An Interview Of Yours Truly By Author William Dietz, With Input From David Drake!

I was recently interviewed by William C. Dietz, adventure fiction author extraordinaire, about the miniatures industry.

The interview request via email was a bolt out of the blue. I knew I had heard that name before, and with a little googling, I realized the magnitude of who it was, deigning to communicate with little-old-me.

Holy -EXPLETIVE DELETED-!


This was THE William C. Dietz. The guy who wrote the Legion series of science fiction novels, among many, many others. He's done Star Wars novels. Mass Effect. HALO. The man is heavy hitter, to say the least.

Holy -EXPLETIVE DELETED-!

And he wanted to interview me. The nobody who sculpts minis on a computer!


Holy -EXPLETIVE DELETED-!

Needless to say, I was floored. The interview was via email, so I had a chance to measure out my words, and answer the questions without sounding too much like the yammering buffoon I am in real life. At least I hope so.

The questions ranged from licensing deals to methods of production, and how authors could safeguard their property when dealing with miniatures manufacturers.

I gave him the straight dope, as I have experienced the business for the last twelve years or so. Khurasan, Rebel, Critical Mass, all got nicely-placed mentions. The big dogs in the industry as well; Reaper, GW, Privateer Press, DP9, among others.

I hope I didn't overstate the point, but I really wanted to convey a message that was free of rose-colored fantasy. My focus was blunt, but honest: Nobody really gets rich doing this. It's more for the love of seeing your vision become reality on the tabletop.

When it came to licensed properties, I mentioned in passing how David Drake, the godfather of futuristic military fiction, had made a deal with Ground Zero Games and Old Crow in the UK to bring Hammer's Slammers to the gaming masses. I didn't think much of it, and turned my answers back into Mr. Dietz to edit and publish.

So what does Mr. Dietz do?

He does a follow-up, supplemental interview with David Drake, the man himself, to confirm my mumblings. I saw the addendum when I saw the review copy of the column.

My words were on the same page as this guy.

What came out of my mouth next, was, you guessed it...

"Holy -EXPLETIVE DELETED-!"

I've been a fan of David Drake's since I was in high school over twenty years ago. The man is an icon.

His answers seemed to confirm my own, that minis was a labor of love by true fans, and that he enjoyed the company of gamers and game industry folks. It was a very cool thing to put in print.

Well, I'll stop the frothing fanboy treatment, but needless to say, I was in heaven from my brush with greatness, rubbing figurative elbows with two titans of modern science fiction.

Click here to download a PDF of the interview. It's about 2 Megs.

My thanks to Mr. Dietz and Drake for a memorable experience.

Enjoy the interview.

Best,
John Bear Ross