Five Favorites with Kevin J. Anderson and Brandon Sanderson

This is the next episode of our continuing series where we sit down and talk about "Five favorite things."

Kevin J. Anderson was kind enough to sit down with me for a few minutes at FanX 2021 to chat about his five favorite inspirations.

[crt]

“They’re huge, like half the length of yours” this shows how big Brandon’s books are 😂😂😅

[AtomixIGN]

Kevin J Anderson is one of my favorites as a kid. StarWars introduced me to his work and while I am not exactly the most loyal follower, Jedi Academy in particular - especially Luke's journey as a master and how The Empire would decentralize -to this day make the most sense to me. That's my headcanon..

[gordo]

while unrealistic, these shorts are so engaging I wish they were as long as your podcast with dan wells

[cohort]

I lucked out with finding Kevin J Anderson’s young Jedi series. I grew up with Jacen and Jaina and really felt Caedus’ fall. He turned me from a movie fan to a lifelong EU fan. Thank you Kevin.

[IbbyMelbourne]

I'll be honest, for years I was really bitter about Brian and Kevin's shift away from Herbert's focus on humanity and philosophy in Dune, and making it more of a generic space opera. I don't outright hate their expanded novels, there's some I like more than others, but I think it eventually just devolved into milking the franchise with countless "filler" books.

After hearing this interview though, I think can appreciate Kevin on a more personal level now. It's facinating hearing about how he cultivates and values his creativity, especially since the Dune fanbase just kind of writes him off as a hack.

Still have a lot of issues with the expanded Dune universe, but he doesn't seem like a greedy guy or anything.
Thanks for sharing this, Brandon! And I hope other people like me will see this and come around, even just a little.

[Sleepcycle]

I have an album that I wrote and recorded specifically because I didn’t think I had what it took to turn the story into a book. Ten years later, I’m now turning that concept into a book. This conversation has been invaluable for me. Thank you.

[starwarstimeline]

Such a huge fan of Kevin's "Jedi Academy Trilogy" and "Young Jedi Knights" series!! Love hearing you guys talk about writing.

[the_writers_block]

Brandon, now you absolutely must talk more in depth about your version of the Star Wars prequels with Dan on Intentionally Blank.

And then maybe the sequels if you find some time in your busy schedule.

[narpassword]

You're missing out, Brandon! There are brilliant hikes just minutes from you!

I've used hikes for inspiration and thought cultivation quite a lot. Hiking all over the Wasatch I would use the time to sort through thoughts, plan for school assignments, or even brainstorm writing. And it's dang healthy!

I grew up reading the Young Jedi Knights series, so this was brilliant to see Mr. Anderson and how he finds inspiration.

Loved this!

[christopherbennem]

KJA: you listed almost all my favorite bands from that era - Rush, Kansas, Allan Parsons Project - what great stuff and so evocative. Prog rock for the win. Yes was another major inspiration for me - such an amazing era. Also: props on the mention of Ephesus - incredible place (Istanbul and all of Asia Minor for that matter) 👍🏼

[beLIEver]

Here after I backed his kickstarter per Brandon's recommendation and now I am even more excited :)

[annaportillo]

Wonderful video. I agree that being surrounded by nature helps with the writing process, when you can be outside. When I'm writing songs and stories and I'm stuck indoors, I usually have nature sounds playing in the background.

[woehrle]

Wow, looking through Kevin's bibliography is insane. He's published over 140 novels.

[PringlesCanJohn]

I loved Anderson’s Star Wars books back in the day. This is so cool!

[stefan]

This has become one of my go to podcasts. Always exciting, funny and relaxing, I love it!

[leticiatoraci]

The Saga of Seven Suns by Kevin J. Anderson is one of my favorite sci-fi series.

[gudrun]

Brandon is so right when he says writers love to write but they avoid it at the same time. I will always write, but it is hard to make yourself do it after a long day of work. It doesn't come easily to me!

[abhiramboralkar]

I just saw one of Kevin’s videos on YouTube and backed his Kickstarter! Yay! Looking forward to reading his books!

[MetalKing]

Kevin J. Anderson is mentioning all these bands I listened to as a kid because my dad had their CDs and talks as if they are long forgotten gems. Haha. Alan Parsons has a CD that just came out in 2019. Haha. I actually got into rock music because of Alan Parsons Project doing Tales of Mystery and Imagination because the very first book I ever owned was a short story collection by Edgar Allan Poe titled Tales of Mystery and Imagination. Haha. I was only five years old, and my dad saw I loved the book so he introduced me to APP from that. And it's nice to hear that he gets ideas from his bands that he listens to because I have playlists for each mood I want to write about. Metallica is a HUGE inspiration in my life, and they are the reason I got into metal and classical music (The Call of Ktulu with the San Francisco Symphony) and it's so nice to see a "distinguished author" do it. Love the Jedi Academy. Thanks for the video.

[justthinkingoutloud]

I’ve thought about using a recorder to dictate my books as they come to me wherever I am or whatever I’m doing, because I can never get my thoughts into words as well when I’m writing; and/or I forget altogether. Knowing that that actually works for such a renowned author has convinced me to give it a try.