I had an AMA recently over on Goodreads and here are the eight most frequent questions that I got. I thought I’d give them to you as well, just in case you also wanted to know…
- Will there be another Parasol Protectorate book?
The Parasol Protectorate series ends with Timeless. I have no plans to write any further stories staring Alexia and Conall. Frankly, Alexia would appreciate it if I left her in peace for a while. However, many favorite characters show up in the Finishing School books. Prudence launches the new Custard Protocol series (March 2015), a spin off from the Parasol Protectorate that takes place 20 years (or so) later. - Will you write a book featuring Lyall/Biffy? Or the Finishing School characters grown up? Or Alessandro Tarabotti?
I have some short stories/novellas/novels in my brain featuring some favorite side characters. They are a few years away while I work on the novels, but I really hope they happen. The best way to keep track of me and my side projects is via my newsletter, The Chirrup. It’s only once a month with important information about releases. I also use it for give-aways and such. - Will there be another manga?
The graphic novels include only Soulless Vol. 1 (aka, Soulless), Soulless Vol. 2 (aka Changeless), and Soulless Vol. 3 (aka Blameless). You can read my post about the release of Vol. 3 and why it’s likely to be the last. - Explain your crazy character names.
On a few occasion the character will choose his/her own name (Soap, Dimity), but most of the time my names are cookies, that is: a reward for the careful reader. The name either tells readers something about the character, where he came from, her real identity, his true purpose (Tunstell), or relate to someone historical (Tarabotti), or are some kind of hint or foreshadow (Akeldama). I love names so I always play with them if possible. Some just have a great “mouth feel” like Barnaclegoose. Some are real, actual names of British aristocrats! - Why did you decide to write YA?
I adore young adult literature. Since a librarian passed me Alanna by Tamora Pierce I’ve been hooked. To this day it’s my favorite genre to read. There’s something breezy and tidy about the best YA novels. I find them comfortably immersive and I can finish one in a single afternoon. I’ve always been fascinated by all girls boarding schools since reading A Little Princess when I was a child. And I love spy novels. So I just wrapped them all up together. - What was it like to transition from Adult to Young Adult?
I have a whole article on this subject that I wrote for Fiction University ~ if you don’t mind me pointing you in that direction? - Tell us more about all the crazy interrelating threads between all your series. Friendships, foreshadows, and backshadows! Oh, my.
Backshadows, I like it! Well I started planning the Custard Protocol series in Soulless, and the Finishing School series in Changeless. But only loosely. My technique was to drop a lot of threads and pick them up in different books as the series dictates. Sometimes this does backfire on me. Sometimes it is pure serendipity. Lord Akeldama, I’ve learned, is an instrument of my subconscious and he knows what is going on usually better than I do. These days, I have a master timeline on my wall: two sheets of legal size graph paper. I use that to keep track of everything, and so I don’t forget if I already killed a character. Someday I’ll have to crowd-source a wiki because it’s getting too much for my poor old brain.
GAIL’S DAILY DOSE
Your Infusion of Cute . . .
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| Massive but actually not very tasty macaron. |
Your Tisane of Smart . . .
Modern London, 1888
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Percy is off to Japan, but will Japan survive Percy?
Bookish and proper Percival Tunstell finds himself out of his depth when floating cities, spirited plumbing, and soggy biscuits collide in this delightful conclusion the Custard Protocol series.
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