Chatting With Jack Chalker 2 free porn video

Chat Guest: Jack Chalker On Sunday December 5, 1999 12:30PM PDT Edited by Anne-Mal + jchalker has arrived. (TgDon) *Trumpets blare* (Morgan) YAY! "Identity Matrix"! The best!!! (ninja660) Our guest has arrived! :) (TgDon) *Swords rise up in deference* (Sapphire) Hip, hip, hurray! (TgDon) *All rise* (DanielSan59) All Right! Welcome! (Lorna) YEAH! (ninja660) Greetings Jack! (*Julie) Welcome!! (*Bashful) Welcome Mr. Chalker! (Jean_Rea) Welcome Mr. Chalker!! (jchalker) Gang, I got here. Been trying to get in since 2:55 Eastern. (Tess) Welcome, JC! (*Anne-Mal) Welcome honored guest! (Morgan) *Bows* (ninja660) *Clap* *Clap* *Clap* (Roy) Hiya, Mr. Writer sir! (XoYo) *Loud applause* (raaj) Welcome! (SirLee) Best regards from Brazil, Mr. Chalker! (BDerksen) *Cheers* :) (*Julie) Hoorah!! (Bob-L) Hi JC! (sue) Hello, Mr. Chalker. (Rick) Hail and Well Met, Sir! (TgDon) Mr. Chalker, welcome to our humble abode. (Regal) Yaay! (AndyH) Greetings, Mr. Chalker! (Raven) Hello Jack. (nanomage) Nice ta seeya Jack, been a long time since Wordcon 84. I have to say I took a lot of my prose style from Jack, economical and to the point most times. (Syl) Greetings, Mr. Chalker! (Morpheus) Howdy! (Darkside) Hello old chap! (Sapphire) Thanks Jack! (CarrieG) Mr. Chalker, you honor us with your presence! (TgDon) So true Carrie. We're not worthy! We're not worthy! :) (Roy) Jack Chalker's here? No way! (*Julie) Yes Way! (TgDon) Way dude! Way! (jan) Wow! Hard to believe! (Andrew) Good evening, Mr. Chalker! (or it is there?) (BDerksen) This time I'm the one who's sick in your place. It was a noble sacrifice, but it had to be made. :) (jchalker) Wow. Should have my magnifying glass here. This is SMALL PRINT. (*Bashful) IS THIS EASIER TO READ? (jchalker) Wasn't sure if it was going to let me on. This screen just stalled over and over. Glad I survived to be here. I had the sense that there was a curse on us meeting. Yeah, second time and a long delay is the charm. (*Anne-Mal) Lets start in about 8 minutes and let Mr. Chalker get set. (Lorna) There are tons of wizards and genies in here, Sir, ya never know what they'll do! (jchalker) Interesting idea, but they didn't do anything. Oh, well, even at 6 point type on a 20" monitor, I'll survive. (TgDon) Do you want us to type in caps, Mr. Chalker? We will, if you would like to. (jchalker) No, I'm okay. It's just very early for me to be reading 6 pt type from 18". (jan) Where are the Pastry Girls to liven up the waiting time when we need 'em? (*Bashful) You missed it jan, they wanted me to strip! (jan) And did you Bashy? (*Bashful) No, Julie wouldn't let me. (jan) Yay Bashy! Strip! (*Julie) Only for me Jan! (jan) Oh Julie, spoilsport! :( (Jean_Rea) Awww Julie, that's no fun. :) (Morgan) Ok, we agree! *Sigh* :) (*Julie) Finders Keepers! =) (jan) LOL! selfish Julie! (Roy) In the words of General Ulysses Grant, "I arise only to say I intend to say nothing." Since my dinner's ready, I gotta go. (Morgan) Yes mother! :) (jchalker) I don't get brunch until I finish. (*Anne-Mal) Um, Mr. Chalker, is it okay for us to call you Jack? (jchalker) Yeah, everybody calls me Jack. (Darkside) I Guess JC would sound a little blasphemous! (Syl) How about JLC? (jchalker) Well, it wouldn't be the first time I was blasphemous. I had 3 books banned in the deep south because they used the term G.O.D., Inc. (Dove) Blasphemy is good for the soul. A faith that has never been challenged means little. (Morgan) Ooo that's inspiration! (*Anne-Mal) Okay two minutes to go, everyone get it out of your system! (Paul1954) *Cough* *Cough* (jan) Paul! I didn't even see you there! Cool! (TgDon) *Hack* *Wheeze* (*Bashful) Anne never finishes her stories! There, all gone. (Sapphire) Is there anything that is FORBIDDEN? (DanielSan59) I've gotta go to work dangit! Nice sorta meeting you Jack. Look forward to reading the log. Bye everybody! (nanomage) *Wonders if we can get Jack to write a short in the SRU universe* (jchalker) I don't have time to write short stories for money at the moment, let alone for fun. (*Anne-Mal) Okay lets start! (*Anne-Mal) It is my pleasure to introduce Mr. Jack Chalker! (Morgan) (*Ssshhh* Listen!) :) (*Anne-Mal) The author most cited on Fictionmania as an inspiration for all of us! (jchalker) And immediately a silence falls.... (*Anne-Mal) (For this group to fall silent is an inspiration to everyone!) (jchalker) Ah, did an on the fly switch to 800X600. MUCH better. (*Anne-Mal) So without further ado, I will let Jack make an opening statement! (jchalker) Yes, I'm here. Still waiting for a question.... (*Anne-Mal) I guess that was a short opening statement! ;) (Morgan) :) (jchalker) Go ahead. I always can sit and read about how important I am. (foxfire) Hi, Jack! You are one of the few mainstream SF authors that regularly uses TS themes in their fiction. Why do you think that is? (jchalker) It's fun, it's useful, and nobody else in particular was doing it. (*Anne-Mal) Could you tell us about your new Well World Book? (jchalker)THE SEA IS FULL OF STARS, Del Rey, available now. The new book is unusual in that it has NO characters from previous books nor even references to them. It also takes place to the EAST of the map. No familiar creatures, in other words, either. And a lot of underwater work. The book is a two parter, but unlike most there's no cliffhanger. In fact, it has one heck of a good climax and ending. (BDerksen) PRIAM'S LENS is a good book, but it lacks the physical transformations that are a standard feature of virtually all of your other novels. Was this an attempt to target a somewhat more "mainstream" audience? (jchalker) No, if you do it EVERY time then it gets dull. PRIAM'S LENS was its own story, and didn't require more. There would have been more interesting stuff if they'd let me do 2 books, though. As it is, PRIAM is a good book but not 100% complete. Someday... (sue) Hi Jack, I know you like ferries, I spent my summers as a kid around the Hatton Ferry in Virginia. My question is how much did the works of Tolkien influence your creation of the Well World series, if at all? (jchalker) Hatton ferry? Is that the little one? Anyway, Tolkien only influenced me in the sense that he showed that the multi-book serial novel was viable. I enjoyed RINGS but was never fanatical on it. (sue) Yes. supposedly it's one of only two push-pole ferries in the US run by the state. (jchalker) Ah, so. Didn't know of more than the one! (Regal) Hello. Overlooking any sex changes they may receive in the stories, is it easier for you to work with a main character that is male or female? (jchalker) Makes no difference which sex it is except that I choose the best to tell the story. It's fun to do the opposite sex and have those of the opposite sex marvel at the good job, though. I get very few "You do awful women" letters and more "How'd you do that?". (Lorna) Ever since WELL WORLD, publishers eak out your work at barely one per year. It's been totally frustrating to wait eons for next in series that you've long since submitted. (I'm sure.) Your feedback on this please? (jchalker) Del Rey is in the hands of the Philistines and wants to be rid of me and most others in its authorship. If you haven't got a movie deal, forget it. SEA was delivered in November 1996! And, no, that wasn't a typo. They've been sitting on it for 3 years. Postscript: They also canned Arthur C. Clarke. "Over the hill," says the current ed. (nanomage) Jack, considering the sad state of publishing, isn't it time for someone to launch a new publishing house? I know I have purchased maybe ten books in the last 3 years, since there was simply nothing worth buying. (jchalker) Anybody can launch a new publishing house and anybody has. The problem is, you can not get distribution. Without distribution, nobody knows you're there. Unlike film, where there is an independent channel for distribution, or TV, which has syndication, books are now distributed by a Wall Street firm that sees them only as commodities. (nanomage) Indeed Jack, but name recognition can get a distributor. (jchalker) Not true. Unless the name is a Hollywood celebrity or somebody who always gets on the bestseller list every time. (nanomage) There is, as most of us do, web publishing? (jchalker) There is no money in web publishing, sorry. Writers can't pay their bills on it. (nanomage) I would pay $2 to $5 for an on-line novel, if it were the right author. (jchalker) I wonder how many would, though. It's not the way people read novels. Short stories, yeah, but not novels. Laptops also get soggy in the bath or crack when dropped. Nobody is paying the money for on-line stuff. That's the way it is. (nanomage) Dickens's novels were sold one chapter at a time? (jchalker) Okay, yes, but Dickens had a contract for a full novel with the STRAND magazine and he got paid that way, then he got to keep all the book money. There is no national magazine market to do that kind of promotion any more. (nanomage) What a wonderful world for authors it was back then! (jchalker) Anybody there? My screen locked up. (Jean_Rea) Do you see it now? (jchalker) Yes, suddenly it all shot by at once. Don't you love Java? (Jean_Rea) Not!!! Jack, with mainstream publishers taking all kinds of rights, do you see self publishing on the net as being a new way to make money or break into the field? (jchalker) It's a new way to make some added money, like selling Albanian rights, but it's not enough to make a living. (foxfire) Hi. Are there plans for another RIVER OF THE DANCING GODS Sequel. BTW, what did the King of Horror think about his cameo in the last RIVER book? (jchalker) Steve King and I don't talk. We used to, but then he got to be a Monument. There was always a sixth and final DANCING GODS but Del Rey doesn't want it. This means that until we can revert the first five and sell them elsewhere there's no way I can publish the sixth. (*Bashful) What would be the best way for a new author break into the field? (jchalker) The truth is, you write a book and then you send it in (or a query and the first few chapters saying the rest is available) to publishers of that kind of book. You can still sell, it's the number that you can sell. that's dropped so it can be a profitable hobby but not a living. PS. Don't get an agent if you haven't already sold. Any agent that will take unsold authors is a con. (Sapphire) With the long backlog of your books submitted, but not yet printed, what's been delivered, that we haven't seen yet? (jchalker) MOREAU FACTOR (Feb), GHOST(S) OF THE WELL OF SOULS (April) and BALSHAZZAR'S SERPENT (no date set). I'm working on one now that's alternate history. Working title is THE EMPEROR'S NEW CLONES. (Sapphire) Can you tell us a little about them? (jchalker) MOREAU is transformation time, but near future and about what happens when we can inject folks and change their DNA and who's running that show. GHOST(S) --my title, they dropped the S-- is the second half of the Well started with SEA. BALSHAZZAR is possibly the first SF book in which the HERO is a real evangelist. It's unusual. No transformation motif as such in that one, but there might be later as there are 2 more books to come. This new series is for Baen, not Del Rey. (Sapphire) Thanks! (allen1900) In your writings, you explore change and its nature for destruction. How do you feel about the dual nature of recreation and its close sister destruction? (jchalker) The fact is, utopias may be nice in the abstract but they make very boring reads. I'm very much a technophile and I have no nostalgia for the good old days of polio summers and no penicillin. However, as every major advance has shown, if the thing can be misused it will be. Part of my job is to point this out. MOREAU FACTOR, like IDENTITY MATRIX years ago, is based on real work being done now. (Morgan) Were you satisfied with IDENTITY MATRIX? It is the most overtly transgendered title of your works and my favorite! Anymore like it on the way? :) (jchalker) Yes, I always liked IDENTITY MATRIX and still do, and it holds up very well. It is not, however, really a book about sex changes but rather about mind control. When I put MATRIX past my science guys working in biology they said, "Well, we aren't doing it THIS way." Scary. (*Anne-Mal) Everybody say something we are nearing the hour mark, so you don't get thrown off! (Jean_Rea) Hi Jack! :) (Darkside) *Ping* (sue) Great Q&A so far! (*Julie) *Nods* (ragar) Hi! (Nostrumo) *Achew* (XoYo) Boo! (raaj) Hi. (Bob-L) Hi. (DonnaReed) Something. (Morpheus) Alrighty then. (Tess) ? (Regal) *Squeek* (Rick) Greetings! (*Bashful) *Ahem* (Scrambler) Hiya! (Lorna) *Kissies* (TgDon) *Testing* Jack here? Misty? Victor Gonser? Ok, good! (RaechelLC) Hi Jack! (CarrieG) . (BDerksen) Bing! :) (allen1900) *Bark* *Bark* (nanomage) *Raiding penny jar to go out and get SEA* (robyn) *Argh* (HeatherJean) Some old guy I used to know once said that there are only three kinds of SF stories: What if? If this goes on. If Only. Which are yours, mostly? (jchalker) Oh, I'm a what if type, definitely. (Syl) REAL work in IDENTITY MATRIX? What would that be? (nanomage) I saw matrix as being about the politics of technology too (jchalker) Yes, MATRIX is about the politics of technology, and so is MOREAU FACTOR. (sue) Yes, very much a "control" type of book, free will, etc.. (Andrew) Hi, Jack. Since you heard you were going to having this chat, have you read any of the stories on the site ? (jchalker) Sorry, no. Been MUCH too busy. All sorts of things good and bad popping all over lately, and lots of deadlines. Even have an 8 year old with a broken foot about. (foxfire) Hi again. Have you ever been approached by Hollywood with any interest in filming any of your books? I mean the WELL WORLD stories would be kewl as movies. (jchalker) Ah, Hollywood. It discovers me about every 7-8 years but nothing ever comes of it. We really thought we had a WELL WORLD deal with Warners, who were looking for a new post B5 project, but when it came to negotiations they wanted the uranium mine and they offered me the shaft. (Raven) Jack, who has been your most beloved character from the fans point of view, and the fan reaction that you've gotten? (jchalker) Oh, everybody loves Nathan Brazil. I can't think of any other character that got that kind of reaction. When it was available, Soul Rider's Cassie got a lot of mail, though. We're trying to get SOUL RIDER back in print in English. So far it's too long. Maybe we'll go the Instant Print route. I will stay a while (a kind of a makeup) but I may need a 3 minute break in the next 10-15 for necessary self maintenance. (*Anne-Mal) Jack I loved the RED TAPE WAR, how hard was it working with other authors? (jchalker) RED TAPE WAR was fun, but the fact is we DIDN'T work together. It was a story robin. That is, there was NO consultation between us and we didn't know what was written until we got it. Then we were stuck. We offered a second book, THE DUCK TAPE WARS, but Tor, while admitting we'd sold the hell out of the first one, said it had to be a fluke and passed. (Fornit) I've noticed that, in a lot of your books, WELL WORLD, CHANGEWINDS, SOUL RIDER, and others, that it seems like you see how low you can take the characters before bringing them back up, is there any particular reason behind that or just for plot purposes? (jchalker) It's dangerous to put too much psychology into analyzing an author's work. Mostly it's a technique. You sink them into an impossible and intolerable situation and then you watch them get out of it. It's a variation of the McGuffin, the thing that makes books go. Most of mine are actually quests, but the sinking of characters is definitely there. On the other hand, how could you do SOUL RIDER otherwise and have it make sense? As for CHANGEWINDS, they were fish out of water. (Darkside) Jack, Do you plan your novel's out in intricate detail or have the gem of an idea and then let them work themselves out? (jchalker) Well, they're well planned, but after you do a lot of them you can do it mostly in your head. The trick I use is that I never start a book until I've done the ending. That imposes discipline and insures that they thing's going to make sense. (Chrissy) How do you see the future? Dark and decadent or more enlightened and dynamic. Or maybe neither. (jchalker) Both, and neither. It's fascinating how much has changed in my lifetime, and yet in very basic ways very little. My old publisher at Tor asked me once how far into the future I thought SOUL RIDER was set and I told him 200 years. He seemed quite surprised by this, but think of this: what was it like 200 years ago? How technologically different? (nanomage) The rate of change is not linear, but logarithmic. (Scrambler) What is the hardest part in writing a female cast member for your stories? (jchalker) I've never had a lot of trouble doing female characters. I don't know why others do, or why this is unusual for a professional writer. I mean, nobody blinks an eye when I create a total alien, but they seem shocked I can do 51% of the human race. Addendum: what's unusual is doing it in science fiction, where it's always been rare. (Lorna) When did you realize that your work had a "fan group" like us? (jchalker) I have LOTS of fans groups out there. A couple are disturbing, but not a group like this. The disturbing ones are the ones who organized to promote political ideas of my bad guys! (Lorna) When did you learn about 'this' group specifically? And your reaction so far today? ;-) (jchalker) This group invited me to talk. I was vaguely aware of it, somebody has mentioned it, but I don't do a lot of searching for groups on the web. Heck, I don't even attend my own Newsgroup. The reason isn't sociological or political, it's time. NQ (*Anne-Mal) So take a break and tell us when you are ready Jack! (CarrieG) *Exhale breath* (Sapphire) This might be a great time for all of us to answer our "calls of nature"! (Nostrumo) What nature? (Morgan) I've gotta go to the ladies room come with me ok? :) (Lorna) I hope there are enough stalls and sinks!!!! (*Bashful) Okay, who's going to start the sing along? (Morpheus) "One thousand bottles of beer on the wall..." (Scrambler) "Row, row, row, your boat..." (jchalker) Yike, I was just thrown out! Can anybody hear me? I was just disconnected while typing. (Morpheus) Yep. We hear you 5X5 (*Bashful) We are waiting for you to take the break you requested! (Lorna) (Bash is abusing his keyboard again!) (*Bashful) We all took a pause so you could have the break you wanted Jack. (jchalker) Okay, gang, if this is a break I'm taking it but I'll be back in 3 minutes. (Sapphire) Have fun! (Rick) "There once was a girl from Nantucket.." (Darkside) Rick, why does everyone always choose Nantucket for those. Why not Delaware? (Rick) 'Cause I can't rhyme anything naughty with 'Delaware'! *Grin* (XoYo) Rick, You're not trying hard enough, then. ;) (Darkside) Rick, underwear? *SNAP* (Morgan) How about underwear Rick? :) (Rick) Not sure I wanna (touch) that one! *GRIN* (Scrambler) Hey, you can leave a mark doing that! (Morgan) *Heh Heh* Darkside great minds think alike, unfortunately so do simple ones! :) (TgDon) *Heavy drums banging* (nanomage) "There was a young lady from Delaware..." "Who liked to flounce in her underwear..." (Darkside) "Who when she walked caused quite a stare..." "Little did she know, When walking in the snow. People could see her BARE!" (Rick) I always knew this group was warped, but until today, seeing this collection of really (bad) poetry, I never realized HOW warped!!!! (HeatherJean) Has there ever been a limerick written that could be considered (good) poetry? (nanomage) Heather, mathematicians write great limericks! (Syl) "Going bare in Delaware..." (Scrambler) "With smelly underwear?" (Syl) "And everyone would stare." (Scrambler) "For it was more than they could bear!" (XoYo) *Watches the creation of a fifty line limerick in disbelief* ;) (Morgan) *Heh heh* XoYo :) (*Bashful) Derriere belongs somewhere too! (Darkside) Vickie Tern once wrote me a TG poem in the style of Dr. Seuss. (*Julie) I loved it! (Tira) Wow! All the stars of TG fiction are here today! (*Bashful) Where, who? (Chrissy) Time for you to do that strip Bashful. (*Bashful) Oops, gotta go to the men's room, be back soon! (CarrieG) A strip show intermission, eh? (Nostrumo) Here and now! (BDerksen) I wonder if these interludes will be included in the transcripts posted to the list. :) (*Anne-Mal) I include everything in the logs! (nanomage) "There was a Cd'er in Delaware, who got tied to the bed with her underwear..." (Tira) *Takes pictures of all the writers here* *SNAP* *SNAP* *SNAP* ;-) (Morgan) Oh oh! :) (CarrieG) *Poses* (BDerksen) Oh dear. *Waves to the listies* :) (*Julie) *Poses for picture* (CarrieG) *Removes blouse* (Lorna) Who brought that d**d camera into the Ladies Room!!! (Tira) *Watches Carrie and gets a camcorder* (Chrissy) Yay! Carrie is stripping now that Bashful chickened out. :) (CarrieG) *Pulls down zip on back of skirt...* (*Julie) Go Carrie Go! + Mindy has arrived. (CarrieG) *Oops!* (*Bashful) Durn it! (CarrieG) *Ahem* (Tira) Carrie don't stop! Goddesses like you, should be seen! (Chrissy) Mum's here! (Nostrumo) *Jumps into a corner and hides* (Scrambler) Hi Mom. (Regal) Yay, Mindy! (XoYo) *Realizes too late that his flies are undone.* Oh dear! (Nostrumo) Is she looking? (Mindy) Hello if the group is interested, this is the highest all rooms have been 51, this room is at 46. (TgDon) Make that 52 and 47 Mindy! (Darkside) Wow we broke the 50 barrier, not the server. Hooray! (jchalker) Anybody here? I was thrown out and couldn't get back in for several minutes. (TgDon) Welcome back, Mr. Jack. (Morpheus) Howdy doo! (jchalker) Now it's locking up again. (Scrambler) Bang your head on it, maybe that will help, it does for me sometimes. (Tira) Welcome Back Mr. Chalker. (Morgan) Hi Jack. :) (Nostrumo) *Scratches the chin* (Dove) In The WONDERLAND GAMBIT, I can accept that the ending was..., inevitable. But did you have an ultimate "true" reality originally in mind or did you start off with a Vedantic image to begin with? (jchalker) Back to Q&A. The true solution to WONDERLAND GAMBIT is as clear there as it is in any of my books but it's not the one you think. That's why the coin at the end. The only thing I didn't do was have somebody spell it out. Instead, I had a construct spell out an obviously false situation after you should already know the truth. This was, after all, my Phil Dick homage. (Dove) Then was the truth that there was no ultimate reality? (jchalker) Oh, no. Those are real people in a real situation, and a sad one. You have to deduce it yourself, though. (Jean_Rea) Do you see us humans as a species reaching Verner Vinge's "Singularity" (Godlike control of ourselves and this universe), and what comes after? (jchalker) I don't think we're going to reach near Godhead, no. And I think we'd be intolerable if we did. I mean, remember the Markovians of the Well World. They got so bored they started over! (Sapphire) These days, it seems that to get on the stores bookshelves, you have to have either a movie or TV tie-in. Are we going to see a Chalker Star Trek, or something else in that vein? Would you LIKE to do something in some one else's "backyard"? (jchalker) I turn down stuff in other folks' backyards. I turned down STAR WARS, believe it or not. But I'd love for Hollywood to play in mine. It would solve my money woes.... How bad is it getting? Del Rey just fired all the book and fiction editors and kept the media ones. (Nostrumo) How does your American Background influence your work? Would it be different if you were British or French? (jchalker) Oh, sure it would be different if I weren't born and raised in the US. How could it not be so? On the other hand, I am what I am in this case. It should be noted that some of my favorite SF authors were British. Eric Frank Russell, James White, several more. The only US author who is a clear influence is Phil Farmer. (Nostrumo) I would rather know how the language has influenced you. (jchalker) Language. Hard to say. Since my style is a reflection of how I speak and think, I assume it would be quite different but you never know. Certainly I would be different if I didn't write in English. As the one tongue that steals all the other tongues, it has the richest choice of word weapons. (Nostrumo) Have you ever read some of your translations? (jchalker) Yes, I read the German ones, but the problem is that I'm functional in German, not FLUENT. By this I mean I can tell it's all there but I can't get a feel for the style. Languages have always been my bane. I can read them, but I can't THINK in them, except English. (Nostrumo) Danke! :) (Morgan) Jack, what inspired and maintained your use of Transgendered themes in your writing? (jchalker) We kind of opened with this question. It's fun, it's a useful tool, and it is something nobody else in the field was using. It's also just as good in and for itself (i.e. sexual roles, identity, etc.) and as a metaphor for a lot of things. (Morgan) Why is it useful? (jchalker) To explain its usefulness I'd have to start giving you a course in craft which is beyond our short bursts here. But it is the most accessible radical change you can give to a reader. (Morgan) Ah, yes, that helps explain things. (*Bashful) Is there a market out there for selling short stories to magazines? Not a living but a fair return on the time invested? (jchalker) Not much of a market, and that's a shame. Some great things can only be done in the short fiction form. But there's really few magazines and the rest of the market, original anthologies, is generally open to established writers only. That doesn't mean you shouldn't tell the story at its best length. Only that you might have to wait a bit to see it in print. (Morpheus) How did you initially become involved in writing? (jchalker) I've always been involved in writing of one sort or another. I am part of the last generation of SF/fantasy writers who grew out of SF fandom, an international movement that began in the Thirties. I did reviews in fanzines when I was only 11, and was publishing a semi-pro magazine at 14. I also founded a small press and did ghostwriting until finally deciding now or never in the mid-Seventies. (Zach) Hi Jack. I'm English and I find it almost impossible to find your work over here, is that because of general lack of interest, or something to do with the publishers, or something else? (jchalker) Well, it's the same problem. All the publishers got eaten by other publishers so there's few left for the same number of titles.... You CAN get the American editions from Andromeda Bookshop mail order from Birmingham if you need a "fix." Addendum: about 75% of my books are currently out of print in English. We keep working on it. (Tira) I just wanted to say hello Mr. Chalker. I wanted to say I love your books and own all of them but 'The Unauthorized Biography of Scrooge McDuck! I have some of the first release Paper Backs of your novels. *Sweats and has been waiting since she was 18 to meet Chalker* Will you ever be releasing any new stories in the future? (jchalker) Yes, I have a novel just out this week, another due in Feb., and yet another in April. (Tira) Thank you for answering Mr. Chalker. Bye and thank you Mr. Chalker. *Runs off to buy the new book* (Regal) Many of us here are fans of transformation stories. From your books, do you have a favorite transformation or favorite story line? One you really were satisfied with or just liked a lot? (jchalker) Oh, I'm reasonably satisfied with most of my books or I wouldn't send them in, but I think in the transgender area IDENTITY MATRIX is probably my favorite. (Dove) How do you feel about having so many transgendered fans? (jchalker) Dove, good grief! What makes you think I wouldn't expect a large transgendered following? It's almost inevitable. Just keep buying the books! (Lorna) Has the explosion in e-commerce (e.g., Amazon.com) had any noticeable impact on the hardcover market? (jchalker) Actually, the problem with e-tailer bookstores is that they are sources only for people who are already your fans. The idea of those pretty covers is to attract NEW readers, and if you're not on the stands they aren't going to take a chance on you on Amazon.com! For the internet, we need heavy, heavy word of mouth and the arena's too big. (Lorna) Figured as much. Thanx. (allen1900) What are the chances that mid-list authors band together and published directly via Amazon.com and other On-line bookstores? Bypassing New York Publishing Houses some day... (jchalker) It's easy to do now. There's a system called Lightning Print among others that can actually print as few as Quantity One of a title and bind and ship it... The trouble is, again, you can't get it on the stands and your public has to know that it exists. That means heavy promotional $$$. The problem isn't publishing a book. It's promoting and distributing it. (nanomage) On demand publishing? Fantastic! (jchalker) On demand publishing is for real now. Several companies are heavily into it and even some distributors like Ingram. On demand may be the way to go for backlist titles like SOUL RIDER but there's no front money to pay the mortgage. (SirLee) Well, about the stories that happen abroad, how much research do you do on geography, culture etc.? (Being a Brazilian, that interests me). By the way, how did the Brazil references get started? (jchalker) The only reason for Brazil is that Nathan is named Brazil. VERY late in the series I just thought it would be fun to take him there. I actually like Brazil a lot, and wish I could get back there. It's been 20 years. (*Anne-Mal) Before we get the next question, everyone say something so the chat server doesn't throw you off! (Tess) k! (Darkside) Done it already. (Andrew) Hello! (Morpheus) Something. (nanomage) Nice ta be here. (Bob-L) Too late. (XoYo) Frink! (*Bashful) Something. (Regal) Moo. (CarrieG) 100% kick off! (Lorna) Smoochee Pecks! (sue) Already hit the mark, I'm good to go! (BDerksen) *Ping* (TgDon) Lada. (Regal) Say hello to Eva! (HeatherJean) Something. (Raven) Something. (jmac) Hello Mr. Chalker. (raaj) Hi! (*Julie) *Salutes* (Lee) Something. (TgDon) Ni hao! (Nostrumo) *?H* (ragar) Faboo! (jchalker) My responses are not showing up. We may be at the practical end of this, folks. It's been locking up and then throwing me off even when I'm doing a lot of the talking! (Chrissy) If you could be a character in one of your stories, which story would that be and which character? (jchalker) Oh, I may be tall and fat but the closest to me psychologically is almost certainly Nathan Brazil. Besides, insufferable as he can be, it would be a lot of fun to be him. Of course, I'm ALL my characters, so what does THAT mean? Good character writing is like method acting. You have to get inside the character, be it male, female, or Rigellian. (Lana) You mentioned IDENTITY MATRIX is there any chance of a sequel? (jchalker) I'm often asked about a sequel to IDENTITY MATRIX, but, the fact is, there are some books that say just what they have to say just right and a sequel would only rehash and diminish the original. (Lana) Which of your books would you like to see on the "big screen?" (jchalker) Oh, I'd love to see the WELL WORLD up there, now that computer graphics are that good. And I wouldn't mind most of the others, either! (Morpheus) My question is a two parter and was touched upon earlier by Regal. Out of all your works, which one are you proudest of? And which of your works do you feel that you might have done better with, if any? (jchalker) One big one, MIDNIGHT AT THE WELL OF SOULS, and a little known one, DANCERS IN THE AFTERGLOW, I think are among my best. IDENTITY MATRIX, too... I'm not going to discuss the books that might have been better off not written but I had to eat. (Raven) Will there be any gender changes in MOREAU FACTOR? (jchalker) I'm trying to think. I don't believe there are any gender changes, but there are some pretty radical ones. My tool of choice is transformation, gender is only part of that. (TgDon) Mr. Chalker, I haven't really read that much of your work, but I was deeply impressed by the IDENTITY MATRIX. (jchalker) I always liked IDENTITY MATRIX, too. And it's remained in print so I must have done it right. (TgDon) I was wondering if there is anything specific that you would have wanted to change if you had the chance? Anything you were not satisfied at all with? (jchalker) There are always a few niggling little details, but nothing major. (Nostrumo) Your popularity's is not the type on the Bestsellers list, but you have been around quite a while. How do you deal with that. (jchalker) Well, the bestseller list is mostly decided upon beforehand and is based on marketing. Much of the bestseller list is long gone and forgotten since it is based not on how many books are sold but how many are sold QUICKLY. Until recently, most of us sold more than the bestsellers, but now they will not keep us in print. That is why we are suffering. The people running things now in publishing only want quick returns, they don't care about books and rarely read. Final example on this: MIDNIGHT AT THE WELL OF SOULS, 2.6 million in English, 5 million worldwide. (Nostrumo) I see, Thanks. (jmac) Which book did you have make the most editorial changes to get published? and the least? (jchalker) MIDNIGHT, oddly enough, had a number of dictated changes, as did THE RIVER OF DANCING GODS. Most of my books are just as I wrote them, though. In fact, the current Del Rey ones don't even seem to have been read by anybody there... (Lorna) You do "Con"s regularly, but how often do you on-line chat with fans? Since we're a somewhat atypical group (in our own minds at least), has this Q&A been any less 'stock' than others? (jchalker) Actually, this is quite typical, and I do it often when I'm asked. As for unusual, you have no idea.... (Lorna) Maybe we do. (jchalker) I have been a part of the science fiction live conference on Delphi every Wednesday night since 1985. Now THAT can be a weird group. People log on expecting to hear us talking SF or books and there's Gardner Dozois comparing the quality of dog farts. And you really think you have an idea? (BillHart) I would think dog farts vary greatly in quality. (jmac) LOL (*Anne-Mal) Have you ever considered having a book club, that puts out your books like Harlan Ellison? In other words, special limited editions, so that fans can get your works first? (jchalker) Harlan's book club is Harlan and his wife. He has a cult following, but it's not enough. Without the TV stuff, the college lectures, and B5 payments Harlan would have gone broke in the past decade, and I know him well. (*Anne-Mal) But it does help, any I know that many of us, (ME!), would love to be a part of it. (jchalker) When we set up our instant print for backlist, I'll let everybody know! (*Anne-Mal) (Well some of us don't need a back list!) (nanomage) I think you could set up a minor religion yourself Jack. (jchalker) Yeah, well, on the religion front, I've seen what SF authors can set up and I think I'll stay out. (AndyH) Mr. Chalker, what and who do you read when you read for fun? (jchalker) What do I read for fun? I used to read SF and fantasy but now it's kind of like a busman's holiday to do it. I read a lot of history, a lot of biography, and a lot of books on science and new frontiers. (nanomage) History is a very good place to find the future. (jchalker) Well, I'm a Ph.D. in History, the History of Ideas (isms and ologies). Shows you what good a Ph.D. in history is, huh? (*Bashful) Piled higher and deeper? (PH.D.) (jchalker) Well, history and religion have two things in common. Everybody thinks they're an expert in them and everybody's wrong. (Chrissy) Offending everybody or starting up arguments. (nanomage) I'll just stay an amateur nanomechanic and sometime writer. (*Anne-Mal) That is the 7 questions that I had in the queue, we can open it up, if you have the time Jack? (jchalker) Maybe a few more minutes, but then I'll have to leave. Getting near dinner and I have to go fetch it! (*Anne-Mal) Okay it is open chat, remember that Jack is still in the spotlight! (sue) What type of computer system do you use these days for your writing? (jchalker) Pentium III. Lately I've been writing in Framemaker which is like using an atomic bomb to kill flies. I can't say more about the system since I build my own computers. (SirLee) Well, Framemaker HAS to be better than MS-Word, it can't possibly be any more cantankerous. (HeatherJean) LOL! I still write pay copy using WordStar 3.3 (Syl) Jack, given the chance, would you undergo temporary transformation into, say a girl, or an alien? (BillHart) Having just finished reading THE SEA IS FULL OF STARS, when will Del Rey be publishing the sequel? (jchalker) One at a time. Sequel is April 2000. As for temporary transformations, I think everybody would be curious to be the other sex, all the way, for a while, just to see the other viewpoint. Aliens? We'll see. (Syl) Ok, thanks! (Dove) Jack, thank you for coming to this chat. I've only recently been introduced to your work but I've thoroughly enjoyed the novels I've read so far and am eager to read more. Also, I really liked DANCE BAND ON THE TITANIC. (jchalker) DANCE BAND's intro needs updating, but the title story of that name is my all-time favorite of my own work. (TgDon) Jack, are any of your characters in your works patterned after friends or family? (jchalker) Very little in the friends and family area, but they are composites of real people, or at least they usually are. (Morpheus) Personally, I think A WAR OF SHADOWS would make for a good movie. (jchalker) WAR OF SHADOWS was optioned 6 times to the movies, got to preproduction once, never made. (Morpheus) Too bad. It would be the easiest to translate over to the screen. (Stephanie) Do you think people concentrate too much on the transformations some of your work has in exclusion to all else? (jchalker) Yes, I DO think people hang up too much on transformations, but, then again, it makes a certain segment uncomfortable and if I can do that I'm happy. It's funny. I do a transformation novel everybody says "Not again!" I do one without and everybody says, "Hey! Do transformations!" (Syl) We're definitely in the DO transformations group! ;) (nanomage) We are in the "keep writing" group! (Syl) Jack, have you ever considered working with computer games, RPGs, etc.? I mean, many of your stories seem ideal plots for games. (jchalker) As to computer games, sold the WELL to a game company and never heard from it again. Nobody else has been interested. I'm not stopping them, they aren't buying. (Noel) What was with the ending to the Wonderland Gambit series? (jchalker) The ending is a true Phil Dick ending, as promised. The REAL solution is there, I just make you work to get it. (*Anne-Mal) Any chance of seeing more of Joe and Irving? (jchalker) Joe and Irving have another book but the company that controls that doesn't want it. Says you don't, either. (jchalker) Okay, gang. I have 5:38 on my Eastern time watch. Got to cut at 5:45. Okay? I got a wife and 8 year old here screaming "Dinner! Dinner!" (*Anne-Mal) Okay I will keep time! (Lana) Thanks, Mr. Chalker! Cool website BTW! :) (nanomage) Been great seeing you again, we must do this more than once a decade or so! (Mindy) Your wife or family ever question all your gender change characters? (jchalker) No, not MY family. I always wondered how my kids would take it, but the one that is in college loves the books (or says he does or maybe he doesn't get tuition) and thus all's well. My wife married me AFTER. (Dove) Jack, is there any particular work of yours that you want people to read more? (Regal) How is Eva? (jchalker) I want people to read ALL my work. As for Eva, she's fine but hungry. (Morpheus) I do get a little tired of seeing them reprint all your old works that I already have instead of the new ones. (jchalker) Well, they're not reprinting a lot any more, all the stuff coming out now is "new." (Morpheus) Glad to see so many coming out soon. (Andrew) Thank you for taking the time to talk to us, Mr. Chalker. All the best to you and your family. (*Bashful) Thanks for sharing your experience and wisdom with us Jack! (*Anne-Mal) What are your next convention appearances? (jchalker) I make a number of SF conventions a year, but nobody's invited me for 2000. Next scheduled one won't be until Baltimore in April, Balticon. Although we may go nuts and do Pittsburgh in February if the roads are decent. (HeatherJean) Yes, thank you for joining the chat, Jack, and enjoy your dinner :D (TgDon) Wonderful time with you I had Mr. Chalker. (Lorna) *Bowing most humbly* Thanx ever so much talking with us, Jack. Please come back soon!! (Morpheus) Thanks for coming! (jchalker) Glad to be here and glad to make it this time! We'll talk again in the future. (BDerksen) Thanks for coming. :) (*Anne-Mal) My clock says two minutes, any final thoughts? (TgDon) Thank you for showing up for us meek, humble TG crazed chatterboxes! :) (Noel) Thanks! (Mindy) On behalf of everybody a special thanks for taking the time to be with us today and a special thanks to Anne-Mal for putting this together. (Chrissy) I second that. Thanks Anne-Mal. (*Julie) *Bowing to Anne* (Andrew) Three cheers for Anne! (Regal) Very informative chat. Thank you very much. (Chrissy) My thanks for taking time out to speak with us. Good health to you and your family. (sue) Thanks so much for chatting with us, Jack. I hope you still get out and see ferries from time to time.. (XoYo) Thank you for your time, Mr. Chalker. (*Julie) Thanks for taking time out of your busy day to chat with us. (nanomage) Remember to send jack a copy of the chatlog! (Sapphire) Thank you so very much! (jchalker) Anybody in the Baltimore, MD area, I attend the Baltimore SF Society regularly. Drop by. I founded the group. Everybody else, see you however we can. (sue) I'm in the DC area.. (jchalker) DC area? Drop by. 2nd & 4th Saturdays. 410-JOE-BSFS. (Dove) I just moved to Seattle. :( (*Anne-Mal) Thank you very much! You have made our year! (jchalker) Goodbye folks. Got to feed everybody. Come by www.jackchalker.com. (TgDon) Yes, we must give a standing ovation for Anne-Mal as well as our guest of honor, Mr. Chalker! (*Bashful) Bye Jack! (Mindy) Thanks again! (TgDon) *Stands and claps* (Darkside) Bye Jack and thanks! (Lorna) Bye Sir! Best Wishes and Happy Holiday!! (Chrissy) Bye Jack. (*Julie) Hip, hip, hooray!! (CarrieG) *Claps* (jchalker) And now, exit, stage left! - jchalker just left. And it was over! (Except for the After Chat which I will post later!)