Below are questions about the text, about writing, & about me. I've answered ones that I thought were interesting in some way or about which I feel strongly.

Here are a few of the recent versions of repeaters or ones I just had fun answering:

 "How many books?"

The plan is for 5 Faery Court books (ie with the characters you've read so far). 3 connected manga.  There might be other faery novels, but I'm not going to keep exploring the same primary protags past the logical point.  

"Why don't you read?"

I do at least an hour of Q&A at each event. That means no two events are identical. The topics are determined by YOU. This prevents us both from boredom.  I have read when pressed (I am defenseless against requests by certain ppl. . . & no, I'm not telling which ppl. If you've read the blog, you'll be able to guess though.)

"Can I see your tattoos?"

Honestly? It depends on my mood & what I'm wearing. Some clothes make that more difficult, & short of catching me on the beach, you're not going to see all of them.  There's so much ivy though that you can almost always see vine or flowers. 

"What do you think of ____[fill in various titles]"

  :) I am not a reviewer (nor do I aspire to be one). I don't think it's my place to crit books.  If you want suggestions, I do that regularly, but not reviews.

"How can I get a Court Band, Temp Tattoo, signed bookplate, or my book signed?"

If you send a SASE to 44 Mine Road, Suite 2 #208, Stafford VA 22554, Benjamin will send you one of the temp tattoos, a signed bookplate, or, yes, a court band. If you send your book & self-addressed package with the postage weighed and pre-affixed, I will sign those too. 

"In the prologue , There was this girl speaking to the Summer King , was that girl Donia?" (Jan 2008)

Actually, she could be any one of the mortal girls who became the Winter Girl. People usually assume that it's Donia though. . . which is a valid answer. If it's textually supported, it's a valid answer. The author is not the sole or final authority on a text's meaning. The prologue uses only the female singular pronoun b/c my intent was for it to be a repeated sequence over time. However, the remainder of the book uses only 3 POV characters. Of the three, those events happened to Donia. Either answer works.

"And was Aislinn's mother, Moira a chosen mortal to become The Summer Queen ?" (Jan 2008)

Moira was chosen. Like the others, she would've either become Winter Girl or one of the Summer Girls or Summer Queen. Instead she died.

"And how exactly did Moira die even though Aislinn thinks her mother died of childbirth?" (Jan 2008)

I'm not going to answer that one. I tend to avoid questions that will be answered in future books. No plot spoilers. Ask me after the third book.

"[What] does Keenan actually look like?" (Jan 2008)

I try to leave the details vague enough that you can fill in your own blanks. He's average height, copper strand hair, tan, & very, very beautiful. I know what he looks like in my mind, but I can't paint so I can only give you the general image.

Do you have any advice for a young writer? (Jan 2008)

I actually get asked this a great deal, & I think my best advice is to read books to see what makes them work (or fail). Study the story/structure/setting/plot/words & see what each text's strengths & weaknesses are. Then, see how that was done. It's, to me, like taking apart appliances or engines to see how they work. If you can figure out how it does what it does, you're better able to build one of your own.

"What type of flowers are on the cover? they're absolutely fantastic!" (Jan 2008)

Orchids. I picked them b/c they're fragile, the sort of things that struggle to survive, and here they are blooming & strong in Ash's hands despite the snow that should kill them. To me, that felt like an image of hope against difficult odds.

Will we get to read more about the characters in Wicked Lovely? (Jan 2008)

Ash, Seth, and Keenan are all in Ink Exchange. It's not their story, but they are a part of it--much like the MCs in Ink Exchange are present in Wicked Lovely. The manga series (starting in 09) also has Keenan and one other MC from WL in it.

I have a total of six YA novels (including WL & INK) and a three-book manga series under contract. My goal is that some characters will resume narrative duties in other books-- Seth and Donia are already scheduled to narrate in other novels, for example--whereas others will be minor characters in one text and central in another, and, of course, some will only be minor characters. Rather than structuring the novels like a row of sequels where the same characters always tell the tale, the narrators vary by text. I guess it's more like a series of "companion" books than proper sequels (for the most part).

I just had a few questions that I forgot to ask-- how old are you? what high school did you go to? and how many children do you have? (Jan 2008)

Sadly, I'm not going to be helpful on these topics. I generally ask that interviews focus on the text not on me, so I'd prefer to leave those topics alone. If you NEED to answer any of them, I'll go with this--I'm in my 30s, and I am thrilled to be a mother. Discussions of where I went to school or anything else that sets too much attention to my family is STRONGLY discouraged. Privacy is important to me. If you are interested enough in my words to care who I am, I'm hoping you're interested enough to respect this request. Discussion, speculation, or anything having to do with my loved ones or private life offends me.

Do you plan for "Wicked Lovely" to be a standalone? Or do you have plans for it to have a sequel or to be a series? (Jan 2008)

It's somewhere btw series & sequels. I like books to be able to be read as stand-alones. Ink Exchange doesn't require you to have read Wicked Lovely first. The manga can be read w/o having read the novels. Of course, there are aspects that are more fully explored if you read them all together. I think "companion novels" would be the best phrasing to use.
The third novel, however, does seem to be a sequel.

If you plan to write more than one book in this universe, what name would you call it? I'm constantly updating Amazon's book titles in order to reflect the proper book number so people can read an author's books in the order she wants them read, but in order to have a book number, I need to call the series something. (Jan 2008)

The Powers That Be at HarperCollins US are pondering series titles, & I offered suggestions (mostly gathered from readers). I have no definitive answer for this. I think "The Wicked Lovely series" is the easiest answer. If my editor has her way, that's what they'll be called in the US, but titles are a tricky thing, and there are levels of people involved in making that decision.

"What I wanted to ask you after class was: have any authors had an influence in your writing? I know you mentioned you came from a story-telling type of family where there was a belief in things such as fairies but would you say your writing comes from that only?" (Jan 2008)

I tend to think everything we read & really respond to influences us to some degree. :)

The easy one--

The folklore & fairy tales I read has influenced me. Probably the most obvious fairy tale influence was "The Snow Queen." A reader pointed it out to me on my pre-pub tour. I have a battered book from 1970-something that I've toted everywhere I've lived over the years. I had a crush on her. Yeah. Cold, cruel, & remote . . . not exactly the stuff of romantic ballads, but my taste in women was always a bit skewed. I've always found wicked queens far more interesting than daft princess types. They had motives & plans. Maybe those motives & plans weren't for Good Things, but they were acting rather than being passive.

The other biggies--
William Faulkner-- He can do things with sensory data & narrative structure that completely astounds me every single time I read his texts. BUT he also tells a good story. He has action, plot, passion, shades of grey & complexity . . . He's my writing hero.

Shakespeare, Keats, Coleridge, Mary Shelley, Lord Byron, Stoker, Polidori, Christina Rossetti-- these folks took the fantastic, the supernatural and amazing, and spun stories that didn't sacrifice style or plot.

Chaucer, R Browning, Zora Neale Hurston, Conrad, Henry James, Faulkner (again)-- Holy narrative structure! They set up narrative structures that are complex and beautiful, graceful and essential for plot.

E Barrett Browning, Milton, Hardy, Chopin, Byron (again)-- characters who were passionate, flawed, & felt real.

Now, that said, I read a lot of non-classic-lit too. My Gram used to buy these bags of romance novels. I read them when she was done. My mother read (& still reads) only romance & ghost stories. I read a lot of these. My uncle teaches univ lit. He sent me philosophy, classic lit, &, umm, mysteries. I read them all.

And somewhere in the mix, in my teens, I had an obsession with The Doors, so I read the list of books Jim Morrison reputedly liked--Baudelaire, Rimbaud, Nietzsche, Blake, .the Beat Authors (Kerouac, Ginsberg, Burroughs, Snyder) . . . and read as much of their work as I could. Those turned me on to Rilke, Flaubert, Breton.

. . . and reading the French authors sent me to reading Simone de Beauvoir & then French Feminist Deconstructionist Theory & then Derrida.

I tend to think reading was like following a path--one author lead to more authors, led to more, led to theory, led to philo, led to sociology, led . . . and it all influenced my writing. What we filter in inevitably influences our outflow, IMHO.

"My first question is how you submit your manuscripts to publishers? I am currently writing my novel in word and I didn't know if I had to do anything special to submit it like change the format or something." (Jan 2008)

If you get the WRITERS MARKET book (there's a new one every year), it tells you the whole process. A lot of the data is online too, but that book should be in your local library. It's a good starting point.

The short version is that you want an agent first. You can search for them online at agentquery.com (among other places). An agent will handle the submission to editors for you. MS Word is fairly standard. It's what I use, & my US & UK editor both prefer it.

You might also check Absolute Write (http://www.absolutewrite.com/forums/) or Verla Kay's Blueboard (http://www.verlakay.com/boards/index.php#5). Many submission questions can be answered by browsing their archives.

Good luck.

"The girl on the cover is very pretty (which probably explains why she is a model). What I think is really nice is that she's a healthy kind of pretty, she doesn't look starved or unwell unlike many models you see nowadays. Did you have any say in picking the model for the cover?" (Jan 2008)

Yes, I picked the models for both US covers :) Looking healthy was one of my priorities, actually. Promoting an unhealthy body image seems anti-feminist so a number of models were immediately off the list for that reason.

Why do you get an opinion on your cover? I've heard this is impossible. (Jan 2008)

Tell HarperCollins. *shrug* They've been very active in asking for my opinions. I picked both cover models. I picked the flower on the cover of Wicked Lovely. They asked for a list of suggestions of "iconic images" & if I had an ideas on the second cover. I've sat down with my designer. I've even answered questions on what length the models fingernails should be for the WL cover.

Maybe they do it different at Harper. I know other authors who've given feedback on covers & had it incorporated (which is how Harper UK does it). Maybe it's my editor's fault or my designer's fault that they ask opinions. Maybe no one told them I'm not to get an opinion. I don't try to say it must be any certain way or impose my will (such a thing will be a violation of the artists' creativity). I do think it's awesome that my opinion is solicited though. I'm grateful for it.

QUESTIONS SPECIFIC TO Wicked Lovely

UPDATE RE: Is there another book?

Since I get this a lot, I'll add it to the top. Ink Exchange will be out in 2008. It picks up after Wicked Lovely. It's not a sequel in that it's not the same MCs. Yes, Ash, Keenan, & Seth are in it. It's not their story though. It's the story of the Dark Court, and Leslie, and Niall, and a tattoo, and the fallout that happens when the power balance shifts at the end Wicked Lovely.

Will there be a proper sequel?

Maybe. I have 30k written of one that I didn't mean to write, so it's possible. No promises though. It's up to Ms. Muse.

Did I research to write these books?

No, not in the 'go-to-the-library' sense . . . The text derives from my familial and educational experiences.

All families have traditions. My family believes in story-telling--sometimes outrageous, sometimes tragic, but always a constant at gatherings. The line between lies and good story-telling has always been a bit nebulous (a somewhat useful trait to inherit in my teen years), but my mother swears that the faeries, among other things, walk in the woods behind our house. Ghosts touch our shoulders; the Church and somewhat pagan theories co-exist just fine; and herbs are as valid a source of medicine as doctors. Growing up with such beliefs has been a foundational thing for me--as a writer and a person.

While the Good Folk and other fascinating beings might not be native to US soil, my family believes they're here. And if I'm being completely straight-up, I'll admit that I still believe. No amount of education can--fortunately--undo that faith.

But education did give me the other side of what I needed to write the novel. I earned both a B.A. and M.A. in literature. My interests were strongly concentrated on the area of narrative structure--who's telling and to whom. This is, in my mind, as important as the plot.

So between my literary education and my familial traditions, I had the tools to create the text.

How did the story originate?

In 2004, I wrote a short story ("The Sleeping Girl") about a girl--Aislinn (a name that means "dream or vision")--who had to chose between joining the Summer King and becoming the next Winter Queen. Choosing one would end her contact with the other. The Summer King tempted her with a life of endless summer--dancing and freedom and no responsibilities. The Winter Queen regaled her with the temptation of power, of control. To be with the Summer King, Aislinn would join the many Summer Girls; to accept what the Winter Queen offered, Aislinn would become the one and only Winter Queen.

Freedom or Power, that was the obvious question. Would Aislinn want to rule--and thereby end her relationship with the embodiment of summer--or would she rather be one of the innumerable girls, not special, but not burdened by responsibility? It was all about choosing, about the paths we want and the paths we need, and about how sometimes the answer we think we want isn't the one that leads to happiness.

In 2005, I decided to try to write a novel--a different novel than this one, a sweeter, nicer story. I fought Ms. Muse, deleting text when it got difficult or dark, pulling back before I looked to closely at the abyss where the muse danced. The muse is a bit like a swirling dervish in my images of her, her toes touch down on bones and flowers. She seems to smile a lot--as if she's aware of some secret that I couldn't fathom. She's . . . aah, I guess I'm in awe of Ms. Muse. What was my point here?

Right, the point I was headed towards was the first novel. I wrote that first novel from about January to July 2005. It wasn't brilliant, but there are scenes in it that I enjoy. (Not surprisingly, the best parts were those that veer toward darker places.) The characters are fun, 'charming' was the word used in the first personal rejection. I started to look for an agent--wrote a synopsis & a query letter, research agents to see what they were like, what traits I wanted, & who was selling what sort of text. I compiled a list. Then, I tried to wait.

The thing is that I'm not good at waiting, and well, Ms. Muse is a loquacious chick. So, I started thinking about another novel. I thought about what did & didn't work the first time.

My big white board with notes did work. My post-its worked. My daily writing routine worked. What didn't? My fear of writing something too uncomfortable or weird or whatever. So this time I decided to let Ms. Muse steer the ship--none of this pulling back stuff, no trying to reign in the less pretty things.

To begin, I spent hours just walking around with my camera--taking photos of unusual buildings, streets, any odd beauties that made me pause--and a journal. Ms. Muse walked with me, whispering, pointing things out to me. I jotted down character names, brief visuals. I compiled not quite a dozen pages of scattered phrases and notes.

Then--the first week of September 2005-- I started writing my second novel about "The Sleeping Girl." But under Ms. Muse's influence, Aislinn had started using her nickname (Ash) and the Summer King had become dangerous. Then there was the Winter Girl; she was a new force to reckon with.

Ms. Muse chattered nonstop for weeks, and The Summer Queen quickly became darker, edgier, more urban, and soon barely resembled the short story. Ash was tougher; the Summer King was desperate; the Winter Queen was sadistic; and the Winter Girl was angry. I had a novel with menacing faeries, conflict, death, and . . . well, all sorts of stuff that wasn't where I'd started. I loved it though. I wrote almost every day for 13 weeks.

During those weeks, I also amassed a number of letters rejecting the MG novel. By then, I was certain they should reject the MG. Finding the Summer Queen was better. So, I updated my query letter. It still asked if the agent would like to see the MG, but it also stated that I was working on a new novel, an urban slipstream fantasy for older YA readers. I got a request for Finding the Summer Queen before I finished writing it.

When I finished Finding the Summer Queen in December 2005, I held off a couple of weeks to assure that it was ready to ship. In January 2006, I sent it to the agent who'd requested it and began querying other agents. I had a number of instant requests, and in a month I had a f uple of offers of representation--including one of my top choices.

Less than a month later, my new (and frighteningly enthusiastic) agent started to set up an auction, but we never made it to auction. On March 10th I accepted a pre-empt from an editor at HarperCollins--an editor who had actually skipped breakfast on a Saturday to read Summer Queen.

If I had a fantasy of how things could go, it wouldn't have been as good as this has been. This, I believe, is what happens when Ms. Muse is in charge.

What does that mean? It means that for me to write I must let the words unravel as they should, not try to fit the text into a pre-conceived plan. It isn't the path for everyone, but for me, it's good.

The novel that evolved from the short story is not what I would've written if I outlined and structured. It's the right story though. At the core, Summer Queen retained the same central theme the short did--Choices. That's what it's all about--the choices we make, why we make them, and what happens when we do. Of course, in my opinion, that's what it's all about . .

Where did the "living in a train" bit originate?

My grandfather was a mechanic for the railroad. My great-grandfather did design work for the railroad. I grew up with a fascination for trains. Along the way, other little things got added in to the mix. In high school I met a guy who had a converted school bus; in grad school, I went to restaurant where the front was an old shiny bus; in recent years I read an article about a man who'd bought old train cars at an auction.

I've driven cross-country a few times now, and in the West are these wide open stretches and in the dark there's nothing but the sound and lights of the train coming out of the darkness only to vanish back into it. I, umm, guess I still dig trains.

Aislinn? What kind of name is that?

Aislinn means "dream or vision." The first part sounds like "Ash"--which is one of the trees used a lot in folk tradition. It's also "ash" as in the leftover bits after we pass away. It seemed ethereal, folk-rooted, & well, the whole vision thing is perfect. Most of the names are chosen for their etymological significance. If you want spoilers, sometimes checking out the names of characters in texts will lead you to clues.

What about the creatures? Did you make them up?

Some, but others are real . . . well, at least they have been argued to be real over the years. Glaistigs, beansidhes, court faeries (Scottish folk tradition has the Seelie & Unseelie), Beira--there are textual backgrounds for these. Others, like the rowan-men and thistle-fey, are just the faces I dreamed for other fey.

My daughter is 12/13, is your book too old for her?

First, let me say that I think it's awesome that you asked that. Unless you read with them, it's hard to figure this out sometimes. If your reader is ahead of her/his grade level how do you know? You have a few choices-- reviews (Publishers Weekly is easy to find and readable), librarians (often these folks are way cool people), teachers, authors, other parents (take turns reading the books your kids read and share), read with them (see next paragraph on this), or just, umm, trust them.

When my daughter began indie reading, I read almost everything with her. (And yes, I know that not all parents can do this--arguably though, you can read a lot of it if you don't watch television at all. That's what I did. Plus all those "tough topics" you need to address? If you read together they often flow into conversations quite naturally. Just a thought . . .) At 12, though, we moved on to the "trust them" stage. The rule is that if she had questions or wanted to talk about topics in the text, we would. I still read a few of the YA books & then we talk--like a book group, but better because it's just with my fav teenager. It's been a good plan.

That said, there are topics in it that make me suggest that a parent preview it. It's not scandalous, but there is a bit of language, allusions to sex and chemicals, and discussion of sexual assault. None of this is gratuitous.

As a footnote, I don't believe that I have the right to tell other people what they can read. Censorship is evil, in my opinion. So, I won't tell you if my book is appropriate for your child. I can only tell you that it's cool that you're interested in what your kids are doing and here's the stuff that might make you want to hold off or read together or say no to my book. I'm totally cool with you making any of those choices. The rest is up to you--not me, not the government, not other kids' parents. Weigh their views. Make informed decisions.

Acts like these are how we thwart the censorship-eager: by thinking and choosing, and by respecting our teens' rights to make choices.

Are you okay with fan fiction?

Yes. I'm not able to read what anyone writes, but I have no objection to it. My only requests are that 1) you do not do any cross-over fan fiction with characters or worlds created by authors who are opposed to fanfic; 2) you do not post anything R or NC 17 in areas here youngers readers can access; 3) you add a disclaimer so folks can find the novel; and 4) you don't ask my opinion of it. For legal & ethical reasons, I cannot read fan fiction that includes my characters or world. Fan art on the other hand . . . well, I'll be dismayed if I don't get notified if there are visual art representations of my characters or world.

I believe that writing fan fic a fine writing exercise. It's not the end goal as a writer though--one of the hardest parts of writing is creating the world & characters. If your goal is writing, try starting from a blank page. If your goal is simply amusement/entertainment, have at it.

How do you say ___ and/or did you pick that name for a reason?

I did choose the names for reasons. I mentioned Ash's name above, but here's a few more notes for you. I I'm including a few from the second novel too while I'm thinking about it.

Aislinn or Aisling (ASH-ling)-- "vision" or "dream." The nickname for her, "Ash," also has significance in regard to faery lore: Rowan (Mountain Ash) possesses power in various lore. Similarly, "ashes" are what's left behind after something or someone is burnt away.

Beara-- a version of Cailleach Bheur/Bheirre/Beara/Bheara/Birra/Beirre-- Far too complex for a simple definition. (SEE BELOW) I've been a bit too fond of her to make her "haggish," so in Wicked Lovely I've made my Beira is what winter is--beautiful and awful, terrifying and lovely.

Donia (Don ya) means "bitter" or "dark"

Keenan--"ancient one"; alt: "little and ancient." His mother, being the charmer she is, preferred the latter meaning.

Irial (ear ee al)-- This name has obscure/unclear/vague origins and meanings. Short version of his name is "Iri (eerie) which was just too perfect for his character.

Niall (nye-ale) or (neel)-- "champion"; "passionate, vehemant"; Other Notes: Anglicized as "Neil."

Siobhan (shiv- aun)-- derived from the name "John"

Sorcha--(sur-cha) "bright, radiant"; Other Notes: Anglicized as Sally and Sarah

Tavish-- "twin" I chose this name because he's one of two advisors. I was working for the inclusion of "3" (a number of power in faery lore).

bean or bhean (ban)--"woman"; hence bean-sidhe is pronounced "banshee"

bodhran (b? rawhn)--traditional goat skin drum in Irish music (with quite a lovely sound too).

bruig, bruigh, brug-- "abode"; often associated with faery dwellings; interior of a faery mound.

cailleach (Cal yach)--"old woman" or "veiled one"; often used as "hag"

fear or far-- (far) "man" (as in Far Dorcha)

grá (grah)-- love (as in "a ghra")

chroí (chree)-- Irish "heart"; mo chroí, "my heart"

Sidhe (Shee)-- the faeries; Good Folk; not the sweet Disney version, but the faeries from the old tales, the folklore. They were not called the "Good Folk" or "Good Neighbors" because they were sweet but because you really didn't want to get on their bad side.

FOOTNOTE ON BEARA:
There are more Celtic legends of the Cailleach than a single character or story can encompass. In earlier times, cailleach meant "veiled one." Now, it refers to an "old woman" or a "hag." One Scottish legend--of Cailleach Bheur--tells of a blue-faced hag who rides over the snowy earth on the back of a mighty wolf. In this guise, the Cailleach is often said to carry a staff or wand that she uses to freeze new plants in spring.

In some tales, Cailleach becomes a young woman in the spring and ages through the year. In others, she turns to stone in the spring or is deposed in the spring by the goddess Bride or by the arrival of the Summer King. However, the Cailleach is not just associated with winter. Other legends tell of islands formed when she tossed boulders in foul temper or of a whirlpool formed when she washes her plaid. Hers is a rich mythology--one I'm particularly fond of pondering.

QUESTIONS SPECIFIC TO writing/agents

Can you read my text?

No. I'm not an agent or an editor. I'm just a chick that writes stories. Check out publishing resources if you want to pursue your writing. (I have some sites on my links page for ths very reason).

Can you introduce me to your agent or editors?

It wouldn't be ethical of me to do this without reading, and I don't have the free time available to read. My writing schedule requires me to focus on telling the stories my publishers have already bought from me. The free time I have after that is divided between my family and other obligations . . . and when I can socializing live or online with the myriad amazing people out there.

You have time to blog though . . .

It's like stretching. I started the blog when I realized that it was easier to read than my handwriting. Writing is how I sort my thoughts. Sorting my thoughts helps get the flow in motion for story-telling.

QUESTIONS SPECIFIC TO me

Why haven't you replied to me yet?

Please be patient. I totally didn't expect so many letters! I'm trying though. In the meantime, please check out the fansite. There's a forum where I stop by & answer questions.

What's with the tattoo bit?

I love art. Photography, graffiti, sculpture, traditional paintings, tattoos--they please me. I can't make visual art. I dabble in photography (a few of the photos on the site are mine), but I find it satisfying in ways few things are. And, if it's something that matters to me, sometimes I put it on my skin. My current tattooist & I sit down and talk. He sketches. I look. It's a process of taking an image from my mind and putting on the page. From there, it goes on my skin. It's not something I do lightly.

If you want to read more, I have a tattoo page here on my site.

NOTE: There's some killer artists out there, and some that are awful. If you can't afford the killer ones, wait. Seriously. Don't let some scratcher mess with your body. Check out the shop, the artist's