Frequently Asked Questions

Whatcha workin’ on?

I am currently working on: A standalone novel, a novella, and Claire and the Lady Billionaire Book 10.

After that, when will the next installment of Claire and the Lady Billionaire be released?

This is probably the most asked question I get from readers and I have to say, I’m delighted that you all love Claire and Camille as much as I do. For starters, I have no intention of ending the series until at least Book 12, so don’t worry. As for a release date on the next book in the series, I can only tell you that my current writing scheme is to alternate between something new and a Claire book.

When will your next book be released?

The new novel will be released quite soon (as of May 2023). The novella, probably 3 – 4 weeks after that. If you’re concerned about missing a release, sign up for my newsletter on the home page. That way you’ll be sure of finding out about a new book the minute it’s available. I also tell subscribers what’s next in the production line-up so you’ll know what I’m working on.

How do I get into this self-published writing thing?

I’m always happy to hear from a reader that has the jam to be a writer. Everything you need to know about self-publishing on Amazon is on the Kindle Direct Publishing site. Here is a quick response to the question as copied from a reply I sent to a reader this morning:

“Amazon makes self-publishing quite simple. The hardest parts by far are writing a good book, formatting it, and getting a decent cover and blurb made that will attract readers.
Uploading a book onto the Amazon platform takes all of fifteen minutes and is very straightforward. If you opt-in to having your book available to Kindle Unlimited subscribers, you will get paid based on every page read – a variable rate that fluctuates each month based on the amount of money in the fund and how many pages were read across the whole platform that month. You also get paid when people buy your book – a percentage (either 35% or 70%) depending on the price of your book. You are paid sixty days after a month of earnings – what you earned in February will be paid at the end of April. Payment is directly into your bank account once you fill out all the required bank and tax info associated with your account.
The hardest part is knuckling down and writing a good book and is the only part, to be quite honest, that I would even bother thinking about at this point since the logistical part of things is so dead simple.

Be tenacious, disciplined, and objective about your writing and, most of all, learn from your mistakes. Realize that the first thing you write will probably suck but don’t let that stop you from continuing on to the next project and the next. Writing is a sport that requires passion, practice, and constant learning.”

PLEASE NOTE: I am not Amazon so don’t take my answer as the gospel. Things change. Do your own research.

Would you have any interest in reading something I’ve written and giving me an honest critique?

I’m flattered that you want me to read your stuff. I wrote at least twenty stories before I published the first Claire and the Lady Billionaire book. I never let my wife or anybody else I knew read anything until after Claire #3 was published. But honestly, I barely have time to write let alone read and offer solid and helpful critique.
Truly, you don’t need anybody’s opinion right now unless they are a professional editor, which I’m clearly not. As I said above, your first work probably won’t be that great but that shouldn’t stop you from writing it and another and then another after that. That is literally the only way to get any better. There are no shortcuts. AI can help with outlines and fleshing out ideas and characters, but at the end of the day, you’re the writer. Don’t skimp on the process.
Critique is helpful, especially when it comes to things like grammar, flow and story structure – but that’s all stuff you should learn on your own time as much as possible. The big test will be whether you find an audience with what you publish and what those people end up saying in their reviews. If your work does or doesn’t resonate with people, you will know it pretty fast.
The best advice I can offer is don’t give up. If writing is truly something you want to do, then give it your guts. Find your own voice but study others and learn how they do it too. Get your grammar and spelling checked, naturally, and have your computer read your work back to you to make sure it flows well. Don’t hurry because no one likes sloppy – but don’t get precious either. Publish the thing and start all over again.