Extra! Extra!: J. R. Ward's The King Signing Event Q & A (SPOILERS)

For those of us not lucky enough to be at a J. R. Ward's signing, don't fret a full transcript of the signing's Q & A was shared and we have it for you here today. Now if you haven't finished The King or caught up in the series, then wait till you are done to read the Q & A below so that you don't get spoiled. It does contain spoilers, you have been warned.

The King (The Black Dagger Brotherhood #12) by J. R. Ward was released April 1st by Penguin Group.

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Cincinnati Q&A April 5, 2014

Q: So what’s the next book?
A: The Shadows….and it’s about Trez and iAm…but, even better, guess who’s coming home???? MURHDER!!!!

Q: What’s going on with Selena?? What’s wrong with her joints???
A: She has a disease of the Chosen.

Q: Can they fix it?? What’s the disease???
A: Why would you read the book if I told you about it? (It’s genetic, but you’ll find out more in the book!)

Q: The Queen of the Shadows is pregnant. Who’s the father?
A: The father is s’Ex.

Q: Are Rhage and Mary going to have a baby?
A: I know the answer but…Keep reading!!! Can’t say but wouldn’t surprise me if it came soon!

Q: Could you provide pronunciations of the words.
A: Ok, you ready? F-*-C-K is F*ck…

Q: Is there anything you’d like to know from us??
A: Yeah, is Kentucky going to lose in the final four?

Q: Can you include a family tree?
A: Yeah that would be a good project…Wrath…son of Wrath…baby daddy Wrath….baby daddy Wrath…

Q: What’s going on with the Scribe Virgin?
A: She needs something to re-engage her. It wouldn’t be a surprise if she just came back to only to date Des…(laughter..nudge, nudge Desmond Hall…)

Q: Will we get another Insider’s Guide.
A: Right now, I’m so hot-to-trot to get the next three books…and I know who they are about, they’re so clear…But I would definitely like to do another one, it’s just the timing.

Q: Can the boss lady leave (JR’s publisher was here and put the gag on certain Qs)
A: Laugh…sorry, Kara…

Q: I love Xcor!!!
A: Xcor is wrapped around Layla’s finger.

Q: Will JM ever know he’s Darius.
A: No, it would de-stabilize the world. I get asked that a lot. But I don’t think so…

Q: One of the next three books, would it be Payne’s story??
A: Honey, that’s been done. I think it was called…Lover Unleashed?? (Laughter)

Q: I think I’m the only one that cares, but…are you going to write a novella about the symphaths in that little camp?
A: Oh, no the symphaths are going to be trouble in the future.

Q: When’s my boy (John Matthew) going to become a Brother?
A: The timeline is a funny thing…it’s hard to show things that happen at the same time. The timelines get wonky sometimes. Tohr’s book was an entire year. Some books only take like…ten days. I think there needs to be something extraordinary that happens to get more Brothers in…that’s what she said…

Q: What about the lie with Vishous???
A: Oh, God…that again… and my editor said, if you put that in the book, you’ll be asked about that over and over…and she’s right…but I’m not answering…

Q: I have a shoe covered in parts of V’s book…
A: Oh my God that’s so cool…

Q: You killed off my favorite character. (Wellsie)
A: I don’t kill people off. I really don’t have control over the stories or the characters. I knew from day one that she was going to die.
Oh..sh!t…you’re not talking about Wellsie???(laughter) (Reader suggests a Darius prequel.) Hey..that’d be a good idea.

Q: Darius merchandise?
A: Lucy Campbell…you’re fired…(and Lu begged for her job and promised merch by Tuesday) LOL

Q: Also…prequels for all Brothers (AND FRITZ!!!)
A: That might be a good idea!

Q: Fan brought a Kentucky Wildcat pillow pet because JR lost the bet when UK beat Louisville.
A: JR had a pic taken holding the blue-and-white pillow.

Q: Is Doc Jane rooting for the UK Wildcats?
A: Yes.

Q: Is Boo bonded to iAm???
A: (and JR does a selfie of the crowd before answering…) Absolutely. One of my favorite lines in the books was, “Goddamn cat”. And Fritz saying, we don’t have seafood in this house. And I know where you’re going with this…no, iAm is NOT banging the cat…geez…The reason the next book is called The Shadows is because iAm gets his HEA, too. iAm gets banged. (Lots of inappropriate comments related to cats…er…edited for good taste lol)

Q: Is the Lassiter part of the FA world.
A: Lassiter was awesome was he not? He’s firmly in the BDB world.

Q: Last year you said Boo was not exactly a cat. What is he exactly?
A: You’ll find out…maybe

Q: Is Immortal the last FA book.
A: Yes. There is something after but what we might find is how the FA and BDB intersect.

Q: What was the most emotional part of the book for you?
A: When Beth went into labor… (there were some tears and curse words for making JR teary) And there are some things that are hard, like going back to Z’s story. I want there to be more for him, but I don’t know what there is…

Q: In the Insiders’ Guide there’s the scene about Phury and Aghony, will we get to see Aghony? (Phury’s child not father.)
A: Oh yeah, we will see Aghony. He’s adorable. I don’t do well writing girls. Dudes are my strength. So, here’s the thing, I’m not as interested in writing women…one of the challenges I have is writing about the Chosen when someone ends up with one of them, because they were raised in a cult environment. A lot of these women are, because of years of a specific role, they’re penned it. So, one of my challenges is to show that there’s more to them. Like, Selena has a distinct path from Layla, who has a distinct path from Cormia. So, I’d like to show that Cormia has her own path and has things of value. I’d like to show Cormia, and Phury and Aghony. But I feel like showing the women’s strengths is hard for me.

Q: When you were here last year, you told us a little secret about Tohr and Xcor…
A: I did? What did I say? (That they’re brothers…) I did??? I forgot that…. (Laughter from crowd at JR’s forgetting she’d spilled those beans…) That will be coming out soon. The way Xcor and Layla’s situation is maturing, that’ll come to a head. (Q: What is it?) I know, but I’m not telling. But yes, Murhder is coming back in the next book.

Q: Is Michael from The Story of Son going to come into the BDB world?
A: I could see how but it wouldn’t be any time soon.

Q: What’s your favorite sex scene?
A: I don’t really have one. It’s very voyeuristic. I don’t wanna see it but I do…

Q: In the King, does iAm end up with Abalone’s daughter?
A: She’s lovely. Nice try, but no. (Laughter)

Q: What happens when someone dates a Brother’s daughter?
A: I’d love to see that.

Q: What about Saxton? Does he have an HEA?
A: Yes, you’ve met him. And no, it’s not iAm. iAm ends up with a chick, and Saxton ends up with a guy.

Q: Does Lash come back.
A: Yes…and he gets a girlfriend…and it’s Devina. (Room goes crazy)

Q: Will you go back and do snippets for each Brother.
A: I was just talking to my editor about wanting to do more slices of life. The series needs to move or it dies. But it is something I’d like to do, to show small pieces of the Brothers’ lives.

JR introduced another writer, Laura Kay, and talked about her book.

Q: About your writing method…do you have dreams about the stories?
A: I’m blonde, I’m not very smart….it comes through me, I write it down, I give it to my editor…(someone behind the questioner said… “I do”…laughter from room) (JR spoke about being in the zone while running, and using that time to write in her head, and see the stories from different perspectives.) So it becomes like a sense memory, and it’s not really a dream. It’s kind of like that, but with a rewind function. “Wrath is naked…Wrath is naked…Wrath is naked…I love my job…I love my job…” So, it’s like a dream, but it downloads more like movies.

Q: So was the lie because you saw something different than V saw?
A: The reason he hates my a$ is because I didn’t tell everything I saw.

Q: What about the foremen and his family?
A: Wasn’t he lovely? His family and he were just lovely.

Q: Did Tohrment get his HEA?
A: Tohrment did get his HEA that was he was supposed to. He was meant to be with Autumn.

Q: Will we see more of Qhuinn’s brother Lucas? What’s the deal with him?
A: We will see more of him. Yes, he will get better, but he has a long road.

Q: If Wrath were to die, would Butch be the next in line (to the throne)?
A: Yes, Butch would be the next in line under the old ways. But that’s not the way we do it anymore.

Q: Blay and Qhuinn: do they have endearments for each other, like the other Brothers?
A: I would say, “Bend over” and “Drive.”

Q: Why did they notify V about Payne’s fighting Wrath, rather than Manny?
A: I would say it’s like someone from a foreign country. Manny is not from this context, so, it was V who would take it harder and take it personally, as an insult.

Q: Where are the Hos…er…Chosen????
A: The Chosen go between the Great Camp and the Sanctuary. (Why??) Because they can. (Laughter)
There are number of areas that are floating out there: The Chosen are one, the future of the training program is another. In the next few books, I’m hoping we’ll find out.

Q: What is Assail?
A: He is one hot mother*cker. (Hoots.) He’s a drug dealer. He’s a full-fledged vampire.

Q: Besides Laura Kay, are there other authors you’d like to read?
A: I have a hard time reading fiction now, but I do love Darynda Jones. I’m a big Suz Brockmann fan, for forever. Karen Marie Moning is tremendous. Christine Feehan is another one. Charlaine Harris is another one I love. Though, when I met Charlaine H Harris, and she looks like this kindly grandmother, and I was like…OMG, you write this s!it???

Q: Xcor and Throe, will there be a knockdown, drag out, fight between them?
A: When I met Throe, I thought he was such a good guy, but the more I get to know him…I think he has some bad juju. He’s beginning to make my skin crawl. At the end of the King, Xcor was softening. But Throe is ramping up.

Q: Is there a reason the Bloodletter doesn’t have a bloodline written?
A: It’s because they’re all such assholes…Well, okay, there’s always a reason for everything. The coffins in the garage, Boo…there’s always a reason, I just don’t know what it is.

Q: After you wrap up the Angels, will we get two books a year?
A: Nope…they’re exhausting….the issue is they’re exhausting to write. They’re really complex. I used to write two a year, but I was burning through the world so fast…but there will be another series instead of The Fallen Angels. (Will it be a spinoff?) Nope, because I think that would deconstruct the Brotherhood world. I don’t think I could cleave off parts and compartmentalize that.

Q: So, you have Qhuinn and Blay…will they do the traditional ceremony and get each other’s names on their backs.
A: Or Qhuinn has had Blay…but I think they will, it’s just not important to them.

Q: About JM…how will Wrath give him his scar, since he’s blind?
A: It will work out. JM will definitely have one.

Q: Will Lucas end up with Abalone’s daughter?
A: I don’t know. I know Abalone will hook up with someone, I just don’t know who.

Q: Have we met iAm’s woman?
A: You have not.

Q: Payne was so depleted at the end of Lover Unleashed.
A: She probably has to go to the Otherside to replenish. She’s like a get-out-of-jail free card, but it wouldn’t surprise me that she eventually has to stop.

Q: Is anything going to happen to Havers, cause I wanted to chuck the hell out of him.
A: I wanted to throw my computer after that scene when he treated Layla like a vessel. One of the criticisms of the series is that it’s misogynistic, but I think it's changed and grown.

Q: My girl Xhex…will we see more of her?
A: I love her. Remember when she rejects JM, and he comes out of the bathroom stall? I love her and would to see more of her, and to see her fight. (How is she going to handle Murhder coming back.) She’s not but JM might skin him.

Q: Is Autumn Throe’s sister?
A: No, but his sister is the lynchpin around which two of your favorite characters spin.

Q: Will we see of Rehvenge and Ehlena?
A: I would love you to see more of Rehvenge and Ehlena.

Q: Is wrath 6’6” or 6”9”
A: He’s 6’9” and I’m dyslexic. (Laughter)

Q: Will there be a movie?
A: I write books not screen plays. If the right deal came along, I would consider it. But my job is to write the books. When you’re lucky like I am, you have to work and focus and do what makes you people like these books. I’m a writer, I’m not very interesting. So, I have to keep my focus on what keeps you liking the books.

Q: Are we going to hear from the glymera?
A: Yes, but they’ve really had their c*ck and b*lls cut, but they really have great ideas (eyerolls) and I’m looking forward to see what they are.

Q: Why didn’t we see that scene between Wrath and Tohr, at the pool house?
A: I know as a writer it’s my job to write but that scene was too personal which I know sounds weird, but I really think that sometimes there are things I can’t show…

Q: What’s the difference between the S’Hisbe, the Moors, and the Shadows?
A: The S’Hisbe, the Moors and the Shadows are all the same. It’s different traditions referring to the same people.

Q: Will the fact that Xcor carved up the lesser have anything to do with José and Butch crossing paths again.
A: Jose and Butch will have closure. So, the one thing that hasn’t happened in the new world is that humans haven’t figured out that vampires exist. There’s a trajectory there that will tie it all together.

Q: Will Manny become a vampire?
A: Manny will never be turned. Payne can keep him young and perma-preserve him, and keep him alive. And the risk of turning is too high.

Q: Can vampires convert a human? If not, how did Butch become a vampire?
A: Butch’s father was a vampire, so it wasn’t turning or converting, it was more like jumpstarting. We don’t know how close a relation to Butch that Manny is…he might be a cousin, or nephew…

Q: Will we ever find out who Manny’s father is?
A: I don’t know, but I hope so.

Q: Can you tell us about Lassiter? Will he fall in love?
A: He will fall in love. We will find out his purpose. It’s in the last scene in Immortal.

Q: I was like hoping that Lassiter would end up with the SV (Scribe Virgin) so V had to call him “Daddy.”
A: (Laughter.) That would almost be worth it.

Q: Are you a WWE (wrestling fan)?
A: Nope.

Q: What about the Brothers’ and a graphic novel.
A: That’s not up to me, but my publisher.

Q: Jane is a ghost. How does she have sex?
A: She remains corporal when she’s touched. (And that’s the clean version, folks…we’re still blushing from that one!)

Q: Who the f*ck was that chick with Wrath…in the beginning of the book?
A: It was his mom, Anha….

Q: What’s in the lockbox?
A: I can’t tell you. I’m not sure if it’s a KR or an “I don’t know.”

Q: Is Wrath’s eyes from inbreeding or because of the poison when his mother was pregnant?
A: I don’t have an answer. The inbreeding makes sense. But I can’t say for sure. When I saw his mother get poisoned, that made sense, too, and I wondered. But Little Wrath doesn’t have that. It’s ironic that Beth being half-breed is what threatened his throne, but is what strengthened the gene pool. (Can Payne heal him?) I’ve never seen Payne anywhere near his eyes, so I don’t think so.

Q: Are you going to tie in the Lessers and the FA series?
A: The Creator in the FA series is the Father of the SV and the Omega.

Q: What happens if the mansion gets raided?
A: The mhis covers the mountain but isn’t as thick at the bottom, and that’s one of the questions I’ve had. And, I think that’s where we’re going.

Q: How did you come up with the barbs on the male symphaths?
A: I didn’t think that sh!t up! That’s just what happened. That’s what he has in his pants! (Were you drunk?) I don’t drink…aren’t you glad? Maybe medication would be a good idea. (Laughter)

Q: Will see more of the O’Banyon brothers?
A: I would love to, but it’s whether I can carve out time for those.

Q: I loved the scene when Wrath’s mother comes to him in the dream. Will he ever get a glimpse of Little Wrath?
A: That was one of my favorite scenes. It was really cool, but really weird. I thought it was so great when he saw his mother. I was wondering if he was going to be preoccupied by whether his offspring would have the eye problems, but that wasn’t the issue at all. I think it would be wonderful for him to see Little Wrath, but I thought there would be an emotional issue if Little Wrath had his eyesight. And he was okay with it, he was all, I’m fine, so I don’t think it’s that important to him.

Q: Does Lassiter end up with a male or a female? And if it’s a male is it Saxton.
A: No, Lassiter likes girls.

Q: Assail is selling drugs to the enemy and contributing to the Lessers. Does that make him the BDB enemy?
A: It’s a difficult situation. He sees it as using the Lessening society for his own purposes. But if sh!t goes down, he’s screwed.

Q: On your website, there are interviews with the Brothers. Would we ever see interviews with the BoB?
A: That would be cool.

Q: Can Xcor get his face fixed?
A: He absolutely can. He feels like, I’m ugly, and I don’t give a f*ck. So I don’t know that it’s his priority.

Q: Authors will have contests where you can auction off the right to have your name in a book.
A: The problem is that’s not how it works for me. The world comes to me as is, so I can’t f*ck with it.

Q: Could we have video of the Q& A.
A: I don’t think that would work because I roam, and they’d have to have multiple cameras following me.

Q: Do the BDB & FA intersect?
A: Yes! The Creator in the FA series is the Father of the SV and the Omega.

Q: What about the twins?
A: I love the twins. I went somewhere very bad. I LOVED Sola’s grandmother. Are you familiar with ghost peppers? Have you seen those Youtube videos about a$holes who think it’s a great idea to eat them? And their faces go red? One of my favorite scenes is when the twins start eating these things and they have no reaction. And that’s Vovó’s first clue that there’s something weird there. Yeah, I think they’ll have HEAs…but NO! Not the same one!

Q: How far do you see the series extending?
A: The series is open-ended so as long as you want to read and the Brothers’ speak to me, I’ll keep writing!

Q: Will you be back in Cincinnati?
A: As long as my boss doesn’t fire me, and the Millennium will have us back…yes!!!

Q: How do you write the books?
A: I take some verbs, some adjectives, a set of fangs, some chains…a Kleenex box…

Q: Have you ever downloaded a scene that went too far and that you couldn’t write?
A: The Lie, about Vishous, that’s the only one I can think of.

Q: Will we ever find out the relationship between Rehvenge and the Shadows.
A: Yes, absolutely.

Q: Will Lassiter save Eddie.
A: No! (Does Eddie get saved?) You’re going to have to read the book!

Q: Has Layla had her baby yet?
A: You’ll have to read the next book!

Q: I love that you wrote a respected, kick a$ character who is blind, since my twin and I are blind. And I just wanted to tell you how much I loved the scene where Wrath tells the foremen that “I’m blind and it’s okay.”
A: I love that scene. It was one of my favorites for two reasons: so few people knew he was blind. That’s why the cover, without his shades, was so significant.

Thanks to everyone for coming! And thanks to the Millennium for hosting us. And to Barnes & Noble for supplying the books.