On my personal blog I added a page called Frequently Asked Questions, which covers the, you guessed it, personal questions I get asked frequently. I thought I should do one for the author questions I get asked.
- Does Jorick enchant Katelina without her knowing?
I don’t know. You’d have to ask him that question. I’d like to say no, because he respects her too much, but I suspect he probably has and does. A good example is when she first met him. Why else would she be “outside one minute and inside the next” without knowing why? What prevents her from waking up in the middle of the night while they’re hanging out with the War Coven? These questions may be unanswered, but I will say that men are never as perfect as they pretend to be. (No one is, for that matter!)
- Why don’t Jorick or Katelina spend time cleaning/drinking/eating/taking out the trash/peeing regularly/etc. etc.
They do. I’m not Stephen King (are all those bathroom scenes REALLY necessary? Ick!) and the books aren’t a moment by moment, play-by-play of Katelina and Jorick’s lives. No one buys a vampire book to read about the heroine doing the laundry or peeing. Unless it’s really important, I assume that the readers are smart enough to figure those parts out on their own.
- Is it really possible for a person to survive days/weeks on gas station/takeout/fast food/convenience food?
One word: Yeah. Truck drivers do it. My father does it. Heck, I’ve done it. In fact, I once lived for six months on one orange, one can of soda and one microwave angel hair meal a day. Was it good for me? No. Did I die? No.
- Can people really survive without indoor plumbing, central air or electricity?
Ask the Pioneers. Or the Egyptians. Or the ancient Greeks. Or back to nature campers. You get my point.
- Can someone really sleep in a coffin without suffocating?
Okay, okay, this one I haven’t physically researched. It’s not like it’s easy to get a coffin – or casket – to sleep in. Myth Busters said that you could be buried in one for five hours, but since Katelina is not buried, nor is the coffin/casket sealed, I assume she could go longer. If nothing else, they could crack the lid and let air in if they needed to.
- Speaking of that, can two people really fit into a coffin, anyway?
First off, there’s a difference between caskets and coffins. Real coffins have a bulge somewhere around the middle of the body (think classic Dracula) while caskets are rectangular. The average casket is 84 inches long, 28 inches wide, and 23 inches tall, while the average human body is about 60 inches long (6 feet), 18 inches wide and 6 inches high. However, this is not the only casket size. Most oversize caskets are 52 inches wide, which would definitely accommodate the pair.
- Where do your vampires get their caskets from? Aren’t they expensive?
Heh-heh. I actually covered that in one of my “deleted scenes” – which I have since added in to Legacy of Ghosts. You can read the original version here.
- Isn’t it really hard to stab someone in the heart?
My research said yes and no. Pigs are a lot like humans, after all, and extensive experiments done by my dear husband on pigs (dead pigs, not live ones) showed that it is a matter of how strong you are and your angle. Katelina has had vampire blood and is quite a bit stronger than she thinks. I’m sure she could handle it no problem.
- When a vampire bites someone wouldn’t there be marks from the lower teeth, too?
I think it would depend how hard they bite. If they were purposefully marking someone they cared about, then no, because they’d stop the pressure, but if it was done in haste, or they didn’t care, then yes, not only lower teeth but the rest of the upper teeth as well. Or at least that was my conclusion after biting tomatoes while wearing fake vampire fangs, and also getting bit by a cat.
- How many books are there going to be?
There are nine in the series and a stand alone staring Patrick. I’m working on a novel with Micah and Loren, and then there will be a trilogy with Oren’s children as young adults. There may also be a stand alone of Jorick’s life, and maybe one of Verchiel and Jamie.
- Are we going to see more of a (insert name here) in the future?
Ask me and, if I know, I’ll tell you. I also take requests.
- Have you thought about doing spin off books/stories with the side characters?
There are already the Vampire Morsels short stories, the Tales of the Executioners short stories, as well as the Thirteen Guests collection, and of course there are novel length works coming for some of the others.
- When you’re rich and famous are you planning to turn your books into movies?
Wouldn’t that be nice? Since we’re in the land of Jo-is-famous-make-believe I say sure! Though I think they’d be an even better anime! (I am totally drooling over imaginary anime Jorick right now!)
14. Are the Alternate Universe/Gender Swap/Etc. stories ONLY on your Patreon page?
15. Do you have a Facebook group?
I do! The Amaranthine Street Team is my reader’s group, so if you’ve read the books come hang out there.
16. I haven’t seen much of you on social media…
You’re right. You haven’t. Social media has, for the most part, become a toxic dumpster fire of doom scrolling, name calling, and hatred. I’ve tried some of those alternate social sites, but they aren’t much better. I think we’d all be better off without them. We could go back to snail mail. It could be fun.
17. Can I get an autographed paperback?
Yes! Message me (on Facebook or email me at joleene@joleenenaylor.com) with which books you want and I can give you the price(It involves double shipping charges, though). Alternately, you can buy the books and message me and I can just mail you some signed/personalized book plates to paste in them. This is a lot cheaper, but it’s up to you. There’s a cool page on my website showing what books are in paperback.
Amaranthine by Joleene Naylor 