The Seeker’s Omnibus

Direct from the horse’s Administrator’s mouth, courtesy of Terry Goodkind’s official site:

Moderator: “How involved are you with the television series?”
Terry Goodkind: “I’m not involved at all. I’m writing new books, working on new stories, and developing new ideas. Disney purchased the SWORD OF TRUTH series property, it’s theirs to develop into a television program that is entertaining and enjoyable and that’s what they do best. What I do best is write stories.”

Moderator: “How do you feel the television series has adapted from the books?”
Terry Goodkind: “I’ve been writing the SWORD OF TRUTH SERIES for the last few decades. This entire thing began with just me, alone, in a room by myself… It’s difficult for any creator to develop characters and stories and see them changed. The characters in the television series are not true to the characters in the books. A lot has changed. That’s the negative. But the positive side is that a lot of new readers have been brought into the books, as a result of the television show… Everyone that has been brought into the series by either a friend or a family member or a co-worker or similar, so the fans that have come to the books as a result of the television series are no different. It was simply another path to here. For that, I’m grateful. The television series is just an entry point to much more.”

There will be a special feature on the Season 1 DVD boxset that will include a behind-the-scenes feature about Terry Goodkind, including an in-depth interview about THE SWORD OF TRUTH at his home in Las Vegas and thrilling clips of him driving his racecar (Radical SR8 LM).

Moderator: “How much of the books are in the character Zedd?”
Bruce (actor who plays Zedd): “The books are everything to the character. There wouldn’t be a character named Zedd without Terry’s books and the essence of the character is straight from the books.”

Open discussions about the characters and their influences. Bruce is commenting about his journey from grade school in Auckland, to acting around the world, to now filming directly across from his grade school, back in Auckland.

Moderator makes a joke about the show being available in multiple languages (translations). Terry Goodkind quips, “Well, Bruce already speaks Australian.”

New announcements about Charisma Carpenter (BUFFY and ANGEL), playing Triana in Season 2.

Lights dimmed. New footage from Season 2 on the big screen. Speakers are very loud. Looks and sounds great. Dialogue appears to be directly from the book(!).

Open forums now. Fans asking the questions.

Question 1: “I wasn’t quite clear, in the Season 1 finale, did Kahlan finish the confession of Richard?”
Answer: “No, she didn’t finish the confession.”

Question 2: “Mr. Goodkind, I’ve always wanted to be a writer. When you were growing up, were there people in your life that inspired you to write?”
Answer: “I always wanted be a writer. When I was in Creative Writing in High School, I had a teacher that greatly inspired me. I didn’t start writing until I was about 45, but I always had that burning desire to write.”

Question: “In the second series, will we find out who is Richard’s father?”
Answer: [goes down the line, gets to Terry Goodkind] “Read the books.” big laughs.

Question: “Will there be a soundtrack from the TV series?”
Answer: “Hmmm… that’s a really, really good idea.” Laughs. “Listen to the music on the DVD!”

Ken Biller [on Kahlan]: “We felt it was really important to have a very strong female role. Someone that was physically imposing, despite being a woman.”