Ask Jim Questions - Today!

[KurtinStGeorge]

What follows is copied directly from Jim Butcher's long dormant twitter feed:

My name is Jim Butcher and I write stories.  Ask me anything, Friday at 12:30pm Mountain Time on Reddit!
12:39 PM - 31 May 2018

Just a guess on my part, but Jim must be very, very close to wrapping up Peace Talks; or maybe he's finished and will announce it officially today, seeing as Jim must know he will be asked "how much longer?"

What I really want to suggest is that if your able to do so, now would be a good time to ask Jim some deep questions that he might answer.  Something less obvious and direct as "who fixed Little Chicago?" or overasked like "Why did you choose Chicago to set the story in?"  I have to work Friday afternoon so I'm counting on you guys to ask some interesting questions only members of this forum could come up with.  Sorry I wasn't able to post this earlier, but I just got in on a late flight from Los Angeles and am about to hit the sack.     

[Con]

What does Vadderung know that Anduriel doesn't?

[WereElephant]

Who were the first wizards? Was mortal magic use kicked off by Zoroaster?

[Quantus]

Is Vadderung any less powerful or less of an Immortal for spending so much time on Earth, or is he just at a higher risk?

[Kindler]

I don't do Reddit. Can we elect a representative to copy/paste a bunch of questions? I'll post a few of my own here.

1. How much of Bob's personality when he was with Harry is a result of his time with Justin? Did Harry know what Bob was when he dug him out of the ruins of Justin's house? Basically, was Justin as much a d-bag as Harry claims, or was he more like Harry than he's willing to admit?
2. Where did Elaine's pentacle amulet come from? Did she inherit it from her parents, did she make it, or did she pick it up somewhere?
3. Is Cowl's true identity a named character we've already met?
4. Does black magic have its origins from the Outside? Does the Blackstaff function similarly to the Outer Gates in that regard?
5. Was William the Conqueror the last Starborn running around, and was Hastings/the rest of the Norman invasion actually a Winter/Summer Fae Conflict played out with mortal cats-paws?
6. Was the Battle of Stamford Bridge the last attempt Odin made to hang onto guarding the Outer Gates? (Also, is the story of the berserker true, and, if so, did his descendants start an auto repair shop called the Full Moon Garage?
7. You said Lash would be in Ghost Story; was she the Fallen whispering in Harry's ear during the reveal near the end, or was her appearance somewhere else? (This should settle some debates here).
8. Is Harry going to be a Helicopter Dad? Will he make a bunch of charms and enchanted items to protect Maggie? Or will he learn from Eb's example?
9. When can we expect to see Agent Tilly again?


Cinder Spires
1. Is this set on Earth, on some distant planet eons in the future, or in an alternate universe entirely (similar to Alera)?
2. Silkweavers aren't Vord, right?
3. Are you planning on adding short stories to this canon, or are you going to stick to novels only?
4. What causes ironrot?

[Kindler]

Just a guess on my part, but Jim must be very, very close to wrapping up Peace Talks; or maybe he's finished and will announce it officially today, seeing as Jim must know he will be asked "how much longer?"

While I desperately hope this is true, I think it's a publisher-requested commitment to help promote Brief Cases. I recall Jim stating in one of the AMAs that he doesn't have any control over it, it's set up by his people.

Still, they've got to know that any fan rabid enough to participate in an AMA is going to be frothing at the mouth for Peace Talks news, so who knows?

As a side note, is anyone going to any of the Brief Cases signings? I'm thinking about heading to the one in Manhattan, but I'm out on Long Island, and it's a bit of a hike.

[Quantus]

He's mentioned that a "Saint" is a type of mortal champion that is discinct from the Knights of the Cross.  What are they, exactly?

[WereElephant]

Is Ferrovax responsible for guiding mortal technology (tie in via the term ferromancy)?
Was Mother Winter ever mortal?
Will Ramirez ever have any luck with women?
Why did Harry not take the noose away from Nicodemus when he had the chance in either Death Masks or Small Favor?
Is nuclear technology purely a mortal, physical thing, or does radiation have a magical component, like fire and water do?
Are there any other Black Court Elders left apart from Mavra?
Kringle exists. Does Krampus?
Cowl used the incantation "Dorosh" in Dead Beat. Was this a reference to the sorcerer character in Pan Voyevoda?

[TheCuriousFan]

It's live, gogogo

[Quantus]

[SerScot]

I'm very curious about the status of Peace Talks

[Kindler]

For anyone who's been waiting:

My goal is to have it in the can before I get married in September.

Three more months of Winter.

Specifically where he is:

Now, finally, I've got a house, and as soon as I'm not promoting Brief Cases I will be kicking of the big middle scene of Peace Talks, and then all I have to do is write the roller coaster to the end of the story.

[jonas]

He's mentioned that a "Saint" is a type of mortal champion that is discinct from the Knights of the Cross.  What are they, exactly?

...Was St. Patrick's curse actually intended as a way of containing something, in his own descendants?
*sigh* I can't come up with anything offhand he's likely to answer.

[magnuskn]

I finally got my question answered. Not with an answer I was expecting, but, hey, after four years I'm just happy it finally happened. 

[Ananda]

Specifically where he is:

Now, finally, I've got a house, and as soon as I'm not promoting Brief Cases I will be kicking of the big middle scene of Peace Talks, and then all I have to do is write the roller coaster to the end of the story.

Hihi... that’s fancy way of saying he’s nearly halfway done. ;P I hope he spends time in the editing process instead of rushing at this point as that has been a big weakness of his releases; lack of good editing.