What books have you published?
You can find a complete list of
all my books and short stories in a printable book list.
Are your books available in paperback?
Yes!
You can get the standard versions or the collector's editions in paperback of all the books in the series. There is also the Vampire Morsels short story collection, the Thirteen Guests short story collection, and the Amaranthine Files handbook. If you'd like an autographed copy send me a message in email (joleene at JoleeneNaylor dot com) or
on Facebook.
What's the difference between the regular edition paperback and the collector's edition?
The collector's editions feature different covers, as well as bonus features, like short stories, character galleries, character interviews, and more. Each book has something different. As to the novel itself, they're exactly the same, it's just a matter of extra content and different covers.
Why do you have collector's editions?
The books used to feature differnent covers. I recently released new covers, but fans still wanted the old ones so their paper back sets would match. I don't blame them. I like my sets to match, too.
Why aren't all of your free short stories free on Amazon?
Amazon doesn't like to "sell" free books - they like to make authors charge at least $.99, so it's pretty hard to get them to price match the stories. Because of that, stories that should be free on Amazon may cost $.99.
You'd be better off getting the .mobi file from Smashwords and copying it to your kindle.
You have a long series. Which book should I start with?
Every book is written so that it can stand alone, or so that you can start the series at any time, but some are still better than others. Here's a helpful "so you want to start here" list:
Book 1 - It's the best place to start and it's FREE!
Book 2 - It would be better to start with book 1.
Book 3 - This could be a good starting place.
Book 4 - It might be better to start with book 3
Book 5 - This could be a good place to start.
Book 6 - You could start here, but book 5 would be better.
Book 7 - Book 6 would be a better place.
Book 8 - Reading book 7 first would be better.
Book 9 - Book 7 would be better, but at least book 8.
Book 0 - Patrick's Story is a prequel. Technically it happens first, but I'd recommend waiting until after book 2 to read it.
Between novels and short stories, you time hop a lot. What is the recommended - or chronological - order of the stories?
It's going to take an entire page to tell you that! So you can find the
recommened order here and
chronological orders here.
What do your fans mean to you?
My fans are the reason I keep writing. Without them I'd have probably gotten bored and moved on to something else by now, but their passion for the Amaranthine world keeps me passionate. That's why I try to keep my books as cheap as I can, and write lots of freebies, because, without them, the Amaranthine universe would not exist.
You have some strange character names. How do you pronounce them?
Since books are text based rather than verbal, I'm not going to say that my way is the "right" way, but here is the way that *I* pronounce a few of them:
Jorick - Joor (as in door) - ick or Joor-rick. (the real pronunciation of this is Jo-rick. I know because I found a guy on myspace who had this name and asked him, but it was too late. Joor-ick was already firmly implanted in my brain.)
Katelina - Kate - lean - uh
Oren - Or-en (as in wren)
Torina - Tore -ee-nuh
Velnya - Vel-nyuh
Kai - (rhymes with eye)
Arowenia - Air-o-ween-yuh
Verchiel - Vur (as in burn) - chee (as in Chia) - el
Micha - My-kuh (as opposed to the Paranormal Activity pronunciation)
Anya - On-yuh
Senya - Sen (as in Yen) - yuh
Jorge - Hor-hay
Sadihra - Suh-deer-uh
Ume - OO-may (Or I sometimes call her OO-mee)
Samael - Sa -may-el
Eileifr - It's an authentic norse name, and I can't pronounce this one. No audio books for me.
How do you feel about Fan Fiction?
I know fan fiction is a controversial topic, but personally I have no problem with it. I've written fan fiction myself (Harry Potter and Dr. Who for instance), so if you want to write some Amaranthine fan fiction, go right ahead. And send me a link.
What about fan art?
Yes! Just like fan fiction, I think fan art is great! If you want to create some, please do, and feel free to share it with me. I love to see fans' interpretations of things. This goes for photos of people you think look like the characters.
Did you make your own book covers?
Yep. I also make book covers for other authors.
You can check out my book cover site for more info.
Can you recommend an editor?
As a matter if fact, I can!
Sharon from Devil in the Details does a GREAT job - she helps shape my insanity into a readable book, so that says something about her prowess!
What inspired you to write?
My mother is a writer and poet, so I was raised that writing is as normal as cooking or doing laundry. It's just one of those things. Because of that I can't get into a lot of the really artsy life-style ideas or the checklists of what you *have* to do in order to be a *real* writer. As long as you write something - now and then, whenever you get around to it - you're a writer. You don't need to wallpaper your house in literary journals or sell everything you own to buy how-to books.
Are there ever times you feel it (writing/ a writing career) is not worth the stress, difficulty and pain? If so, how do you push through these negative feelings?
I'd like to say I feel spiritually compelled by the Universe and so never doubt, but that would be a lie. When I feel like it's not worth it or like I'm not as successful as I "should" be, I try to remind myself why I'm writing. It's not to be famous, or make a fortune, or any of the rest of it. I am writing because I want to entertain someone. And whether that is one person or one thousand, it doesn't matter. So long as one person likes what I've written, or cries, or laughs along with my story, I have succeeded in my goal.
Where do you get the inspiration for your stories?
Inspiration comes from a lot of places including anime, movies, and conversations with other people. A lot of my inspiration also comes from what I *don't* like. When I started the Amaranthine series I was tired of kick-butt females who seemed to go from plain Jane to vampire killer in a span of five pages, not to mention that there were never repercussions. No one bothered to explain how this new vampire life style affected her family, her friends, the house she left behind. And she was always so hot/sexy/gorgeous/clever/sassy that every vampire/werewolf/man that saw her instantly wanted her. Characters like that make me go "bleh", so I wrote something different.
