About Me

291 thoughts on “About Me”

1. Hey, there,

   Thanks for getting in touch! I’m traveling right now and have no access to a keyboard to better answer this question. As soon as I get to a place where I can, however, I will happily respond. Just give me a day or so.

2. Hey, Kaitlyn,

   Okay, what inspired me to write the ASHES trilogy…the truth? I read another apocalyptic book I liked very much but also found very frustrating. Like, there were parts that were too unrealistic (for example, during the entire book, not once does anyone try to break into the protag’s house and take all their food even though people break into a house down the block.). I thought the situation presented in that book was too…well, gentle. Frankly, when things break down, people get nasty and they get nasty in a big way very quickly. So I decided that a) I would write something that I considered to be somewhat scientifically plausible (and a lot of the science in ASHES is accurate) and b ) I wanted things to deteriorate very quickly and show people at their worst because I truly believe that when the world goes to hell, altruism will be in short supply. Mainly, I wanted to write the kind of book I wished the other book had been.

3. I loved your book Draw The Dark! I just have a few questions about it. Why is the sideways place never explain? Like what is it? Did he find his mom and dad? Also, how come you never wrote a sequel? I feel like with the way it ended, it could definitely have a sequel. But, other than that I couldn’t put the book down! Definitely a page turner, and I can’t wait to read more of your books. I think the Ashes trilogy is what I’m going to read next.

4. Hey, Skye—
   Before i got any further, I have to say you’ve got the most interesting name. It’s SO cool I actually used it for a book I didn’t write called SAVING SKYE. Now, I’m thinking…gosh, maybe I ought to revisit that…

   I’m so glad you liked DRAW. In answer to your question…yeah, I never explained the sideways place because I had every intention of writing a sequel. Except that didn’t happen for various reasons (mostly, I got sidetracked by the ASHES trilogy and by the time I got around to thinking about DRAW again, I was on to other projects). I always end my books on an ambiguous note, though, so I’d say…yeah, I could definitely write a sequel. Just have to write the book I have going now and then think, okay, what to do next?

   Let me know how you like the trilogy!

   Ilsa

5. Hey Ilsa youre in lots of different professions which sound super interesting and fun.
   Which is your favourite?

6. Hah! Well, I liked and am proud of having done them all, but right now? I’m a writer 😉

7. Hi Ilsa I have just finished reading the amazing Ashes Trilogy and omg they are amazing .. at the end of shadows it says that there is another book coming in October 2013 called Monsters .. The Terror Returns … I have searched everywhere possible for this book but I cant find it …. please help I need to know what happens next to them all

8. Hey, there,
   Thanks for getting in touch! I’m so glad you’ve enjoyed the trilogy so far. I’m presuming that you’ve only read the first two books, right? If so, then the last is MONSTERS and it’s available, gosh, pretty much everywhere? On my website, there are several links but you can find it here: https://www.amazon.com/Monsters-Ashes-Trilogy-Triology/dp/1606845446/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=Monsters+bick&qid=1571576223&sr=8-1 and https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/monsters-ilsa-j-bick/1112332498?ean=9781606845448 and https://lernerbooks.com/shop/show/14728 and https://www.bookdepository.com/Monsters-Ilsa-J-Bick/9781606845448?ref=grid-view&qid=1571576360615&sr=1-1.

9. Hello,

   I was wondering if you could help me answer some questions for a project I am doing about you?
   I am having trouble finding answers.

   Thank you,
   Jenna Ziegler

10. What motivated you to write DRAW THE DARK?

    Jenna Z

11. Sure. Fire away.

12. Well, I’m the daughter of a Holocaust survivor and I stumbled on a book, STALAG WISCONSIN, which detailed all the locations of the German PW camps in the state. Until that book, I had no idea there WERE German (and Japanese) PWs in the US; that they were in camps in every state except Utah, I think but don’t quote me on that; you could easily look this up because I’m feeling too lazy at the moment ;-). It’s how I found out about a German PW camp that had been in the town where I lived and this, along with other real things (like that domed White Synagogue, also in the same town) provided the bare bones for the premise. I just don’t think that many people know how many Germans were here at the time; that the first camp was in Wisconsin and that it held the first Japanese PW; or that this same PW ended up heading the Toyota company in Brazil…stuff like that. There’s a huge amount of history people just don’t know, even if they’ve lived there all their lives.

13. Alright, here they are:
    Where and when were you born?
    Are there any fun facts about your childhood?
    Where did you go to high school or college?
    Do you have a specific writing style?
    Do you have a favorite book written by a different author? Why?
    What is your connection to the Midwest? How did you come to live in the Midwest?
    Thank you!!

14. Okay, so here we go. I will say, though, that I never give out too much personal information (like where I was born, when, high school, that kind of thing; those things are private). But I’ll answer as much of the rest as I can.

    One thing I make no secret of is that my dad is a Holocaust survivor. He was in several different camps as a kid (like, we’re talking at seven, eight years old). The only thing that saved him was he got sick and the camp’s medical officer—-who just happened to be his dad (which was completely bizarre because his dad had no medical training at all; he sold hops for beer)—-got him transported out. My dad was put on a train for Casablanca (really); he remembers that it was really hot and they had no water for, like, three days; and then he got put on the last transport ship allowed out and into the U.S. where he was taken in by a family who became his guardians.

    So, he was really lucky. His family wasn’t. About three weeks after he left, the whole camp was dismantled and everyone was sent to Auschwitz. Everyone, except his grandmother, died there. His grandmother never knew that he had survived; he never knew she had survived; and so it wasn’t until he was about 70 and the town where they used to live had some sort of Remembrance Day (and invited him back for the ceremony) that he found out she’d made it through the camps and returned to that town to live out the rest of her life.

    I don’t really have any “fun” facts about my childhood; I mean, seriously, is anyone’s childhood REALLY fun? There are some nice moments, but fun factoids…not so much. I can say that my dad was military and so we moved around an awful lot for many years. Didn’t really have too many best friends; you just don’t when you move so much. I also often found myself being the only Jewish person in the entire school, which was kind of sucky because I was always picked to sing the token Hanukkah song. Not that I can’t sing—-until recently, I’ve sung all my life and for several years in a symphony chorus—-but I hated being singled out that way. It’s tough being one-of-a-kind; it’s worse when, as you get older, you find that other people haven’t bothered to learn the first thing about the religion from which theirs sprang even as I’ve had to learn about theirs.

    I can also say that, when I was about nine or so, I broke my nose because I was too busy talking to someone and then turned around just in time to walk right into a wall. Bled all over my Mary Poppins lunchbox. (The things you remember…)

    I also had a splendid middle school English teacher who kept a stack of MAD magazines near the front of the room. If you got done with your in-class work, he had no problem if you wanted to read MAD. (These were the days when schools weren’t as badly off as many are now and we had great libraries with terrific librarians and collections. In fact, it was a librarian who once did me a great kindness. My mom worked and we lived pretty far from school, so there wasn’t a bus which meant she always picked me up on her way home. So I hung out in the library; I got a book out on stargazing because I was really interested and then I just kept checking it out all year so I could learn all the constellations. Well, at the end of that school year, I’m returning the book and she told me to keep it; that I was the only person who’d ever shown an interest and she wanted me to have the book as a gift. Which was just…amazing. This is why I think librarians are very special people; they are the only people in a school who get to know you well enough to pick out a book and say, “I saw this and thought of you.”)

    I went to Oberlin College; that’s in Ohio and I went because that was one of my high school science teacher’s alma mater. She was REALLY cool and suggested I check out the college because she thought I’d do okay there. One of the things I liked about my visit was heading over to the Conservatory. I wasn’t going to be a musician, but I had always wanted to learn how to play harpsichord. Well, I wandered into one of the Con’s practice rooms and there was a real-life harpsichord. I touched it; it made a sound; and I thought, “Man, I am coming here.” I did try to learn, too, but you really have to practice like crazy and I was too busy trying to get good grades so I could go to medical school. So, sadly, I never did REALLY learn to play. But I went to a lot of concerts and sang in the Oberlin Musical Union, so that was okay. I also majored in both biology and English, and it was a real toss-up by the end whether I’d do medicine or English lit (or drama; I liked theater a lot). At the end of the day, I went into medicine because, well, this was back in an era when your parents pretty much told you from the get-go what you were going to do, especially if you were Jewish. We were expected and pressured to excel in ways that I think a lot of Asian and immigrant kids do now because, if you think about it, I was the first-generation of a Jewish immigrant family. The pressure on Jews back then to prove ourselves was huge. It’s why a lot of us became doctors and lawyers; those were prestige professions and a way of saying you’d made it.

    So, I became a doctor. Started out in surgery, switched to child psychiatry (and forensic psychiatry) and did that for about twenty years.

    Writing style: well, not really? I guess? I’m not sure what you mean. If you’re asking about process, though…that is, how I go about putting a book together…then it happens something like this. I’ve got kind of a magpie brain; you need one as a writer because you’ll see/read/experience tons of really interesting things (sometimes multiple times a day). Some of those will become the germ of an idea for a book. So, I try to keep a list going of ideas or articles, things that I think are cool.

    At the same time, I also try to read a lot and see movies because both are places where I get good ideas and I want to see/read how someone else has told a story. Sometimes, as with my ASHES trilogy, I’ll read a book in the genre and think, “I can do this better.”

    Anyway, once I’ve gotten an idea, I write an outline. This is because, after six crap novels and about forty crap stories, I got good enough to write one decent story, won a Star Trek fan-writing contest and that got me started as a Star Trek writer before I moved on to things like BattleTech, Mechwarrior, Shadowrun…all work that I did before I managed to publish my very first novel that wasn’t in an established universe. In Star Trek and stuff, editors insist on a full outline/synopsis. Mine were very long; I think the longest outline I ever submitted was something like 200 pages (for a MechWarrior book) I find that really helps me get through a book because the first third is fun—you’re all excited and everything’s going great—but then you get to the messy middle third of a book where now the writing is getting to be kind of a chore and you are NEVER going to finish. That is usually when most writers quit: that saggy middle third when you just can’t figure out how you’ll tie everything together. This is where an outline helps me because I’ve theoretically already been through it in outline form. Sometimes I stick slavishly to outlines; sometimes I veer off in another direction (that sometimes works or doesn’t). When you’re writing something out for real instead of an outline, you also often see that what you thought would work or be super-cool won’t or is totally not all that. There are some books I’ve had to abandon because they just didn’t work and I couldn’t figure out how to fix them or just wasn’t skilled enough. It’s very much of a slink off with your tail between your legs moment when you feel utterly stupid. Sometimes I’ll come back to a book after letting it sit for about six months and see it’s not half bad or now know how to fix it; sometimes I can’t and you just kill that sucker and move on.

    Really, as a writer, you often kill a ton of words. You just have to. Not everything you write is golden. When I edit, there’s always blood on the floor.

    Once I’m writing, I also show up for work every day. Writing is a job. If you want to get paid, you have to show up and get your work done. So I set goals, mostly; that used to be in terms of numbers of pages per day but is now more about words per day. I generally don’t stop working until I hit that number. Sometimes that means I’m done in the afternoon (I start work early, no later than 8-ish because, hey, coffee); sometimes that means I go exercise, come back, get supper on the table, and then work until my eyes cross. I do that every day, even on weekends; I find that if I don’t write for a day or so, I lose the…well, not the story or my train of thought, but I get out of the groove of the story, if you know what I mean.

    I really don’t have a favorite book/author, although I used to think Stephen King was a god. I still think he’s a great storyteller, but I have found some of his more recent books to be not as good as his earlier stuff. Everyone’s pen gets tired, I guess. Still, he’s great and I’ve learned a lot from him; I think one of my favorite books of his and one I go back to at least once a year because it’s just so good is SECRET WINDOW, SECRET GARDEN. I remember when I first read that (and then listened to it; James Woods is TERRIFIC), I was so surprised by the twist and thought, wait, he didn’t play fair. Then I went back and, you know, he did. He played fair from the very beginning (like, the third line). So I tore that story apart to see how he did it. (A lot of writers do that; we’ll read something for fun and if we like it, we go back and tear it apart and see how someone else did it. It’s how you learn little tricks. I can also tell you, though, that as I’ve gone along, I find it harder and harder to get totally immersed in a book because I’m always thinking, with one part of my critical brain, about how I might have done something differently or I see exactly where the writer is headed way too early and that kind of spoils the book for me. It sort of sucks, actually. Reading used to not be so much work!)

    I guess if you want to talk about a book that had a real impact on me, though…that would have to be CHARLOTTE’S WEB. Why? I remember reading it in school—I’m maybe eight or nine—and bursting into tears when Charlotte died. We’re talking right in the middle of class, in front of everybody. (My teacher was very understanding; I remember her asking me if I’d read something sad.) I think that’s when it really hit me that parents are mortal and family isn’t forever. (That really is what that book is all about. That book is all about death, from the moment Fern stops her dad from killing Wilbur to the moment Wilbur says goodbye to Charlotte and then watches all her children, except one, sail away. It’s about growing up and older and the inevitability of death.)

    The Midwest: no real connection except I have family in Ohio and went to college there…but it just so happened that my husband got a job in Wisconsin. We moved there and I fell in love with the area. I adore Wisconsin; I LOVE the Great Lakes (especially Lake Superior); Isle Royale is a truly magical place; and I miss it all very much. I would move back in a heartbeat, if I could. I’ve visited several times over the four years now that I’ve been away and I will try to get back early next year, probably February, to get some real cold and snow and, you know, decent cheese curds and brats.

    Hope this helps!

15. Dear Mrs. Bick,
    Hello, my name is Kyra B. and I am 13 years old. I have recently read your Ashes trilogy, and I was shocked to discover that no one had written a screenplay. I believe that there is enough action and dialogue in your books to make a very good screenplay, and it is clear that your books have not been given as much credit as they deserve.
    I, as an unprofessional 13-year old, would like to attempt to write a screenplay. I (as you can probably imagine) am not very familiar with the legal requirements and contracts required to create a screenplay of a book, but from what I have read I (shockingly) need permission from the author of the book. If you would ever so kindly give me permission to write it, I would greatly appreciate it. Thank you for your time and consideration!
    Sincerely,
    Kyra B.

16. Hey, Kyra,
    I agree! It IS shocking that no one has optioned these books for movie or TV screenplays! Unfortunately, you’re right about the legal stuff. Options are quite involved and normally involve contracts that specify what I’ll allow and for how long—-and, among other things, money/compensation paid to whomever owns the property (that would be me). You or whomever would want to develop a screenplay or whatever have to pay for the license/right to do so and there are limits to that as well. (Like, if you were JJ Abrams or something, you would be allowed to have the option of doing something…but not forever. If you don’t produce a movie or script or whatever, then you either re-option and pay more or you let the option lapse and that’s that.)

    So, while I am touched and very pleased you’re so enthusiastic, I’m afraid I can’t just give you permission to write a screenplay. It’s just way more involved than I think you want to take on at this point in your career. (For example, a young woman in Turkey, whom I’ve known through Facebook for many years now, loved the books when she was your age and has always wanted to make them into films. She is now in film school and she may eventually get around to requesting an option, but that’s a long ways away still; she’s not been promised anything and she knows she needs the training first.)

    Having said that, if you wanted to make a book *trailer* or something for a school project—and only a school project, that would be fine. Other kids have done that; I have no problem with that at all.

    Anyway, I’m sorry to disappoint you, I am so tickled that you asked!

17. Mrs. Bick,
    A friend of mine recently suggested (more like demanded) that I read the Ashes trilogy. I have just finished book one and I absolutely love it! I am so thankful that I bought all three, because I can’t wait to start the next one. I always enjoy stories that pull me in from the start and keep my attention throughout.
    I was wondering what gave you the idea to write this series? From the cause to the actions/ reactions of people…I think that you were very close in your descriptions as to how many things would really be.
    Thank you in advance for replying. Hope all is well with you and yours!
    E.H.

18. Hey, there,
    Well, thanks! I’m so glad you’re enjoying the read so far.

    In terms of the idea, I’d read a bunch of similar books and people were always so bloody NICE. There was one novel where the family’s holed up in a house and people break into every other house on the block but theirs and I’m, like, seriously?

    As for personal experience…well, no, not really, though I’ve worked in a women’s prison (and there are bad people and not-so-bad people, but things can get grim) and as a shrink, I know that people can be trusted to live down to your lowest expectations. Seriously, just take a look around at what’s happening here right now in this country. Then, too, my dad’s a Holocaust survivor, so that’s always a sort of background music. Yeah, there are brave, resourceful, caring people, but I don’t think they’re the majority. Which is, you know, kind of a problem.

    Anyway, I hope you enjoy the rest of the trilogy. Thank you for brightening my morning—and do thank your friend, too 😉 Stay safe.

    Ilsa

19. Ilsa

    For starters, I just picked up Ashes (like just about everyone in here) and I’m loving it so far. Between it being the most original and brilliant take on zombies I’ve seen yet, and your writing style being so…..chill….if that makes sense. I haven’t been able to put it down and can’t to finish it….but kinda don’t at the same time.

    Much like many others in this comment section, I too have an English project. However, I’m only missing one section of information…That being random fun facts about you, now I see how much you value your privacy and I very much respect that. So if this is too personal of information I fully understand that, but any help would be greatly appreciated.

    Thank you!

20. Hey, Tyson,

    Well, cool! I’m glad you like the book.

    I’m also happy to answer questions, and it looks as if you’ve figured out that I will answer some but not all. So, fire away and I’ll do my best, okay?

21. Hi Ilsa,

    I’m doing a fiction book project and the book I picked is a book you wrote, Draw the Dark, 1st off I really like the book but i do have to answer questions and here are the questions
    ” Why are they a writer? Inspiration?
    Hobbies?
    Who they write for?
    Birthdate, born, died?
    Family?
    Real name,?
    Other books written, awards they have? ”

    Those are all the questions answer any that you want if you don’t want to answer some that’s okay.

    Thank You!

22. Hey, Ilsa,

    So am I doing a school project on you and if you don’t mind could I ask you some questions?

    Sincerely,
    Zack B.

23. Hey, Ilsa,

    So am I doing a school project on you and if you don’t mind could I ask you some questions?
    My biggest question is what inspired/motivated you to write?
    And my second question is what are your hobbies/interest outside of writing?

    Thank you,
    Zack B.

24. Oh, my goodness, I just now saw this, Maddison. I am so sorry that this never seemed to make it through to me. I’ll try to answer some of your questions, but I can’t answer anything that’s personal, I’m afraid. So, no birthday, stuff like that. For most of your questions, including the awards stuff, all you have to do is Google me and you’ll find plenty. Also, if you go to some of my books’ pages on this website (like Draw the Dark), you’ll see a list of the awards I won.

    Let me know if this helps. If it’s too late to have helped, again…my most sincere apologies. If you need me to email your teacher, I will 😉

    Ilsa

25. Hey, Zach…I know this is too late to be helpful, I bet, but I just now saw this. I don’t know why this slipped past me. One thing is that if you still need information on me, just do a Google search. I’ve done tons of interviews and answered the first question several times. But, in a nutshell, I started writing because I wanted to be Captain Kirk’s girlfriend. Honest to G-d. I never achieved that in the TREK stuff that was published, but I did write a BIG LONG BOOK where I was (although disguised as an alien). Deservedly unpublished 😉

    After that…mainly, I wrote because I thought I could do better than what I was reading. Seriously.

    Hobbies, interests: I like to hike, cook, garden, do needlework, read, cheer for the Packers, boo for the Bears (unless they’re in the playoffs and the Packers aren’t), pet my cats, volunteer at the local Humane Society (when there’s no pandemic).

    I’m sorry this is so late. I can’t apologize enough.

    Ilsa

26. Hi Ilsa,
    So, I finished reading your Ashes trilogy, and I super duper love it! The whole thing makes sense, like, people would most likely to react like what you have described in the book when things turned upside down. But I have a question; what happened to Wolf in the last book when Alex met him? I couldn’t quite grasp the ending, specifically after Alex told Wolf to jump.

27. Hey, there, glad you liked the trilogy. The ending is left open on purpose; I wanted it to be up to the reader to decide if Wolf takes the candy or not. (Or, if you want to be perverse about it, I left myself room for another couple of books 😉 ). So…what do you think happens? What you think is just as valid as what I imagine.

28. Your Ashes trilogy had me gripped start to end! I even had my mother order the entire trilogy just so i can read it any time i like! Your work is amazing and I’m planning on seeing if my library has any of your other books, thinking on white space or draw the dark. Thank you for that amazing experience! (i didnt cry at the end of monsters… totally didnt…)

29. LOL!!
    I’m so glad you enjoyed the trilogy–and thank YOU for brightening my day.

30. Hi Ilsa,

    I just wanted to let you know that I’ve finished reading Drowning Instinct for the third time and it still gives me that same heart racing feeling upon reaching the book’s crescendo. I knew what was going to happen but I still closed the book teary-eyed. Thank you so much for putting pen to paper and sharing with the world!

31. Molly, I’m so pleased that my work’s found a place in your heart. I was just thinking about that book today…and I sometimes think, gosh, what happens next?

    You are most welcome—and thank YOU!

32. Hi Ms. Bicks, I was wondering what your period of service was in the Airforce? It seems like such a major part of your life and a major influence of your writing career (no pun intended), yet it feels glossed over.

33. Hi, there,

    What an interesting question! I don’t know if it’s glossed over so much as, you know, I was a doctor before, during, and after the First Gulf War and treated psychiatric casualties—and, you know, those folks’ problems really hit home. I think I have talked about/mentioned this in other venues, but my experience in the military really gave me an appreciation for both the sacrifices that military people make and the extreme camaraderie that can develop when folks are simultaneously under stress and yet have to pull together to accomplish a mission. Nothing about the military is glamorous, although I do think that because so many people do NOT serve that it can become mythologized in our general, cultural experience in the US. There’s a certain cachet to and fetishization of weaponry, for example. I know a lot of guy us who have big gun collections and see that as somehow making them more…I dunno…badass. But, you know, to a military person, a gun is just a tool. It’s hard to explain; I mean, yes, there are military folks who love to target practice and all that (I mean, heck, I enjoy the occasional visit to a target range), but handling a weapon is just the job.

    Not everything about the military is perfect, of course. It’s like any other big (or small) organization with a hierarchical structure. There are great leaders and jerks. There are hard-workers and slackers. But the military is also one of those professions where someone can become quite damaged—physically and psychologically-doing his or her job in the line of duty and defense of the country.

    So, I guess, my experiences in the military-the people I met there, the times I lived through, the fact that my father served and my physician-brother also went on to serve—have certainly influenced my worldview and my choice of characters. I feel as if I really can write a more authentic soldier than some of the caricatures I’ve read. Whether that’s true or not…whether I succeed…well, that’s for my readers to judge. One of the things that gets drilled into you, as a writer, is to write what you know. Well, I know the military and medicine. I know a bunch of other things, too, but those are life-experiences I don’t have to imagine at all.

    Anyway, thank you for the question (I hope I’ve answered!) and getting in touch.

34. hey ilsa i was wondering what inspired you to make the ashes triology

35. Hey, Tyler,

    Honestly, I wrote it because I’d read another trilogy that was good but so implausible (e.g., people are starving, but there’s only one confrontation/break-in in the entire book–and it doesn’t even happen to the protag)…well, I just got mad. Like, I’m sorry but this doesn’t make sense. So I set out to do something that made sense in terms of how people behave in a crisis and I wanted to introduce some element that might even make a bit of scientific sense.

    So, really, I did it because I thought I could do better than what I was reading. Plus I know the woods and the Great Lakes, so…I went for it.

    Hope that helps!

36. Hey Ilsa,
    I was Just wondering if there was any possibility that there will be a spinoff or add-on to the ashes trilogy, i just finished and am dying to know how every thing turns out. It just seems like you built up a lot of characters(CHRIS AND HIS THING + WOLF) for a new conflict and I’m so ready for it. I know that the answer is probably no, and if thats the case I would love to know why you stopped at three. I love your work, Thanks!

37. Hey, Michael,
    Thanks for those kind words. I’m so glad you enjoyed that trilogy. In answer to your question, though…you’re right. I’ve not really considered going any further, for a couple of reasons. First off, at the time, I already had other writing commitments and new books that were supposed to come out in the next few years. But, more to the point, I had always considered ASHES to be Alex’s story and while I had built up a lot of folks, she and her story were my principal concerns. Even though I know there is more to her story, I felt as if I had wrapped up this chapter in her life and needed to give her and everyone else—Tom, Chris, Wolf, and Ellie—a break. I’ve always said that if the characters tapped on my shoulder again with stories, I would tell them. That hasn’t really happened yet and I also didn’t want to write endless books about the same people as they move on to this, that, and the other, you know? I know a lot of writers who do; there are some series that just go on and on in one iteration or the next. I wanted to avoid that—and, you know, it’s like what P.T. Barnum said: always leave them wanting more.

    So, that’s why. If the characters truly want a reprise…I’ll give it to them (and because, yeah, I am curious to see how things turn out myself). Right now, they’re…inching up, I guess. I know they’re there; I’m not ignoring them and I just read a few reviews from folks in SPAIN who are discovering my work; the audiobooks were just released, I think, or are about to be.

    So, that’s cool and I know people like you are out there. All I’m suggesting is that my guys wait their turn. Maybe I go on, maybe I don’t. All I want is for people to pick up and enjoy what I write (regardless of genre; I do have other books out there!).

    I hope this helps explain where my head’s at. Thanks for stopping by!

    Ilsa

38. Hi Ilsa,
    I am reaching out to you because I have just finished Drowning Instinct for the third time in as many years, and as usual I am left reeling. Currently, I cannot focus on anything else but this book. I don’t think I can convey in words how much I love it. The story, the writing, the characters, It is all so perfectly woven together, and although I enjoy re-reading my favorites, I wish I could experience reading it for the first time again. I’ve never had a book leave me feeling so hollow AND flooded with emotion… and always crawling back for more. It is a unique and baffling phenomenon.

    Now that my fangirling is out of the way, I would like to ask you a few questions.
    What inspired you to write this story?
    Will you ever write a sequel… or even just a short epilogue?
    Why isn’t there a film adaption of this book? If there were, who do envision playing the roles of Jenna and Mitch?

    Lastly, I’d like to ask for advice. I aspire to be a writer someday. What advice can you give me on starting this journey?

    Sincerely,
    Hayley C.

39. Hey, Hayley,
    Well, what a nice thing to say! (Trust me, someone enjoying what I’ve written and telling me about it never gets old.)

    To answer your questions…A) I’m not sure? I just have never been sold on most teenage romances because they all feel so…I don’t know what the right word is. Contrived, maybe. They never move me much because they are, for the most part, about hormonally-driven teenagers who think that what they feel in high school is…I dunno…the end? The high point of their lives? That the project of high school is to fall in love? Meh. Don’t get me wrong; I enjoy a well-written novel that just happens to have romance in it (Before I Fall springs to mind as a great one because it’s all so doomed and yet supposed to be about, well, growing up and being sorry you won’t get that chance…that you wasted time, when life turns on a dime and tomorrow may not come. Hell, the next minute might not.). But maybe it’s because I have never been all that keen on promoting the idea that having a boyfriend (or girlfriend) is the main project of high school. Most people in high school…they’re still kids and they don’t even really know themselves well enough to truly have a love relationship, one that is equal parts give and take. So, I guess I wanted to write something that, to me, felt much truer. We all know what it’s like to have a crush (I mean, seriously, that’s how most HS boyfriend/girlfriend relationships start anyway or it’s just plain lust; I mean, even Romeo’s first complaints are that he can’t get into Rosaline’s pants.). So I guess I was more interested in this relationship between two broken people: one who should know better and one who’s been abused and needs to care for and like herself more. I didn’t want to get into the whole ooky part of it–the predator angle–because I’ve known people like this. I have sympathy for both sides; you have to as a shrink, you know. You can’t be all sanctimonious and moralistic; you have a duty to protect kids, sure, but you also have to try to understand what’s going on because, eventually, men like Mitch end up in treatment or jail or both. But a lot of them really aren’t evil and things are rarely black and white (but, yes, abuse is bad; abuse shouldn’t be tolerated; kids need to be protected). Fundamentally good people can do some terrible things; they can delude and lie to themselves all the time.

    B) No, I will never write a sequel–or even a short epilogue. I brought the characters to the spot I wanted them to be.

    C) Why not a film? Who knows? I’ve always thought it would be a great film. But Hollywood has to come to you. Guess no one ever handed this to Anthony Mingella or Josh Boone or Tom McCarthy and said, “Listen, bub, make this into a movie already.” It’s a small book from a small house…like I said, guess no one ever saw it and nowadays, if it ain’t got magic or zombies or kids with powers, it ain’t going anywhere as a series (although there is an element of 13 Reasons Why to it, but only just in the conceit of a recording).

    Anyway, I wrote it to be read…which is what you’ve done! Three times! That is a true compliment, and I thank you.

    Now…go tell all your friends 😉

    D) In terms of advice, gosh, I’m the last person to ask. It took me a long time to come to writing. But, you know, I’m with Stephen King here. Every writer is a reader. (His book, On Writing, is really quite good. So is Anne Lamont’s Bird by Bird.)

    In some ways, there’s absolutely no magic to it. If you want to write, you have to just start. One thing I did was set myself goals and write for something, like contests or a call for fiction. I once set a goal of a story a week and kept that up for almost a year. I wrote ten trillion bad stories and six awful novels before I wrote one good (prize-winning) story that was also my first publication.

    Heinlein said it best, though, and there are really only five things you have to do to be a writer:
    1) You must write.
    2) You must finish what you write.
    3) You must refrain from rewriting, except to editorial order.
    4) You must put the work on the market.
    5) You must keep the work on the market until it is sold. (Or unless you mature as a writer and see why it isn’t selling and pull the stupid thing. You’ll come to that point, too.)

    Robert Sawyer added a sixth rule, which is also true:
    6) You must immediately start the next work (book, story, whatever).

    And, really, that’s it. I’d also add that you need to know your market and audience. Don’t write a YA and send it to an adult agent, for example; don’t market a thriller as a mystery, that kind of thing. Yes, you need to know how to write a decent pitch letter; you need to figure out how to deal with an agent (if you even do)…but that’s all down the line.

    If you want to write, you have to write. So…write. Dare to be bad. Dare to fail, a lot. Dare to write the most atrocious thing on the planet. Dare to read a book and think, I can write better than this. Then, prove it. You won’t get better if you don’t.

    Thanks for making my evening, Hayley. You have also reminded me that I need to take my own advice.

    Ilsa

40. ILSAAA.
    i started the ashes trilogy back in high school when it was released. and then life happened and i never finished. for years i knew it was a story i had to one day finish and i can happily say i’ve read all three books this past month!! i’m.in.love.
    my sister in law and roommate is also now hooked and is about to start monsters after only starting ashes a week ago. (she’s burning through it haha!)
    I NEED HBO MAX TO PICK THIS UP FOR A SERIES.

    i do have a few questions though.

    1.) was your plan for Lena always going to be how it played out? i fell in love with her character in Shadows and was sad to see her fairly absent in Monsters and her demise was just so sad to me.
    2.) have you considered writing a fourth book? or do you have ideas of where another one would consist of?
    3.) i know you said you left it open ended on purpose, but do you personally know where it goes from Monsters? or did you leave it open to use your own imagination as well?
    love your work! what book of yours do you recommend next? happy writing ◡̈

41. Hey, Austin, you made my morning cuppa go down a lot smoother than normal. First, thank you for reading and writing in. I’m so pleased you’ve enjoyed the trilogy and gotten others to love it, too.

    In answer to your questions:
    1) Yes, sadly, I knew Lena would play out the way she did. I thought everything about her was tragic and sad, and I wanted people to feel that way, too. So…I guess that worked? 😉
    2 & 3) Oh, I’ve considered another book many times. Lots of people have asked me to continue the story. I have a pretty good idea of what would happen next and sort of where it goes, but I’m not sure I really want to find out or need to continue. The story was, after all, about Alex’s journey (and Tom’s and Chris’s, to a much lesser degree), and I felt I got her where she needed to be, with all the trials and troubles the future will inevitably bring. If you want to know a character who surprised me, it would be Wolf. I hadn’t quite envisioned him ending up where he did and so moving his story along would be interesting…but I don’t know. Sometimes, it’s okay to leave people (and me) wanting more. They remember that feeling of longing more than they do feeling satisfied. (Seriously. Think about it.) So…as much as I would consider it…not in the cards right now.

    As for other books…gosh, take your pick! If you look at the website’s front page, you’ll see those tabs that lead to other work. It just depends on what you want to read. There’s always WHITE SPACE and THE DICKENS MIRROR (really different works), THE SIN-EATER’S CONFESSION, DRAW THE DARK…I mean, it just depends. I can say that I’m now working on a sequel to DRAW THE DARK (but it will be really, really different).

    Which reminds me that I desperately need to update my website and get a blog going up there. It’s so out of date, it’s embarrassing.

    As for MAX…from your mouth to G-d’s ear. So many people have said this…and nothing happens. I think there was interest WAAAY back from JJ Abrams, but he had this other series going…I can’t even remember the name now. But an EMP wrecked civilization and blah, blah. (Except his was set in the far future.)

    Anyway, most writers write to be read not to see their work become a series or movie. Nothing against it, mind you, and if someone came at me with an offer…well, heck, yeah.

    Thanks for writing in, Austin. Be safe and be well.

    Ilsa

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