On Writing

Will you read/critique my unpublished stuff?

I’m afraid not.  There are two reasons for this.  One is legal — while the vast majority of new writers are honest, wonderful people, it only takes a single nitwit to turn around and start screaming that I stole their ideas, and now they’re going to sue me for a gazillion dollars.  The other factor is time.  I have two young children and a full-time job, and I only have a limited amount of time each week to write, revise, proofread, and promote my own work.  For SF/F writers, I recommend Critters and/or the Online Writing Workshop.

Who is your agent?

I’m represented by the JABberwocky Literary Agency.  I signed with JABberwocky in early 2005.

Can I query them?

Like most agencies, JABberwocky has submission guidelines for how to query.  Check to make sure they represent the kind of writing you do, and follow the guidelines.

Can I say you referred me?

Nope.  Sorry.  I’m happy to talk about my experiences with JABberwocky, but in order to refer or recommend a writer to my agent, I would need to be very familiar with that writer’s work.  Since I’m generally not reading other peoples’ unpublished work, that’s not likely to happen.

The Goblin Books

Will there be more goblin books?

I have no immediate plans for a fourth goblin book.  I started writing about Jig back in 2000.  Much as I’ve loved writing Goblin Quest, Goblin Hero, and Goblin War, I decided it was time to take a break.  In part, it’s because I don’t want the series to become stale.

I’m currently contracted to write a new series which will keep me busy through at least the middle of 2010.  With that said, I do have a few more ideas for Jig and his fellow goblins.  When and if those ideas transform into a contract, I’ll post an update.

What about short stories?

I’ve written and sold five goblin short stories.

• “Goblin Lullaby” was published in Fantasy Gone Wrong, and introduces Grell and baby Jig.  This one was also podcast at Podcastle.
• “Goblin Hero” appeared in Bash Down the Door and Slice Open the Badguy, and tells the story of how Jig met Smudge.  It was later podcast as “Goblin Hunter” at Clonepod.
• “The Haunting of Jig’s Ear” was published in issue #31 of Andromeda Spaceways Inflight Magazine, and is now available for free at Coyote Wild.
• “School Spirit” follows Veka after the events of Goblin Hero, and appears in the Wizards of the Coast anthology Magic in the Mirrorstone.
• “Mightier than the Sword” is . . . different.  An editor asked me to write a Smudge story.  This is the result, bringing Jig’s fire-spider into a 21st century setting.  It appears in the anthology Gamer Fantastic.

The Princess Books

How many princess books do you plan to write?

It looks like there will be four princess books: The Stepsister Scheme, The Mermaid’s Madness, Red Hood’s Revenge, and The Snow Queen’s Shadow.

Is “Sister of the Hedge” part of the princess series? What about “Red’s Tale”, or “The Red Path”?

“Sister of the Hedge” was a short story I wrote for Realms of Fantasy, and marked my first foray into the Sleeping Beauty myth, but it is not a part of the princess series.  “Red’s Tale” in The Faery Taile Project is a totally unrelated take on Red Riding Hood that portrays Red as a mobster in a modern-day fairy tale land. “The Red Path” in Terribly Twisted Tales was supposed to be the official backstory for Roudette, who shows up in Red Hood’s Revenge. However, I ended up changing some of the details when it came time to actually write the book, so call this one “semi-official” backstory.

Miscellaneous

How do you feel about fanfiction?

Conflicted.  When I first started writing, I never dreamed I would get to the point where people were writing fanfiction about my characters.  Yet in the past month alone, I’ve had two different writers share their goblin-inspired fanfiction.

It’s very flattering.  I’m thrilled that people enjoy the characters enough to want to create their own stories.  And from a purely selfish perspective, I want to get all the word-of-mouth I can get.

But–and you knew there would be a but, right?–my publisher officially discourages fanfiction and prefers authors to do the same.  While I’m not a lawyer, I do know that part of their concern is with the possibility of a fanfiction author accusing me of stealing his or her ideas.  I don’t know the details, but I’m aware of at least one instance where DAW had to cancel a book after a dispute along these lines.

As I said, I’m not a lawyer.  I don’t know where exactly the line is between fair use and copyright, and I have no interest in debating it.  At this time, I’m choosing to follow DAW’s lead in officially discouraging fanfiction based on my work.  Which means when you e-mail me a link to your goblin fanfiction, I’ll be truly honored, and then I’ll politely ask you to take it down.

How can I get review copies of your books?

For review copies, please e-mail my publicist at BerkleyNALpublicity@us.penguingroup.com.