>> I do have a look. It's undeniable, yeah. >> Pat Rothfuss looks and sounds the part of a bestselling fantasy author.
Pat laughs
>> But his booming laugh, wild hair and fashion sense are not part of a calculated image. In fact, his editor had to make sure he didn't clean up too much before his first meeting with his publisher. >> She goes, "Oh no." Don't do that. You're a fantasy author. People expect you to look a little bit wild." And I'm like, "Really? Okay." >> The first two books of his Kingkiller Chronicle have sold more than 500,000 copies in the U.S. and overseas. >> That's Finnish. That's Polish. These are French. These are in the UK. >> The book's hero is a boy named Kvothe, an orphan who uses his wit, musical talent and arcane magic to survive and seek out those who killed his parents. >> I never thought of it as a trilogy. I always thought of it as "The Book." >> Rothfuss wrote the story during his time as a student at UW-Stevens Point. >> Some time between, like, '96 and 2002. It was a slow process, like erosion. >> Pat spent 11 years getting his undergraduate and master's degree. >> I was studying psychology, and philosophy, and anthropology, and chemistry, and whatever else interested me. >> College courses provided knowledge for him to build the world in his book. >> When you're creating a world, this secondary fantasy world, and you really want to make it kind of realistic and interesting, and then you learn something about economics, it's really relevant to you in a way that's not relevant otherwise. >> College also taught Pat how to write and how to edit his work. He was a tutor for seven years in the campus writing lab. >> This place was definitely my home away from home. I didn't realize it, but I was learning how to be a writer. >> He was the enforcer.
laughter
>> He's still a welcome face. >> I was a fresh faced young boy. I don't think I even had a beard. >> You still managed to get in trouble even way back then. >> Absolutely. >> Another home on campus was the student newspaper, where Pat wrote a humor column.
Pat laughs
>> He remembers sleeping on the couch when writing overnight. >> I was writing part of book two, actually. I remember writing it right here when I was supposed to be doing something else. I was monopolizing one of their few computers, because I didn't have one of my own. >> It would be easy to assume Pat's novels are simply fantasy versions of his time in college. After all, Kvothe spends most of the first two books attending school, learning everything he can. Kvothe learns sword fighting. Pat was part of the college fencing club. Kvothe practices forms of magic called Sympathy and Naming. Pat dabbled in philosophical alchemy. >> It's an understandable thing for people to think, but it's really not true. At least in my case. >> Pat says while his experiences influenced his writing, the books are not wish fulfillment. >> The truth is, a lot of times, I'll find myself acting or talking in such a way that afterwards it reminds me of one of my characters. >> One example is charity. Pat uses his Worldbuilders Charity to get his fans to donate to Heifer International, a non-profit that helps people around the world by giving them farm animals and teaching them sustainable agriculture. >> Everybody who donates, I'll take all those names and I'll draw winners out of a hat and I'll send you free stuff. >> What started as blogging efforts to raise a few thousand dollars has turned into a major project. Pat bought a house in Stevens Point just to run the charity and warehouse all the books to be used as prizes, all donated by other authors and publishers. In four years, they've raised one million dollars. >> It makes me incredibly proud of the fantasy community, and my readers specifically. >> In the book, when Kvothe comes into some money, he donates it to those who need it. >> It'd be fair for people to point to that and go, oh, you know, Pat started running his Worldbuilders charity, and Pat thinks that we should make the world a better place, and so obviously Kvothe thinks the same thing. You know, I wrote that back when I was too poor to donate money to anything except the "Buy Pat Groceries Fund." >> Pat says when he got some money, he just followed his character's lead. >> This makes him a good person. It makes me proud of him. So why wouldn't I follow that lesson when I had a little money of my own. Thank you kindly... >> The lessons continue for Pat. He purchased a rundown greenhouse in downtown Stevens Point. A local non-profit called Central Rivers Farmshed will use the space to promote the local food economy. >> Hopefully the local farmers market will be able to use it. The local co-ops will use it as a drop point for their food. >> While it's not always a direct line from Pat's life to his writing, it's clear he wouldn't be able to do this if it weren't for the book's success. >> I have very simple tastes. I'm obviously not spending all the money on clothes and haircuts. So, you know, what else am I going to do, other than help out some people that need it?
Passport
Follow Us