FAQ
By Odin’s beard, you’re bringing out a lot of books?
Sleep when you’re dead.
By Thor’s hammer, how do you keep up with it all?
I keep three clones of myself stolen from alternate realities chained to keyboards in the basement. But have no fear if you’re having trouble wrapping your head around it all, just click on BOOKS, or the links below. They’ll have all the info you need.
EMPIRE OF THE VAMPIRE
By Loki’s perfectly sculpted cheekbones, are y—
Why are you Norse mythologizing at me?
Sorry, are your books YA or not?
Depends on the book.
The ILLUMINAE FILES are definitely YA. So is LIFEL1K3. So is the AURORA CYCLE. These books are published by Random House Kids. They’re dark, but PG. That said, every adult I know who’s read ILLUMINAE has loved the pants off it, so make of that what you will.
THE NEVERNIGHT CHRONICLE is a different beast. The protagonist is a sixteen year old girl. Does that automatically make it YA? My editors say “Definitely not, and who the hell let you out of your cage? Get back to work”.
These books are about an assassin. They are somewhat violent as a result. They also have sex scenes (and now I have to contemplate the fact that my mother reads my smut *shudders*). I’d rate them MA (or NA if you prefer) and describe them as “crossover books”.
EMPIRE OF THE VAMPIRE has the same publishers as NEVERNIGHT. Like NN, it contains violence and explicit sex and protagonists with extremely dubious morality. Yes, one of them is a teenager. The book has definite crossover appeal, same as NN.
But it’s not YA.
If I want a signed book from you, how do I get one?
I’m lucky enough to tour a lot. The stores I tour usually get me to sign stock, so your best bet is to check my appearances and enquire with the stores I’ve been to recently.
If you can’t make it to my appearances, many of these stores will allow you to order a personalized book in advance of my visit. Then they can mail it to you.
Alas, I’d love to, but you cannot send me your book for me to sign. I tried this for a while, but the postage to Australia is insane, and books sometimes get lost in the post, and then I feel bad. You don’t want me to feel bad, right?
Where do you get your ideas?
The Ideas Shop.
A lot of writers do “play-lists” of the music they were listening to at the time they wrote their books. Why don’t you do that?
Because it would frighten the children.
OH MY GOD. Has anyone told you that you look like Dave Grohl?
Yes. Yes, they have.
Do you have a Literary Agent?
Indeed I do. His name is Josh Adams. He looks kinda harmless, but don’t be fooled. He’s a stone cold killer.
Do I need a formal training like an MFA or Clarion course to be a writer?
Fuck. No. I mean, a course like that might help you hone your skills. It may help you form networks. It may help you decide on the kind of writer you want to be. It MAY be very useful. But need? No.
How often do you write?
Weekdays, I work about eight to ten hours a day. From midday til about 5pm. Then again from 10pm til anywhere up to 2am. On a good day, I kill about 4,000 words, fully polished.
I usually do admin on Saturdays, but I’ll write too if I’m busy.
I take Sundays off, because I’m rock and roll like that.
What advice would you give to aspiring writers?
I think I mostly covered my thoughts here.
How did you get your start as an author?
I wrote a book. Cold queried agents. Got rejected a lot. Wrote another book. Cold queried agents. Got an agent. Got a book deal. If you go back into the archives of this blog, it tracks my journey from chud to publication. I imagine I sound like a tosser in some of it (and indeed, continue to do so), but ignore Past Jay’s foibles, he was young.
Can I send you my manuscript to read?
To be honest, it’s probably not a good idea to send your manuscript to anyone who isn’t a publisher, agent, or trusted friend. I fail on all three counts. I’m sorry for failing you .
If I’m insane enough to want you to blurb my book, how do go about getting you to read it?
You should ask my agent. Time is at a premium right now, but some awesome folks helped me out when I was in your shoes, and I’m a believer in sharing the love.
Can you teach me the secret handshake that will get me into Literary Circles?
(Hold Low Punch) Back, Back, Down, Forward, (Release Low Punch).
