I get a lot of the same email questions and hits to my blog wondering various things, so I thought a quick FAQ would be useful.
You have a lot of books–which one should I start with?
It all depends on what you like. Into something lighter and sweet? Near to You, How Can You Mend a Broken Heart, Somebody to Love, The Book of Love, or Cinders might be your thing (Cinders actually deals with darker subject matter but the main couple is sweet). Want to laugh? Wild Horses and The Book of Love both have a heavy dose of humor. Into kink, darker stories, and a bit of angst? Sympathy for the Devil, Snow, and Beast would suit you just fine. Do you enjoy TV shows you can binge on with cliffhanger endings that keep you on the edge of your seat? The Cats & Conjure series is good for that.
If you like clean Christian romances…I can’t help you there. I write dirty sex and bad words. If that’s not your thing, you’ll want to try a different author. (Also? I can’t speak for other writers, but neither editors nor publishers have made me put in profanity. I like naughty words. My characters like saying naughty words. That ain’t gonna change. Please don’t complain to me about this.)
Are you that hot model Asha King?
Sadly, nope. She’s very pretty, though.
Do you have something to do with that sick little boy from the UK?
Uh, no, and sorry for everyone googling who ended up at an erotica writer’s site. Also, I thought his name was Ashya, wasn’t it?
When is Gimme Shelter (Stirling Falls #3) coming out?
I was aiming for a summer/fall 2014 release but everything in 2014 got put on the backburner due to my health problems and some family emergencies. I am really sorry for the wait between books in that series. I’m trying once again to fit it into my schedule, maybe 2018’s.
When is Still in Love with You (Circle of Friends #2) coming out?
I’m not sure. There are a number of issues behind it not being complete yet. The one I can talk about is that I’m debating taking How Can You Mend a Broken Heart and turning it into a category-length romance novel, which would then affect the sequel. When I have news, I’ll share it.
When is the next Cats & Conjure story coming out?
To be completely honest, these books don’t sell well. At all. With the cost of stock photos and editing, I lose money on publishing them (not to mention the hours of my time I devote to them). I won’t leave the story hanging, of course, but it’s something I have to squeeze in when I get a chance. It’s a six-novella series and I’m aiming to get the final novellas released in 2018, but as they don’t sell well, they’ll have to be staggered between better-selling books. This means they’re likely to be six months or more between releases instead of two or three.
What about more Midsummer Suspense Tales?
Gold came out May 2016, Lost is set for March 2017. Beyond that, I’m taking time away before coming back to the final trilogy. I have three more planned that I really want to write but it has to be financially viable for me to invest the time and money in the books. Beast‘s numbers were better than expected, but Gold didn’t do well, and I’m unsure what Lost will be like. I’m hoping to revisit the next in the series toward the end of 2018 or in 2019.
Did you know Gina Cassidy in Cinders is described as being blonde/light haired but she’s black? All black women have dark hair naturally.
Gina Cassidy is biracial, her father being white and mother a biracial black woman. Her hair is described as being light brown and often looks blonde in the sun–next to a blonde white woman, her hair would probably look medium to light brown but her brown skin makes her hair seem lighter. (It was closer to blonde when she was a child but darkened as she grew up.) Normally darker hair and skin are dominant, but recessive genes pop up too. I thought Gina’s racial identity could be inferred from the text without me going into detail about parents’ ethnic makeup beyond a couple of comments (see below–I prefer to keep a story moving instead of spending time filling in backstory or a detailed genetic history). I am genuinely sorry if this confusion impaired your enjoyment of the book and I will endeavor to be clearer in the future.
Why did you leave so much backstory out of Beast, like about Joseph’s mother?
Beast is the FOURTH Midsummer Suspense Tale. Although the books are standalone, they are written in the order things happen in the world. Joseph’s mother was the villain of Beauty (#2). I personally don’t like a lot of exposition in books and I don’t write that way either. Beast included only the information needed about his mother. Beauty has more if you’re interested. I strongly recommend reading the series in order.
Why is there a wait in between releases?
Because I have to actually write the books before I can publish them, and as I work a day job and have a family/social life, stories get written when I have a chance. Should my career take off, I’ll be able to devote more time to writing. I know gaps between books in a series are annoying but I’m working as quickly as I possibly can.
When is I Who Have Nothing coming out?
I don’t know. It’s not ready yet. At this point, I am very, very close to setting it aside permanently.
I’ve been working on it since November 2012: writing, rewriting, revising, deleting and writing again, re-outlining, etc. It’s a lot of work on something I might not break even on.
Did you know you’re no longer listed on your publisher’s website?
Yes, because I am no longer with that publisher. I spoke at length about that here.
Will [book title] come out in print?
Maybe! Longer books are already out in print now. If something isn’t in print, it’s too short for that. If it’s a series (like Cats & Conjure) of novellas, I’ll probably collect them in print when all of them are done.
Why are your books so short?
Again, I addressed that here. Writing for a publisher meant writing to a certain length to keep in a certain price range. That no longer applies, so now I’m writing the book whatever length seems appropriate and keeping my prices lower.
The last books have hardly been short, though. Sympathy for the Devil was 73K words–that is a full length novel, on the longer side than most. The Cats & Conjure books were written to be novellas, just over 100 pages each (twice as long as my early work like Near to You). Midsummer books are usually category-length. If you want to check length before you buy, I list word count and rough page count under each book blurb with the buy links here.
Can I have a book for review?
If you run a legit book blog or review site, please ask. I only have ebooks available, not print, remember.
How will I know when something new is released?
You can sign up for my announcement email list. You can also follow me on Facebook and Twitter.
Have a question not covered? Drop me an email.