can i buy a copy of a dowry of blood with the original cover?
The indie cover was discontinued when Orbit picked up ADOB for traditional publication! It is no longer being manufactured or sold via me or my publisher. If you have your heart set on an indie cover, I suggest checking third party retailers for a resale copy. Happy hunting!
Are any of your upcoming books going to have a special edition?
Authors can neither confirm nor deny special editions unless and until the book box or bookstore announces them. I know this can be frustrating for dedicated collectors or those trying to be thrifty! My best advice is to preorder a standard edition and keep your eyes peeled for a special, knowing that if a special is announced you can cancel (or keep!) your preorder without being charged. To know about specials the moment they’re announced, subscribe to my newsletter via substack.
Are you ever going to write more vampire books?
I have received your fervent candlelit prayers and your messages via raven! Nothing in the works right now, but never day never.
you have so many books coming out! how do you write so much?
My releases are very cleverly staggered across both my publishers to give me the most time possible to develop, write, and edit one book without crunching it against another. Crunches happen, of course, but my editors are always gracious and cooperative when that happens. Publishing moves pretty slow, so some of the books I have coming out this year might have been written years ago! And it’s worth remembering that writing, teaching writing, and doing the business of being an author (social media, publicity, interviews, emails and admin, research, touring) is my full time job right now.
Do you ever get writer’s block? how do you get unstuck?
I do! It’s almost always because I’m bored, I don’t know what comes next, or I’m stressed/struggling with my mental health/sick. If you’re someone who has managed to carve out consistent (or even intermittent) time to write and has a pretty good grasp of craft and your process, you may also still hit these three sticking points.
If you’re feeling bored, try raising the stakes or making the scene more information rich (a sex scene that ALSO gives backstory, or a exposition scene that ALSO gives us character insight) so it holds more weight in the narrative. You can also add a trope or flourish to the scene that is personally pleasurable to you, which of course will also probably be pleasurable to your audience. And don’t be afraid to cut the boring scene entirely if it isn’t pulling it’s weight! Just move on babe, life’s too short.
If you don’t quite know the shape of what you’re writing, try bulleting out each little bit of the challenging section. Even if you aren’t an outliner and even if it feels silly, jotting down every little bit really helps! You can even toss the bulletpoints once you’re in the flow of the scene if you want.
If there’s an external factor in your life creating challenge, slowing down long enough to get some extra sleep and eat a nourishing meal, activate your social support network, and access medical or mental health care as available, is essential. In my experience, pumping the brakes to focus on getting your own well-being in order usually heals the blockage naturally with time. Artists are humans, not machines. We deserve to be well and to be well taken care of so we can do our best work in (and for) the world.
How do you revise your novels once you have them written?
I have a step-by-step guide to my current revision process up on my substack as an essay!
do you have advice for writing romances between more than two people?
I do! I shared some tips for writing polyamorous romance in this tumblr post.
I want to get started reading the gothic! where should I start?
Some of my favorite gothic classics and contemporary novels, in no particular order:
- UNDER THE PENDULUM SUN by Jeanette Ng
- WUTHERING HEIGHTS by Emily Bronte
- MEXICAN GOTHIC by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
- FLOWERS IN THE ATTIC by V.C. Andrews
- FRANKENSTEIN by Mary Shelley
- HOUSE OF HUNGER by Alexis Henderson
- THE DEATH OF JANE LAWRENCE by Caitlin Starling
- CARMILLA by Sheridan Le Fanu
- THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE by Shirley Jackson
- THE BLOODY CHAMBER by Angela Carter
- SUMMER SONS by Lee Mandelo
- A LESSON IN THORNS by Sierra Simone
- “A Rose For Emily” by William Faulkner
- INTERVIEW WITH THE VAMPIRE by Anne Rice