Good Morning,

I love the Pern series and I can’t wait for your new book ‘Dragonsblood’ to be published to see what a good job you have done. Also I was upset to find out that the Dragonriders of Pern series was set to be aired sometime around autumn 2000 but nothing has been shown. I also heard the company who was filming has rejected the contract when the series was almost completed.

What I was wondering was if there has been any new information concerning the series and if some one else has accepted the contract is there a set date to when the show will be aired if it is going to be aired at all because I will be gutted if you decide not to make one. I have been wanting to see it on television or the cinema for ages and would almost certainly buy all of your merchandise as I am a complete sucker for dragons and the Dragonriders of Pern series.

Thank you for your time,
Kind Regards,

Jessica

Jessica,

Dragonsblood is due out January 25, 2005. The UK cover is brilliant and it’ll just leap off the shelves.

Mum and I read Chapter Seven from the book at Dragon*con this week and everyone, including ourselves, just balled (it’s a really sad chapter).

I’m afraid that much of what is said about film/TV is pretty garbled. In fact, nothing was produced. Things were started, scripts written, casting begun — and then things fell apart. That often happens in this industry. There have been about many attempts in the last twenty years to bring Pern to either the big or little screen.

Very rarely do writers of books get much control over how their works are transformed for TV or film. That makes a lot of sense because books and TV/film are very different. It’s easy and common to show a person’s internal thoughts and feelings in a book; it’s nigh-on impossible to do the same in a film or TV series — most times when it is tried, it doesn’t work.

Also, the costs of producing a film or TV series are far larger than those required to produce and distribute a book. Because of this, producers and film distributors often rely on certain key elements, elements that may be lacking in quite successful books.

It’d be nice to see Pern brought to the big screen as a series of films, like Harry Potter. I think it’d be a bad idea to make a TV series. That’s because the requirement for a TV series in the States is to sell whatever products are advertised in commercials.

Also, no matter what, your idea of a great Pern film probably won’t be matched by the producer’s idea.

Still, we’re hopeful that someday, maybe sooner than later, there’ll be a Pern film made. And, if it’s successful, maybe more, too!

Cheers,
Todd

This is my first time coming and I spotted a mistake…*feels overly excited*

Well, ahhem, in the FAQ section you said (or typed) Also note that the three-book omnibus, “The Draogonriders of Pern” encompasses Dragonflight, Dragonquest, and The White Dragon.

Draogonriders…

Oh and I was going to say something but I forgot…

I remembered! And since it is my nature to be slightly unusual, I would like to criticize that the UK cover versions of “The Skies of Pern”, “Dragon’s Kin”, and “Dragonsblood” all look really cool. But then the U.S. version looks so uniform and straight. Its devoid of all color except for the white or sky blue boxes and a little symbol thing.

And do not worry about my complaints or that my tendicy to be different reflects about others in the U.S. I am extremely hyper and also have a whole carton of orange juice with calcium powder in it, which tends to make me hyperactive…

Hi Tiffany!

First, my apologies that I edited your original message a bit. I edit messages for bad grammar, and also to protect your privacy. The internet is the largest forum in the world and, as Hagrid pointed out, “not all wizards are good.” Nor all people, sadly.

Thank you for spotting that typo! Ooops.

And you’re very astute regarding the US covers. Sadly, it’s not just Mum’s covers nor my covers that have suffered from the dreaded “marketing and sales” syndromes. Rumor has it that a well-intentioned book buyer at one of the large bookstore chains noticed that books with certain types of covers had higher sales. Wanting to increase sales (which is not a bad thing for publishers or writers, either), this bookbuyer requested that the publishers follow suit.

While I’m grateful to the bookbuyer for his diligence in trying to increase book sales, I must question his/her analysis and conclusions. It might, in fact, not be the book cover at all that made those books bestsellers but the content of the books.

I find that I constantly want to refer to the book cover for some visual cues of the book I’m reading. I regret this current stylized cover choice but really have little power over it.

Please be careful on your intake of sugars. A “sugar rush” can be a really bad thing. Worse, you could condition yourself into diabetes by overwhelming your pancreas’ ability to regulate your sugar levels with insulin. Also remember that a “sugar rush” will always be followed by an energy crash. Not a good thing.

On the other hand, don’t forget the anti-dote to Dementors.

Cheers,
Todd

Dear Mr. McCaffrey

Hi, it’s me again, thanks for the writing tip. I have another question for you. Where did Anne get the idea for “Klah” from. And, is there a real recipie for it?

Who knows, I might try it out some time. By the way, I’ve read all of the “Pern” books so far, and I love them. Tell Anne I said to keep up the good work, ok?

I would email her, but I don’t have email. You keep up the work too, good luck in your writing and computer career. (That is what you do for a living, right?)

Sincerly

Nhorad

Hi Nhorad,

Do me a favor, please call me “Todd.” Mr. McCaffrey is way too formal!

Mum decided on Pern that they wouldn’t have coffee but a substitute for it, which is klah. I believe there’s a recipe for something that tastes like klah in the “Dragonlovers Guide to Pern.”

I’ll be happy to pass on your encouragement to Mum. And yes, I am writing full-time now. I’ll continue to do so as long as there enough people buying the books I write.

Cheers,
Todd

Woot! I’m going to atlanta! Yey. … *silence* Er.. Well good news is I finally decided what books I’ll bring with me! A Gift of Dragons (my mother got it for me it’s special so yeah your mother can sign that if I can get her to and she’s not to tired!) and then Dragon’s kin. *excited* I really should finish packing.

Hi Kathleen!

It was great to meet you at Dragon*con. I’m glad you could come.

Cheers,
Todd