Richelle Mead

Frequently Asked Questions

These are the questions I get asked the most, so if you plan on emailing me, you might find a quicker answer here!

How many books will be in each series?

Is there any way the next book can come out sooner?

Is Vampire Academy going to be a movie?

Who's on the covers of the Vampire Academy books?

Are Frostbite and Shadow Kiss available in hardcover?

When is the next Vampire Academy book coming out?

When is the next Georgina book coming out?

When is the next Dark Swan book coming out?

Why can't you come do a signing in my city?

Are your books available outside the United States?

When will the next book be released in my country?

Are there audio, Kindle, or ebook versions of your books?

How did you get started writing?

Where do you get your ideas from? Are your characters or books based on real life?

I want to be a writer. Can I send you samples of my writing or tell you about my ideas?

I want to be a writer. Can you give me writing advice or tell me how to get published?

Do you know where I can find fan-fic of your books?

Can we be pen pals?

When can I read an excerpt/first chapter of the next book?

Can you do an interview or answer questions for a school project?

If you did make a movie out of one of your books, who would your dream cast be?

If there's a Vampire Academy movie, can I be in it? Will you let me audition?

 

Here are the answers!

How many books will be in each series?
Things always change, but here is the current plan for my three series:

Georgina Kincaid series - There will be 6 total in the series
Vampire Academy series - There will be 6 total in the series, followed by a spin-off series
Dark Swan series - Unknown at this point! Most likely there will be 4 total


Is there any way the next book can come out sooner?
No. Release dates are determined by the book companies and are based on many, many different factors. How fast I write the books doesn't make a difference. I could write a new book every day, and they would still have to be released 6-12 months apart.

Is Vampire Academy going to be a movie?
An author can't just decide to make a movie, not unless she has $50 million sitting around or her own studio! A studio needs to agree to take the project and invest the money. Right now, VA film rights are in the control of Preger Entertainment, who is trying to get a studio on board.  Until that happens, there is no filming, no script, and NO casting happening.  Everything is on hold.  So far, there have been no studio deals, likely because this a vampire saturated market.  So, the short answer to this question is, "I don't know." :) Read this post to get the facts on that and this interview where they answer popular questions. Preger also maintains an active Facebook page with updates. IMDB has a page with a release date, but that's just a placeholder. There is no real date yet because nothing is in production.


Who's on the covers of the Vampire Academy books?
Covers are designed by a book company's art department and are something I have little say about. Since everyone has different ideas about how characters look, the art department's ideas may not quite match the books' descriptions or your ideas. Or, the art department may not have even read the book.

Vampire Academy - Rose
Frostbite - The girl is Rose, and the guy is a mystery even to me. Without the red eyes, he'd be Christian. He's too young to be Isaiah.
Shadow Kiss - Lissa and Dimitri are on the old version; Rose is supposed to be on the new one.
Blood Promise - Rose
Spirit Bound - Rose and ???
Last Sacrifice - Rose

Are Frostbite and Shadow Kiss available in hardcover?
Unfortunately, these aren't available in hardcover, and there are no plans to release them that way. This is a decision from the publisher and nothing I have control over.


When is the next Vampire Academy book coming out?
The VA series is technically finished, but there will be a spin-off series entitled Bloodlines coming out in August 2011.  It will be set in the same world, with many familiar characters, but follow a whole new storyline. Sydney is the narrator.


When is the next Georgina book coming out?
The sixth book in the series is called Succubus Revealed and will be out in September 2011. More info will be posted as it becomes available  on the Georgina Kincaid page.


When is the next Dark Swan book coming out?
The third book, Iron Crowned, will be out in March 2011. Information about books after that can be found on the Dark Swan page.


Why can't you come do a signing in my city?
Travel is extremely expensive, even for one night, once you add up airfare and hotel costs. My publishers pay for my big tours, but they're on budgets too and choose cities based on city size and relationships with bookstores. I occasionally set up signings myself, and since I live on the west coast, it is easier for me to travel around this area. Also, if I'm on vacation, I'll try to do a signing wherever I go--but I don't have the time or money to visit every place. I truly wish I could visit everywhere because I LOVE meeting readers, but I'm afraid it's just not possible! A list of my current signings and travel can be found on my calendar page.

Are your books available outside the United States?
They are indeed! Please see my international page for more information.

When will the next book be released in my country?
The Vampire Academy series is released in English speaking countries (Australia, the UK, and Canada) on the same day as the U.S. This is also usually true for the Dark Swan and Georgina books. Unfortunately, translations in other countries are all different, and I am not given information on when new books will be released in those places. Check with your local bookseller or book website.

Are there Kindle, ebook, or audio versions of your books?
FYI - this is something I do not have control over, nor do I have any information on release dates of future books in any of these formats. I usually find out about them when you do.  To my knowledge, almost all books are available in Kindle/ebook format, and the VA books usually have the same release dates in both paper and electronic form.  All of my books will eventually be in audio. Some are on CD and some are only on audible.com.  Again--the formats and release dates are out of my control too. 

How did you get started writing?
I've wanted to write for my entire life. When I was little, I used to design my own picture books. As I got older, I began trying to write short stories. During high school and college, I fell away from writing and ended up getting degrees in other things and becoming a middle school English teacher. Not long after that, I started writing a sci-fi book as a hobby. Nothing ever came of it, but it trained me up to write Succubus Blues. I sold it relatively quickly, and from there, I began writing my other series.

Where do you get your ideas from? Are your characters or books based on real life?
None of my characters or situations are based on anything in real life--it all comes from my head! That being said, the things in my head are fueled by the world around me. I do a lot of mythological research, and often that triggers an idea for a book (like how the Romanian myth of Strigoi and Moroi inspired Vampire Academy). Sometimes tiny little things I observe in the world will spark an idea too. Writing and story creating is so complex that there's no one good answer to say where a book comes from.

I want to be a writer. Can I send you samples of my writing or tell you about my ideas?
No, I'm unable to read others' writing or advise on stories/books. Please do not send them - you won't get a response, and they will be deleted. :(


I want to be a writer. Can you give me writing advice or tell me how to get published?
Getting published is a complex process that would take pages to explain. Fortunately, author Holly Lisle has created pages to explain it! Check out her site here for a comprehensive FAQ. Author Tamora Pierce also has a really excellent website on how to get an agent and get published, with specific information for young writers.


Do you know where I can find fan-fic of your books?
While fan-fic is flattering to authors, it's not anything I can talk about or point you to for legal reasons.


Can we be pen pals?
While I love hearing from my readers, I'm afraid I'm unable to have a regular email exchange with anyone. Things are so busy right now that I can barely answer each person one time, let alone more than once, and I want to be fair to everyone. Writing my books takes up so much time, and I have to believe you'd rather read more of them than an email from me!


When can I read an excerpt of the next book?
I *usually* post the first chapter of each new book a month before release day. Sorry, it almost can never come out sooner! Go to my books page, and click on the individual series. If a book has an excerpt available, it will say so. Sometimes a publisher will not allow any excerpt to go up at all. If so, there's nothing I can do about that.

Can you do an interview or answer questions for a school project?
Unfortunately, I am unable to do interviews or help with school projects, due to how busy my schedule is! Hopefully you can get some of the answers you need from this page. Please don't count on me to answer in time. You won't be able to complete the assignment.

 

If you did make a movie out of one of your books, who would your dream cast be?
I know this is a lame answer, but honestly, my characters are so unique to me that I can't picture any actors who look like them! I'd probably need a cast of unknowns.

 

If there's a Vampire Academy movie, can I be it? Will you let me audition?
Unfortunately, this is nothing I would have any control over! If there was a VA movie (and like I said, there are no plans right now), it would all be in the film company's hands. Here are their comments on auditions.