Cordelia Kingsbridge's Blog, page 4

has Vaughn ever bottomed? Would he ever bottom in the future?

Oh no, Vaughn has bottomed! In fact - and this’ll come up later in the series, but it’s not really a spoiler - he’s bottomed for Allison Song more than once.

Vaughn doesn’t consider bottoming to be an inherently submissive act. But even if he did, if he decided he wanted to do it, he would consider himself the exception to the rule. Vaughn believes he’s superior to all other people, and is literally incapable of interpreting any of his own actions as submissive.

has Vaughn ever bottomed? Would he ever bottom in the future?

Oh no, Vaughn has bottomed! In fact - and this’ll come up later in the series, but it’s not really a spoiler - he’s bottomed for Allison Song more than once.

Vaughn doesn’t consider bottoming to be an inherently submissive act. But even if he did, if he decided he wanted to do it, he would consider himself the exception to the rule. Vaughn believes he’s superior to all other people, and is literally incapable of interpreting any of his own actions as submissive.

has Vaughn ever bottomed? Would he ever bottom in the future?

Oh no, Vaughn has bottomed! In fact - and this’ll come up later in the series, but it’s not really a spoiler - he’s bottomed for Allison Song more than once.

Vaughn doesn’t consider bottoming to be an inherently submissive act. But even if he did, if he decided he wanted to do it, he would consider himself the exception to the rule. Vaughn believes he’s superior to all other people, and is literally incapable of interpreting any of his own actions as submissive.

do u have any advice for someone who’s trying to write a novel for the first time but low key doesn’t know where to start or what they’re doing??

You can check out my writing advice tag here on Tumblr! It has nine pages (!) of posts answering other readers’ writing questions over the past few years.

Here’s some quick and dirty, basic first-time advice:

Have at least a general idea of your ending before you start. It can change over the course of writing the novel, but you need to have a goal you’re writing towards, or the story will end up a rambling mess that requires a ton of avoidable revision. (Trust me, I speak from experience!) Depending on how much of a planner/plotter you are, sketching a rough outline of the novel first can be a lifesaver. Every time I outline a novel, I catch plot holes that I’m able to address before I even start the first draft!If you’re a first-time novelist, you’ll probably feel the urge to start the story too early. A novel should start as late in the story as is possible without confusing the reader. Newer writers (again, speaking from experience) often feel compelled to “overshare”, which has its roots in anxiety. As you gain more experience, that anxiety will lessen, and the sense of where to start a story (and when to include things like backstory and exposition) will become more intuitive.Know your protagonist’s goal, why they want it, and what they’re willing to do to get it. Make sure their behavior is always consistent with this characterization. Fictional characters have to be consistent (consistent, not necessarily rational) in a way that real human beings don’t to make it easier for the reader to suspend their disbelief.

Check out the tag for more specific advice, and best of luck with your first novel!

Are there any particular patreons you like to follow?

I don’t follow any Patreons for the same reason I rarely read fiction these days - I have a lot of trouble with depression, and for me, depression always revolves around severe anhedonia. So it’s very, very difficult for me to feel pleasure, which makes it even more depressing when I don’t enjoy something that I know I would under other circumstances.

Ugh, I’m sorry to be such a bummer! I usually try to avoid that, but I wanted to give an honest answer.

Hey Cordelia! I was re-reading the first couple of installments of The Assistant Verse (cuz I'm obsessed with it lol) and noticed something during the first installment that made me curious. Vaughn asks Desi at one point about having a family, like a wife

You’re right - if Desi had been in a relationship, Vaughn wouldn’t have hired him. He would have seen it as too annoying a complication for what was, at that time, essentially a whim he formed in the space of ten minutes. But he also asked to test how Desi would react when put on the spot and asked an inappropriate question. ;-)

What would Levi and Dominic's relationship be like if they had met when they were younger or in their 20s?

So I could swear I’d been asked this question before, and it took a little bit of digging back through my asks, but I found it! ;-)

thanks for not posting spoilers! i can't wait to get my hands on books 4 & 5 and find out who SoS is! i just have two 20pg papers... and an exam... and then I have to mark 55 tests and essays. good lord... well. i'll eventually be free maybe? can't wait to

OMG, I just had a moment of the most intense secondary anxiety! LOL. Best of luck with all of your work - Dominic and Levi will be waiting for you when you’re done! ;-)

I always have to cast everyone. What do you think about this? Levi = Cillian Murphy (but with curly hair; he had it in one of his movies). Dominic = Joe Manganiello (ok probably not but I'm stumped). Martine = Gessica Geneus. Leila = Sofia Boutella. Natash

Okay, Gessica Geneus is perfect Martine casting! That blew me away. Matt Bomer is also awesome for Stanton; I don’t know anyone who looks more like a real-life Disney prince.

Imran Abbas is gorgeous, but if there’s any way we could get in a time machine and get Heroes-era Sendhil Ramamurthy, that would be ideal, because that’s who I based Rohan on. (Actually, I just Googled him, and boy still looks amazing!)

I actually like Nasim Pedrad for Leila. She’s also of Iranian descent, and I know for a fact that she does “blunt, sarcastic badass” very well. She’s a little short for Leila, but her presence kind of makes up for that.

Joe Manganiello could work for Dominic. But I have never, ever seen anyone in real life who fits my mental image of Levi. The most accurate representation for me is actually the art by @bloodwrit!

I can add one more - Freema Agyeman as Jasmine. It’s rare that I base character designs on real people, but this was one of those times!

Dear Ms. Kingsbridge, I hope this message finds you well. I am writing with regards to translating your works into Chinese. I am a freelance translator and former editor. I would like to start by saying that I am a huge fan of your novels. I have read your

Hi! I’m so happy you enjoyed the series, and I’m so flattered by your interest in translating the books. I don’t actually own the translation rights, though - any translation services would have to go through my publisher, Riptide. You can contact them here if you’re interested!