FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

ABOUT ULTRA VIOLET

Q: I saw a trailer for a movie called Ultraviolet. Is that based on your book?
A: Nope, it's a total coincidence. But if the movie looks cool to you, you might like my book...

Q: Is there really such a thing as Jenkins' Disease?
A: No. However, there's such a thing as Hanson's Disease, and it is a condition that a large percentage of the population is naturally immune to, so that's where that idea came from. Fun fact: Hanson's Disease is better known as leprosy. But I didn't want Vi to have leprosy, so...

Q: Could genetic instructions really be implanted with a virus?
A: Yep. In fact, it's a pretty common practice in genetics labs these days – although they use mice, not people. (As far as we KNOW! Ha, just kidding. Maybe.)

A: Hmm... I can't read the inflection there. Was that "How'd you manage to get a book published?" or "How'd YOU manage to get a book published?" Either way, the short answer is that I worked at it for about eight years. I wrote some crappy books that no one wanted to buy, and some I didn't even bother trying to sell. Then I hit on a story idea and a character I loved, and all the writing craft lessons I'd been learning and practicing for all those years came together into a book that more or less worked. And I got lucky – Silhouette launched its new Bombshell line just as I was pulling the book together, and I had a feeling – call it instinct, hunch, or educated guess – that my book would be right for the line. After some brilliant revision suggestions from my great editor at Bombshell and an extensive rewrite of the book (it needed it), I sold ULTRA VIOLET.

Q: Enough about you. How can I get a book published?

A: Sorry, there are no guarantees, but here's the usual advice. Write as much as you can. Join a critique group so you can get feedback on your work. Pitch to editors who have edited books you love. And try to be in it for the writing, not the payoff, because the payoff is uncertain and probably not as heavy on the "pay" as you might be imagining.

Q: What's your book about?

A: Well, you can read the excerpt here to get an idea, but the short version is that it's about a woman, Violet, who gets genetically mutated and winds up with superpowers. Which might be pretty cool, except that there are these people trying to kill her, and her heart might explode, and she really just wants to go back to her normal life. But there's someone who needs saving even more than Vi, and there's also this really hot guy...

Q: Your bio says you watch too much TV. What shows are you wiling away your life watching?

A: Mmm... where to start? I love The Amazing Race – the best "reality" show on TV. And since my beloved Buffy is gone, I'm filling the void with the excellent Veronica Mars. Watch it! Yes, it's on UPN. What? It's good. Other must-sees include Gilmore Girls, The Daily Show, Lost and Arrested Development. And I'm now totally in love with newcomers Extras (on HBO) and My Name is Earl.

Q: How can I ask a question?

A: Click away.