Eight days from now, on Sept. 6, the print and eBook versions of FINAL HEIR drop. Audible drops in October.
To keep you occupied until then, there is this, more Q & A from the FB fanpage. Enjoy!
Amanda — How in the world do you stay so focused? Do you have multiple stories going on in your head at once? Do you get sidetracked from a current story?
Faith—I have always had a single track mind. I can follow the ball but have no idea what the other players on the field are doing. It’s much the same with writing. I simply put my eye son the ball and write. That said, new ideas and different book concepts and strange new characters do pop up from time to time, which is when I stop, open a file, and stick the idea/character in the computer file system, somewhere.
Barbara — How do you keep all the characters and locations and plot lines organized?
Faith—I used to have Teri Lee Akar, who was my timeline and character database keeper. Teri died in December of 2021. I no longer have her help, so I will be writing shorter series now.
Kelly Jo — How does Kristine Hvam prepare for reading your books for audible? Do they color code characters parts? They flip from one to another so quickly I’m just amazed by how she brings your books to life!
Faith — Khristine and I talk before every new book. If I have a new character from a specific locale she finds that accent online and sends it to me and we discuss it. When we started the Soulwood series I have heavily involved because the accent of the region of Tennessee where Nell lives is very specific. She found documentaries and sent them to me, saying “The character in red shirt at 3.08 minutes is Sam. The character with the heavier accent in the blue shirt is Daddy Nicholson.” I’d listen and tell her it was perfect. That saying, the accents for the character in the Shining Smith JUNKYARD CATS series were more general except for a certain guy from Alabama. He had to have an Alabama accent, maybe near hill country. She feels that regionalized accents are important to right, so the people who come from there can go, “Wow! She got us right! No one gets it right!”
As to how Khristine marks up her manuscripts, I have no idea! But I bet it is meticulous and extreme!
Doug — Kelly Jo, Khristine Hvam is a true professional. She has some master classes up on YouTube that are fascinating.
Kelly Jo — Doug, ooooo I’ll have to check that out!
Kristen — What was your inspiration for Jane’s favorites, whether it’s the boots, the oatmeal, the songs, or the love of dancing?
Faith—Jane had been brewing in the back of my head for a very long time as this amorphous character who wore Lucchese boots, belly-danced, rode Hogs, and ate the kind of food that would come to her through an children’s home in the South. For over a year before I knew anything else about her, I studied boots online, and even bought a pair of Lucchese boots, took belly-dancing lessons, and talked to people who grew up in homes.
From A different source — What are you reading now?
Faith — I’ll give you three: I just finished RR. Virdi’s The First Binding. It was exquisite. Spectacular. Spell binding. HIGHLY Recommended.
Ilona Andrews Ruby Fever, from the Hidden Legacy series, which was so much non-stop action fun with a little bit of romance.
And a new book ARC for a blurb which I am quite enjoying and will talk about later.
Have a great week, ya’ll!
Faith