IMMORTAL BELOVED is still one of my favorite books I’ve written. I do wish they’d still been publishing them, but oh well. Maybe someday I’ll have such a big famous name as a writer I’ll be able to convince them to let me publish it, and the other two Methos novels I’d like to write, just on the strength of my name. :)

I’m glad you’re enjoying the books! Thanks for stopping by. :)

-Catie

Your other work is great and I look forward to the Queen’s Bastard.

Patty

*bahahaha* :) I totally enjoyed writing the chick fights in that book. That was so fun. :)

OF COURSE ALBAN WASN’T INSPIRED BY GOLIATH IN ANY WAY WHAT COULD YOU BE TALKING ABOUT GARGOYLES THERE’S A SHOW CALLED GARGOYLES GOSH I NEVER HEARD OF THAT IS IT ANY GOOD OH GOSH IT’S DISNEY I’D HATE TO BE INSPIRED BY ANYTHING DISNEY THEY MIGHT SUE ME GOOD THING I NEVER HEARD OF IT *cute innocent blinking*

(Actually, Alban’s wings fold behind his shoulders, not in front, deliberately so it wasn’t quite so Goliath-y, but I sort of feared the scene you’re referring to would automatically bring the Goliath fold to mind, and it’s probably not written sharply enough to make it Obviously Different. :))

*wibble* If the stars align (and when I say “stars” I mean “finances”), I’ll be at the Romance Writers of America convention in late July/early august in San Francisco this year. I’ll keep people posted on my location as I know it. :)

-Catie

But I have a question about Heart of Stone. Did the Disney animated series Gargoyles provide any of the inspiration for Alban? I was having such a great time imagining him as Goliath because I freaking love that character from the show and they seemed so similar, especially the hooking-the-wings-over-the-shoulders-in-front-of-him thing and all that vulnerable masculinity.

Well I can’t wait to get my hands on House of Cards in a few months. Any chance for some sort of tour to SF?

-Catie

I picked up URBAN SHAMAN on a whim while wandering the bookstore today. Just wanted to say: I read it in 3 hours, got up with a stiff neck and a full bladder, and immediately called the nearest bookstores to reserve the next in the series. Thunderbird Falls and Coyote Dreams are now on my coffee table, and I’m looking forward to falling asleep in the wee hours of the morning wondering what’ll happen to Joanne Walker in the next installment.

I *loved* URBAN SHAMAN. Keep them coming!!

On *my* side of things, I very much did not want to be caught being a one-trick pony. Getting the Negotiator and Inheritors books out there early in my career helps to establish that I can do more than one thing, and that’s important to me as a writer. Also, the Walker Papers are intended to be a 9 book series, and the idea of writing nothing but Jo for nine years, much as I love her, was horrifying. :)

Storytelling-wise, there’s a fairly natural break at the end of COYOTE DREAMS, ’cause Jo’s made that big decision and she’s grown up a lot (I think!) over the course of the first three books. So it seemed like a good time to step out with something else, particularly since my publisher wanted to put the whole Negotiator trilogy out within a year. That means the delay between WP 3 and 4 is comparatively brief, and it gives me a chance to stretch my wings a little.

The next Walker Papers takes place at Halloween of the same year the first three books are set in. :)

-Catie

Oh! And I’ve been wondering, with the delay between the Walker books… does that mean there’s going to be a fair amount of time passed in Jo’s world as well? I’ve been sort of wondering if maybe you’ve been taking a break from her world so that she can take a break in her world. Just thinking of the interesting possibilities, ya know?

-mares

p.s. I feel sad about how things ended in Coyote Dreams (sad and excited in relation to her new job prospects).

I did a heck of a lot of research before I started the Walker Papers. :) It was some of the most absolutely fascinating reading I’ve ever done, and I’ve been fairly astonished at the responses I’ve gotten from people who are shamans or who have some shamanic training. I really thought I’d be finding myself saying, “Look, guys, it’s just a book…” but people have responded in very much the same positive way you’ve done. That makes me really happy. I feel like I did something right! Yay! :)

Rich–
I’ll send you an email later today. :)

curiosity–
comment box all fixed! (I only noticed it when I made my first comment. Oops.)

-Catie