Bob:
Here's a curveball of sorts. I've begun asking all of the visiting authors the ten questions that James Lipton asks his guests on Bravo's " Inside the Actors Studio" at the end of their interview.The results have been , shall we say, interesting! 
Paul
1. What is your favorite word?
2. What is your least favorite word?
3. What turns you on in life?
4. What turns you off?
5. What sound do you love?
6. What sound do you hate?
7. What is your favorite curse word?
8. What profession, other than yours, would you like to attempt?
9. What profession would you not like to do?
10. If heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the pearly gates?
Okay, back to the novel...
1. The Ghost King is adventure fantasy at its very best – the sequences towards the novel's end between Drizzt, the Companions of the Hall, and the dracolich were downright epic. There's a powerful apocalyptic element as well but, above all else, The Ghost King is a love story... or at the very least a novel about the transcendental power of love. Am I right?
2. I listened to those Fleetwood Mac tunes before I read the last few chapters. You can absolutely see the Stevie Nicks-esque inspiration there. It was beautiful. I teared up, I'll admit it. What kind of music do you typically listen to when writing? Or does it vary from book to book?
3. For me, a hugely significant theme in The Ghost King was dealing with the question: "what is a hero?" There was a passage towards the middle of the book where Drizzt was contemplating that very question:
"If you set up a target thirty strides away and assemble the hundred best archers in any given area to shoot at it, they'd all hit the mark. Add in a bet of gold and a few would fall away, to the hoots of derision from their fellows.
But now replace the target with an assassin, and have that assassin holding at dagger-point the person each successive archer most loves in the world. the archer now has one shot. Just one. If he hits the mark – the assassin – his loved one will be saved. If he misses the assassin, it is certain doom for his beloved.
A hero will hit the mark. Few mere archers would.
That is the extra quality involved, the ability to hold poise and calm and rational thought no matter how devestating the consequences of failure, the ability to go to that place of pure concentration in times most emotionally and physically tumultuous. Not just once and not by luck. The hero makes that shot.
The hero lives for that shot..."
(Sorry about the long quote but I love it!) Isn't this excerpt the character of Drizzt in a nutshell? Isn't it the whole saga in a nutshell?
4. At the risk of asking one of those "Duh!" questions, why call this trilogy Transitions? Does it have anything to do with this quote from The Ghost King – "We live in a dangerous world, and one that seems more dangerous now that the way of magic is in transition, or perhaps even collapse..."
Thanks!
Paul
Vance_Avalon wrote:
Bob (wow it is strange to call you that),
I have just started the Pirate King and have loved your Drizzt books for the last, nearly 2 decades. I actually had the pleasure of meeting you several years ago when you were in the Salt Lake City area promoting the book, Attack of the Clones. I cherish the book you signed for me.
I really like that you have taken Cattie-Brie towards the magic arts. I always felt that is where she should have been from the beginning and suddenly, she is training with the Lady of Silverymoon herself (and having been bequeathed a magic item from the Lady, a ring of shooting stars).
Did you take Cattie-Brie in this direction to possibly keep her around in some magical way for this 100 year jump forward?
Jack the Gnome was a great character too, was sad to see him go, but he played his mischievous role.
Do you see any other characters of his type in the future of your books?
When you were in the Salt Lake City area, I asked you about Jarlaxle (before the Sellswords). You looked at the ceiling, sighed, and after a pause, said something like, "Jarlaxle...ya, he is an interesting character." You left it there; although it wasn't a descriptive answer, I could see there was something there and a few years later, there were more books on Jarlaxle and Entreri.
Do you plan on continuing this duo anytime in the future?
Ever since the 3rd edition to D&D came out, I was enamored with the art of Todd Lockwood and wished he would do the art for your books. I soon found he had done a few things for you (the first Servant to the Shard, Spine of the World, and the Silent Blade). While creative, I knew that there were more exciting and dramaitic, action scenes he could do a fabulous job on. I wrote Todd and asked if he was going to do any more Drizzt works and he promptly responded that he was working on one at that point in time.
Since then, he has done bookcovers for all of your Drizzt/Jarlaxle books. This is incredibly thrilling for me, for I always thought that a merge of my favorite fantasy author and favorite fantasy artist would be a dream come true.
Do you plan on using Todd Lockwood in the future (I pray, yes)?
Vance:
I can respond to a few questions for you right now – the questions regarding Catti-Brie are answered in The Ghost King but I don't want to ruin anything for you so that's all I'll say! 
Paul
