AMA - You Ask, Bethany Answers!

Hey, loves!

We’re back to our usual AMA, where I answer 3-5 ish of your burning questions, depending on the number that was dropped into my form.

Reminder: I do these a month ahead, if you’re wondering where your question is, that very well may be the case is that it’s in queue. Also, please check old AMAs, because I have literally answered the same five questions about Andino, Zeke, or a couple others ten times … at least. So please, check them, you will probably find the answer to those questions.

Do you have a question for me? Awesome. Drop it into the form HERE, and I will get to it.

Okay, loves. Onto the questions for the week.

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1. Hi, Bethany, what made you decide to write Cozen and Sargon as Muslim in the AMA form, in their book it didn’t really seem that way?

Hi there.

You can go read Cozen again, if you’d like, but it was mentioned where Sargon’s parents came from, and their heritage. Persian, who came from Iran. Toward the end, it was also mentioned about the “ornate prayer rugs” Cozen’s adoptive parents used. So, I mean, the details were absolutely sprinkled in there.

I also said in my AMA that during Cozen, Sargon and her were not practicing Muslims, which is not the same as someone who is practicing their religion. That could be because you know, they were living a lifestyle—as thieves—that isn’t acceptable in their religion.

And when we see them again, if I decide to bring them into the series for the new world to help another family out when they seek them out, you will see Cozen in hijab, and she and her husband will be practicing their religion again.

I’m not sure why me saying that Cozen and Sargon were non-practicing Muslims caused this reaction where I got several messages being like “why” or “didn’t seem like that” well … that sounds like something maybe people asking the questions should look at themselves for.

For a character to be diverse, an author doesn’t need to constantly point out what makes them that way when details do it for them. If you know what I mean … because focusing on simply stating it instead of letting details do it for you not only pulls readers out of a story, but it also makes diverse characters seem like the “other.” They are not other – they are Cozen and Sargon, and in their book, they were non-practicing Muslims.

Hope that clears that up.

2. Would there be a reconciliation between John and his two sisters Cella and Lilliana?

Hi there.

What happened that there needs to be a reconciliation? I always wonder this when people ask me that question because I have gotten it asked a few times now. I thought it was pretty clearly stated by John and Liliana that they all love each other, but they love each other at a distance. They support each other, but they’re not best friends. He’s not close to them like he is with Lucia, and that isn’t abnormal. Michel and Catherine are the same way, but I didn’t have readers asking for something to happen there.

Lots of siblings are that way.

I’m close to one sibling – couldn’t care less about the other.

My hubby is friendly with both his siblings, but they don’t call each other every day, we’re not over there for dinner two nights a week, and they’re not offended about it. Like that’s the thing—it’s normal for people to not be super close with their siblings.

There is no reconciliation that needs to happen between John, Cella, and Liliana. They have said they love their brother, and that should be enough.

So no, you’re probably not going to see some on-page love fest between John and his sisters for no particular reason. They’re fine – they don’t hate each other, and so there isn’t any reason for a reconciliation there. That’s it, and that is all.

3. Hi, Bethany-Kris, first I want to say I love all your books and you are an amazing author. I wanted to know if Haven’s friend Valeria will have her own book?

Hi there. And thank you so much for the kind words.

And yes, she is paired with Christopher Guzzi, which is the third book in The Guzzi Legacy trilogy … so yep, this year.

4. Hey! Hope you are well. Keep blowing our minds as per usual. My question is, you've mentioned that you get better and it gets easier with each new book. And also that you've made a few beginner errors in your beginner books. If I understood correctly. If so, could you point a few of them out? So that I could go back to the book and have those "wow, I totally didn't notice that" moments. Because I sure as hell didn't. Only if it's okay with you though. Hugs, kisses and lots of love!

Hi there, and thank you. Hugs.

Um, the ones I mentioned are kind of the ones that I noticed. Like messing up John’s age (what it actually was … was that I wanted to tell his and Andino’s stories when John was 30, which would have been like two years AFTER Catherine and Lucia’s books, but I read my notes wrong with the ages thing, forgot that I wanted to do those books later, and ended up fudging his age.

Another one is – Lucian and Kim’s mother has the same name. How I did that within two books is legit BEYOND me. Sometimes, I will pick placeholder names for characters that don’t have like a huge point in the book – kind of like her mom where it was just mentioned, and we moved on, type deal. Um, and that might have been the case there. I “placeholder’d” her mom’s name with Lina, the same as Lucian’s mother. And then my editor didn’t notice, and I forgot all about it so I couldn’t go back and fix it.

Something else is that I never picked real, actual birthdays for like … anyone ever. LMAO. I believe Lucian and Dante’s birthday is either in March or April … and it is one week apart. That is THE CLOSEST I came up until like Catherine and Cross to picking an actual birthday with a real date where I said the month and day in the actual book.

There may be some timeline issues in the world between couple of series from way back when, but because I never intend to do a series bible with a proper timeline for people to see. But also, because each of my series is standalone anyway, I can get away with timelines between entirely different series not being to the day perfect, type deal.

Uh … what else …

There are things I wrote that now, I wish I hadn’t because in a way, it backed me into a corner. Like there are times where I have literally needed to write myself out of a corner because of things I said or chose to do in earlier series, but those aren’t so much mistakes as they are like … a challenge.

BUT – the good news is that all these things taught me that for the new world, I super wanted to make sure everything was correct. Because it will be so large, bigger than this world, probably, and a world bible might be a fun thing to do at some point.

So yeah.


There are probably more – I just can’t think of them at the moment.