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Happy Friday, everyone! I have one last final round of questions that folks have either posted here or sent to me, after which I will release my steely grip on the Penguin blog.

Let's start off this final day of Brain Picking 101 with some dragon talk!

Questions 1-3:

1)Are you going to feature the Black Dragons in their own books or will their story develop in the other dragon books?

2) Will we learn now more about the overall history of the dragons in the future books?

3) In the Dark One's books is Nicole the Guardian going to get her HEA and will she get her own book or will it be part of someone else's story.

Oh, how I love to talk about the dragons! The black dragon sept may or may not get their own series of books. It depends how things pan out in Me and My Shadow. However, I think it's safe to say that they have an integral part to play in future books, so they will be around.

Dragon history is something I've been working on while writing Love in the Time of Dragons (which will be out next year), so yes, you will get more about their history. A lot more.

Noelle has been slated for a long time to get her own book, but thus far she's refused to cooperate. I've actually offered her several vampires, and she's turned them all down. I don't quite know what she's waiting for, but I have a sneaking suspicion whoever it is will show up in the new paranormal series that will be started with the Ben and Fran book I'm about to write. Noelle is certainly overdue for a happy ever, and I want to give her one as much as you want to see it.

Question #4: Hi Katie, On average how many words do you try to write a day?

Generally I write about 3,000 words a day. Sometimes I'll be slacker and drop down to 2K, but I've found that 3K a day is a nice pace that lets me get books done in a timely manner, and which allows me to have a little sanity break between books.

Question #5: Hi Katie, In Girls's Guide to Vampires, how old is Raphael? And also how old are Joy and Raphael when Zoe is born?

You know, I don't think I've ever sat down to figure out exactly how old Raphael is, but I believe he's in his late thirties. Joy and Raphael had Zoe about two years after they met. And yes, they did get married just before she was born.

Question #6: So if by some chance a beloved does survive the loss of her Dark One, would she be able to join with another or is there just one beloved per dark one?

If a Beloved lost her vamp after she'd Joined with him, then she most likely wouldn't find another one. I can think of a couple exceptions to that statement, but they would be so very unlikely that they're probably almost impossible. If a Beloved hadn't yet Joined, then it's much more likely that could ultimately find another one to bond with.

Questions 7 and 8: Alright I want to know the dish on Ray of Zen and Crouching fame. Does he have nefarious plotting afoot? We know he is an accountant. LOL What else is he? Brotherhood? Something as yet not discussed? He's got to be something more then Magda's go along man.

My other question is have you spoken to your muse about Ben & Fran yet? How old is Fran going to be when we find her again? And are you going to work any of the Norse gods into the adult book since Gods don't generally have much place in your Dark One stories?

If Ray was a member of the Brotherhood, someone there would have recognized him, as would have one or more of the vampires. He certainly does have an air of mystery around him, doesn't he? [Yes, I've been taking lessons from the dragons in how to avoid answering a direct question.]

The new Ben and Fran book is still in the plotting stage, aka I'm turning the screws on my muse and telling her to get cracking with finishing up the outline. At this point, my intention is for Fran to be 20 at the beginning of the new books.  The Norse gods have a role to play in the storyline, since things were left rather untidy at the end of the last B&F book. And I know you didn't ask this, but yes, the Vikings will be back.

Question #9: Are you going to keep writing Dark Ones books? Will Alec get his Beloved?

I intend to keep writing vampire books, since I have so many Dark Ones floating around waiting to be paired up, Alec included. In fact, I wrote a little short story for the Penguin paranormal romance page that should be up in July-the short story deals with Alec, although it won't be a replacement for a full book.

At this point, my book schedule is as follows:

• Me and My Shadow (third silver dragon book) - Nov. 2009
• Steamed (first steampunk book) - Feb. 2010
• Love in the Time of Dragons (new dragon sept book) - May 2010 [Note: this may be switched up with the November 2010 book]
• The Perils of Effrijim  (Jim short story) in Death's Excellent Vacation anthology - summer 2010
• Paranormal pet shelter novella - [probably] July 2010
• The Vampire Also Rises (Ben and Fran book-title may change) - November 2010

There are books planned beyond those, but I can only think so far ahead before I start getting twitchy.

Katie MacAlister, Crouching Vampire, Hidden Fang, paranormal romance, vampires, Penguin Books