I promise: I am hilarious and will keep you entertained! And I will sign all your books and personalize them—and I’ll of course take photos too. 😘
See you soon, DenNerds!
Now, on to the AMA!
Somehow, a whole year has passed since my first AMA—and I have finally answered every question. That means it’s time to kick off another Ask Me Anything!
In other words, dear DenNerd: you can ask me anything in the comments ! It can be about the books I’ve written or the books I plan to write. It can be about my career or creative life. It can be about my favorite games/reads/films/shows. Whatever you’re curious about, leave a comment letting me know.
Also, feel free to ask more than one question, if you want! That’s the fun of being a subscriber—I’m here to serve you! 😉
And note: if it’s a really meaty craft- or publishing-related question, I might answer it on the
Hi!! I LOVE your Witchlands series and I can't wait for the next book to come out! Is it going to be the final book in the series? What was your favorite part to write in the series up to Witchlight?
Hi Sooz! What are your favorite types of games? Stealth? FPS? etc. And do you have a favorite game? I know it's hard to choose so a list of favorites is fine too.
Also, are you still learning Python? Do you like it? What other coding languages do you know?
Hi Sooz! I am getting ready to start IVF and am worried I will be to exhausted or crazy hormonal to write even though it bring me joy. I would love to know any tips you have on staying on track with writing while going through the highs and lows of IVF?
Hiya Sooz! What are the biggest differences you’ve found between your early expectations of becoming a famous author and the reality of being a famous author? What’s been better than you expected and what’s been worse? And if you could go back in time, how would you better prepare yourself for these realities?
Thank you so much for responding!! And what a fun way to do it 🤩 I really enjoyed hearing you talk about your experiences, a fun change of pace to reading (though of course I’ll gladly read anything you send out too haha)!
Hiya again Sooz! Sorry for being greedy here with a second question so soon after my first question, but… 😉 on a different topic: writing groups. If you could form your perfect writing group, what would it look like? How would it be formatted? What qualities would you look for in participants?
Being an established author definitely came with its own share of challenges during the pandemic, but I was wondering if you have any insight for people who are (still) querying post-pandemic? It seems harder and harder to get any attention, so how can we put our best foot (story) forward?
And the fun question: what is the latest soundtrack (movie, game, TV, made-up trailer) that you've been listening to?
Hi!! I love the Witchlands series and your development of that entire world. So, my question is: where do you start when thinking about world building?
Hi! I've collected the Waterstones sprayed edge editions of both The Lumiaries and The Hunting Moon, do you know if there will be a version for The Whispering Night? <3
Hey Sooz! I wanted to ask you about your Something Strange series. Will we see a reprisal at any time??? I hope you and your family are doing okay ❤️
Hi!! I LOVE your Witchlands series and I can't wait for the next book to come out! Is it going to be the final book in the series? What was your favorite part to write in the series up to Witchlight?
Do you have any idea when it will be released?
Love your work!!!
What keeps you motivated? Through setbacks, tough times and when things don't always go the way you expect them to?
And will the Witchland Series get new covers next year when the last book comes out?
Hi Sooz! What are your favorite types of games? Stealth? FPS? etc. And do you have a favorite game? I know it's hard to choose so a list of favorites is fine too.
Also, are you still learning Python? Do you like it? What other coding languages do you know?
Hi Sooz! Do you use Miro or any similar brainstorming software?
Hi Sooz! I am getting ready to start IVF and am worried I will be to exhausted or crazy hormonal to write even though it bring me joy. I would love to know any tips you have on staying on track with writing while going through the highs and lows of IVF?
Christina, I am going to answer this on my Misfits & Daydreamers—and I will answer it next week so you’re not stuck waiting.
All the love and hope to you.
Here Christina: https://open.substack.com/pub/stdennard/p/learning-to-forgive-ourselves-during?r=1ns9h2&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
I hope that helps. ❤️
That really really does help. Sometimes the permission coming from others is more real than the permission we give ourselves ❤️
Hi Sooz! Are you excited for DA4? Is there anything you'd like to see there?
Hiya Sooz! What are the biggest differences you’ve found between your early expectations of becoming a famous author and the reality of being a famous author? What’s been better than you expected and what’s been worse? And if you could go back in time, how would you better prepare yourself for these realities?
Good questions!
I answered your question over on my other newsletter! 😘 thank you so much for asking it!! https://open.substack.com/pub/stdennard/p/audio-the-challenges-of-debut-year?r=1ns9h2&utm_campaign=post&utm_medium=web
Thank you so much for responding!! And what a fun way to do it 🤩 I really enjoyed hearing you talk about your experiences, a fun change of pace to reading (though of course I’ll gladly read anything you send out too haha)!
Hiya again Sooz! Sorry for being greedy here with a second question so soon after my first question, but… 😉 on a different topic: writing groups. If you could form your perfect writing group, what would it look like? How would it be formatted? What qualities would you look for in participants?
Being an established author definitely came with its own share of challenges during the pandemic, but I was wondering if you have any insight for people who are (still) querying post-pandemic? It seems harder and harder to get any attention, so how can we put our best foot (story) forward?
And the fun question: what is the latest soundtrack (movie, game, TV, made-up trailer) that you've been listening to?
Hi!! I love the Witchlands series and your development of that entire world. So, my question is: where do you start when thinking about world building?
Hey Alysha! I answered your question here: https://stdennard.substack.com/p/audio-an-intro-on-how-i-build-worlds
(And I hope I didn't mispronounce your name!! Many apologies if I did! 💚)
Thank you!!! I just listened and you said my name perfectly 😃
Hi Sooz! I know you have a love for Arkane games, have you written any stories inspired by those games? Maybe Deathloop? 🧡
Hi! I've collected the Waterstones sprayed edge editions of both The Lumiaries and The Hunting Moon, do you know if there will be a version for The Whispering Night? <3
Yes! There is a sprayed edges edition coming from Waterstones. 😊 Here’s a link to buy! https://www.waterstones.com/book/the-whispering-night/susan-dennard/9781837840892