For many years the only chance a fan had of speaking to Terry was to meet him at tour events or conventions.
With the establishment of this website in 2000, Terry began accepting two questions from each fan per month. On the last day of the month, five questions are randomly drawn. Terry answers these five questions and they are posted monthly for your enjoyment.
Below are the questions selected from June 2018 and Terry’s answers! Enjoy!
Note: This section may contain spoilers!
JUNE 2018 ASK TERRY Q&A
Greetings All,
Nearly back from the road with the hardcover release of The Stiehl Assassin, so time to get back to work on ASK TERRY. Sure, we let a few months slip away, but it was all in a good cause – the completion of the final book in the entire Shannara series. Still can’t believe it. In any case, let’s get started:
Candy Zuniga writes: You are such an amazing author, and I love how you catch the reader from the first sentence. What was/is your inspiration for writing? Do you have another series in mind after Shannara?
Terry Brooks replies: I have been writing since I was 10, so probably I write now mostly out of habit. That, and I have no other discernible skills. Really, it is so much fun working out a book, putting all the pieces together, getting everything to fit just so. Hard, yes. But always interesting and enjoyable. I do plan a new epic fantasy series unrelated to anything I have done before and not even like anything I have done before. Fantasy, yes, but a new take.
Josh Marshall writes: I am at a point in my life where I would love to put the stories in my head onto paper, but I am overwrought with feelings of doubt and fear every time I sit down to start. I know that I should be writing for myself, but I would also like to think that others might care what I have to say. I’m married with a full-time job and have a young son, so my time is at a premium most days. My question is that did you ever have those feelings of knowing you have something to say, but you’re afraid no one will care? What drove you to the point where it didn’t matter?
Terry Brooks replies: I have those doubts and fears every single time I sit down to write. They never go away. But after a while, you learn to ignore them. Put them aside and just start writing. The more you write, the easier it will become. Starting is hard, daunting, challenging. But after you write a sentence or two, you sort of get in a flow that propels you along. Just carve out a little time every day for your writing. Writing is habit-forming and needs to be nurtured.
Steve Felton writes: Have you been back to the Big Island? I saw you at a book signing in Hilo, and lived very close to where the current lava flows.
Terry Brooks replies: I was back in Hawaii on the Big Island just last year and will return this year again for Hawaii Comic Con, down in Sheraton Keauhou. Will be there with Eventine (John Rhys-Davie) and others for a fun weekend at the end of October. Hope the lava flows go elsewhere.
Elizabeth writes: I have been looking for hard copies of the Paladins of Shannara set, but with no luck so far. Are they available in print? I don’t use ebook readers.
Terry Brooks replies: All my short fiction, including the ebook shorts in Shannara, will be published in a hardcover collection in October of 2020. You will find everything there you want.
Derek Stannard writes: In The Skaar Invasion, it is mentioned that the Skaar come from the east and that they conquered Eurasia. So would we be right in guessing they are from England?
Terry Brooks replies: Maybe. I leave it to my readers to decide. Where are the Skaar from? Where do they make their home? Let’s run a poll.
All right everyone, that’s it for this batch. Now that I am back in the saddle, so to speak, I shall have the old ones out on a regular basis over the summer.
Stay tuned,
Ask Terry
Please completely fill in the form below and send the two questions you want to ask Terry this month.