up published into book form. It's still a little surreal, honestly.

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Question: While running the Friendly Necromancer blog for the past 10 years, I’ve had a couple of interesting emails from random strangers asking if I had any information on how to become a real-life Necromancer. I made sure to let them know that I write about video game necromancers and not training books for something that in the real world would get you arrested. What was it like researching necromancy for your books? Did you run into any interesting characters?

Answer: Most of my research was done via mythology books (like the Encyclopedia of the Undead by Curran) while I was living in rural Mississippi (where we'd evacuated during Katrina) and New Orleans. So basically book and internet without coming into contact with pretty much any humans at all. I love research, but it's not terribly exciting for most people. 

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Question: On the back of your first book, Hold Me Closer, Necromancer, the dictionary definition for “Necromancy” is front and center – and I admit, before playing a necromancer in games like Dungeons and Dragons, Diablo, Everquest, Guild Wars, and Wizard101, I didn’t have a very good understanding of what “Necromancers” were. Was there a fear that readers just wouldn’t know what Necromancy was and, being that it does seem a bit of a darker topic, that the book wouldn’t sell?

Answer:  Dark topics aren't really a worry in young adult books--the age range for YA is actually somewhere between fourteen and early twenties. It's a rough time and you're dealing with a lot of really dark and terrible things. Horror actually helps a lot of teens cope with real life topics. (Believe it or not I wrote a paper on that in college.) So no, it wasn't a dark topic issue. It was, in fact, an issue of people not knowing what a necromancer was. I'm a mythology nerd and cut my teeth on horror and fantasy and I honestly didn't realize how few people knew what a necromancer was when I wrote the book and the publisher was concerned. There was also the unexpected fact that some readers--and we're talking adults here--mixed it up with other similar words. Some decided that the "romance" part of the word meant HMC,N was a romance novel. (I am 100% not knocking the romance genre here, but HMC,N doesn't fall into the category.) A few mixed up "necromancer" and "necrophiliac." No joke--I got an email from a librarian in Louisiana who had her own little free library and one of the neighbors was really upset about my book being in there because she made that mistake. Basically, the publisher wanted to be clear and they were worried that people would put the book down instead of taking the time to google, which is a valid worry. 

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Question: I see you’ve written at least one other short story surrounding Sam and Ramon from your Necromancer books. Will there ever be a third book in the series?

Answer: There are...four? I think there are four short stories with HMC,N characters. Death & Waffles is Ashley's first appearance in a short story I wrote in graduate school. We Should Get Jersey's is a Frank short story. Freaks & Other Family is a bundle with two short stories (One Sam, one Ramon) that I published myself but were originally written for my Patreon page. (There are several more on there that I haven't polished up yet.) Heads Will Roll is a story I wrote for Tor.Com and actually does feature a cameo from Ed, one of the minor characters from the Necromancer books. I have all the short stories listed on my website if anyone wants to look at them all in list form. I do plan a third book--I promise! The series is meant to have at least one more book. The problem was that my publisher wanted me to move on, so I wrote the Firebug books (which are set in the same universe) and now I've moved publishers. I'm currently writing a whole new thing for Putnam, but that doesn't mean I'm comfortable leaving Sam where I left him. I will write at least one more Sam book, even if I have to publish it myself.

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Question: You also have a newer series of books out surrounding a Pyromancer, which I have yet to read. Which do you like writing about more, Pyromancers or Necromancers? Will we see books about different types of magic (like perhaps a wizard that can channel life magic) in the future? 

Answer:  I enjoy writing both for different reasons. There is a weird amount of overlap as both characters have to deal with the fact that their powers are fairly destructive. They both have to deal with the possibility that they might become corrupt, destructive monsters. Both books have fun and weird side characters--I might miss writing the gnomes, but the Pyro books have biker were-rabbits, so...I love them both. Honestly, since all the books take place in the same universe, they didn't feel that different to me. Ava is snarkier than Sam and has definitely had more of a rough time of things. As for the future, who knows? 

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Question: Do you play video games and have any served as inspiration points for your books? Would you ever give Wizard101 a try (I’d love to see if the starting quiz for the game would place you as either a Necromancer or a Pyromancer)?

Answer:  I almost never play video games anymore. When I was a kid I was hugely into the Sierra games King's Quest and Space Quest and Sim games. I would also beg my mom for quarters so we could go play Rampage in the arcade at my local bowling alley (small town life) with my brothers. The thing is, I'm not very good at them. I never rescued the princess in Super Mario Bros. I can't remember what all the buttons do on most controllers and I get lost in large map games. The last game I seriously played was Fable and I was constantly getting distracted and forgetting my quest. (I spent a lot of time kicking chickens.) I'm more of a computer game person, and until recently I spent all my time writing, working a day job and juggling kids, so most downtime involved reading. Most of the kinds of games I would like now force you to interact with other humans and I play to get away from people, so it doesn't really work out. This is probably a good thing though as my husband and sons are huge gamers and I would have to fight for the TV. Right now my house is all Red Dead Redemption 2 and State of Decay. That being said, Wizard 101 looks like it would entirely be up my alley.

Might I suggest the name Samantha Skullmancer? Give it a shot!

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Question: Mounts and pets are all part of the fun in Wizard101!  During Necromancing the Stone, Sam summons an Undead Elk (if I remember correctly??), which in my mind becomes his “mount.” (He even talks about bringing it back to the mansion with him.) He also ends up gaining a Chupacabra pet, which he finds in his basement bathroom of all places. Any backstory to those choices, or did they just naturally happen during writing?

Answer: You are correct on the elk! The elk was mostly chosen based on what animals are natural to the pacific northwest--I needed something big enough for Sam to ride and elk won. Plus, elk are really cool. I grew up in the PNW, and we spent summers camping and such, and we'd occasionally get to see elk, especially if we were at my stepdad's cabin up in Forks. Yes, that Forks. I never saw a vampire there but I did get to play with a machete, so I'm calling that a win. As for Taco, the pygmy chupacabra...I found the idea funny? Honestly, when I'm writing a book, at least during that first draft, it's just me for long hours staring at my laptop. I have to entertain myself. I had to come up with something to hide in that closet and the very idea of Taco made me giggle. Which made my writing buddy ask what was wrong with me and all I could get out was, "pygmy chupacabra!" over and over. Fortunately, he's known me a long times so he understood.

Find out more from Lish's FAQ on her website

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Question: One of the things that really stands out in your books is your love of puns. Case in point, the very title of the book Hold me Closer, Necromancer is a play on words from Elton John’s song Tiny Dancer. In fact, every chapter title in your Necromancer books contain this same fun word play with song titles and lyrics. To be honest, it reminds me a lot of quest titles from Wizard101! Ever thought about working as a writer in the games industry? 

Answer: It's funny because the joke in my house is that I hate puns. This isn't true--I don't hate them, but it's a kind of word play that I'm generally not great to be honest. Also, my husband is a pun-master so I mostly make fun of him for them. If we didn't make fun of each other, I'm not sure what our relationship would be based on. I have thought a little about the game industry, and I do actually have a game writing credit--a minor one from the game Dark Void. My friend Jose threw a little work my way because their game writer was overworked and very tired. The thing is, most game writers don't seem to have much in the way of control. It's like screenwriting that way. I'm okay with doing either of them, but I like getting to do things my way most of the time. 

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Question: There’s a great scene in Necromancing the Stone where Sam spends time in a huge music room full of old LPs and great music. Three questions: Does this music room exist in your real life, what’s your favorite song of all time, and how does your love of music play into your writing?

Answer: The music room does not exist. In fact, my small record collection was destroyed in hurricane Katrina and I haven't really had the heart to rebuild it. The only record that survived was a single of the Patrick Swayze song, "She's Like the Wind" from Dirty Dancing. My husband framed it. Someone did gift me a Tom Jones record recently, because they felt Patrick needed a friend, so I've been considering breaking down and getting a record player again. I don't have a favorite song of all time. I also can't answer the favorite book question--so much of it depends on mood and changes every few moments. I did grow up with a lot of musical influences and that does show up in the books. (My mom loved Bobby Darin so much that my oldest brother is named Darin.) Lots of oldies and classic country and musicals from my mom and stepmom, lots of punk and rockabilly from my oldest brother. My brother Jeremy mostly listened to pop music and rap. I grew up in a small town about an hour from Seattle. There wasn't much to do besides go to the freshly built mall or go to the movies. I didn't have any money for the movies and I hate the mall. The only other option, besides loitering in the bookstore, was to go to shows. So lots of bands in barns and basements and community centers. Social interaction was largely based on what kind of music you listened to. Seattle is also a very musical city, so it would make sense for Sam to be into it.

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Question: As with any fandom, there are a lot of artists and writers that draw inspiration from their game of choice (like Wizard101). Have you done any fan fiction writing in your past that no one knows about? Do you have any words of wisdom for those out there who may want to break out of this type of writing and develop a universe of their own as you have?

Answer:  I have not done any real fan fiction writing, sadly. Well, except for a short story I tried to write in elementary school that was clearly David Eddings fan fiction except Belgarath the wizard was a cat. At that age, everything was cats. At that age I also didn't know what fan fiction was. I think fan fiction is really cool, but it just never occurred to me to join in. I have several writer friends that started in fan fiction and I think it's a great way to learn, really. The other thing you can do besides that is to reread favorite books critically--how did the author pull of the things that you liked? What about their writing do you love? Most of writing is practice and developing your voice. What works for some authors won't work for others. I went to an MFA program to help me figure some things out, but you don't need an MFA to write well. I read books on writing. For world building, I'd check out Wonderbook. That has a lot of good stuff in it from many different authors. I don't have an official writing group, but I've built up a list of friends that I can talk to if I'm stuck or need to work something out, or if I need a quick read on something. Chuck Wendig has some great writing advice on his blog that he compiled into an ebook. It's funny and very practical, but if you have issues with cursing it will not be your bag.

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Question: If Necromancing the Stone and Hold Me Closer, Necromancer were ever made into video games, what would you hope they end up being like?

Answer:  I don't know if I have anything current to compare them to. It would be cool if someone made them so you could explore the world like games like State of Decay do, but I wouldn't want it to be that serious. Something bonkers and fun...but probably gory, like that movie Tucker and Dave vs Evil. 

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