Mail Bag #3 (the What's Next version)

The recent questions I've received have fit into one of three areas:

1. Are there going to be more books?
2. (If so) when will they be available?
3. What are they about?

So this mail bag will focus solely on those categories. If you have any follow-up questions on the subject, or I didn't cover something, feel free to email me at derekbkclb@yahoo.com.

Will there be another book?
Yes. Painless has been a fun experience for me, so I look forward to putting other books out there and I'm excited to find out what people think.

When will they be out?
I don't have a specific date, but here is the general plan: I've identified 5 stories I've written that I hope to be made available in the next calender year. I'm shooting to have the first one released sometime this summer. Not sure if that timeline is realistic, but it's the plan as of today. I also expect any new material to be out in ebook version first, as the paperback/hardcover versions take longer.

What's taking so long?
Since I thought Painless would only be read by friends and family, a lot of corners were cut and had to make a lot of changes on the fly. So for the upcoming books, I have put together a talented team to help me review them, edit, proofread, etc. This process takes more time, but hopefully the extra time and effort will be worth it.

Are the future books like Painless?
Yes and no. They are not a sequel or series, and none of them are about a girl who can't feel pain. The stories I've written have all been standalones - I have ideas for continuations of certain characters and storylines, and might write them in the future, but I enjoy meeting new people in each book, so that is where I have tended to go so far. The topics change from book to book, but the basic style remains the same.

What is that style?
I guess they would be technically classified as mystery's or thrillers, but as was the case with Painless, I tend to mix a bunch of genres together, and basically write books that I'd want to read myself. The key for me is to write characters that I find interesting. I think of it like a cross-country airline flight - if the person sitting beside you is interesting, it often makes for an enjoyable flight. But if you sit beside the sort of people I generally get stuck next to on planes, then a six hour flight can seem like six days!

The characters are usually ordinary people (or at least think they are) who end up in extraordinary circumstances. And while the topics of the books can range anywhere from a gritty crime story to the tale of girl who can't feel pain, as long as I care about the characters and want to find out what happens to them next, then the story will draw me in and keep me wanting (in my case, writing) more. And hopefully it will for you.

Have a Happy Easter!!

And here are links to previous Mail Bags:
#1 (8/27/10) #2 (11/18/10)