A Few Notes and Answers to Reader Questions

You’ll notice that I’m not posting my A Year of Marymoor today. I’m going to have to move it to Monday because Marymoor’s Concerts in the Park are now in full swing and Sundays are kind of…impossible to get around to the places I take my pictures because those areas are closed to the public for concert setup. So later tomorrow afternoon, the post will be up.

There are several things I’m going to touch on today.

One, I’m officially announcing that my husband has now joined my crew of assistants. We’ve decided that our lives are best suited with Samwise taking on full-time support for my indie career. We’re both really excited about this and it means a number of changes for both of us–I’ll be able to write more (as you may have noticed) while he takes on some of the aspects that I’ve had to do. Indie publishing has a lot more work to it, so it will be very welcome to have him taking over some of the admin aspects. So you’ll see him more on Facebook with Jennifer, and he’s also working on a fun new idea we came up with that I don’t want to say more about right now, except: I think my readers are going to love it!

Second touches on a point I just made above. You’ll notice I’m writing more books. I’m thrilled about this because I’m by nature a prolific writer. When I was with my former publisher, they discouraged me from putting out more work–to be honest, they weren’t all that thrilled with me releasing three books a year and when I mentioned wanting to add another series, well…it did not happen.

Some people are asking: are the books shorter? Some are, because I find the shorter format fits some of the new series. The Bewitching Bedlam and Fury Unbound series are both about the size of my Chintz ‘n China and Bath & Body books. The Otherworld books are no shorter than they were. But they’re all fully edited and they are all cheaper in e-format, so it’s a win-win.

The fallout from all this is threefold: I’m happier. Simply put, I’m far happier with the process of my work in ways I haven’t been for a long while and that makes my work stronger. I’m able to write stories I’ve wanted to for years–books I couldn’t write while I was with Berkley. Like the majority of writers, I need variety in my work. I have so many ideas that I can’t imagine only writing in one world anymore. And I’m finding that being indie means not being locked into a contract. If something isn’t working, I can try something else. If I find I want to write some short stories in a world–I can do that and publish them. In other words, I’m free to experiment, explore, and take you along on new adventures.

Now, to some reader questions.

Q: With the sisters going on different paths, will Menolly still be able to get her flavored blood from Morio? That was a great gift from him to her.

A: Never fear, they are all still living in Seattle, and Morio will always have a few minutes to enchant his sister-in-law’s blood supply. 😉

Q: Who has been your toughest character to write about and why? And who has been your favorite. Thanks

A: Other than the Bath and Body books, which were honestly difficult—not because of the characters but the genre—I’d say the hardest character to write has been Delilah. While I am a crazy cat lady, Delilah is so different from me that it’s always been hard to pin her down. She’s not someone who I connect with a great deal. The favorite character—well, I have several. I love writing Camille’s books. Kerris stands out to me, too. And now? Maddy from the Bewitching Bedlam series. Honestly? Her books just flow—better than any other character I’ve written about. And I have SO much fun with her. I’m looking forward to a long writing relationship with Maddy and the BB gang.

Q: Which couple among your books or future books stands out as your favorite to write of?

A: Maddy and Aegis—I am really enjoying getting to know them and having a lot of fun writing about them. I love the promise of what Fury and Tam can grow into as a couple. And I’m really irritated that I’ve had to put the Whisper Hollow Series on hold because I was loving Kerris and Bryan…but thanks to the series being split between Berkley and my indie work, it’s just not a viable path for me right now to write more.

But…and I’ve hinted on this a little…it will be an interesting journey with an upcoming series I’m starting next year…and could change the answer to this question. 😉

Q: Is Samwise interested in writing and if so if you worked together on a book, would you find it difficult to work with him as a writer.

A: Actually, Samwise has written two or three books (unpublished) and he is fascinated by the process of storytelling. However, he’s not focused on publishing at this point. While I’ve done some critiquing for him, I would not collaborate with him—or anyone—on a book. I don’t play well with others and don’t like to share (anthologies don’t count since they aren’t really a collaboration). Also, I run with scissors! 😉

But…and this is something new I can do because of my shift to indie, Samwise and I ARE working on something new together (not a book) that we hope to present to my readers next year.

Q: I have an author to author question if that’s OK. I’m so close to being done with the first part of my story but I’m having such an issue with finishing part 1. When I try I get anxiety attacks and I worry that no one is going to like it (things along that like). My question is did you have anything like that with your first book? Do you have any advice on how to combat that?

A: You have to quit thinking about audience reception until you’re done with the book. In fact, I suggest you just set the concept of publishing on the shelf for the moment, because not only do you need to finish the book, but you’ll have to (if you intend to self-publish) have to find a good editor (and if this is your first go around, I suggest you find a content editor as well as a copyeditor), and then revise/rewrite, and so on. Focus on enjoying the process. Enjoy the writing. Finish the work. Hone it, make it the best you can, and then you can publish it. You have to accept that there will be plenty of people who won’t like it—it’s something every writer faces. But you’re not writing for them. You’re writing for yourself, and for the people who WILL like it.