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Frequently Asked Questions
Hello there, and welcome to the CHILDREN OF THE APOCALYPSE FAQ. You start Q-ing and I'll start A-ing (that sounds really odd...sorry about that).
SCROLL DOWN FOR NEW QUESTIONS!
Q. So...I hear this was supposed to be a TV show or something?
A. Sort of. In high school Writer's Craft class, we had to do a bunch of different types of writing, and one of them was for television. We were to write a script for either a half hour comedy or half of an hour long drama of our choice, or, if we really wanted, we could make up our own show.
I didn't do the project 'cause I'm just that kind of girl who only does what she feels like doing (teacher's worst nightmare because threats did nothing to motivate me). About a month after we were supposed to hand it in, I had an idea for a show of my own, so I wrote the first four episodes of the first season, and handed in the pilot. Over the next month or so, I completed fourteen episodes, as well as plotted out the rest of the episodes for the season, and planned the plot and character arcs for the next two seasons.
Q. Wow. Overkill, much?
A. I can be very ambitious when I want to be.
Q. I guess so. So what was your mark, just out of curiousity?
A. 96% though I was docked a few marks because it was over a month late. BTW, my work ethic really has improved since then.
Q. Wow. Only 96%?
A. Shut up.
Q. I guess this means you have the entire story planned out really well, and you won't have to do any work for at least a year or so.
A. Not quite. 1. Writing a television script is very different from a novel. The pacing and such has to be altered quite a bit. 2. I'm a far better writer now than I was, and I have to take out a lot of stuff that sucked. I know now what works and what doesn't, and threw out a few plot cliches as well as altered the lead characters.
Q. So...another thing with teenagers and super powers, as well as women who totally kick the asses of their male counterparts. How Buffy.
A. Hence my changing a lot of things. Jeez, weren't you listening? Yeah, I like that premise and have used it in my work since I was a kid--prior to Buffy, thank you very much. But you know, there are only like three original plots in all of fiction--everything is just a variation on something else. The uniqueness in my stories tend to come in the form of the characters.
While the story starts with the characters in high school (Eleventh Grade, to be exact), I'm expecting it move beyond that to post-HS stuff. Though the characters are teens, expect at some point there will be the same amount of sex, language, and violence as most of my other work.
Q. But I don't like stories with young characters. That seems very YA to me.
A. Well, suck it up. I have my reasons for starting with them being teenagers. Part One could probably be read by a slightly younger audience, but Part Two and beyond is decidedly QUITE adult. There'll be five parts to the story in total, following the main characters from the age of sixteen to their twenties. If you're turned off by their current ages, I'm not sure you're cool enough to read the story anyway. :-P
Q. Are there going to be more wars about what characters should get together with one another over at your message board? 'Cause that was scary.
A. Probably. And because there are several lead characters that get equal "screen" time, so to speak, each of them can have separate love interests as well. I expect many, many shipper wars, where old alliances will be broken, new ones will form, and everyone will hate everyone else. Dance, puppets, dance!
Q. Hey, how about character deaths? Are you going to be killing people?
A. Most definitely.
Q. Aw, really? I hate it when authors do that!
A. Um...sorry?
Q. C'mon, someone's gotta be safe, right? A main character at least?
A. Well, I can definatively say that Genevieve's dog, Penny, won't be killed. Ever. I hate stories that kill animals. I mean really LOATHE and avoid reading them if I know about it ahead of time, which is why I guarantee that (with the exception of some references in RIVER and its eventual sequel, WOLFE) I will not kill any animals in my work, ever, and certainly not Penny.
Now, I make no promises for Genevieve, lol.
Q. You have serious problems, you know.
A. Thanks for pointing that out. Real observant of you.
Q. How about spoilers? Will we get some of those?
A. Yes. A spoiler "quiz" is posted at my forum mid-month, where I give a couple of different possible spoilers, and people get to guess which one is true, and which one is false. I reveal the answer in the following newsletter.
Q. Though I'm not complaining or anything, I'd like to know why you aren't charging people money to read? Aren't all writers poor to begin with?
A. My goal is to be read, first and foremost. Yes, making money is way up there too, but the reality is I'm a new, unknown author. People are far more likely to pick up a book by someone they've heard of than one by me. However, by offering free work on my website, it gives readers a chance to sample my work, while also encouraging them to come back again and again and thereby reminding them I have other work available that can be purchased. Everyone wins.
Q. Unless we decide not to buy your other work.
A. Well then, you'd be missing out on some great, award-winning stories, plus you'd shame your ancestors.
Q. Ah! I don't wanna shame my ancestors!
A. You'd better not be a douchebag, then. Buy my stuff!
Q. I really like the story and want to lend it to my aunt/grandfather/cousin in the circus, and want to have a physical copy. Can't you do something about that?
A. All of the chapters are available as PDF downloads that you can easily save to your computer and print at any time.
While CotA, like my other serial CATHARSIS, will always be available to read for free online, as I finish each "part", I'll edit it up and release it as a trade paperback. You can currently buy Part One.
Q. Wow, reading it I'm noticing a lot of typos, inconsistencies, and plot holes. What up wit dat?
A. It's a first draft, sweetheart. Think meeting someone when they first get out of bed in the morning before they've brushed their teeth or dressed or combed their hair. On the bright side, you can help influence the story and later drafts of it--kind of like being there as that person you met who just woke up is deciding what to wear for the day, how to style his/her hair, etc.
Honestly, do you think there would have been that much romance in CATHARSIS had the shippers at my forum not been so insistent? Nope, there would have been no wild and crazy monkey love between Eve and Rune if it wasn't for them. So if you don't like romance, come by the board and tell us!
Well, that's it for the FAQ--
Q. Wait a minute! That's it? Just those lame ass questions? That didn't help me at all!
A. *Sigh* Fine. Email me a question, or ask it on my board. I'll answer it, and maybe add it here.
NEW QUESTIONS!
Q. Can I just jump in with the current chapter, or do I have to start at the beginning?
A. You could jump in, though you might be a little lost. An awful lot is set up in Part One, but I'd at least recommend starting with the first chapter of Part Two because things start to get really complicated around then.
Q. Wow, you're already starting Part Three. I'm going to need to do an awful lot of reading to catch up.
A. Well, yeah, but it'll totally be worth it! Look, you can download PDFs to your computer, which you can read at your leisure or print out. C'mon--lots of free reading!
Q. Besides buying a paperback, what else can I do to show the love?
A. I'm so glad you asked! A lot of work goes into creating a free serial--much more than my commercially published work. The easiest (and best) way to show the love is to leave a review. Reviews are great because a) they give me valuable feedback about what works and what doesn't work for my readers, and b) it encourages new readers to check out the story (just like reviews for commercially published work does). Just think about when you go to buy or read a book: the one with a lot of positive ratings from a lot of people is more than likely going to be the one you read, right?
Here are a few of the places you can leave a review for CotA: Scribd, PagesUnbound, WebFictionGuide, GoodReads, and Muse's Success. Some places require you to register, but that's always fast and easy, and I really, really appreciate the support.
Also, I'd love it if you dropped by to share your thoughts at my message board. Again, I love feedback and discussion, and the more I know about what readers are thinking, the better I can plan the story. You can register or post anonymously as a guest right here.
Q. That was a long answer.
A. Yeah, sorry about that.
Q. What's up with the new Wiki thing?
A. Basically, there are so many freakin' things on my website that I wanted to start moving things somewhere that can easily be updated by anyone. If you want to take a stab at summarizing chapters or writing character bios, please go right ahead.
Have a question? Email me and I'll try to answer it.
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