A: I believe my publisher intends for me to tour for THE PATH OF DAGGERS. But I have no idea which cities will be included. As far as conventions go, I attend far fewer than I would like to because three days at a convention are three days I'm not writing.

A: There are some 880 basic words -- maybe 900. I got a list of what is considered basic English, which are the 800 odd words of a basic English vocabulary, removed the words that were of no use in the context of my world, came up with words in the Old Tongue in each of those English words, and then added those words that did have a specific context in my world.

A: About THE PATH OF DAGGERS: nothing. RAFO (Read And Find Out). As far as who I like best, it's whoever I happen to be writing at the moment. I try to get inside the skin of the point-of-view character, whether it's Rand or Nynaeve or Semirhage. As to who I am most like, I think I am probably a combination of Rand, Mat, and Perrin. On the other hand, I'm afraid my wife says that I am Loial.

A: Asmodean went for the long jump in that scene.

A: The hot line at Tor was my idea. And you reminded me -- I have to record a new message. It's been a while since I've recorded one. A lot of what's on that is outdated now, I'm afraid. That is, if you mean the message that I've recorded at Tor Books.

A: When I create a character, I know as much as possible about them -- as much as I can possibly conceive. Characters do not go in directions that I don't expect, because I am the writer, after all. Sometimes I will see a possibility that I didn't expect to use a character in a different way, and I do like to do that, especially if it's something I don't think people will expect.

A: I have approved several fan clubs who wrote to me and asked me to endorse them. I don't approve anybody exclusively. As far as Darrel goes, he was selected by the publisher.

A: The Enlightenment would have been a fine time to live, I think. And there are a few others. But by and large I am happy right where I am -- and when.

A: Certainly not. In the first hundred pages of THE EYE OF THE WORLD, I did try to invoke a Tolkienesque feel. But after that I have certainly not tried to reflect in any way Middle Earth. As a matter of fact, beginning back in that very early part of THE EYE OF THE WORLD, I deliberately took off in a very different direction from Tolkien, and I've been running hard in that direction ever since.

A: Imperial China. Japan during the shogunates, with strong dollops of the Persian Empire and the Ottoman.

A: There is an explanation: a change that was supposed to be made in manuscript in THE EYE OF THE WORLD and did not get set into type and which I thought had been corrected. I have been trying to get that changed since I discovered that THE EYE OF THE WORLD had been published with the erroneous information. I hope they are still not printing the books with it.

A: A rumor. I very seldom confirm my very own existence.

A: I do intend to do an encyclopedia, if you will, at the end of the series, but I don't want to do too much about what is in the books until the series is finished.

A: My first book was accepted by DAW and then rejected by DAW 20 years ago. Whereupon I immediately resigned my position as an engineer. The first year I made nothing, the second year I made $3000, and the third year I made twice what I had made in my best years as an engineer. I have been earning my living with my pen ever since.

A: Given that time is cyclic, you must assume that there is a time when the prison that holds the Dark One is whole and unbroken. There is a time when a hole is drilled into that prison and it is thus open to that degree. And there is a time when the opening has been patched in a makeshift manner. But following this line, the cyclic nature of time means that we have at some time in the future inevitably a whole and unbroken prison again. Unless, of course, the Dark One breaks free, in which case all bets are off -- kick over the table and run for the window.

A: Some facets of being Aes Sedai are being carried out by all Aes Sedai. That is, a Blue sister might dig out an old manuscript and old knowledge. A Brown sister might take on a man who can channel. And a Red sister might engage in political manipulation. But the fact is, to the world at large, one of the primary functions of Aes Sedai is to protect the world from men who can channel. That means that a fair number of young women who go to the White Tower go thinking that this will be one of their major functions as Aes Sedai. So the Red Ajah and the Green Ajah are the two largest.

A: Read And Find Out.

A: Yes. I didn't want to simply copy what's gone before. There are some things that are reminiscent, certainly, and I can't say that every name is unlike what might be called "traditional fantasy names," but I definitely wanted names that were different.

A: I read more outside of the fantasy genre than inside, but I certainly do read fantasy.

A: I was writing for myself. I never expected any of this.