Book Availability

How can I find copies of your early books?

The good news is that ACE has brought almost all of my back-list back into print. A heartfelt thank you to everyone who bought these books, creating enough demand to justify the expense of printing and distributing them again. Out of print books are like sad-eyed little puppies, sitting there asking for just one more chance on the bookstore shelves. Sadly, in the world of publishing, it's fairly rare for out-of-print books to get a second chance. The only remaining orphan is Masques. A couple of years ago Patty was able to negotiate a contract with Ace to print an omnibus edition of Masques and it's unpublished sequel. She signed the contracts, spent the advance money, and was just starting the actual work when the publisher requested the first two Mercy novels, asking her to put Masques on the back burner while writing it. Mercy sold far better than predicted, and the publisher asked for Mercy III and Mercy IV, also to be completed prior to Masques. So, poor Masques is getting lost in the shuffle (sigh). Hopefully it won't have to wait much longer.

Why do books go out of print?

Hmm...books are published in one print run of however many copies they plan on selling. Then the publishing company gets to pay for giant warehouses to store all their books in the hopes that bookstores will order them. Sometimes the titles sell really fast and the publishing house prints another run. I personally have an 80th printing copy of E.M. Hull's The Sheik dated July 1922. The first through the forty-first printings were run between Feb. and Nov. of 1921. In December of 1921 alone, it went through fifteen print runs! (For those of you who are real trivia buffs, E.M. Hull was married to science fiction writer A.E. van Vogt).

Most books only go through one printing -- publishers are pretty good about predicting how many copies they can sell. Books in print are stored in warehouses where they are shipped out to various booksellers and wholesellers. Most publishers cannot afford to keep books in these warehouses forever. There are some tax laws that make storing them expensive. So if a book doesn't sell out, it might be destroyed or sold for a few cents on the dollar to volume discount stores. In short, books go out of print when their sales numbers no longer justify the cost of maintaining/reprinting them. The only thing an author can do about it is to write more books, and hope that the books will find an appreciative audience, and that they will seek out and request the orphaned, forgotten early works long enough and loudly enough that the publisher will decide to republish them. When this happens, there is indeed magic in the world!

What about Sequels?

Why do so many fantasy authors write multi-book stories?

It all began with a very large tome written in the middle of the twentieth century by a professor of languages. The book was longer than anything the book publishers were willing to publish as a single volume, given the shortages of paper in the UK after WWII. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings trilogy set the world ablaze. And that, ladies and gentlemen set the stage for things to come.

There are a lot of people out there who are certain they know why trilogies are so popular among publishers, writers, and readers (and remember, despite the complaints of readers about, "Oh not another trilogy" -- if the readers weren't buying them from bookstores, publishers wouldn't be buying them from the writers). I'll throw out a few things, but I'm not a "one true path" kind of person, so I won't give you a definative answer.

Publishers like trilogies because they sell, and they sell to people who may not read any other kind of speculative fiction. It is no accident that the first trade paperback to make it to the New York Times bestselling list was Terry Brook's Sword of Shannara. Trilogies make the publishers money.

I suspect that readers and writers like trilogies for the same reason -- although since I consider myself both, maybe I'm just projecting. A trilogy offers a bigger stage to play on. It makes it possible to tell complicated stories and world shattering events and still take time to build up the characters and the world. For most writers, it is more difficult to compress a story to 250 pages, than it is to blow one up to a thousand or two thousand pages. That said, I have a secret awe of people like Robert Jordan who can tell one story over ten thousand pages long -- and still keep me reading!

Is there any difference between a duology/trilogy and a series?

Yep. A duology or a trilogy or HoweverManyBookstheWheelofTimeisReallyGoingtoHave-ology is a single story in multiple volumes. A reader is intended to read the story in order. Examples of this included The Lord of the Rings, Donaldson's The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant >, Jordan's The Wheel of Time, and Bishop's The Black Jewels Trilogy.

A series is a collection of books about the same characters or maybe just the same world where each book stands on its own. Examples include Andre Norton's Witch World books, Jim Butcher's Harry Dresden series, and Robin McKinley's Damar books.

That being said though, the difference is more of a sliding scale than an absolute. For example, take Anne McCaffery's Dragon Riders of Pern. The first three, Dragonflight, Dragonquest and The White Dragon were marketed as a trilogy, and they feel like a trilogy because of the continuing development of world events. But they are certainly readable as single books, in any order. Then there is Mercedes Lackey, who writes serieses of trilogies.

Why are you writing duologies? That's just wierd.

I guess I'm just weird. If it helps any, I'm pretty sure that there will be another Dragon book to go along with Dragonbones and Dragonblood -- and that will make it three book series that is riding the edge of being a trilogy. Raven's Shadow and Raven's Strike just broke best into two pieces rather than three. My current project is a series -- though I have sold two books in it.

Do you get tired/bored with your characters?

My mom always used to say, "only boring people are bored." If I'm bored with a character -- there's something wrong with the way I'm portraying him or her, and I just need to liven them up a bit.

The Writer's Craft

What challenges does a new author face?

What challenges don't they face. The publishing industry is currently going through a funk attributed to everything from 9/11 to the lousey economy. Write good books, learn to write better ones, be patient and keep writing.

How much can I expect to earn as a new author?

I've heard that the average advance on the first novel is about $2,500. There are certainly a lot of things that factor in, but don't write to make fast money. Write because you can't do anything else.

How can I get my book published?

There are many different paths to getting published. Since I'm neither an agent nor an editor, I may not be the best person to answer this question. Remember, this advice is worth what you paid for it!

I followed Orson Scott Card's advice from his book Writing Science Fiction and Fantasy -- which I believe is still available from Writer's Digest -- I strongly suggest new writers buy this book as well as AJ Budrys's Writing to the Point. Card suggested you send the first three chapters (or 100 pages), a synopsis of the completed book (1-2 pages single spaced), and a cover letter. In the cover letter you say something to the effect of -- "Here are the first 100 pages of my completed manuscript a fantasy novel. Would you like me to submit it to you?" Then send it to every publisher who publishes the kind of book you've written. Now I'm not certain this still would work -- as many of the publishing houses no longer read their slush piles. Ace does, and I believe Tor and Baen do also.

Alternatively, go to science fiction conventions where there are editors attending and talk to them. Take them to lunch, pitch your book gently (I know one editor who had people hand her manuscripts under the bathroom stall door! She did not buy it.) and, if they agree, you can send it with a note that it is a requested manuscript. That keeps you out of the slush pile. If you get an offer, don't agree to anything until you have an agent (which is much easier to find with an offer in hand). An agent may not get you more money, initially, but they can negotiate on the sticky points -- like when you will be paid, and foreign rights.

Editors are people who love books. They are happy to find books that are readable. If they get a manuscript they like, they buy it. If they get a manuscript that has promise, they look for reasons to buy it with the idea that maybe this might be a writer who will be good with a couple of more books under his belt. Most of the manuscripts they receive are not publishable and that is why they don't buy them. There is no secret club with a secret handshake. The same thing goes for agents. That is not to say that there aren't authors who had connections when their books were purchased. Robert Jordan, as people like to point out, was married to his editor when he got the contract for the Wheel of Time books. But he got the contracts because he could write, not because he was married to his editor, though I'm sure it helped. But remember, J. K Rowlings knew nobody when Harry Potter was published.

There is a learning curve involved. Just because your first book (or your fifth) doesn't sell doesn't mean that the next one won't. I know a writer who wrote for ten years and went from not selling anything to selling three or four short stories a month. He learned how to write.

What about Agents?

This is a bit like asking about marriage. If you ask twenty people you'll probably get twenty answers, all valid, and all based on a particular individual's experience. First, you need to have a realistic vision of what you bring to the table, and have realistic expectations of the agent. A good agent knows books. More specifically, a good agent knows editors, in your genre, and knows what they like to purchase. They also know all sorts of little dirty tricks that various publishers like to include in their contracts, and they know when to settle and when to push for a better deal. A good agent is a valuable ally, giving you much-needed information, and handling the dirty details of negotiating contracts, freeing you to do what you're good at, writing.

Notice, however, the emphasis on good agent, and there's the rub. A good agent charges a flat percentage of your earnings, usually 15%. Good agents are also busy people. They're not writing coaches, cheerleaders, or magicians. They probably can't sell a first-novel for six-digit sums, they can't magically sell a flawed novel, and they can't guarantee you a successfully career free from setbacks. If they could, they'd charge more. They can offer suggestions, help you find the markets most likely to publish your work, and occasionally put a bit of pressure on the contracts department to squeeze better terms than you're likely to get on your own. The biggest problem with agents is that not all of them are good. There are wolves out there folks. They'll promise you the moon, and leave you with an empty wallet and broken dreams. Be very careful before you starting signing paperwork. It's hard for a beginning author to get accepted by one of the good agents -- with no track record they have no assurance they'll be able to sell your work, and even if they do, their cut of your first few books isn't likely to amount to much. You're probably better off waiting until you have an offer from a publisher on your first book, then contacting agents to negotiate that contract. Like a marriage, a good agent can be the best decision of your career, and a bad one can be the worst. And changing agents has many of the same emotional and financial drawbacks of a divorce.

Are there any "tricks" to writing a novel?

Here are some tips I've written to other aspiring authors. Maybe they'll be helpful to you as well:

• I believe firmly that one of the biggest secrets of being a good writer is reading a lot. If I'm burnt out, a good book can really help. When I was first starting to write, quite often I'd look at my favorite authors to see how they handled things like conversations, scene transitions, and travel. But the thing that reading helps most with is story flow. There's a real rhythm to a good book. Like music, a story has a steady beat with crescendos and decrescendos -- and rests. Reading helped me get a feel for what kinds of rhythms I can use.
• [Writing] just takes practice and a clear idea of what tone you want your books to take. I happen to like people who are smart mouthed, tough, and upbeat. I learned a long time ago that you can't write and be critical at the same time -- uses a different part of your brain. So when you write, turn off the critic. Wait a few days and then read what you've written with a more critical eye. If you can't change it to read the way you'd like it to -- find one of your favorite authors and figure out how they handle what you're trying to do. Pay attention to viewpoint, logic, and voice (is this something my character would say?). If it still doesn't work, set it aside for some other day and try writing a different story. That's what I do (grin).

What software do you use?

I use an old version of Word Perfect (v10). The reveal codes feature allows me to figure what I just did that caused the remainder of the chapter to go wonky. It's got a million more features than I need, but putting text on a page is pretty straightforward, which is all I need to do.

How useful are writer's groups, workshops and conventions?

Like everything else, it depends. What do you want from them? What do you need? A writer's life can be a lonely one. Worse, authors tend to work in an information vacuum. In our daily lives, we don't hear much about the news, gossip and problems of the publishing world. We often bump into problems with our writing, and have no idea how to fix them. Your mundane friends probably think you're irresponsible for daring to write books instead of taking a respectable job with a dependable paycheck. Even if they support you, they probably can't tell you why a first-person viewpoint interferes with describing the protagonist. While I lived in Eugene, I was a member of the Wordos writer's group. I'd already published several books at the time, but I learned to write there. A good writer's group/workshop provides honest feedback from people who read the type of material you're writing. Honest feedback sometimes requires a thick skin to accept.

The problem with writing, particularly early in your career, is that you have a lot to learn (writing is, after all, a craft), and a tender ego. That ego is not a liability, it's the heart of creativity. If you don't believe you can write as well as big-name-author X, you'll never be able to sit in front of the computer long enough to master your craft. A perfect writer's group captures a balance between bolstering your confidence, and pointing out areas that need improvement, ideally giving you some pointers on how to improve. To either side of perfect are decent groups, and beyond those are toxic groups which either stroke your ego without allowing you to improve, or crush your ego with withering criticism. Avoid these like the plague.

Conventions often have great panels, but the real joy of conventions is sitting down and talking to other authors, people who understand the challenges and frustrations you face. Who can share the latest gossip about the industry, and maybe give you insight into whether or not the time is right to pitch your "moose in space" novel to your favorite publisher.

Why are there differences between the sample chapters posted on your site and the actual books?

The sample chapters are the last edits I do on my computer, before I send the manuscript off to the publisher. There are at least three different editors who go through the chapter after that, and I go through it at least twice more prior to publication. In short, what I post on my website is basically a draft of the chapter as it will appear in print.

How do you keep a story full of life, but tight and readable?

Keeping a good flow in a story is an artform -- and I won't pretend I have it down pat. Most of it happens for me in the rewrites. The first draft of a novel is just trying to keep the plot moving forward, my characters in character and getting from the beginning to the end. Then I go back and fill in the blanks, add details and physical blocking. I move scenes around for the most impact. And I look for places that I have to slog through. If I don't like them, there's no way a reader is going to like them. Then I have to figure out what's wrong with that scene. Sometimes a scene feels slow because there isn't enough detail to hold your interest. I very seldom have too much detail -- but some writers do. A lot of writing is trial and error -- find out what works for you

If you lose faith in a work, do you scrap it, or keep plugging away, ignoring your doubts?

Experience has taught me that there is no mistake so great that it can't be corrected on rewrites. Sometimes the rewrites are pretty deep, though. I usually try not to scrap anything, unless I have a better idea, until I have the whole book done and can stand back and look at it as a whole. If I have real doubts, I pull in my husband (who luckily likes to read the kinds of books I write, and is very forthright about telling me that something's wrong), or my trusted writer's group. For a fledgling writer -- keep going until it is done. Then go back to the troublesome part and ask yourself what it does to further the story -- is it a story problem or a writing problem. Quite often in my first and second drafts I have scenes or sections that are important for the story -- but the scene just doesn't work out. Sometimes it helps to add to the scene or change viewpoint. Experience really helps to tell good ideas from bad -- and there's only one way to get experience.

Writing a first draft is really being willing to make a hundred decisions in an hour that you'll have to live with for the duration of a story (be it short or long). At that point I don't worry about "good" or "bad" decisions. I just make 'em as they come. Rewriting is actually my favorite part. That's when characters come to life, and the story begins to flow smoothly. That's when you step back and evaluate a bit.

About Patty

Why did you choose to become an author?

Patty's Answer

Did you ever want to be something else?

Patty's Answer

Would you do it again?

Patty's Answer

Why did you choose to write fantasy? Do you plan to explore other genres?

Patty's Answer

What's the most challenging part of the writing process?

Patty's Answer

I've heard that people never did [ insert random action here ] or did it differently than you've described? Do you do any research? Is historical accuracy important?

Patty's Answer

Why are your worlds so dark? Shouldn't a fantasy world be a happy place?

Patty's Answer

Why don't you write faster?

[Mike] Patty writes, on average, about four hours a day. When we were a young couple, struggling to make ends meet, Patty worked at a variety of jobs. When our second child was born, we decided that having a parent at home was more important than additional money, and Patty became a stay-at-home mother. I know this is not a popular choice in today's world, but it's been a good decision for us. Since my paycheck was pretty thin, Patty looked for ways to work from home, and stumbled on writing. It's been a fun ride. I'm delighted by her success, but writing is still something she does in addition to being the world's best wife and mother.

In addition, she doesn't outline -- she's an 'organic' writer, meaning she sits down and starts typing and lets the story go where it will. This is often a bit slower technique than outlining. She edits fairly frequently to keep characters and the plot consistent, and this also takes time. Now that our children are older, and she has a nice office, she may be able to write a bit faster, but I doubt she'll ever produce more that maybe two books a year.

Are you doing a signing near my city?
Why don't you do more signings/conventions?

[Mike] Traveling takes time away from family and other pursuits, like writing. Since she's writing about half-time, and having some trouble making her deadlines there's just not enough time for very many signings/conventions. Besides, when we travel, we tend to go as a family, which gets expensive very quickly.

Patty's also has social anxiety. She loves meeting people in groups of two or three, but she's uncomfortable in large groups. I'm the same way, which probably explains why we live out in the middle of nowhere. There's a dichotomy in the life of a writer. You have to be comfortable with your own company, but at the same time be willing to meet with large groups of strangers in unfamiliar surroundings. Most authors I know have some discomfort with one extreme or the other. In Patty's case it's the signings/conventions that she finds a bit uncomfortable. Paradoxically, as she's become more popular it's become harder for her to blend in and just be one of the crowd.

The kids are getting a bit older, so we may start traveling a little bit to some of the smaller conventions in the next few years. For right now, Patty just does a few signings near home and the only conventions we generally attend are MisCon and RadCon. MisCon, held in Missoula, MT is a tiny convention and most of the attendees are old friends. RadCon is held in the Tri-Cities over valentines day, was the first convention we ever attended, and has been tradition ever since. For the past three years, Patty has aslo attended ConBust, a small convention at Smith College. It's been a hoot.

Are you a feminist?

Hmm. To tell you the truth, I started writing female characters because it was easier for me. I love the middle ages (I have a degree German because Germany has nifty castles). In a military-driven society like the old feudal system, women had a set of strictly defined duties so that society could function. However, most of those duties were not conducive to adventuring. So if I am going to write a story set in a mideval-type society and plunk down a woman as the main character -- she's going to have to fight against the norm. Not quite coincidentally, this makes her an underdog -- and thus a sympathetic character. Had I ever had to fight a male-dominated society for what I wanted, the way women in fields like engineering or business have had to, I might have become a feminist. I believe that everyone should have the right to fight for their dreams, and that people should be judged on their individual merits. Fortunately I don't have to be muscle bound or beautiful to be a writer.

Book-specific Questions

Mercy Thompson Series

Are you just copying Laurell K. Hamilton?

[Mike] First, every author of an urban fantasy or paranormal romance owes a nod of thanks to Laurell K. Hamilton. Laurell Hamilton is a master storyteller -- she creates scene tension that builds until you can't tear your eyes off the page long enough to eat. While she wasn't the first person to write a book of this style, she popularized it, and established it as a genre. Many of the tropes of the genre can be traced directly to her writings. So, here's a very hearty and sincere "Thank You" to Laurell, both for her wonderful stories, and for opening up a genre that many of us have benefited from.

Within any genere, there are commonalites. Nearly every fantasy book written has tropes and ideas pulled from Tolkien, and many "common" ideas have been shaped and refined by generations of authors, each adding a little bit to the depth and richness of the whole, and adding a few twists and turns of their own. Westerns all pull from Luke Short, Max Brand and Luis L'Amour. Without these commonalites, you don't have a genre. That said, some authors borrow more heavily than others. I believe Patty's books are strong enough to stand on their own, and contribute their own richness to the genre. The world already has a Laurell K. Hamilton, and a Jim Butcher, and a Kim Harrison. There's also room for Patricia Briggs and a thousand others to tell original, creative stories.

Does every male in the series love Mercy?
Is she going to become promiscuous?

[Mike] Patty's always written stories with a strong love-interest. Romance is not only interesting, it's among the strongest of emotions and motivators. It's also one of the areas where the author's own experience tends to unavoidably color the writing. Patty and I have been absurdly happily married for over twenty years -- which is going to strongly influence the parameters of the 'perfect romance'.

One of the standards of the genre (and the requirements of the contract for the Mercy books) is that the protagonist have a "complicated love life". When Patty had Stefan express a romantic interest in Mercy, lots of fans got nervous. Nervous is fine, but trust Patty just a little bit. After all, one thing we learned in Blood Bound is that all vampires are predatory on humans. Stefan may be the very best of vampires, but that doesn't make him acceptable boyfriend material! So, we've got Adam and Samuel, and Mercy trying to choose. Both are great guys, both have some baggage, and she has feelings for both of them.

The "complicated love life" written into the contract doesn't mean "wild sex life", nor does it mean Mercy can never fall in love and make a choice. Courtship, love and even temptation don't come to an end when the "I do's" are said. There are at least two more books in the series, and I can assure you that Mercy won't end up in some sort of bizzare open relationship. She's looking for the same traditional HEO (Happily Ever After) relationship that most of us hope for. Relax, and enjoy the ride.

How many Mercy books will you write?

[Mike] Patty has contracts for a total of seven (ulp!) Mercy novels at the moment. The publisher is currently interested primarily in Mercy books, because they've been selling far better than her earlier works. They're willing to pay considerably more for "Mercy #X" than for "Untitled Opus #1". However, there's a danger in writing an endless series -- you get stuck there. Series books need to end, preferably when the story ends, not when the author has gleaned the last farthings from a jaded and worn-out world. Patty says she's still having fun with Mercy, and is enjoying writing in her world, but she's going to intersperse other books to keep from burning out. Seven books is a lot of pages, and Patty's really ejoying having such a large canvas to work with. It means (amont other things) that many of the interesting little side-characters (like Zee or Ben) can be fleshed out and developed far more than in a stand alone novel.

How many tattoos does Mercy have?

[Mike]Mercy, as written, actually has three tattoos: a coyote paw print on her stomach, and a thin band of celtic knotwork around each arm, at the bicep. Originally Mercy wasn't going to have any tattoes, but the cover artist (Daniel Dos Santos) asked if he could add some, and suggested the paw print and a couple of tattoos on her arms. That was a such a good idea Patty wrote it into the story. We were a little surprised when the cover art showed full sleeves on both arms, and (originally) a very complex piece of art around the paw-print on her stomach. Ultimately, the stomach-art was toned down, but the sleeves remained in the final cover, which was just amazing. In fact, it was the cover art that persuaded the marketing department to add some foil and embossing, and push the book a little harder. That little bit of marketing push resulted in surprisingly good sales, and much of Patty's subsequent good fortune is probably due in no small part to that cover! Yes, the world is a funny place.

In the second book, Daniel asked if he could change the tattoos. Since the book dealt primarily with vampires, he thought it would make sense to reflect that in the cover art. Since Mercy doesn't "really" have those tattoos anyway, we might as well have fun with them, and besides, she's supposed to be a shape-changer, right? So the second book came out with vampire tattoos (including a completely unexpected one across her chest) and the third cover shows her in a half-shirt from behind, and sure enough, there's some lovely tatoo work on her lower back as well. So, Mercy doesn't have nearly that many tattoos, but it sure makes for some interesting covers!

Miscellaneous Questions

Can I have permission to write a story featuring your characters?

[Mike] Show me a good author and I'll show you an avid reader. It should be no surprise that many readers are also writers, and a good book can set the creative juices flowing. There is a natural desire to continue the story, to explore the interesting "what if's" left lying around by other authors -- a bit of borrowing if you will. Known as "Fan Fiction" or "fanfic" these stories are read, traded and enjoyed by a large number of people. In fact, some of the fanfic out there is very well written and shows a great deal of both talent and dedication. Unfortunately, there's often a bit of tension between the original authors and those writing fanfic. Some fanfic authors try to be extra-courteous by asking permission of the original author, which is almost always denied. This leads to hurt feelings and flame wars . . .

Some authors read and enjoy fanfic based upon their worlds, while others get grumpy that other folks are 'stealing' their ideas. Authors are, after all, control freaks who create imaginary friends to boss around! There are, however, a couple of problems with fanfic, other than possibly hurting the feelings of some ego-maniacal author. An author's work is protected by copyright, which prevents other people from hijacking their work. When an author submits a book to the publisher one of the standard contract clauses asserts that the purchased work is free from any copyright claims or violations. Typically the entire contract will be voided if that claim is falsified, so it's very important. There's actually two possible copyright traps presented by fanfic.

Suppose some bloke, we'll call him Bob, attempts to publish a new Hurog novel. Generally copyright would protect Patty's work, and Bob would run afoul of the "original work" clause. However, what if Bob can produce a letter from Patty, granting him permission to write his novel in the Hurog world? Now he's in the clear, and his work can be published. This is how shared worlds work. Now, suppose instead of a clearly-written letter, Bob has an ambiguously-worded email, or a tattered napkin stating "Have fun in Hurog, Bob. I can't wait to see what you come up with." Now the situation is unclear. MAYBE Bob can get his book published, maybe not -- but there's almost certainly going to be an expensive court case to figure it out.

This can also work the other way around. I know from Patty's fan-mail that there are some really smart fans out there making predictions about the events of the next book. Let's say our friend Bob writes a great fanfic, and asks Patty to read it. Now, let's pretend that Bob's piece was substantially the same as the novel Patty's been writing for the last year. This is not as unlikely as you might think, and it creates a real problem. If Patty publishes her book, Bob is going to assume she stole his work, and may invoke copyright protection for his ideas. What's more, it can be verified that his work was publicly posted, while Patty's work was sitting unseen on her computer. In a legal battle, Bob is likely to prevail. Even if he loses, he and many others will remain convinced that Patty is a thief.

Given the potential land mines that fanfic presents, most authors adopt a don't ask, don't tell approach. They can't safely grant permission to write in their worlds or admit that they've read fanfic pieces based on their worlds. This is the approach that Patty is taking. If you want to write a story in her world, you'll have to do it without official permission. If Patty happens to read it, and thinks it's the best thing ever written, she can't write to tell you so. It's not because she doesn't like you or your work, but because it's legally risky, and she has to protect her ability to write and play in the worlds she's built. Peace.