General Q's for Gena

Q: I've never read your books. Where do you recommend I start?
A: I only want to recommend upcoming books LOL  One of my favorite books that I've written is the upcoming Alice in Zombieland.  Seriously, I was excited to work on it and every word was a pleasure and a joy.  Also, the book I'm currently working on for Pocket -- we just titled it Last Kiss Goodnight -- is another book that has me inspired and happy to come to my computer everyday!

Q: What do you do in your free time?
A: I hang out with my family, read the Bible (see answer below), do some writing unrelated to my series (see answer below) and I go to church (Life and Rhema).  You see, in August of 2011, I became very ill.  I didn't talk about it anywhere online and still haven't.  Actually, not many people outside of my family know.  I turned to God and He healed me.  I hope to post my testimony one day! 

Q: What are you reading right now?
A: I'm actually reading the Bible for the first time.  I'd never read it all the way through, just a verse here and a verse there, and I am loving it!  Now this is powerful powerful stuff, and yes, I do believe Jesus is my Lord and Savior.  I've even been writing non-fic stuff that springs from the scriptures and I hope to create a page here at the site to offer to anyone who is interested.  

Q: What books do you recommend?

A: Make Your Dreams Bigger Than Your Memories by Terri Savelle-Foy.  Knowing God Intimately by Joyce Meyer, Fatih Food Devotions by Kenneth E. Hagin, and Christ the Healer by F.F. Bosworth.

Q: What are you listening to on your iPod?

A:  An amazing series called God is Love by Keith Moore.  I'm sooooo loving it!  At his site, he offers many lessons free of charge.  I highly recommend!

Q: How can I get a signed book from you without attending a signing?
A: We’re working on a way to make this as easy as possible for everyone! As easy as the click of a few buttons. As for now, the best way to get a signed book is to send us a SASE for a bookplate -- and be sure to let us know that's what you want. Otherwise you're likely to get a bookmark or something LOL. The address to send the SASE is posted in the question below:

Q: How can I get a signed bookplate from you?
A: Please send a SASE to PO Box 890811, Oklahoma City, OK 73189.

Q: How can I get a cover quote from you for my upcoming book?
A: I can't promise I'll have time to take a look, but feel free to have your editor or agent contact my agent, Deidre Knight. Her website is: www.knightagency.net

Q: Why aren’t all your books made in audio form?
A: Which books are chosen for audio is completely up to the publisher. If one of my books is not available that way, but you’d really like it to be, my best advice is to visit eharlequin.com, find an email, and submit your request!  The more interest there is, the more likely the books are to be released in the format you like.

Q: Why aren't any of these books graphic novels?
A: To view upcoming manga versions of the Lord of the Underworld books, go here.  Right now, they are only available in Japanese.  An English translation isn't currently in the works (I'm sorry)!  The publisher decides which books to format that way.

Q: Who are the models on your covers?
A: I wish I knew! The publisher works on the covers, picking and photographing the models. 

Q: Are there any plans to make your books – any of your books from any series -- into movies?
A: Having a book made into a movie or TV show is a dream of mine. Alas, this is totally up to Hollywood. So, if you have connections, put in a good word for me!


Q: Where can I buy merchandise (t-shirts, coffee mugs, stuff like that) featuring your characters/books?
A: We have had some delays in production, but hope to get things kicked off within the next few months!  

Q: How can we get you to come speak at our book club/event?
A:  I am a homebody by nature. Seriously, I stay home and go to church (Life and Rhema).  That's basically it.  However, I do tour (usually about once a year) for my wonderful publisher, HQN. Shoot them an email with your request, and maybe something can be worked out next time I'm on tour -- or, if nothing is in the works, maybe you can schedule an online meeting with me.  Just let them know what you want!  

Q: How do I get your books that are out of print?
A: My best advice is to hop on the publisher's website (Pocket After Dark (www.pocketafterdark.com) for the Alien Huntress Books and/or Harlequin (www.eharlequin.com) for most everything else) and let them know what you're looking for. Reader interest is the best way to get a book back out there. Also, most of my books are available as e-reads and those are almost always available, if you enjoy those!

Q: Why is the fourth and final Intertwined book scheduled to be published in 2013?  It should be published in 2012!

A: Since the 4th book is the final story for Aden, Victoria, Mary Ann and Riley, I have a lot of loose ends to tie up and I want to make sure I tie them correctly.  Plus, I have a feeling it's gonna be a monster of a book (very long :)  I need time to do this, and I am very sorry about that, that you have to wait!  I know what it feels like to want a book, and a story, completed. 


Q: Why can't I get your book in my country? (or favorite bookstore)
A: Foreign rights are a funny thing. If the US publisher doesn't own those rights, then we have to try to get other countries interested in printing them. That's not always an easy thing. Or, if the publisher does own them, they are then tasked with getting the books outside the US. All you can do is let the US publisher know where you live and what you're wanting -- reader interest is key! -- and they will do what they can. And yes, Canada and England are considered foreign rights. If books you want aren't showing up in the bookstores near you, talk to the manager of those stores. Honestly, the more interest, the more likely they are to order (and keep ordering) the books you want!

Q: When do we get sneak peeks of your books, read excerpts? And why does it take so long for you to post them?
A: After I write the rough draft, I send it to my editor. She reads it, suggests changes, then I make those changes. Then she has to read it again, and it has to go to a copy editor. After that is usually when I'll post an excerpt. 

Q: Can I post copies of your books online? And can I sell your ebooks online? What about reading torrents of your books from a "share" site?
A: All of the above constitutes book piracy, which is the unauthorized reproduction or distribution of copyrighted work and considered theft. Rather than list the reasons and ramifications here, I'll direct you to a wonderful article by the amazing Jeaniene Frost. Go here.

Q:  Can I role play with your characters?

A: I love that there's interest, and believe me, I am truly honored!  All I ask is that you post the following disclaimer, so that there's no confusion about whether or not I've written the content on your site:

By becoming a member or participant of this role-playing group, you are agreeing to the following: 



1. Gena Showalter owns the intellectual property rights, copyright and trademark of the Lords of the Underworld series. The characters, places, names and all other content contained in the Lords of the Underworld RPG are Gena Showalter’s copyrighted material and property. Your use of her characters, places, names and all other content contained within the novels is for non-profit entertainment purposes only.

2. Gena Showalter does not participate in or monitor the Lords of the Underworld RPG and therefore has no control over the comments or actions of the participants. As such, she cannot be held responsible for any comments or actions made by the groups or individual participants. By agreeing to participate in the Lords of the Underworld RPG, you acknowledge and agree to hold Gena Showalter and any of her associates blameless and free of any misconduct by the Lords of the Underworld RPG or any individual participants. 



3.  Portrayals of the characters, places, etc. contained in the Lords of the Underworld RPG do not necessarily reflect the characters, places, etc. as portrayed in the Lords of the Underworld series by Gena Showalter. Anything depicted herein should not be taken as fact or suggestive of any character, place, etc. that may or may not appear in the Lords of the Underworld series. 

 

Q: I found a few errors in your book, typos, that kind of thing. Can you fix them?
A: Please, please, please send me a message with the error(s) and the page number(s) you found them. That way, I can alert my editor and they can be fixed before reprints. Though we try to catch them all, the book goes through so many stages, so many different hands, typesetters, departments, it's difficult to spot each and every one. You will not offend me by letting me know. I will be beyond grateful!