More Reader Questions
Good morning, everyone. It’s Monday. Which kind of cancels out the good morning. The weekend was of the sort where, maybe, just conceivably, it might have been better if I had declared it a stay-in-bed-and-lock-the-doors kind of weekend. But alas, such was not meant to be.
Okay. So before I start the Reader Questions, I need a little help. I need to know about Byzantine Greek and Turkish endearments. I’m going back through an old book and changing a few things. So, um, if you know any, or know someone who knows any…could you let me know?
Okay, begging over. On with the reader questions! I’m going to be answering a few of the more common ones today.
Hey Lili, why is it Magi/Magi in the Valentine books, instead of Magus/Magi? Don’t you know the singular is Magus and the plural is Magi?
Yes, I know. Furthermore, so does Danny; I had the same conversation with her. Her reply was that Magus had meant something awful to werecain and was a term of approbation in the Republic of Gilead; besides, words tend to shrink after a while. It was just easier for Magi to be singular and plural and neuter gender, and it served to differentiate that class of psions from a lot of excess baggage from the word “Magus.” Which is, strictly speaking, more a word for a sorcerer than a psion.
So, really, it was intentional, and for a number of reasons.
What the hell does Jace see in Dante anyway?
Frankly, I don’t know. Jace took me by surprise as much as Japhrimel ever did. He was originally intended to be a minor character in the first book, and nothing was going to stop me from keeping him in Rio with his Family to run…
…and then he showed up at Danny’s door and wouldn’t go away no matter how many times I rewrote the scene. And there were at least four rewrites.
I tell you, it is a humbling experience to have a character flatly refuse to go away.
Anyway, I don’t know what Jace sees in Danny. I do know he had plenty of women before her, and almost none after her. I do know she was the only woman who wasn’t easy for him. I know that there was a heavy component of masochism–after all, he’d done a lot of things that weren’t exactly nice, and he made up for it by having this painful relationship with someone at least as self-absorbed as he is.
The problem with telling a story from first-person is that you’re not allowed to show a lot of the other characters. You can only see through the fisheye lens of the one character, and if they’re dealing with a lot it’s difficult to let another character’s motivations shine through.
I suppose if I was a better writer Jace would be more clear. *sigh* That’s the problem with being a writer, no piece of art is ever clear enough.
Dammit! I can’t wait! When is the next Valentine book coming out?
The next Valentine book is The Devil’s Right Hand, and it’s due out in September. I know, I can’t wait either. I’m starting to see some reviews now, so I think ARCs have gone out, and I’ll be doing ARC giveaways and contests Very Soon.
I’ve been getting this one a lot: are you a Harry Potter fan?
YES. Will be getting book 7 soon and staying up all night to read what one of my LJ buds calls Potterdammerung. Heh.
On a serious note, a lot of you have also emailed me to ask what I think of the recent RWA de-recognition of epublishers, including Samhain Press, who I am published through. Officially, I say it’s sad but the RWA is looking to protect its members in the best way it knows how. As I’m not a member, I don’t know how well that protection’s working.
Unofficially, I’m saying it’s a damn shame some institutions are so hidebound they can’t see some aspects of publishing have changed. Advances for ebooks are smaller because writers get a MUCH bigger chunk of royalties due to distribution costs being lower; having your publisher recognition depend on the type of advances you hand out is mind-boggling to me. The point behind RWA recognition isn’t whether or not RWA thinks the publisher is (brick-and-mortar) worthy of the Stamp O’Approval; it’s to protect writers who are producing work and furthering romance publication. Ebook publishers have become a part of the ecosystem, for better or for worse, and I think it’s a bit of a shame that RWA seems determined to try and reverse that trend instead of looking out for authors who might get their start in epubbing.
Still, the RWA seems to have loosened up regarding erotica and non-hetero romance. It’s a shame (again) that the members had to get up in arms before they did so, though. The RWA is fast becoming a byword for “reactionary,” and that’s very sad, since they have done so much good. I am wondering if it’s just hard for them to change direction because they are such a large organization.
Anyway, I think I’ve opened my mouth enough for one day. Have a happy Monday, everyone!
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