What made you decide to offer Slayer as a free download?
Simply put, I was tired of running in the hamster wheel we call the publishing industry. What a lot of people don't realize--and what many don't believe--is that Slayer was rejected from about 100 publishers, both domestic and international. Slayer is probably the most rejected manuscript ever written. Slayer is not a horror novel, nor is it a paranormal vampire romance. It's an industrial gothic and there simply is no legitimate market for it. The agent I had representing the book back in 1995 violated my trust and tried to sell the book repeatedly behind my back to Hollywood producers. I finally called it quits and decided to take the reigns into my own hands and make Slayer the success I suspected it could be, given the right marketing plan. Plus, I have never bought an ebook in my life and I don't plan to. Many, many other people feel the same way. So I put the book on the Net for free. My philosophy is, in the beginning, when you're starting out as an author, you have to build your fan base first. I always tell other writers, "Wait for the money. Build your reputation first. The money will come, but you have to be patient. This is art, not economy."
Tell us about the other books in the series?
Slayer: Immortal is the next "electronic dreadful" in line for publication later this year. In Immortal, Alek will face a new challenge, the threat of his entire underworld being unmasked by humanity. There will also be a surprise for the fans--the distinct possibility that he will start building his own coven of dhampiri. I have plans for many other books in the series, but right now some are sketchier than others. I plan on having an "Amadeus resurrection" story in Slayer: Bloodlines. And I want to give Booker his own story as well--tentatively
