Frequently Asked Questions
Before you contact me, take a look at this handy checklist.
- Selling a product or service: Do not contact me. If I need what you're selling, I'll find you.
- Requesting review copies: If you are a *legitimate* book blogger/reviewer and you want to review one of my books, please include your website link so I can check it out. If I like what I see, I will be happy to send you a copy in your ebook format of choice. Sorry, no paperback copies.
- Requesting giveaway copies: Sorry, I rarely participate in giveaways, and then only through groups that I already participate in.
- Requests for free books: Sign up for my email list to find out about free/reduced price promotions on books by me and other fantasy/sf authors. Also, my books are available for libraries to order in both paperback and ebook format.
- Requesting me to review a book: Sorry, I don't accept book review requests.
- Guest blog post: Sorry, guest posts on my blog are available by invitation only.
Q: What order should I read your books in?
Urdaisunia, The Lost Book of Anggird, and Sarya's Song are all stand-alone novels, in different worlds with different characters, that tell complete stories. They can be read independently of of my other books, in any order.
Chosen of Azara, Source-Breaker, Heir of Tanaris, and the story collections The Brilliant Career of Sajur Golu and The Warrior and the Holy Man are set in the Tehovir world. Chosen, Source-Breaker, and Heir are standalone novels that may contain a few references to characters and events in other books, but any of them can be read independently of the others. Sajur Golu contains prequel stories and side stories for Chosen of Azara and is best read after reading Chosen. The Warrior and the Holy Man contains two longish related short stories, featuring two characters who are mentioned in passing in Chosen. I suggest reading Chosen first and then Warrior and Holy Man, but you can also read them the other way around. Another set of stories, Tales of the Source-Breakers, is not available in stores but is available to my newsletter subscribers. It contains three prequel stories to Source-Breaker and can be read before or after reading Source-Breaker.
In the Daughter of the Wildings series and Defenders of the Wildings series, the books need to be read in order. Beneath the Canyons is the first book; the order numbers of the books will be clearly marked on the covers and book titles, and the reading order is also listed on the series pages. Defenders of the Wildings can be read before Daughter of the Wildings, but for maximum enjoyment, I recommend starting with Daughter of the Wildings. A prequel story, Rough Justice, is available to my newsletter subscribers and to paid members of my readers' club on Ream. It can be read at any point.
The Mage of Storm and Sea series is also set in the Wildings world and deals with events leading to the mage migration to Granadaia. It can be read independently of the Wildings series. Read in order, books 0 (Prequel) - 3.
Q: Are your books YA (Young Adult)? What ages are they appropriate for?
A: My books are written for adults. They feature adult characters with adult lives and concerns, and contain mature themes and situations including minimally to moderately explicit sex and violence (although I'm not exactly writing erotica here - far from it!), some rough language, and dark psychological issues and life situations such as rape, abuse, insanity, and suicide. I suggest my books for ages 17 and up.
The content of my short stories is less explicit; however, they still feature adult characters and address adult themes and situations, and might not be of much interest to younger readers
Q: How long have you been writing and what made you choose the genre in which you write?
A: I liked to write as a child, then I dropped it while I got involved with music through high school and college. I picked it up again almost 24 years ago, when my older son was a baby. There have been a few times when I've taken a few years off from writing, but I've never been able to leave it alone for very long.
I've always loved to read fantasy, and I've also always loved a good love story. I used to get frustrated because in a lot of the fantasy novels I read, wizards never got to fall in love, or, if they did, they never got to do anything about it. Kings and princes and all those other guys, but not wizards. I always imagined different storylines for my favorite novels where the wizards got to have some romance in their lives. When I was adjusting to life as a stay-at-home mom and decided I wanted a new intellectual challenge, I decided to start writing the kinds of fantasy novels I wanted to read. Not all of my novels involve wizards in love, but they all have magic (at least to a small degree), and they all have love stories.
Q: Where did you grow up, and how did this influence your writing?
A: I grew up, and still live, in Arizona, in the desert. While I hate the heat and dryness and love to see green and trees and water, the harsher beauty of the desert has sunk deeply into me. Significant portions of many of my books take place in desert settings. The desert seems to evoke lost people, mysteries, and ancient magic, and the harsh conditions can be the source of a lot of story conflict and challenges for the characters.
Q: Who or what are your inspirations/influences?
A: My parents gave me the Earthsea Trilogy for Christmas when I was about 11 or 12, and I loved it. I re-read those books over and over. Those were the books that really hooked me on fantasy. Another favorite series is the Riddlemaster of Hed series, by Patricia McKillip, which came out when I was in high school. Again, just love those books. I also love Patricia McKillip's style, and I think it influenced my own style a bit. Finally, my favorite author is Carol Berg. She's a more current writer, and her wizards/magicians get to be real people. I love her stories, and would love to be able to write as beautifully as she does.
Q: What music do you listen to, while writing?
A: Mostly alternative rock and symphonic metal. I have a fondness for female-fronted European metal bands, like Nightwish, Within Temptation, Delain, Edenbridge, Visions of Atlantis, and Xandria, but there are also some male-fronted bands I like too, like Myrath, Seventh Wonder, Serenity, and Kamelot. I also like Evanescence, AFI, and Angels and Airwaves. Other artists on my writing playlist include My Chemical Romance, The Killers, The All-American Rejects, Dire Straits, Savage Garden, Nina Gordon, Social Distortion, and Moving Mountains.
I like lyrics and music that set an emotional tone for what I'm writing, or that match up with scenes in the story. I also usually have a love song for each of my couples.
Q: Is there a message in your book? Do you want your readers to take something home?
A: I think a message in all my books is the importance of honor, of doing what's right even though it's hard, and also the importance of family, and how love can make you into a stronger and better person.
Q. You write romantic fantasy. What is it about the combination of those two elements that appeals to you?
A: Love is a powerful motivation, and showing characters in love, in a developing or even a committed relationship, shows sides of them that otherwise might not come through in the struggle to save the world or whatever the fantasy story is about. I think that showing the loving and romantic side makes the characters more well-rounded and more sympathetic, and raises the stakes in the story. Saving the world is one thing; saving it for the people you love - spouse, lover, children, family members, friends, makes it a lot more personal. I also like seeing how the development of the relationship and the fantasy quest or task or whatever the characters are doing affect each other - in my novels, the two are closely intertwined, and also how the couple deals with the challenges they face together. It's also interesting to see the couple work together to achieve their goals - even if, or especially if, they have different ideas about how do go about it!
Oh, and, wizards in love. What's not to love about wizards in love? :-D I have a thing about wizards in love, because in the books I read, it seemed like wizards never got to fall in love, or, if they did, they never got to do anything about it. It seems like so often in fantasy (or at least in the books I read), wizards live fairly ascetic lifetstyles, and there's something appealing about the contrast between that and the emotion and passion of falling in love and building a relationship.
Q: What is the greatest joy of writing for you?
A: There are two greatest joys: Bringing these characters who live in my head to life and telling their stories, and when a reader writes to me and tells me how much they enjoyed my story. If I can touch someone's life with my books, whether it's by giving them a few hours of relaxation and enjoyment or helping them through a difficult time, that's an incredible feeling.
Q: Why are you self-publishing?
A: I realized a long time ago that I freeze up if I'm trying to write for the approval of the gatekeepers of the publishing world - agents, editors, and, most of all, marketing departments. Also, publishing contracts have always been very unfair to authors and have only been getting worse in recent years. I chose self-publishing because it allows me to write what I want, when I want, how I want, and to maintain complete control over my books, my rights, my writing, my worlds and characters, my time, my career, my name and my money.
Q: I want to self-publish too. How should I go about it?
A: I recommend David Gaughran's website and book, Let's Get Digital, and the Self-Publishing Unboxed series by Patty Jansen for information on getting started with self-publishing.
Stay far far far away from self-publishing "services" such as Author Solutions, XLibris, Trafford, AuthorHouse, iUniverse, etc. Basically, any company that wants you to pay thousands of dollars to publish your book.
Q: I have a great idea for a novel! What should I do?
A: Write it! You learn to write by writing, and if you can write for 15 minutes a day, you can finish a novel in a year. You can find lots of resources for beginning writers at the National Novel Writing Month boards (in fact, I encourage you to join NaNoWriMo!) and at hollylisle.com.
Urdaisunia, The Lost Book of Anggird, and Sarya's Song are all stand-alone novels, in different worlds with different characters, that tell complete stories. They can be read independently of of my other books, in any order.
Chosen of Azara, Source-Breaker, Heir of Tanaris, and the story collections The Brilliant Career of Sajur Golu and The Warrior and the Holy Man are set in the Tehovir world. Chosen, Source-Breaker, and Heir are standalone novels that may contain a few references to characters and events in other books, but any of them can be read independently of the others. Sajur Golu contains prequel stories and side stories for Chosen of Azara and is best read after reading Chosen. The Warrior and the Holy Man contains two longish related short stories, featuring two characters who are mentioned in passing in Chosen. I suggest reading Chosen first and then Warrior and Holy Man, but you can also read them the other way around. Another set of stories, Tales of the Source-Breakers, is not available in stores but is available to my newsletter subscribers. It contains three prequel stories to Source-Breaker and can be read before or after reading Source-Breaker.
In the Daughter of the Wildings series and Defenders of the Wildings series, the books need to be read in order. Beneath the Canyons is the first book; the order numbers of the books will be clearly marked on the covers and book titles, and the reading order is also listed on the series pages. Defenders of the Wildings can be read before Daughter of the Wildings, but for maximum enjoyment, I recommend starting with Daughter of the Wildings. A prequel story, Rough Justice, is available to my newsletter subscribers and to paid members of my readers' club on Ream. It can be read at any point.
The Mage of Storm and Sea series is also set in the Wildings world and deals with events leading to the mage migration to Granadaia. It can be read independently of the Wildings series. Read in order, books 0 (Prequel) - 3.
Q: Are your books YA (Young Adult)? What ages are they appropriate for?
A: My books are written for adults. They feature adult characters with adult lives and concerns, and contain mature themes and situations including minimally to moderately explicit sex and violence (although I'm not exactly writing erotica here - far from it!), some rough language, and dark psychological issues and life situations such as rape, abuse, insanity, and suicide. I suggest my books for ages 17 and up.
The content of my short stories is less explicit; however, they still feature adult characters and address adult themes and situations, and might not be of much interest to younger readers
Q: How long have you been writing and what made you choose the genre in which you write?
A: I liked to write as a child, then I dropped it while I got involved with music through high school and college. I picked it up again almost 24 years ago, when my older son was a baby. There have been a few times when I've taken a few years off from writing, but I've never been able to leave it alone for very long.
I've always loved to read fantasy, and I've also always loved a good love story. I used to get frustrated because in a lot of the fantasy novels I read, wizards never got to fall in love, or, if they did, they never got to do anything about it. Kings and princes and all those other guys, but not wizards. I always imagined different storylines for my favorite novels where the wizards got to have some romance in their lives. When I was adjusting to life as a stay-at-home mom and decided I wanted a new intellectual challenge, I decided to start writing the kinds of fantasy novels I wanted to read. Not all of my novels involve wizards in love, but they all have magic (at least to a small degree), and they all have love stories.
Q: Where did you grow up, and how did this influence your writing?
A: I grew up, and still live, in Arizona, in the desert. While I hate the heat and dryness and love to see green and trees and water, the harsher beauty of the desert has sunk deeply into me. Significant portions of many of my books take place in desert settings. The desert seems to evoke lost people, mysteries, and ancient magic, and the harsh conditions can be the source of a lot of story conflict and challenges for the characters.
Q: Who or what are your inspirations/influences?
A: My parents gave me the Earthsea Trilogy for Christmas when I was about 11 or 12, and I loved it. I re-read those books over and over. Those were the books that really hooked me on fantasy. Another favorite series is the Riddlemaster of Hed series, by Patricia McKillip, which came out when I was in high school. Again, just love those books. I also love Patricia McKillip's style, and I think it influenced my own style a bit. Finally, my favorite author is Carol Berg. She's a more current writer, and her wizards/magicians get to be real people. I love her stories, and would love to be able to write as beautifully as she does.
Q: What music do you listen to, while writing?
A: Mostly alternative rock and symphonic metal. I have a fondness for female-fronted European metal bands, like Nightwish, Within Temptation, Delain, Edenbridge, Visions of Atlantis, and Xandria, but there are also some male-fronted bands I like too, like Myrath, Seventh Wonder, Serenity, and Kamelot. I also like Evanescence, AFI, and Angels and Airwaves. Other artists on my writing playlist include My Chemical Romance, The Killers, The All-American Rejects, Dire Straits, Savage Garden, Nina Gordon, Social Distortion, and Moving Mountains.
I like lyrics and music that set an emotional tone for what I'm writing, or that match up with scenes in the story. I also usually have a love song for each of my couples.
Q: Is there a message in your book? Do you want your readers to take something home?
A: I think a message in all my books is the importance of honor, of doing what's right even though it's hard, and also the importance of family, and how love can make you into a stronger and better person.
Q. You write romantic fantasy. What is it about the combination of those two elements that appeals to you?
A: Love is a powerful motivation, and showing characters in love, in a developing or even a committed relationship, shows sides of them that otherwise might not come through in the struggle to save the world or whatever the fantasy story is about. I think that showing the loving and romantic side makes the characters more well-rounded and more sympathetic, and raises the stakes in the story. Saving the world is one thing; saving it for the people you love - spouse, lover, children, family members, friends, makes it a lot more personal. I also like seeing how the development of the relationship and the fantasy quest or task or whatever the characters are doing affect each other - in my novels, the two are closely intertwined, and also how the couple deals with the challenges they face together. It's also interesting to see the couple work together to achieve their goals - even if, or especially if, they have different ideas about how do go about it!
Oh, and, wizards in love. What's not to love about wizards in love? :-D I have a thing about wizards in love, because in the books I read, it seemed like wizards never got to fall in love, or, if they did, they never got to do anything about it. It seems like so often in fantasy (or at least in the books I read), wizards live fairly ascetic lifetstyles, and there's something appealing about the contrast between that and the emotion and passion of falling in love and building a relationship.
Q: What is the greatest joy of writing for you?
A: There are two greatest joys: Bringing these characters who live in my head to life and telling their stories, and when a reader writes to me and tells me how much they enjoyed my story. If I can touch someone's life with my books, whether it's by giving them a few hours of relaxation and enjoyment or helping them through a difficult time, that's an incredible feeling.
Q: Why are you self-publishing?
A: I realized a long time ago that I freeze up if I'm trying to write for the approval of the gatekeepers of the publishing world - agents, editors, and, most of all, marketing departments. Also, publishing contracts have always been very unfair to authors and have only been getting worse in recent years. I chose self-publishing because it allows me to write what I want, when I want, how I want, and to maintain complete control over my books, my rights, my writing, my worlds and characters, my time, my career, my name and my money.
Q: I want to self-publish too. How should I go about it?
A: I recommend David Gaughran's website and book, Let's Get Digital, and the Self-Publishing Unboxed series by Patty Jansen for information on getting started with self-publishing.
Stay far far far away from self-publishing "services" such as Author Solutions, XLibris, Trafford, AuthorHouse, iUniverse, etc. Basically, any company that wants you to pay thousands of dollars to publish your book.
Q: I have a great idea for a novel! What should I do?
A: Write it! You learn to write by writing, and if you can write for 15 minutes a day, you can finish a novel in a year. You can find lots of resources for beginning writers at the National Novel Writing Month boards (in fact, I encourage you to join NaNoWriMo!) and at hollylisle.com.
