I read Herman Hesse's 'Siddhartha' while I was writing 'Lord of Light' along with many other things. It seemed a good time to read it so I could see what he had to say about Buddha. In my first chapter, I was thinking in terms of the big battle scene in the 'Mahabarata.' It helped me in visualizing the battle in my novel.

In any novel I write, I have in my mind several things which happened in the protagonist's past which I never mention in the book.

I was writing 'He Who Shapes' when I was working for the Social Security Administration in Baltimore.

Roger Zelazny Quotes