Frequently (and Not-So-Frequently) Asked Questions
(Or, what the heck is all this stuff, anyway?!)



Got a question I don't answer, here? Don't be shy! Write to me and ask! This page may change, from time to time, as I add new series or get asked new and interesting questions.

Q: Who wrote all this stuff?
A: Me (Kai Starr). All the stories on this site are my original creations, using my original characters.

Q: Who the heck is Kai Starr?
A: Go see the About Kai page. You'll find more than you ever wanted to know about me, or your money back!

Q: What is the ShadowFall series about?
A: ShadowFall is the novel series that spawned my long-running webcomic of the same name. I've chosen to start serializing the later stories in the series, rather than the first one, because I wanted to put out stories that no one had seen, yet. I will eventually add in the first story, Into the Abyss, when I've done with the reformatting of the original novel.

I've already got pages set up for the characters and worlds and stories, so instead of duplicating all that, here, I'll just link to them, for the time being:

• The Characters
  
• The Worlds

Not all the characters in the comics series last until the later novels, but of those who do, the main ones are:

• Genjiro Nakadai
  
• Anya Bui
  
• General Fuchida
  
• Ilyana Zhuravskaya
  
• Nikki LeFevre

These folks continue in various roles throughout the series, though some of the stories feature other people and aliens, such as the Jusonians. I have a page set up just for them, as well:

• About Juso

Q: What is the Desperado series about?
A: Desperado is a series of novels and short stories set in the American Old West, beginning in Texas in late 1869. Many of the places mentioned in the stories, including shops, hotels, street names, and other establishments, existed at the time the story takes place. Some places may be mentioned earlier than they actually existed (though I try not to let myself go more than 5-10 years past the story's date), and are included to help solidify the environment. Other places are products of my imagination, used to fill in for things I couldn't find through research. A few real people show up, from time to time, as well, but the majority of characters are my own babies. I will preface any story containing historical figures with their names and descriptions, just so you'll know who is real!

The initial story, Rustler's Roundup, revolves around Joshua Love, who is 16 years old, at the beginning of the novel. Josh is a little bit of an oddball, sometimes anti-social, and who has bursts of outright insanity that he can't control. He's an orphan who has been on his own since the age of 15, and has lived a hard life since the age of 13, so he occasionally seems a lot older than he is. Generally, he's a laid-back and happy guy. He loves to sing and play banjo, and he's very good at cutting and roping cattle. In spite of being illiterate and uneducated, he's smart and clever and a fast learner, and he likes to brag that he's nobody's fool. He's quick to fight, if he feels threatened or overly offended, and his temper is laser-hot. He's also got a few dark secrets, concerning his family and his past. But right now, he's not sharing them.

His friend and partner in the first story is Chewy Bill Roberts, a 23-year-old cowhand working at the Q Bar Ranch, where Josh also works. Bill is a wannabe bad man, and though he is intelligent enough to cook up schemes for making money the easy way, he's never before actually put any of those schemes into action. He sees himself as the boss dog to his younger friend, even though Joshua has more experience with hard living than the older man does. Bill is more steadily sociable than Josh, but he's also more flighty, when it comes to what he should be worrying about. He loves chewing tobacco, which is where his nickname comes from, and he's also a good cowboy, albeit sometimes lazy.

Q: Where's the secks?
A: I hope you're reading my stories for the characters and plots, because you won't see very much sex in my work. Plenty of others offer that in large quantities, so I'm not depriving anybody by keeping my stories relatively "clean." My webhost would toss my butt out, if I posted "blue" stories, plus, I just don't have any interest in writing them. I'd like to think my writing can stand on its own, without graphic descriptions of sexual acts. That said, my characters are not prudes. Joshua Love, for instance, has a voracious sexual appetite, once he gets a little older than 16. I just don't write about it in play-by-play fashion. If that's what you're looking for in online stories, I'm sorry to disappoint you. ;P

Q: May I use your characters/universes in fanfiction?
A: Please write to me, so we can discuss it. I'm not against fanfic, but I do want to maintain control over my own creations. I'll consider requests on an individual basis, and give my blessings on only certain kinds of use. My work is copyright protected, so you need my permission (i.e., a license) to use it in anything you wish to show to others or post online somewhere. I don't grant that license, automatically. Please ask, first!

Q: Where can I get a print edition of a novel?
A: They aren't ready, yet, but when they are, I'll have them in my Lulu.com storefront. I've got an MP3 over there, already. The theme for the Desperado series!

Q: What is the square root of 2,049?
A: 45.265881


Got more questions? Ask!