Hey Brandon, thanks for doing this AMA! I am a huge fan of your writing, and love how you seem to understand that a good story does not have to be completely unique. What really irritates me about a lot of modern scifi is a lot of the new stories coming out seem to to try so hard for “uniqueness” that they literally do not copy anything that has been done before. When in fact by leaving out these “common” elements their story really suffers IMO. As a sucker for epic fantasy with great character development I thank you for putting books out that inspire me.
Lastly, have you ever considered writing a superhero-esque type book? I love the way you flesh out your characters, and I know it may be a little one dimensional for your tastes, but I feel you have a gift for taking something simple and making it complex, yet eloquent. (Also I know my grammar sucks so I hope you do not to cringe too much when/if you read this lol)
Everyone has their own “ideal” when it comes to the balance between the familiar and the innovative. My goal is almost always to walk right down the middle, some familiar tropes, some innovation. Those were the stories I enjoyed the most reading.
Regarding superheroes, as has been mentioned, watch for Steelheart . The premise is that people start gaining super-powers, but only evil people get them.
Thanks for reading!
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