Loading ...Chat and Contest with Author Laurell K. Hamilton
PLEASE NOTE: The contest portion of this event is now closed. The winners will be chosen at a later date and contacted via email.
We are excited that Laurell and her editor have given us permission to share an exclusive excerpt of the afterward of Flirt with you today!
Where do I get my ideas? How do I know if an idea is strong enough to support a whole book? How do I write a whole book? How do I write day to day? What helps me get into the mind-set to pull words out of thin air and write books?
These are some of the questions I get most often from would-be writers or just people who think being a writer must be interesting, or hard, or easy, or just weird. All of that is true, often at the same moment. I love my job. It’s all I’ve ever wanted to do since I was fourteen—well, except for being a wildlife biologist, but that was a fling; my heart has and always will belong to the muse. She hooked me at about age twelve, but she set the hook in hard at fourteen when I read Robert E. Howard’s short story collection Pigeons from Hell. That was my moment of decision that I not only wanted to be a writer but I also wanted to write horror, dark fantasy, heroic fantasy, to make up worlds that never existed, and write about our world with just a few scary changes. That was my epiphany and I never really looked back.
Flirt is my twenty-ninth novel in about fifteen years of time and space. I know something about writing and about how to treat it like a career. It takes a lot of hard work and a very thick skin so all those early rejections don’t crush you. But first you need an idea.
I’ll state up-front that I don’t understand the question, “Where do you get your ideas?” I had a woman who was raised just across the alley from me ask me after I had several books out, “How do you come up with ideas like that, when you were raised here?” The implication was that small-town middle of farm country wasn’t the most likely place to find a writer of paranormal thrillers. I asked her the question I really wanted to ask, “How do you not come up with ideas like that, when you were raised here?”
I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t telling myself stories, at least in my own head. I would often tell a true story with just a little embellishment, which is one reason I did not pursue journalism. But most often my ideas were about fairies, monsters, vampires, werewolves—scary but beautiful, or scary but emotionally poignant were always the things that attracted me as a child. I guess I’ve never really outgrown the idea that if it can drink my blood, eat my flesh, and be attractive at the same time then I am all over it. By fourteen, I wrote my first complete short story. It was a real bloodbath where only the baby survived to crawl away in the woods. The implication was that she would starve to death or be eaten by wild animals. I was always such a cheerful child.
I have no idea where that first story came from and it wasn’t a great idea, but it was the first complete idea and that makes it valuable. But how do I come up with ideas that are book length and good enough to be book length? Funny you should ask that. Because that is exactly what I’m about to try to explain.
I am going to tell you where the idea for Flirt first came from. I’m going to tell you the first scene that came into my head, because most books start with a scene for me. I have a little mini-movie in my head or freeze-frame of a visual and that is the peg on which the entire book begins to revolve. That first moment is when I see something or experience something, and I feel that little catch in my stomach, or prickling along my skin. Book ideas are a little bit like falling in love. You’re on a date with someone and they do something, or say something, and you get that little uplift where you think, Yeah, I like this one. Ideas are like that. I’ll tell you the first idea, and I’ll even tell you the fertile ground that that idea found to land on, which happened nearly a year before. Because an idea is like a seed; it needs good soil to grow into a nice big book.
I’m going to tell you the schedule I kept, the pages I wrote per day, the music I listened to, and the books that I read for extra research while writing the book. I am going to lay my process bare before you. I’ll let you see it from inception to completion. Will this help you do the same? I’m not sure. Will it answer the question of where I got this idea and how I knew it was a book? Oh, yes.
First, what do I mean by fertile ground? I mean a set of circumstances or a mind-set that puts me in a headspace to appreciate the idea and to see almost instantly the possibilities of it. This mind-set has allowed me to write short stories in one glorious muse-driven rush, and this once allowed me to get an idea for a book and weeks later have that book be complete.
It all began with a party at my friends Wendi and Daven’s house, which is states away, and that is important to this tale, because it meant Jonathon, my husband, and I had to fly in and stay at a hotel and were there visiting for several days. Among their other lovely and charming guests was Jennie Breeden who does the web comic “The Devil’s Panties,” which has nothing to do with satanic underwear, but more to do with the semiautobiographical life of Jennie, but funnier. Jonathon and I were fans of her web comic, and we’d met her for the first time at Comic-Con 2007. She turned out to be a fan of my books, so it was a mutual squee-fest. Which was very cool. We met and visited with all of them more at DragonCon the following year, but coming to visit Wendi and Daven was the first chance for me to spend some quality time with Jennie.
I have a lot of friends who are writers. I have friends who are artists from sculpture to woodworking to graphic art and comic books. It’s always fun to be with other artsy types. It can help spark ideas and just give you a new perspective, but Jennie’s comic is funny. She records, or writes down, funny things that people say around her for later comics. She’s doing a daily strip and that takes a lot of funny. I could not possibly do a daily strip. I certainly couldn’t be funny every day.
Jennie and I would hear the same thing, or see the same event, but she would then speak into her phone/recorder and it would be funny, even funnier than what happened. I began to help her collect funny bits, but all my ideas sparked by similar things were dark. It was as if we walked through a slightly altered version of the same world. Her’s was brighter, happier, even funnier, and there was a lot of genuine funny that trip. My version was darker, more overtly sexual, even aberrant, violent, sometimes violently sexy, and an innocent moment turned into a potential for murder and horror in my head. In Jennie’s head, there was a laugh track, and even when the jokes had a sexual flavor to them, they were still charming, and never crossing that line of deviancy that my ideas always seemed to be on the other side of, waving happily at the less debauched on the other side. If she had not been speaking out loud into the recorder, or asking us to repeat phrases, I wouldn’t have realized how much funnier her version of events were than mine. She also would tweak the reality and it would begin to build into something much funnier.
Later, she contacted me and Jonathon and ran some of the cartoons by us because she didn’t want to make us uncomfortable. She takes reality and pushes it to that next absurd level, so that it’s not exactly what actually-actually happened, but it’s almost what happened. But it was always fun, and funnier for having gone through Jennie’s mind and onto the paper.
I realized that here were two artists experiencing the same weekend, but taking entirely different things away from it. It was eye-opening, refreshing, and made me look at things anew. The experience like much of this last year helped me lighten up somewhat, but it also confirmed that I would never be truly light and fluffy. It’s just not my speed, and at the end of the year I was content with that, happy even with my lighter shade of dark.
Skip ahead a few months, from winter to summer, and Jonathon and I were back visiting Wendi and Daven. It was at the end of the visit and we were catching a late lunch or an early supper (aka “lupper”), before they drove us to the airport. We were all sitting in a U-shaped booth at a restaurant where we’d gone before with them. It was nice, comfy.
The waiter came to take our orders. He had his little notepad out, pen poised. He asked what we wanted for drinks. I think Jonathon and I ordered first, and then it was Daven’s turn; Wendi was on the other side of him. Daven had been studying his menu and only then looked up. I swear, he only looked up and gave the waiter his full face, nothing more. The waiter went from reasonably intelligent, competent, human being to stuttering idiot.
Have I mentioned yet that Daven is six foot three with long, thick hair down to his waist? It’s brown, but it’s that kind of brown that has true, natural gold highlights all through it. He has these great big hazel eyes that are truly brown and gray and a little green all at the same time, depending on his mood. He has a Vandyke beard and mustache that he grew so he’d look old enough to date his age group and stop getting hit on by so many men, when all he wanted was to date women. All this is to say that Daven is pretty, very pretty. Oh, and just to add to the treat of it all, his wife, Wendi, is six foot one, blond with huge, soft, blue eyes, and enough curves to make straight men weep and gay women beg. If you are at all insecure about yourself these are not the two people you want to be standing next to.
I knew intellectually that they were pretty, and I knew that Daven flirted at a black-belt level, but I hadn’t until that moment understood the impact he could have simply by looking up. But once Daven realized the reaction he smiled at the waiter. And the waiter just fell to pieces. I almost felt sorry for him—almost.
The waiter said, “Um, ah, wh . . . what, I . . .” Out of desperation he sputtered, “Drinks, I can bring you drinks.”
All four of us nodded in unison, and said, “Yes, bring us drinks.”
The waiter fled.
Daven turned to Wendi and practically bounced in his seat, almost clapping his hands together in excitement. “Can I play with him, please?”
“No,” said Wendi.
Pouting Daven, “Why not?” I’m not sure I can explain to you how a man that tall, that broad-shouldered, can bounce in his seat and pout and have it work for him, but he does, and it does.
“Because we’ll either get great service, or we’ll never get our food,” Wendi said.
The waiter returned with water for all of us, which was great since we all wanted water. He then asked for our food orders. But he took our orders staring at Daven, as if the rest of us didn’t exist. Daven just looked up at him with that beatific smile on his face.
I don’t remember why the waiter kept coming back to the table. All I know is we never had to ask for our drinks to be refilled, they just were, and bread never ran out, and, well, the waiter kept coming back and he never looked at anyone except Daven.
Now, I have no problem with both my friends being gorgeous. I usually just enjoy the world’s reaction to them, especially to Daven, who just has an aura of charisma that’s hard to explain. But I was sitting within inches of Daven. Jonathon and Wendi were at the edges of the U, but I was right there, and the waiter stared at Daven’s smiling face. Did I mention yet that I’d asked Daven how he did his charming thing earlier on this trip? I had, and he had explained it to me. It was a technique I would later use to good effect on camera for the commercial and interview for my book Skin Trade, but this day, at that moment, I trotted it out for something nearer and more immediate.
I lifted my face up, and because I’m a petite woman, I did the slight head tilt and smiled. The waiter just kept staring at Daven, and I admit that I moved a touch closer to Daven and made certain that the waiter couldn’t ignore the fact that I have curves of my own. The only question was did he only like boys, or did breasts hold some appeal. I waited to see. He did that little eye flick, and then he was dividing his attention between the two of us. I honestly don’t think it was that I was flirting that well, but that the waiter had actually realized he hadn’t made eye contact with anyone else at the table. He could look at me and still see Daven, because we were beside each other. He couldn’t look at either Wendi or Jonathon and still see Daven. My husband is his own share of pretty (shoulder-length waves of strawberry-blond hair), and he grew his own Vandyke beard and mustache that is true orange-red for much the same reason Daven grew his, because he looked twelve and wanted to date his own age group and was tired of fending off more offers from men than women. Cap it with almond-shaped blue eyes like an exotic Viking, and his much cozier size for me (five-eight), and well, any more description would be oversharing . . . The most important thing I learned about flirting is that it’s not just the equipment you have, but how you use it. Daven and I were willing to use what we had on the waiter; our spouses were not willing to stoop to those levels. One must simply tip a hat to the strength of their character, and go back to tormenting the waiter.
We finally got our bill, paid, tipped, and left. The waiter was sooooo giving Daven the invitation to leave a number, to call back, to please, don’t go. Daven did one more grin and off we went. I believe it was as we were leaving the restaurant that I turned to them all and said the fateful words, “If Jennie were here she’d turn this into a funny, charming comic strip, but if I ever used it as an idea, it would all go horribly wrong. There would be violence, or violent sex, or both, and a high body count.”
We all laughed, they drove us to the airport, we went home.
But that was the idea, right there.
Fast-forward a couple of weeks and I was deep into the writing of the latest book of my other series, Meredith Gentry, fairie princess and private detective. The book was Divine Misdemeanors, and it was kicking my ass. Something was really blocking the inspiration pipeline. Usually that means there’s another idea trying to get out. If I can just figure out the idea and write it down then I can go back to the book that’s due, and let the idea simmer on the back burner, as it were.
But when I sat down to write this idea out, it didn’t stop. I wrote the first few pages and made myself go back to Divine Misdemeanors, but that book ground to a crawl. I remembered the last time this happened was in the middle of Danse Macabre, and the book that came out of that interruption was Micah. So I let myself divide my day, working on the book that was due and allowing myself a second writing session on the idea that would not die, and that would eventually be Flirt.
How do I divide my attention and my muse between two projects at the same time? Music. I use different music for the different projects so that when I sit down I know by the soundtrack what project I’m into. I find that music can be so intensely paired with a character or a book that I will sometimes have to put that song, or album, or even band, away for awhile before I can listen to it again without being thrown back into the book it’s so closely associated with. The music for Flirt was the Fray, Flaw, and Tori Amos’s album “Abnormally Attracted to Sin.” That was the music to sink me into Anita’s world and this idea. Over and over for hours, for days, for weeks, this was the music that let my imagination know what we were doing. I find that the right music is like a magic switch in my head and even months later a certain song will make me think of a character, or a scene in my books. I tend to associate real people with songs, too, so I guess the fact that my imaginary friends have their music isn’t that surprising, but I find that once I land on the right music, the book, whatever book, writes much better and much smoother. There would come a point where I simply had to give myself over to Flirt and let it eat my world for a little bit. Just checked the calendar on my office wall and I actually only let the book have its way with me exsclsively for two weeks; the other three months that it lived in my head it had to share its time with Merry and Divine Misdemeanors. I averaged eight pages a day with of the highest being twenty-five on the last day. It wrote as fast as Micah except it took longer for me to be willing to give the book its own time in my schedule. Sometimes working with two different publishers on two different bestselling series is like trying to date two men at the same time. You can do it, but there are moments when each man wants all the attention and there doesn’t seem to be enough of this writer to go around. Once Flirt was done, I was able to write Divine Misdemeanors with a fresh eye, a fresh attitude, and renewed enthusiasm. The same had happened with Danse Macabre after Micah.
There is a scene in Flirt that is based on what happened in the restaurant with Daven and Wendi. I’ve given most of Daven’s part of the event to one of the other men in Anita’s life. I gave Micah and Anita Wendi’s part. I let Anita do some of my part. I did with that real-life event what Jennie does, except the charming incident would inevitably lead to something going horribly wrong, and there would be sex and violence, and a high body count, just as I’d predicted.
I let Daven and Wendi read the novel early so they could see that I’d done exactly what I said I would do. It amused us all, and I suddenly had a surprise Anita Blake novel for the year. Nifty!
So that was the idea, and that was what it became, and how I wrote it. But to prove to you that it doesn’t matter what the idea is, that it matters who the artist is and what they do with the idea, I asked Jennie to create comic strips of the idea. I told her the story of what happened in the restaurant and she did it as a comic. They’re funny and charming and no one dies. I managed for the same scene to be funnyish and charming and tender and a little sad, but it would set in motion horrible events, because that’s just the way my mind works. And to see how Jennie Breeden’s mind works, turn to the comics, and then you will have it all.
Now how I took the charming restaurant scene and got to a man who wanted his wife raised from the dead at any cost, even the death’s of those Anita held most dear, well, I don’t know. Years ago when I had one or two books out, people would guess that I wrote romance or children’s books. As a petite woman, I guess they went for the packaging, but as my good friend who is a policeman says, “Packaging is not indicative of content.” Boy, that’s the truth.
I’d tell the people who thought I wrote children’s stories, as in picture books, “No, I write science fiction, fantasy, and horror.”
It was always that last part that got them. I had several people say, “But you look so nice,” as if you can’t be nice and write horror. If asked now, I say, “I write paranormal thrillers.” That seems to make people happier, and it’s more accurate for what I do, since I was mixing vampires and zombies with mystery and romance long before it was a genre of its own. But I still get asked, “Why do you write about sex and monsters?”
The only honest reply is, “You say that like I have a choice. These are the ideas that come to me. These are the ideas that have always come to me. If it can bleed me, eat me, or fuck me, I want to write about it.” Every girl needs a hobby.
A BIG thank you to Laurell for being here with us today!
¨¨¨°º©©º°¨¨¨¨¨¨°º©©º°¨¨¨¨¨¨°º©©º°¨¨¨¨¨¨°º©©º°¨¨¨¨¨¨°º©©º°¨¨¨¨¨¨
Learn more about Laurell K. Hamilton below:
To read reviews of this author’s work go here.
To visit the author’s website go here.
¨¨¨°º©©º°¨¨¨¨¨¨°º©©º°¨¨¨¨¨¨°º©©º°¨¨¨¨¨¨°º©©º°
CONTEST: She will be giving away:
3 copies of of Flirt
Open to readers in the USA!
To enter PLEASE LEAVE YOUR FIRST AND THE INITIAL OF YOUR LAST NAME and a comment or question in your comment/post so we can give you the proper credit for your entry. Winners will be drawn at a later date and notified via email.
Be sure to pick up your copy of
Flirt
While you are here be sure to check out our other great events and our daily book chat.
Books in the Anita Blake series in the order in which they should be read:
Guilty Pleasures
The Laughing Corpse
Circus Of The Damned
The Lunatic Cafe
Bloody Bones
The Killing Dance
Burnt Offerings
Blue Moon
Obsidian Butterfly
Narcissus in Chains
Cerulean Sins
Incubus Dreams
Micah
Danse Macabre
The Harlequin
Blood Noir
Skin Trade
Flirt
Bullet
Support this author’s work by visiting Laurell K. Hamilton’s Amazon Store
(5 votes, average: 5 out of 5)
Loading ...
Is this where the chat will be? Or where can it be found if not? This is my 1st visit on this site.
[Reply]
I would like to extend a warm welcome to Laurell on behalf of the entire Bitten by Books staff! Thank you so much for taking the time out of your VERY busy schedule to be with us today and for sharing this great excerpt! Let the fun begin!
[Reply]
Hi Marianne!
The chat will be right here in the comments. You just leave your question in the comments and Laurell will come by and answer as many as she can in the hour she will be here.
Thanks for being here!
[Reply]
Hi Laurell!
Welcome to Bitten By Books! Its sooo exciting to have you here!
I love your books! They are what helped get me hooked on the genre!
-Virginia
Review Coordinator, Bitten by Books.
[Reply]
Hi Laurell,
Do you come up with the book titles or does the publisher?
RSVP’d
[Reply]
I am a huge fan of Laurell K. Hamilton, not only do I absolutely love her works and can not get enough of them - I am equally amazed at how she continually puts book after book out there for us fans and each as great as the last. I am completely amazed by you Laurell and thank you because my days when I do not read do not seem as good as those when I read in one of your books. I look forward to your newest creation.
[Reply]
Hey Laurell,
So I’m going to go ahead and ask the question everyone just wants to make sure: Will JC be in BULLET? All my friends are at work and told me I have to ask you.
Love the books! Keep up the great work.
kgborland@live.com
[Reply]
Hi Laurell ~
I know you have been working hard to finish Bullet, so thank you for taking time to chat with us.
I have 2 questions:
1) With all the men in Anita’s bed, does she still have Sigmund?
2) Have you thought about writing the daywalker angle that was brought up in Incubus Dreams?
I tore through Flirt and now cannot wait for Bullet. June is so far away. Keep up the great work!
I RSVP’d for this event
[Reply]
Hi, Laurel. Thanks for being here. I have read one of your books so far and cannot wait to read more.
[Reply]
Thank you so much for being here today. I love when authors can take hilarious real life situations and turn them into even crazier book scenes! I look forward to your new book.
Nicole S.
[Reply]
Hi-
I’m very excited to be here. I got many of my friends and family hooked on all of your stories. But everyone loves Anita.
Thank you for creating her!
-Tiffany in NYC
[Reply]
Hi Laurell. Welcome to BBB, and thanks for joining us.
I’m glad you will be at Dragon*Con once again this year.
What is some of the other music you enjoy listening to, either for writing or just your own enjoyment?
[Reply]
I always love hearing/reading how your (Laurell’s) ideas for stories come about.
[Reply]
Tiffany H
[Reply]
Anita S
[Reply]
Hi Laurell. I love your books and I love Richard. I just want to know if he’ll ever find peace? He’s one of my favorites and it just tears me up to see him in so much pain. Thanks
Mandy, Utah
[Reply]
I just bought Flirt yesterday at Walmart. I have not started on it yet. What do you do in your free time if you ever have any? Lisa D.
[Reply]
Good Afternoon Ms. L
I would like to say I just love ur books and really enjoyed going thru Bullet with u on twitter is was a rare treat to get all the inside stuff u go thru I have just one Question
Again it was like he read my mind because he said ” Belle Morte’s line has powers that neither she, nor I, possessed. Belle was something new. All the others descend from us, but her and the Dragon. She was never human to begin with, so she was always different from us.’
In this sentence who is he referring to when he say she was never human and if not human what was she.
Please know I am so eager for Bullet and hope to see you in the Big Apple soon
Blessed Be
HH
[Reply]
I really enjoyed Flirt. As I have enjoyed all the Anita & Merry books. How can you finish a book on Feb 12th (Bullet) and have it out on June 1st.? That is some turn around.
[Reply]
I read Laurell’s interview in Writer’s Digest (I practically have it memorized). One comment has helped me more than any other. Now when I have trouble writing, I force myself to start. After awhile, my muse shows up and says, “If you’re going to be writing, you might as well write something good.” That half hour before he shows up is painful, but if I don’t sit down at the computer, he’ll never come. Thank you for sharing your process with us.
Jeanie
[Reply]
I read “Flirt” the day it came out, and it was a wonderful glimpse into Anita’s life. But I really love the longer books. I am excited for “Bullet”. After reading the last blog entry on http://www.laurellkhamilton.org, I was wondering if Laurell will be taking a break from all writing or just from the Anita Blake series after finishing “Bullet”?
[Reply]
Laurell, I want to thank you first of all for a great relationship I had after meeting someone on your official messageboard. Lots of great times and memories and we are still great friends. So thank you beyond words.
My question though is this: It’s obvious that the lovely Anta’s looks take after you. Who else do you base the looks of some of your characters like Micah, Nate and Richard? Everyone is so different and equally lovely.
[Reply]
Hi Laurell!
First of all, Congrats on Finishing Bullet! I’ve read Flirt and I really enjoyed it! I found it so interesting that you explained how it was inspired by real-life events and it was so nice to have an early taste of Anita before Bullet and you definatelty left us “Thirsting” for more! (I personally CANNOT wait for some JC action! LOL)
I have read all of your Anita & Merry books and I do have a question:
Do you find it hard to keep your different Anita & Merry worlds/characters/facts straight while you’re writing for one or the other series?
Thank you so much and keep up the good work!
Lisa
[Reply]
Hi there,
I’d like to know if the entire series will ever be rereleased in trade paperback or hardcover? The early books aren’t availble in hardback any more and I’ve only seen the first 4 in trade paperback.
Thanks so much for chatting today
[Reply]
Hello Rachel, thank you for hosting this hour. I am also a 1st time visitor to this site. Are there any rules about the questions, is it only for flirt, only anita books, or all of Laurell”s works?
[Reply]
i hope that anita blake books will keep coming cause i do so look forward to each and every book and i really get into the book and i love that she is from around st.louis cause thats where i was born and raised and i love reading about it and its like i’m right there when i read the books, i just love your work laurell, you rock!!!!
[Reply]
Okay so I sat here and narrowed down my questions to one so I wouldn’t be a complete spaz rattling off a million questions.
I’ve always wondered whether or not Anita’s father, her step-mother Judith and the half-brother and step-sister will ever make an appearance in any of the books? That would be an intersting story line to say the least.
[Reply]
Hi Laurell! Just wanted to pop in and say thanks for the chat. It makes for a great b-day gift! I have to admit tho, I haven’t bought or read FLIRT yet because every time someone asked me what I wanted for my b-day I told them FLIRT by LKH, so I have to wait until after midnight tonight to buy it….and it is KILLING me. I NEED to read this book. lol Anyway, hope I am in the right place cause it is 2:30. Let’s roll!
[Reply]
I am a newbie, however I have enjoyed the books I have read. Thanks for the invite to the live chat.
[Reply]
Hi Laurell,
Thank you for sharing so much with us. My questions are related to what you share in twitter and your blog:
1. Have you ever shared something personal that you wished you hadn’t?
2. How does your family (husband and daughter) feel about you sharing personal information or about comments about them?
I constantly wonder how much of me I should allow myself to share on my blog…
Thank you and you are super inspirational to me, cause until I started reading your books, I had forgotten a huge part of me that has now waken again.
[Reply]
Hi Laurell,
The reader reviews on your most recent books have not been wonderful (on Amazon “Flirt” is at 2.5 stars, “Divine Misdemeanors” 2.5 stars, “Skin Trade” 3 stars, “Swallowing Darkness 3.5 stars, “Blood Nior” 2.5 stars)– have you ever thought of reading some of these reviews in order to find out what people have been dissatisfied with in the books from the past few years?
Also, why did you chose to have “Flirt,” a novella, published as a hardback rather than a paperback like “Micah” was?
[Reply]
Hello, everyone this is Laurell K. Hamilton. I’m here to answer your questions and to promote Flirt the newest Anita Blake novel.
[Reply]
Laurell, Eventually Anita is going to have to make a choice with whom she wants to be with. Everything comes to a head at some point or another for every character. Do think you she may choose to be with the warm blooded men so she can pro-create or will she decide that the love of all of the men will be enough?
Curious-tiffany
[Reply]
Hi Laurell,
I’m so glad you didn’t listen to the ding dong that said you shouldn’t be a writer! Thanks for persevering through the rejections to get to where you are now. I loved your cupid story in Strange Candy. It was hilarious! Can’t get enough of your Anita and Merry series and really look forward to the next book.
Question: What is going on with Haven/Cookie? Are we going to see more of him in the future or are there going to be lots of problems because of the character in Flirt?
Thanks,
Stacey K.
[Reply]
Thanks for beings so real Love the books
[Reply]
Hi Laurell
I just discovered your Merry Gentry series this last summer and been hooked ever since. I love both Merry and Anita, and all the yummy men in their lives. Are you going to update us on all the ongoing relationships that Anita has? I get confused on who she sees regularly for feeding the adeur and as her sweeties. Especially, Haven and Richard. Haven gets mentioned briefly, but his statis seems to change each time. And how are she and Richard resolving their issues and his new power? LOVE all you do, can’t wait for more. Thanks so much for all the reading pleasure you bring me and everyone else. nataliek
[Reply]
RSVPed
Loved NIC and Micah of the Anita Books!
[Reply]
Hi SHAUN-TAY ! Welcome to BBB! I am so glad you made it today. I think you can ask about anything you like. We just ask that everybody be polite. That’s the ony rule.
Enjoy!
[Reply]
I am so happy I am working from home today and can follow this chat! Glad you liked my snow-vamp.
Kat
[Reply]
Hi!
What is that on the cover of Flirt? I keep looking and haven’t figured it out.
Thanks,
Stacey
[Reply]
Hi Laurell, thanks so much for sharing how you can take inspiration from an everyday situation and put your own dark spin on it! My question: do you have in mind an end for the Anita series? Don’t think for a moment that I ever want it to end, but I’m curious if you know how you see the characters signing off for good.
Thanks again for your time!
[Reply]
How wonderful to see you here, Laurell! Wish the contest was open to Canucks, but what the heck.:)
First of all, I’d like to thank you for your fantastic world building.
Just want to ask - What are some of the things you like to read? Whose writing inspired you to take up pen and paper, if there was anyone?
Cheers!
Karen
[Reply]
Jessica S.
[Reply]
Hi MS.LKH love all the anita blake books
[Reply]
I love Laurell K. Hamilton, I have all of her books, she is my favorite author!
[Reply]
Yes, Jean-Claude will be in Bullet. He’s on stage a lot. So tell your friends at work that they will get their Jean-Claude fix in June.
[Reply]
Now for a question that doesn’t take spoilers to answer….hmmmm…. I believe I read in your blog that you have a trip planned to Paris. Do we finally get the “origins” story of your vampires? I would ask if we finally get to see Moad in the flesh (so to speak) but I bet that would take spoilers to answer. But maybe just a tiny hint?
[Reply]
Wow, thank you for that insight. Naughty naughty. Some people should be very careful about their superpowers.
I am always underestimated because of my young petite look, and yes, we can have a very dark side, thank you.
Hi Laurell, I’ve read all but the most recent Anita and Merry books (only for lack of time and funds lately), met you at a signing at DragonCon 2008 and was one of the Anitas (in the black comic tee and big hair next to my boyfriend) walking right behind your car in the parade. How’d your video of that turn out?
I really enjoy your books, Jason is my favorite werewolf (I’m normally more into vampires like JC, but I make a few exceptions), I’m happy to have lead women that are short and curvy like me, the comic version is great, there are lots of different looks and personalities to like, crimes to solve and yeah, some of us do like long hair on guys.
RSVPd for this
Posted link on Facebook and Twitter http://twitter.com/Purrversia
[Reply]
I love this series and the Merry series. I am indebted to my friend who got me to pick this one up.
I’d like to know why you did the last book in the Merry Series? If I had not gotten them both at the same time, the book before was a great place to end it….though I love the characters, I felt they’d accomplished their main goal.
Also, Micah seems to be almost a throw away character, even though he is close to Anita….My friend and I have speculated that he has a hidden agenda that noone knows at this point in time and are figuring once it comes out he will be as or more disliked as richard. Is Micah as disposable as he appears to this series? (I almost hope so)
My friend, who is unable to be online right now, has been upset with the series for a long time. To tell the truth, I am surprised he’s not set the series down. He feels you dropped the horror side (which was excellent in the first few books, btw) to go way too far towards the paranormal romance side. The mix of the two in the first few books was amazingly well done, and it does make one wonder why you chose to take the series more into the romance area of literature?
I have asked way too much, but am looking forward to reading your answers to those questions you have time to respond to. Thanks for taking the time to do this for the fans!
Jennifer
[Reply]
I had the first titles for Anita and for Merry already in my head, but as the series has gone on I’ve used up my title pool and the publisher sometimes throws ideas out. Sometimes I’m still slugging away for a title as the book goes to New York.
[Reply]
Wow Missy good ???
[Reply]
Will you bring back raina munin in any book at all? I would love to see a book that anita fight with Jean-Claude like she do with Richard.
[Reply]
Thanks Laurell. I just got some texts that I’m pretty sure was accompanied with screaming and jumping up and down.
[Reply]
Hello Laurell
First I have to say that I love your writing. The question that I would like to ask is is it true that you are going to stop the Anita Blake series when you reach book 20? Wanted to let you know that it would be, for me at least a big heartbreak. Your “imaginary friends” have become my friends. Not being able to hear about them thru you would be like losing touch with real friends.
[Reply]
Yes, Anita still has her stuffed toy penguin, Sigmund, but with all the men sleeping in the bed there just isn’t room for her comfort object. Besides, I think cuddling with the men is sort of the same idea. They are the comfort objects now.
[Reply]
YES! Lots of JC in Bullet! Another wonderful gift! It’s starting to feel like Christmas all of a sudden. lol
[Reply]
I love Anitas character because it reminds me of me. The way she is afraid to love completely and be with just one person. She has People in her life who try to change her and make her into something she is not instead of accepting her for who she is. When i read guilty pleasures, I was instantly hooked. I have read every book including your short stories. Do you think you would ever come to the Panhandle area of Texas for a signing event?
[Reply]
so glad to hear Jean-Claude will be on stage a lot in Bullet. Now my biggest question - will Asher and Jean-Claude finally get a true threesome with Anita?
Thanks for writing this wonderful series and creating such complex characters and fantasy world. I just re-read the entire series again before reading Flirt and now cannot wait for Bullet!
[Reply]
Hi Laurel. The first book of yours I read was a gift from a friend but it hooked me. Very few writers can do dark andf n ot make it seem depressing, but you do it so very, very well. Your skills as a storyteller really capture the reader. It’s almost impossibler when I start one of your books to put it downl Keep them coming!
[Reply]
Do you plan on telling the story of Marmee Noir’s origin eventually? I have been curious for a long time whether her life parallels Anita’s in terms of powers that she gains.
[Reply]
Hi Laurell, thank you so much for being here with us today! I’ve been a fan of your Merry Gentry series for a while and have just started Anita Blake. I absolutely love them both.
I have a kind of random question for you. What is your favorite clothing store?
[Reply]
Hello Laurell.. I am a huge fan. starting Flirt now. I have two questions for you:
1. do you have any tips for aspiring authors?
2. where do you get your inspiration?
Looking forward to more of your books and wonderful tweets..
[Reply]
I have a plot set for Anita going home to visit her family. I was thinking about taking her home for Thanksgiving. The plot was originally written to have Richard go home with her, but I think now Micah and Nathaniel.
[Reply]
Just finished up with Flirt this morning. Ms. Hamilton, you never cease to amaze me. This story grabbed me and wouldn’t let go. I do hope you will lead Jacob back into Anita’s life one way or another, and he will learn how to share. I have a feeling his Rex is the only one that can tame her lion. Does Nicky have any free will left or is he totally rolled now? And the depths of Anita’s powers have no end; it was great seeing her get back to the basics. Amazing! I look forward to Bullet. Thank you so very much.
[Reply]
Stacey it looks like a razor blade
[Reply]
Hi Laurell! I’m a member of your forum and have read your latest blogs. I know you are under alot of pressure and this is such an unexpected treat to have you here today. Thanks for taking your very precious time to come here today and answer our questions! I have one that is not related to your books (which are brilliant), I was wondering if you could ask for and receive one thing for your birthday, what would it be? Have a wonderful rest of the day! Tonya
[Reply]
I stopped reading paperbacks a while ago went only to hard bound books…..and i picked up the first Anita Blake paperback that my hubby had and was hooked from the start. Just finished Obsidian Butterfly and can’t want to start on the next. The only bad part is I can’t decide who I want Anita to end up with both are delicious!
[Reply]
hi laurell,
i don’t really have a comment just wanted to let you know that your blog and comments on twitter have help me in my first attempt to write a book. you advice is on point and when i try some of your “tricks of the trade”
they work for me so i just wanted to let you know that you are appreciated.
[Reply]
Hi, just came by to tell you I love both series- they were my gateway drugs to the whole genre. I make sure to stay 1 book behind, so if I need to come back to a warm Anita/Merry blanket, especially after reading something so-so, there’s one for me to read.
[Reply]
No, it is not true that Anita’s series stops when I reach book twenty. It seems like with every book of Merry, or Anita that the rumor that that is the last one goes around. I think once I said that hitting twenty books was a goal for one series, but that was just because it seems awesome to have that 20 book goal. Nothing more.
[Reply]
How do you feel when readers complain that there are too many men in Anita’s bed and that your books have turned their focus more on sex with a bit of mystery instead of what they used to be (mystery with a bit of sex)?
ps - I really do LOVE your Anita books. I’m an audio book listener so I’m stuck waiting for book 8 & 9 to come out in March, then I can continue. I LOVE JC!!
[Reply]
Rachel from Bitten books. HI! Hey, I was wondering if there is anyway you can put Laurell’s text in red so we can find her posts easier? SOrry to bother you, but it would make it easier to find her answers among the questions. Pretty please?
[Reply]
I’m still waiting for our local library to get in Flirt. It is on order and I am second in line to read I am so excited for it. I think you are awesome. Thanks so much for your books.
[Reply]
Don’t get me wrong, I love the sex in the Anita and Merry books, but I really need the kick ass blood n gore Anita started with. Can we return to some real spine chilling action from the petite killing machine? Please!
[Reply]
Do your characters have their own song/band/genre that you most identify with, or is it the scenes that have the musical identity? Maybe that makes sense…
[Reply]
Hi Laurell…I just wanted to thank you for the work you do…both of your series are ones that I love to read over and over again…Does it take you longer to write a book for one series over the other?
[Reply]
I’m also finding it very confusing to find questions and answer. I even got kicked off the site completely a moment ago. Ah!
[Reply]
I only just started reading these books in September and now I have read them all! What a wonderful way to spend the fall and winter with Anita and the boys! Now I can’t wait to see what comes next! I quit trying to guess about halfway through.
[Reply]
Hello Laurell! I am always curious about an authors method of research. Often in your stories we can spot other fantastical creatures like the Naga in Lunatic Cafe or Rawhead and Bloody Bones from the novel Bloody Bones. How do you find these less “mainstream” beings and how do you choose which beast will fit best in a particular story?
[Reply]
Laurell,
I fell completely in love with the Anita Blake books a year ago and have been reading them as fast as I can get my hands on them. My question has to do with how long you’re going to continue with Anita’s story. I have never been so engrossed in a series as I have been in the Vampire Hunter novels. I hope I win a copy of your book, but if I don’t, I know I’ll be buying it anyway!
[Reply]
I can’t get over how Anita has evolved.
In fact, i occasionally get stuck. But read the books anyway
Love Anita, but believe Merru more, lately
regardless, a complete fan
Kaurie
[Reply]
Ms. L
You have not answered # 18 yet FYI
[Reply]
Hi Laurell!
I’m currently reading your Meredith Gentry series and plan to start Anita Blake next. I really enjoy your books. Thanks for stopping by to chat with your fans
[Reply]
I check twitter with my husband or my assistant if I think it might be oversharing. So, no I’ve never shared anything on Twitter I regretted for personal oversharing.
[Reply]
Hi, Laurell! What’s happening with Edward these days?
[Reply]
This format is a little disconcerting, but maybe if Laurell’s text was red….and the questions she answered were in bold….and the unanswered questions as is…it would be a little less confusing? Just a thought.
[Reply]
Talking about some of the events in Bullet which is the book I finished writing yesterday, has made me wonder if I need to share less of my writing process. Because it made some feel that the tweets were spoilers.
[Reply]
Hey Laurell
bought FLIRT the day it came out and it was done that night…it was awesome and had me craving more because it was so short
lol!!! I’m gonna ask a question that is always flowing through my mind when i’m reading a series I’m into—–any particular music influence this book in particular? I’ll hear a song and automatically relate it to a scene or character in one of your (or someone else’s books)—–
For example….Eat you Alive by Limp Bizkit ALWAYS reminds me of Anita and the Were’s!!!!!
[Reply]
Hello laurell, Thank you for coming and answering some of our questions. I’ve been reading the percy books to my husband because of the movie coming out today. my question is:
What books have anita (and who she reads with?) been reading and have any of them changed their outlook on their own lives?
[Reply]
Hi MissyMacLeod!
I am not sure if there is a way to do what you are asking. I will ask Smiley the tech guy and see what he can do.
[Reply]
No the twitters are sooo great I mean I look forward to hearing all the lil details u r so a friend in my head not I talk back to you and everything my kids think I am crazy
[Reply]
If they can’t change the color or do something to change, maybe typing a few asterisks before each answer or something, so it doesn’t look like everything else.
[Reply]
Hello Laurell,
Me and a couple of my friends were wondering is Asher will ever get the reconstructive surgery for his scars?
[Reply]
Hi Laurell!
I came to your books fairly recently, and have to tell you that it was brilliant being able to read both series back to back.
For today, I want to commend you on the Richard character, I know many people view him as the one they love to hate, and I imagine he sits a bit heavy on you sometimes. But what I love is that he’s just such a wild card. No matter where things are heading, dropping Richard into the mix will clear the pool.
My question: have you ever considered doing stories from the POV of some of Anita’s supporting characters? I’d love to see a Wicked and Truth story, or maybe a day in the life of Claudia.
Thanks!
Belinda
[Reply]
Thanks so much for being here today Laurell! I’m just catching up in the series,started at the beginning back in August and up to Blood Noir at the moment, loving every book!
[Reply]
What are the chances of Anita and Merry meeting?
[Reply]
**After Bullet, Will there be another Anita book published before the year is over**
[Reply]
**After Bullet, Will there be another Anita book published before the year is over?**
[Reply]
I also talk back to the tweets! My husband is going nuts because of it. But I don’t feel anything you have shared are spoilers, even when you were talking about changing things around (un-killing characters, etc.) You didn’t name names, so I feel more like I received warnings that bad things might be coming for Anita, not spoilers that will hurt the story for me. But I love being able to experience some of that writing process with you, and it really has made me understand the depth of the characters even more. Thanks for sharing with us!
[Reply]
Comment #93 reminded me of something I’ve always wondered about Asher and Anita. Why doesn’t she use her necromancy to fix his scars? A good while back in the series, Anita used necromancy to heal Damien, and she regularly manipulates dead flesh when she animates. What’s stopping her from healing Asher when he’s dead during the day?
[Reply]
We will eventually get Marmee Noir’s origin story.
[Reply]
I noticed in Skin Trade that Haven had a regina..Don’t think I caught her name. Then in Flirt those lions mentioned Anita as Haven’s regina. Which is it..is she his regina or the lioness mentioned in Skin Trade?
[Reply]
I once read an interview with another of my favorite authors in which he confessed to being slightly taken aback when a reader said that they finished his book in a day. He said that he usually spent a good 10-12 months on each book, and to hear that time reduced to one night’s read could be disheartening. I’ve always wondered if other prolific authors have that same feeling or if it was just him. What is your take on this? Thanks
[Reply]
Just wanted to let you know how much I enjoy the Anita Blake Books. Please never stop writing the Anita Blake Books. Anita Blake books openned doors for me to find other series books out there. Thank you for writing such great and captivating novels.
[Reply]
What do I want for my birthday? Sleep. I just finsihed Bullet last night.
[Reply]
Book titles: Didn’t they used to all be place names?
[Reply]
Hi Laurell,
No questions,just wanted to say thank you. As you know, your Anita series helped me lose 35 lbs on the treadmill and Merry has been helping me train for the L.A. Marathon in March. I am more than halfway through Divine Mis. and still have 5 more weeks to train. Yikes! Guess I’ll just start over with Guilty Pleasures. Again, thanks for helping me get there. Also I really enjoy following you on Twitter.
Thanks for being so great to your fans!
[Reply]
I know Laura my kids are like there she goes talking to the author again they r so funny and I so ignore them not spoilers just the low down and that is the best
[Reply]
Good afternoon Ms Hamilton. I just wanted to say that I’m a huge fan and can’t with for Bullet. I really love the way Nathanial and Jason have grown as characters and can’t wait to see more of them. But I’d have to say out of all the men in Anita’s life JC is my favorite. Thank you so much for all the books both Anita and Merry. They are always at the top of my list!
[Reply]
Thank you very much, Rachel!
[Reply]
I am a big fan of Laurell. I have enjoyed reading everyone of her books. Everyone of them surprised me in some way or other. Thanks Laurell. I can’t wait to read the next one.
HeidiS
[Reply]
I was lucky enough to be at the release party for Skin Trade at the St. Louis Public Library last June, and I want to say Laurell is most entertaining in person. She was gracious but there were some strange questions thrown at her by some in the audience. Not once did she lose her cool, and everyone there enjoyed her sense of the absurd. I am very impatiently awaiting my copy of Flirt from Amazon-they say there was some sort of weather delay-but I just want my book. My daughter in law is also a fan, so gift giving is easy-just give her an Anita or Merry book and she is happy. I want to thank Laurell for the many enjoyable evening I’ve spent with Anita and the guys.
[Reply]
Are you taking a break from all writing now or just from the Anita Blake series?
[Reply]
*** How can you finish a book on Feb 12th (Bullet) and have it out on June 1st.? That is some turn around ***
[Reply]
I, myself as a fan, find that your tweets are wonderful. I am trying to writing my first novel ever and to read your tweets and hear your frustrations and joys comes as a HUGE relief to me.
[Reply]
Richard will be on stage and if his therapist were real I’d reccommend her, because he’s really getting his act together. Much more fun to write than in ages.
[Reply]
I’m wondering how many of us women are real Edward fans. I like him, but my best friend swoons over him. I guess we are both fans of the killing! Can we have more Edward and Anita jobs?
[Reply]
We will be doing the Paris book faire at the end of March. It isn’t research for a book, though I will certainly look around and see if anything inspires me.
[Reply]
Hi Laurell,
Thanks for taking time to answer your fans’ -probably very often the same - questions again.
Congratz on being finished with 1st version of Bullet - looking forward to read it.
A few Q’s:
1. Since your going to be in Paris soon, does this mean that you will take the time to do research so we’ll finally soon get a book where Anita is abroad in Europe - and meeting the Council on their ‘turf’? (Or will The Traveler at least be in a book again soon?)
2. Read on Twitter that the story-time in Bullet is about a year after Flirt (love it BTW)- think it sounds like a big time’skip’ after the new events in Flirt. Do we get to hear more about how her men and the cops are reacting to Anita now and some of what have happened in the last ‘year’?
3. Are we going to see more Anita/Zerbrowski/Dolph etc. cop interaction soon?
4. Is it possible just once in a while to see Anita and the guys in more ‘daily’ events as birthdays? - Maybe Anita’s 30th which she earlier wasn’t quite sure she would ever experience.
Last Q is kind of a a comment too, to someones Q I saw you answer another time. About the fact that we don’t get to see so much of the more quiet ‘normal’ day life of Anita and the guy.
Know it probably can/will take some of the time away for the writing time for the ‘action’ events but it WOULD be nice to get at little bit sometimes.
For instance, I always found it a pity that we never got to experience/hear bout that barbeque at Zerbrowski’s, mentioned in The Harlequin, where Nathaniel finally would get to go along with Anita and Micah to meet Katie.
[Reply]
Hi Laurell!!! I love Anita, and did pick up the first few books in Merry’s series.
2 questions for:
1 - I follow along on your blog, and you’ve had such a crazy, rushed schedule. Do you see yourself extending the release dates between books to give you and your Muse more fun time?
2 - If some of Anita’s men find themselves other entertainment or significant others, do you think we’ll see Anita add a girlfriend to her bed? (I’m a bit behind at Blood Noir, but I’ve read some of the spoilers for the others.)
Thanks for being here!!!
[Reply]
Hi Laurell!
I just wanted to post how much I love your books. Anita and Meredith both touch my life in many ways, (mostly upholding my sanity when my life’s in shambles!) but really that’s why I read. I need something to take me away from my reality for a bit and know that even though there lives aren’t real that we just have to muddle through in order to find happiness in our lives! Thank you Thank you Thank you!
Lots of love,
Helen E. G.
P.S. Spoiler for next book?…. Please???? just a little hint will do for my fix!!!
[Reply]
Hi Laurell, I just started reading your books. I love them and can’t wait to read them all! Thank you for taking time out of your busy schedule to spend time with us!
[Reply]
Oh thank goodness I was really starting to worry about ole Richard but I know he was still a good guy at heart he just needed some time
[Reply]
I’m very glad that Richard is getting his act together, because he was so much fun in the beggining and lately he has been such a jerk to everyone.
[Reply]
just wanted to say thanks for being such a great author and i love the anita blake series and crave lots more
[Reply]
Haven and his Regina, or lack thereof will be explained fully in Bullet. Let’s just say that “divorce” is an option for the furry.
[Reply]
Question: You have said that certain music helps inspire you and remindes you of a character, have you ever noticed that a certain mood your are in or an event that happens changes how you write something?
[Reply]
oh my….having a fangurl vapors moment…..
ok I am better now…
HI LAURELL!
I love all your book and am always there first on release day whenever possible.
Which of the cover styles for Anita’s series is your favorite?
What is you favorite cover out of all your books?
and like I said the other day on your FB…..Asher is wonderful just the way he is, scars hangups and all…:D
[Reply]
OHHH I do love that bad boy Haven hoping he will get his situation together bad boys are just so hard to resist
[Reply]
Why doesn’t Anita heal Asher? Anita has only healed fresh wounds up to this point. Asher’s are older and until Skin Trade she had never healed holy object scars before. We’d have to cut the burns away and heal the fresh wound, and see if it worked. Be a bitch if it didn’t.
[Reply]
I’ve heard a rumour that Anita may become “Master of the City.” Any truth in that?
[Reply]
Hi Laurell!
Thanks for coming and answering everyone’s questions! I am sooo excited for Bullet as I have already finished with Flirt… I really hate waiting till June
I was wondering what is going to happen with Haven? I really liked Cookie… And what is going on with Richard and the adeur?
RSVP’d
[Reply]
Would it be at least possible to post the question number that Laurell is answering….being that this is my first time I am also a bit confused. But trying to keep up
[Reply]
YAY for Richard getting better. I just re-read COTD to prepare for the next comic and wow…I really want to love Richard again. lol I know there is no such thing as “going back” with a character, to who they were before, but I would love to see him happier and healthier than he has been for books now. SO again…YAY! lol
[Reply]
I’ve read through most of the comments and it looks like we all can’t get enough of your world and characters.
You probably have scenes running through your head that might not have played out in the books (like the BBQ, Birthdays, Holidays).
Any chance that these might end up in a book of short stories???!!!
[Reply]
Is Mommy Darkness really dead?
Dawn H.
[Reply]
Asher: It would also be interesting to have him try a plastic surgeon.
[Reply]
In Bloody Bones, originally wasn’t there a reference to Merry? I could swear that the first copy of it that I read had her mentioned in passing, but since then I have bought two other copies and neither had her name in it.
[Reply]
I am also interested about Asher and his scars. It was said at one time that he might look into plastic surgery. What happened with that did he change his mind? Or it just can’t be done?
[Reply]
I’ve also wanted to see more “normal” events in Anita’s life with the guys. We see more of that in Bullet than ever before and then of course it goes horribly wrong. It is one of my books afterall. But it was fun watching the characters be more ordinary.
[Reply]
I just wanted to say how much I have enjoyed all of the books you have written - both the Anita Blake & Merry Gentrey series are among my favorites, and I tend to read them cover to cover on the day that they are issued. I am looking forward to Bullet!!
[Reply]
I’ll re-post my QUESTION:
Do you find it hard to keep your different Anita & Merry worlds/characters/facts straight while you’re writing for one or the other series?
Thanks!!
Lisa
[Reply]
Will Anita and Ronnie ever make up? I think Anita needs a little girl time with someone..if not Ronnie then Cherri or Claudia.
[Reply]
I wrote Bloody Bones and used the world of Celtic myth and folkore. If I had not writin that book Anita and Merry might live in the same world. I thought I knew about the fey when I wrote Bloody Bones, but further research made me want to change too much to have it be the same world, so Merry got hived off to her own version of reality.
[Reply]
ood Afternoon Ms. L
I would like to say I just love ur books and really enjoyed going thru Bullet with u on twitter is was a rare treat to get all the inside stuff u go thru I have just one Question
Again it was like he read my mind because he said ” Belle Morte’s line has powers that neither she, nor I, possessed. Belle was something new. All the others descend from us, but her and the Dragon. She was never human to begin with, so she was always different from us.’
In this sentence who is he referring to when he say she was never human and if not human what was she.
Please know I am so eager for Bullet and hope to see you in the Big Apple soon
Blessed Be
HH
[Reply]
I’m having a hard time keeping up with this but just really wanted to say that I love all your books, I did security for you once a few years ago at a book signing and bought all your books out and had read them all in a few months and joined the loyal fans waiting for them to come out. you are just an awesome writer and don’t care what others think or want, just keep writing them the way you are because that is what makes them the best.
[Reply]
Which of the two series takes longer to write a book, or is it about equal?
[Reply]
Bullet actually introduces more new female characters than ever before. Claudia gets some kick ass on screen time. But Ronnie is not in the book.
[Reply]
Hello Laurell! I am always curious about an authors method of research. Often in your stories we can spot other fantastical creatures like the Naga in Lunatic Cafe or Rawhead and Bloody Bones from the novel Bloody Bones. How do you find these less “mainstream” beings and how do you choose which beast will fit best in a particular story?
On a side note, Bloody Bones is my favorite Anita novel not only because it is such a great read, but also because when I was a little kid, my dad used to tell my sister and me a VERY scarey story about “Rawhead and Bloody Bones.” Neither my dad or I remember the entire story anymore. The only thing I can remember from the original tale was that a murderer was killed by “Rawhead and Bloody Bones” and the only thing that the locals of the small mining community found of the victim the next day were his bloody bones heaped in a pile before the church altar. I wish we could remember the entire story. Listening to him tell scarey stories was always so much fun.
[Reply]
Thanks for keeping us safe a few years back!
[Reply]
Woo hoo go Claudia
[Reply]
Love your books, Laura! I have a question for you - how do you keep track of your world-building? Any tricks of the trade you can share? It has to be difficult remembering who has what characteristics or is going through a certain change in any given book.
Also - how do you keep up with a writing schedule like yours? I found you last year and began with the Anita series, yet I’m STILL not done reading all of them. I’ve just started Meredith’s story, but am woefully behind. Anita’s my favorite though! And I think Blue Moon is my most favorite thus far, though it’s hard to choose just one.
Thanks again for taking the time to answer questions! BTW - I just love all the work you do with wildlife and how you take the time to be involved with rescue while keeping such a crazy schedule!
Best,
Stacy
[Reply]
A while back in the chat someone asked about Edward.
Will we see more of Edward soon?
[Reply]
The Dragon was never human.
[Reply]
Is there going to be a final standoff between Olaf/Otto and Anita and/or Edward? Does she continue to see all the other guys she’s fed from in emergency situations, like all the WereTigers? And does she have ongoing relationships or just feedings, with the locals, like Rafael? I really like that he got in the mix and would love to read more of him with Anita.
Thanx, nataliek
[Reply]
Hi Laurel,
I LOVE your books!! I was wondering if we were going be be seeing a turn back towards the homicide detective/ CSI plot that we used to see in the first books. I noticed that “Skin Trade” was geared more towards this route, and I was hoping to see more in the future. I love reading about Anita’s life an job as a federal agent, hunting the bad guys.
Also, on behalf of my husband… thank you very much for writing these books in a very adult sort of way. Our sex life has definately improved, and he is very thankful towards you and your writing for that!
I love love to one day see this all unfold visually on tv or teh big screen, however, I have no idea how that go about being dine seeing as how teh series is so large. Regardless, it is my hope to one day see Anita Blake come to real life… or as real life as she can get!
Keep up the writing! I love you, and your books to pieces, and can’t wait to buy the rest as soon as they come out! How many more can we be expecting, by the way? I personally hope they never stop!
Thank you for adding adventure, intrigue, and a little spice to my life!
~ Alicia Hedrick
Riverside, CA
[Reply]
Was wondering if you would ever consider writing some paranormal erotica books? You really are quite good at it!
[Reply]
Building on comment 140 about normal events in the character’s lives, J. R. Ward does something fun on her website with slice-of-life short stories. I’m not sure if they are re-purposed writing exercises or clever marketing, but fans love them. I’m sure there are many things you would do if you had more time, but it’s a nice model to consider, especially if you have something you want to re-purpose.
[Reply]
I can tell you the book after Bullet will be very much an Edward book.
[Reply]
Thank you for writing!! If I didn’t have your books to ready I’d be BORED OUT OF MY MIND!!!
THANKS!!!!! Your books NEVER fail to entertain!!! =)
[Reply]
Yeah, more Edward on the way!!!
[Reply]
Good Love me some Death
[Reply]
Thank you so much Laurell for coming to play with us here at BBB. I think you made Rachel’s decade by booking a spot!
[Reply]
I did hear there was going to be a movie done for T.v is there any new information on that?
[Reply]
Is the TV series still in the works?
[Reply]
Hi Ms Hamilton! Thank you for being here today. I am new to your books. Do you have a favorite?
[Reply]
Well what were Belle & the Dragon if it’s not a spoiler oh and who made them
[Reply]
Tell your husband he’s welcome. He is not the first husband, boyfriend, fiance, to thank me for the books high sexual content. I’ve had men stand in line for hours to say, “Thank you, my wife/girlfriend, reads your books.” Apparently, my books are helpful foreplay, or even fantasy fodder. I’m cool with you guys telling me that, but just in case, no details. I’ve had fans in the past that waaaay overshared. The visuals were difficult with the people standing in front of me. But happy to help.
[Reply]
What are some of the reference books that you use for the Merry series? I’d love to see a photo of your library.
[Reply]
Forgot to put my last initial. Sorry!
[Reply]
Yes, thanks so much for taking the time to do this when you must be exhausted from the last push on Bullet. Your blog has even been tiring to read! Take a vacation! Or a nap! But thanks for all you do for your readers!
[Reply]
I think my ?s must have gotten lost in the shuffle or in my commentary, so going to just repost the questions from my original comment #49.
1. Is Micah as disposable of a character as he seems to be?
2. What lead the Anita series so far away from the horror/romance combo that was excellent in the first few books into the mostly romance it has become?
3. The next to last book seemed like an ending for Merry…what has lead you to continue the series as it appears all of the main characters’ goals have been achieved?
Thanks again!
[Reply]
Lori, I think you and I are on the same page with questions for Laurell… lol
[Reply]
I’m writing as much erotic content as I wish to, I don’t see writig more.
[Reply]
ROFLMAO to LKH
[Reply]
Laurell, Thank you for that little tidbit. I love Edward and what he always brings to the table. My favorite, so far, has to be Obsidian Butterfly. We saw a side of him with his family that I was really glad to see.
[Reply]
Are we going to see Peter in Bullet as well as Olaf and Edward?
[Reply]
Reference books for Merry Katherine Briggs and Miranda Green are the two most used. Briggs for her Encyclopedia of Fairies, and Miranda Green for archeology about the Celts.
[Reply]
Greetings and salutations, I have a few questions that have been nagging the back of mind for quiet some time.
Does Jean-Claude wear socks? from what I’ve gathered that doesnt seem to be the case…but if he does (which I firmly doubt) what brand are they? would they be vintage silk affairs? (do vampires generally sweat?)
Will the Van Cleef/Edward origins angle be explored?
What happened to Primo? Is he in a dark box somewhere like Gretchen was? Or is he now a good little soldier?
There are a million more frivolous questions rattling around in my skull but these screamed the loudest…
thank you for taking the time to chat -Cat
[Reply]
Not that there are any characters in the Anita Blake series I WANT to see killed off, but…
Have you ever considered killing off one of Anita’s inner circle of loved ones? The shock value alone would make an excellent twist, but I would think that it would really jack with her Ardeur…which could really be exciting…
[Reply]
I don’t see Micah as a disposable character so I don’t know how to answer the question.
[Reply]
You’ll be wrapping up soon so I just wanted to say THANK YOU! It was fun to share in the excitement!
[Reply]
Welcome Ms. Hamilton. No questions, just wanted to let you know that I enjoyed “Flirt” very much. I just adore both Anita’s and Merry’s stories. Always looking forward to the next story. Thank you so much for your books.
[Reply]
Love your work!! Your works are so intriguing! Can’t wait until Bullet!!
[Reply]
No Peter will not be in Bullet.
[Reply]
Micha is sooooo not disposable he is the MAN y’all need to recognize
[Reply]
Hi Laurell,
I wanted to add my support for Alicia’s comment. I really like the plot lines to both of your series. It is what makes the series so interesting to see the daily activities and the suspense that follows your plots. The relationships with the men in her life are very important. I often get confused with their importance, where they originated from would be interesting, and why the increase in numbers and additional men. I don’t want to put them in my mind as trashy or slutty. They have a life outside the bedroom. I would like to see more of that. Sex scenes are sensual when you write them. Too many of them makes them common and redundant which is anything but what they are.
I read all your books, pass on my recommendations to others, share the first one and make them buy the rest (pass on the earnings you deserve). I have watched you work so hard on Bullet. What a suspense to wait for that to come out.
Thank you for the chat.
[Reply]
Well what were Belle & the Dragon if it’s not a spoiler oh and who made them
[Reply]
Hi Laurel!
You said we’re going to get see some more of Claudia in this book, which i’m very exited about. I was just wondering if Sylvie is going to get any on screen time in Bullet.
Thanks.
[Reply]
Yes, Thank you so much for doing this today, I have to say it made my week, and I’ve had a rough week, but today more than made up for it!
[Reply]
I would never kill off a character for shock value. These are my imaginary friends, you don’t kill off your friends for shock value. But we do lose some people in Bullet. I was pretty upset and tweeted that, and that series of tweets is what made me wonder if I was sharing too much of my process.
[Reply]
I know You’ve joked a bit about how funny a batchelor party for Edward would look. But it would be awesome and Anita would probably be (on of)the best ..well.. man.
1. But WILL we see a wedding between Edward and Donna?
2. If yes, do you plan on it being a part of the book where Anita, Edward, Peter, probably Olaf etc. have to finally deal with Obsidian Butterfly?
Can sooo much see that as a part of a book where so much else could/will happen and it will be an awesome read.
[Reply]
Hi Laurell,
Just wanted to stop and let you know that I love Both the Anita and Merry series. I have even got my husband to read them. He is a big Edward fan. But I must say my favorite is Nathaniel. Ok now for my question… How are you today?
Thank you again for your books and have a wonderful day.
~Helen~
[Reply]
Time got away from me at work. Eight more minutes!!
Question: In one of the forewards, I believe it was the hardback release of Guilty Pleasures, you mention that you initially intended to kill Jean-Claude at the end of Circus of the Damned. Do you think the series would still be striving had you killed him?
I must say, I am a HUGE fan of yours!!! Your books helped me through a very difficult divorce. Thank you so much for visiting!!!!!
[Reply]
Mica is no where near as dynamic and developed as the other “main players” in Anita’s life…he’s very two dimensional at best…so he seems to be disposable in that up through Skin Trade he’s just been a lackey for Anita and in no way has he shown much character of his own.
[Reply]
One question that has been on my mind, is Anita still aging, or has her 4th mark with Damian and Nathaniel stopped that. Also, would that mean that Nathaniel is also not aging? What about Jason, or Micah, or her tigers, or any others that Anita has called? As her animal to call, would they also be “immortal?”
[Reply]
Do you identify with Anita or Merry more?
[Reply]
I’m such a huge fan of yours. I must have read through both series at least 5 times each not to mention owning all the audiobooks! Just got the Dec 2009 releases, can’t wait for the next set to be released =) I just picked up Obsidian Butterfly yet again last night.
I love your characters, and i ADORE your villains, but my favorites are the characters you’re just not sure whether to love, hate, or run away and hide in the closet from. (i’m thinking Edward & Olaf - one kills for fun, but comes to the rescue, the other well.. um, likes to play with warm organs…)
I was wondering if when you’re writing, you have any issues with Merry making Anita choices or vice versa? Do you ever have to think ‘is this more of an Anita decision?’ Also, do you see the 2 worlds colliding anytime soon?
I hope we’ll be seeing more of Peter & Bernardo Spotted-Horse =D
[Reply]
Not at all it was great to go thru that with u and I will go thru it all when I get the book I will have the tissues ready
[Reply]
If some of Anita’s men find themselves other entertainment or significant others, do you think we’ll see Anita add a girlfriend to her bed? (I’m a bit behind at Blood Noir, but I’ve read some of the spoilers for the others.)
Thanks for being here!!!
[Reply]
Laurell, are you committed to a specific number of additional Anita books with your publisher at this time? Do you have specific ideas/plot lines already in mind for future Anita books? I guess what I would really like to know is how much more Anita we can expect to see in the future, hopefully lots!
[Reply]
When Nathanial first walked onto the pages, did you anticipate the amazing progress that his character would make?
[Reply]
But Micah is exactly what Anita needed in her life, it explains that all in the books, if he seems two dimensional it’s only because he hasn’t been on the main stage that much.
[Reply]
I wrote another Merry novel because I, as a writer, hadn’t gotten to play with all the toys in the world that I created. I didn’t realize how stifling my muse and I would find a book series where the over arching plot was so carved in stone. It really took a lot of happy out of the process for me as a writer, so I’m looking forward to playing more in Merry’s world so she, my muse, and I can explore.
[Reply]
No, Nathaniel was a huge surprise to me and to Anita.
[Reply]
Thanks so much for being here today! It’s been fun!
[Reply]
Well I just want to say B4 u leave get all that well deserved rest and I so appreciate u expending all that you do for our enjoyment oh and PLEASE come to NY for Bullet or even NY Comic Con.
Blessings
HH
[Reply]
wow hi laurell
big fan from the uk here….any chance of you doing a tour here in the future??
looking forward to edward time in the book after bullet love to get more back ground info on him..
love your work you got me into paranormal/rban fantasy books you rock
have you evr had book envy if so what??
hugs
becca
uk
[Reply]
Laurell I only ‘discovered’ your books within the last two months and am just startingto read Obsidian Butterfly in the Anita Blake series. So far I have only read A Kiss of Shadows in the Merry Gentry novels but I love both series intensely.
I am heartened to hear I’m not the only one who turns every day events into the potential for murder, violence & intrigue. I’m not a writer though, my friends just have bets between themselves on how long it’ll be until I twist something without meaning to.
You’ve reminded me of the time we accidently got the car locked into the car park & a man appeared said his was locked in too & that he was on the phone to car park security & to follow him to sort it all out. I made my friend phone them herself & tried to halt the others from blindly following him. I saw a man who was potentially on the phone to a friend with a van waiting for us in the dark. My friend saw an angel in disguise sent to make sure she got her car back. Either way he disappeared when the security guy my friend was speaking to appeared.
If you are trying to read things in order which Anita Blake short story should be read when in relation to the books in the series?
Will you be writing anymore Merry Gentry books?
Are they in the same world Anita & Merry or just very similar ones?
Thank you for your time & the wonderful work you do.
I RSVPed.
[Reply]
Hi Laurell!
What advice would you give to budding writers that are having a hard time getting the words out of their heads and down on paper?
[Reply]
Would love to see you in Chicago!!! It’s just a short drive!
[Reply]
Thanks to everyone that showed up to chat. Thanks for loving my books and asking me questions. Thanks to everyone who bought Flirt you guys have helped make it #3 on the New York Times list as of Febuary 21st, and currently #11 on the USA Today which is all books sold in the country this week.
[Reply]
Micah seems completely disposable as a character but when you put him beside the rest of Anita’s harem he seems better off.
Why are so many new men being introduced and brought into the harem? It’s not like there is enough page time to care about any of them anyways. If it’s one of them who’s killed off in Bullet, who cares?
[Reply]
I’m sorry. I’m confused. Idon’t understand What is all this about Micah? What books are being read? Am I the only one confused about this two-dimensional disposable stuff.
I think his character is perfect. He was exactly what Anita needed him to be and what he needed to be himself. Lackey?! What?! He has a job, has his own life and is there for Anita and the Supernatural community. We may not actively see it all the time , but it’s always there. Like the fact that he runs a coalition for an entire city, or saving Richard’s wolf.
Crazy talk.
[Reply]
Hi Laurell!
I love your books, My favorite is Micah. I can’t say why it’s my favorite, because I enjoy all your books. It’s just something about that story that got it’s hooks in me. I’m wishing you much continued success
[Reply]
Thanks for the chat, Laurell! Always a pleasure!
See ya in the funny pages. lol
[Reply]
@JohnF EXACTLY…he is too busy being Anita’s good little lackey and it seems too much….almost as if he either has a hidden agenda that hasn’t come out or is just a tossed in character and I give Ms. Hamilton more credit than that. Though the gentleman who introduced me to Anita might say I am naive in doing so LOL He’s pretty peeved at some of the directions the series has taken, to say the very least.
[Reply]
Oh, no, you were right about the guy on the phone with a van in the dark parking garage. Espeically because the helpful ‘angel’ vanished when security arrived. Trust your instincts. It will keep you safe, and help your friends stay safe.
We’re not paranoid if we’re right.
That’s the last question for me. I’m signing off and going to enjoy some more downtime.
[Reply]
Thank you for giving me something to look forward to- Bullet news and the future Edward tease made my day!
[Reply]
I don’t think any of Anita’s men are “disposable” because any loss would tear Anita up. To suggest that Micah, who has grounded Anita and made her more complete, could be disposed of is not an option if keeping Anita sane is a goal.
[Reply]
Thank you again Laurell for being with us! Everybody else, feel free to stay and chat with each other as long as you like! Play nicely!
[Reply]
LOL I guess my friend and I may be the only one’s in the fan base who see Micah as being way too perfect… I don’t expect fiction to mirror real life but I do expect a modicum of reality in order for it to be believable enough to enjoy. and NO ONE is THAT perfect…
I just haven’t seen anything about or from him that gives him a personality beyond the whole Lackey bit and I have read everything through Skin Trade.. and was glad to see that one move more towards what the orginal two or three books seemed to promise for the series.
I am glad Ms. Hamilton took this time out of her schedule to address fan questions..A bit disappointed that she didn’t have the time to hit the question about the direction the series has gone but glad to get her insight into some of her thoughts.
[Reply]
I agree with Nacy about none of Anita’s men being “disposable”. Sometimes I get overwhelmed with all of the men in Anita’s life, and begin to long for teh days where it was just her, Richard, and Jean Claude; but then I think to myself… “Who would I kill off, or get rid of?” The answer… No one. So, that leaves me stuck, loving all of the men in her life, but being just a bit overwhelmed with all of them… kind of like Anita, I suppose.
[Reply]
Love the cover here. Sounds good also. Happy Valentine’s Day. susan L.
[Reply]
Laurell, congratulations on FLIRT making it to #3 on the New York Times list.
I RSVP’d
[Reply]
That was great fun. Thanks Laurell and BBB staff!
[Reply]
I have not started this series yet, but I have heard it is great. How many books will there be in the series?
RSVPd
[Reply]
I love all of the books in this series. I am reading Skin Trade now, and will get to Flirt soon. Thank you for writing such wonderful characters and creating such a fantstic world.
[Reply]
How long until you pick the winners of the contest? And will they be signed by Laurell?
[Reply]
Hey everybody!
People can still talk and leave a comment to be entered into the contest until midnight central tomorrow night 2/13/2010. Winners will be chosen next week and emailed.
No the books are not autographed this time.
Be sure to catch other great events next week including:
Katie MacAlister on Monday: http://bittenbybooks.com/?p=19247
Kim Harrison on Tuesday: http://bittenbybooks.com/?p=19248
Have fun!
Thanks to everybody who came out!
[Reply]
Thank you for answering my question!
[Reply]
I love your books. Its amazing how you can turn just a couple of hours into 500 pages. lol
[Reply]
Do you think that if Asher fell in love Anita would be jealous?
[Reply]
No questions but just wanted to say that have been a many year fan (as in since the beginning of Anita Blake series) and had to tell you Laurell that love Anita and have all the books up unto Flirt which is on my To Buy List as is Bullet. My Birthday is in June so they are both to be presents and have to wait until then, thems my DH rules!!!!
I also am a huge Merry Gentry fan and have all the books out so far….
I RSVP’d yesterday for the event comment #37
Jackie B Central Texas
[Reply]
I’ve got the first Anita Blake paperback with Jean Claude’s picture on it - I thought her first 7-8 were groundbreaking in creating a world that was so like our own and yet had a believable place for vampires in it.
JHalsall
[Reply]
I rsvpd yesterday too.
I have two questions if Laurell doesn’t mind?
1) Do you attend any conventions and if so which ones?
2) How do you keep your writing edge when you’re writing a series? I mean do you ever get to the point where you think enough?
Just curious
Lakisha S, Florida
[Reply]
Hi I rsvped. Laurell I love all of your books.
[Reply]
Hi Laurell I love all your books every time i pick one of them up i just get all excited to see what is going to happen next i cant wait to find out what happens in flirt as well as bullet i just wish people would quite stealing my books
[Reply]
[Reply]
so sad that I missed the chat. I just reread the entire series again and am so ready to start Flirt. I did enjoy reading everyones comments and can’t wait to get started….thanks Laurell for taking us away from reality, even if it’s just for a little while.
[Reply]
Hi Laurell,
You have given a great interview. I have read a few of this series but not all of them yet.
Keep up the good writing
Julie S.
[Reply]
If the worlds created in books were real, which book would you pick to live in?
What book would you give everyone if you had an endless number of copies and why?(it doesn’t have to be one of your books)
Lisa R
[Reply]
Petra T
[Reply]
Hello sorry i missed the chat but— do you know your tour plans for Bullet yet?
[Reply]
Hi Laurell,
Love Anita Blake series!!! Can’t wait to read the next 2 and then will be dying to get the next one! I love that there are so many story lines in one book. I never feel like the excitement ends.
Thanks for writing them for us.
[Reply]
Missed the chat but wanted to say that I have all of your Anita series and am working on the Merry series now. Love them both, its like my birthday everytime I buy one of your books. Keep up the awesome stories.
Breiab
[Reply]
I’ve only read the first in the series, but I really wanna read more! I hear the series is very long, are there going to be more books coming out in the future or is the end near?
[Reply]
Hello, Thank you for writting some of the best books I’ve read since High School…Qustion I have for you is, Do you ever believe you will make it out West sometime - have not ever heard if you have come to the Rocky Mts or farther West for a interview, convention, book signing…Have more than 1 copy of All Anita Blakes books, would be interested in a byline of any of the other charaters from her books (may be another time-line.) But either way thank you for her world and for those of us out West of the Mississippi, we would really enjoy meeeting you in person someday!
[Reply]
Laurell,
Let me say that I have read all of the Merry Gentry books and all but Skin Trade of Anita Blake (hint, hint) and I love your complex, mutli-character books, my only wish is that some of the MG books were longer as I breeze through them so fast that it’s like getting hit by a hurricane! But to be honest I’ve enjoyed your interviews and blogs nearly as much. You are unapologetically you and I’ve heard a few comments from you about how if people don’t like your material they can essentially pound sand. I respect that. So thanks for many, many, many, but still not enough hours of deliciously sexy, modern kick-ass paranormal. You Rock!
[Reply]
Hi Laurell,
Thanks for dropping by. There’s something about Anita’s story that really keeps pulling me back (and it’s not just Nathaniel, Jason or Micah–yummy btw) and I haven’t figured it out. I have to go read Skin Trade again before I pick up Flirt. Thanks for the surprise book and I hope we’ll get more chances to see inside your head, lol
Oh, so many books, so little time to read =D
[Reply]
To late to RSVP (time zone calculations bad
) but my favorite Anita book has to be hmmm, Dance Macabre. I think the people around her actually started taking her seriously in this one, both her men and her guards. She is a reluctant participant in alot of what happens, and now they see that she means it. As for the contest - Yes, please include me (I will not lend out my only hard copy of Flirt or even my paperback of Skin Trade - Currently rereading it:) ) Would like a copy to let my friends borrow till they can purchase their own (Very Important!)
[Reply]
Hello Laurell Have You Always Wanted To Be A Writer Or Was Their Something Else You Wanted To Do?
[Reply]
I Also R.S.V.P.’D
[Reply]
I R.S.V.P.’D
Hey Laurell What Are One Or Two Things We Wouldn’t Normally Know About You?
[Reply]
I really enjoyed reading everyone’s questions and comments. I was a bit sad that it didn’t seem like LKH answered an hours worth of questions, but then again this format was very confusing and frustrating. Thank you BBB for putting this together for us fans. Next time you may want to try skype or ustream and conduct an interview while asking the posted questions to make everyone happy. (just a suggestion)
keep up the fantastic work!!
T
[Reply]
I rsvp’d…laurell, i am so bummed that i missed the whole thing, but it sounds like you had a great turn out…please keep writing, i need more micah and if you could have anita do a bit more police work, that would be awesome!
erin aka connery
[Reply]
Sorry I missed the Q&A. Just a thought for the future: Perhaps Q&A that has two time slots that would allow those who work on (East Coast) to participate.
Adore the Anita books and curious about how the meta-arc of the series has evolved. Oh well,a question for another time.
[Reply]
Thank you for Anita and Merry and all the men in their lives…. I am truly a major fan…. having both hard cover and PB copies of almost all the books in both series. I am not taking part in the contest part of this because the book is sitting and waiting for me at the mail although someday I do hope to add an autographed copy or two of some of the books. As you said in the interview, your friends have given you fodder for the latest book. Are there any other people in your life that have been writen into the books.? Thank you once again for being one of my fave authors…..
[Reply]
I can’t wait to read “Flirt”. I’ve loved all of Anita’s adventures. I know the next Anita book comes out in June. Will Jean Claude and Asher and all of my other favorite characters be featured in the new book??? I ‘ve missed them!!
[Reply]
I missed the chat because I was at work!
I did just get my copy of flirt,though. Love The Anita Blake series. I did rsvp. Hope I can still be entered into the contest even though I am late!! I ahve the whole Anita Blake collection and can’t wait to get Bullet. Sorry I missed out on the fun!
[Reply]
I RSVPed for this event.
Wow! Thanks Lauren for this wonderful post. This is the kind of writing advice I like to get…the actual experiences leading to the writing. I’m with you on the idea thing. An idea can germinate from anywhere. You just have to look at ordinary things in a different way.
[Reply]
ok, I have decided that even though I missed the live event< i will still leave my question. How do you feel about the comments people make about your books becoming more and more “borderline porn” I personally like the sex, but I have read a lot of comments (not here) that some people prefer the early writings. Again, I feel that Anita waitied till she felt the time was right to get “physical” with anyone and of course, I usually expect to have sex in my paranormal romance. I was just wondering what you feelings were. Thanks.
[Reply]
Well darn, forgot about this chat until too late. Oh well, didn’t really want a question answered… more like wanted to tell Laurell “Thank You” for so much reading enjoyment!
Anita & Merry are faves of mine!
[Reply]
So the Anita Bla