FAQ
Straight answers to the questions readers ask me most.
Where do I start with Ravenous Mother?
If you want to read in order, start with Two Gatherers. If you would rather try the world first, An Artist is free when you join my newsletter. Every book and where it fits is on my Books page.
What order should I read the books in?
Start with Two Gatherers. Every book stands on its own, but read in order you will see the threads that tie them together. The full order is on my Books page.
How dark are they?
Very. In the world my characters live in, violence, death, and bodies used as resources are everyday life. I don't write shock for its own sake, but I don't look away either. If you need content warnings for a specific book, write to me and I'll send them.
Will the series be finished?
Yes. I finish what I start. It's on my About page, and I mean it literally.
Are there paperbacks or audiobooks?
No audiobooks for now. Paperbacks are for the novels only: the novellas are ebook-only, at least for the moment.
What language do you write in?
My native language, which isn't English. Every story starts there, sentence by sentence.
So how does the English edition come about?
Through AI translation, inside a system I built for it: a glossary of Motherverse terms, a voice sheet for every speaking character, and rules for how each one sounds. Then my editors and I check the English against the original, line by line, and a human proofreader reads the final manuscript. If a mistake made it through, it's mine.
Do you use AI to write the stories?
No. I'd sooner have my fingers cut off. Plot, characters, world, and prose: everything you read, I wrote in my own language. AI only comes in afterward, to carry it into English.
Why not a human translator?
A professional literary translation of one of my novels costs tens of thousands of dollars, and I fund everything myself. The real alternative was never a human translator. It was no English edition at all.
Do you disclose this on Amazon?
Yes, since my first book. You'll also find it at the end of every book.
What about the articles and reviews on this site?
Honestly, it's fifty-fifty. Articles and reviews are easier on me than fiction: I'm not sitting there wondering whether a wound should be “raw” or “weeping”. So I write them in English myself, and use them as a gym to train my English. But for the sake of whoever reads them, and to avoid cultural misunderstandings that can get serious, I still give them a pass with AI. And then, again, obsessive proofreading.
Can I get an advance copy?
Every so often I open ARC and beta reading campaigns for new books. That's the way in.
How do I reach you?
Through the Contact page or at info@kendiro.com. I answer personally.