Indie Authors Monthly Magazine For Authors and Readers discussion

Deidre Knight, of The Knight Agency, as well as an author in her own right, will be here on Friday, December 13th from 1:30 to 3: 30 PM to chat with us!

Friday the 13th! Sounds like a fun time :)

Ha! Yes Friday the 13th! How fitting for an author of paranormal/fantasy fiction, right?? See you guys then! Can't wait. Deidre

*mumbles*
I so wished there was a 'like' button here. :p

That's so funny! Because I had wished for a "like" button about that Friday 13th comment! Lol! :)

:)

I'm really excited about this chat tomorrow! I haven't done any sort of author/agent chat in more than two years. Hope you'll stop by and invite your friends, too!

I excited to see the Parallel books are being re-released. Those have been my favorites of yours!

Hi Deidre, I'm really happy about the Parallel books being re-released. And its been a long time since I've been in a chat with you. Looking forward to catching up on all your good news.

Hugs,
Tambra

Hello, all!

Please post your questions for Deidre right here in the thread...

Mskchick wrote: "I excited to see the Parallel books are being re-released. Those have been my favorites of yours!"

Thank you! I am so excited about the reissue myself. I took a long while, actually to get these back out there and part of that was that I didn't just want to release the same editions. These were my very first books, and let's face it, as authors we ALL grow, learn and improve. I wanted to really go back in and strengthen the narrative, even some dialogue and interactions. PARALLEL HEAT, for instance, is something like 4-5K longer than the original, once all bonus content and revised scenes are accounted for. I also wanted to be sure I really made a new purchase "worth it" for fans of the original editions. OH, and some AMAZING discussion questions if I must say so! :)

Anyway, long answer, but thank you!

Tambra wrote: "Hi Deidre, I'm really happy about the Parallel books being re-released. And its been a long time since I've been in a chat with you. Looking forward to catching up on all your good news.

Hugs,
Tambra"

Tambra, it has been TOO LONG! It's almost scary to me how time kind of blurs by. You've always been one of my most supportive, encouraging readers and writing friends. I'm so glad to see you here and appreciate the support!

J.J. wrote: "Hello, all!"

Hey, Gang!
I got here a little early. And I'm sure on a busy holiday Friday, folks may slowly file by. I'll monitor the thread and hope to see you here! I'll give folks a little time to post a few questions in the next bit, and then can talk myself about the series. How about that?

Deidre, what are you working on right now?

What are publishing houses on the lookout for at the present time in regards to YA manuscripts?

I really love how authors now can be traditionally published and self-publish as well. I'm going in this hybrid direction. I think this is the best of both worlds.
Have you found any drawbacks to this kind of writing plan?

Hugs,
Tambra

Hello Deirdre! I'm here mostly to read the questions and your answers. Just thought I'd say hello and not just be sneaky. :)

Hi Deidre, thanks for taking the time today. What do you see as the up and coming trend in sci-fi/fantasy? Also, what types of stories are just on the cusp, just starting to pique the interest of the big pub house editors?

Thank you.

Mmmm, I'm going to have to check out the updated Parallel releases, now that I know there are new parts in there. Cool!

Whoops! I stepped away b/c I thought it would take folks a while to show! SORRY! Okay, quick answers to follow. Word of warning: I type 120 wpm, so I can go fast, fast. HA HA!

G.G. wrote: "Hello Deirdre! I'm here mostly to read the questions and your answers. Just thought I'd say hello and not just be sneaky. :)"

Thank you! It's been nice to "meet" you on here! We're even surviving Friday the 13th! :)

Hello Ms. Knight. Thank you for taking the time to answer our questions, and congratulations on your success as an author. I've noticed some of your books are published with Samhain and that you have sold books to them as well.
Do you represent horror authors presently? And if so, what are the benefits of having an agent when approaching smaller presses? Thank you.

Cathrina wrote: "What are publishing houses on the lookout for at the present time in regards to YA manuscripts?"

Hey, Cathrina:
I'm hearing, over and over, that YA publishers want contemporary type books. Think John Green or Anna and the French Kiss Obviously authors with existing series in paranormal and UF continue to work, i.e. my author Gena Showalter and her Alice in ZombielandBut right now, for me to sign on and help launch a debut YA author with paranormal or Dystopian and such...tough. I'd suggest thinking realistic, contemporary type stories. Stand alones working more than in past. Hope this helps

Question about how this Goodreads thingy works. I keep having to refresh the page. Is there any way for this to show the questions and answers as they are written?

Thanks for the help!

Tambra

Thank you Deidre, yes, it helps. That's what I've been hearing lately.

J.J. wrote: "Deidre, what are you working on right now?"

Well, I actually stopped writing for about 2.5 years because I reached a horrible point of burn out. I'm a mom, a wife...run the agency. And writing under back to back deadlines all but killed me. I turned in my last Spartan book at end of 2010 and was like, "Never again. I will not write anymore." People would ask me what I wanted to write and I said, "Nothing." They'd say, "Don't you miss it?" I would give them a wicked, leveling look and say, "NO."

Well, we all know that if you're a writer you CANNOT. STOP. You just can't. So, this past summer, low and behold, I started back on a new Spartan book and I will honestly tell you that the minute I did, it was like a weight was lifted. I don't really think I realized how much NOT writing was taking from my happiness. So, been working on that as I get time, which isn't much.

I have also begun the next PARALLEL book, which is Chris Harper's story. His heroine, for fans of the series...can anyone guess? I don't believe I have EVER told anyone. I'd be super curious if someone could guess. If they can, I'll send them a free Kindle version of PARALLEL ATTRACTION. :)

Anyway beyond that, also making notes on a spin-off series that happens 20 years in the future, featuring the "next generation" of Anna and Nevin's twin sons, Scott and Hope's daughter and so forth. But that's a good ways off.

OMG Squeal!!!!! I've waited for Chris' story for so long. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Tambra

Deirdre, I know that's one question people must ask you often, but which book that you wrote is your favorite and why? And for someone who hasn't read any of your work, would you recommend that book or another one?

(And I thought I said I would only be reading.)

Tambra wrote: "I really love how authors now can be traditionally published and self-publish as well. I'm going in this hybrid direction. I think this is the best of both worlds.
Have you found any drawbacks to ..."

I think this is a marvelous plan for growing authors as it allows authors to reach readers with varied types of content, and at different price points (not as important now that the DOJ case worked itself out and traditional prices are lower), and also to put quick content out. Content that's easily responsive to fans and readers. You can add something like reader questions if you don't have them, modify metadata and such. Better control over freebies. These are all great things for a self-pub author. But what about reaching the Wal-Mart reader and the people who are *not* immersed in the digital world as we are? You really need a traditional publisher. So you're hitting readers in multiple tiers and ways, and it works really well for a lot of authors.

Where it does NOT work (drawback!) is with authors who want to focus more on the writing and don't want to market, or writers who take longer to write more thoughtful or well-crafted work. Or who want to work with an editor at a publishing company vs outside editor and so on. BIGGEST drawback, though, is for writers to find themselves delivering more and more material to fans, missing deadlines with their publishers, and a decline overall in the quality of product. Only takes one crummy book to lose a reader forever, sometimes.

Mskchick wrote: "Mmmm, I'm going to have to check out the updated Parallel releases, now that I know there are new parts in there. Cool!"
HA! I definitely tried to make it worth my reader's while. Also deleted material. In HEAT, there's basically a full chapter that I cut originally where Scott and Hope first encounter each other in a bar. :)

Thanks so much for your reply, Deidre. I appreciate it!

Hugs,
Tambra

Jason wrote: "Hello Ms. Knight. Thank you for taking the time to answer our questions, and congratulations on your success as an author. I've noticed some of your books are published with Samhain and that you ha..."

I've done a lot of work as author AND agent with Samhain. I love them as a company, and have had a lot of really positive experiences with them as a company. Sadly, my agency doesn't represent horror. It's just not a genre I've read very much, and so I never ventured into it as an agent. I'm not sure why I'm not much of a horror reader, honestly, as I love horror films, esp smart ones. But...alas, that genre isn't "me."

Deidre wrote: "J.J. wrote: "Deidre, what are you working on right now?"

Well, I actually stopped writing for about 2.5 years because I reached a horrible point of burn out. I'm a mom, a wife...run the agency. An..."

Yay!! I'm psyched for a sequel

Scott wrote: "Hi Deidre, thanks for taking the time today. What do you see as the up and coming trend in sci-fi/fantasy? Also, what types of stories are just on the cusp, just starting to pique the interest of t..."

Ah, that would be a question for Knight Agency's Lucienne Diver. She's our major "straight" fantasy/sci-fi agent at TKA. I only work as an agent in the romance subgenres of those categories. You guys should invite Lucienne in here. She's both an author AND agent and so, so smart, and would probably love to come and share about the market and her own series like this one: Lucienne Diver

Tambra wrote: "OMG Squeal!!!!! I've waited for Chris' story for so long. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Tambra"

I love Chris. He was one of my favorites. I'm *pretty sure* his book will be called PARALLEL FRENZY. But I have another title possibility in mind, too. :)

G.G. wrote: "Deirdre, I know that's one question people must ask you often, but which book that you wrote is your favorite and why? And for someone who hasn't read any of your work, would you recommend that boo..."

Ah! I love that you had a question. I would say my favorite book is probably BUTTERFLY TATTOO, which isn't paranormal genre, but was the book I worked on the hardest and poured the most of myself into. Butterfly Tattoo It's a stand alone contemporary that's kind of a genre-bender. About a bisexual man who lost his partner to a drunk driver, and meets a woman...and they make a very unique, powerful connection. It's a starting over type story, but with the complications that come from his having been with a man (and their having had a daughter.) It's very much a story of healing and redemption that I lost at a time when I'd gone through a great deal of loss and grief of my own. A LOT of me is in that book.

On the paranormal side? I adore my PARALLEL series, and not just saying that because of the reissue. My all-time favorite hero is definitely Marco McKinley who is the antagonist of book one...until things really go a bit crazy. (They alter time, creating two time lines and parallel worlds.)Parallel Attraction

Mskchick wrote: "Deidre wrote: "J.J. wrote: "Deidre, what are you working on right now?"

Well, I actually stopped writing for about 2.5 years because I reached a horrible point of burn out. I'm a mom, a wife...run..."

Thank you! I'm psyched to finally get my butt in gear on Chris's story. For years I've had bits and pieces of it. As you can gather, with my limited writing time, sometimes it's hard to find the time to really just write and make time for ME. :)

Oh, hey, Deidre! I made it!! Whew!

I'm glad your Parallel books are being re-released because my house got robbed, and my entire book collection was stolen, not to mention all of the autographed copies of your books and bookmarks you sent me. Now I have to buy your books all over again.

Thank you! While I can see why Butterfly Tattoo has a dear place in your heart, Parallel Attraction is definitely more up my alley. I love books featuring aliens and time travel and you've got both in one! COOL!

I'll have to up it up my list. :P

G.G., the series is awesome! I highly recommend it.

Hugs,
Tambra

G.G. wrote: "Thank you! While I can see why Butterfly Tattoo has a dear place in your heart, Parallel Attraction is definitely more up my alley. I love books featuring aliens and time travel and you've got both..."

yeah, I wasn't figuring BUTTERFLY was going to be the major favorite here. Ha. But since you asked about my favorite...and I didn't want to shamelessly plug the newly released series, there you have it!

Lynne wrote: "I'm glad your Parallel books are being re-released because my house got robbed, and my entire book collection was stolen, not to mention all of the autographed copies of your books and bookmarks yo..."

Oh that's horrible! I'm so sorry! There WILL be print editions of these books in the coming month, btw. Mass market via Amazon. But you can, ahem, order the digital versions today! LOL! :) Thanks for making it! I've missed you!

Thank you, Tambra! You're the best.

You're welcome! But, I only recommend books that I really love and am excited about.

Tambra

So, fans of this series...burning questions? And did you see my teaser about the "next generation" series? Book one focuses on Anna's twin sons. I love those guys. GREAT hero material, being as they are incredibly different. One is much more like their father, kind of uptight and rigid, yet unlike Nevin hasn't discovered his more emotional, passionate side. The other, his brother, is a quiet, intellectual scientist who has been in love with Leisa (Scott and Hope's daughter) for as long as he can remember...I can't wait to write more on that series.

I love it when authors bring in the next generation into a series. You grow to love the characters and I'm always curious as to how their kids would be grown.

My favorite romance historical author, Arnette Lamb did this and I loved to see how the girl's strengths and weaknesses were shown. Of course, I also wanted to see what kind of men would be able to handle them.

Tambra

Parallel Frenzy sounds like a good name. Can't wait till that comes out.

Deidre wrote: "So, fans of this series...burning questions? And did you see my teaser about the "next generation" series? Book one focuses on Anna's twin sons. I love those guys. GREAT hero material, being as the..."

That sounds good! Will there be big changes in the world since the spin offs are 20 years in the future? What kind of changes?