Kari's Queries, part 11

Here we are, back in action, folks! Hope everyone had a good turkey day. Now let's start answering questions to get some of those extra pounds off!

(Whaddya mean it doesn't work that way?)

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Which book of yours, finished or in progress, is your favorite and why?

Oh wow, that's a tough one. See, books are kinda like your kids. You're supposed to love them all equally.

However, like I'm sure you all know, parents have favorites. Even if we're not supposed to say so.

I think, at least at this moment, my favorite one is Muse. I'm extremely proud of Muse, in the world I've built, in the characters I've created. Even knowing that Muse is due for a major overhaul, once I get Book 3 in the can, it's still something I'm looking forward to with a great deal of excitement. I can't wait for everyone to see it, as I see it in my head. It's going to be freakin' amazing.

I think Muse stands out for me because the world truly is entirely of my own making. I mean, the JJD novels, those are set in the real world, our world. Sure, there's supernatural stuff going on, demons and whatnot, but when I describe a Kansas City street, it pretty much looks like any other city street you could think of.

Muse, though... That world came completely out of my warped little mind. The situation, the circumstances... Everything was mine to twist however I wanted, and the more twisted I made it, the happier I found myself. I stretched myself the most, with Muse, and I think that exercise is going to do me a lot of good in future books.

Have you ever considered who your literary executor would be and how you would want your works handled as to tampering, changing, and such?

I have thought about it. See, when you get to be old like me (I just turned 34! Ugh!) you think about stuff like that. Grownup responsibilities and whatever.

I suppose part of it would depend on when it became an issue. I mean, right now... If I croaked tomorrow, the only thing we might be able to finish up would be the JJD stories. I doubt anything else would ever get published. As for someone to finish writing them for me... Dunno. Miss Chie knows my future plans for that series just about better than anyone, but I don't know if she'd be able/willing to try and continue it without me.

If we're talking fifty years down the road when I've published eleventy-thousand novels and have the Nobel Prize in literature... Hm. I suppose my back catalog would just go on earning my descendants money. Who knows what other works I might have stuffed under a mattress by that time, that my great-grandkids can whip out and publish as a "never before seen work". Maybe by then I'll have figured out who I would trust to do my writing for me.

Why, one of you looking for the job? (I kid. I'm a kidder.)

Do you ever write other things like short stories or poems?

I was all set to say no to this question, when I realized that it wasn't precisely truthful.

I wrote poetry, once upon a time. Like, when I was in grade school. I think any writer tries it, at least once. I sucked at it, I fully admit that. Granted, I was also like eight. I sucked at pretty much everything at that point. I don't even try any more. There's a certain artistry to poems that I just don't have. I prefer to beat people over the head with my hefty tomes.

As for short stories... I was about to say that I can't write short stories. Usually, my ideas just can't be contained in less than 80K words. And then I realized that I generally write two or three short stories a week, just for fun. See, I play World of Warcraft, and my guildies and I write stories about our characters for fun. It's nothing for me to sit down and bang out a two thousand word story for my guildies and call it a relaxing half hour.

So yes, I do write short stories, but nothing publishable, and it's only for the enjoyment of a few friends. I suppose, someday if someone wants me to write a short story for an anthology or something, I could give it a try. But I bet I'll do a lot of freaking out about it first.

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And that's today's answers!

I'm a bit scarce around the ol' blog here, 'cause I'm hard at work on my edit notes for A SHOT IN THE DARK! I'm always afraid that I'll sit down with my manuscript and my red pen and nothing will come to me, but so far I've been able to mark up the first few chapters quite well. I'm excited about it again as I read through it, and I think ya'll are really gonna like this one.