Last Day of PRETTY WHEN SHE DIES Sale!

FIGHTING TO SURVIVE- RELEASE DAY!

Today is the release date of the mass market paperback of FIGHTING TO SURVIVE (As The World Dies Book 2). The second book in the trilogy continues the exciting story of Jenni and Katie as they continue to fight for survival in a world ravaged by zombies.

Snag your copy at your favorite online retailer or local bookstore.

To read an except, click here.

The mass market paperback cover

Also Available

Mass Market Paperback Edition

Also available in trade paperback with different covers

FIGHTING TO SURVIVE Book Blitz Starts Today!

Starting today, 60 bloggers across the blogsphere will be part of a big book blitz all week to announce the release of FIGHTING TO SURVIVE (As The World Dies Book 2) in mass market paperback tomorrow, January 29th!!. I'm very excited to have so much support for the series.

To read an except, click here.

The mass market paperback cover

Make sure to order your copy from your favorite online retailer, or pick up a copy at your local bookstore on the 29th.

Also Available

Mass Market Paperback Edition

Also available in trade paperback with different covers

Ebook Book Deal! Pretty When She Dies on Sale Until Jan. 31

FAQ-How Do You Deal With Reviews?

Ah, reviews! Ugh! I almost hate discussing them at this point because they've become such a controversial subject. I was hoping the vitriol would die down after the last two years. I guess it was too much to hope that we'd learn from the epic writer meltdowns over bad reviews and reviewers behaving badly (plagiarizing other bloggers, baiting writers). This year is off to another bad start with a popular Goodreads reviewer plagiarizing multiple book bloggers and one book blogger coming under fire by a writer.

So I think it is only natural that I deal with another question I'm asked a lot:

How do you deal with reviews?

The fact of life is that we all have personal preferences for everything in our life. We like certain kinds of food, music, artwork, TV shows, movies, clothing, etc. Of course, we all have different preferences for books, too. Does this mean our personal preference is wrong? Of course not. It just means we're different people. How boring the world would be everything thought exactly the same.

Therefore, because people have very different tastes I'm going to end up with diverse range of reactions to my books. It's inevitable that what someone loves, someone else will hate.

Let me give you an example.

The following reviews are from Amazon.com for my novel PRETTY WHEN SHE KILLS, the sequel to PRETTY WHEN SHE DIES. They were posted on the same day.

So which review do I pay attention to?  

The 3 star review says he likes my main character (yay!), but he felt the plot was dull. The 5 star reviewer wasn't disappointed.  So was my book a total misfire, or a total triumph?

The one thing I do take note of is that the 3 star reviewer says the book didn't need vampires in it.  I recognize that I didn't have a big drinking blood scene in my book, but I felt it was clear that the vampires in the book were still working with the restrictions of their nature.  I will most likely be a lot more conscious of making sure that Amaliya's vampire nature is coming across clearly in the third book. My assumption was that once I established Amaliya as a vampire, I could concentrate on her character development and the story arc. Yet, vampire fans do like vampire action. So I do feel this was probably a legit point to be considered.

In the early days of my career, the first review would have had me floating on cloud nine.  The second review would have crashed me into the ground.  Not anymore. Good and bad reviews are a part of the writing experience.

But don't you get upset?

There are three things that upset me about reviews: 1) Wrong information about the plot is relayed in the review 2) The review gives away ALL the plot points and surprises without a spoiler warning 3) the blogger addresses the author in a confrontational way.

A few examples of what I'm talking about:

1. Someone reviewed THE TALE OF THE VAMPIRE BRIDE despite admitting to just skimming the book. They wrote that Lady Glynis falls for her tormentor/abuser, Vlad, because he lets her redecorate the parlor of their home. This was totally out of context. Glynis never falls for Vlad. She struggles to be free of him throughout the book and finds refuge from the abuse she is suffering by doing the sort of things she would have done as the human mistress of her household.  I don't believe that skimming a book and plucking out plot points and twisting them is fair to a writer.

2. A review for THE LAST BASTION OF THE LIVING not only gave away every plot twist, it gave away the ending with absolutely no spoiler warning. Someone who read the review even chastised the reviewer for not posting a spoiler warning. I don't mind spoilers for my books as long as there is a warning.

3. A reviewer once took to addressing me directly about AS THE WORLD DIES. The comments were quite condescending. I didn't write the book the way this reader wanted me, too, and they took me to task. I was basically accused of being both homophobic and racist in a roundabout way. Honestly, I just wished they had put the books down and not read them. My books were obviously not for them. I would have preferred a DNF to "FRATER, did you really think you could do that....blah blah blah." I felt like I was being baited into a throwdown. I felt personally attacked and it was not a good feeling.

So do you like it when people write reviews?

Except for the three instances above, I'm grateful for all reviews. It means the reader/blogger/reviewer took the time to read my book and share their thoughts. I appreciate that immensely. I'm also aware that what one reviewer may have hated about one of my books may be a selling point to someone else. Bad reviews can sell books, too.

What kind of reviews actually count in your eyes?

There are certain book reviewers that have tastes that lie along the lines of my books. Their audience also likes the sort of books I write. So when I get a review from those reviewers, I do a happy dance. Paul Goat Allen from Barnes & Nobles Explorations, Publishers Weekly, Giselle from Xpresso Reads, Ashley from The Bookish Brunette are just a few of the reviewers that I hope and pray love my books.

Of course, when a reviewer who doesn't usually like my type of book loves one of them and writes a glowing review, I'm thrilled, too, because it means I'm crossing over.

So do you pay a lot of attention to reviews?

I pay attention to reviews for the first few weeks after a book is released. After that, I lose interest. Usually the first batch of reviews give me a really good idea of how the book is going to be received by my target audience. 

But can't a bad review kill a book?

I doubt it.  Some of the books on the best seller lists have horrible reviews.  

But what about Indie Authors?

If you're an Indie Author, you tend to cling to reviews a little more desperately, but that doesn't help your mental health or your book sales. Promotion, interacting with your target audience, and writing your next book is going to be a helluvalot more productive in the long wrong than checking Amazon.com constantly for new reviews.  

Also, there could be a lot of reasons why an indie book isn't selling. Promotion, bad cover, bad synopsis, and lack of author name recognition.  Blaming the one bad review on Amazon.com isn't a good idea. Looking at how to get the word out about your book is a much better way to deal with low sales.

So reviews aren't the bane of your existence? 

To be a little crass and to quote my husband, "Opinions are like assholes. Everyone has one."  

So no. Reviews are not the bane of existence. My job is to write and that's what I do. Reviews are just  a part of the career I've chosen.

FAQ-How Do You Decide Which Book To Write Next?

I consider myself to be a horror author, but depending on which one of my books you read first, you may have me classified as a vampire novelist or zombie novelist. Though I am both of those things, I am a horror writer with a ton of ideas banging around in my head.  It can get very noisy in there.

I am often asked the following:

How do you decide which book to write next?

If I have a contract with a publisher for a book, it's a no-brainer that I'll be writing that book. I'll drop whatever I have in progress to concentrate on the book that is under deadline to make sure I turn it in to my editor in a timely manner.  When the revision letter arrives for that book, I will again drop whatever I'm currently writing and concentrate on the contracted book. This happens with the first pass pages and the copyedits when they arrive, too. That's why sometimes my indie books get delayed.

Okay, but you haven't finished my favorite trilogy/series yet, so write the next one!

At this time I have two trilogies and one ongoing series. All three have their third book in a holding pattern.  AS THE WORLD DIES UNTOLD TALES VOL 3 is partially written and needs some major revision. The last book in the PRETTY WHEN SHE DIES trilogy is banging around in my head ready to be born. THE LAMENT OF THE VAMPIRE BRIDE, the third in the Vampire Bride series is unfurling in my mind's eye, but needs a ton of research. Fans of all three book series are sending me messages constantly asking for the next book.

Gawd, I'm so relieved that AS THE WORLD DIES is wrapped up and put to bed, otherwise I'd be crazier than I am.

So with the third book (and final book in two cases) waiting to be written for three of my lines, I have to do some math to figure out which one I will write next.

Because when it comes down to the bottom line, it really is about money.

Though I will write all three books, the top-selling series is the one I need to concentrate on. I'm a full-time writer and I have bills to pay, books to publish, and a life to live.

The reason why it took so long for PRETTY WHEN SHE KILLS to be written is because the first book, PRETTY WHEN SHE DIES, didn't sell for years. It wasn't until late 2011 that the book suddenly found its audience. When the first book was only selling maybe 50 copies a year, it wasn't really worth my time to cut a chunk out of my writing time to write the sequel. When it jumped up significantly and suddenly sold around 400 copies in one month, I realized that it was time to start on PRETTY WHEN SHE KILLS.

So after studying the numbers (sales, units sold, etc), financially it is more lucrative for me to write AS THE WORLD DIES UNTOLD TALES VOLUME 3. So that will be my next book after I finish PRETTY WHEN THEY COLLIDE (the novella in the same universe as PRETTY WHEN SHE DIES).

But that's not the book I want...

I realize that. I do. But in the end I have to consider the business end of my writing.  The next book after ATWD UT Vol 3 will be PRETTY WHEN SHE DESTROYS because of my two vampire series, that is the more popular one right now.  THE LAMENT OF THE VAMPIRE BRIDE is a much more intensive book to write because of all the research I have to do. It sits third on my list.

Once all three of these books are out, I will once again look at my sales and determine which direction I should go for my next big project.

But I want you to write the next book in ___________series!

This is where fans have clout and don't realize it. If you love one of my series, spread the word!  I'm not the only one looking at sales figures. Tor looks at sales, too. The best way to keep a writer in the business of writing books is to buy their book, whether it is self-published or traditionally published. I constantly monitor my sales and see which series are doing well.

FAQ-When Will There Be Another Vampire Bride Book?

THE TALE OF THE VAMPIRE BRIDE is my personal favorite of all the books I've written. Conceived in a dream, it would take nearly a decade of writing off and on to finally complete the novel about my favorite heroine, Lady Glynis Wright.

The novel challenged me in so many ways from the extensive research I did on Vlad Tepes, Regency era fashions and traditions, the countries of Romania and Hungary, and the history of the city of Budapest (Buda in the story) to writing the novel in first person.

Perhaps I also love it because it is the first full length novel that I wrote that felt like it was ready for publication. I had learned from all my trunked novels and finally found my footing in my writing.

THE TALE OF THE VAMPIRE BRIDE has slowly built its audience as it continues to garner rave reviews. It has undergone a cover change not once, but twice, and has been optioned for a possible TV show.  The sequel to the first book, THE VENGEANCE OF THE VAMPIRE BRIDE, has also garnered solid reviews and is about to be released again in paperback with a whole new look to the cover and interior.

 Out of all my book series, this is the dearest.

Therefore, I am thrilled when people ask the following question:

When will there be another vampire bride book?

I had hoped to have the third novel out in late 2012, but my writing schedule didn't allow for the extensive research and time it takes to write this series. Out of all the series I pen this one demands the most writing time.  The time period, the European setting, and the rich history of the area are an important part of the tapestry of the story and require a lot of research.

I am hoping that the third book, THE LAMENT OF THE VAMPIRE BRIDE, will be released sometime this year.  I already know the major theme of this novel and how it ends, but not all the story details have fallen into place and probably won't until I'm writing.

Is THE LAMENT OF THE VAMPIRE BRIDE the final book?

Yes, and no.

THE LAMENT OF THE VAMPIRE BRIDE concludes a three book arc that centers on Glynis breaking free of the power of Vlad Dracula.  The massive power struggle between Vlad and Glynis that is rooted in the blood bond between them will come to a conclusion in the third book in the series.

That being said I do see the Vampire Bride series as ongoing.  The next book may be a standalone in her adventures, or the first half of a two-parter. I'm not sure yet.

So you're going to keep going past the third book?

Yes, I am. But I'm not going to hold myself to a strict schedule on the series. There are at least two other novels (or novellas) set in Glynis's world that I would like to write. One is about the true love of Vlad Dracula, Erzsebet, and her fall from his grace. The other is about Gavril and Ilinca, the vampire siblings.

If you have other questions about the series, you may want to check out my "Ten Things About..." posts about both THE TALE OF THE VAMPIRE BRIDE and THE VENGEANCE OF THE VAMPIRE BRIDE.  In them I address several issues, such as the fact there is NO LOVE TRIANGLE and that Vlad is not a love interest, but the villain, and why certain things in the story happened.

FAQ: Will There Be a Sequel to THE LAST BASTION OF THE LIVING?

THE LAST BASTION OF THE LIVING was named the #1 Zombie Novel of 2012 by Barnes & Noble's Explorations.

It has garnered rave reviews from both readers and book reviewers.

Sales have been very good across all the platforms including audiobook, ebooks, and paperbacks.

It's been optioned for a possible film.

I have had numerous fans tell me that my sci-fi/horror novel is their favorite of all my work so far.

On my personal list of favorites I have written, this novel sits at the #2 slot behind THE TALE OF THE VAMPIRE BRIDE.


The second most commonly asked question I get from fans is

Will there be a sequel to THE LAST BASTION OF THE LIVING?

The answer is no.

There are no plans for any sequels whatsoever.

THE LAST BASTION OF THE LIVING is a standalone novel that tells the story that brewed in my mind in it's entirety.

But why...

Because the story I wanted to tell is done and there isn't anymore inside my head.

I don't understand. Just make something up...

One of the things that is increasingly apparent to me the more I talk to other writers is that every single one of us has a completely different way of writing our novels. Some people base their characters off of people they know or themselves, they meticulously construct storylines, they outline every single plot point, and basically micro-manage the book into existence.

I do none of those things.

Most of my novel ideas are born out of dreams. I dreamed the opening chapter of THE LAST BASTION OF THE LIVING then skipped through the rest of the story, snagging snippets as I went. By the time I woke up, I had a general idea of the story and the characters.

My process is that I think about a story and characters long before I start to write about them. I often describe it as having little worlds floating around in my head. Occasionally I open one up, peek inside, and decide if I want to explore further. If I do, I spend a good chunk of time in my own mind exploring the world, the characters, etc.  Therefore, by the time I actually sit down to write that particular story, I have an idea of how all the puzzle pieces might fit together once I start writing. Unless I have to write a synopsis for Tor, I don't write out anything at all. I just start writing. If I get an idea for something further down the line in the story, I write the idea utilizing yWriter's  feature of summarizing scenes and/or chapters.

I basically write until the story is told.  Sometimes as I'm writing I realize there is much more to be told than just that one novel. The perfect example of that is PRETTY WHEN SHE DIES.  But it also works in the opposite direction. I realized fairly quickly that THE LAST BASTION OF THE LIVING was a standalone.  When I finished the final scene, I felt the door on that world close in my mind.

So make it up!

Well, I can't. I know that sounds weird, but stories take on a life of their own. They have a definitive beginning and an end to me. Long ago, I did try to force stories to do my will (hehehehe), but they would just peter out and die on the page until I ripped out the stuff I was trying to shove into the narrative. It's like watching a movie in my mind and transcribing it to the page. If I try to write something that isn't on the screen, the whole thing falls apart.

Yes. I'm crazy.

But it's my favorite book...

And it's one of mine, too, but I refuse to force the story forward when the seed of a new tale isn't in my mind ready to flourish. I don't want to sell that world short.

If one day an awesome idea for a sequel lands in my head, I will definitely consider it, but for now I feel the story is done.

Mama: An Early Film Review

My friend, Kody Boye, and I scored passes to an early showing of Mama in Austin last night. The press took up about a quarter of the audience, so we were happy we arrived three hours early to get in line. To make sure the theater is packed, the movie companies always give out more passes than needed so an early arrival is necessary to get into the film.

I sat and read THERE by Denise Grover Swank (which is amazing) while we waited and also chatted with someone we made friends with at the Warm Bodies screening. The last horror movie I saw in the theater was The Lady in Black, which I loved, so I was excited to see another atmospheric film. I'm not big on slasher films or torture porn, so I love it whenever I truly creepy film comes along.  

I had already seen the short film that inspired Guillermo Del Toro to produce a feature length film, and it had scared me plenty. Seriously. I watched it in full daylight with Kody and we both jumped and screamed when we saw the short film.

Go ahead and watch the short film now. I dare you!  Also, don't worry about spoiling yourself for the movie. 

The original short film.


See what I mean?  And mama in the motion picture is much scarier.! Ugh! Shivers!

Anyway, we got our wristbands, filed into the theater, and settled in with high hopes that we would be scared out of our minds.

Let me put it this way, halfway through the film I turned to Kody and said, "I think we can go now."

Mama is a very well-acted, beautifully shot, and has a solid story, even if it's not really anything too original. You can somewhat guess where the whole story is headed, yet its the execution of the film that makes it worthwhile from the very beginning to the end.

There is so much about this film that I loved, it is hard to nail down just the highlights, but I'll try.

--It had genuinely creepy as hell moments. There is one particular scene where you think you're saying one thing then realize its something altogether much more sinister. Oh, my gawd, I jumped. It's my favorite scene in the movie and the one where I was ready to run out of the theater. Look for the scene where Victoria is making breakfast and Annabelle is putting away laundry.

--I loved that the main character, Annabelle, was an alternative chick with a penchant for Misfits t-shirts and heavy black eyeliner and eyes shadow. She's not interested in being a mother, but she loves her artist boyfriend enough to leave behind her rock band and help him try to give his feral nieces a good home. She's obviously not feeling it for much of the film, but she's trying. It was refreshing to see someone who looked like she could easily mix in my scene as the lead. Seriously loved her heavy eyeliner and awesome boots!

Annabelle isn't a one note character either. She evolves and grows stronger throughout the story. By the end, her steely determination was awesome to see. Also, she is pretty compassionate about who Mama really is, but is not about to go down without a fight for Lily and Victoria.

--Lily and Victoria, the feral children, are so freaking creepy themselves. This are not sweet little kids that immediately warm up to their new caretakers. Victoria, the oldest, is deeply troubled.  Because she was three when she and her sister ended up alone in the forest, she can speak and appears to adjust more quickly to the modern world. Yet, she still struggles to keep a distance from her new guardians because she fears what Mama might do to them. "Mama is jealous," she says at one point. Victoria has to wear glasses and lived her years with Mama in a blurry haze. Once back in civilization, she wears glasses again, but removes them when Mama appears. It's evident that Victoria can see what Mama truly is, but doesn't want to accept it at first.

Lily was one year old when she ended up in the forest, so Mama is all she knows. She loves Mama without reservation and is most like Mama. Lily is the child featured in the poster and in the still to the left.  She doesn't fear Mama, but loves her completely. 

In fact, Lily was actually incredibly unnerving throughout the movie.  


When Victoria begins to distance herself from Mama, that is when trouble begins to truly brew.

-As for the fucking creepy ass ghost, UGH!  She was truly, truly creepy. There were several scenes with her that just...UGH!  Mama has a sympathetic background to some degree, but she's truly terrifying. And her appearance is very disturbing. Mama's brief appearances work better than her extended appearance at the end only because you adjust to how she looks and she loses some of her creepy factor.  Yet, she was still terrifyingly beautiful and well-executed.

Final thoughts...

Is this anything new? Uhm, not really. But it's presented in a way that is very creepy and yet fun. Our audience, jumped, screamed, and laughed. You can sort of figure out how things will most likely end for the cast, but the director did something that totally floored me at the very end. Let me say I appreciated the ballsyness of it.

I definitely recommend Mama if you're up for a creepy, disturbing ghost movie.

The Mama trailer.

Warm Bodies Film Review (Yes, I Got To See It Early)

I scored some passes to the new zombie movie, Warm Bodies, earlier this week while out shopping. I was chatting with someone at Bath And Body Works about my writing and he handed over the passes much to my surprise.

Therefore, yesterday, my husband, Kody Boye, and I arrived very early at the theater to see the film. We were second in line and spent most of the late afternoon chatting with other arrivals.  Everyone seemed very excited to see the film and there were a lot of young women in the line.

The movie is being marketed as the new Twilight, so perhaps that is why so many women attended. People in line weren't really sure what the movie was going to be like, but we were all willing to give it a chance. 

So what did I think of the movie?

Warm Bodies is a very charming, funny zombie fairytale that I enjoyed quite a bit. Yeah, I said fairytale. This is NOT a serious zombie film. It's a bit quirky, it is funny, and it's a film I would enjoy seeing again when I'm in a lighthearted mood. Though its a Zom-Rom-Com like Shaun of the Dead, it is not quine as funny or as gory as that film. Warm Bodies derives a lot of its comedy from the complete awkwardness of R, the zombie, trying to come to terms with his undead life. He has no memory of who he was before he died, so he collects bits and pieces from the dead world around him and hides them away in his own private shelter. It's obvious that he is a bit more advanced than other zombies, and this might be due to his penchant to eat brainzzz.

R's musing and interaction with other zombies was really amusing. There are some laugh out loud moments for sure.  There are also some fairly scary zombie attack scenes, but they're not nearly as gruesome as The Walking Dead TV show.

There were quite a few things I liked.

1. They establish their zombie mythos very quickly and stick to it.

2. The female characters in the movie were NOT stupid. I appreciated that quite a lot. Zombieland let me down when the sisters got a case of the stupids just so they could be rescued (*rolls eyes and yawns*)

3. The sets were awesome. Absolutely some of the best depictions of a post apocalyptic world I've seen in a film in a long time.

4. The lead characters were excellent in their roles, and I actually cared about them.

5. The humor. I really enjoyed the humorous moments in the film.

6. The bonies were so freakin' gross. Loved it.

7. There were a few scary moments where I really appreciated the zombie threat.

A few things I didn't care much for:

1. I hated the music. It jarred me out of the movie more than set a mood. Though there was a funny joke through a song, the music really wasn't complimentary to the film.

2. Very low gore quotient, but then again this isn't a hardcore zombie film.

3. It was hard for me to believe in the cure, but I have written some hardcore zombie stuff so it's hard for me to embrace the sweet/cutsey aspect of it.

Overall, I liked it quite a bit. Again, not a serious zombie film. It's definitely a Zom-Rom-Com. C'mon, the girl's name is Julie, and the boy zombie is R and there is a balcony scene! If you keep that in mind and don't expect a hardcore zombiefest, you'll probably enjoy the film like I did.

Also, the humor, violence, etc in the trailer pretty much match what you get in the film. Therefore, you can decide whether or not to take younger ones to the film.

Our audience laughed, screamed, and cheered, so I suspect this movie will do very well due to word of mouth.  

FAQ: Do You Base Characters Off of You or People You Know?

Are any of your characters based on you or people you know?

This is one of the questions that I get most commonly at book signings or convention events.  I suspect its because fans meet me and anticipate spotting some aspect of their favorite character in me. They're most likely very disappointed because none of my characters are based on me.

A few years ago a fan asked me, "So which character is you? Jenni or Katie? Or is it Nerit?"

"None of them," I answered. "They're just their own person and not like me."

The fan turned to my husband, who was standing behind me, and asked him, "So for real. Which character is her?"

"None of them," my husband answered.

"C'mon," the fan persisted. "One of them has to be her."

"Nope," my husband answered in his stoic way.

"So then who are her characters based on? You?"

My husband, who likes to keep to the background at these events, shook his head. "No. The characters are creations of her mind. None of the characters are like any of our friends or family."

The fan stared at us incredulously.

As a matter of fact, I would never base a character on me because I'm pretty boring and would not make an interesting character in a book. I spend most of my time writing, playing video games, marathoning TV shows with my hubby, shopping, and reading.  That does not make for an interesting character.   I have no desire to self-insert myself into any of my works. The mere thought is very disconcerting.

But how do you get your characters then...

I often feel like my characters are like Athena. They burst fully formed out of my head and land on the page of my book demanding their place in the plot.   The characters are their own people with their own likes and dislikes and even hold different belief systems from me and sometimes aren't even human.  Not one character has yet to embody my political, religious, or personal viewpoint on the world.  I might share a traits with some of the characters, like PRETTY WHEN SHE DIES' Samantha and her love of Betsey Johnson, but they're definitely not me.

Inspiration for characters come from weird places. A picture might inspire the sudden birth of one, or a voice I overhear in a store might create a brand new character. I also dream from the viewpoint of the characters sometimes and that's how I uncover them. I dreamed of Amaliya and Glynis before I ever knew their names.

So do you base characters off of friends, family, people you know...

A few years ago the answer to this question would have been a firm no, but now three characters have been deliberately crafted off of people I know. Rune from AS THE WORLD DIES is based off my friend and former co-worker, George, Olivia from THE MIDNIGHT SPELL is based off cabaret dancer and friend, Wendy aka Ginger Snaps, and Ashley from THE MIDNIGHT SPELL is based off of Ashley (aka the Zombie Queen) of The Bookish Brunette blog.

Rune came into being because George was reading the online serial of AS THE WORLD DIES and told me point blank I should include him. I started to tell him that I never base characters off of friends until I realized George would survive the zombocalypse. Rune is not George, but I could definitely see them hanging out. I gave several of George's traits to Rune, such as being a biker, the long white hair, and the cocky attitude, but Rune isn't as sweet or kind as George.

Olivia in THE MIDNIGHT SPELL looks nothing like Wendy, but she does share her flare for pinup makeup and cute outfits. She also has a sassy/snarky aspect about her that my co-author, Kody Boye, and I stole from Wendy.  Also, the big epic reveal about Olivia was directly inspired by a certain obsession Wendy has.

Ashley in THE MIDNIGHT SPELL was a no-brainer. The real Ashley is so damn cute, funny, nuts, and amazing, we just cloned her and shoved her into the book.  Kody and I cannot claim to know the inner workings of the real Ashley's mind, but a lot of her personality traits, her likes, and her appearance is in the cloned version of her. One of our Beta reader's recognized her, which I thought was a hoot.

Yet, I don't know if I will want to do this again. All three of these cases are the exceptions to my usual process.

So your characters are nothing like you? Really...

I do share a few traits with some of my characters like I stated before. My love of Betsey Johnson is shared with Samantha.  My snarky humor is infused into some of the characters.  And since I am writing for the characters, its inevitable that they might share some of my favorite phrases.

The one character that I am probably most like is Travis. I didn't really realize it until I was reading the final version of FIGHTING TO SURVIVE just before publication last year. Travis and I share a need to help people though we also tend to be loners. Also his frustration at being pushed into a position he'll actually be good at is something I, too, have experienced.  I also "knew" when I met my husband that he was someone very special and that my life would never be the same in much the same way Travis knows the same about Katie. Those are the similarities we share, but much else is different.

Sometimes a character is so removed from who I am I struggle to connect to them. Jenni from AS THE WORLD DIES, Amaliya from PRETTY WHEN SHE DIES, and Mackenzie in DEAD SPOTS were incredibly difficult to write. I felt like I spent a good portion of the first half of the book discovering who they were. At points, I had to read over what I had already written to get a bead on what was really going on with the character. I'm often surprised to find out that the difficult character is actually fully fleshed out in the story, but I'm just having trouble understanding them.

Characters are sometimes very easy to write. Katie from AS THE WORLD DIES, Maria in THE LAST BASTION OF THE LIVING, and Christy in THE MIDNIGHT SPELL were very easy to plug into and understand their motivations.  Though I had to research Katie's sexuality, she was still much easier to get to know than Jenni.

But you must give your characters something of yourself, right...

Where my characters probably benefit from me is my life experience.  I grew up in a very abusive household and I know what real, true, stark fear is. I've lived with the desperate awful fear and depression that makes you pray that you'll die before you wake up the next morning just so it will all end (I was a kid, btw).  I literally felt like the banner over my childhood read "No one gets out of here alive" to quote Jim Morrison.  I experienced living with the devil and living with an angel.  I saw cruelty and evil in its worst forms in one parent, but also love, compassion, and strength of faith in the other parent.  I stood between heaven and hell.

Because of my childhood and a near fatal car accident, I suffer PTSD.  It used to be crippling, but over the years I have healed and become a much stronger person. I still have my triggers, but they're rarely tripped. I'm very happy in my life now.

So you might think I'm like Jenni because we share PTSD, but we're not.  Jenni's PTSD manifests itself very differently from my own. So much so I had to do heavy research for her.  PTSD makes me overly cautious and I tend to over think situations. Jenni's reaction is to not think about anything and to just act. She careens toward self-destruction while I do everything I can to preserve myself.  In fact, Jenni's reactions to things around her was so far removed from me, I wanted to smack her half the time! I honestly didn't know if she was even going to make it through THE FIRST DAYS when I first wrote the story because she had little, to no impulse control.

I do believe that because of the abuse I suffered, I am able to accurately portray people in life threatening situations. I understand the psychology and the actual emotions of a survivor. Imagining staring into a gun barrel and how you would react is very different from actually experiencing that sort of event. (Not to say that some writers can write about things they've never experienced with accuracy and brilliance). I suspect the emotional depth of my writing adds a layer of reality to the narrative and that is why fans feel so immersed in that world.

So where do your characters come from...

I honestly have no clue. They just show up in my head, talking away, revealing who they are and I have to figure out if I want to tell their story or not. Yes, I  have voices in my head. Entire worlds. Universes. Where it all comes from, I have no clue. But I definitely like being along for the ride.

So in closing, my characters are not me.  If you want to know where I am in my novels....well...this picture sums it up.

Just ignore the person behind the curtain...

Frequently Asked Questions: Will There Be More AS THE WORLD DIES Books

Today I'm starting a new feature where I will give an in-depth answer to the most frequently asked questions from fans.  Though I have answered most of these questions numerous times on my facebook page, Twitter, and even on this blog, I am aware from the slew of repeating questions that I'm garnering new fans nearly every day.  After this series is done, I will have links to the questions on facebook, my blog, and my website so that newer fans can find the answers they are looking for.

To start off this series, we start with the question I am asked nearly every day via facebook, twitter, and emails.

Will there be anymore books in the AS THE WORLD DIES  trilogy?

The trade paperback covers

The answer is simply no. A trilogy is three books, not more, not less. All three books have now been released in trade paperback and are  also being issued in mass market paperback with all new covers. My publisher, genre giant Tor, bought the trilogy in its entirety after its successful run as a self-published work. 

The mass market paperback covers

When I finished SIEGE, I felt an immense sense of completion. The trilogy fully tells the story I wanted to tell. It starts with Jenni and Katie fleeing a city in Texas for the Texas Hill Country at the end of the world. The trilogy ends when things come full circle for the characters. I totally and completely feel that I finished the trilogy on just the right note and it felt perfect.

But I want more to read in the AS THE WORLD DIES universe...

Untold Tales Volumes 1 & 2

 I have written short stories that take place in the AS THE WORLD DIES universe and those have been released as the AS THE WORLD DIES UNTOLD TALES VOL 1 & VOL 2.  The stories either precede the first scene in THE FIRST DAYS or run alongside it in the timeline.  The untold tales are about the minor characters in the trilogy that never really got to be in the spotlight.  I started writing the untold tales for the fans and the final three stories will be released in VOL 3 sometime this Spring.

But you could write a next generation book...

I have never been a fan of  next generation books. It's inevitable that I end up missing the characters from the previous generation and original books. Finding out what happened to them in retrospect and not actually experiencing those moments always feels a little lukewarm to me.  I just don't care much for them.

If I were to ever write in the AS THE WORLD DIES universe again, I would most likely start a new trilogy where the other one left off. I have no desire to skip ahead, or write about a group of survivors elsewhere. I'm just not interested in doing that.

Spoiler Alert (Highlight text to read): For those of you who still think Jason is the fort's John Conner, remember that it's Calhoun, the schizophrenic, who makes this declaration. Rune's prediction that Jason was important to the fort was prophetic about Jason fixing the fire line in time to deflect the zombie horde. Jason doesn't have some epic legendary status to acquire in the future. He's just a kid with great ideas living in the zombocalypse. 

But shouldn't I write more if the fans want it....

I totally understand that the fans want more. I'm glad they do. That means I wrote a story that they love and feel connected to in a dynamic way.  Yet, I feel the story I wanted to tell is complete. Though I know in general what comes next in that world and what the future looks like even 150 years down the road, I don't have an actual story. It's like looking at a textbook and reading the history about a town. That's all the information I have with no more details. It doesn't feel like a complete story to tell. I'll be honest--the only way I'd be interested in revisiting that world is if I had a full, complete, very exciting 2nd trilogy to tell, and I don't have that. I just have enough information to maybe write a short story.

But what if Tor wants more books...

Tor, my publisher, would have to have a good solid reason to want me to continue writing in the AS THE WORLD DIES universe. In other words, it would have to make financial sense.  Sales would have to indicate that it would be worth the monetary investment. Even if I had a killer idea for another trilogy, if Tor looked at the numbers and felt it wouldn't be financially feasible, they would pass on the idea. 

If you want Tor to know you want more in the series, buy the books for yourself, for gifts, and for your local libraries. Though I have new fans of my work because of libraries, only the initial sale of the book to the library counts in the eyes of the publisher. A lot of times readers have no idea how powerful the simple act of buying a book (not second hand) actually is in the life of a writer. Buying a book is your way of voting for your favorite writer and your favorite series. It's a tangible indicator to the publisher that you are willing to invest in the writer and their vision.  

Right now Tor is interested in growing me as a horror writer, not necessarily a zombie writer. My next book for Tor, DEAD SPOTS, is straight up horror and not a zombie novel.  The only way they'd probably grow interested in any sort of book related to AS THE WORLD DIES is if the numbers reached levels that indicate the zombie craze in publishing is not quite over yet.

But don't you want to keep writing AS THE WORLD DIES...

Actually, no. I'm truly burned out on the world that I spent a ton of time in for nearly seven years of my life. I wrote the story as an online serial for two years then spent five more years refining it. The three books have been rewritten, revised, and overhauled for two different publications (self-pubbed and Tor). When I finished SIEGE, I felt a complete and total sense of relief. I had written the story I wanted to tell and was ready to move on. I have so many more novels to write with all new characters and new worlds and to remain in the one that ate up my life and creativity for seven years doesn't appeal to me.  I still have to deal with the first pass and copyedits for the mass market paperback version of SIEGE, so I'm still basically dealing with the trilogy.  

I love all the characters, I love the story, and I'm so proud of the book, but I'm burned out on it. Imagine if you could only watch the same three TV episodes of your favorite show over and over again for seven years. Yeah,that's pretty much how I feel.

I'm thrilled that the story and the characters are so beloved. I'm excited that fans love it so much they want more. It means that I wrote something powerful that touched people and what more could a writer want?  

Maybe one day I'll have enough distance from the trilogy to have fresh new ideas take root in that world and blossom into something great. Maybe one day sales will be so great Tor will come knocking and ask for more. Maybe...maybe...

But the AS THE WORLD DIES trilogy is done. It's complete.  If I ever venture into that world again it will be a new story arc with a different feel and whole new dynamic, but I don't see that happening.

If you're dying to read about zombies Rhiannon Frater-style, remember I do have other zombie novels. THE LAST BASTION OF THE LIVING was named the #1 zombie book release of 2012 by Explorations, and THE LIVING DEAD BOY AND THE ZOMBIE HUNTERS is my little known zombie story that all ages can enjoy.

P.S. I honestly don't want to keep writing AS THE WORLD DIES until all the characters I love have died. :(

Top 5 Sci-Fi/Paranormal Books Read in 2012

People are always curious about the type of books I read. They're often surprised to discover that I don't only read zombie novels. The majority of the books inhabiting my bookshelves are not zombie-related. I tend not to read in the genre I'm writing, so considering how much of my writing time has been consumed with zombies, I've been reading a lot of other types of books. I thought I would share some of my favorites. These books were not necessarily released in 2012, but I did read them last year.

1. Here by Denise Grover Swank

A well-written, creepy, exciting book with many unexpected twists.

Read my review here.

2. Jenny Plague-Bringer by J.L. Bryan

The amazing, terrifying ending of the Jenny Pox series.

Read my kinda/sorta review here.

3. Open Minds by Susan Kaye Quinn

A fresh exciting new twist on the YA sci-fi genre that I absolutely loved.

Read my review here.

4. The Uglies Trilogy by Scott Westerfeld

Probably my favorite series (which includes Extras, the unexpected 4th book) that I read last year. I loved it completely.

Read my review of the trilogy here.

5. The Space Between by Alexandra Sokoloff

A strange, unsettling tale that haunted me long after I finished it.

I forgot to write a review. Oops!

Honorable Mention:  The Whisper Jar by Carole Lanham

A short story collection that was beautifully unsettling.

Read my review here.

Top 5 Zombie/Apocalyptic Books Read in 2012

It's the beginning of a brand new year and I thought I'd share some of my favorite reads in 2012. Now, these books weren't necessarily released in 2012, I just read them in 2012.  I'm constantly asked for book recommendations in the zombie/apocalyptic genre, so hopefully you might find some new reads on this list.

1. Wither by Lauren DeStafano

A disturbing post apocalyptic novel in the tradition of a Handmaiden's Tale.

Read my review here.

2. The Reanimation of Edward Schuett by Derek J. Goodman

An awesome new take on zombies. A must read!

Read my review here.

3. The Becoming by Jessica Meigs

Kick ass  zombie action with characters you can love.

Read my review here.

4. Allison Hewitt is Trapped by Madeleine Roux

Another clever zombie novel with a heroine you can cheer.

I forgot to write a review. Oops!

5. Eve by Carey Anna

A terrifying post-apocalyptic world where women are nothing more than breeding stock.

Read my review here.

Cheers to 2013!!