Question Time: Part 1

I always enjoy feedback for my books. I get the feeling many readers think they're going to hurt my feelings by asking pointed questions, but usually my reaction is going to be either "Ah, yes, I can explain that" or "Um... er... well, I don't know, but thanks for bringing it up."

I received an email from Anita in the UK, who had some very good questions. Anita read the first book in the trilogy, Island of Fog, last year (and was one of the first to openly critique it for me), and recently b...