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By Patrick (2007-12-30)
- At this point, how many Deryni novels do you foresee will be required to bring the saga to an end? Have you abandoned the idea of one day managing to write all the Deryni books you envisioned when you started working on the series?
Actually, I don’t so much see an end to the saga as a filling in of blank spots within what I’ve already written. I’m working on the third Childe Morgan book now; but when I finish that-which may or may not actually bring us up to right before the beginning of Deryni Rising-I will probably do the book that covers the events of 948, when so many of our favorite characters die. (Of course, some of them are pretty old by then, so that’s OK.) After that….maybe the story of Orin and Jodotha? Or I might do a tale of Torenth….or the Anvilers. I’ve told several short stories from the other side’s perspective, and rather enjoyed it.
- At the time when THE BASTARD PRINCE was released, you were probably at the height of your popularity. At that point you elected to turn your attention to other writing endeavors. In retrospect, with the Deryni saga being what it was then, would you do it again? Do you feel that you needed to concentrate on other works at that juncture in your career?
I think what has kept the Deryni series fresh-for me, at least, if not all of my readers-is that I have branched out to do other things, given myself rests from the Deryni. I’ve even given myself rests from my characters, by alternating between the characters of Kelson’s time and those of Camber’s time. (And when I wrote Lammas Night, the first non-Deryni novel, it was partially to prove to myself that I could sell things besides medieval fantasy. Who would have guessed that John Graham would later be part of the inspiration for the Adept series?-which I’ve enjoyed immensely.) Besides that, it’s been fun doing other things-so yes, I’d do it again.
- Will you soon be revisiting the characters and events introduced in both The Legends of Camber of Culdi and The Heirs of Saint Camber trilogies?
That would be the book set in 948.:-)
- Some Deryni titles appear to be out of print. Is that the case? If so, have the rights been sold to a new publisher?
For the most part, the books haven’t been out of print; just harder to find. But every time a new one comes out, that’s encouragement for the publishers to re-release previous ones. I believe that’s part of the strategy on the part of Ace to let me do the "author’s cuts" of the first three books-and also to finally make them available in hardcover, since they were originally paperback only, in the dim, dark ages when modern fantasy was just being invented, and no one was sure whether it would fly beyond Tolkien. And yes, I moved publishers with King Kelson’s Bride. I believe it’s Ace’s intention to gradually acquire the rights to all the Deryni series and build up a substantial backlist, in addition to the Adept and Templar books.
- What's next for King Kelson and company?
I’m not certain that I’ll go beyond King Kelson’s Bride, time-wise. He eventually got the right girl, and hopefully they will all live mostly happily ever after. (It didn’t particularly work for Dorothy Sayers, when she tried a story about Lord Peter Wimsey and Harriet Vane after they’d married and produced an heir; but maybe she was generally running out of steam by then.) But another reason I probably wouldn’t do a post-KKB book is because the anti-Deryni menace is becoming increasingly resolved by then-and conflict is part of what makes a good story. Now, 948… 
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