THE SAVIOR Q&A WITH JR WARD

I TOTALLY CHEATED AND GRABBED THE TRANSCRIPT FOR WARD'S PAGE ON FACEBOOK. I WAS THERE THIS YEAR, BUT MISSED POSTING SOME OF THE Q&A ON TWITTER WHILE CHATTING WITH PEOPLE. SPOILERS AHEAD IF YOU HAVE NOT READ THE SAVIOR!!!

FINALLY! The long awaited transcript of the 2019 event for The Savior in Cincinnati, Ohio. 

First, a disclaimer from the transcribers: We do our best to keep the questions true to what was asked. Please be aware that we often have to extract the question from prefaces that include scene or character references. Also, the event is very lively and there is a lot of background noise, which can make it difficult to hear both questions and answers. Where an approximation of the question was necessary, we noted what we thought was the questioner’s intent. 

Some abbreviations that may be used:
HEA: Happily Ever After
SV: Scribe Virgin

And without further ado, here is the transcript!!!!
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Please be aware, there are numerous SPOILERS ahead, so if you’re not interested in SPOILERS, do not read the following transcript!!!

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SPOILERS!!!! SPOILERS!!!! SPOILERS!!! SPOILERS!!! SPOILERS!!!!

Q: What is the next BDB hardcover book?
A: The 2020 hardcover BDB book is………The Sinner, featuring Sin and Jo Early.
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Q: What was the hardest book for you to write?
A: The hardest story was Zsadist. Emotionally, it was tough. I’ve always said that I’d never re-read Zsadist’s book. The other one was Blay and Qhuinn, but because it was a clusterf*ck of what could go wrong, did. Computers broke, files were lost. I had to spend a lot of money on getting an expert to recover the lost files…it just went on, and on.
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Q: What inspired you to write this series?
A: I got fired from my first publisher. I started by thinking, I’d write like Nora Roberts, but the problem is, Nora Roberts writes like Nora Roberts already. So, after I was fired, I had to reinvent myself. Then after two weeks of thinking, I was out of the job I love and would maybe never get to do again, I tried writing some romantic suspense. All of a sudden, there was this huge presence in my head, and he was like, “My name is Wroth….” Which made no sense. Then, there were all these people in my head, and I have no explanation for why they chose me, but, here we are.
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Q: When are we getting Adrian and Eddie (from the Fallen Angels series) back?
A: So, in the last book (of the Fallen Angels series) they were sent off, by Lassiter, and I keep thinking, they’re going to show up. I’ve been waiting for them. But I think it’s going to be in The Sinner.
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Q: Is the Fallen Angels series complete? Is there any chance they’ll be in the BDB series?
A: Yes, they’ll definitely be in the BDB world once Adrian and Eddie come.
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Q: At the end of The Savior, we saw JM and Zsadist eating the apple…is it important that they shared the apple with Nalla?
A: Yes, that is definitely significant, and also a Keep Reading.
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Q: There is a balance in the BDB world. What does Lassiter have to give up to save Sarah?
A: The true answer to that is, Lassiter ain’t giving up sh*t. You know how the SV was all, “There must be balance….” And all that sh*t, but Lassiter doesn’t give a sh*t. He wears leopard print tights, FFS. (general nods and agreement from everyone present.)
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Q: On the back of Phury’s neck, there’s a symbol. What does it look like?
A: I don’t think I can describe, and I don’t have the talent necessary to draw it. Maybe I’ll have to get someone artistic to draw it.
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Q: Does Devina show up in the next book?
(Devina was originally in the Fallen Angels series.)
A: Yes, Devina definitely shows up in The Sinner. We know that the Omega has to end. We know that Butch is the Dhestroyer. Soooooo…..you are not ready for this…she falls in love with Butch. Yes, that’s a big reveal, but I want to make it worth your time to come to this sh*t.
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Q: There’s images of the Old Language, but what does it sound like?
A: Hmmmm. That would be interesting. I’d like to do that for people who are interested in hearing it, but that’s going to take some time….
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Q: I read Prisoner of Night, and I don’t understand. Do the BDB not know the others (at the penal colony) exist?
A: The reason I want to write books like Dearest Ivy and Prisoner of Night is so I can focus the world. I can’t fit it all in the BDB books, so I’m happy to write those e-books so I can write more details outside of the larger BDB books. But, that means that sometimes, the timeline seems disjointed, or like things don’t fit the bigger world.
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Q: Who is talking to Jane and Hannah on the other side of the Ouija board?
A: It was the Scribe Virgin.
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Q: Is Jose de la Cruz (Butch’s police partner) a wolfen?
A: No, he’s just a regular guy, a good Catholic boy. But I’d like to see him back in the BDB world. Wouldn’t you love to see what he thinks of it?
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Q: Have you been approached for a movie or TV? Would you have control over casting?
A: I get approached for movies and specials. But, the writing is it for me. So, as long as I could keep doing the books and the characters, I would do it.
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Q: Will we ever get more of Butch and Manny’s dad?
A: In The Sinner, we will see more of Butch, Manny, and Jo Early’s father, Robert Brook, the douche.
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Q: Will JM ever find out that he was Darius?
A: The Scribe Virgin had an agreement with Darius, that he gave a token of conscience. Even though Lassiter is now in charge, the magic that rules the agreements is still in force. And, that knowledge would destabilize the entire BDB world. So, no, I don’t think so.
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Q: When the Omega was speaking to Butch, and he says, “Find your family” was he talking about Manny and Jo?
A: I don’t think he was talking about Jo, Manny, and Robert Brook. He was trying to get Butch to come over to the dark side, like Darth Vader to Luke in Star Wars.
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Q: Would you ever consider writing Darius’ backstory?
A: I would, but you have to realize, that would only be for fans that are really invested in the world. It wouldn’t appeal to new readers. So, yes, I’d like to but I’m not sure if I’ll get to.
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Q: Will we see more of Assail’s cousins?
A: Yes, I love those ghost-pepper eating *&#$.
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Q: I’m confused because Phury was asking if someone could imagine Cormia abandoning her child, if she had one. But, didn’t we see them have Ahgony, and Zsadist showed up and sang for the baby?
A: Yeah, but that was a flash-forward about five years. That question would be asked before they had Aghony. The time line just hasn’t caught up yet.
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Q: I cheered out loud when Sarah knew sign language. When Butch was inducted, his name was Dehstroyer on the wall in the BDB cavern. But when JM was inducted, his name, Tehrror, was not on the wall.
A: I think the thing to remember is that the BDB is evolving. When Butch was inducted, that was a million years ago. And, even though Dehstroyer isn’t Butch’s name, that he uses, that was what they did at the time. They used the warrior name. But now, they’ve changed, and JM is also on the wall as Darius. So, it seems like they used JM because that’s who he is.
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Q: Was the raid on the Sanctuary 35 years ago or 75 years ago? (It appears in different books as 35 or 75 years)
A: That was a copy-editing error. There are different places we could go after The Sinner, so, maybe there needs to be a past-cannon, like the Insider’s Guide, so we could clarify this stuff. Things like, the relationship between Darius and Beth’s mom. But, it would be for hardcore readers, and they’d have to understand that that doesn’t end well. But, yes, it was 75 years ago, not 35.
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Q: With Sarah’s background in immunology, could she solve the disease killing the Chosen?
A: Yeah, I think that’s a distinct possibility. And maybe she could solve the blood issue, the one that Havers was never able to solve.
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Q: What’s the hierarchy of the deities?
A: Devina, Lassiter, SV, and the Omega. Two good, two bad. The question for me, since I think the Creator prefers balance, is what role is the Creator playing in the demise of the Omega? With the SV out of it, will he have a hand in the exit of the Omega? What’s interesting to me, is that, at the end of the FA series, Devina was down and out. She’s smart. And, she’s had time to plan. Because remember, time isn’t the same for the deities. It’s going to be interesting to watch.
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Q: Do you know how the penal colony is going to be introduced?
A: There’s going to be another BDB Legacy book, called The Jackal. It will feature Rhage’s half-brother and the penal colony, and will be out in August 2020.
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Q: (This question was hard to hear, but it sounded like they were asking why JR listens to rap vs. other types of music.)
A: The music helps me see the books and the scenes. I’m a runner, and I love rap, and it really helps me focus.
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Q: Do we see Nate or any of the others in future books?
A: Nate, Markcus, and Luchas all get books.
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Q: Why couldn’t Nate tell that Lassiter’s not a vampire? Is there another connection we don’t know about?
A: Yes, and Keep Reading.
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Q: We get references to a lot of the fathers (of the Brothers.) Why don’t we hear about the warriors’ moms?
A: One of the hard things is that the world is so large, it’s challenging to tailor the stories and keep the books tight and focused. I want to keep the focus back on the couple, so it’s not so sprawling. But that also means that other details get sacrificed.
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Q: Why did Devina leave those glowing footprints?
A: The reason why she leaves the footprints, because as Throe gets sucked down into the hole, he gets stripped of all of his energy. Devina needs to follow a trail up. So what was glowing, and then faded, was the residue of the trail she followed up the hole.
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Q: With the scene with the apple, did you plan that it for it all to come full circle? (this references the original scene when Zsadist shares an apple with JM when he’s new to the Brotherhood compound and then the newest scene in The Savior, where they offer the apple to Nalla.)
A: There have been several scenes and details that I didn’t understand the importance of. The damn coffins in the garage. I mean, there’s three John Deeres and some fertilizer and a stack of *&%$ coffins. Vishous kept talking about the chained dogs. That moment when Zsadist was on the bus, and pared that apple. What I know to be true, is that if something keeps showing up, it must be important. As I was getting ready to outline The Savior, I saw JM with a black dagger, peal that apple. And it was crystal clear. I don’t like profound moments, I get tetchy at tender moments. So, I’m watching him pealing this apple, and I’m like, what’s he doing. And then I realized, no, what’s important is who is he giving it to.
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Q: When Vishous got scratched, and realized that the water helps that? Why? Is that important for later?
A: I don’t know.
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Q: I don’t like the ebooks. I prefer a book in my hand. Is there any chance of a collection of those e-books?
A: The thing I’m very cognizant of is the pricing of the books. But, once I write the book, the rest is up to the publisher. I’d like to get things into the hands of the readers, but more hard cover books gets expensive. So, the e-books lets me get the stories into the hands of the reader at a lower cost. But, Simon & Schuster is aware that people would love to have a compendium of those e-books and they’re working with me to make that happen.
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Q: Will there be more firefighters?
A: We’re trying to fit it into the schedule, and we’re hoping to announce something soon, perhaps for 2020.
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Q: Xhex said that JM’s grid is similar to Darius. What does she think about that?
A: There was a part where I felt like she was coaching JM, and I thought he was going to get it, but no, she didn’t get him there.
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Q: I’m confused by the names like Xhex, and s’Ex. I never know how to pronounce them, unless I hear you say them.
A: Yeah, I think we need a pronunciation guide.
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Q: I love that the Brothers aren’t perfect. Are you ever going to stop writing them?
A: Have you ever known a man that was perfect? And, one of the things I was worried about was, what if they stop talking to me. So, as long as they keep talking, I’ll keep writing.
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Q: Who will be the first trainee to be inducted in the Brotherhood?
A: That’s a Keep Reading, because I don’t know yet. We’re going to find out together.
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Q: Are the diamonds Lassiter gave to Mary and Sarah significant?
A: Remember when Lassiter gave the diamonds to Mary, and he said a mother’s tears are precious? He has the ability to turn tears into diamonds. Diamonds are forever, so the diamonds he gave to Sarah were a promise that she would live forever.
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Q: When will we get the hardcovers for the first books re-released?
A: I get a lot of people who ask that. The thing is, there’s a certain threshold that a book has to pass, in sales, for the publisher to consider re-releasing a hardcover book. All folks can do is keep asking. And, I’ll keep telling them folks are asking.
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Q: Pre-trans are able to go out in the light. Do the kids go to school?
A: Not a traditional school. You have to think about how kids were educated in the 1800s. There’s some things about the BDB world that haven’t evolved. So, they don’t attend schools.
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Q: Is Fritz getting a book?
A: No, that just wouldn’t be interesting.
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Q: I want Lassiter to have his own, whole book. (Not just pieces of his story in other books.)
A: He does get a book, but it’s going to be awhile.
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Q: Does your mom read your books? And if so, which is her favorite book?
A: I want you to know, my mom has never had biblical knowledge of a man. I showed up in her mailbox…but she loves the first one, she liked Dark Lover.
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Q: Have you ever considered posters, with models? (So we can really see what the Brothers look like)
A: I have an idea. I’m thinking of commissioning a series of illustrations, of what the Brothers look like.
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Q: (This is another question that was difficult to discern, but it seemed that the questioner was asking why the book covers don’t always match the description of the character.)
A: The publisher has control of the covers, and they can get close, but they can’t get the exact match. Like, hair styles, or tattoos. So they do their best.
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Q: Throughout the books, there’s a theme of the humans being ‘rats without tails’. But, they’re getting together with humans, and the Queen was human. Why are they still being disrespectful of the humans?
A: You know, a lot of people have asked that question. And I just don’t have a good answer.

ROGUE SOULS RELEASE DAY BLITZ

ABOUT ROGUE SOULS

Get ready for more magic, murder, and rented souls in the Soul Charmer series, which Booklist calls a "fresh take" on urban fantasy.

Callie Delgado volunteered to apprentice to Gem City's Soul Charmer. He'd forced the soul magic ability into her, but now it was hers. She'd learn to control her body's reaction to rented souls or go up in flames. Literally.

She exchanged her chance to escape the darker side of Gem City to save her brother. Now she needs to keep him sober and safe, try to mend family ties, and avoid the mobsters who have too much interest in the magic of borrowing souls.

But when bodies begin dropping at the Soul Charmer's door, it's up to Callie and her partner Derek to track down the person killing soul renters. The Charmer wants retribution, but Callie is determined to get justice even if it means putting herself directly in the sights of the murderer.

If she wants to stay on the Soul Charmer's good side, Callie must confront her enemies head-on and learn to command rogue souls...and hope someone she loves doesn't become the next victim.

Rogue Souls on Amazon| Rogue Souls on Goodreads

5 Questions with Chelsea Mueller, Author of Rogue Souls

1. What are the Soul Charmer books about?

Chelsea Mueller: In the Soul Charmer series, anyone can rent a soul. Yep. Rent one. You can have this second soul slid into your body, and then sin without tarnishing your own soul. Is it shady? Yep. Are there consequences? Absolutely.

The main character in the books is Callie Delgado, and she does not want anything to do with renting souls or soul magic. But she’s been strong-armed into working as a repo-woman for people who don’t return the rented souls. 

The deeper she gets into this gritty world, the more she learns about soul magic, and the harder it is to get back out. 

2. Rogue Souls is the second Soul Charmer book. Do we have to read book 1, Borrowed Souls, first?

Chelsea Mueller: If you pick up Rogue Souls first, it’s okay! You shouldn’t be lost, but you’ll get more of the character growth if you start with Borrowed Souls. 

3. Is there romance? I see a lot of romance authors recommend these books.

Chelsea Mueller: Ha! Yes. While both Borrowed Souls and Rogue Soulsare urban fantasy and focus primarily on Callie’s journey, there is a strong romantic subplot. If you like Charles/Anna dynamic in Patricia Briggs’ Alpha and Omega series, you’ll probably dig on Callie and Derek. 

4. If Rogue Souls were a cocktail, what would the recipe be?

Chelsea Mueller: Oh, Rogue Souls is two long pours of soul magic, a shot of murder mystery, and dash of a protective hero who rides a motorcycle. Garnish with family drama and secrets, as needed.

5. What’s next?

Chelsea Mueller: I have a few new project cooking. (Don’t I always?) I’ll be signing at Apollycon 2019, and if the stars align, we might even have a third Soul Charmer book to sign by then! WHAT? Yep. Keep your eyes on my website for news about the third Soul Charmer book, tentatively titled Lost Souls.

ABOUT CHELSEA MUELLER

Chelsea Mueller writes gritty contemporary fantasy. She founded the speculative fiction website Vampire Book Club, blogs about TV and romance novels for numerous websites, and is co-chair of SF/F charity Geeky Giving. She loves bad cover songs, dramatic movies, and TV vampires. Chelsea lives in Texas, and has been known to say y’all.

For the latest updates, visit ChelseaMueller.net, like facebook.com/ChelseaMuellerAuthor, or follow @ChelseaVBC on Twitter and Instagram.

THE CHOSEN Q&A IN CINCINNATI

Presenting the Q & A from the Cincinnati Signing....please be aware that there are SPOILERS in the following Questions and Answers. If you don't want SPOILERS, please do not continue reading.

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There are going to be SPOILERS, so be forewarned!!!!!

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Ready? Still with us? Here we go.......

The Chosen Q&A Transcript

***Some questions have been condensed and paraphrased for clarity. Please remember, this is being transcribed during a live event and it is often difficult to hear both answers and questions, so they may not be verbatim to how they were asked during the event. Note: HEA= Happily Ever After (a happy ending for a couple)

JR: Who wants to start? (everyone raises their hands and lots of people volunteer.)

Q: What is the next ***ing book?
A: The 2018 hardcover book for the BDB is called….The Thief…Sola and Assail
*the crowd lost its collective minds****

Q: What’s going on with V???(Lots of comments and derogatory remarks)
A: I have to listen to my Rice Krispies. I was like…holy…sh*t…I came to the point where I had to decide if I was gonna be a p*ssy and write a Lifetime Movie of the week, or do I drink the Koolaid and write the books the way I see them. I decided to drink the Koolaid.
*lots of applause*

Q: Will V be *in* the next book?
A: Yes, V will be in the next book.

Q: Does V cheat?
A: Fair question. In my books, the HEA is never static. If you want to know the answer, I will tell you. (lots of ‘yes’es) Ok, gonna pull a Bill Clinton and ask, what’s the definition of cheating?
(answers varied from “emotional” to “touching” to “full on f***ing”)
Okaaaay then. No, he doesn’t cheat. I’m not gonna tell you it doesn’t get ugly. But, he does not. Where he and Jane are at, is very real. It’s not just that Jane is busy, but in long term relationships, you can pull apart. Something brings them back together, but they’re going to have to learn this lesson. 

Q: Is Lassiter bound by the Scribe Virgin’s agreements with people?
A: Yes, he is. 

Q: Does Lassiter have the power (of the Scribe Virgin/deity)?
A: He is all-powerful. The moment I realized he was taking over…the only second worse would’ve been Rhage. If Bette Miller becomes immortal tomorrow…

Q: Can Bitty ask for the dragon to come out and play?
A: Rhage can totally do that. He’ll still be blind, but he’ll do that for his kid.

Q: With Throe’s balloon friends, will Lassiter have to intervene? Is it related to Devina? (this question was hard to hear and discern, so we did our best piecing it together.)
A: Yes, it is related to Devina. And they’re going to need Lassiter’s help to resolve it.

Q: Will Adrian and Eddie come back?
A: Yes, with the Devina mess. But the Fallen Angels are on a different timeline than the BDB, so it will have it will take some time until they coincide. 

Q: Has Lassiter decided on a title he can live with yet?
A: He was devastated when he realized Grand Pooba was taken. But no, he’ll probably never settle on one. 

Q: When will Lassiter get a book?
A: I don’t know when yet, but he definitely will. I’m not sure I’m ready to see him naked and in action. He will soon, but the world needs to stabilize first.

Q: Will Murhder come back?
A: He will. He’s definitely getting a book, and he’s coming. 

Q: Is Murhder the father of Jo, Manny, and Butch?
A: I’m gonna have to throw out a Keep Reading on that one. 

Q: I just want to thank you for writing such good LGBTQ characters. Qhuinn and Blay are such strong men, and they’re good representations of all of us who feel underrepresented.
A: JR hugged the questioner. 

Q: Will we see more of Ruhn?
A: Yes, I think he becomes very much a part of the Training Center.

Q: Will Ruhn end up with Saxton?
A: I’m gonna have to give you another Keep Reading on that.

Q: Have you thought about having another strong female like Payne.
A: I think you’re going to find Novo, in the next BDB Legacy coming out in November to be really strong. She’s really kickass.

Q: Back in the King, when we found out that Layla had inadvertently fed the traitor, she kissed Wrath’s ring. Then, next, she was thinking about meeting Xcor. (This went on for a while, so we condensed and paraphrased) Did Layla think she could convince the BDB that Xcor was a good guy? Why would they take her word?
A: I think that’s fair. I think that what she knew about who Xcor is at his heart supersedes his actions. I think it’s a totally fair criticism. I think it’s easier, outside of the relationship to judge by his actions, rather than his heart and intentions.

Q: Having seen the flashbacks of Hharm, apparently bastards abound. Will we meet more of them?
A: Yeah, there seem to be a lot. We’ll definitely see more of them in future books.

Q: We have Therese, Jo, Manny, and Butch. Are they all related?
A: I will tell you that Therese is not of that lineage.

Q: Why did we have to wait so long for sex in this book?
A: Oh…my…god…*lots of laughter from the crowd*…it just worked out that way.

Q: Are there going to be any more children?
A: I’m sure there will be more children…I just don’t know when.

Q: Which Brother will be featured in the next Legacy Book?
A: I don’t know. I thought I did, but turns out, I don’t. 

Q: Why did Rhage not ‘beast-out’ when they were being overrun by the lessers? And why couldn’t Layla go into the mansion?
A: The Beast can’t just be called. If Rhage is injured, he may not be able to become the Beast. And Layla didn’t go to the mansion because it wasn’t her home and she didn’t feel welcome.

Q: Is Boo Darius. Is he John Matthew?
A: No, Boo is more than a cat, but Darius is John Matthew. 

Q: Is Michael (from The Story of Son) Butch’s brother.
A: Another Keep Reading.

Q: Who will be the next person inducted into the Brotherhood?
A: I know, but that’s going to be another Keep Reading. 

Q: Will we see the Bastards in the BDB world?
A: The Bastards are going to be interwoven into the BDB world.

Q: What is the next series, now that the Bourbon Kings is going to be finished?
A: I know, but I can’t say yet.

Q: Will everyone find out that JM is Darius? And why did Selena have to die if she was going to be reincarnated?
A: No, no one can know about JM being Darius. I hated that Trez had to suffer, but look, if Lassiter is going to be the divine ruler, it would make sense for him to have to give something back to the household. So, if Selena didn’t die, there’s no vacuum for Lassiter to step into and do something really wonderful. Like a sacrifice…that’s not right…like a gift. We know that the reincarnation has been done so we know it works. 

Q: What does Lassiter sacrifice to get Selena back?
A: You’re going to find out. The thing about the series is that I’m already four or five books ahead of what you’ve all read. So, I know what happens, and I just had to drag everyone through that book which was really horrible to write. 

Q: Will Selena or Lassiter know (that Selena was reincarnated)?
A: I promise someone other than Lassiter will know. 

Q: Now that the rules have changed, will the Bastards be inducted?
A: Yes, I think that now that the rules have changed, we’ll see the Bastards be inducted. Not all at once, of course. 

Q: Is Vishous going to be kinder to you?
A: F*ck no. As soon as I knew who was going to be in the next book, I thought, great, I can spend more time with his hairy @ss. (mild rant about V)

Q: I kind of thought that Lash was going to come out and join the fray. Where is Lash?
A: Yes, he will be back. Lash is coming back. 

Q: Will Payne lose her regenerative powers?
A: What we’re seeing is that the longer she stays on Earth, the harder it is for her to rejuvenate and to get her powers to work, so the question will be how to fix that.

Q: Since there was the power shift between the Lassiter and the Scribe Virgin, does that mean that the Omega is also having a power shift?
A: I will tell you that the answer is in the Dhestroyer legacy. But Keep Reading.

Q: When Tohr and Xcor shook hands for the first time, in the book it says that only one knew it.
A: At that time, Xcor didn’t know they’re brothers, but Tohr did. Xcor doesn’t find out until after the warehouse battle, but Tohr knew then.

Q: Are the BDB, Legacy and Fallen Angels all on the same timeline?
A: No. We’re getting there, but there’s going to have to be some time jumping to get them all aligned on the same timeline. 

Q: Is the BDB ever going to end?
A: Not as long as they’re still talking to me, and you’re still reading. 

Q: Will we ever get the Scribe Virgin’s back story?
A: I would totally love to do that. I’d like to do it, maybe in an ebook special? I’ll have to think about it, because it’s a very sad story...

Q: The Bloodletter’s camp and activity was sanctioned. When it was later unsanctioned, were all the Brothers at the camp already trained? Was Xcor there the entire time? (This was another question that was condensed and paraphrased for clarity.)
A: Xcor came in at the end. Not all Brothers were trained before it became apparent what the Bloodletter was doing and the camp was shut down.

Q: Will Manny ever get turned?
A: You can’t turn them. Manny…you know what, Keep Reading…I give up. (lots of laughter at JR’s reaction)

Q: Could we have something from George and Boo’s point of view?
A: I just don’t know how compelling that is.

Q: Will Qhuinn’s brother Luchas get a book?
A: He will absolutely get a book, but I sense it’s more likely to be in the BDB Legacy. 

Q: What are you currently reading?
A: I’m reading The Lost Order by Steve Berry. I’m a huge fan of his, and his wife.

Q: Will Syn end up with Saxton?
A: I’m a fan of Syn’s. But Saxton is busy, he won’t end up with Syn.

Q: Will there be another Insider’s Guide?
A: It’s about time, isn’t it? We’ll have to talk about that.

Q: Will we ever see the back story of Darius and Beth’s mother?
A: Maybe. That’d be interesting. It’s a sad story, they don’t have a happy ending, though. Maybe as a short story. 

Q: How is Manny going to keep Payne satisfied if he’s going to age?
A: They’ve only been together a year…he doesn’t need Viagra yet. I didn’t say that Payne wouldn’t be okay, but it’s going to take some intervening event. (to fix her inability to rejuvenate.)

Q: What about the coffins? (in the garage of the mansion.)
A: The coffins are a Keep Reading. Eventually, they’ll come into play, and it’s creepy as sh!t. But, you’re going to have to Keep Reading to find out. 

Q: The Bourbon Kings are ending?
A: Yeah, the BK were only three books. There’s a lot to work out.
The pacing of that book is quick, so there’s a lot to wrap up.

Q: You say that the Brothers talk to you. If you could pick one to write in your way, regardless of what they say, who would you pick?
A: Oh, that’s a good one. If I could take the reins and make him do anything, it would be Vishous and I would make him junior counselor at a girl’s camp, teaching basket weaving. No swearing, or drinking. He’d be miserable. (lots of laughter and suggestions of ways to make V miserable, like make him use iPhones. )

Q: Will you ever write about someone with special needs?
A: Um..we have someone who can’t see, someone who can’t speak…oh, you mean with mental illness? I’m going to get myself in so much trouble…if I say this, just so we’re all clear, I would never impose this on the world because it doesn’t work like this…but I don’t think that V and Jane should be together. I think V should be with Butch, and Butch could be with Marissa. That’s what I saw, originally. That Butch and and V ended up together. But that was ten years ago, and the publishing world has changed. But, I would never allow my personal beliefs to influence the world. The pictures would go away if I did. So that’s why V isn’t going to cheat and why, even with the rough spots, V and Jane will stay together. It’s not like the world is a la carte and I can say, let’s have one of these and some of those. The world presents itself, and if I try to change or influence it, the pictures dry up. 

Q: What about the Wolfen?
A: There will be a wolfen. There is someone who is not a vampire, and it’s someone you know.

Q: What about the kids, like Lyric?
A: What I would really like to do, but I haven’t even talked to my publisher about it, but I would love to do a focused series of books about who Lyric, and LW and Rhamp, and Aggie and Nalla end up with. But it would take a jump of forty or fifty years so it would be outside the BDB world. I would love to because it would be sad never to see, like not getting to live long enough to see your kid get married. 

***EDT*** Aggie will be Phury and Cormia's son. The deleted excerpt from Phury's book mentioning him can be found in The Insiders' Guide - he is not yet born. :) ****

Q: Can Fritz get some help?
A: Fritz has an entire staff. The Band of Bastards are going to live in the house. That’s a lot of testosterone. 

Q: Will they have enough room for The Band of Bastards?
A: The mansion is huge. They have wings for days in that house, there’s plenty of room.

Q: Is s’Ex getting a book?
A: Yes, he is. 

Q: Will the blood slave affect s’Ex?
A: Part of Assail’s book has to deal with the blood slave. It’s going to affect s’Ex’s story.

Q: When will we get more Z?
A: He’s very reserved. So, if I get pictures of him, they’re very limited...I don’t know…Z comes forward when he wants to, but he doesn’t usually want to.

Q: What about Throe’s book? (the book that Throe uses for his spells and power)
A: Devina is using Throe’s stupid-ass book to come back up from the well. She needs a body and a soul to come back.

Q: Did the Scribe Virgin save Xcor?
A: No, it was a hallucination. His mind placed her there in the memory.

Q: The favor between the Scribe Virgin and Wrath…do we get to find out what that is?
A: It will come to light soon.

Q: Will there be any emotional cheating with the Dhestroyer as the prophecy gets closer to being fulfilled. (cheating between V and Butch)
A: Nope, no cheating at all.

Q: Why is Nalla seeing the shadow?
A: Okay, soooo I would say that she has a special skill.

Q: Can Lassiter create a kumbaya moment?
A: I would suggest that given his personality, he wouldn’t even if he can. Given his propensity for conflict, he isn’t likely to do so. He can create situations, but he can’t overcome free will.

Q: Vishous is still taking birds to the Sanctuary. Is he still hoping she’ll be around? Is he projecting issues with his mom?
A: I think he still has some serious f***ing issues with his mother. He has some of the…and I don’t mean this in a flippant way, but he has some Asperger-type tendencies. I don’t know that he’s come to terms with his and his sister’s treatment. The SV isn’t dead…okay….okay….Boo is the Scribe Virgin.
*crowd goes wild*
She has been with them all along, and is with them still. Remember, she’s been in those black robes, and you know how black cats have those light eyes. So, I don’t want you all coming back next year and asking, who knows she’s Boo? The entire time, the Scribe Virgin knew how important Beth would be to the BDB world so she was there when they needed her. But the SV will never return to her original role. But that’s my gift to you and my thank you to you all for coming.

THE BOURBON KINGS & WARD Q&A

For generations, the Bradford family has worn the mantle of kings of the bourbon capital of the world. Their sustained wealth has afforded them prestige and privilege—as well as a hard-won division of class on their sprawling estate, Easterly. Upstairs, a dynasty that by all appearances plays by the rules of good fortune and good taste. Downstairs, the staff who work tirelessly to maintain the impeccable Bradford facade. And never the twain shall meet.

For Lizzie King, Easterly’s head gardener, crossing that divide nearly ruined her life. Falling in love with Tulane, the prodigal son of the bourbon dynasty, was nothing that she intended or wanted—and their bitter breakup only served to prove her instincts were right. Now, after two years of staying away, Tulane is finally coming home again, and he is bringing the past with him. No one will be left unmarked: not Tulane’s beautiful and ruthless wife; not his older brother, whose bitterness and bad blood know no bounds; and especially not the ironfisted Bradford patriarch, a man with few morals, fewer scruples, and many, many terrible secrets.

As family tensions—professional and intimately private—ignite, Easterly and all its inhabitants are thrown into the grips of an irrevocable transformation, and only the cunning will survive.

Release Date: July 28, 2015

Penguin Publishing Group

The Bourbon Kings #1

Liza’s Review:

I really tried to like The Bourbon Kings. I’ve liked some of Ward’s other contemporary books, so figured I’d enjoy her new series. Sadly, The Bourbon Kings was a DNF (Did Not Finish) read for me. I loved the 80’s primetime soap operas, but felt The Bourbon Kings was just a little too over the top for me. Honestly the only main character I even liked was Lizzie and she basically was a servant to the Bradford family, or at least treated like one. I wasn’t a fan of Tulane “Lane” at all and couldn’t understand why Lizzie would have waited around for him. I actually gave up at about 30% so I can’t say for sure that the story didn’t get better. While The Bourbon Kings didn’t work for me, I believe it will work for other fans of contemporary books. I do plan on giving the next book in the series a try, and plan to read it with an open mind.

Even without finishing The Bourbon Kings, there was no way I was going to miss out on a Ward Q&A session. Luckily, Ward was in Nashville for release day.

Q&A at Salon@615 in Nashville, TN at the Nashville Public Library

JR Ward started out talking about her new series.  The Bourbon Kings takes place in the South, and Ward stated the South is a character in itself. Ward moved to the South 10 years ago from the Boston area and said it was a bit of a culture shock for her. When asked it she had trouble moving from writing paranormal books to contemporary books, she said it wasn’t an issue as she basically has the same process for all her writing.  I have to say she totally cracked me up trying not to cuss during the entire Q&A, but have to say she wasn’t successful and soon the f-bombs and s-bombs were flying. J

Once the audience was allowed to ask questions, the Q&A pretty much turned into a BDB Q&A session, though The Bourbon King series had a few questions mixed in as well.

Ward currently has 6 books planned out for the BDB.

She does currently have 3 books under contract for The Bourbon Kings and totally admitted it was very much like Dynasty/Falcon Crest/Knots Landing from the 80’s. She totally wants to be Alexis Carrington Colby. Ward said The Bourbon Kings books have good conflict, romantic relationships and offers multiple POVs. She wants people to be invested enough to come back for book after book.

Unlike in the BDB series, Ward actually based some of the characters in The Bourbon Kings books on real people. She named Lizzie, Greta and a few other characters.

Her writing process is the same no matter what she is writing. She says she actually sees pictures of the stories in her head and writes down what she is seeing.

Ward did say The Bourbon Kings has an element of mystery in the book, and she totally said who died in the book…one of the first f-bombs that was dropped.

Ward was asked if she drank bourbon and she said no, that she doesn’t drink. Actually said “could you imagine this shit drunk?”

Lassiter will be in Blood Kissed and he wears the funniest outfit in the history of outfits.

Devina will be back at some point in the BDB books.

Asked if she would write any other paranormal books and she said maybe…tried to say more, but had to leave it as maybe.

Asked if iAm and The Queen would appear in future books or have more stories and she said they were pretty much done.

People asked about the pronunciations of the characters changing on the audiobooks. Ward said they had never asked how to pronounce the names in the beginning, and no one ever thought to give them out. They changed the pronunciations for The Shadows.

No one will ever find out John Matthew is actually Darius. She did say Xhex does have an idea that JM is something more because of the shadows she sees around him, but doesn’t know why.

There is currently a TV option for The Bourbon Kings and while Ward can’t talk about it in detail, she did say she feels the right team of people hare working on it.

She keeps no notes or drawings about the house or the characters.

Blood Kiss will only have 4 POVs. Butch, Marissa, Craeg, and Paradise.

Layla & Xcor will have page time in The Beast…she really acted like she wanted to say more, but they shut her down.

Muhrder will be back. Ward thought he would appear in The Shadows. We might see him in The Beast. JM has to get into the Brotherhood first. Plus big issues with Xhex and Muhrder and their past as we know so little about Xhex’s past after leaving the Symphath colony.

I really feel like she will say more about everything at the Louisville, KY signing and Q&A on Saturday. As the Nashville event started at 6:15 at night, I think her Q&A session was shorter than normal.