Thursday, June 28, 2012

A Few Favorites

Okay, so please read last week's post if you haven't already done so.  Today is a continuation of sorts, where I am going to discuss some of my "favorite" authors.  I have a difficult time picking and choosing, and my preferences have changed since discovering new authors in the years since I got my Kindle.

Lynn Austin is one of my favorites.  Among other things, she writes Christian historical fiction.  The stories are well developed and take the reader back to another time and place, depicting realistic scenarios of struggles representative of the time.  I truly feel as though I *know* her characters by the end of the book.

Another favorite is Melody Carlson, whose protagonists are women from various seasons of their lives.  I particularly like her True Colors series.  Each book in the series focuses on a different modern day problem that teen girls face and tackles it within a Biblical worldview.  To me, these issues are not often talked about in teen Christian fiction, which is perhaps why they stand out as some of my favorites, although I am older than the target audience.

I have others, but need to save some for next time, right?


Wednesday, June 20, 2012

How Do I Choose What to Read?

I've had a few people ask me who some of my favorite authors or books are.  I really have a difficult time answering that question, because I don't have favorites when it comes to books.  I don't generally reread, even the best books.  Sometimes, if something has struck a particular chord with me, and I haven't read it in years (and I mean long enough to forget much of the message or plot), then I might pick it up and read it again.  Otherwise, I'm constantly in search of new books to enjoy.  I do have favorite authors, which I'll talk more about next time.

I'll continue to say that I don't read a lot of  books that are a part of large trends.  You know the ones, that fly off the shelves and usually are followed up with a blockbuster movie.  Sometimes it is the movie that makes the books popular.  For whatever reason, a lot of these stories don't have plots that I am interested in. There are exceptions to almost every rule, and so there have been books that I've enjoyed that have been very well known and/or movies at some point in time. However, I tend to read something because the blurb catches my attention, and continues to hold my interest as I read.

What about reviews?  As a writer, I love to get reviews of my book (soon to be books).  I know that reviews hold value and many readers select partly based on reviews.  As a reader, I don't read a lot of book reviews when it comes to fiction.  If I do glance at them, I keep in mind a few things: we all have different preferences, some reviews are left by people who haven't read a book but have ulterior motives, and others don't read enough about a book and then find themselves disappointed when they wanted a light beachy read and get a dark memoir instead.  What does this mean for me?  The premise that the book is built upon is still the strongest reason for me to choose to read or not read a book.

Stay tuned for next week where I talk about some of my favorite authors.

Thursday, June 14, 2012

A Moment of Thanks

I want to take the time to thank those who have supported me the past couple of months, and really, beyond.  I've found readers from places that I haven't expected, and that makes me smile.  When a book sells in a faraway place like the UK, I know that there was a reason for me to write.  It also helps me keep going.  Sometimes a writer needs encouragement, just like anyone who pursues turning a hobby into something more.

Meanwhile, I have been busy working on a couple of projects and hope to have at least one of them ready soon.  Keep reading in the weeks ahead to stay updated with The Inheritance Inn and Seasons of Joy.

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Pen Graveyard

So I've been writing the past week or so by hand, which is quite a change for me.  I mentioned that it helps me keep focused, away from the computer distractions that eat up some of my writing time.  What I've also discovered is that pens don't seem to have much ink in them anymore?  I'm pretty sure it is the type of pen I'm using, the gel pens with a medium tip.  There's something about the way the ink flows that makes my writing feel "solid" on the page.  However, after writing a few thousand words, the pens dry up.  I've hand written about 10,000 words and have gone through two and a half pens already.  My husband asked about the collection of pens on the end table.  I told him that they were there in hopes that they would magically start writing again after a rest.  Ha.  They do not, in fact, write anymore once they have died.  It is almost enough to make me get out an inkwell and use that instead.  What would Jane Austen do?