Back before I got involved in the series, a pair of super fans who travel to see various Jim appearances took notes of things Jim said and posted them on the forum. Below are those notes archived from the old forums.
Chicago and Lexington signing notes By BookLover♥
From Chicago signing:
Will we find out more about Mac?
Yes, but probably not until the final trilogy.
Will we see Ferro again?
Yes. Here is where Jim commented that he is a lazy writer, so if something gets a reasonable amount of screen time in the books, chances are it will show up again later. He wouldn’t put that much effort into something that’s not so important.
How can Harry continually go to Burger King without blowing the equipment?
Unless there’s constant exposure, technology usually fouls up if magic is being actively used or a wizard’s emotions are running high. He generally remains calm when going to BK.
Why Chicago?
Originally, TDF was set in Jim’s hometown of Kansas City. His teacher at the time told him he shouldn’t use KC because he was already treading close to LKH’s territory, and he should pick somewhere else. He looked at a globe in the room, and there were 4 US cities showing. Washington DC – nope, don’t want to write about politics. New York – covered by the Fantastic Four. Los Angeles – covered by Hollywood. Chicago it is!
Will we see Lash or Lasciel again?
Lasciel’s story is not over. And keep in mind what’s said about ‘a woman scorned.’ Also keep in mind that Lasciel is NOT Lash; Lasciel did not reabsorb the entity that Harry actually changed. (Yes, he use those words “that Harry actually changed.”)
How/when did Harry find out Lea is his godmother? Is Lea Thomas’s godmother, too?
Lea was around when Harry was in middle school, although he didn’t know who she was. She was just a lady who sometimes did nice things for him. He found out who she is after he became Justin’s apprentice. Lea is not Thomas’s godmother
The titles for the trilogy are: Hell’s Bells, Stars and Stones, and Empty Night.
Why did you shoot Michael?
Read The Warrior. Getting shot is Michael’s happy ending.
From Lexington signing:
What book would make the best movie?
Zombie T-rex (did you need to ask?)
Will we get any more stories from other points of view?
There will be one from Marcone (in Dark and Stormy Night) and one from Murphy (entitled Hawaii).
Why does Butters always say “I’m not a doctor” – he actually is!
It’s about the way Butters defines a doctor, as someone who works on live people; it has nothing to do with Butters’ education or qualifications.
What are the upper levels of magic?
There are none, if the person has enough juice. If someone was strong enough, they could completely rewrite reality.
What’s the title to the next book?
Changes. Yes, it’s a one word title. He’s changing his pattern because… well, there just might be some changes coming up.
Where did the martial arts info and fight scene info come from?
Some from Jim’s own experiences in martial arts, some from others’ experience, some from watching movies. Jim also relayed that he started martial arts because he was always getting picked on by bullies, for being short and smart, and not knowing when to keep his mouth shut. He also talked about a time when he was about 13 that a bully actually came at him with a knife… and Jim beat him up with a bicycle.
Is Mister a familiar or anything magical?
No, he’s just a freakin’ big cat.
Was the job offer to Murphy a one-time offer?
[sing-sing voice] I’m not gonna tell you! [/sing-song voice]
Are the Carpenters based on someone specific?
No. In this genre, religious characters are almost always hypocritical or judgmental. Wanted a good role model. And of course that role model needed a family to be in danger to make things interesting. The size of the family is based on his sister’s (?) family (6 kids).
Will we ever find out what people see when they Soulgaze Harry?
Kind of. In Changes, someone who has ‘Gazed Harry will tell him about the experience.
Will we ever find out more about the Black Cats, or about Eb’s early years?
He’s considered writing a story in the Dresdenverse about the American-Indian war, when Eb and the Merlin were both young punks.
Is there an actor or character reference for Binder?
Actor from Unleashed. He said Ed Asner, but we think he meant Bob Hoskins.
Will Molly be the one who fixes Carlos’s ‘problem?’
Maybe, if they both live long enough. Plus, she ‘technically’ has the same ‘problem’ so it could be interesting.
Does Thomas have a godmother?
No. Maggie figured he was a baby shark, and would be able to protect himself.
When will Jim get back the film rights?
3 years from the Lexington signing. (April 14, 2012). But the rights were only for the content to the first 5 books. Theoretically, if someone did ask him to do a zombie T-rex movie, he probably could.
Does he like writing the short stories?
Yes. He doesn’t want to clutter up the books with stuff that isn’t central to the plot, wants to keep the novels on track (“I don’t need to describe every detail of Frodo crossing the shire.”). He doesn’t want to dump extraneous information on the reader. But some things are too good for just a ‘drive-by’ mention in the novels.
Will there be any more new material for the graphic novels?
Eventually, yes. There will probably be a short story based on a comment Harry makes in Fool Moon about going on a call because someone ‘saw something in a lake.’
Hat on the covers?
“That damn hat!” It’s just on the covers. They tried to put Harry in a hat in the graphic novels, and Jim screamed.
How does Harry know so much about movies and TV?
He goes to the drive-in. Also, there’s a TV store near Wicker Park, and he sits on a bench across the street from it and watches shows with closed captioning. Yes, Harry is often like a sad Dickens character, standing outside the window looking in. (Jim makes sad big puppy dog eyes)
How big will Toot get?
Depends on how much influence he has in the world. That’s how the sidhe gain their size and power. Mab wasn’t always as big as she is now.
What protections are there against the White Court? [Editorial note, my friend’s daughter and I put her up to this question, but she hasn’t even finished Blood Rites yet, so she left out half the question, not knowing how important it was]
True love – real true love, not just romantic love – protects only against WC vamps feeding through lust/intimacy. (He didn’t name the protections against the other WC vamps, though. A thought – we should have realized love doesn’t protect against the other forms of feeding, since Harry is taken by Vitto’s attack just before Lara gets burned trying to feed on him)
When will we learn more about Maggie?
It will be little bits at a time, like we’re learning now. But eventually we will find out that what we’ve been told so far is only accurate from a certain point of view. It will all have a different meaning once we’ve learned the whole story.
What was Malcolm’s reference to the Jabberwock about?
You could argue that it was a forewarning about Lasciel. You could also argue that it was about He Who Walks Behind. Or it could be some other huge predator coming after Harry. Or you could get Jungian about it, but then you’d have to get Freudian about it, and that just gets messy.
What is Kincaid?
We’ll find out in the future.
Are there any characters that started out as minor characters but grew into something different?
Butters was originally a one-scene character, but he’s fun to write. Same with Vince Garver. Jim found out they could both be really useful.
Will the problem with wizards and technology be resolved, since most kids growing up now are so surrounded by technology?
Nope, it will always be an issue.
What is the Gatekeeper guarding? What’s behind the gates?
[sing-song voice] I’m not gonna tell you! [/sing-song voice] Seriously, he can’t tell because it would break the Laws of Magic just to talk about it.
Will Harry ever get a Warden’s sword?
He can’t, because Luccio can’t make them anymore.
Will Thomas get one of the Swords of the Cross?
[sing-song voice] I’m not gonna tell you! [/sing-song voice] (Jim’s enjoying this way too much! 
)
Why don’t we see Harry making potions any more?
The potions were more like a security blanket for Harry. He wanted to be doing something, but he didn’t really know what he should be doing. So he was making potions in case they might be useful. Now he actually has a clue about what he should be doing most of the time. But Harry is teaching Molly about potions. That’s how she keeps changing her hair color – that was the first potion she learned to make.
Will you ever show Butters’ polka suit again?
I kind of have to, because how can I not show something that awesome again?
Jim’s favorite recurring villain?
Marcone, when he’s being a villain. And Nicodemus, because he is pure evil.
Why did the Denarians in Small Favor seem less powerful than in Death Masks?
If a Fallen has essentially overpowered their human host, then they have limited free will (they can’t use the free will of the human); a Denarian is much more powerful if they use the human as a partner.
Difference between the Fallen and other creatures from Hell?
Fallen are like corporate – they’ve got the backing of an organization.
When will we learn more about the Black Council?
There will be a little more in the next book, but really we’re not going to know it all until the very end.
Jim’s favorite supporting character?
Marcone is really fun to write. So is Nicodemus.
Will Chauncy return and use Harry’s Name?
Chauncy probably won’t come back. He’s small potatoes in Hell – kind of like a file clerk. But information flows up, so what he learned from Harry is very useful.
Are Molly’s actions of peeking into Harry’s head in SmF and into Luccio in TC? violations of the 3rd Law? What about Harry and Elaine’s communication spell in WN, or (Merlin’s actions at Morgan’s trial?
Molly’s actions are a violation of the 3rd Law. She is entering someone’s head without their consent. Harry and Elaine’s communication is consensual sharing of thoughts. (He didn’t really answer the last part of the question)
Will Demonreach turn out to be good or evil?
Depends on your definition of those terms. But Harry will regret every having set foot on that island. Of course, Harry regrets just about anything he’s ever done.
Sword on the cover of Turn Coat.
Same thing as the hat. Although maybe he was going to write a scene where Harry had Morgan’s sword. Sometimes he has a scene in mind at one point and then it just makes sense to write it differently.
2009 Independence signing notes by BookLover♥
Here is a new set of Q & A from the signing in Independence. We hung around for a bit and chatted with Jim and Shannon, and then Jim joined our group for dinner, thanks to Frogge!
Others who were in Independence, chime in if I’ve missed something or if my notes aren’t accurate!
How/when did Thomas find out Harry is his brother?
Thomas was old enough to remember his mother, and obviously he wanted to find out everything that had happened to her. He knew there was another child, and it was only a matter of time before he found out it was Harry. There is a reason Thomas showed up when he did – he was there to help Harry from the start.
Is the athame a channel for some kind of power that was hurting Lea, therefore when Mab took it away, she was injured fighting off whatever that power is?
Do you really think I’m going to answer that? The one thing I will tell you is that Mab truly did what she thought was the best thing for Lea by encasing her in ice.
Can the skinwalker access the NeverNever and use the Ways? If so, why didn’t it?
Yes. All I’ll say now is that it’s important to know that ‘wardens’ wasn’t always plural. (He did add later that there are certain places it can’t cross over, like the island).
Some people think Susan is smart, strong-willed, and confident. Some people think she is arrogant, stupid, and suicidal. How were thinking of her when you were writing her?
That’s one of those things that in real life, you really can’t draw that line until after the fact, until you know the whole story. But once Susan was in the story, it would have been too easy for her to become Lois Lane, always to be the victim that needs rescuing; that’s why her story went the way it did.
What about her actions at Bianca’s party?
Susan totally got what she deserved. Having said that, you have to understand that she really didn’t know how dangerous the situation was – she knew it was dangerous, but she had no idea the scale of it.
Harry’s met all the other ladies-queens-mothers – will we ever actually meet Titania?
The thing is, Titania’s only interest is messing with Harry.
What happened to the other Alphas?
Like happens with a lot of kids after college, they graduated and went their separate ways. Some of them wrote off the whole experience as the result of taking drugs in college. One ended up super religious. One ended up institutionalized. Given Kirby’s death, Billy is going to try to track down some of the group.
Will we see Ferro again?
Yes, he’ll be back for the apocalyptic trilogy.
How old is Eb?
Eb is over 300 years old. He and Merlin have known each other for a very long time. They fought on opposite sides in the French & Indian war.
Clarification on what’s behind the titles for the final trilogy.
Hell’s Bells and Stars & Stones are Harry and Eb terms; Empty Night is used by Thomas. They are curses for a reason.
Other things Jim would like to write?
He’d really like to write Halo 4.
Also, he’d like to write a short story about Bigfoot. People in a campground sight him and go screaming in terror, and there sits Harry at the campfire.
B: You got any smokes?
H: [eating] No. How’s your family?
B: My kid got that scholarship to UCLA. He’s having laser hair removal, which I really hate; he’s getting away from his roots. The wife is happy because she’s got a double-wide now.
Where did Morgan get the apron?
He just grabbed from the kitchen in Edinburgh when he was escaping.
Some conversation about Mab and Harry –
The thing is that Mab never really figures Dresden quite right. She never gets it right when she tries to predict what he will do. But Small Favor turned out really well for her.
The first gruffs seem to be different from the later sets in terms of looks, smell, and fighting approach. Were they sent by someone different?
No, they’re part of the same family. The first are just the newer gruffs, those most recent from being Changelings. They attacked Harry simply because Mab declared that she had chosen him as her emissary.
Will we run into whoever hired the skinwalker?
They have been mentioned, but they’ve not yet been onscreen.
Was the voice in Harry’s head at the end of White Night (when he was playing guitar) a sign that Lash is still there?
Not really. But Lash’s story isn’t done.
When Thomas called Harry from the storage facility and said he couldn’t handle “them” by himself, was he referring to Binder’s minions or someone else?
He was talking about Binder’s minions.
Will you tell us more about Harry’s headaches?
Yes.
How and why did the skinwalker take Thomas?
Thomas was distracted by Binder’s minions and the skinwalker saw the opportunity. It knew that Thomas is important to Harry, but not necessarily that Thomas is Harry’s brother. The skinwalker exists in more than one dimension at a time and it has its own kind of intellectus when it comes to evil – it knows what will hurt you and scare you, even though it may not really know why. It took Thomas because he knew it would hurt and scare Harry. How it tortured Thomas wasn’t part of any direction it was given to turn Thomas back into a monster, it was done because the skinwalker knew what would hurt Thomas and torment him, more than just physically.
Can you tell us more about the runes on the cottage and the lighthouse?
They were not put there by Demonreach; they have been there a very long time. They are pre-Council. They’re a prehistoric script, actually. Harry could have figured out the script if he’d had the comic book. NOTE: I have no idea what comic book Jim was referring to, so if someone else does, please post it.
Also, people have a few things wrong about the Gatekeeper and the island. The Gatekeeper did not hurt Demonreach. Gatekeeper has been on the island a couple of times, and it’s never gone well, but he didn’t cause Demonreach’s limp. That’s the work of the glacier that carved out Lake Michigan.
How is Eb protected from black magic?
The Blackstaff is a literal black staff. He hasn’t had it when we’ve seen him, but he has it and it protects him.
Given that so many creatures of the NeverNever know stuff about Harry – his mother, that Thomas is his brother, etc. – how can it be that the Senior Council doesn’t know?
They know. No one person on the SC knows everything about Harry, but between them all they could put it together. That is a group where having information is a means of power; they each have a lot of information but they don’t necessarily know who knows what.
If the White Council is so oblivious to things going on in the mortal world, how is it that Morgan knew exactly when the nuclear test was going to be (for when he nuked the skinwalker)?
A couple of tests had happened, and those things are disruptive. They send out a giant electromagnetic pulse. So naturally, the wizards noticed it. They did some research to figure out what it was, and once they understood, they made sure to know each time it was going to happen so nobody would get freaked out. So Morgan just had to plan it, to lure the skinwalker onto the range at the right time. Then he opened up a portal to the NeverNever, and barred the door behind himself. Boom.
Senior wizards are actually fairly aware of big things going on with mortals. They knew all about what was happening in the US and Russia during the Cold War. In fact, they were the ones who realized that Russia really wasn’t a major power, and that everything they were doing was in fear of the US and in preparation for defending themselves. Wizards planted the idea for the US to bug Russia. When the US found out that Russia really was just scared of them, that’s when the peace discussions began.
The first line of Changes… is the baby Harry’s?
Harry is certainly meant to believe it is. Susan doesn’t correct herself and say, “No, I mean ours, as in mine and Captain Bland.” She is telling Harry that it’s his child.
How are you going to wrap up everything there is to wrap up in First Lord’s Fury?
It won’t wrap up everything, only the most critical stuff – how will Alerans live with each other when they’ve got an unbalanced society? How will the Alerans live with their neighbors, when their only concern previously was whether to bury the bodies of leave them to the crows? And the Beta readers are really conflicted about Aquataine right now.
It would be really neat to write a story thousands of years in the future, to see how their world has settled and changed after all that’s happened.
Notes from Houston Signing, April 6th, 2010 by Aine:
Took some notes from the signing. Sorry if they are incomplete. I didn’t write down some that even I’ve heard answered more than once. Bookie and I volunteer to screen Q&As for Lee’s Summit. 
All the previous books have had two word titles with the same number of letters, why the style change for Changes?
Presumably, because there is gonna be some changes.
What will you be starting on next?
*edited* A post-apocalyptic fantasy in the style of ‘a bunch of people go attack the lord of darkness and lose…meanwhile…’
Are you rushing to get the books out, is it hard to do two books a year?
It’s not hard when I act like a grown up. Two books a year is about right, graphic novels are a lot more time than expected.
What is the worst movie you’ve ever seen?
Pumpkinhead was horrible, but fun. Anyone that MST3K took time to spoof.
He, his wife, and son used to sit around and watch terrible movies on Sci-Fi as a family on Saturday nights. Shannon and Jay are much better at making off the cuff remarks about movies (and Jim) than he is.
What did Jim think about the TV show?
It could have been worse. Wasn’t completely unrecognizable, but they didn’t have enough money to do the special effects well. The actress playing Murphy was the only person who read the books.
What is your theory why they cancelled it?
Bonnie Hammer gave SciFi shows like Ghost Hunters and wrestling, whereas David Howe gave the channel Dresden and Battlestar Galactica. Hammer didn’t want Howe to have another series that did well.
When will there be a movie?
Rights are still with Lionsgate. Revert back to Jim in 2013. (Three years and 13 days from Houston…not that he’s counting.)
Would you like to see a mmorpg?
No, I have trouble with two books a year. It would be great for it to exist, but Jim doesn’t want to know about it.
Have you played/are you going to play the RPG?
Too much like work. He’s every GM’s nightmare. How are you gonna argue with Jim? If it wasn’t right, he’d write it in the next book so that it would be right.
DC/Marvel/Independent?
Marvel. Big fan of Spiderman. Though he’s been asked by DC to write a Batman/Superman story but he doesn’t know the characters well enough to satisfy the dedicated fans.
Mister or Mouse based on real animals?
Used to be in a chat where they discussed deep philosophical issues like “if you were trapped on a desert island, what would be the one kind of sandwich you would eat” and every now and then one of the members would type *spledunkadork* or some typo and then say the cat just strolled across the computer. When that member would make a typo, everyone would say “Hi Mister!” Mister is based on that cat.
Are you open to other authors doing DF?
Not really.
Do you have any plans for the Jade Court to show up?
The Jade Court is adamantly not involved. They are very busy being not involved.
Is DF all planned out or outlined?
A general outline/events have been planned since 1995. Two extra books are planned as DF is two books behind. (Adding: we think this means a total of 22 + 3)
Who is gonna get the swords?
Really? You think I’m gonna answer that? (insert massive sarcasm)
If you could go back and change any one thing in the series, what would you change?
I’m just trying not to rock the boat. “Stupidity has really helped me a lot.”
Are we gonna get a short story from Mouse’s POV?
No, ‘cause then you would know too much.
Did Jim and Shannon ever want to collaborate/write something together?
Thought about it but he would rather stay married.
Was Michael based on anyone?
Michael was a Paladin that Jim wanted to do right, a man who lives his life according to the bible. Nicodemus is Michael’s opposite, trying to live his life exactly opposite of what the bible says to do.
2010 Lee’s Summit Signing notes by BookLover♥:
Here is the Q&A from Lee’s Summit. I didn’t get all the questions, but between this and the video Aine’s gonna post, it’s covered.
Before starting the Q&A, Jim asked that no one ask him not to die. He certainly doesn’t plan to die anytime soon. He said he’s been getting that a lot lately, and he doesn’t want to tempt fate.
Q: When you finished the book, did you do an evil cackle and rub your hands together?
A: No. It was an evil cackle and finger twiddling (fingers ‘steepled’ and tapping against each other). Anticipating the readers’ reaction makes me all warm and fuzzy inside.
Q: For most cliffhangers, when you read the second book, you realize that there were a lot of clues in the first book. Is that the case here?
A: First of all, I don’t think it really qualifies as a cliffhanger – it’s only a cliffhanger if you don’t know what happens. I described in detail what happened. But yes, there are all kinds of clues in Changes.
Q: What’s the first line of the next book ?
A: Living is hard, dying is easy.
Q: What is the timing of the next book? Is it the usual span, or will it take place right after Aftermath?
A: More like the usual timing – about a year after Changes.
Q: Will Thomas’s memories of Maggie ever come into play?
A: Yes, but it won’t be until much later in the series.
Q: Did you decide to write Dead Beat because you wanted to fit in a zombie dinosaur, or did you think of the zombie dinosaur while writing the book?
A: Sort of. I knew I would be doing a book about necromancers, and then one day I was watching a show about dinosaur bones, and they were talking about Sue. That’s when I knew it would go into that book.
Q: When Harry read Eb’s journal in Turn Coat, there was an implied prophesy about him (Harry) of sorts. Will that come into play later in the series.
A: Well, I’m sure Eb didn’t leave that journal sitting out on purpose thinking that someone might wander in and read it /sarcasm
And yes, it will come into play. Remember, I’m a lazy writer – I don’t write many things that aren’t important. Why would I spend the time on something unimportant?
Q: Where did you get the idea for the 3 nails in the swords?
A: I knew I needed something to oppose the coins, but didn’t want to do something that’s been used a lot, like the Ark of the Covenant. And, the nails would have Jesus’s blood on them – we all know how powerful blood is in the Dresdenverse.
Q: Will we learn more about Harry’s headaches?
A: Yes
Q: Since there haven’t really been cases in the past couple of books, and with Harry’s office gone is this the end of Harry’s role as a private investigator?
A: No, he has to work on something besides being a wizard.
Q: Is the original Merlin still alive?
A: Kind of… life… death… it’s kind of a squishy line in the Dresdenverse.
Q: Are you going to make any Dresden movies?
A: I think someone else did – have you seen the pictures from Sorcerer’s Apprentice? I mean, it’s done by Nicholas Cage, who was the executive producer of the Dresden Files TV show. Look at the pictures – it’s book Harry and TV Harry.
Seriously, there are 3 years and 2 days until the rights revert to me.
And actually, I’d be interested in doing some other stuff, like an MMORPG. But then I’d never write again.
Q: Will Harry ever charge anything besides money for his cases?
A: It’s not in the plan. On the other hand, there are some people whose money Harry would never accept.
Q: Can you tell us a little more about the black staff?
A: The staff keeps Eb from going crazy, mostly. Also, the White Council stole it from someone. And they really want it back.
Q: Will we see more of Michael?
A: Yes, but his story is pretty much covered.
Q: Why hasn’t Harry created things to replace modern conveniences?
A: First, it’s subtle magic and it’s really really hard. Enchanting something to be a water heater would be like trying to put together an old Swiss watch. Way too delicate for Harry.
Also, Harry chooses not to spend his time on that kind of thing. The maintenance for something like that would take a lot of time.
Q: Harry says several times that Molly isn’t going to be a good combat wizard, but she seems to hold her own.
A: Harry still sees her as a little kid AND she’s a girl. Those are two things that Harry has a hard time looking past. She really could be very dangerous, but not in the same way Harry is – and that’s how Harry measures combat talent: sudden and intense violence.
Q: Should Harry’s first deal with Lea been covered by Maggie’s deal?
A: Not really. One problem is that Harry dealt with Lea the way that one would deal with another human, so he really didn’t get much out of the bargain besides some confidence. Lea gave him the “magic feather” so to speak.
And, Maggie could have done a little better job on her deal with Lea, but she was kind of in a rush, so she wasn’t as detailed as she should have been.
Q: Harry seemed to be gathering every powerful ally he could – why not Elaine, or the Alphas?
A: There are only so many characters I can keep straight.
Q: What is the first line of Aftermath?
A: I can’t believe he’s really dead.
Q: What is the second line of Aftermath?
A: You can find out in a few months.
Q: What were you thinking, making Butters drop like that?
A: I wanted to make someone twitch. [evil grin]
Q: Is Cowl still out of Harry’s league, now that Harry has this additional power?
A: I don’t know. Remember that Harry was outrunning the ____ ?? a bat thing ?? I’ll re-read and edit.
Q: You spend a lot of time with your characters. Have they become like friends, or do you stay distanced from them so you can just say ‘I’ll drop them over here’?
A: Have you read my books? If this is the way I treat my friends, would you want to be my friend?
Q: Any news on the comic?
A: Issues 5 and 6 should be out in the next couple of months. I’ve approved the art on 7 and the script on 8, so we should be back on track.
Q: Do you have to have sex in order to have protection from the White Court?
A: No, you don’t have to. It is helpful, though.
Q: Can homosexuals be protected from the White Court?
A: Of course. Any time it is Real Love between equals, there’s the possibility of protection. A parent and child couldn’t be protected because they are not equals.
Q: Are the White Court affected by thresholds?
A: Not really, they’re too mortal. But they might be affected if they were mostly vamped out when trying to cross a threshold.
Q: Why would Harry do something as drastic as take on the mantle of Winter Knight? He’s never had to do that kind of thing before.
A: There was much more on the line this time. He was desperate.
Q: Is Elaine another candidate to wield power over Outsiders (the way Harry supposedly is)?
A: Yes. There’s a reason Justin picked the two of them.
…I asked him the question
The full question was if he had stated in the past, during an interview, that Elaine also was a candidate to have the potential to wield power over Outsiders. His longer answer was yes, he had said that before, that Harry and Elaine are just a few months apart age wise so for all intensive purposes the same age. He then told me that was one of the reasons that Justin had picked both of them to adopt, it wasn’t just random kids with power. The key word in my question and his answer was potential.
2011 Ghost Story KC release party Q&A notes by BookLover♥:
Here’s what I got from the Q&A in KC…
Q. Will there be another Dresden TV series?
A. “I’m willing to forgive Hollywood.”
Q. In Even Hand, we learn that John Marcone is not his real name; does that have significance?
A. It would certainly have significance if someone were trying to use his Name for spellcasting.
Q. Will there be a 7th book in Alera?
A. If Jim were to go back to Alera, it would be years from now. The book would be a couple of generations in the future to see how things turned out.
Q. Would you like to see either series in an animated movie or anime?
A. This is actually how Jim sees things as he’s writing them. Also, it would be very cool because as an animated movie, it’s a lot less expensive to blow things up.
Q. Is there a real or historical person or place that you would like Harry to ‘interact’ with but you haven’t been able to yet.
A. Yes, but he is going to use them, so he won’t tell what they are.
Q. Are there any big clues that no one has picked up on yet?
A. At least one person has picked up on every clue, but no single person has put it all together.
Q. What did you base Harry’s character on?
A. Jim put together a list of classical popular wizards (e.g. Merlin) and classical private eyes (e.g. Sherlock Holmes), then listed common traits of each. For example, great wizards are great because they seek knowledge; most great private eyes mouth off to exactly the wrong person at exactly the wrong time. Using that list of characteristics, he created Harry’s personality.
Q. Will we learn the history of Jack Murphy and why he killed himself?
A. No. That would require that he actually killed himself.
Q. What’s the biggest cliché you’ve used?
A. A wizard throwing a fireball.
Q. Will Harry ever jump through time?
A. That would require breaking a law of magic. And it’s not like there are 7 books planned, one for each law of magic.
Q. In the RPG, there is the option of creating different Harrys based on Harry having made different choices. Is that just for the RPG?
A. No, and it will actually come into play in a future plot line. Considering a book called “Mirror Mirror.”
Q. When did you know Maggie existed?
A. Was seeing a lot of complaints about LKH’s books, and one in particular said, “It’s just BDSM sex, it could never be relevant to the plot.” And Jim thought, “Hmmmm…”
Q. If you could go back and do things differently, what would you change in books 1 and 2?
A. Would probably throw them out and completely rewrite them. But that would probably end up in disaster. There are a lot of things that have come out of mistakes. For example, a physical therapist told Jim that based on all the injuries Harry had suffered at a certain point in the novel, he would have needed surgeries, physical therapy, etc. That issue led to defining how wizards’ bodies heal better/faster, and it also linked in nicely with the fact that wizards live so much longer than normal people.
Q. What actors would you choose for Harry and Thomas?
A. Favorite choice for Harry would be a 1970s Harrison Ford. Of current actors, would choose Captain Tight Pants (Nathan Fillion) for Harry, and Bryce from Chuck for Thomas (Matt Bomer).
Q. Why did Ghost Story get delayed so long?
A. There was such a large part of the book during which Harry really couldn’t communicate with anyone; since dialogue is the easiest part to write, it took more time to work through the narrative. Also, parts of the plot turned out differently than originally planned. Finally, there were some personal changes that took some adapting to.
Q. What do you read?
A. Robert Parker, Harry Connely, Benedict Jacka, Brandon Sanderson, Percy Jackson series, Harry Potter series. Many others he’s sure he left out.
Q. What genre would you like to write in?
A. True SciFi…working on a project that is kind of Men in Black meets X-men on the moon.
Q. Do you figure out the end of a book before you start writing?
A. “If I’m smart.” Usually has in mind the ending, 1 big ‘special effects’ scene, ½ dozen sarcastic comments, and a few smaller scenes.
Q. Did Dresden maintain domain over Demonreach when he died?
A. Read Ghost Story.
Q. What other short stories are you considering?
A. Currently 2/3 through the 2nd book of a Bigfoot trilogy:
– B is for Bigfoot (elementary school)
– I was a Teenage Bigfoot (high school)
– Bigfoot on Campus (college)
Q. Was Harry’s mom related to Morgan LeFay?
A. No, LeFay is simply a mark of honor. And a mark of insanity.
Q. Did Good Bob get out of the Nevernever, and is Evil Bob still around?
A. Too much of a spoiler for people who haven’t read the book. Even if it weren’t “I’m not gonna tell you.”