R.A. Salvatore and son write for a younger age

Over the past 20 years, R.A. Salvatore has written 50 fantasy-genre novels. He's sold millions of copies of his books, 18 of which have been New York Times best sellers.While Salvatore's books are sold in the adult section of bookstores, however, he knows that his biggest fans actually are preteens and teens. So now, he and his son Geno have written their first novel specifically for those readers.Titled "The Stowaway" (Mirrorstone, $17.95), the Salvatores' novel is the first book in "The Stone of Tymora" trilogy. Filled with magic and mayhem, "The Stowaway" is a swashbuckling tale starring a 12-year-old orphan named Maimun who possesses a magic stone and has a series of heart-stopping adventures as he seeks to keep the stone from falling into the wrong hands.The novel will be available beginning Sept. 9, and will be followed by a sequel next year.While R.A. Salvatore -- known as "Bob" to family and friends -- helped edit "The Stowaway," the book was largely written by 22-year-old Geno Salvatore. It was Geno who came up with the story and the character of Maimun, and it was Geno who took on the challenge of writing his first novel under intense pressure as the book's deadline was moved forward by a year."It was really helpful to work with my dad," Geno Salvatore said in a recent telephone interview. "It was never 'my way or the highway.' Instead, it was great having someone like him to talk to about where I was going with this story. ... Obviously, he has so much experience writing that his opinion carries an awful lot of weight. But it was never a forced thing."In the same telephone interview, Bob Salvatore, 49, noted that Geno has copy-edited his books for years and so is intimately familiar with the fantasy worlds of those novels."Ninety percent of 'The Stowaway' was written by Geno, with me standing right next to him and helping along the way. I helped to guide him on the pacing of the story and the growth of the characters," he said.Among the people that Maimun encounters in "The Stowaway" is a Dark Elf named Drizzt Do'Urden. That name will be familiar to the many fans of R.A. Salvatore's books, for Drizzt is his most enduring and popular character.In another twist, both Maimun and Drizzt appear in Bob Salvatore's new fantasy novel for adults, "The Pirate King," which is due out in October."Drizzt is my little brother," Geno Salvatore said. "I've read everything about him since I've been able to read. ... I know Drizzt as much as anyone alive."Bob Salvatore added that he believes Drizzt's appearance in "The Stowaway" "fit beautifully."Both Salvatores are excited about publishing their first young-adult novel, noting that there are good reasons why fantasy is so popular with teens."Fantasy is like an idealized reality, and the core of fantasy is the one person can make a difference," Bob Salvatore said. "That's the crux of what teens want to hear."Geno Salvatore added that "the big difference is that this story is told from the perspective of a 12-year-old. We didn't tone down any of these scenes ... although we did tone down the violence. There's more chase and less violence. But we don't want to talk down to teens -- they're pretty sharp."In addition to writing novels, Bob Salvatore has written the story for "Forgotten Realms: The Demon Stone," an award-winning video game. More recently, he was asked by Red Sox pitcher Curt Schilling to create a world and story for a computer game that he wanted to publish. Bob Salvatore's other son, Bryan Salvatore, works at the company that will publish the game.While Bob Salvatore is proud of Geno's obvious skill as a writer, he also wants him to understand that the writer's life isn't easy."Book tours can kill you," Bob Salvatore laughed. "I'm going to teach him how to survive on the road. ... What you really have to do is take pleasure in the people you are meeting."Bob Salvatore has personal experience with how challenging a writer's life can be. Several years ago, when he was asked to write a "Star Wars" book where Chewbacca dies, many fans were furious and let him know. Meanwhile, Salvatore was dealing with his brother's death from pancreatic cancer."Writing can be a tough gig. Whenever you do something in which you put yourself out there -- if that becomes the focus of your life, you miss the point of living," Bob Salvatore said. "You've really got to get the grounding of family and the things that are important in your life and make that your focus."(Karen MacPherson, the children's/teen librarian at the Takoma Park, Md., Library, can be reached at Kam.Macpherson(at)gmail.com. For more stories visit scrippsnews.com)