Who are you? What’s your book about?

SWARM is about two races of intelligent machines, the tiny Nanos and the towering Macros. These aliens are at war with each other and Earth is in the middle.

How did you approach your first book? Is that different from how you approached the next? The most recent?

My books do vary a lot, depending on what I’m trying to achieve. At first, my only goal was to write a compelling story that moved very fast. Now, I’m more into depth.

What did you learn writing your first novel? Your most recent?

Countless things. Possibly the most significant is that you never know everything about writing fiction.

How much do you plan out in advance, and how?

This varies. Sometimes I start with a cool idea, and write it with no concept of how it will go in the end. Usually, however, I have a very clear idea of the ending, and I often write the ending first.

How do you approach writing characters?

My books are action-oriented, so my characters tend to be defined by their goals. Their personality is revealed by how they reach their goals.

How do you give individual characters their own “voice.”

Sometimes I channel people I’ve met. Sometimes they seem to take on a life of their own as I write about them.

How do you decide on pacing?

I go for “fast” every time. But there is downtime as well. I like to put in action/downtime in alternating chapters.

How do you decide what to reveal to the audience, and when?

I hide just about everything I can get away with, but not artificially to tease the reader. I like to use the reveals to end chapters.

When it comes to description, do you think there’s such a thing as too much? Too little? How do you decide what’s your “right” amount.

There is definitely too much and too little. Some books I feel like I’m being dragged through endless description, others like I’m in a black hole with voices, but nothing to see. I like short, high-impact descriptions sprinkled throughout.

Do you have a specific place to write? A separate computer?

I have an office full of junk and a couch to crash on.

Do you listen to music as you write? If so, what?

Sometimes, when I’m writing fresh copy, I’ll listen to instrumental stuff. Lyrics tend to interfere with what I’m writing.

Do you finish, then edit, or do you edit as you go?

I edit each chapter at the start of the day, then rewrite the whole thing two to four times when I’m done.

Do you wait until you have an idea, or do you sit down and write every day no matter what?

I write every day, and I always have ideas. Sometimes I’m low on energy, however.

Do you sell across all eBook platforms? Has one done better for you than others?

Amazon is still the King.

Did you enjoy being a part of your StoryBundle? Have you seen an increase in sales separate from the Bundle?

Storybundle was a great experience! I definitely saw some bumping up of my series as a whole.

B. V. Larson is the bestselling author of over twenty novels. Most of his work is fantastic in nature and spans from Military Science Fiction to Epic Fantasy. A California native, B. V. Larson's stories has three kids and currently teaches college. He writes textbooks as well as fiction. You can find out more about him at his website, bvlarson.com.

Geoffrey Morrison is a freelance writer and editor. His first novel, Undersea, was featured in the first StoryBundle. You can follow him on Twitter @TechWriterGeoff.