FAQ

1. How did you get the idea/concept for The Iron Fey?

Faeries, the old, ancient fey, not the glittery winged sprites, have always fascinated me. But I wanted to write a book that was different than other faery books. So I began thinking: what are the fey afraid of? The answer, in most ancient mythos, is iron. Faeries can’t stand the touch of iron and steel. So, what if there was a new type of fey that had evolved with progress over the years? What if they weren’t only immune to iron, their existence was slowly poisoning and corrupting the lands of the traditional fey? And I realized we already have “monsters” in machines: gremlins, bugs, viruses, ect. And from that thought, the Iron fey were born.

2. I have a book review blog and would like to request a review copy/ARC of your book. Could you send me one?

Sadly, I cannot. I get a lot of these requests, and I only receive a limited amount of ARCs from my publisher. The best thing you can do is contact Harlequin TEEN directly to request a review copy. Another idea, if you are a reviewer or blogger, is to go to http://www.netgalley.com/ to request an e-galley.

3. Will you read/critique my story/book/poem?

I’m sorry, but for legal reasons, as well as my own crazy schedule, I cannot. If you want your story critiqued, there are several sites online that will do so, such as http://www.critters.org/ or http://www.sfwritersu.com/.

4. Do you have any advice for aspiring authors?

Persist. This is the best advice I can give you. There is no magic formula, no secret code for becoming a published author; it’s all hard work and patience and yes, a little bit of talent and luck. Writing is a skill that takes practice and time to develop, same as painting or kung fu or playing the guitar. You’re not automatically good at it, at least, I never was. While you’re writing and honing your skills, learn everything you can about the business. Read books on writing. Start a critique group. Go to workshops if you can. Know that if you’re serious about getting published, you’re going to be rejected, probably multiple times. But it’s all part of the journey. Remember this: all authors started exactly where you are right now. The difference between a published author and just a writer is that the published author never gave up.

5. When is your next book/series coming out?

Unfortunately, I don’t automatically know the release schedule for my books, and usually discover the dates when Amazon puts them up. Occasionally my publisher will want to keep the release under wraps until a specific time.  So the long and short answer is: I will let people know release dates as soon as I can, usually by twitter or my blog, but until that time, I honestly couldn’t tell you.

6. Will you make the Iron Fey series into a movie?

Here’s the thing.  Authors have absolutely no say in whether or not their books become movies.  That decision rests solely with Hollywood, producers, directors, and a whole lot of people who aren’t me.  Of course, I would love it if any of my series made the jump from book to movie screen, but it’s not my choice no matter how much I wish it was.

However, TALON, my new dragon shifter series, has been optioned by Universal Pictures, so fingers crossed that we might see modern day dragons soaring across the silver screen one day.

7.  What does it mean when a book becomes optioned?  Does that mean it’s going to be a movie?

When a studio options a book, it means that they have purchased the rights to make that book into a movie if they want to and if things work out.  It does not mean that they will, or that a movie is assured.  Lots of things must happen between the time the studio purchases the option rights and when filming actually starts, and sometimes things just don’t work out.  A large percentage of optioned books never get made into movies, but it is the first step into getting that book-to-film adaptation, so all you can do is hope.

8. Where can I find the e-novellas of Winter’s Passage and Summer’s Crossing? Will they ever be made into a printed book?

Winter’s Passage, Summer’s Crossing, and the novella called Iron’s Prophecy, are all available in the anthology The Iron Legends. You can find it at most book retailers.

9. Will you publish your books in my country/language?

This is another thing that I have absolutely no control of.  All translations and foreign rights are handled by my publisher, Harlequin TEEN.

10. Will you be signing/touring/appearing near me soon?

Follow me on Twitter (@jkagawa) or check out my website, as I will always post or tweet my upcoming events. Please check my website or Twitter feed to keep up with the latest developments.

11. How can I contact you?

You can follow me on Twitter (@jkagawa), check in at my Instagram or stop by my Facebook page.