FAQs

How many books are in the Ever Afters series?

There are four:

1. Of Giants and Ice

2. Of Witches and Wind

3. Of Sorcery and Snow

4. Of Enemies and Endings

For more information, please go check out the Books page.

Is there going to be a fifth book in The Ever Afters series, or maybe a sequel series?

I get a lot of requests and suggestions on how to continue the Ever Afters series, either with a fifth book or through another series.

The short answer: no, there will not be a direct sequel, either in book or series form.

It means a lot to me, though, that so many readers are interested in seeing more of this story, and I’m sincerely sorry to disappoint everyone on this. If you want to learn more about the reasons for not continuing the series, I wrote a blog post about it, and you can find it here.

Do you have any advice for becoming a writer?

Yes, I have a lot of advice and insight. I have put most of it on my other website, The JourneyPen Project. Here’s a link. You can also find some advice and insight on my YouTube channel.

Are you going to publish any other books?

I hope so! I’m always working on at least one book (currently working on two).

But nothing is currently in the publishing pipeline quite yet, so there’s nothing really to share.

Are there short stories for The Ever Afters? Where can I find them?

I have mentioned the possibility of me writing stories for The Ever Afters a few times, and I think this started a rumor that they already exist.

They do not. I haven’t written them yet, but I have tried to write them. I would still like to write them–they’re simply not a priority project for me at the moment, so I can’t make any promises about when you might expect them.

My gut feeling tells me that I won’t write them this year, but since I’m not ready to say goodbye to these characters just yet, I may and release them at an extremely random time. (Because “random” is my middle name. (Actually, Randol is my middle name, but honestly, that’s just one letter off.))

If I do write them, I’ll update this page with a link on where you can find those short stories.

In the meantime, I did write a few scenes and snippets, which I’ve organized in the “Beyond the Ever Afters” section on this page.

Can I get signed copies of The Ever Afters?

Usually, the answer is yes. In the past, I’ve asked local bookstores like Green Bean Books in Portland, OR and Park Road Books in Charlotte, NC to help me get signed copies over to you.

But I’ve been on the road a lot recently. So, unfortunately, signed copies aren’t available at this time.

Is there going to be a movie?

Not at this time–the film/TV rights have not been sold–but I think that would be really cool!

If there IS a movie, can I play a role?

I think that would also be really cool, but I’m afraid I will not have control over casting if the Ever Afters was made into a movie.

Just so you know, here’s what usually happens when a book becomes a movie: a production company, typically from Hollywood, will purchase the film rights to a book. (This doesn’t necessarily mean such a film will happen. It just means that company CAN make the film, and no one else is allowed until the film rights expire.)

Then, if the producers decide to actually ahead with the production process, that’s when they bring in writers for a screenplay, and if they commit funding, they also gather a director and actors and all. They usually have people in mind already, possibly people they’ve worked with before.

It is very rare that they consult the author of the book on any of these decisions.

So, I’m afraid I won’t be able to help anyone to be cast, even if the film rights are sold. However, if they DO make a movie and have an open casting call, I will not be shy about sharing the news with everyone, either here on my website or through social media OR in person, truth to be told–I probably won’t talk about much else for a while! 

I’m writing a story! Can you read it?

I’ve thought long and hard about this, because when I was your age, I wanted to be a writer too. I would be encouraging to have someone you admire read your stuff, and I would love to able to encourage young writers as much as possible.

But I’m afraid I have to say no, and here’s why:

I need to focus on everything I’m currently making. Time is precious to me, especially right now, and it takes hours to read a story and provide feedback and encouragement. If I did it for one person, I would feel honor-bound to do it for everyone. That would be a huge commitment. It would be very stressful for me, which would take both time and energy away from my other creative projects, such as the Journeypen Project and the novels I’m currently writing.

You don’t actually need my personal feedback to write and/or follow your dream of becoming an author. I know this for a fact, because when I was young, I didn’t have any authors read the stories I was writing. Honestly, it didn’t even occur to me. I CAN tell you what I did do:

• I asked some teachers in high school to read some of the stories I wrote for fun. The teachers were very nice about it, and did encourage me, even though I realized later that what I wrote was not their personal cup of tea.

• I gave my stories to my friends to read. And it was actually their cup of tea. I also read theirs and enjoyed them a lot.

• I took as many writing classes as I could. I even told my 11th grade English teacher that he had to create a writing class for me in 12th grade, because there wasn’t one in the curriculum.

• I participated in as many writing workshops as I could, during summer camps in high school and later as courses in college.

Don’t stress if you’re not able to follow these suggestions exactly. For example, you may not have supportive teachers and friends in your physical location, and you and/or your family may not be in an economic position to pay for extra writing classes.–This is why the internet is so great. You can find critique partners and writing communities online, and use THOSE as a resource, which was not a possibility for me when I was your age. (The internet was much younger then and wasn’t as organized as it is now.)

Can you come visit my school/town/state?

I used to do a fair amount of school visits. Since the pandemic began, I’m keeping visits to a minimum, and instead, I’ve been choosing to share more online through the JourneyPen Project.

However, I would really love to be able to meet every single person who asks me to visit, and if it were as simple as having a giant party at a neighborhood park, I totally would.

But setting up actual visits is complicated–time is a factor, and so are other resources. I can’t do as many of these as I would like. Typically, with a school visit, a parent or teacher or librarian reaches out to me, and with a bookstore or other event, it’s the bookseller and/or event organizer who contacts me. If I live close enough to drive, we settle on a good day for me to come visit. If I live farther, I have to factor in the cost of airfare and a hotel room, which sometimes makes it less feasible.

So, don’t take it personally if I respond, I’m sorry; not right now.