Wow, you touched off a rant. I had no idea I had so many opinions on the matter.

More teens in Ammonite? That made me think. I wonder if it's because I'm a bit suspicious of the whole category "teenager." Not of teenagers themselves, but of the category. It relates to my earlier comments about education past the age of fifteen. I think it creates a false extension of childhood for young people with almost adult bodies. As Empress of the Universe I'd tweak the world a bit to acknowledge the fact that people between the ages of about thirteen and seventeen have no impulse control and their brains are literally being rewired on a daily basis and they sometimes honestly have no idea why they do (or don't do) certain things, and their hormones are sweeping like vast tides through their already disorganised selves, and they don't know who or what the hell they are, or why they are, and they're experimenting with personas the way six year-olds experiment with their mothers' clothes, donning them and doffing them like hats, and that they need ten or eleven hours sleep a night...while at the same time giving them meaningful things to do: real work, or real learning, tasks that mattered. Most teenagers get so restless because they're forced into a box they don't belong in. They need to be Out There Doing Real Stuff, not being shut up in their room being misunderstood by the parents and treated like huge children by the education establishment. Instead of hanging with other clueless, hormonally-enspelled people like themselves, they should be mixing with grownups, learning what it is to be grownup. In a world like Jeep, the concept of "teenager" might not exist as such. Of course, it might be that I just sort of forgot about them .

As for whether or not I like the idea of my work being studied in a formal classroom situation, the answer is: it depends. Everyone is ready for certain books at different times, but a gifted teacher (given the resources--see above) can often find a way to help those not quite ready to find a way in. I loathed most of the stuff I studied in school, with the exception of some books and plays I encountered with one particular teacher, who just sort of made it work. I think reading books in school has the potential to turn readers away, yes. I read Tolkien's The Hobbit when I was ten or eleven, for a class, and hated it. When friend of mind recommended Lord of the Rings a few months later, I said: No way, his other book was crap and that book looks like just a huge version of the same crap. But she persisted, and I took the book home, and read it without stopping over the weekend. I've read it twenty or thirty times since. I love it. But most of the reading that has shaped my literary taste was work I discovered on my own at the library (bless all libraries everywhere; I think the Leeds Library System might have saved my sanity). But, to get back to the point, I've had email from a fair few people who studied my work (mostly Ammonite and Slow River) at school and they seemed to enjoy it, so I have no complaints.

From: Mellanie

First the obligatory, yet proportionally inordinate, kudos: My first sampling of your works was "The Blue Place"...done in 5 hours cover-to-cover...there was no stopping...there was no conscious or subconscious CHOICE of stopping. Whether this breaks any laws of physics or perpetuates new ones (a reader in motion will stay in motion...)...I don't know...all I do know is I was "along for the ride".

I have never felt so raw emotionally as at the end of that novel. That book will stay with me a long time. To say I was haunted is maybe a bit melodramatic but mostly accurate. It was only a couple weeks later when I found that "Stay" had been released. I had no idea. I was elated that I didn't have to mourn in static and that Aud's coping was available for my voyouristic pleasure...pleasure? No...need.

She is an amazing character. You are an amazing writer. My favorite authors are the ones who transport me so fully that I begin formulating travel plans to the plot locations to see, feel, hear and smell that which has been described in vivid detail. I've never had any first thought, let alone second thought, of ever travelling to Norway. Now it will happen. Who knew?

To my question/suggestion: I have encouraged all I know to take this literary journey...I've been impatient enough to buy multiple copies and send them forth. No excuses from my friends is allowed. One, who lives in Canada is several days from receiving her copy of the original "Aud" paperback...AND, she happened upon your website AND she read the preview for "Stay" AND she was, of course, greeted with the ending of "The Blue Place" before she got to read it. So, I was wondering if it might not be prudent to print a warning on certain parts of your site...like that preview AND/OR in your questions section that lets new readers know of the danger. It's not like Julia's death is a small detail.

Thanks so much for the sharing of your work. I am a fan (and a recruit of new readers) for life.

I think spoiler alerts are good for suspense novels and whodunnits, but I never really think of The Blue Place or Stay that way, so it honestly never occurs to me to include them. The mystery and suspense of my fiction--I like to think--is to do with how the characters, in this case Aud, deals with what comes up. The events themselves are secondary. But if it will improve the reading experience for some, I'm happy to make an attempt to remember to alert browsers to possible spoilers. I just don't have time, though, to go back and retrofit all the old Ask Nicola answers.

From: Anonymous

This is not a question for you but a big thank you. I am a school librarian and teach a course about how to use the library - part of that course is about fiction and i always try to inspire the kids to read and understand the pleasures of fiction. However i have never been able to get my point across as well as you have in your article: How I Read in Central Booking. It was really inspiring and has filled me with energy to spread the word!

I'm absolutely delighted that someone read that article ("Doing it For Pleasure"). Reading is such a joy for me. It lovely to be able to share that feeling.

From: CaryRenfro@aol.com

Will you be doing book signings in Oregon? (Portland or Salem.) Or have I already missed you? I moderate a g/l book group and will let them all know if you will be here in the future. We have read Ammonite and Slow River. Thanks!

I won't be in Oregon in the near future, sorry. However, I have three paperback releases next year-- Bending the Landscape: Horror, Slow River, and Stay--and while I doubt Overlook will be promoting BtL:H very strenuously, Ballantine/Del Rey will be doing a lot for SR because it's going to be of their XYZ editions, and I'm sure Vintage will be working hard on the paperback of Stay. I'll see what I can do about getting one or the other publisher to send me down to Portland. It would be great to meet your group. If--

continued...