FAQ

About Joanna Archer and The Signs of the Zodiac Series

1. How many books are in the Signs of the Zodiac series?

There are six books in total. The final installment, THE NEON GRAVEYARD, will be released May 31, 2011. You can preorder it from Amazon.com.

2. When will books 4-6 of the Zodiac series be available in audio format?

Audio rights have been sold for only the first three books in the series at this time, but I’ll be sure to let you know when that changes.

3. What about the Zodiac-related short stories? Should I read the anthologies in any particular order?

As with each novel, each anthology is meant to stand-alone, though some readers might wish to follow Joanna’s saga in the same way it unfolds for her. In that case, the suggested reading order is (anthologies in italics):

THE SCENT OF SHADOWS
HOLIDAYS ARE HELL – The Harvest
THE TASTE OF NIGHT
THE TOUCH OF TWILIGHT
CITY OF SOULS
UNBOUND – Dark Matters
DARK AND STORMY KNIGHTS – Shifting Star
CHEAT THE GRAVE
THE NEON GRAVEYARD.

4. Why did you end the Signs of the Zodiac series at six books? Aren’t there twelve signs in the Zodiac? (Or thirteen, if you’re of the mind to include Ophiuchus?)

Well, the ‘signs’ in my series are ‘portents’ – signs of impending events of monument – rather than astrological signs, so the number could have been anywhere from one to twelve to fifty. And while my publisher and I were happy with the success of the series, there was a natural opportunity to tie things off at six, and give Jo a bit of a breather, which I really think she needed. Mind, we’re not saying ‘never again’ in the Zodiac world, just not next and not now. But with the conclusion of so many big threads, there was an opportunity for both Jo and me to move on to something new. I hope readers will like the direction each of us has taken.

All that said, my editor and I really wanted to continue working together, and being a particularly savvy woman she’d also been paying attention to my intermittent chatter about new ideas that I had. One in particular sounded bigger than anything I’d previously written. It had also been growing in my mind for the last three years. I mention downstream that I don’t like to write something unless I feel I must. I don’t even feel that I get to choose what I write. Instead of searching for an idea for a story or series, the best ones seem to reach out, grab me, and refuse to let go. (I have another idea haunting me even now.)

5. But I’m going to miss Joanna/the troops/the comic book shop!

Me too. Yet I think it’s clear by the end of NEON GRAVEYARD that Joanna has done all she can, for better or worse, at this time. There’s no more significant growth to be had right now, and she needs time to adjust to this new place in her life – because it is entirely new. It’s not where she expected to be (not even where I expected her to be) but it makes the most sense given her experiences and choices.

Of course I’d be lying if I said there wasn’t temptation to keep writing the series, but I ultimately decided the reasons for doing so had nothing to do with the story. Throwing new fantastical plot points and bad guys Joanna Archer’s way just to extend the series would have diluted her world, not added to it. That would have negated all the hard won experience she’d gained in the previous five books, and all the choices that have made her resonate so strongly with my readers. Plot is important, and I love to use it as a tool to twist reader expectation, but character is everything. And Joanna, very simply, told me she was done.

6. How did you come up with the idea for the Signs of the Zodiac series?

The idea for THE SCENT OF SHADOWS came to me in a dream. (Remember, ideas are easy.) I saw an impossibly beautiful young woman fending off a leather-clad giant of a man with nothing but a stiletto heel. I woke up laughing, and all the ‘whys’ and ‘what ifs’ quickly followed – I simply had to find out what was going on. Imagine my surprise when a character literally popped up in the third chapter to declare he was a superhero. I could have said no – it didn’t at all fit the narrative I was planning in my head – but I decided to follow the thought, the man – the super man – because it was fun. And writing should also be fun.

More than that, though, I was intrigued by the main protagonist, Joanna Archer. Following her, watching the way she both failed and succeeded at the supernatural tasks set before her, allowed me to ask universal question of both her and myself: What truly makes a person super human? The answer I came up with: Living up to your potential, even if – or in Jo’s case, especially if – it means saving the world in the process.

7. Why write dark urban fantasy?

I didn’t choose to write it. It chose me. I didn’t even know what THE SCENT OF SHADOWS was when I started it, or where it fit in genre-wise (my agent had to inform me of both), but was interested enough in Joanna Archer to follow the ‘What ifs’ that kept popping up along her journey. So that’s how I ended up in Urban Fantasy.

8. So are some of the places in the books real?

Absolutely! I give a literary shout-out to some of my favorite places in Las Vegas; many that meant something to me as I was growing up, and others I simply think are unique to my city. Clearly I adore the Fireside Lounge at the Peppermill. Located right in the middle of the Strip, it’s retro, old-school, mildly cheesy (in a good way!) and I love it. It was also voted best place to take a secret lover, best place for a first date and best make-out bar. If that’s at all a consideration.

The Neon Boneyard also happens to be real, as evidenced by photos of my visit there. But it’s surrounded by a wire fence rather than a brick wall (This was purposeful as I could just see someone trying to enter the Boneyard in the fashion of the agents of Light and the next day I get to hear from the Boneyard’s lawyers. It’s called Literary License – aka, Covering My @ss.). There are guided tours in the Neon Boneyard, so if you’re in Vegas and that’s your cuppa, google them and check it out.

Other setting-related “Easter eggs”: The Blue Angel, the lookout over McCarran’s landing strip (another popular make-out spot), the Guardian Angel Cathedral, the Viva Las Vegas wedding chapel, First Friday, the Downtown Cocktail Lounge, and Cathedral Canyon. (So far the new Celestial Blues series features Frankie’s Tiki Bar, the only twenty-four hour tiki-bar in the world. See? There’s Las Vegas out-doing itself once again!) Just like the worlds of the Zodiac and CB, these places could only exist in Las Vegas.

About Celestial Blues:

1. So what can you tell us about the Celestial Blues series?

Celestial Blues is a dark fantasy trilogy featuring a whole new world and cast of characters. Unlike my lone UF heroine, Joanna Archer, Celestial Blues features a partnership between a supernatural private eye and a rockabilly reporter with a real nose for trouble. Despite the narrative shift, rest assured that the dark worldbuilding, the noir Vegas setting, and the imaginary hairpin turns are all still firmly in place.

It’s set to debut in 2012 and I can’t wait to share it with you.

2. How did you come up with the idea for the Celestial Blues series?

I’ve learned over the years that I don’t like to write something unless I feel I absolutely must. Thus I tend to live with ideas for a long time. If they keep knocking at my subconscious and refuse to leave, then other ideas start building up around them. At some point they gain enough weight to merit my full attention.

However, I also write for freebies.

So in the spring of ’05, right before I sold THE SCENT OF SHADOWS, I entered a writing contest to win an ARC (advanced reader’s copy) of a book on Kelley Armstrong’s site. The only parameters of the contest were that 1) it had to have supernatural elements and 2) it couldn’t be more than 1500 words in length. It took me over two weeks to perfect those 1500 words, which I then sent in with great anticipation … and then watched, brokenhearted, as someone else won the ARC.

Yet I came away with a story idea that wouldn’t quit, so even though Kelley. Didn’t. Pick. Me. (Ahem.) – I didn’t exactly lose. It’s true what they say: time and energy spent writing is never truly lost. That early supernatural idea eventually combined with my love for both hardboiled crime fiction and epic romances to fuel Celestial Blues. So thanks, Kelley! I am thrilled to bring my readers Celestial Blues, and am having a blast creating it.

About Writing:

1. Any advice for beginning writers?

For true beginners I’m going to shamelessly steal Diana Gabaldon’s advice, because I think there’s no better:

Read a lot.
Write a lot.
Don’t stop.

This is the secret. This is what I – and every successful writer I know – does. Every day.

For those who have the grammar and the basics of storytelling down, but who are having trouble finishing or taking their writing to the next level, I’d add to the above: Writing is one big mind game. Your greatest task now is to master your mind. Teach yourself focus so that while life is throwing you yet one more ball to juggle, you can turn your mind to the page and keep it there until you’ve met your goals. If you can keep your head down long enough to beat procrastination, doubt, the urge to compare and compete, and the ambiguity that comes with a writer’s life, then you’ve managed to do something most people can’t. And maybe be a little hard on yourself sometimes, too. (“Shut up and do it” always works for me.)

2. I’m an aspiring author writing in your genre. Can you read my work? What about fan fiction?

No, I’m sorry. I can’t read it due to both time constraints and legal reasons, but I do wish you all the best with your work. Published or not, we’re all on the same path, just different places on the continuum. While I honor the work you’re doing, and encourage you to keep writing, I can’t read it.

3. How do I get an agent/editor/publisher/money for my work?

You first must finish a book. (You wouldn’t believe how many people ask that question when they don’t yet have a completed text.) Agents, editors, and publishers won’t care about your work unless and until it’s finished. Quality counts, of course, but they first need to know that you can complete a novel. More importantly, you need to know it.

Also, you never, ever pay a “publisher” for the right to publish your work. (You saw the never, right?) Ne-ver. Beyond that, every person’s path to publication is different, just as every person approaches the page differently. I recommend joining a national organization like RWA (Romance Writers of America) or TWA (Thriller Writers of America) or a local critique group to network with other authors. I then recommend borrowing a copy of Writer’s Market and reading up on submission guidelines for agents who represent the type of stories you write. A good agent can easily contact the dream editor or publisher that you won’t be able to reach on your own. And yes, a good agent is worth his or her weight in gold. The internet is rife with writing and publishing advice, so go forth and research before you send out your submission packages. But, most importantly, make sure you have something to market (ie. a completed book) first.

4. Where do you get your ideas?

Everywhere. I can come up with viable ideas everyday. Brainstorming is the fun part. Ideas are the easy part. Sitting down everyday and learning to craft a story that other people will spend precious time and money to read? Excruciatingly hard. And rewarding. Personally (and this is merely my humble opinion) I don’t think it’s enough to have one good idea. I think you need multiple, solid high-concept questions to keep you and the reader going. (So ‘superheroes’ is not enough. Superheroes + Las Vegas + gritty, noir setting … well, now you’ve got a start.) I also believe that while readers might get hooked on a good premise, they stick around primarily because of character. (But that’s another question entirely.)

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