Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How do you pronounce Zabo?

A: I pronounce the a with a hard a, as in Cake. It’s a variant of a family name and that’s how we say it.

Q: What are your pronouns?

A: They/their. I’m non-binary and lean toward masculine.

Q: Do I need to read the Takeover books in order?

A: Nope! They’re all written to be standalones. Of course, characters cross from one book to another, so your understanding of a secondary character may be enhanced if you read them all, but it’s absolutely not required.

Q: How do you pronounce Fazil’s name? (From Due Diligence)

A: He’s of Turkish decent, so it’s pronounced Fah-zil.

Q: Will there be more Takeover books?

A: Not right away. I adore Sam and his crew, and I still have plans for them, but I also want to write other books, too. There will probably be shorts and random scenes throughout the year. Check out the Takeover Series Extras page for a little more of the crew.

Q: Why is Brian’s coffee shop called Grounds N’at? What does n’at mean?

A: It’s a Pittsburgh thing. N’at mean and that. It’s basically a colloquial way of saying et cetera or and so forth. There are a lot of actual places in Pittsburgh that use the _____ N’at form, such as Game N’at, Gyros N’at, and Popcorn N’at. There was also a series of  radio sketches from the station WDVE that advertised a fake shop called Pants N’at and the commercials had over-the-top Pittsburghese and accents.

Q: Are you ever going to write more Close Quarter books?

A: Yes. I promise. I just don’t know when anymore!