Tell us about yourself and how many books you have written.
I started writing about fifteen years ago, just as a hobby and to increase my typing speed. My first book, a YA fantasy called The City in the Lake, came out from a Random House imprint in 2008. Since then, I’ve worn the letters off several laptop keyboards by writing quite a few other YA and adult fantasy novels. I have ten titles out from Big Five publishers and, let me see, six or so titles that I’ve self-published. But I’m not moving toward self-publishing in a much more decisive way, so I expect to bring out five new titles in 2021 and probably three to five more in 2022. I write fast, but not that fast — although my typing speed has improved a lot in the past 15 years, I also had quite a few complete or nearly complete manuscripts stacked up!
What is the name of your latest book and what inspired it?
Tuyo is my personal favorite of all my novels. I brought it out in May 2020 because I wanted to maintain control over this book and all sequels, and this was the reason I also decided to pursue self-publishing.
Tuyo was inspired by, among many other influences, a conversation on my blog about whether it’s possible for a powerful telepath who can control the minds and memories of those around him to be a good person.
Do you have any unusual writing habits?
I don’t know how unusual this is, but I often get up before five in the morning in order to have uninterrupted time for writing before my day job. I mean, uninterrupted except for letting one zillion Cavalier King Charles Spaniels out and in and out and in.
What authors, or books have influenced you?
So many I hardly know whom to list first, but: Patricia McKillip, Robin McKinley, Sharon Shinn. Guy Gavriel Kay. RA MacAvoy. I’ll stop there or I’ll list another hundred names.
What are you working on now?
So many projects!
I’m in the process of self-publishing a fantasy trilogy with a literary vibe. That’s about ready to go. The series title is Death’s Lady, with individual titles drawn from a John Donne poem.
I’m also currently revising the third book of the Tuyo series. As soon as that’s done, I’ll bring that book out.
Then I’ll immediately finish a science fiction novel — I got stuck 80,000 words into the story, and only recently figured out how to get unstuck.
After that, I need to think about the fifth book of my Black Dog series. And there’s a big, complicated fantasy novel I’ve barely started …
What is your best method or website when it comes to promoting your books?
I’m just starting to look seriously at promotion, but so far I’ve seen good results from Freebooksy.
Do you have any advice for new authors?
Make absolutely sure to clarify the rights reversion clause in your contract so that “out of print” is a meaningful concept in this era of ebooks.
Also, exactly as everyone says, self-publishing is hopeless unless you learn something about marketing. Sorry.
What is the best advice you have ever heard?
All proscriptive advice should be ignored.
What are you reading now?
I just finished a quite wonderful novel called The Hands of the Emperor by Victoria Goddard. It was perfect for my reading preferences right now because nothing terrible happens. The intensity comes from relationships, all of which are moving in a positive direction throughout the story. Also, Goddard is just amazing with description.
What’s next for you as a writer?
Far, far more self-publishing. Although I’m not writing traditional publication off, I do want to make a very serious try at turning self-publishing into a real alternative.
If you were going to be stranded on a desert island and allowed to take 3 or 4 books with you what books would you bring?
Wow. That’s quite a limit. Um.
The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison
The Wheel of the Infinite by Martha Wells
The Touchstone trilogy by Andrea K Host
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