Today we're chatting with Josepha Sherman, co-author of "Vulcan's Soul Trilogy: Exodus." [Note: Co-author Susan Shwartz submitted answers to several questions prior to the chat. They are included throughout the transcript.]

Josepha Sherman: Hello everybody, what can I say but "Live Long and Prosper!"

vulcan3324: Thank you so much for coming today! I am a huge fan of yours! I've noticed that some of your Star Trek novels occur in several time periods. Do you find that this method of layout is useful in revealing the story to the reader?

JS: First of all, with "Vulcan's Forge," it was the editor who suggested two timeframes. After that, we did find it very useful to give a larger story to the readers.

Host: Is this a continuation of "Vulcan's Heart" and "Vulcan's Forge"?

JS: Yes, it is. But this trilogy is both a continuation and a standalone trilogy.

t'pol2: I'm a fan of Star Trek, but i don't know english so well. I would like to know if this book or the trilogy book, will be in Spanish??? Thanks a lot for your information.

JS: For that answer, you would have to write to Pocket Books themselves. I know that the books do get translated into different languages but I don't know which languages they will pick.

vulcan3324: One thing that I really enjoy about your books is that you often use recurring characters. Does this help you to expand their personalities without having to start telling about them from the beginning?

JS: Oh, yes, it certainly does. Some characters, such as Ruanek, have taken on lives of their own and seem to insist on being used.

Nova: What would you recommend someone do if they want to write Star Trek books also?

JS: First of all, writing a Star Trek book is not a good way to begin. There are very few openings and those are usually given to professional authors. However, Pocket does have a yearly contest called "Strange New Worlds" for new writers. You can see more about it on the Simon and Schuster web site.

Cricketoni: Each time you write a new Vulcan book, do you go back and read your earlier ones for research?

JS: Oh yes.

vulcan3324: One of my favorite Trek guest stars of all time is the Romulan Commander from "The Enterprise Incident" I greatly enjoyed reading about her further adventures and misadventures. Was she to be involved in Exodus from the beginning, or did she become interwoven later on?

JS: In Exodus, she was already an established character. We first used her character in "Vulcan's Heart", because Susan and I both liked her character too. We then realized that she would have to go on in the trilogy, logically, as the head of Romulan Security.

Mike_445: Do you read other Star Trek books besides your own, and which ones would you recommend?

JS: I think Diane Duane, if you want more about Vulcan, I also like Greg Cox's books, but since a lot of the Star Trek writers are friends, it's difficult to single too many out.

Susan Shwartz: I do read other Star Trek books. I enjoyed FEDERATION, SPOCK's WORLD, MY ENEMY MY ALLY and THE ROMULAN WAY (all the Rihannsu books), SAREK, and I'm really enjoying the DS9 Relaunch.

Capt.Nero: I have always wondered this, authors who get paid a certain amount, let's say I believe its around 70 cents a word. And if they have roughly a 300 paged book, I have done the math and normally it comes out to be 200 dollars to 400 dollars. Depending on the page number. I was wondering, do you and other authors have different occupations other than writing?

JS: Many non-writers think that writers live in palaces. While book authors do not get paid by the word but by the book, the pay is a little better than that. At the same time, very few writers can live off writing alone. I have a writing and editing business, Sherman Editorial Services, to help pay the bills. The old line about 'don't quit your day job' is quite true.

GiantFrog: How do you go about writing with a partner, do you trade off writing chapters?

JS: In the case of collaborations, I've collaborated, of course, with Susan, and in the case of Star Trek, we generally flip a coin to see who starts and alternate chapters and then edit each other. In the case of collaborating with other authors, it will depend on the other author and the fame of said author as to who does what.

SS: It's about twice as much work because we plot cooperatively, and then we edit each other.

Brenden: How long does it take you to write a book?

JS: That varies according to the book, how complicated the plot is, and the deadline. A book can be written in as short a time as two weeks or even a week, or as long as two years.

Warper: What advice would you give to aspiring writers, Star Trek or otherwise?

SS: The first thing is that writing Star Trek tends not to be "the" ultimate career goal. It's possible to write it without having other writing credits, but it is a VERY narrow window of opportunity. For aspiring writers, the important thing is to write and to read. To get your education, in whatever form — it doesn't have to be in classrooms. To get OUT there and not JUST write; I worry about people who think they're going to get out of college, go to their parents' homes and get a part-time job before they start being J.K. Rowling (and believe me, I run into it). Writers need to be exposed to a variety of experiences, to live and to make mistakes. A thing that's actually helped me is a series of demanding full-time jobs in financial services because it's introduced me to many types of people, a challenging environment, all kinds of interesting information — and it gets me out of the house. Navel-gazing is not good for aspiring writers. Writing, reading, thinking, and living are.

vulcan3324: Do you watch Enterprise? And if so, would you ever be interested in writing an Enterprise book?

JS: I do sometimes watch Enterprise, I wil lbe watching it more now that they have a new Story Editor to see what direction the show will go into. As to writing an Enterprise book, right now that's on a back burner.

vulcan3324: Do you have a handy Star Trek encyclopedia that you keep on hand for reference?

JS: Yes! I have the Chronology and the Star Trek Encyclopedia. Without those we would be lost, because the Star Trek universes are so complex.

Xeen: What is so special with Vulcans and Spock in particular that you expand on this specific theme in your new book? Do you plan to ever go back to T'Pol's time?

JS: What I personally find so interesting about Spock is that he is a man of two cultures and the longer we write about him, the more interesting it becomes to see how he would resolve his inner conflicts. As for writing stories set further back, right now I don't know if we will.

Brenden: When writing a book how do you get the rights to the "Star Trek" name?

JS: Paramount, which owns Star Trek, also owns Pocket Books, so they own the entire writing license. When we write Star Trek, the books are apporoved by Paramount and they allow us to go ahead with their characters.

Sparky: What did you have to do to be a Star Trek fiction writer?

JS: What happened with Star Trek was that the then-editor, John Ordover, contacted me and Susan separately and asked if we wanted to write a Star Trek novel. At the time, we were both busy with separate projects. So I telephoned Susan and asked if she'd like to collaborate. She said yes, and that was the start.

SS: I became a Star Trek writer because John Ordover was asking SFWA members with several novels, at least, under their belts whether they A. liked Star Trek and B. wanted to write a Star Trek novel, and because Jo Sherman suggested we collaborate.

JuniorJunior: Do you have favorite Star Trek episodes or movies which influence your books?

JS: From the Original Series, "Amok Time," "Journey to Babel," "Balance of Terror" and many others. Those have the most about Vulcans, so Susan and I have watched those many times.

SS: TOS: "Balance of Terror" and "Enterprise Incident," because there are Romulans in them. "Amok Time" for obvious reasons, and because Ted Sturgeon wrote it. "Conscience of the King" because it's a revenge tragedy, and I'm crazy about HAMLET.

TNG: "Yesterday's Enterprise," which came together out of a lot of fragments, rather like a film I love, CASABLANCA. It was the Genesis of VULCAN'S HEART. "Face of the Enemy," because it took place on board the warbird Khazara. "Darmok," because it's a brilliant use of metaphor. "The Inner Light" because it's such a loving, radiant script. "Sarek," because it was good to see Mark Lenard again, Peter Beagle did a great script, and I loved the use of music

DS9: "In the Pale Moonlight" and "Inter Arma Enim Silent Leges," because they're great Romulan episodes and the entire dominion war arc.

I'm not much of a VOYAGER fan, although I liked the one where B'Elanna fought her way out of Grethor.

Enterprise: the last part of this third season was excellent, and I have hopes for Season 4.

Capt.Jim: What kind of research do you do for a novel like this?

JS: For a novel that is set both in the known Star Trek universe and in our own creations, it's a mixed bag of research. In "Vulcan's Forge," for instance, I've been in deserts, I know what they smell like and I put that into the story. Susan is a scholar who knows the Byzantine world and she puts some of that into the politics.

SS: I do the same level of research that I do for any military SF or historical fantasy novel. For "VULCAN'S SOUL: EXILES," for example, I've been talking with physicists to help me create a workable background for the planet Remus as described in "Star Trek Nemesis", including figuring out how Vulcanoids could take the exposure to all that radiation and live. For "VULCAN'S HEART," I researched the December 7, 1941, attack on Pearl Harbor, for obvious reasons. Some of ADM Lynn's language is adapted from some of Admiral Halsey's actual messages — and ENTERPRISE did come into Pearl the day after the attack, if I remember right — it's been awhile since I had that data at my fingertips.

I also research Star Trek extensively, both the other books, in case there's continuity going on inter-book, and the TV and film presentations, because they're canonical. Last of all, I rely on the hilariously termed "Star Trek nonfiction," such as planetary guides and the Encyclopedia. With the VULCAN books, I also maintain a timeline of our characters' possible activities.

T'Pale: Since Vulcans always seem so level-headed, it must be a challenge to create distinct Vulcan characters, how do you do that?

JS: Well, a lot of people seem to think that Vulcans have no emotions, but it's clear that they have controlled emotions. This means that we can get into the mind of someone like Spock and show his interior dry sense of humor and other controlled emotions that he would not show on the surface.

SS: They're not ALWAYS level-headed, and they're very good at rationalization. I work on the premise that you can do a lot to make a character more responsive if you assume rationalization and irony as two characteristics.

vulcan3324: Do you ever find it difficult to stay within the confines of Star Trek canon?

JS: We've been lucky. Our books take place before, after or between the various series. So we have had more freedom than many Star Trek authors. There have been places where we have had to adhere closely to canon, but not too many of those.

Psiqueue: Since most of your books deal with the Vulcans and Romulans, would you be willing to write a script for Enterprise if the show decides to explore the Romulan Wars?

JS: Since I have written for television, I would love to write for Enterprise.

Spock_4: Have you ever met or spoken with Leonard Nimoy about these books and if so, what were his thoughts?

JS: While we have never met Leonard Nimoy, we kept missing him every time he came to the Star Trek offices, he did ask to read "Vulcan's Forge" and loved it. He volunteered the quote that's on the cover and also volunteered to read the audio book. That led to a funny story.

The audio books department, reading the script, which Susan and I wrote, asked John Ordover how to pronounce, a Vulcan word. John said, "Leonard Nimoy is reading it, you have a native Vulcan speaker."

SS: I once met Leonard Nimoy outside the stage door when he played VINCENT. I heard that he liked the "VULCAN'S FORGE" audioscript and went "squeeee" like a fangirl at that compliment. I did get a very lovely note of thanks from Joanne Linville for "VULCAN'S HEART," and I still grin at that thought.

Archer_Lives: Has the Vulcan history we've seen on Enterprise had an impact on this latest trilogy?

JS: No.

SS: Not really, although I think that the proto-Romulans of "VULCAN'S SOUL" remind me a lot of Soval, T'Pol's former mentor.

Jerimiah_Neuberg: What makes a good Star Trek story?

JS: A good Star Trek story should be, first of all, a good story. You should be able to read it for sheer enjoyment, and not just because it's about Star Trek. One of our happy moments was getting a starred review from Publisher's Weekly, which almost never reviews Star Trek, in which they said they enjoyed it as science fiction as well as Star Trek.

Psiqueue: It has been a while since your last Star Trek novel; what prompted you to return to the Trek Universe?

JS: Actually, we had returned to the Star Trek universe quite a while back. However, Paramount was then working on "Star Trek Nemesis." This held up our book because they needed to be sure that the book and their movie did not conflict. They let us read the script after signing a non-disclosure agreement and we could finally assure them that no, there was no conflict.

Tom: What's your favorite Star Trek era and why?

JS: My favorite is the Original Series. First of all, I grew up with it, and second of all, looking back at it, I think they did the best storytelling with the smallest budget.

SS: Hard to say. I love different things about each show. No, I just can't say. Next thing, you'll be asking me which of my books is my favorite.

vulcan3324: Do you have a favorite Trek book that you have written?

JS: That's like asking which of my children is my favorite! Not that I have children, but I can't pick just one book. I'd say whichever book I'm working on at the moment.

Xeen: Apart from the encyclopedia and other stuff you mentioned, do you ever watch particular episodes of the original series to get something right when writing?

JS: We certainly do. I have seen "Amok Time" more times than any sane, non-Vulcan needs to see it.

Brenden: What one thing would you want people to know about your self?

JS: I would like them to know that I write other things, that I like my readers, and if you see me at a convention, feel free to come up and say hello!

Brenden: Do people ever come up to you on the street and know who you are?

JS: Actually that did happen once. I was sitting at an airport and a man came up to me and asked me very shyly "Are you Josepha Sherman?" As most authors are known for their books and not hteir faces I was astonished. It turned out that he had a copy of "Vulcan's Heart" in hand, which of course has the author photo on the jacket copy.

Xeen: What is the most intriguing and exciting part in the creative process?

JS: When the characters suddenly come alive with you and you feel like they're telling the story for you and you cannot stop writing it.

vulcan3324: Are you planning on going to any conventions in the near future?

JS: Yes I am. I will be at the World-Con, the world science fiction convention in two weeks in Boston. I also plan to return to Shore Leave next year in Baltimore, and we'll be doing a lot of the regional conventions.

Host: Who is your favorite Trek Captain?

JS: My favorite Trek captain has to be, without a doubt, Captain "kick 'em in the butt" Kirk.

Xeen: Are you familiar with the world of fan fictions and do you read any ?

JS: I know fan fiction exists, but now that I am a professional writer, I don't read it, because I don't want to accidentally steal someone's idea. My agents, in fact, advised me not to read any fan fiction.

ShamusMacP: Why do you think there aren't many Vulcan Captains in Starfleet?

JS: It wouldn't be logical. They would be science officers, there would be scientific captains, since it has been established that Vulcans are interested in learning new things. The Vulcan way of life is not that of a warrior.

Xeen: Do you ever go to conventions or book signing events in Europe ?

JS: I have done so, but travel is very expensive. I would love to get back to Europe, I've been to England, the Netherlands, I've been to Russia, but is very expensive to travel right now.

Brenden: Do current events affect your books at all?

JS: Actually, they overlap sometimes. One of the strangest overlaps happened in Vulcan's Heart. Narviat onscreen breaks down over the murder of a baby. Right after that, the Earthquake in Turkey killed thousands. The Turkish President got on camera, this strong, stern man, telling about the disaster, had no trouble until he had to mention dead children, and he broke down on camera. It was the same scene almost, amazingly.

Host: Can you do the Vulcan salute?

JS: Oh yes, I can! Either hand.

Brenden: If you could would you want to live in a Star Trek world? If so which one?

JS: Actually, not Enterprise, because that means there was a third world war and hopefully there won't be. But Original Series or Next Generation where there's equality for everyone and freedom to travel in space.

vulcan3324: When did you realize that you wanted to make writing your career?

JS: My mother was a screenwriter, so I always knew there were such people as writers. I started writing in first grade but actually went on to get a degree in Archaeology, then returned to writing.

Fig: Besides Vulcans, do you have a favorite alien race to write about?

JS: Romulans are fun. Because they are, after all, genetically Vulcanoid, but they show Vulcans without the restrictions. Klingons are fun, too, because they are such a happily fierce people. They enjoy life.

BuffyRules: What other writing projects do you have lined up in the future?

JS: I am very busy writing. I just finished two childrens eductional books on science. I just finished an Andromeda novel, "Through the Looking Glass," which gives you an idea it's not too serious. And editing the Encyclopedia of Storytelling, and of course, working on books two and three of Vulcan's Soul.

Brenden: Sometimes what happens in the Star Trek books doesn't really match Star Trek history... does that happen in your book... and is that a bad thing?

JS: Well, Paramount decreed a long time ago that none of the books are canon. So that's difficult to keep continuity, although in our books we try to match everything up with the Star Trek canon.

vulcan3324: Besides writing, what are some of your other interests?

JS: I'm also a professional folklorist, which means I love stories. I also love horses and even do a little horse whispering. I love travel; you pay, I'll fly! I love aviation and I'm a computer junkie.

vulcan3324: Can you give us any hints as to what's coming up in the next two Vulcan's Soul books?

JS: There will be Vulcans, Romulans, and that mysterious race, the Watraii.

Xeen: Since you have an archaeological education were you ever tempted to write a Stargate novel?

JS: Actually, yes, if anybody ever starts publishing them again, I would like to write one. I find Stargate a lot of fun.

Host: Did you sign Leonard Nimoy's copy of your book?

JS: Actually, we did sign, if memory serves, the audio book, I really don't remember.

vulcan3324: I really love your Star Trek books, and I hope that you realize what an inspiration you are to authors everywhere! Keep up the good work!

JS: Thank you!

Host: And thank you for taking the time to chat with us today!

JS: Thank you! I will end with "live long and prosper!"

Host: Thanks to all of you for the great questions!

vulcan3324: Thanks again for coming!

Brenden: thanxs!

darrik: Live long and all that jazz.