Q&A with Margaret Atwood discussion

Will there be a third book to follow the Year of the Flood?

She says there is one in the making. It's about Maddadam. He's the leader of the Gardeners....

Fabulous. Any idea when she expects it to appear?

None at all. Wonder when she'll be appearing here???

Isn't it funny what we "do" to authors we like? It is like eating popcorn... There is never enough and you can't get it in your mouth fast enough -

Ms Atwood, do you feel pressured by readers to hurry up and produce? Are you aware we are out here biting out nails waiting for your next book to come out?

In general, about how long does it take to write a novel? I understand this will vary according to the novel - but just a ballpark.

How many hours per day do you spend writing?

Do you enjoy or dread the book promotion end of the business? How much has this changed over the years as your books have become so well known? In what ways has the process changed?

I would love a book that picked up *after* Year of the Flood. The characters are all so intriguing and Year of the Flood was a fascinating look at that world from those different perspectives, I want to know what happens to them.

I love Atwood's books, as the stories and characters stick with me for years after reading the books.

Hello Dear Readers, and thank you for your interest.I am indeed working on a third book -- it is tentatively called MaddAddam and will follow the fortunes of that group of people, including Zeb. But at the same time I am working on the Ellman Lectures, Emory in October, which will then be a book: In Other Worlds: SF and the Human Imagination. It will include some of my other writings on SF (Sci Fi, Spec Fic, S & S/Fantasy, Slipstream Fiction...)

oooh, how fun for us!!

Those lucky Emory kids.....hope they realize it.....some will.....

Sounds interesting.

I was excited to see that you were coming down to Atlanta. I am looking forward to seeing you.

I think I just passed out from joy at the thought of a third "MaddAdam" book. Thank you for making my day.