Just curious but how much communication is there between writers? Like when you create a new character, want to kill off a character who appears in your book, or send your character out of the country, do you discuss it with other writers and ask for their

I get this question a lot, and the answer is that it's different every time.

In most cases, this stuff is all handled by the editors. If writer A wants to use writer B's character, he or she asks the editor and that editor asks writer B's editor, and so on.

I don't care for that, myself, I think it's simple courtesy to ask the writer directly. We all know that we don't OWN the characters (well, I feel like I do in the ways that count to me, when I'm writing them, but I am really just a custodian).

So, if it's me, then I like to contact the writer who is mainly using that character directly and ask if they're okay with my plan. If they have input, I take their input…they are the experts and they are being kind enough to let me use their characters.

I also try to go another step if possible, and speak to the character creators, if they are alive and available. Again, I just think it's good courtesy.

Usually, other writers have been great…they know I will be respectful, I have a pretty good rep for borrowing characters and treating them well. 

A few times, a writer has asked I not use a character for personal reasons, and that becomes an immediate picket line I won't cross. Marv Wolfman was very nice, but clearly had hard feelings about Marvel's use of the character BLADE and it made him uncomfortable that a friend would use him, so we didn't. I felt the same thing with Tony Isabella about Black Lightning (but Tony later gave me his full, gracious blessing).  And Greg Rucka felt awkward about me using Veronica Cale in Birds of Prey (but has let me use every other character I've ever asked about, he's been grand).

I just think it's courteous. I hate, HATE finding out one of "my" characters is appearing somewhere and I didn't know. It happened with Batgirl in the new Birds of Prey (but it was totally a mistake, not anything intentional, and the writer has been a doll about it, so no worries there), and it happened when Black Alice was showing up in that coven back-up series. The characters don't belong to me, but I do wish we would get just a simple head's up, it's something I try always to do and it helps tremendously.