Episode 17 << Click to Listen

[Download]

Naomi Novik, author of the Temeraire series, joins us to talk about dragons, fan fiction, and copyright law.

Panel Topic: Dragons

Please follow us on Twitter.

Introduction

0:00 Introduction by Tor.com

0:38 Dave and John introduce the show

Interview: Naomi Novik

03:14 Interview begins

03:28 Being raised on Polish fairy tales, and some of Naomi’s favorite books as a kid

04:40 Naomi’s experience studying English at Brown University

05:58 Why Naomi wanted to be Lois Lane

07:07 Fan fiction in context: what it’s good for and what it’s not

10:14 Programming for Neverwinter Nights, and what it taught her about writing fiction

14:09 Current favorite video games: Dragon Age: Origins and Oblivion

15:05 The process of writing her first book and getting it published

17:20 On living with another writer

18:27 Temeraire series optioned by Peter Jackson

20:27 Temeraire is sometimes referred to as “Master and Commander with dragons”—what Naomi thought of Master and Commander and the comparison

22:07 Naomi’s approach to research: writers, listen up! Some resources: Military Atlas of the Napoleonic Wars; Nelson’s Navy; Life in the Georgian City; Every Man Will Do His Duty

24:09 Travel experiences during research: elephants, horns, and Ethiopian dragons

27:06 The process of creating a dragon

28:22 The Organization for Transformative Works, Naomi’s work as an advocate for fan fiction, and the Archive of Our Own project

33:00 The myth of originality

33:33 Some problems with current Copyright law and the DMCA

36:01 How to support the OTW

36:14 Upcoming projects: Tongues of Servants, due out in July; an appearance at San Diego Comicon; new manga Liberty Vocational

37:25 End of interview

Dave and John talk about dragons

37:25 Here Be Dragons: Dave and John discuss the Strange Horizons article on ancient maps, and the real dragons. Also apparently John is extremely virulent

39:53 Dave Kirtley: Dragon Slayer

40:31 Tolkien’s Smaug, and the challenge of figuring out how to kill him

41:25 The now-customary King’s Quest segment, and taking a dragon down via missile

42:27 D&D’s Dragonlance, and Dave asks you to please get off his lawn again. (Behold the horror of CGA graphics, if you dare!)

44:24 Dragon Warrior

44:48 John discusses Neverwinter Nights and fan-created modules

45:58 More D&D: Pool of Radiance, and Curse of the Azure Bonds

48:36 The problem with dragons in video games

50:27 Loom from Lucas Arts

51:55 What does a Brass Dragon breathe? John undergoes the D&D Dragon Color test

55:10 The existing canon of Hollywood dragon films, and the mixed messages we get from the film How to Train Your Dragon

01:10:02 The future of dragon films, including George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire coming soon from HBO

01:11:56 The Wings of Fire anthology from Night Shade Books

01:13:09 Dave’s dragon story “Blood of Virgins” (also available on Escape Pod)

01:14:02 Other unusual treatments of dragons: Michael Stackpole’sAt the Queen’s Command; A Time for Dragons: A Phillipine Anthology of Draconic Fiction; The Dragon and the Stars

01:16:39 Show wrap-up

Next week: Eric Garcia, author of Repo Men

Thanks for listening!

Show notes compiled by podtern Christie Yant. Friend us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter.