AMA with the author (Lincoln Cole)

Lincoln · Post by **Lincoln** » 06 Apr 2017, 08:25

kandscreeley wrote: Ha! Or the iconic my cupholder is broken???

Lol, those calls would make me cry myself to sleep. As it is, the sort of work I do has a completely different problem: the applications are very complex, yet the people in charge on the business side of it know nothing about computers. They see something super cool in a phone application from a company like Google or Amazon and say: "we want features like that in our application!". Then, we tell them the price of something like that (not to mention that it takes a much larger team than ours to build) and they go: "what do you mean? It looks so easy!!!!!!"

They want to have the best technology while cutting every corner possible!

Post by **kandscreeley** » 06 Apr 2017, 08:27

I hear you. I think that's a typical corporation for you. They want the best, but they don't want to pay the best. Happens everywhere...

Lincoln · Post by **Lincoln** » 06 Apr 2017, 08:58

kandscreeley wrote:I hear you. I think that's a typical corporation for you. They want the best, but they don't want to pay the best. Happens everywhere...

Yeah, just a fact of corporate life. But, at least my job is fun a lot of the time. I also build applications for fun and try new things. Recently, I started learning how to build Amazon Echo applications (I've published four of them on the Alexa Market) because voice communication is a lot of fun!

Amagine · Post by **Amagine** » 07 Apr 2017, 11:28

When I saw the cover and title of Raven's Peak, it reminded me of Edgar Allan Poe. It was not only the title but also just the dark, haunting image of the raven. Have you read Poe before? Did he influence the book in any way?

Lincoln · Post by **Lincoln** » 07 Apr 2017, 13:44

Amagine wrote:When I saw the cover and title of Raven's Peak, it reminded me of Edgar Allan Poe. It was not only the title but also just the dark, haunting image of the raven. Have you read Poe before? Did he influence the book in any way?

The Raven is one of my favorite stories ever (go figure) and definitely influenced me. I haven't read as much Poe as I would like and still plan to get around to it, but for a while I could recite The Raven entirely from memory. It definitely influenced the cover of the book, and it probably also influenced a little bit of the actual setting and creation of the world.

stoppoppingtheP · Post by **stoppoppingtheP** » 07 Apr 2017, 17:43

Thanks for this question and answer session. I love reading about how authors create great novels. It's sort of like watching a behind the scenes of your favorite movie.

christinac_2585 · Post by **christinac_2585** » 08 Apr 2017, 11:01

I just finished the series and have to say that I think it was great. I couldn't put down any of these books because I was thinking what is going to happen next. Congrats again on an awesome series!

I see that you have a new book coming out Lost in the Shadows and it has Father Paladina in it. Is this a spin off series from the world on fire series? And if so, will it have some of our favorite characters from that series in this new one?

Heidi M Simone · Post by **Heidi M Simone** » 09 Apr 2017, 15:43

Lincoln wrote:
hsimone wrote: That's kind of funny and sweet that your dad printed so many. I think it's amazing that you had so much ambition at such a young age to write a story, even if it wasn't that great.

I think it definitely added more to Haatim's character when he questions his own beliefs. Thank you for sharing!
Thank you so much for your comments! I'm glad you thought it made Haatim a stronger character. I wanted him to be conflicted and sort of find himself, so it is awesome to see that it works a little bit.

I was looking at another discussion question here, and someone brought up the fact that some characters refer to God as a "She". Was this because of what you have said - "it was important to not be like 'the Western God is where this power comes from'" - or is there more to the story in making God a female in Raven's Peak?

I am personally not a big fan of the misogyny in many religions and the way in which leaders use pronouns and identity as a tool in oppression, and I liked the idea that some of the characters in this book might feel that way, too. I wanted for Arthur, in particular, to have sort of formed his own idea of God on his own and for that to have rubbed off on the people around him (like Abigail and Frieda), but I also wanted for the idea to exist in a believable setting (not everyone would refer to God as a 'She' because that's not how most people define God in Western Culture).

Personally, I tend to view God as something that wouldn't have a gender identity and I like the idea that people would define God (or Gods) however best suits them. Hence why Arthur became that kind of character in this book and it sort of stems outward from him. So, in general, there was no major 'story' reason behind the way God is referred to, just a conscious choice to hopefully make the characters unique.

I think it definitely made the characters more unique and it caught my attention. Thank you for sharing your thoughts!

Donnavila Marie01 · Post by **Donnavila Marie01** » 10 Apr 2017, 06:12

I am amazed to know that writing is just during this great author's spare time. How much more if the author takes writing as his fulltime job. Congratulations! Apparently, he will go a long way.

Lincoln · Post by **Lincoln** » 10 Apr 2017, 07:43

christinac_2585 wrote:I just finished the series and have to say that I think it was great. I couldn't put down any of these books because I was thinking what is going to happen next. Congrats again on an awesome series!

Thanks!

christinac_2585 wrote: I see that you have a new book coming out Lost in the Shadows and it has Father Paladina in it. Is this a spin off series from the world on fire series? And if so, will it have some of our favorite characters from that series in this new one?

The new book actually just got a real title! Lost in the Shadows a placeholder and now that it is about 50% done it finally got a real title! I'm hoping to have the cover created soon as well, and then it will probably be loaded up on Kindle Scout like my first couple of books! Anyway, the new title is:

The Everett Exorcism

It is going to be an entirely new three-book series featuring Arthur and Father Paladina (along with another priest) and the series is going to be called World of Shadows. It takes place not long after the events of The Ninth Circle and showcases another deadly threat in the town of Everett, Washington.

Both of these series will form a backdrop and tie into the follow-up book/series after Raven's Rise which is going to pick up right after this series left off.

Post by **kandscreeley** » 10 Apr 2017, 08:45

Wow! I'm amazed at how much you have been able to do. You must be really busy to hold down a job and do all this writing as well!

Lincoln · Post by **Lincoln** » 10 Apr 2017, 08:47

kandscreeley wrote:Wow! I'm amazed at how much you have been able to do. You must be really busy to hold down a job and do all this writing as well!

It is basically where all my free time goes...

Chitopogi · Post by **Chitopogi** » 14 Apr 2017, 01:23

I congratulate you @Lincoln but I would like to ask - why no romance and sex?

Lincoln · Post by **Lincoln** » 14 Apr 2017, 07:23

-I congratulate you @Lincoln but I would like to ask - why no romance and sex?

Thanks! I don't mind reading books with romance and sex, but so much of the market is saturated with those right now that I didn't want to force it. If there is romance in the book, I would rather have it happen organically, and to introduce sex has to be a very specific contract with readers (even romance authors have to be careful before they step back and forth between romance and erotica). I just didn't want to force romance to be a part of the book just because

Post by **bookowlie** » 17 Apr 2017, 10:31

I have enjoyed reading the previous questions and answers. I don't have anything to new to add since the questions I had wanted to ask have already been asked and answered.

I am so impressed that you wrote your first novel at age thirteen. It's great when you discover a lifelong passion at such a young age. I also like that you challenge yourself by trying different genres. Wishing you much success!