RAS: No. In both cases, these are my own creations. In both cases, it's the scope of the book itself, not the amount of worldbuilding I need to do or the amount of world research I need to do, that determines the difficulty of the book. One of the most difficult books I've written was Sojourn because I had to bring the Drizzt story in line with a previously written work, namely The Crystal Shard.
If you look at my work in the Realms, you'll see that I've spent a great amount of time finding places to stay out of other peoples' way. Icewind Dale is my creation, as much as is Corona of the Demonwars saga. Same with Menzoberranzan - using the mythologies of Gary Gygax and others instead of the real-world mythologies I used in the Corona setting.
Working in a shared world can be frustrating of course, as when things are printed that affect your work and for which you were not consulted. It can also be incredibly rewarding, like when Ed Greenwood and I shared ideas of what Longsaddle should look like.
DL: Do you have ideas for any other books besides your current series?
RAS: At this point, I don't even know where my current series is going! I do hav eon other book that I'm planning to write, but I'm not starting it until next year and I won't talk about it, because when it comes out, it will be under a pen name. I don't want anybody reading it with any preconceived notions.
DL: One of your most popular characters is Drizzt. What do you think readers find appealing about him? Who is your favorite character to write?
RAS: Drizzt is a classic romantic hero. Misunderstood, often wrongly persecuted - sounds like High School, right? Add to that his indomitable spirit and high moral code and his ability to kick some butt and you have someone who offers hope to people who feel powerless.
That's what I think, but I honestly don't KNOW why Drizzt has become such a huge popular hit.
My favorite character to write? That changes all the time. Marcalo De'Unnero from DemonWars would be up there, as would Bruenor and Drizzt. Pikel Bouldershoulder is a blast, but Oliver deBurrows of the Crimson Shadow books takes the prize for comedy, with Pikel and Thibbledorf Pwent coming in at a second-place tie.
