Frequently Asked Questions

This FAQ was created in order to answer some of the questions that frequently fill up author Erin Durante’s mailbox. Hopefully this clears some things up for everyone. If you still have questions, please email her and she will try her best to get back to you.

What genres do you write?

I prefer science fiction and fantasy, though I lean more towards fantasy settings, as you can see in Damewood. Not so much about unicorns and dragons as I enjoy demons, alternate realities, and created monarchies. Though I do enjoy historical fiction, horror, and mainstream fiction as well as non-fiction articles and essays. I don’t do westerns. Period. While I do enjoy reading and writing poetry, my first love is prose.

What gave you the idea for Damewood?

Uh, that’s kind of a hard one. Honestly, I really don’t remember. The story started out with the characters Nadia and Vestro, and the story just stuck with me and germinated in my head over the years. Though both Nadia and Vestro have undergone many, many changes to get to where they are now. Vestro mostly. At one point his ‘animal’ half was a lizard. But that didn’t last long (thank God).

Overall, I had fallen in love with the characters I’d created in my head, some for short stories, others just for the hell of it, and decided that I needed to sit down and actually create a world for them. Everything just kind of came together after that.

What kind of training or classes have you had?

I focused most of my college education on English and creative writing (that is, once I decided that writing is what I wanted to do). I took multiple workshops in both prose and poetry, as well as attended several writing workshops - both for fiction and journalism, as well as editing conferences.

If I could make one suggestion to all budding writer’s out there - GO TO CONFERENCES AND CONVENTIONS! They are worth the time, money, and travel. They really are great experiences, and you get to meet a lot of your peers as well as professionals that have made it in the business, and not only will you get great insight, but possibly make some very helpful connections.

Can I post some of your writings on my site?

No, unless you contact me first and I give you explicit permission. While I appreciate your enthusiasm for my writing, with copyright laws and bad past experiences, I want to know exactly where all of my writings are, and don’t want them floating around in space. If I do grant permission, I ask that you also link back to this site. If you like, you may link to my site, but please do not copy anything without asking first.

Where can I get the rest of your novels?

My first novel, Demons of the Past, is due out on December 12, 2008 by Leucrota Press. You can order the book directly through them, or regular bookstores such as Barnes and Nobel or online at Amazon.com (among other online retailers). And check at your local corner bookstore, if I’m not there, ask them to carry me!

Can I use one of your pieces for an icon/avatar etc?

No. These illustrations are property of my publisher, only to be used for this site. Sorry guys, but these were creations for my novel, and I can’t want them spread about on the web.

Can I use some of your illustrations for my site’s layout?

Again, no. These characters live on this site. Andrew has a summer home in Vegas, and Nadia frequently shows up around the beaches here in San Diego from time to time, but this site is where they will stay. Please do not try to copy them.

A final note from the author and publisher:

The content on this site is under copyright law. Please do not attempt to copy, post, redistribute, or claim any part of the writing or content on this site without the explicit permission from the author or publisher to do so. Erin says she will hunt you down.

All illustrations on this site are copyright Studio Tu On and Leucrota Press unless otherwise noted.

If you would like to use any of the content of this site, please contact the author or publisher first. They will be more than happy to talk with you.