1. When is Ash's book coming out?
Right now it is tentatively scheduled for Christmas 2007
(but please note that publishing dates can and do
change. They are not in my control and are set by my
publishers). And yes, both of his books will be released
simultaneously.
His book is not the last book of the series by a long
shot. There are other mysterious characters who are
every bit as compelling who will drive the series once
Ash's story is told. But have no fear, he will still be
in the series as a major character.
2. If his book is already written, why do we have to
wait for it?
Parts of it will have to be rewritten. I have very
carefully constructed the DH world and its timeline, but
things happen in every book that surprise me and some of
them effect the events that will happen in Ash's story.
The books have to be released in a specific order so
that those who are following the series will experience
a true continuity. This doesn't mean that the books have
to be read in order, but those of you who have been with
us from the beginning know that if read in order, there
are inside jokes and such that can only be known if you
follow the correct continuity.
When I started publishing this series four years ago, I
did have a backlog of completed books which is what
enabled me to bring them out so close together. With the
exception of Ash's 2 books and whatever book I'm
currently working on, I don't have a complete Hunter
novel that is unreleased, only those in various stages
of completion. These days I need time to carefully write
each book. Yes, I do write fast, but I take my time
rewriting. I refuse to rush through a book just to have
it finished. It's not fair to the reader and it's not
fair to the characters. I don't write for profit or for
schedule, I write for pleasure. I want to love every
book and know that in my heart it was the best I could
make it. So please bear with me as I carefully write
each one.
3. Why are you only publishing two Hunter books a year?
I don't understand why you are writing other series and
pushing the dates for the DH back.
Actually that has been the schedule for the Dark-Hunter
books all along. There was ten months between Fantasy
Lover and Night Pleasures. Nine months between Night
Pleasures and Night Embrace. Five months between Night
Embrace and Dance with the Devil. Four months between
Dance and Kiss. Four between Kiss and Night Play, then
five between Night Play and Seize the Night. If you
average those together, the release schedule has been
one DH book every 6.14 months since the very beginning,
so there's no real change.
St. Martins wanted to take the guesswork out of the
release dates for everyone. They are solidly behind the
success of the series and this shows a tremendous
commitment from them. They are now locking us into a set
schedule that you, the reader, can bank on. You will
never again have to guess on when a book is coming out
and they have guaranteed dates set for the series so
that the books will no longer be shuffled from one month
to the other at the last minute. Anyone who has been
with the series for long knows just how frustrating it
has been when the books get moved. That will no longer
happen.
As for the other series, Kinley MacGregor came first. I
adore my Kinley books. Kinley has her own following and
her own audience. Yes, it often overlaps with the DH
fans, but not always. There are people out there who
will not touch a paranormal, but they love my medievals.
I love my medievals. Those poor fans are often upset
that so many DH books are released while they only get
one a year.
But the straightest answer to both questions is simple.
Publishing schedules are not in my control. Avon, Pocket
and St Martins all have wonderful authors who also have
fans wanting to read their books and series. The
publishers are trying to be fair and meet the demands of
everyone. Neither the publishers nor I are trying to
withhold or harm any reader. We all adore you and we
want you to be happy. But we have to be fair to
everyone.
Back when the Kinley books were the only ones I was
publishing, I was on a thirteen month schedule. That is
just Avon's schedule for Kinley and I've been lucky that
as Kinley's audience has grown, they have moved me up to
an eight to nine month schedule between books.
At St Martins, we were lucky
in the beginning that I had several DH books finished
and could release them. Now I need time to write them.
The reason why I write more than one series is simple. I
love spaghetti. It's without a doubt my favorite food on
the planet. I can eat it for days, but you know,
around about that third or fourth day, I do get a little
tired of it. By the fifth or sixth day, I'm honestly
sick of it. By the seventh I never want to see it again.
Writing is the same way-- the variety of the different
series is what helps to keep it fresh.
I love each and every series I write. They are like my
children and I have no favorite. However, I, like all
authors, do need a little time out after I've spent
months working on a book. If I wrote nothing but
Dark-Hunter or Kinley, I would burn out on it. That's
why most authors who write a single series at a time
take awhile between each book. You have to freshen the
well and give new ideas time to grow.
By writing entirely different series in entirely
different genres, I get to continually renew my creative
well. It allows me the variety I need to stay healthy
and happy.
4. Why are some of your books hardback, some trade
paperback and some regular paperbacks? I don't
understand why some of your books cost more than others?
Most readers assume that it is the author who sets the
format and price of a book. Sadly it isn't. We honestly
have no control over any of that. The publisher chooses
the format and sets the price without any input from the
author. Case in point, I had absolutely no idea that
What Dreams May Come would be a trade paperback until I
had been sent the cover from my editor. I never know the
price of a book until it is on the shelves. Likewise I
have no control over my covers. All I can do is make
suggestions.
5. Where can I find audio versions of your books?
Dark Side of the Moon will be the first book released in
this format. Please click below to purchase it.
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
6. Why don't you have ebooks?
All of the Dark-Hunter and Kinley
MacGregor novels are available in ebook form from
eReader.com
7. When are you coming to my town for a signing?
Please understand that I'm trying my
best to add more dates and cities to my calendar as best
I can, but I need time to write the books and every
signing takes several days away from my writing schedule
and time away from my small children and husband. The
more signings I do, the fewer books I can write. Please
be patient as we try to expand my signing
locations into as many states as I can while leaving
enough time for each book to be the best it can be and
for my children to remember they have a mom.
If you would like to have me come to a
specific store, then please speak with the events
coordinator and ask them if they can make arrangements
with my publisher to have me in for a signing. If enough
people make requests, then it is much more likely that
my publisher will send me to your town.
8. How can I get a copy of your out of print books Born
of the Night, Born of Fire, Paradise City, Daemon's
Angel and Fire and Ice? Whenever I find one, they cost
so much that I can't afford them. Why don't you epub
them or rerelease them?
GREAT news! St Martins has purchased the Out of Print
books and they will be rereleased soon. As soon as I
have a date, I'll let you all know. In the
meantime, check out
The League site.
9. I've read lots of mythology in the past and Artemis
is always portrayed as a virgin goddess. Why isn't she
like that in your books?
Artemis was and has always been portrayed as a goddess
of extreme contradictions. What most people don't
realize is that the typical mythology we are taught in
schools and what we generally read are taken from either
Bulfinch or Edith Hamilton. While both works are
wonderful introductions into the ancient myths, they are
both very cursory and are only the tip of the iceberg.
Further Artemis (yes, the Artemis we know and love or in
some cases hate) was just a Greek goddess. She was
adopted by other cultures in Asia Minor and Africa. She
was a minor deity in Greece, but a major goddess in
other realms. Ancient writers wrote many, many stories
about her. And while some portray her as a virgin (some
claim that the asked Zeus for eternal virginity when she
was three years old), others portray her quite
differently. Most people know the version of her with
Orion (similar to the tale of Actaeon) that when he
tried to rape her, she turned him into a bear and
depending on the legend either had him stung by a
scorpion or she killed him herself. But another common
variation of this story was that she was to marry him
(and they had been very friendly beforehand, if you
catch my meaning). When Apollo learned of this, he
tricked her into accidentally shooting her lover and
that Artemis placed him in the sky to always remember
him. This is one of dozens of stories in the
ancient realm where Artemis was known to take lovers. In
fact, many ancient writers have her as a known lover of
her promiscuous twin brother Apollo. Not to mention that
her cult followers were never required to stay virgins.
It was a common ceremony that whenever a cult member
wanted to leave, all she had to do was go to Artemis's
temple and place a lock of hair with their toys and
other objects of their childhood on her altar and then
they were free to go marry (which Artemis didn't object
to). This dichotomy is something that I have played on
in my series. It's not a lack of research on my part.
Like the ancient writers before me, I have taken the
Greek legends and have added my own interpretation while
doing my best to be respectful and as true to the
ancient ways as my thirty plus years of research and
scholarship will allow :) But please remember that the
Dark-Hunter realm is a world of fiction and as such I do
take some liberties with it.
10. What is the sampler booklet and where do I find it?
This is a booklet that St. Martins brought out along
with Sins of the Night. It's a free booklet that was
available at participating stores in limited quantities.
It has a list of vocabulary, DH info and a previously
unpublished short story about Acheron. To read the short
story, please
click here.
St Martins will be bringing out a Dark-Hunter compendium
that will have all of the above information and a whole
lot more. I don't have a date yet, but as soon as I do,
I'll let everyone know.
11. I have found a typo in one of your books or I have
missing or repeated pages. What should I do?
I really wish that each book could go out without a
single error in it. Unfortunately that doesn't always
happen and often we don't even realize that typos are in
the final book since neither Brynna nor I ever read my
books after they're published. Ironically, Brynna once
bought one of my Kinley MacGregor books and didn't
realize it had missing pages until a reader wrote in
asking about her own copy. Sure enough, Brynna checked
and the copy that she'd owned for more than a month had
the same error in it.
If a book you purchased is defective, please return it
to the store where you bought it and they will gladly
exchange it for you. If they are out of copies, please
contact the publisher immediately and they will replace
the copy. Likewise, please email me to let me know that
there is a defective book on the loose so that I can
check and see if anyone else is having that problem and
notify my publisher. Replacement of defective copies is
always handled by the bookstores and the publishers, not
by the author. Like you, the reader, I have to purchase
all the copies I have of my books too.
As for typos, I can assure you that each and every book
is very carefully read by me, Brynna, and my editors as
well as several other readers. I take their suggestions
and corrections and incorporate them into the book. The
book is then given to a line editor who goes through and
checks for typos as well as a copy editor who checks for
facts and consistency. The manuscript is then returned
to me where Brynna and I read it again. It's returned to
my editor who reads it, then hands it off to the
production team who typesets it. On occasion these
typesetters will make mistakes. Because of this, the
typeset pages are sent to me and Brynna who again read
every page very carefully to make any last minute
corrections and then it is sent to a proofreader.
Now you would think with all that, that every single
mistake would be caught, but unfortunately, we are all
human and sometimes things sneak past us or sometimes
corrections aren't entered correctly (and let's face it,
my handwriting stinks and I'm sure they can't always
make out my scribbles. Not to mention, I am SEVERELY
dyslexic which is why I make poor Brynna reread
everything behind me). And to let you know how easy
mistakes can happen here's an interesting example of how
the human mind works...
"Aoccdrnig
to rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer
in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny
iprmoetnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be at
the rghit pclae. The rset can be a toatl mses and you
can sitll raed it wouthit porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the
huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the
wrod as a wlohe."
We try our very best to make each book perfect, but
should you find a typo that has escaped us, please email
Brynna
and let her know the name of the book and the page it
occurred on so that we can enter the correction in
future editions of the book. Thanks!
