FAQ

Do I have to read your books in order?

That depends. Although the Preternaturals Series is numbered so you know what order they’ve been released in and the supposed “ideal order” to read them in, each book has it’s own romance as the front story, so technically they can be read out of order. Probably the best way to know is to try a book that looks interesting to you and then go back and start from the beginning if you think you’ll enjoy the stories best that way. Some people like to read things like this out of order because it creates a “puzzle piece” effect for the background story.

How many books do you have planned for the Pretverse?

Ten are planned definitely at this time, though I may expand beyond that indefinitely. The type of world I’ve created with the Pretverse allows me a large playground to play in. I don’t imagine I’ll ever run out of stories to tell here. For more Preverse questions answered, check out the Pretverse FAQ.

Why don’t you allow blog comments?

There are many reasons, but they can best be summed up here: Blog Zen, or 8 Reasons I’m Disabling Comments

Most important points: I didn’t do it because I don’t want to hear from people (I do), and I wanted blogging to be fun again. A big part of it is also a branding decision. Some posts, where appropriate, may have comments enabled, such as guest blogs.

I used to see you arguing all over the Internet, what happened? Does somebody have you on a Valium drip? Who do I need to beat up?

A lot of my loud-mouthed indie rah rah was because I get really excited about things when I first start them and I feel like I have to tell everybody what I’m doing and why. It was easy to get sucked into debates and discussions and a lot of it *did* get my name out there. Squeaky wheel and all that. But now I want to focus on fiction. I don’t want everything to be about debating publishing. If you’re a writer, I honestly don’t care how you publish, and I no longer feel the need to defend my way anymore.

Is it true you accepted a NY publishing deal?

No. It isn’t.

Do you have plans to?

At this time I can’t think of a situation in which I would take a deal because I don’t think a publisher would offer me the type of deal I would take. If they ever got to the point where I would, it would mean I was doing well enough on my own that I could probably reach whatever level a NY pub could get me to, on my own. So short answer: No, I don’t think traditional publishing is right for me.

Are you bitter because you were rejected hundreds of times?

That’s silly. I wasn’t rejected hundreds of times. For novel-length work, I made the most half-hearted attempt you could imagine. Because my heart wasn’t in it. I’m an entrepreneur. I like running my own show and controlling my own projects start to finish. That may not be right for every author, but it is right for me. Also, before you ask, I don’t “hate” NY publishers. Why should I? In fact, I’m grateful they exist. Without them, everyone would be pressured to price their ebooks at 99 cents. NY “Can’t” price at that, and they aren’t going to just roll over and give up. So yes, I’m super thankful they are there to keep prices from going all the way into the toilet. I’d like to keep making a living. Having multiple price points out there makes that more likely over the long haul.

Is it true you’re making a living self-publishing?

Yes. I was recently (at the time of making this page) interviewed by: abcnews.com. Not that that directly has anything to do with my income, but we did talk about that a little in the interview.

Will your books ever be in physical bookstores?

I don’t know. If I ever have a strong enough brand and the power/ability to get it done without cannibalizing sales (due to the asinine bookstore returns system), sure. Though, you *can* special order my print books through your local bookstore.

What formats are your books available in?

trade paperback, ebook, and audio.

Did you license the rights for audio to another publisher?

No. I got work-for-hire and have a distribution deal.

Who does your audio?

Perfect Voices is the audiobook production company that does my audiobooks. Chet Williamson is my narrator.

Why did you decide to do audio, and will all of your books be available in this format?

I personally enjoy audiobooks and have an Audible account. It’s also a growing market. Not growing as fast as ebooks, but it is the only other market for books that is growing rather than declining right now, so I think it’s important to do it. And yes, at this time I intend for all of my books to be produced in audio as well as print and ebook.

I would like to review your book, can I get a review copy?

At this time I only do digital review copies. Please see my page for book bloggers/reviewers for more details.

Will you write a book featuring (insert character here)?

I don’t know. Send me a message via my contact form at the top and ask me. I can’t make promises, but I will at least consider the request if it meshes with my plans for the verse.

I’m a writer and I’m looking for advice on how to succeed at self-publishing. What do I do?

I’m trying to get out of all that. I honestly can’t tell you how to succeed. I once got into an unintentional cat fight with a well-known romance author because I made the simple statement that the publishing industry was different when she got into it and authors may or may not be able to succeed as easily taking that same path (not that I ever thought it was “easy” to succeed at publishing). The truth is, publishing is always changing. We are in a different era now. The things that worked for that author, may not work as well for a new up-and-coming author. And digital publishing is changing rapidly. I got in it pretty early, and not only do I not have a crystal ball to know if my success will be a growing and long term thing or a flash in the pan, but what worked for me, may not work for you. I really don’t feel comfortable giving advice in that area beyond the indie guide I already wrote and published.

Will you read and review my book?

No, I’m not a book reviewer. I’m a writer.

Will you pimp my book?

I try not to. I may talk about a book I happen to read and really love, but since I’m not a book reviewer and it’s not my job, I don’t read by request. That’s not to be mean and snotty, I just get a lot of requests and I guard my reading time like an angry doberman. But when I *do* pimp a book I happened to read and love, it tends to elicit lots of requests for me to pimp other people’s books, so I’m really unsure how I want to proceed there. Also, my audience is paranormal romance readers, if you write a totally different genre, me pimping you may or may not result in you selling any books.

Can I guest blog here? And if so, what about the disabled comments thing?

You can send a guest blog request by emailing me via the contact form. I can’t accept all requests but odds raise in your favor if the following are true:

* You write paranormal romance, urban fantasy, or erotica (all genres my audience is likely to want to read, though not all will like all of the above)
* Your book is professionally put together, no excuses. Professional cover, professional editing.
* You intend to write a blog that is reader-centric instead of writer-centric.

(And, I will enable comments for guest-bloggers.)

Can I interview you for my blog/podcast/publication?

Probably. Send me a message via the contact form and we’ll talk about it.