Ask the Author: C.J. Ellisson
Answered Questions (16)
C.J. Ellisson
I have to finish writing it. The manuscript is currently 56k words in to a 90k word projected novel.
If I was my old self, I’d quickly quip it could be finished in a couple of months. But life has hit me hard, very hard, and I’m not writing.
When I get back to writing, Blood Reckoning will be the first thing I finish.
If I was my old self, I’d quickly quip it could be finished in a couple of months. But life has hit me hard, very hard, and I’m not writing.
When I get back to writing, Blood Reckoning will be the first thing I finish.
C.J. Ellisson
Thanks for your enthusiasm, Amanda! I had dozens of stories lined up in my mind for the series, but then it stopped selling before I finished Sharpen the Blade, and no matter what I tried, I couldn’t breathe reader interest back into the series.
It’s impossible (for me and a lot of writers) to passionately write a series year after year if it doesn’t earn out.
If it ever gains traction again, like after the release of last book scheduled, then I’d pick it back up again. I had stand alone novels in the same setting and characters mapped out for Jon, Asa, Paul, and Eric and Pat.
But if there’s no money, I have to move on.
It’s impossible (for me and a lot of writers) to passionately write a series year after year if it doesn’t earn out.
If it ever gains traction again, like after the release of last book scheduled, then I’d pick it back up again. I had stand alone novels in the same setting and characters mapped out for Jon, Asa, Paul, and Eric and Pat.
But if there’s no money, I have to move on.
C.J. Ellisson
I’m still writing the last book. My mom had a devastating stroke in 2015 that left her paralyzed, incontinent, and unable to speak. Her long term care and therapies became a HUGE ongoing battle between my father and I, leaving our family fractured and broken until her death five years later in 2020.
Within months of her death my father admitted himself to a nursing home, left his home, belongings, and debts on me to handle. In the midst of all this, I get a diagnosis for years of foot pain to be a rare tumor that has to be removed. I’m recovering from surgery now, and the plan is to finish Blood Reckoning and then move forward to other projects.
I do not have a release date, terribly sorry. My life has been chaos and pain for too long, and I need to find my way back to writing.
Sorry you don’t like Paul. I do, so he won’t be killed off.
I thank you for your support and interest in the series. It’s incredible to know readers are still interested years later. Thank you.
Within months of her death my father admitted himself to a nursing home, left his home, belongings, and debts on me to handle. In the midst of all this, I get a diagnosis for years of foot pain to be a rare tumor that has to be removed. I’m recovering from surgery now, and the plan is to finish Blood Reckoning and then move forward to other projects.
I do not have a release date, terribly sorry. My life has been chaos and pain for too long, and I need to find my way back to writing.
Sorry you don’t like Paul. I do, so he won’t be killed off.
I thank you for your support and interest in the series. It’s incredible to know readers are still interested years later. Thank you.
C.J. Ellisson
Yes, but I have to finish writing it.
C.J. Ellisson
Thanks for your interest, Nancy. I know it’s been an unforgivably long time. The last book isn’t done yet, but once it is, it’ll be released.
C.J. Ellisson
I’m still writing the last book. My mom had a devastating stroke in 2015 that left her paralyzed, incontinent, and unable to speak. Her long term care and therapies became a HUGE ongoing battle between my father and I, leaving our family fractured and broken until her death five years later in 2020.
Within months of her death my father admitted himself to a nursing home, left his home, belongings, and debts on me to handle. In the midst of all this, I get a diagnosis for years of foot pain to be a rare tumor that has to be removed. I’m recovering from surgery now, and the plan is to finish Blood Reckoning and then move forward to other projects.
I do not have a release date, terribly sorry. My life has been chaos and pain for too long, and I need to find my way back to writing. Once it’s released, it will be in the UK immediately.
I thank you for your support and interest in the series. It’s incredible to know readers are still interested years later. Thank you.
Within months of her death my father admitted himself to a nursing home, left his home, belongings, and debts on me to handle. In the midst of all this, I get a diagnosis for years of foot pain to be a rare tumor that has to be removed. I’m recovering from surgery now, and the plan is to finish Blood Reckoning and then move forward to other projects.
I do not have a release date, terribly sorry. My life has been chaos and pain for too long, and I need to find my way back to writing. Once it’s released, it will be in the UK immediately.
I thank you for your support and interest in the series. It’s incredible to know readers are still interested years later. Thank you.
C.J. Ellisson
Sorry, I don’t have the money to publish them as audio books. The series stopped being profitable a long time ago, before Sharpen the Blade.
C.J. Ellisson
Hi Suzee,
I'm already writing the next installment. The next novella will be out in late June/early July with the completion of the story arc happening in the next novel, which will release a week later.
You might want to sign up for my newsletter. The novella will release in installments, one per month, and will be free to subscribers. After all the installments, it will be offered for sale. Check out the March newsletter link on my GoodReads author profile to read the details.
I'm already writing the next installment. The next novella will be out in late June/early July with the completion of the story arc happening in the next novel, which will release a week later.
You might want to sign up for my newsletter. The novella will release in installments, one per month, and will be free to subscribers. After all the installments, it will be offered for sale. Check out the March newsletter link on my GoodReads author profile to read the details.
C.J. Ellisson
Hi Amy,
I will be working on the last Vanilla book in August and hope to have it released by the end of 2015.
Thanks for your support and interest!
I will be working on the last Vanilla book in August and hope to have it released by the end of 2015.
Thanks for your support and interest!
C.J. Ellisson
I read over my outline, I picture the story and action in my mind as it's unfolding. Once I feel like I've got a true sense of what's going I start to write. Trying to do so before the story is fully fleshed out and ready usually results in a lot of wasted time.
C.J. Ellisson
Never give up. This is the hardest career I've ever had. Don't let your fellow writers or industry gatekeepers tell you you can't make it, or your story won't find an audience because of X, Y or Z. That doesn't mean you shouldn't always work to improve your craft and tighten your prose, but it does mean that you shouldn't let someone else's hang-ups and fears become your own.
C.J. Ellisson
Hmm... far too many great things to just list one, so perhaps I'll stick to the most basic. For me, the best thing is sharing the stories in my head and having others enjoy them. If I was writing strictly for a personal hobby I suppose that wouldn't matter -- but I'm not. This is a job and to have people connect with the characters and story lines I create is a dream come true.
C.J. Ellisson
For me, if I'm having trouble creating, it's a sure sign I'm working too hard. I usually take a break and read my favorite authors, exercise, and meditate to fill the "creative well" and resume work.
C.J. Ellisson
I offer ARCs to readers via my newsletter list. Preference is first come, to those who send in URL links to past reviews. I send out approximately 50-100 ARCs per release.
C.J. Ellisson
I'm currently working on the next book after Big Game, titled Blood Legacy. To get my head back in the story and characters, I'm re-reading the books. I've had the basic plot premise of this story mapped out for over two years, but due to low sales in the series I switched gears and worked on the contemporary romance series, Walk on the Wild Side.
I'd originally planned for the existing overall story arc to wrap up in two more books, and even have rough plots for stand-alone stories for books six and seven in the works. But now I'm not so sure.
Whether the books continue past this one or not will be solely up to sales. While yes, I love this series with all my heart, I need to focus on what sells -- and much to my dismay, that hasn't been these books.
Blood Legacy, with luck, will come out this fall. If sales are good, I'll immediately start the conclusion book in the existing story arc. If not, Blood Legacy may be the last book in the V V Inn series for a very long time -- which has led me to debate if I should wrap up the story arc in this book (which will take me more time).
I've also got readers waiting on Tony and Heather's final book and have an entire new adult romantic suspense series I'd like to work on. I'm never lacking for projects, that's for sure! Just the time to write them. :-)
I'd originally planned for the existing overall story arc to wrap up in two more books, and even have rough plots for stand-alone stories for books six and seven in the works. But now I'm not so sure.
Whether the books continue past this one or not will be solely up to sales. While yes, I love this series with all my heart, I need to focus on what sells -- and much to my dismay, that hasn't been these books.
Blood Legacy, with luck, will come out this fall. If sales are good, I'll immediately start the conclusion book in the existing story arc. If not, Blood Legacy may be the last book in the V V Inn series for a very long time -- which has led me to debate if I should wrap up the story arc in this book (which will take me more time).
I've also got readers waiting on Tony and Heather's final book and have an entire new adult romantic suspense series I'd like to work on. I'm never lacking for projects, that's for sure! Just the time to write them. :-)
C.J. Ellisson
The most recent title I had release was Loving Ms. Wrong, in March of 2014. This title was written at reader demand, for those curious if Marcus ever found his own happy ever after.
His character wasn't portrayed well in the first book, Vanilla on Top, but he did try and redeem himself at the end and finally offered Tony support when it mattered most. I'd always pictured him as a complex guy, with his own issues, and even though men don't like to admit how their past can effect their present, it does. He's a perfect example of long-term guy-friendship that has a lot of deep seated jealousy to work out.
His character wasn't portrayed well in the first book, Vanilla on Top, but he did try and redeem himself at the end and finally offered Tony support when it mattered most. I'd always pictured him as a complex guy, with his own issues, and even though men don't like to admit how their past can effect their present, it does. He's a perfect example of long-term guy-friendship that has a lot of deep seated jealousy to work out.
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