Frequently Asked Questions

 

THE DRAKE CHRONICLES

What is the order of the Drake Chronicles?”

#1 Hearts at Stake/ My Love Lies Bleeding (Dec 2009)
#2 Blood Feud (June 2010)
#3 Out for Blood (Nov-Dec 2010)
#4 Bleeding Hearts  (Oct 2011 UK, Jan 2012 US)   (Lucy, Christabel, Connor POV)
#5 Blood Moon  (Lucy, Solange, Nicholas POV)  June 2012
#6 TBA

What is POV?”

POV stands for point of view. So, Hearts at Stake was first person POV Solange and Lucy.

Is My Love Lies Bleeding the same as Hearts at Stake?”

Yes, My Love Lies Bleeding is the British and Australian title of Hearts at Stake. They have different covers too, but are the same book inside.The rest of the books in the series will have different covers but the same title in Canada, US, Britain and Australia to make things easier for you!

How do you pronounce the characters names?”

Solange ~  “Soh-lawn-j”           
Isabeau ~ “Ee-zah-boh”                
Montmartre ~  “Moh-maarrh-trr”     
Kieran~ “Keer-in”

Why does each Drake book have a different main character?”

I wanted to explore different parts of the Drake world and different perspectives.Book #1 deals mostly with the Drakes,
#2 with the Hounds,
#3 with the Helios-Ra,
#4 with the Hel-Blar,
Book #5 is like a big family reunion. But with more teeth and nefarious plots. Book 6 continues along that vein. (vampire puns are really, really hard to avoid)Solange’s storyline is the main arc, tying all of these worlds and people together; as well as her friendship with Lucy.

When will we see Lucy again?”

Lucy appears in every book of the Drake Chronicles (as does Nicholas) and half of book #4 and #5 is from her perspective (so far!).

How many books are in the Drake Chronicles?”

Bloomsbury/Walker & Co have decided on 6 for the series.

Will each brother get their own book?”

Sorry,  now that the series is 6 books long,  each brother will not get their own…but don’t worry they’ll be in all the books!

When will Bleeding Hearts come out?”

Bleeding Hearts is now available in the UK and on ebook in the US.And…It’s official!  The on-sale date in stores for BLEEDING HEARTS will be 12/20/11—as a holiday gift for the Drake fans!

And ONLY available in the print version: “Lost Girls”,  a bonus story about Liam and Helena and how they met!

If my copy of “Bleeding Hearts” doesn’t include “The Lost Girls” short story, where can I read it?”

“Lost Girls” is currently exclusive to the North American print release of Bleeding Hearts, on December 20, 2011. Bloomsbury is currently deciding on the best way to share this short story with readers around the world, after the publication of the NA version. When details become available, I’ll post them here.There are more short stories which will become available soon… check out the Drake Chronicles Novella link!

When will your next book come out in my country?”

I would love to be able to answer this question for you but I really don’t know. Your best bet is to check with your local bookstore, library or online shop.

Will there be a Drake Chronicles movie?”

Books being turned into movies need to be “optioned”. Optioning is a first step and it often doesn’t get past that.Movies require the attention of a director and/or movie company and a lot of money. And luck and love!

Is there any chance there will be more than 6 books to the series?”

Currently, no. I’d love to do a Lucy spin-off series one day but that’s up to how loudly the readers want it and how well the series does… and there’s just no way to foretell that kind of thing! It’s really up to how the books do i.e. how much you like it/buy it/request it/want more.In the meantime, there are 3 Enovellas set in the Drake World forthcoming early this year. And there is the possibility of more…

What if I don’t have an Ereader? How do I read the Ebooks?

The Ebooks can be read even if you don’t have an Ereader. Simply download the app from Barnes and Noble or Amazon and you can read them on your computer or phone. Happy reading!

WRITING

Can you send me bookmarks/buttons/autographed book?

I’m sorry but I don’t have a P.O. Box so this is not currently possible. However, I do try to bring buttons and bookmarks to book signing events when possible.

What do you think about fanfiction?

I’m flattered that you would find my work inspiring but due to legal, copyright and basic make-our-lives-easier rules, I cannot read it, talk about it or link to it.

Can you read my story/book/proposal/query?

I’m sorry but I can’t. If I read everyone’s stories, I wouldn’t have time to write my own!

Do you have any writing advice?

The bad news is: there’s no secret handshake.
The good news is: there’s no secret handshakeSo, my advice is pretty basic: write. Sounds simple, right? But a lot of people want to be writers— they don’t necessarily want to write. If you love to write, you’re halfway there already. Keep at it. Like anything else, you need practice.Carry a notebook with you to jot down ideas. Read lots. And then read some more.

Learn to finish something: a poem, a short story, a novella. The fire at the beginning of a story can flicker once you’re a few chapters in and then you get distracted by shiny idea #15, and that one over there., and wait is that Dean Winchester? Mr. Darcy? (okay those last 2 might just be me!)… so  learn to finish. It’s a skill like any other.

And if it’s a fantasy novel or urban fantasy that you’re writing, know your rules. There has to be internal logic, even if it’s all made-up in your head. And those rules? Don’t create them to make things easier for yourself. Your rules need to make you sweat sometimes! It’s not always fun but it makes for a better story.

Try not to worry too much about your “voice”. If you’re true to youself and your story, your voice will orgcanically, magically happen.

Let’s face it, writing a vampire series like the Drake Chronicles means dealing with vampire fatigue in the market–but I had the story and it wanted to be told. I’ve always loved vampires and paranormal fiction, so I wrote it regardless. I wrote it for fun. If you write for the “market”, and not for love, chances are you’ll miss the train. It can take up to 2 years for a book to be published after it’s written and accepted (another couple of years right there) so that market trend? Long gone.

You might still miss the trend, but if you’re writing for love, it won’t matter quite as much.

There are several very helpful books out there for writing:

The Writers Digest books,

“Writers Book of Days” by Judy Reeves,
“The Right to Write” by Julia Cameron,
“Poemcrazy” by S. Woolridge.

Some of the Idiot’s writing guides have good tips as well! And author biographies are fun too. I especially love the Brontes, Jane Austen and the Romantic Poets.

And one of my all-time favourites is “Letters to a Young Poet” By Ranier Maria Rilke

Will you come to my town/school?

I can only go where I am invited and where my awesome publishers can send me… but let them know where you are, it never hurts to ask!

 

HAUNTING VIOLET

Will there be a Haunting Violet sequel?

Haunting Violet is currently a standalone novel. That said, I wrote a sequel for my own enjoyment, so the possibility is there. It depends on publishers and reader demand, I suppose. So if you want it, let Bloomsbury/ Walker &Co know! and make sure to let your local bookshops know you want to read more.

 

NOTE:

I try to answer most comments and emails…to keep doing so, I may not answer your question if it’s already been answered in the FAQs. But I do read them all and appreciate each and every one! And I used to be able to at least say thank you in the replies but WordPress doesn’t always let me do that anymore … but know that I am grateful for all of your kind comments.And I won’t give spoilers or answer questions about might or might happen to characters….

Comments

  1. Jenna says:

    can turned female vampires have children? like isabeau?

    • no, they can’t.

    • Caity says:

      What about solange, would she be able to have children? Because she went through the change, and was not turned by another vampire?

      How exactly do they turn someone into a vampire?

    • Charli says:

      Ok so, Isabeau or Solange can not have babies. But that would mean Lucy is able to, correct? It would be so awesome if someone in you book series could have a child. Especially my favourite couple Nicholas and Lucy!!!

      • Claire says:

        I think she could, but all depends on Nicholas- and if they have a boy. You know why- boy- bloodchange. . . Also, my favorite couple is Hunter and Quinn, and if Hunter did get pregnant, I would love to see Quinn freak out. God, yeah, that would be funny.

        • destiny says:

          agree about hunter & quinn quinn reminds me of dameein from the vampire diares

        • Rachel says:

          that would be funney I can just see it And she is a vampire hunter and he is a vampire

        • Belle says:

          yep, totally agree with u there!!! LOL!!!

        • Chelsea says:

          But what if they(Lucy or Hunter, whichever) have a girl? Then that means that solange donst actually HAVE to be queen. Because the prophesy (although i dont know all of it) says a girl born to the drake name will bring peace to the tribes and become queen or whatever. But,( i dont think) they never say any of the details do they???

          • Maureen - Louise says:

            Yes BUT it doesnt name the Drakes.

            ” because there’s some stupid prophecy from centuries ago that says the vampire tribes will be properly united under the role of a daughter born to an ancient family”

            In the first book, it mentions they are several familes with the Genetic Ability.

            “our family is one the few ancient clans of the Raktapa Council. the council was formed ages ago when the families realized that we weren’t like other vampires: Our change is genetic.”

            Just so happens that Solange is the first in 900 yrs.

            “Vampires are rarely born, except in certain ancient families . . . Exhitbit A, me and my seven obnoxious older brothers. But i’m the only girl. In about nine hundred years”

        • unknown says:

          her grandpa would b even more freak out

        • IloveQUINN! says:

          same here Hunter and Quinn are my favorite couple, I would love to see Quinn’s reaction, but i don’t think he’d do much, although i think the grandpa would be quite surprised. I’m dying to read more :)

        • emily says:

          ha yeah quinn would have a die again. i think lucky and nicky should have twins. and one of luckys parents should change

      • Looby says:

        A Lucy & Nicholas baby would be cute, they are my favourite couple in the series too :)

  2. Sara says:

    Im sort of confused about the 4th book. Because on the homepage in your interview you said that the 4th book was about Connor Drake but then in the frequently asked question you said half of it was in Lucy perspective. So does that mean that half the book is in Connor’s perspective and the other half in Lucy’s?

  3. Leigh says:

    The town the story is set in is Violet Hill. But I was wondering what state the town is in? :D And, what does the word Helios-Ra stand for? XDD

    • Violet Hill is a ficitonal town, but since I’m Canadian I usually picture it Canadian, but I’ve purposefully left that out so you can picture it Us if you live in the US. :) I think some British readers think of it as a British town as well. :)

    • Shari says:

      Helios stands for an ancient Greece god who pulled his chariot across the sky. I found the definition at rhymezone.com just ytpe in helios

      • Monika says:

        Ra is the ancient Egyptian sun god. Wikipedia.

        • Claire says:

          O.K- So, chariot pulling and a sun god! Who knew.
          Soz if that offends anyone. I didn’t mean to.

        • Teagan says:

          Its metaphorical cuz you know the sun makes them sleep and so do the helious ra but in a different way…. so the helious ra are the sun being pulled across the sky … sorry if this dosen’t make sense and if the spellings are off. Good names by the way Alyx :)

  4. Gabrielle says:

    One question I’ve always had is:
    What’s the aging process like for vampires in the Drake Chronicles? Because Liam, Helena, Hyacinth and Geoffrey have been round for decades and look fairly young still, so how will the Drake siblings age?

  5. Amanda says:

    Wha t does hel-blar mean??? ( their origins )
    What is the name of the fourth book???

  6. Jorja says:

    When will ‘Stolen Away’ come out in Australia and the UK?

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