Survey Results and Promises

Thank you so much to the literally dozens of people who are submitting responses to my Demon Hunter & Baby survey every DAY. I never expected when we posted the survey to get so many votes, but I am having SO much fun reading everyone’s answers. Seriously. It’s one of those facts of being an author that I’ll never meet or even know the names of 99% of the readers who encounter my books. Which is cool in its way–I mean, once I release a story into the world, it’s no longer ‘mine’, it belongs to readers, not to me. But I still really, really love the chance to hear reader’s feedback and responses.

Even if it’s not bringing me any closer to settling the Rafe/Kieran debate! So far, the scales are tipped slightly in Rafe’s favor, but Kieran definitely has a sizeable share of the vote, and equally passionate pleas have been made on both sides. But anyway, while I can’t make any promises as yet as to who Ash will end up with, the survey has raised some other really, really good reader questions that I CAN in fact make promises about.

Firstly, I had one plea to ‘keep the series clean’, from someone who appreciated the fact that there is no profanity or sex in the book. Now, this is a tricky issue because as an author I can see that there are stories in which sex and bad language have a necessary and completely non-gratuitous place–and I would certainly NEVER condemn another author for feeling that those elements are needed in whatever story he/she is telling. However, I can promise you that sex and profanity do NOT have a place in Aisling and Willow’s story and never will. The language will always be clean and there will not be anything steamier than kissing. Promise.

Secondly, I had one reader ask that I not make either Kieran or Rafe turn annoying or unlikeable just so that Aisling’s choice would be made ‘easier’. To which I answer: absolutely. That’s an easy promise to make. Not to be super-critical, but I really, really hate the variety of storytelling where characters change personalities as rapidly as normal people change socks, just for the sake of making the author’s job easier. Kieran and Rafe are both (at least I think so! ) good guys and will remain so, whichever one of them Ash picks in the end.

And lastly, I’ve had more than one response that asked that whichever one of the men in her life Ash doesn’t pick ought to wind up with a new love interest of his own. Now, this is something I can’t necessarily make an absolute promise about since I haven’t gotten that far in the planning of the series. (I mean, kind of contingent on knowing which guy Ash does end up with before I write in a love interest for the other one). However, I will say that it’s very, very likely. I really love romance and happy endings, and I really love both Kieran and Rafe, and I know I’ll want both of them to be in a happy place when the series comes to an end. Actually, there is a character introduced in Demon Hunter and Baby who was going to be a love interest for one of them . . . back when I knew which of them Ash was meant to be with. Now I’m not entirely sure, but that character is still there, and she’s someone I’m definitely excited to get to know better as the series progresses.

Anyway, I think that’s all. Thanks so much again, everyone, and keep those votes coming!