I got this email from Christopher Garry, a fellow writer: "I am an editor and a writer. I have two quick questions for you...you use "Share Alike" license inside your books. Does that mean that people can modify your writing and then re-distribute it? Do you see any of your fans doing this? What is your favorite way to interact with your reader community? Clearly you are highly visible on Twitter but do you have maybe a newsgroup forum or any other way for readers to discuss your work? A wiki? A guide to the worlds you have built? That sort of thing?"

Well, it's 7 questions total, but hey, I'll answer them all! So here you go. (Also, if you read this whole post, you will convalesce from your all your illnesses. That, or I owe you a cookie.)  

1. What using ShareAlike license means.

Let me begin with the official name for the beast. The license I self-publish my books under is called "Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported". The full text about it, including the lengthy legalese, can be found here. What does this mean? It means that you can do these things to my books:

Share my books anywhere you like, copy them, distribute them, in any medium or format; even more, adapt them into anything you want, screenplays, poems, games, whatever; remix the text, change it, build upon it, AS LONG AS YOU DON'T SELL THE RESULTING STUFF FOR MONEY, GIVE ME APPROPRIATE CREDIT, INDICATE WHAT YOU CHANGED, AND USE THE SAME LICENSE.

Clear enough, right? Basically, you can help me spread the love of sharing stories, in the same manner that I'm spreading this love by sharing my stories for free. You can use them for inspiration, as a basis for your own stories, write fanfic, do anything you want. The idea here is, MAKE MORE ART. If I can help you do that with my books, awesome. More art in this world means more artists means more happy people. 

2. Do I see anyone building upon my work?

When I self-published my first book, well, 3 books, a trilogy that should've been 1 book but grew too long and had to be broken down into 3, I used the ShareAlike license and, of course, a new writer on the scene, 1st book, it stirred questions. People messaged me, emailed me, asking, asking, so I wrote this post on why I did it. The gist of it is, I want my books to spread as far as they would go. I want them to be read. I want to inspire more books to be written. The only way to do it is to help other people spread my stuff. Because, if I lock it up, how will it spread? I don't have a huge publishing house pushing my books out, don't have marketing teams or trained gibbons or hordes of filibusters that would permeate the hummocks of your brains and pump them with the hot swill of my writing. Because, let's face it, my writing is hot. Like, it's fucking sexy, right? Yeah. Ha. Hahaha. I'm just a little tiny minuscule thingy that scribbles some shit and calls herself a writer. Well, okay, I'm not THAT little maybe. Hey, I do have readers! And I want to help them spread the word, make it easy. That's it. And they do! I had a couple ask me if they could create a game from SIREN SUICIDES, I said, go for it. Haven't heard from them. Had a fellow writer, Lori Lesko, write SIREN SUICIDES screenplay, it's here. Lost count of other requests, primarily revolving around screenplays/games. Have not had anyone do anything with ROSEHEAD yet, at least as far as I know.

3. What is my favorite way to interact with my community?

Twitter! Facebook! Google+! Whatever online site thingy I happen to be on! In person! If they buy me coffee! I DON'T CARE!!! I interact with my readers everywhere. Every time I get a comment on my blog, I squeal. For real. Every time someone talks to me on Twitter, I want to answer, everyone. And when I don't have time to answer everyone, I feel sad. Because I want to. And on Facebook, I try to comment as much as I can, and on Google+, and even on Instagram and Pinterest. Because I love my readers, love love love them. Without them, I'm nothing. I live and breathe and write for my readers. I get so excited when they want to tell me things, things that they got about my books, things that maybe even I didn't see. I groak into their eyes, longingly, thinking, really? REALLY?? You seriously got me? You read my stuff??? For real? I LOVE YOU. Because, there are so many books out there, and you, YOU, have spent YOUR precious time on reading my shit? That's, like, close to a miracle. So I'll be your carpet, I'll offer myself to you anywhere, in any way I can. Call me insane, but I love it.

4. 5. 6. 7. Do I have a newsgroup forum? A wiki? A guide to the worlds I've built? Anything?

Nope. I have none of these things. As far as I know. I do what my readers ask me to do. I go where they want me to go. They are my customers, I give them what they want. So far, people asked for me to publish my books on Wattpad. I did. Is it a wiki or a forum? No. But I wouldn't have known about its existence unless my readers told me. I got asked to answer readers' questions via YouTube videos. I haven't done that yet, haven't had the time. If more requests like this surface, I will make time for it. Someone asked me to make my books into audiobooks, it's on my to-do list. Someone asked me write a sequel to ROSEHEAD. If more people ask, I might. This is really how I operate. Readers ask, I do it. I know, I know, I still owe you silly dances for publishing ROSEHEAD and a video of me reading from it. I will do it. Just kinda busy this month. Oy.

Did I answer your questions? Did I? DID I? Do you have more?? I will stare at you now.