Help Where can I get a printer friendly version of a story? Why is the date in the "Page last updated" section different from the date in the story "Last updated" section on the same page?

Frequently Asked Questions When are you going to post the next chapter of...? or When are you going to finish...? Are you going to finish all your stories? Will you please post the next chapter of...? or Will you please finish...? How can you write so many different stories at once? Did you study writing in college? Where did you get your name from? Do you do "tragedies"? May I archive your stories? Why haven't you responded to my e-mail(s)?

Q: Where can I get a printer friendly version of a story?

If you're using a standards compliant web browser (IE 6+, Netscape 6.2+, Opera 5+, etc.), then you can take advantage of a neat little CSS (Cascading Style Sheets) feature. I've created a special style sheet for printing, which removes the banner, top menu, footer menu, and black backgrounds.

Basically, when you print out one of my website's pages, you will only get the main text and copyright. If you don't believe me, check the print preview, or print a test page (you could use the Home page, since it's fairly short). The only exception is on my main story pages. The cover graphic (if there is one) will be printed along with the text.

If you're using an older browser (Netscape 4.7, etc.), then you shouldn't see any of the website's extra formatting, so even though you'll still be printing the banners and menus, you shouldn't have to worry about black page backgrounds or things like that. If it's really an issue for you, you can always copy and paste the text into a word processor program and print from there (remember to include my name and copyright information).

Q: Why is the date in the "Page last updated" section different from the date in the story "Last updated" section on the same page?

The gray "Page last updated" bar at the top of each page has the date that particular page was last updated. Updates include changes to HTML or text specific to that page (ex: if I change the copyright year, that's a global change, so the date wouldn't change, but if I fix a typo, then the date would change).

The "Last updated" date on the main story pages refers to the last time I updated the whole story. Those kinds of updates include new chapters or majorly revised chapters/scenes. I wouldn't consider fixing a typo, or even a hundred typos, an "update" (I certainly wouldn't re-read a story just because of a fixed typo, but I would for a new scene).

Q: When are you going to post the next chapter of...? or When are you going to finish...?

Just about every other e-mail I get has this question in it somewhere.

The truth is, I have no idea. When I first started posting my stories to the Internet, I had almost no work, no money, no girlfriend, etc. In other words, I had nothing but time and it was all spent on my writing. Within three months of having posted my stories online, I got a fairly steady consultant gig, a girlfriend who I moved almost a thousand miles to be with (and who is now my wife), and money from the job, which led to "doing stuff."

Then the consultant gig ran out, so I was back to writing a lot, but my muse turned my focus to new stories. However, I'd promised not to post any more incomplete stories (mostly because of all the e-mails I get about updates for the stories I've already posted), so my updates slowed down to almost nothing, even though I was still writing all the time.

Then I started planning a wedding, so my writing turned to scripting the handfasting ceremony. Halfway through that, I became ill, which lasted for about a year and a half. Between the actual physical distress of feeling terrible all the time and the mental and emotional anxiety and stress of being afraid I was going to die, my writing slacked off quite a bit.

After surgery, I began trying to build my strength back up, which included starting home renovations. Those started in August of 2005 and are still going on as of the end of November (when I'm writing this).

So again, my focus hasn't been on my writing as much as it was in the beginning, though I have kept up with it quite a bit. Unfortunately, it either hasn't been on anything that's posted online or it's incomplete rewrites of what I've already posted. For example, I've completely rewritten The Vampire Hunter: Blood Bound, but I'm still in the process of editing its sequel Bloodlines, not to mention writing Bloodlines' sequel, so I don't want to post the rewrite of Blood Bound because then Bloodlines won't match up, and I don't want to post the new stuff for the series because in many ways, it's a whole new story, and since it's incomplete, it falls under my promise not to post any new incomplete stories, and I don't want to break my promise. Hence, my updates have stalled, even though I'm still writing.

At any rate, all I can ask is that you be patient with me. I am still posting, so eventually, all my stories will get updated.

On the other hand, I also realize this is a plea for me to update, and that needs to be addressed, too. So, please read the answer to Will you please post the next chapter of...? or Will you please finish...?, as well, if you want to learn what kind of message will have the best chance of inspiring me to work on the story you want me to.

Q: Are you going to finish all your stories?

This question is similar to the one above, but it's different enough that I decided to answer it by itself.

And the answer is: Yes. I wouldn't have posted them if I didn't intend to finish them. However, life has a tendency to get in the way (read the answer to the question above), so even though I promise all my stories will be finished eventually, barring my death or some disaster that wipes out the Internet, that doesn't mean they're going to be finished in any kind of timely fashion. I'm very aware that I have several stories that haven't been updated for more than a few years, but that doesn't mean I'm not working on them. It just means I don't have anything finished enough yet to post.

Anyway, unless I specifically state that I don't know whether I'll finish a particular story (like I did for Assassin, when it was first posted), it will be completed. Maybe not tomorrow, or even this decade, but it will be completed.

Q: Will you please post the next chapter of...? or Will you please finish...?

I'm sorry, but that's not how my muse works (I wish it did). I don't get to choose which stories I work on. It's whichever one my brain is focused on at the time. Otherwise, I could work on just one story at a time until it was finished, or work on whichever story hasn't been updated the longest, or whichever story is closest to being finished, etc. Unfortunately, I just can't get my muse to cooperate with that kind of system, and believe me, I've tried.

What seems to work best for me is discussing my stories. I can be working on one story, and then I get an e-mail that suggests an improvement for another story, and off I go. Or my wife Corene will offer a suggestion, or she'll have a question about a character or a plot point, and I'll start explaining it and realize if I'm having to explain it to her, then I probably need to explain it in the story, and off I go. Or we'll just be discussing a story (we do that a lot), and through that discussion, I'll suddenly have a new idea for a new scene or a better way of describing something, and off I go.

So please, if you really want me to update a particular story, don't just ask/tell/beg me to. Talk to me about the story. Tell me specifically what you like about it and what you think could be improved. It's those kinds of e-mails that get me excited about writing in general and working on any story in particular.

Otherwise, you're just going to have to wait for my muse to strike.

Q: How can you write so many different stories at once?

Actually, I don't think I could work on just one story at a time. I get sidetracked rather easily and whenever my attention strays from one story, it invariably ends up focused on another one. I think I would give myself writer's block if I tried to force myself to only write on one story until it was done before moving on to another one. I would just stop writing altogether. But having more than one story available allows me to go with my muse and work on whatever suits my mood.

As for how I keep all the stories organized in my head, I just do. The characters and storylines are very real to me and I can see them all clearly in my mind. I can't remember ever confusing one character with another or one storyline with another.

Q: Did you study writing in college?

Nope, I've never been to college. Every now and then, I consider going, but it's one of those things that's more of a whim than something I really want to do. My goals involve learning new things and college is one of the ways to do that, but I prefer to study on my own. I've found I learn faster that way and I'm not particularly interested in getting a degree. Not that I have anything against higher education, but a piece of paper doesn't mean I know something.

Q: Where did you get your name from?

Kodi Kai Wolf is my full legal name, though it isn't my birth name. I had it legally changed on December 4, 2000.

My birth name never fit me, so I started looking for a new name when I was about 18. My sister (the one who had twins), picked my first name from a movie called Bad Girls. Madeleine Stowe's character's name was Cody Zamora and my sister decided it fit me, so she started calling me Kodi. I looked it up in my name books and found out that it was Irish/Gaelic/English and meant "helpful/helper" and I decided that was a good goal for me to live up to. I chose the spelling. :)

Then I started looking for a middle name. I'd been studying a language called Esperanto, which is a combination of many different languages. The word for 'and' is kai and I just always liked the sound of it.

Then I looked it up in my name books and found out that it had many other meanings. From Hawaiian lineage, it means "water from the seas," "deep blue seas," or simply "the sea." From the Welsh/English/Scandinavian realms, it means "keeper of the keys." And as a variant spelling of Kaj (pronounced just like Kai) from the Greek, it means "earth."

I'm Aquarian (The Water Bearer), so I thought the ocean connotations were especially appropriate, plus I believe we evolved from the seas, so that fit, too. And I do follow a Goddess oriented spirituality, so the reference to the earth made sense as well. And quite frankly, "the keeper of the keys" just sounds cool. :) So Kai became my middle name.

Wolf came from the animal, which is my spirit guide and totem animal. I think they're the most beautiful creatures on earth and we humans could learn many lessons from them. So taking Wolf as my surname is my tribute and thanks to them.

Q: Do you do "tragedies"?

Okay, so this isn't exactly how this question has been phrased when it's been sent to me. It's more like a worry that people mention while they're telling me why they liked or didn't like something in one of my stories.

Anyway, the answer is: No. I feel there are enough tragedies in real life. If you really want to read something that's going to make you feel bad at the end, you can check the newspaper or get a book on the Titanic.

Now, I'm not saying all my stories will have deliriously happy endings, but I won't write a story if I think the only logical or appropriate conclusion is for it to end sadly. When I read a story, I want some kind of payoff at the end, something that leaves me with hope or a smile on my face. You know, something.

So, this is my promise. No tragedies (unless I specifically say the story ends unhappily, but I really can't see myself leaving my characters like that; it would be rude). That doesn't mean I won't put my characters through hell, but I will always bring them back out in the end (though they may be a little crispy :)).

Q: May I archive your stories?

I do not allow archiving of my stories (keeping and offering electronic copies of my stories on your own server, instead of linking to mine), except when the archive serves a purpose that my own website does not. If you think you have a good reason for offering copies of my stories on your own site, instead of linking to them on my site, let me know, and I will consider your request.

So far, I have allowed three websites to post my stories: one, because it widened my audience, and now they also offer a Rocket eBook format (which I don't); another, because they offer a palm pilot format (which I don't); and another, because they offer a French translation (which I don't).

I would prefer that you link to my story pages in order to guarantee that you always have the most recent version of my stories for your visitors to read. Linking to my site also means that I don't have to worry about old versions floating around the Internet. Plus, you won't have to waste your server space with duplicate copies of my stories.

If I do give you permission to host my stories on your site, there are three conditions you will have to meet (besides offering something that I don't, like a different format for a particular audience).

The conditions are:

1. You must provide a link to my website (http://www.kodiwolf.com/KWLF/), as well as the story's homepage on my website (ex: http://www.kodiwolf.com/KWLF/xenawarriorslave.php), as a way of offering further and up-to-date information for my stories.

2. You must credit me as the author (Kodi Wolf).

3. You must let me know which stories you've archived and give me a link to your website.

You do not need to ask my permission to link to my website, provided you are not "framing" my pages (forcing my website to appear in your website's frames as though it were hosted on your website). I also will not appreciate "bandwidth theft" (ex: placing one of my graphics, like a book cover, on your pages, but linking to the image on my server instead of saving it on your own, so that all loads of the image come from my server's bandwidth allotment instead of your own). I've never had that problem, but I just thought I'd mention it, since I'm all for prevention.

If you want to use one of my book covers as a link to the story on my website, you have my permission to download it and save it to your web server for that purpose only, but make it clear to your visitors that the image is copyrighted to Kodi Wolf and is not Public Domain (you can direct them to the following web page for more information about Terms of Use: http://www.kodiwolf.com/KWLF/termsofuse.php).

Q: Why haven't you responded to my e-mail(s)?

When I first started receiving e-mails about my stories, I was truly amazed. The idea that anyone would like my stories, let alone tell me what they thought of them, was a foreign concept to me. Being so new to the whole thing, I decided I would answer every single one of them. It really was the polite thing to do, in my opinion, and I truly wanted to thank everyone. I still do. It means so much to me to know how my stories have affected you and what you think about them; the good and the bad.

But after receiving nearly two-dozen e-mails in a single day, I realized I was being a little naïve.

So, though I would love to answer all the e-mails I receive, I really can't. It may seem like it should only take a few minutes to send an e-mail to say thank you for your e-mail, but multiply that for all the e-mails I receive, and it really is too much.

The only way to make it fast enough is if I create a form letter response that I could send to everyone, regardless of the content of their e-mail, but that feels false to me, so I just don't respond at all. However, if you would like a form letter response, let me know. If I get enough requests, I'll do it.

Otherwise, I will only respond to direct questions that require answers not already posted on this site. And if you ask a question that's already answered on this site, then I will redirect you to it.

I truly am sorry that I don't have more time to devote to the e-mails I receive, but I figure you guys are probably more interested in getting the next update to your favorite story, than getting a thank you note from me. :)

However, I can speed read, and even if I can't respond to all the e-mails I get, I do read them all, so I would still love to hear from you (I know, double standard, but what can I say? :)).

Thanks for understanding (or, if you don't, I'm really sorry).

If I get asked more questions (frequently), or if someone needs help that I think other people could use, too, I'll add them to the list.