1/21: Fantasy author Brandon Sanderson keeps fans satisfied

Epic fantasy novels are rarely a one-and-done deal. Readers often have to commit to multiple doorstop-size books in a series. And this can lead to frustration when those books don't come out regularly. With George R.R. Martin and Patrick Rothfuss taking years to finish books in their respective series, Brandon Sanderson is a fantasy reader's godsend.

The bestselling author is giving his fans plenty to read. In addition to completing the late Robert Jordan's "Wheel of Time" series in 2013, Sanderson is in the midst of writing two of his own back-breaking fantasy series, "Mistborn" and "The Stormlight Archive," with plans extending through the next decade. And he's maintaining a publishing schedule of several books a year.

It has led some of his fans to speculate that he is actually a robot, ala Roald Dahl's infamous "Great Automatic Grammatizator."

On Wednesday, Jan. 21, Sanderson visits Changing Hands Bookstore in Tempe to meet fans and sign "Firefight," his latest bestseller. The sequel to his 2013 novel "Steelheart," "Firefight" is a departure from his usual epic fantasy work, a twist on the superhero genre, the novel is set in a world where only the villains possess superpowers.

We spoke to him recently about "Firefight" and his prolific output:

Question: Where did the idea for "Steelheart" and "Firefight" come from?

Answer: ("Steelheart") has a really cool origin story. What happened was I was driving to a book signing, and I was running late. I was pretty stressed out, stuck in traffic on the freeway.

And somebody cut me off.

Now I'm not an angry guy or someone prone to road rage. But in that moment I was really frustrated, and all I could think about was imagining myself blowing their car up. Literally, exploding into flames, a very Michael Bay action sequence.

Immediately after that, I was horrified. I'd spent my career writing stories about people gifted with powers who used them to defend people, who used them for good. Was that how I would use a superpower if I had one? Would I use it for good, or would I be blowing up people's cars? The concept was fascinating to me. What if someone could rob a bank and no one could stop them because they were invulnerable? The main character's father is killed by one of these super-powered beings, and he wants revenge. But how do you get revenge from someone who is basically immortal?

Q: Considering the subject matter, did you ever consider writing it as a comic book?

A: Not really, although I briefly considered it as a graphic novel. But I am first and foremost a prose writer. It's what I do — it's what I'm comfortable with. And this is a prose story, even if it is rooted in the superhero genre. I've read graphic novels, I've even written a few, but this felt like a novel, not a graphic novel.

Q: The series is a departure from your usual epic fantasy like the "Stormlight Archive." How have your fans reacted?

A: So far so good. I've had very enthusiastic crowds so far. Judging by fans and the people who have shown up at the readings, they are willing to follow me from one genre to another.

Q: What prompted the switch-up?

A: I love writing, but I found that if I stay on the same thing too long I tend to get bogged down in it. But if I jump projects I stay a lot more productive.

This started when I was working on the "Mistborn" books 10 years ago. I was a brand-new writer, I had just sold my first novel and been published, and it was the first time I had to write a sequel. And I found that by the end of the second book, I was burned out on the series.

That was the first time I jumped; I wrote my middle-grade series, ("Alcatraz"). Completely out of the blue. No one was expecting it; my publisher, my agent, nobody knew. I took a month and wrote the book, and I found that I was refreshed and renewed and ready to write the third "Mistborn" book. So I've used this process ever since. It keeps me excited about what I'm writing. And now my fan base has gotten used to the idea that I need to jump to different projects frequently to stay interested, motivated and excited about the books.

Q: Mentioning "Mistborn," you recently announced a second trilogy in that universe, with two books coming out rapidly at the end of 2016 and beginning of 2017. What prompted the return to "Mistborn?"

A: I love the epic fantasy genre. I've studied it, I've been reading it since I was a kid, it turned me into a writer. And I worried (epic fantasy) had started to stagnate. New writers had a tendency to rehash what had gone before. And I didn't want to do that. So I thought, "What can I do to explore the genre and the places it hadn't gone?"

What I came up with, and what I pitched my editor, was an epic fantasy series where you follow the world from a medieval setting to more modern technology and eventually into science-fiction technology. Past, present and future, all in the same world. I loved the idea because you could see the events take place, then see how they became mythology and how they influenced modern society. It was always going to be a continuum.

Q: But the upcoming "Mistborn" books are set in an Old West setting. How do they fit in?

A: I realized when I started my "Stormlight Archive" series that I didn't want to be writing two massive epic fantasy series at the same time — they're very long and demand a lot from the readers. I needed something a little lighter, with less characters to keep track of. So I conceived this sort-of Western setting with 1800s technology that I could tell stories in that was still in the "Mistborn" world but wouldn't take up a lot of time. I wrote one ("The Alloy of Law") in 2011. And then last year, I was working on another and ended up writing a second one to come out in quick succession before the next "Stormlight" book in 2016.

Q: So this makes it four trilogies in the "Mistborn" world now?

A: Yes, unless I decide to go with more. We'll see what happens, where the world goes and what I feel like doing. The nice thing is I have the flexibility. I have the modern technology "Mistborn" trilogy plotted out, but I don't think the time is right for it just yet. I'm working on these because they provide a better balance to what I'm working on now.

Q: Another project you were recently involved with was the anthology "Altered Perceptions," to raise money for writer Robison Wells, who had been suffering from severe depression.

A: I've known Rob for a long time and to see what was happening to his life, the demons he was trying to deal with. (Depression) is as debilitating as getting cancer, but no one wants to look at it in the same way. That's the frustration for people like Rob, it's a terrible disease, but when people find out about it, they don't act like it is a disease. It's very odd. It was an honor to be part of that and to see its success and how that has helped Rob.

Q: So you are not actually a robot programmed to write bestsellers?

(Laughs) No I am not a robot. I'm not sure if it says more about me or about my artistic temperament in general, it's just that writing is my full-time job and I treat it that way.

Details: 6 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 21. Changing Hands Bookstore, 6428 S. McClintock Drive, Tempe. Tickets required for signing, two free with purchase of "Firefight." $18 for book. 480-730-0205, changinghands.com.