Frequently Asked Questions
Please see if your question can be answered here before contacting R. Vance.
If your question isn't answered here, feel free to send her an email at: rvance@rvances.com
Our postal address is available here.
Q1. Is your book going to keep the title "Vampires Don't Exist" (VDE)?
A1. It did for a while. But after I revamped the story I decided, with the help of some friends, that the story would do better with a fresh title. Some people might think "Vampires Don't Exist" is a little immature, but those same people might be willing to give "Dead Seed" a look and find it's a story they're interested in. For more information as to why I rewrote VDE, scroll down to the newest additions to the FAQ.
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Q2. When will your book(s) be available to buy?
A2. "Dead Seed" is available now in the forms of download, paperback, and hardcover. Other works now available include: Dies Irae (fantasy series with a unique twist); Bad Customers: A Guide to Customer Etiquette (self explanatory).
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Q3. Do you have anything else published?
A3. Yes. You will be able to read poems and short stories by me in the Twisted Dreams magazine. My work appears in two issues: October 2005 (second issue) and October 2007 (special Halloween issue). I also have uncredited poems in its sister magazine, Worlds Within...Worlds Beyond. My short story, "My Elf" is in the best selling Gothic anthology, "Sinister Landscapes," and a collection of 2 short stories, an author bio, and pictures are available in the 2008 Ladies of Horror anthology.
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Q4. Will your books be available overseas?
A4.Yes. My works are published with Lulu and they ship worldwide. All you need is a credit card or pay pal account.
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Q5. How old are you?
A5. I was born May 23, 1984
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Q6. How do you get a copyright?
A6. One way I found was at this web site "http://www.copyright.gov/register/literary.html".
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Q7. Why did you remove "[Dead Seed]" and its sequel "Rise and Fall of Grace" from quizillla?
A7. Because it's now published and, well, that wouldn't be very smart to have a published book available to read on the internet for free (a girl's gotta eat, ya'll!). Another reason is plagiarists. VDE (Dead Seed) has been stolen at least once and that was enough for me. However, to those would-be thief's I'd like to say: "VDE (Dead Seed) is legally copyrighted material (I have a real certificate saying so). If you steal it, it could mean prison time for you. Some people might find plagiarism flattering...not this girl.
"Rise and Fall of Grace" has been put back on quizilla. Please read the memo in the first installment before reading the story as it is not a real sequel.
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Q8. How much does "[Dead Seed] " cost?
A8. Dead Seed is only available online.
Prices are subject to change. Due to forgetting to update this page when the price changes occur, I will no longer be listing the prices here for fear of accidental "false advertising." You may check the prices of my books at Lulu.
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Q9. Why did you make Aralyn so weak?
A9. What you have to remember here is that Aralyn is not a woman against men. She's a human against vampires. Aimeric is terrifying; he tortures people if she disobeys, and it's impossible for her to escape. I didn't make Aralyn weak, I made Aimeric strong. And please remember, if it were a human male in Aralyn's place, he would be just as "weak."
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Q10. Why did you rewrite VDE ("Vampires Don't Exist")? And why did you change the title?
A 10. I was flipping through my own copy of VDE a few months ago, right after Dollar Week, and I was appalled with the writing. The story is good, I'm willing to give myself credit for thinking up a decent, exciting, sexy, disgusting story. But I found a lot of problems with the original version: plot holes, spelling, grammar, and punctuation errors. Plus, there were some things I wanted to do better--add or delete to make more sense.
So, with that said, the new "Vampires Don't Exist" is now called "Dead Seed." The book is complete with a prologue, a fresh first chapter and epilogue, new scenes, deleted scenes, better (stronger) character development, and better rules explaining the reason for the vampires' existence. It's essentially the same story, just better written. I don't guarantee it to be perfect (whose writing is?), especially since I can't afford a real editor/proofer, but I can guarantee it's a lot better than the first version I put out. I'm sure you're all going to love it even more.
For my reason for changing the title, please see Question 1 (Q1) at the top of the page.
And remember, "Dead Seed" is not a sequel; it's a remake.
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Q11. Why do I use Adobe to format my stories and poems?
A11. One word: Plagiarism. Although Adobe does not completely secure the document, it does provide more protection than just using MS Word or the like. I'm sorry the world is not more of a trusting place.
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Q12. Why write about vampires? Why follow the trend that's become annoyingly popular, especially since "Twilight" came on the scene?
A12. I've actually only been asked this once, but it's turned into such an enlightening conversation that I thought I would put it in the FAQ in order to educate others on why I sometimes write about vampires. Here is the response I gave to the young man who asked me this question:
Well, first of all, I started writing this book in 2004, before the whole "Twilight" craze started, and it's been published since 2005.
Second, I write what *I* want to write about...I've always liked vampires and horror, so if I have an idea, I'm going to go with it. I'm not going to sit back and say "Oh, geez, this is so popular right now--not gonna do it!" I've never been one to believe you should do something JUST because it's popular and I don't believe in NOT doing things just because they're popular. People need to be who they are and do what they want, and not base their decisions on popularity whether that means going WITH what's popular or purposefully going AGAINST it BECAUSE it's popular. My favorite book of mine--the one I spent 3 years writing; rewrote 3 different times--is about dragons, and I'm having a hell of a time getting people interested in that because dragons who live as humans aren't popular, but I didn't care about that when I was writing, nor do I care about that now. All that matters to me is that I took this epic idea and brought it to life, if just for my own pleasure.
Now, I do take advantage of the vampire craze when I advertise because, hey, it's a business (don't misunderstand me; I'm talking about the selling part, not the writing part)--you go with what works. People like vampires right now so I'm going to use that in my advertising headlines since my book is about vampires.
Plus, not to sound conceited or anything, but my book isn't like all the gooey, teeny-bopper books on the shelves right now. There is no lovey dovey romance--my vamps are bad; evil; the way they're supposed to be with only a few "puppy dog" strays that I portray as wimps :-P
I appreciate your comment. I hope I've enlightened you [...]
Q13. Why did you change your writing name from Reyanna/R. Vance to Sara Vance-Hogan?
A13. When I first started writing for the public on Quizilla.com, my user name was "Reyanna." There, the first (very rough) draft of "Dead Seed" became famous (it was called "Vampires Don't Exist" then). I had quite a few fans at Quizilla and they all knew me as Reyanna. In order for my fans to easily find me in the future, I decided to keep the name "Reyanna" (and add on my last vance) when I published VDE. At the time, I thought having a pen-name (or pseudonym) was the way to do things anyway because of potential stalkers. I was naive and didn't realize I would miss my real name so much.
I contemplated using my real name for several months before officially announcing it. This was not a "spur of the moment" decision. I just grew tired of being known as someone I'm not. I want credit for my hard work and I want it to be the real me getting that credit. I liked the way my married name sounds with my maiden name so the final decision of my name change was Sara Vance-Hogan rather than ONLY using my maiden name, Sara Vance. It may be a little confusing at first, but I think my readers are smart enough to keep up :-)
It's going to take several months for all of my websites to be changed and updated (the current day is May 4, 2010), so please be patient. Thank you :-)