Here are some questions readers ask most frequently. Have a question not answered here? Contact me!
Will there be a third Kinshield novel?
Yes and no. The series itself is finished, but I'm planning a standalone book
that takes place after the events in The Wayfarer King. It won't be part of The
Kinshield Saga.
Do you plan to write more science fiction?
Yes, I love writing science fiction, and I love doing the research required for
it. I'm planning a new story that features dolphins that takes place on earth
later in this century.
How do you pronounce the word 'sapher?'
Sapher is the abbreviation for homo sapiens heredis, their species
name. Some of my characters pronounce it like 'staffer' without the t, some
pronounce it like 'safer,' and a few say, 'sape-her.' You can pronounce it
however you like.
Why do the people in the story seem so unemotional about impending end of
society caused by the molliovirus?
When we're born into terrible conditions like war or poverty, we accept them as
normal because we know no other way of life. People are unlikely to lament their
living conditions when they've never known anything else. Try to change them?
Yes, but walk around in grief? No.
Why isn't there more advanced computer-driven equipment in 2023?
Imagine being a student in a world where humans are headed toward extinction.
Schools focus not on teaching computer skills but on the life sciences: biology,
chemistry, etc. to seed society with people who will pursue careers as medical
doctors and researchers. Students are less likely to choose computer science as
their college major. The technical innovations we expect to see in a society not
threatened with extinction would be developed more slowly in a society whose
main problems involve finding a way to survive.
Why is there so much swearing?
Because that's the way people really talk. Or maybe it's just the people I live
and work with. heh. Anyway, I try for realism as much as possible within the
fictional environment so that it's easier for readers to suspend disbelief. Not
every character swears.
Do the saphers have snake DNA?
No, the DNA that makes them immune from the effects of molliovirus comes from
alligators. The word 'vipers' in the title refers to Arizona Security and
Policing -- the ASPs. Asps are a kind of viper, and the guards were certainly
venomous!
Does Gavin have any illegitimate children he doesn't know about?
No.
How did he lose his eye tooth?
The answer -- the real answer -- is revealed in The Wayfarer King!
What is the Star Fire Gem?
It's a powerful, magical gem that lets its wielder see through the eyes of
another to know where he is and what he's doing. Such a thing could be a
powerful weapon.
Why doesn't Gavin use the lordover's army to help him with Ravenkind?
Gavin has suspicions, strong ones, about what Ravenkind has done but nothing he
could take to the lordover as proof of any crime. The lordovers don't employ
armies so much as a city watch and personal guard. The Viragon Sisterhood is the
closest thing to an army in Thendylath, which is why Ravenkind sought to control
them.
Isn't there any threat from foreign (human) invaders?
At first there was, but Thendylath quickly gained a reputation as a cursed
land due to the beyonder infestation. Beyonders could invade any land on the
planet, but due to the events that took place 200 years ago, their visits are
concentrated in Thendylath and the countries that share its continent.
Will Gavin ever see Bahn and Bahnna again?
It's very likely!
Why didn't you write a sex scene for Gavin?
While a lot of fantasy fiction contains explicit sex, I wanted to keep these
novels relatively "clean" so that younger readers could also enjoy
them.