Warning:  

 There may be spoilers lurking 
 in the questions for each book! 

 

GENERAL QUESTIONS

Where do you live?
Um, why do you want to know? Seriously, though — I don’t publicize my address.

Will you sign my book?
I’ll be happy to sign books at any of my events. There’s really no easy way for me to sign your book from where I am right now, though! If you can’t make it to an event, you can always order a signed, personalized book from WORD bookstore in Brooklyn. Just visit their signed books page for instructions.

Will you come to my town/school/library/commune?
I try to travel as much as possible to meet fans! I’m also available for Skype visits. If you’re interested in having me appear at an event, have a teacher, librarian, or bookstore owner use the contact page to get in touch with the folks who organize my tour schedule.

Will you donate a signed book or other swag to my charity?
Usually, I enjoy helping out charities. For various business reasons, I have to make this rule: You must send your charitable request to me via Snail Mail, on the letterhead of your charitable organization. I know, it sounds like a headache. But if you e-mail me, I’m just going to say the same thing. Send the letter to me care of my agent’s address. And please don’t ask for a donation a couple of weeks ahead of time. Think far in advance and get in touch way early. You need to give your letter time to get to my agent, then to me, and then you have to realize that my first priority in life cannot be immediately hopping up and racing to the post office with your donation! Thanks for understanding.

Where can I get your books online for free?
If you download my books for free, you’re screwing me over — I don’t get paid for those. And if you screw me over, then you’re screwing yourself over, too because if I don’t get paid, then I can’t write more books and then there are no more books for you to read. So, if you can’t afford to buy the books (and hey, I get it — it’s cool), then please don’t download them for free. Instead, go to your local library and borrow them. It still doesn’t cost you anything and in the meantime, the library has paid for its books. Everyone wins! If the library doesn’t have the book, ask them to get it for you. They will! (Because libraries are awesome like that!)

Fine, then, smarty-pants: In that case, where can I buy your books?
You can find the physical books at all the usual outlets: Your local independent booksellerAmazon.com, and Barnes & Noble. If you’re looking for e-books, you can use the above resources (all sell e-books) and also find me on the iBookstore.

Will you read something I’ve written?
Nope! Sorry. But for legal reasons, I just can’t do that. Please don’t send me manuscripts or pitches or ideas or comic books you’ve drawn. They’ll just be thrown away, unread.

How do I get in touch with you?
Use the contact form.

What advice would you give to new writers?
You’re in luck! I have a whole series of blogs that I’ve been doing on this very subject. Click here to go to the Writing Advice Index!

I have a school report due and I need you to tell me something about one of your books.
Dude. Come on. Do your own homework. Seriously.

My teacher said that I have to write to you and that if you don’t answer my questions, I’ll get a lower grade and/or fail.
Tell your teacher that’s not cool. If he or she doesn’t believe you, point him or her to this page. Seriously — making a grade contingent on whether or not I happen to have the chance to get back to you by a certain point in time? That’s super uncool. Shame on you, teacher — you’re better than that.

Will you blurb my book?
Probably not. It’s nothing personal — I’m just way busy, is all. If you really want to try, all blurb requests should go through my agent. Blurb requests sent directly to me (yes, even if we’ve met before; even if you’re my bestest friend in the world) have a really good chance of going unanswered. If you think this makes me an ass, I’m sorry, but for various reasons, I need them all to go to my agent. You can find her here.

COMICS

Can you tell me how to publish my comic book? How to find an artist? The best way to write a comic book?
In a word: No.

I get a lot of questions about comics, but here’s the thing: I don’t know how to find artists. I don’t know which companies are looking for specific kinds of projects. I don’t know who to contact about publishing. And I especially don’t know the next step you should take. Yes, I’ve done a book for Marvel Comics, but that’s because they approached me. I don’t know any magic words that will make a comic book publisher notice you or your work. I had to publish three novels before Marvel called me to write for them!

In short, everything I know about comics and everything I had to say about writing them, I said in this article.

Beyond that, I can’t help you. But there are many, many resources out there these days. The article lists a few, but I suggest hitting the ol’ Google to find more. Try Amazon, too — there are a lot of books out there on this topic these days.

There’s lots of information on the Web about creating and publishing comics, and it’s certainly fresher and more in-depth than anything I can provide.

Good luck to you!

THE ASTONISHING ADVENTURES OF FANBOY & GOTH GIRL

Where do you live?
Um, why do you want to know?
Seriously, though — I don’t publicize my address.

Why does the book end the way it does? Why isn’t there a real ending?
It is a real ending. It just might not be the kind you’re used to. In life, sometimes things aren’t tied up nice and neat. We don’t always know where we stand with people. I wanted to show that in the book. I know that a lot of people wanted Kyra and Fanboy to kiss at the end, but that’s just not how it worked out. They weren’t ready for that.

Will there be a sequel?
Yes. It’s titled Goth Girl Rising, and it’s already available.

Will there be a movie?
Possibly. A director named Jeremiah Chechik has optioned the rights to make the book into a movie. This means that he could decide to make it into a movie. Nothing is guaranteed, though. I talk a little bit more about this in this BLog post. That’s really all I know right now — trust me, when there’s more to tell, I’ll let you know!

Are you like Fanboy?
Yeah, I’m quite a bit like Fanboy. Or at least, I used to be, when I was his age. I was picked on and made fun of and I used to have pretty violent fantasies about what to do to those kids who made fun of me. I got through it, though. Like Fanboy, I’ve always loved comic books. I never made a graphic novel in high school — I can’t draw! — but I did write a really terrible novel. (And no, you can’t see it!)

Who is Kyra based on?
Kyra isn’t based on anyone at all. She’s completely made up. I wish I’d known someone like her when I was that age, though. We could all use someone to kick us in the butt every once in a while.

What is Fanboy’s real name?
If you read the book very carefully, you’ll see Fanboy’s real nameused one time. It’s just his first name — we never learn his last name.

Why didn’t you use Fanboy’s real name in the book?
Because he doesn’t like the sound of it. He mentions this the one time someone calls him by his real name. Since he doesn’t like the sound of it and it’s his story, I figured it was only right to leave it out.

What is Fanboy’s “third thing?”
Sorry, I’ll never tell! But there was a contest for people to guess over at FanboyandGothGirl.com. Check it out for some really terrific answers!

BOY TOY

What was your inspiration for the novel?
The original inspiration was a case in the school district where I’d gone to high school, involving a young, pretty teacher and multiple teenage boys. I was fascinated by the case and the more I looked into it, the more I found cases like it all across the country. I realized that I needed to write about this.

I heard that Kyra (Goth Girl) shows up in this book. Is that true?
Yep! Pay close attention to one of the times Josh leaves the Spermling’s office…

What does Zik mean after the big baseball game when he tells Josh that they’re not best friends any more?
Zik’s feeling, at this point, is that Rachel is Josh’s best friend now.

HERO-TYPE

When does this book take place compared to the others?
It’s set a little bit before the beginning of Boy Toy (something happens right at the end of Hero-Type that overlaps the beginning of Boy Toy). This means it’s roughly a year after The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy & Goth Girl.

I heard Kyra (Goth Girl) shows up in this book. Is that true?
She doesn’t actually show up physically, but she’s mentioned by one of Kross’s friends.

GOTH GIRL RISING

Are you serious? You’re still not telling us Fanboy’s third thing?
Sorry ’bout that… 😉

Will there be a third book?
Right now, there are no plans for a third book about Fanboy and Goth Girl, but you know what? I never planned to write the second book, either! So there’s no way to know — it may happen. And those two characters may show up in the background of some other books, too.

How can I get a Goth Girl minimate?
Sorry — they were a limited production run for the launch of the book and they’re all gone

MANGAMAN

Why does Ryoko have a girl’s name?
Someday, Colleen and I will do a sequel to the book and you’ll learn the answer to that question! In the meantime, it’s kinda fun to speculate, isn’t it?

ARCHVILLAIN SERIES

How many books are there in the series?
Three. First is Archvillain. Then The Mad Mask. The final book came out in January 2013 and is titled Yesterday Again.

I HUNT KILLERS SERIES

OMG! Is there going to be a sequel???
Of course! Even I wouldn’t leave you hanging like that! There will be at least two more books in the series. The second book came out in April 2013.

OMFG!!! Is there a sequel to the sequel (GAME)?
Of course! Even I’m not cruel enough to leave you hanging like that! The third book is titled Blood of My Blood and came out on September 9, 2014.

Is it going to be a TV series?
Nope.