Ask Colleen

[Kayla]

Will be at Bookcon 2015 in NYC?

[Colleen]

Nightshade6 wrote: "Do you know if you will be doing a book signing for the tigers curse series anytime soon?"

I will be doing a signing when my new book comes out. Stay tuned for cities and dates.

[Colleen]

Kayla wrote: "Will be at Bookcon 2015 in NYC?"

I'm not planning on that one. Haven't heard of it in fact. Do you recommend it?

[Kayla]

Yes, many popular Young Adult authors will be there. It's May 30 & 31 at the Javits Center in NY. Would love to see you there if you do decide to come. :)

[Ashley]

I love your new profile picture, Colleen!

[Colleen]

Alison wrote: "I love your new profile picture, Colleen!"

Thank you!

[Colleen]

Kayla wrote: "Yes, many popular Young Adult authors will be there. It's May 30 & 31 at the Javits Center in NY. Would love to see you there if you do decide to come. :)"

May is a hard one since I'm already committed to the RT Convention but I'll keep that one in mind for the future.

[Nathália]

Hi Colleen! How are you? I hope fine :) well, I've known about the amazing news that you are coming to Rio, Brazil soon. As your big fan, i'm really excited about it!
What do you expect to find here in Brazil? How do you feel about it?
I really hope to meet you and I miss talking to you by facebook. ;)

[Colleen]

Nathália wrote: "Hi Colleen! How are you? I hope fine :) well, I've known about the amazing news that you are coming to Rio, Brazil soon. As your big fan, i'm really excited about it!
What do you expect to find he..."

I'm very excited. I'm going to try to bring my husband and sister, Shara, who will be my assistant.

[Casey]

Hello, what advice would you give to someone who is writing there first novel?

[Colleen]

Casey wrote: "Hello, what advice would you give to someone who is writing there first novel?"

Pick your favorite book in the genre you want to write and study it. How many chapters does it have? How many words? What did you love about it? If you start off by keeping a list of what kind of books you like and how they are formatted, it will help you with the mechanics. Then, when you have the bones, you can start creating.

[Casey]

Thank You. It is so weird you have said that. There are currently only two authors, who I feel like I studying the mechanics. They are you and the author Cynthia Hand. I know that if I want to go into adult fiction, I want to re-read some of my Sara Douglass book, which I highly recommend that author. The more I study the more I know for a fact I am going to have to add more to the current novel I am writing. Thank you so much for your advice. I really do appreciate it. Have a wonderful week.

[Nikita]

Hi Colleen, I saw on Amazon that the release date for your new book Reawakened has changed and say it will be released two weeks early. Is it true?

[Colleen]

Nikita wrote: "Hi Colleen, I saw on Amazon that the release date for your new book Reawakened has changed and say it will be released two weeks early. Is it true?"

Yes. Reawakened will now be published August 11th =)

[Makeit]

Hi Colleen! I wanted to ask, is there any specific reason why I can't find a hardcover print of Tiger's Curse?

[Colleen]

Makeit wrote: "Hi Colleen! I wanted to ask, is there any specific reason why I can't find a hardcover print of Tiger's Curse?"

Yes. Once the book is released in paperback the hardbacks become more rare. You might be able to still find one on B & N in the online store.

[Makeit]

Colleen wrote: "Makeit wrote: "Hi Colleen! I wanted to ask, is there any specific reason why I can't find a hardcover print of Tiger's Curse?"

Yes. Once the book is released in paperback the hardbacks become more..."

I'll try that. Thanks!

[Nikita]

Colleen wrote: "Nikita wrote: "Hi Colleen, I saw on Amazon that the release date for your new book Reawakened has changed and say it will be released two weeks early. Is it true?"

Yes. Reawakened will now be pub..."

Awesome! Thank you. :)

[Ashley]

Hi Colleen! I saw on IMBd that Tiget's Curse is going to be a movie this year. Do you know when it will be coming out? Who do you want to play Kelsey, Ren, and Kishan?

[Colleen]

Alison wrote: "Hi Colleen! I saw on IMBd that Tiget's Curse is going to be a movie this year. Do you know when it will be coming out? Who do you want to play Kelsey, Ren, and Kishan?"
They haven't updated the IMDB site yet but the film won't be out this year since they haven't even started filming yet. =) It's in the works though. No cast at this time.

[Ashley]

Hi Colleen :D! Any update on when Tiger's Dream comes out?

[Colleen]

Ashley wrote: "Hi Colleen :D! Any update on when Tiger's Dream comes out?"

Not at this time.

[Miranda -]

Hi Colleen,
I'm sure you get asked about your favorite part of writing, but what is the thing that you dread the most or dislike about writing?

[Colleen]

Miranda wrote: "Hi Colleen,
I'm sure you get asked about your favorite part of writing, but what is the thing that you dread the most or dislike about writing?"

Editing. Hands down. I loathe cutting anything from the story.

[Miranda -]

Hi Colleen,
When I discovered Tiger's Curse I wanted to learn more about you. I found a video (either on your site or YouTube) and you said that The Twilight Saga inspired you. Before you read Twilight did you want to be a writer?

[Colleen]

Miranda wrote: "Before you read Twilight did you want to be a writer? "

That's a tough one. I was happy with my job as an interpreter and felt like that was my calling in life. My talents were with sign language. I liked writing and had already written a few children's books about my dog but I didn't take it seriously until after Twilight. Until that time I didn't know YA existed. I remember asking my husband, "Why aren't there more books like that? There needs to be more books like that." That's what really pushed me to start.

[Casey]

Hi Colleen,
I saw in a recent video that Tiger's Curse was first self published and was put on E-reader. For someone who is considering doing self publishing as well, what advice would you give, as far as, which company to go through?

[Natalie (Never trust a duck)]

Hello Colleen!!!!
I just got through another reread of your Tiger's Curse series and I was wondering if you ever wrote yourself into a corner, how'd you manage to get out of it?

[Kristi]

Hi Colleen!
I have read your series and am in LOVE with your Tiger's Curse books. I binge read them all the time. The ending of your most recent book, however, left me in tears. I know that you plan on creating book five, and I was wondering if there is any hope of seeing Kishan again? Also, I love writing more than any other activity and it's something I'm very passionate about and authors like you have inspired me in so many ways to continue writing in my spare time for fun. I was wondering how you started writing and what it took to become an author

[Imasha]

Dear Mrs Houck

I am a huge fan of your books and am anxiously waiting this august for the release of reawakened! My question is what genres will the new book fall into?

[Colleen]

Natalie (Never trust a duck) wrote: "Hello Colleen!!!!
I just got through another reread of your Tiger's Curse series and I was wondering if you ever wrote yourself into a corner, how'd you manage to get out of it?"

I have gotten stuck once or twice but one of my hidden skills is finding creative solutions to problems. I give myself a day or two to think about it and something always pops up. =) It's especially tricky for me because I layer in a lot of foreshadowing to books I haven't even written yet. Sometimes I don't even know how I'm going to tie it all in together but a solution almost always appears.

[Colleen]

Kristi~Lost in My Own Head~ wrote: "Hi Colleen!
I have read your series and am in LOVE with your Tiger's Curse books. I binge read them all the time. The ending of your most recent book, however, left me in tears. I know that you pl..."

You will absolutely see Kishan again. Did you read Tiger's Promise? There's a sneak peek of Tiger's Destiny in there. If writing is something you love then definitely pursue it. It only takes your own determination to be an author. Getting published is a whole other story. =)

[Colleen]

Imasha wrote: "Dear Mrs Houck

I am a huge fan of your books and am anxiously waiting this august for the release of reawakened! My question is what genres will the new book fall into?"

REAWAKENED is the same genre as Tiger's Curse. It's a paranormal/fantasy/mythology/romance mashup. =)

[Colleen]

Louise wrote: "I can't wait for the Tigers Curse movie to come out. Is there any clue as to when the film will be released this year and just out of curiosity will Tiger's Dream be released around the same time."

We still don't have a date. And it's unlikely they would be released around the same time but that would be cool. =)

[Rae]

Colleen wrote: "Zoey wrote: "Hello Ms. Houck! I just want to say that you are my favorite author, and it is amazing to be part of this group. Do you plan on releasing any Tiger's Curse merchandise? I think it wou..."


i found my white tiger with blue eyes at toys r us

[Rae]

Colleen I just want to say thank you so much for writing these amazing books they really were there for me in my time of need when I thought my father was dying 3yrs ago (he's alive and kicking today btw) I couldn't bring myself to deal with reality and cope with what was going on around me so I starting reading and getting lost in the fiction world as my way of dealing with everything my brother-in-law suggested your books and I've been in love with them and your style of writing ever sense so again I just want to say thank you

[Colleen]

Rae wrote: "Colleen I just want to say thank you so much for writing these amazing books they really were there for me in my time of need when I thought my father was dying 3yrs ago (he's alive and kicking tod..."

And thank you for reading! So sorry about the hard time with your dad. My dad passed away two years ago and that was a very difficult time so I understand. Glad everything turned out okay.

[Miranda -]

Hello Colleen! I'm sure you get asked this all of the time but I cannot seem to find it, do you have a release date for Tiger's Dream? Thanks! :)

[Claire]

Yeah, Colleen, I LOVE THE TIGERS CURSE SERIES! Its so good and can't wait for Tigers Dream to come out. Its been two long year practically!

[Dina]

yayyyyy

[Laura]

Hi Colleen! I have a question about this: "‪#‎TigersQuest‬‬ ‪#‎Kishan‬‬ What was I thinking? I wasn’t, I suppose. Kelsey caught me with my guard down. I’d just woken from a very nice dream about her when she suddenly appeared." That dream really were about Kelsey? I thought is like a future vision with Anamika~~

[Colleen]

Miranda wrote: "Hello Colleen! I'm sure you get asked this all of the time but I cannot seem to find it, do you have a release date for Tiger's Dream? Thanks! :)"

Not at this time. I'm still seeking a publisher for it.

[Colleen]

Max wrote: "Yeah, Colleen, I LOVE THE TIGERS CURSE SERIES! Its so good and can't wait for Tigers Dream to come out. Its been two long year practically!"

I know. It's been a while. I'd love to get back to it. Especially because I don't want to forget anything!

[Colleen]

Laura wrote: "Hi Colleen! I have a question about this: "‪#‎TigersQuest‬‬ ‪#‎Kishan‬‬ What was I thinking? I wasn’t, I suppose. Kelsey caught me with my guard down. I’d just woken from a very nice dream about he..."

In this case he was dreaming about Kelsey. This happened in Tiger's Quest before they left for the Shangri-la trip.

[Colleen]

Louise wrote: "Hi colleen, I just read somewhere that you might be writing a dystopian novel, is that true"

I have a futurish sci fi I've been thinking of but nothing I'm actively working on at this time. Right now I'm all about Egypt.

[karlipagemaster]

just wondering, are you LDS or Mormon? I am part of that religion and sometimes Kelsey's beliefs and actions made me think that you might be too. I love your books!

[karlipagemaster]

I know you don't make the big decisions as far as the Tiger's Curse movie is concerned, but do you know when the movie is expected to come out?

[karlipagemaster]

since Rachel Vincent's new book is being read for the book club this month, I was wondering if you have read any other books by her? if you haven't, you should because they're incredible :-)

[karlipagemaster]

what was your weirdest and greatest moment with a fan?

[Colleen]

Karli wrote: "just wondering, are you LDS or Mormon? I am part of that religion and sometimes Kelsey's beliefs and actions made me think that you might be too. I love your books!"

Good catch. Yes, I am.