Ask the Author: Lynessa Layne
Answered Questions (15)
Lynessa Layne
First, thank you for the compliments. I'm honored and humbled. I will not apologize for making you insane with addiction though, hehehe.
Book 6 is on my schedule to head to my editor in May with the goal of publishing in June. I try to publish every 3-4 months when my schedule permits. This series was once 10 novels, but all ebooks, so I didn't have to worry about word counts and lengths for paperbacks at the time. When I unpublished to rewrite it, I did so with paperbacks in mind and planned, therefore the series will now end up 13 books which is why I've chosen the playing card theme for the numbers on the covers. The final 3 will be J, Q, and K with maybe an Ace up my sleeve if readers want.
If you enjoyed DCYE, you'll want to check out Killer Kiss, a DCYE short standalone featuring Klive and Kinsley while they were still strangers. Hope this helps. I know some readers balk at so many books, but as a serial reader first, I love a story I can't put down with characters I get to 'check on'.
Book 6 is on my schedule to head to my editor in May with the goal of publishing in June. I try to publish every 3-4 months when my schedule permits. This series was once 10 novels, but all ebooks, so I didn't have to worry about word counts and lengths for paperbacks at the time. When I unpublished to rewrite it, I did so with paperbacks in mind and planned, therefore the series will now end up 13 books which is why I've chosen the playing card theme for the numbers on the covers. The final 3 will be J, Q, and K with maybe an Ace up my sleeve if readers want.
If you enjoyed DCYE, you'll want to check out Killer Kiss, a DCYE short standalone featuring Klive and Kinsley while they were still strangers. Hope this helps. I know some readers balk at so many books, but as a serial reader first, I love a story I can't put down with characters I get to 'check on'.
Lynessa Layne
How I survived a loaded gun put to my forehead. The complexities leading up to that moment and the harrowing journey that followed my escape made the suspense in my fiction an escape from the stress and physical threat that hunted me.
Lynessa Layne
Hi Barb. First of all thank you very much for your kindness and readership. I'm glad you enjoyed the series so much. Due to personal convictions, I do not plan to ever republish the former series as it was, however, if you are as familiar with the works as you sound, you will be pleased to know that the volume I'm almost finished with now feeds right back into the previous versions, just with a taming of the erotic down to mainstream romance. I still love a good love scene, so I'm not fading to black throughout, just where the previous scenes weren't intrinsic to the plot and more for the fun of it.
Obviously the content won't be exactly the same due to the necessary plot restructuring, but book 4 (the former book 3) is the first one that's coming back into original content.
Now, as for the kindle. Between being clumsy and having so many kids, I've had a couple kindles shattered by mistake, so I feel that pain so much. I also thankfully know how to recover docs I was so scared I'd lost forever, especially concerning docs I'd had sent to my kindle without even being amazon purchases. Go to your devices on the amazon drop down menu. Your old device as well as your newly registered Kindle should show up. From there, you can go to your old broken kindle's content and there are boxes you can click beside titles to have them transferred to your new device. Sometimes you have to manually click the boxes and hit transfer, but with the new Kindle I just got last week, my content was automatically there once I registered my new device, so you may only need to do the manual download/transfer once before Amazon spreads the content to other devices automatically. Just be careful bc as I learned the hard way, if you have kids devices on your account, your content could show on theirs too LOL!
Thanks for reaching out. Hope this helps.
Obviously the content won't be exactly the same due to the necessary plot restructuring, but book 4 (the former book 3) is the first one that's coming back into original content.
Now, as for the kindle. Between being clumsy and having so many kids, I've had a couple kindles shattered by mistake, so I feel that pain so much. I also thankfully know how to recover docs I was so scared I'd lost forever, especially concerning docs I'd had sent to my kindle without even being amazon purchases. Go to your devices on the amazon drop down menu. Your old device as well as your newly registered Kindle should show up. From there, you can go to your old broken kindle's content and there are boxes you can click beside titles to have them transferred to your new device. Sometimes you have to manually click the boxes and hit transfer, but with the new Kindle I just got last week, my content was automatically there once I registered my new device, so you may only need to do the manual download/transfer once before Amazon spreads the content to other devices automatically. Just be careful bc as I learned the hard way, if you have kids devices on your account, your content could show on theirs too LOL!
Thanks for reaching out. Hope this helps.
Lynessa Layne
Thank you, Laura. Do you write? If so, the best advice I can give is listen to constructive criticism, but ultimately, don't let others change your voice. It's what makes a story unique. I had agents, editors, reviewers and friends tugging me all different directions on how I could be "be more marketable" and "fit the formula", change this, adjust that, "what if we took it in this direction", and I was getting so brainwashed and twisted up about pleasing everyone else that I felt I was going to have to be someone I wasn't, and it just about drove me to quit writing altogether.
The voice that salvaged my dream was the one closest to me, who's supported and believed in me without fail...my husband. He told me to keep my voice and take the good, leave the "you should" and "if I were you" influences in the dust, and write what I love to read. I credit him for helping thicken my skin and just write. Never going to please anyone if you're not happy with what you're doing. He was so right, and I'm back to LOVING the creative process...on my terms. I turned down 3 agents who wanted the series but wanted to change it into an unrecognizable'formula' (cookie cutter), and realized I could make bank or I could make a uniquely different impact as an Indie. To quote Robert Frost, "I took the road less traveled, and that has made all the difference."
Stick around. It's going to be a fun ride, and I have other projects I'm working on between volumes of DCYE. I have a twisted paranormal suspense thriller stand-alone (based on real-life experiences), a dark New Orleans serial killer detective stand-alone thriller, short stories to compile into a collection, and a foot-high pile of notebooks full of concepts to develop. Safe to say I've got no shortage of inspiration for the next few years! :)
Best,
Lynessa
The voice that salvaged my dream was the one closest to me, who's supported and believed in me without fail...my husband. He told me to keep my voice and take the good, leave the "you should" and "if I were you" influences in the dust, and write what I love to read. I credit him for helping thicken my skin and just write. Never going to please anyone if you're not happy with what you're doing. He was so right, and I'm back to LOVING the creative process...on my terms. I turned down 3 agents who wanted the series but wanted to change it into an unrecognizable'formula' (cookie cutter), and realized I could make bank or I could make a uniquely different impact as an Indie. To quote Robert Frost, "I took the road less traveled, and that has made all the difference."
Stick around. It's going to be a fun ride, and I have other projects I'm working on between volumes of DCYE. I have a twisted paranormal suspense thriller stand-alone (based on real-life experiences), a dark New Orleans serial killer detective stand-alone thriller, short stories to compile into a collection, and a foot-high pile of notebooks full of concepts to develop. Safe to say I've got no shortage of inspiration for the next few years! :)
Best,
Lynessa
Lynessa Layne
Laura, first, let me apologize for the delay in response. The holidays, homeschooling my brood and writing have kept me hopping. Thank you for your question...
I'm fervently working toward a March 2021 release of book 4 in the DCYE series (' Dangerous Games '). I'm also working on getting book 2 'Complicated Moonlight' to the publisher for a March release in paperback. I'm dedicated to releasing a new ebook every three months, with several more volumes in the pipeline. The saga is complete at 1.2 million word count in rough draft, but I don't want to rush to release a book I'm not absolutely satisfied with as a reader and editor. (I want to give you the best book hangovers I can craft.) Expect at least 10 volumes and as many as 14 when the dust settles.
Thank you for joining me on this rollercoaster ride, Laura! ;)
I'm fervently working toward a March 2021 release of book 4 in the DCYE series (' Dangerous Games '). I'm also working on getting book 2 'Complicated Moonlight' to the publisher for a March release in paperback. I'm dedicated to releasing a new ebook every three months, with several more volumes in the pipeline. The saga is complete at 1.2 million word count in rough draft, but I don't want to rush to release a book I'm not absolutely satisfied with as a reader and editor. (I want to give you the best book hangovers I can craft.) Expect at least 10 volumes and as many as 14 when the dust settles.
Thank you for joining me on this rollercoaster ride, Laura! ;)
Lynessa Layne
Thank you for your question.
The paperback for DCYE book 1 is nearing submission for printing with the goal set for early November.
Once that book is successfully in print, the others will follow.
Book 3 of DCYE, Mad Love, is in final edits and scheduled to be published in November as well.
The paperback for DCYE book 1 is nearing submission for printing with the goal set for early November.
Once that book is successfully in print, the others will follow.
Book 3 of DCYE, Mad Love, is in final edits and scheduled to be published in November as well.
Lynessa Layne
A speeding car with no brakes heads straight downhill toward the cul-de-sac my three daughters are riding their bikes in. I sprint across the yard as fast as I can, haul the younger two out of the way, screaming for him to stop all the while, but just as he shouts he can't stop, my ten-year-old falls off her bike a foot away from his tires flying past where she would've been.
True story. One of the worst, most taxing moments of my experience as a mother.
True story. One of the worst, most taxing moments of my experience as a mother.
Lynessa Layne
Redemption Road by John Hart, The First Counsel by Brad Meltzer, Number the Stars by Lois Lowry (for my kids), Gone Without a Trace by Mary Torjussen, and The Things We Wish Were True by Marybeth Mayhew Whalen.
Lynessa Layne
Murder mystery, Romance Suspense, Psychological thrillers. I have a short story coming out in Writer's Digest this month that is actually a feel-good mommy story from my pov. Kind of breaks my mold a bit. There are also a couple of YA romance novels that have infancies I will be at liberty to expand once more of my projects are completed. I'm pretty excited for those.
Lynessa Layne
Blood Letters was inspired by a combination of factors, including New Orleans and the general public's willingness to accept just about anything debauched under the sun. Even things that can kill them.
Lynessa Layne
Several ways.
1) leave the house. Characters are everywhere! Reality is sadly stranger than fiction.
2) go on a road trip. Long bouts of driving and listening to music leave my idle mind with storylines galore!
3) turn on the TV. Much of my personal inspiration comes from reality based detective shows like Forensic Files and the Investigation Discovery channel.
4) my personal life. I've lived through a lot of traumatic situations starting from the time I was very young. The good, bad, and ugly are translated into therapeutic characters who help me with my personal healing process.
1) leave the house. Characters are everywhere! Reality is sadly stranger than fiction.
2) go on a road trip. Long bouts of driving and listening to music leave my idle mind with storylines galore!
3) turn on the TV. Much of my personal inspiration comes from reality based detective shows like Forensic Files and the Investigation Discovery channel.
4) my personal life. I've lived through a lot of traumatic situations starting from the time I was very young. The good, bad, and ugly are translated into therapeutic characters who help me with my personal healing process.
Lynessa Layne
Blood Letters and revisions on the Don't Close Your Eyes Series. The vault on short stories, novels and serials is very full and inspiration is everywhere. Ultimately, I'm working on my craft to acquire an agent.
Lynessa Layne
I get to play several different characters and roles without even putting on pants :P. Honestly, I used to act in plays, low-key, but enjoyed it immensely. Writing gives life to those impulses that still float around.
Lynessa Layne
I take a walk or read for an hour or a day, but ultimately, I find that writer's block is my excuse to give up, so I push myself to write through the discomfort of no 'muse'. If you're waiting on the muse, you're not accomplishing anything and leaving your fate and success to a mood. You are in control, and pushing through is the difference between hobby and career IMO.
Lynessa Layne
Write, write, and write some more. Don't look to novice authors or bloggers for your advice. Seek out writing groups, especially ones you pay to be a member of and have to fill out a questionaire for - it minimizes drama and damage. (Ask me how I know.) It also maximizes your professionalism and separates you from the posers.
Educate yourself. Subscribe to Writers Digest Magazine or their blog. Enter contests. Read professional authors you love.
Educate yourself. Subscribe to Writers Digest Magazine or their blog. Enter contests. Read professional authors you love.
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Mar 24, 2022 03:23PM