About Books

  • Frequently asked questions …

    9 Comments

    I get a lot of questions from readers on everything from where my books are available to when the next one is coming out. So I thought that I’d answer a few of these questions here on the blog today.

    1) Are your Elemental Assassin books available as e-books?

    Yes. You can get my Elemental Assassin books for the Kindle through Amazon or for the Nook (and other e-readers) at Barnes & Noble. Other places sell them in different formats as well. I had several people ask me if the books were available for the Nook at the Romantic Times Convention back in April, which makes me think that the Nook will really give the Kindle a run for its money.

    2) Why is the price for your e-books the same as the price for the print versions?

    Because my publisher Pocket, which is part of Simon & Schuster, sets the prices for the books, not me. I just write them. I have nothing to do with the pricing or where/how the books are sold.

    I’ve seen a couple of reviews where instead of talking about my books and what they did or didn’t like about them, folks complained about the e-book prices instead. Not cool. If you want to do that, write a letter to my publisher or do it in a forum/thread that’s devoted to e-book pricing. If you say you are reviewing the book, then review it. But don’t blame authors for pricing or format issues (e-books that don’t work, a series that moves to hardcover, etc.) because those are things that us authors have no control over.

    3) Are your books available outside the U.S.?

    Yes. You can get them through Amazon UK, and I know of several romance-friendly bookstores in Australia that regularly stock them, like Rosemary’s Romance Books. In fact, I’ve been told that the Elemental Assassin books have been selling quite well at Rosemary’s. Other than that, all I can tell you to do is check with your local bookstore and see if they can order the books for you. I don’t know all the countries that they might be available in or the specific stores.

    4) Why doesn’t my bookstore have your books?

    Honestly, I have no idea. My books are available at Amazon, Banes & Noble, Borders, Books-A-Million, and other bookstores. Wal-Mart has also ordered copies of my books in the past. But as to what specific stories are carrying the books, well, that’s something else that I have no information about or control over. So the best thing to do is just ask your bookseller to order you a copy.

    5) When is the next Elemental Assassin book coming out? Is it the last book in the series?

    Venom, the third book in the series, will be out Sept. 28. No, it is not the last book. There will be two more books out in 2011. Right now, it looks like Tangled Threads will be out in May 2011, and the fifth book (still untitled) will be out in October 2011. This is still subject to change, though.

    These five books will let me wrap up the major story arcs and let me give Gin something of a happily ever after. If, of course, she can survive her inevitable confrontation with Mab Monroe …

    I would like to write more books in the series beyond that, but that will depend on sales. So if you like the Elemental Assassin books, I hope that you’ll recommend them to your friends.

    Got more questions? I’ll answer what I can in the comments.

  • ·

    Spoilers, no more …

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    Spoiler alert: This post talks about spoilers for my Elemental Assassin books. So don’t read if you don’t want to be spoiled …

    I think I’m going to have to implement some sort of spoiler policy.

    Now that Web of Lies is out, I’ve been getting a lot of e-mails from folks who want to know what happens next — and mainly, who Gin winds up with in Venom (due out Sept. 28).

    For those of you who have read Web of Lies, you know that in addition to Detective Donovan Caine, there’s also a new love interest in town for our girl Gin — sexy businessman Owen Grayson. And given what happens at the end of Web of Lies, with Donovan basically dumping Gin and hightailing it out of Ashland, well, let’s just say that folks want to know who Gin’s going to be spending time with in the future. So far, most folks seem to be on Team Owen, although I have heard from a few Team Donovan fans.

    It’s very flattering that folks like Gin so much that they want to know what happens next — and they want to know right now. But spoilers are kind of a gray area for me. Personally, I like mild spoilers, like if someone has been cast on one of my favorite TV shows or if one of the characters might die before the season is over. I regularly troll over to Entertainment Weekly to get those kinds of spoilers.

    But I don’t like spoilers that ruin a big, big twist in a TV show or movie, like in The Sixth Sense or The Usual Suspects (which I think is a truly awesome flick). If the whole point of a movie is to surprise you, then, well, I want to be surprised.

    And I never know how much of a spoiler a reader wants. Do they want to know what happens in the next book? Do they want to know who Gin ends up with at the end of book 5? I just never know how much to tell people. Also, I don’t want someone who doesn’t want to be spoiled to come across the info online and feel like the book has been ruined for them.

    So from now on, I don’t think that I’ll be giving out any kind of spoilers at all. My lips are sealed. Although I’ll admit that the back cover copy for the books can be a bit spoilery at times. But there’s nothing that I can do about that. So for all you folks out there who like spoilers, read the back cover copy, which is posted here on the website, to get a hint about what’s coming up next for Gin. For those of you who don’t like spoilers, you may want to stay away from the description until Venom comes out … if you can. 😉

    What about you guys? Do you like spoilers or not? Share in the comments.

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    Where to find me on the web …

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    In addition to the blog here, you can find me on the web at the following social media sites:

    My personal Facebook page

    My Facebook fan page

    Goodreads

    Twitter

    Usually, I’ll post quick links and random thoughts to these sites, or direct traffic over here to the blog if I have a new post up. For Goodreads, I do short book reviews of everything that I read.

    All of this stuff is listed in the blog sidebar, but I thought it would be a good reminder to post the links again. Also, I do a free e-newletter every month with my latest news, reading recommendations, a recipe, and a contest for subscribers. To sign up, fill out the form on the sidebar on my home page.

  • ·

    Updates, updates, updates …

    11 Comments

    With all the guest blogs that I’ve been doing for Web of Lies, it’s been a while since I’ve done an update post on what I’m working on. Here goes:

    1. As most of you know, Venom, the third book in the Elemental Assassin series, comes out on Sept. 28. I’ve finally gotten the final cover art, which is posted here. Huzzah! The book is also available for pre-order at Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

    2. What’s even better is that I now have Venom bookmarks as well. As always, these are free to readers/bookstores/libraries/etc. However, I do ask that folks send me a SASE to help me cover postage costs. If you want some bookmarks, send me an e-mail, and I’ll tell you how to get them.

    3. During the summer, I plan to write at least one free short story (maybe two) to go along with Venom, just like the free stories that I’ve done for Spider’s Bite and Web of Lies. I’m also hoping to get the website updated this summer. We’ll see how it goes.

    4. In other news, reader response to Web of Lies has been really great. I just want to say thanks to everyone who’s taken a moment to drop me an e-mail and let me know how much they enjoyed the book. Thanks, everyone!

    5. As for what I’m writing, I just turned in the final page proofs for Venom, so I have a bit of a break from the Elemental Assassin series right now. I’m using the down time to try something new — a contemporary romance. It’s set in a small Tennessee town and focuses on an event planner who’s so strapped for cash that she agrees to plan her ex-boyfriend’s engagement party to another woman — and ends up falling for the other woman’s brother along the way.

    After that, I have an idea for a romantic suspense/heist book about a woman who gets mixed up with a group of thieves. After that, I have an idea for another urban fantasy series … I think I’m going to have a busy summer, writing-wise. LOL.

    Okay, I think that’s a wrap for now. Happy reading! 😉