Author Talk with Jim Butcher

Enjoy our conversation with New York Times best-selling author of the Dresden Files and Codex Alera series, Jim Butcher. Jim spoke with MVPL Adult & Digital librarian Kyle about his latest books, his writing process and more.
Jim Butcher is the author of the best-selling Dresden Files series, the Codex Alera series, and a new steampunk series, the Cinder Spires. An avid gamer, he plays tabletop games in varying systems, a variety of video games on PC and console, and LARPs whenever he can make time for it. Jim currently resides in the mountains outside Denver, Colorado.

[@mahalotours9725]

Jim is a good man. Each and every interview with him just reinforces this. Thanks Jim!

[@GlueTubber]

Yeah Jim - thanks for bringing your imagination to life for us. I frequently tell people that reading one of your books is (for the mind) like eating a 7 course meal - satisfying an filling. The Dresden Files, without a doubt, is my favorite series ever, and I have read a lot of books over 5 decades.

[@bh7132]

Just hope he saves Harry's character. He's becoming a simp... Hopefully Mab pulls him from the dark side... You know "The View" watching democratic voting black hole of the White Counsel...

[@AnimeWishes12311]

This was so amazing to be a part of!! Can’t believe my questions got answered. 😭 Thank you again for doing this and posting it!

[@Demonreached]

Thank you for hosting Jim Butcher!

[@moloch519]

Thank you for the interview. It was quite sobering to hear that he is only 24 into "The Olympian Affair". 😭

[@lexyprice4753]

Suddenly I have an overwhelming desire to listen to Cinder Spires again.

[@pathartman7459]

Great interview, thank you. Also, as a side note in the series, I believe it is Aunt lea that is healed of nemesis.

[@couragew6260]

0:19 “How your first Dresden Files book got published?” 2:04 “Do you plot your story or do you write it off by seat of your pants?” 3:20 “How does Jim keep track of the small details?” 4:20 “Will we ever get an in-depth backstory of Bob the skull?” 5:40 “What was the Dresden Files tv experience like?” 7:17 “is it possible to get books signed without being at an event?” 8:00 “Is there any Deities that you won’t have Harry go against?” 8:30 “What was the inspiration for Harry as a character?” 9:45 “There’s a lot of imagery of Frontiersman or Sheriffs of the old west attached to Harry Dresden. Is the Western Hero one that appeals to you?” 12:03 “How many books do you anticipate the Cinder Spires series to have?” 12:58 “Will we ever see another fantasy series from you?” 13:45 “Congrats to your son for publishing his first book.” 14:28 “How do you handle the pressure of your fans while also living your life?” 15:15 “Does Storm Front contain any clues as to who the BBEG of the series is? 16:20 “Harry often makes friends who he will later call for help. Did you borrow this idea?” 18:30 “How is Fenris?” 19:25 “As the leading writer of the Urban Fantasy literature Genre, to what degree do you think Urbanity needs to be included?” 20:44 “When Harry spoke to his Father in a dream, was his father a ghost or something else?” 21:05 “What is Olympian bronze?” 22:05 “What did you learn writing battles for Battleground and what do you look forward to/dreading for any upcoming battles?” 23:42 “Mab has been nicer or at least more respectful to Harry. Can you explain why that is?” 25:25 “Do you take pleasure in the emotional turmoil you cause Harry and the readers?” 25:40 I think he mentioned two authors names and asked if Jim met either of them IRL. It’s too glitchy for me to tell what he said. 27:40 “Could you [Jim] repeat the name of the series you were just referring to?” 28:00 “Is there a secret meaning to Harry’s catchphrase, Stars and Stones?” 28:30 “How disappointed were you in the drama series?” 30:35 “What tools do you use to plan out your books?” 32:15 “Ever thought about sharing the original outline for the Dresden series?” 33:15 “Do you play Fantasy Football” 34:15 “Now that gaming is a more legit storytelling medium, would you be involved in making some?” 35:48 “What was your inspiration for the Cinder Spires and when can we expect the next one?” 38:25 “Ever thought of crossovers?” 39:00 “How do you motivate yourself when you don’t feel like writing?” 43:36 “Would you rather be a magic user or a vanilla mortal?” 44:25 “Any tips on writing family systems?” 45:35 “what was the first thing you’ve ever written with the intent for someone else to read?” 47:10 “What are the names of the types of stories you mentioned?” 48:19 “You said 12 Months was something that had to happen rather than jumping into the next Dresden Adventure. What’s been the challenges of an unplanned book?” 49:58 “How does one become a member of your beta reading group?” 50:47 “Will there ever be a recorded Polka Will Never Die album?” 51:15 “Has there ever been an interest in a Dresden Files Reboot?” 52:20 *SPOILERS FOR BOOK 17 Battleground* “Why did you -“ 52:50 “Is Harry a Merlin Bloodline?” 53:47 “A year or two ago I thought saw you announce a new tv series. Is that still happening?” 54:16 “Where are you on the current writing of 12 Months?” 55:30 “Is Cat-Sith gone forever and can Nemesis be cured?” 56:10 “Has Burger King or any donut shops reached out to you for product placement?” 57:00 “Did you enjoy doing the audio recording for the latest short story?”

[@KayBeeTodd]

Yes! Got to see Fenris in addition to a great interview with JB! Thanks!

[@sren74]

Love this! Thank you for posting!

[@surpriseitsus9622]

My reading style has changed over the years. I found I'm very into urban fantasy, and Dresden Files is primo. He is Jim is very well spoken and interesting dude. I loved this!

[@PhraBill]

What a great interview.. Thank you very much.

[@salvatoresesti4023]

He looks good like he has been taking care of himself

[@christopherw4527]

Great author. I'm am very very glad he pronounces Belgarath the same way I do. Been in so many arguments over the decades about that.

[@davekaushik9469]

Thank you for this interview!!! Love to hear Jim's interviews and perspectives.

[@Devynwithawhy]

OMG yayayyaay. A new Jim Butcher interview!!!

[@Vinkomorf]

Awesome! Thank you for posting!

[@josebravo7344]

Good interview, thanks Jimbo.

[@bridgetboring7181]

So much fun. Thank you!

[@manubishe]

Great hearing from Jim Butcher!

[@davidbeckstead9970]

I wish Jim would get off his butt and spend day and night, writing for months, sweating blood over the story and editing process so that I could buy the new book, plow through it in one day, and start complaining about when the next book will come out!

[@s.miklaski2286]

😂

[@snomisdivad]

Well said.

[@ashtonfox2264]

Life of a writer

[@drewastolfi6840]

Yep. Pretty much!

[@reginaldforthright805]

Now that writers have access to chatgpt they should be able to finish a novel in a week tops.

[@andreamiller3578]

great interview!!!

[@oldbaldfatman2766]

April 9, 2023----Never got into his sci-fi books but once I read my first Dresden book, I was hooked. And thanks to his books, I started writing stories which I post on 2 websites and people seem to like them. Got into writing by accident when I critizied some stories on a preppers/survivalist website as being too unrealistic. Was told everyone worked really hard on these stories and I should appreciate them. My reply was you can put candy sprinkles on a turd but you're not going to convince me it's a doughnut. Then I was challenged to write a story and everyone would critique it. Challenge accepted. I wrote how things might be on the west coast, based on the book One Second After. Main character is a truck driver and into prepping and based out of Reno. Finds himself in Portland when an earthquake hits, followed by the emp attack. I also told everyone that it would be as realistic as possible and a year later, had something like 47K views. Then it was yanked because of foul languae and being too descriptive about the violence the character did. Ended up posting that story on those 2 websites, then got into writing different stories, one of which, the owner of one of the websites came up with a different story plot line. Earth is going thru a dust storm, when it it's hit by a solar flare. Got the okay to use his idea and currently been writing a story about a 19 year old kid who's into cosplaying Thor and drawing. Yeah, he's got Thor's ability of lightning, etc., plus a few more. Now remembering how Harry goes thru life, things aren't easy for this kid. Like having a truck driver back his trailer into the kids used class A motorhome.

[@GlueTubber]

Denarians vs MHI - Epic Epic! Subplot of Earl being tempted... Lots of room for interesting stuff there!

[@Br1cht]

Charming fellow.

[@macrograms]

i'm going to learn from this teacher out of spite. i love that this is how harry dresden materialized. :)

[@bobbymccarty496]

I enjoyed the series, but my reason for buying the book was the description Harry Potter meets Spenser. I was always a huge Spenser series.

[@Albakry100]

Harrys godmother was cured of nemesis.

[@nelspaulson3099]

So close on the real question, in Chicago Pepsi is served at Burger King. Does Harry bring in his own Coke or does he suffer drinking Pepsi from the fountain?

[@EdKelly-yu6gp]

Really? Jim may not know that. I believe he said he was told he should put the series in a city other than NYC or LA because they've been used so much. Heck, he didn't know Wrigley has no parking lots, even though you clearly see houses beyond the bleachers, and some have even been hit with balls. Harry would probably hex the fountain so it can't serve Pepsi

[@nelspaulson3099]

@@EdKelly-yu6gp So originally it was set in KC, but it was stepping on the toes of one of his idols so he was told to change it. He looked on a globe and Said no to NYC because of marvel superheros, no to DC because politics, and no to LA because of Hollywood. Chicago was all that was left and he was surprised by the depth once he started to research it.

[@PhraBill]

When will we see "Star and Stones" ?

[@aenea22980]

Real talk, probably not for 15-20 years. He is planning at least 6 more books and takes an average of 2-3 years to write and publish each one before he starts his trilogy capstone.

[@Mysicalgreenunicorn03]

Stars and Stones seems to be a place

[@nateg597]

I thinks it’s a place too. Where the the winter lady has to sacrifice the winter knight to become the winter queen.

[@CharlesZane_]

I think that’s supposed to be the title of one of the BAT books(final 3 books after the main story).

[@regulah2125]

@@aenea22980 ''an average of 2-3 years'' Yea not anymore lol.

[@christopherdyer2046]

I love how the author down plays elements of his writting or characters after i the reader had life changing experience reading them. Makes one feel a bit foolish hahaha

[@blakealbert7451]

Ay so cool I didn’t know your pets name I have a border collie named fenris and a husky named Argos love the mythology names for animals

[@johnbrownlee5213]

I also want to see what happens if the denarians attack cazador

[@springerjkreb]

On screen nemesis treatment: Lea frozen in ice during the assault on Arctis Tor

[@lisawillis8227]

LMB is the best. 🥰🥰🥰🥰

[@nickanthropocene6502]

Jim is a badass.

[@baddragonite]

I agree when I read the books I thought they'd make for a great serial Also an Anime

[@j.harris83]

How many romance novels has Jim written… I do not believe it’s zero.

[@mattcannon6148]

goku in Dragon ball does that

[@Riggsy_17]

Obligatory comment for the algorithm

[@chazz30000]

More than half of these questions where answered in other interviews. Why do you do interviews if you're not ready to do prep-work and check out previous talks?

[@xvxslave]

Because maybe not everyone watches the other interviews? And also Jim has done a lot of interviews?

[@joshwilhoyte4453]

Don’t be a jerk dude, people have lives

[@CharlesZane_]

I get what you mean. When I watch a new interview I find myself answering a lot of the questions in my head. It’s annoying but what can you do? Jim is a great guy though so it’s always nice to see talk about anything.

[@chazz30000]

@@CharlesZane_ Don't do interviews if you are not willing to do the required work to do them properly. If I'm going to interview someone I do research on them and look up previous interviews. It's not like he has a gun to his head and MUST do this interview with Butcher. If he is to lazy to do it properly don't do it at all.

[@MVPublicLibrary]

Thank you for the feedback. Nearly all of the questions we asked Jim Butcher in this interview came from people in the audience who attended live. We apologize if some of this interview was repeated information for you. While many in attendance may have been long-time fans of the author, we also strive to make our talks accessible to customers who may be unfamiliar with the author being interviewed.

[@aidanmargarson8910]

She was just .. emphasis on she

[@roberthensley4689]

SAME QUESTIONS AND SAME ANSWER FOR 10 YEARS. LOVE THE STORY BUT SHEESH