My Favorite Summer Reads of 2019 So Far

Happy July! How’s your summer reading going? Is the pile getting any shorter or is it just growing as you add more books to it?

I’ve been reading like a maniac. This tends to happen when I’m in drafting mode for a book. After I dump all those words onto the page every day, I need my brain refilled with other people’s stories. I read 11 books in June, which is a high count for me, and I’m happy to report that there were some great ones in the mix.

So, I thought it’d be a good time to recommend my favorite summer reads so far. Also, if you like hearing my book recommendations, I encourage you to sign up for my newsletter, which is usually filled with my favorite book recs.

Most Fun to Read

Red, White, & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

I read all kind of books in the summer, so I don’t stick to only “breezy” books for summer, but if there was ever a perfect poolside read, it was this one. So funny and sweet and sexy. I gobbled this one up on my beach vacation and was left with a big smile on my face.

About the book:

A big-hearted romantic comedy in which First Son Alex falls in love with Prince Henry of Wales after an incident of international proportions forces them to pretend to be best friends...

First Son Alex Claremont-Diaz is the closest thing to a prince this side of the Atlantic. With his intrepid sister and the Veep’s genius granddaughter, they’re the White House Trio, a beautiful millennial marketing strategy for his mother, President Ellen Claremont. International socialite duties do have downsides—namely, when photos of a confrontation with his longtime nemesis Prince Henry at a royal wedding leak to the tabloids and threaten American/British relations.

The plan for damage control: staging a fake friendship between the First Son and the Prince. Alex is busy enough handling his mother’s bloodthirsty opponents and his own political ambitions without an uptight royal slowing him down. But beneath Henry’s Prince Charming veneer, there’s a soft-hearted eccentric with a dry sense of humor and more than one ghost haunting him.

As President Claremont kicks off her reelection bid, Alex finds himself hurtling into a secret relationship with Henry that could derail the campaign and upend two nations. And Henry throws everything into question for Alex, an impulsive, charming guy who thought he knew everything: What is worth the sacrifice? How do you do all the good you can do? And, most importantly, how will history remember you?

Most Clever Read

Eligible by Curtis Sittenfeld

I mentioned this one in my last post, but this is a modern Pride and Prejudice retelling. The way the author worked in so many elements of P&P in a completely different set up was so smart and fun. I loved catching all the little references back to the original but loved that I also got a completely fresh story.

About the book:

This version of the Bennet family and Mr. Darcy is one that you have and haven't met before: Liz is a magazine writer in her late thirties who, like her yoga instructor older sister, Jane, lives in New York City. When their father has a health scare, they return to their childhood home in Cincinnati to help and discover that the sprawling Tudor they grew up in is crumbling and the family is in disarray.

Youngest sisters Kitty and Lydia are too busy with their CrossFit workouts and Paleo diets to get jobs. Mary, the middle sister, is earning her third online master's degree and barely leaves her room, except for those mysterious Tuesday-night outings she won't discuss. And Mrs. Bennet has one thing on her mind: how to marry off her daughters, especially as Jane's fortieth birthday fast approaches.

Enter Chip Bingley, a handsome new-in-town doctor who recently appeared on the juggernaut reality TV dating show Eligible. At a Fourth of July barbecue, Chip takes an immediate interest in Jane, but Chip's friend, neurosurgeon Fitzwilliam Darcy, reveals himself to Liz to be much less charming. . . . And yet, first impressions can be deceiving.

Best Audiobook for a Nostalgic Summer Road Trip

Best. Movie. Year. Ever.: How 1999 Blew Up the Big Screen by Brian Raftery

If you are of my generation or near it, this will be such a fun listen. I was 19 in 1999 and so going back in time and hearing about all the great movies that came out that year wasn’t just a fun nostalgic trip, it was also fascinating. There was so much interesting backstory on each of the movies featured, and it made me want to watch the ones I hadn’t seen and rewatch the ones I had. Be prepared to greatly expand your movie streaming watchlist. Also, I’m sure this reads well in print too, but the audio was fantastic.

About the book:

From a veteran culture writer and modern movie expert, a celebration and analysis of the movies of 1999—arguably the most groundbreaking year in American cinematic history.

In 1999, Hollywood as we know it exploded: Fight Club. The Matrix. Office Space. Election. The Blair Witch Project. The Sixth Sense. Being John Malkovich. Star Wars: The Phantom Menace. American Beauty. The Virgin Suicides. Boys Don’t Cry. The Best Man. Three Kings. Magnolia. Those are just some of the landmark titles released in a dizzying movie year, one in which a group of daring filmmakers and performers pushed cinema to new limits—and took audiences along for the ride. Freed from the restraints of budget, technology (or even taste), they produced a slew of classics that took on every topic imaginable, from sex to violence to the end of the world. The result was a highly unruly, deeply influential set of films that would not only change filmmaking, but also give us our first glimpse of the coming twenty-first century. It was a watershed moment that also produced The Sopranos; Apple’s Airport; Wi-Fi; and Netflix’s unlimited DVD rentals.

Best. Movie. Year. Ever. is the story of not just how these movies were made, but how they re-made our own vision of the world. It features more than 130 new and exclusive interviews with such directors and actors as Reese Witherspoon, Edward Norton, Steven Soderbergh, Sofia Coppola, David Fincher, Nia Long, Matthew Broderick, Taye Diggs, M. Night Shyamalan, David O. Russell, James Van Der Beek, Kirsten Dunst, the Blair Witch kids, the Office Space dudes, the guy who played Jar-Jar Binks, and dozens more. It’s the definitive account of a culture-conquering movie year none of us saw coming…and that we may never see again.

Most Life-Affirming and Thought-Provoking

Maybe You Should Talk to Someone: A Therapist, Her Therapist, and Our Lives Revealed by Lori Gottlieb

As some of you know, I was a social worker/therapist before I left to be a full-time writer, so I’m already a psychology nerd. But this book was so much more than a look at psychology. Gottlieb is an experienced writer and storyteller, so what could’ve been dry was a rich and heartfelt page-turner. I got attached to the clients she featured and was invested in her own story as well. I have so many underlined passages in this one, and it made me think deeply about big life issues like mid-life crises and how to deal with fear of death and so much else. This one is sad at parts but ultimately uplifting and life-affirming. I want to put this book in everyone’s hands.

About the book:

From a New York Times best-selling author, psychotherapist, and national advice columnist, a hilarious, thought-provoking, and surprising new book that takes us behind the scenes of a therapist's world--where her patients are looking for answers (and so is she).

One day, Lori Gottlieb is a therapist who helps patients in her Los Angeles practice. The next, a crisis causes her world to come crashing down. Enter Wendell, the quirky but seasoned therapist in whose office she suddenly lands. With his balding head, cardigan, and khakis, he seems to have come straight from Therapist Central Casting. Yet he will turn out to be anything but.

As Gottlieb explores the inner chambers of her patients' lives -- a self-absorbed Hollywood producer, a young newlywed diagnosed with a terminal illness, a senior citizen threatening to end her life on her birthday if nothing gets better, and a twenty-something who can't stop hooking up with the wrong guys -- she finds that the questions they are struggling with are the very ones she is now bringing to Wendell.

With startling wisdom and humor, Gottlieb invites us into her world as both clinician and patient, examining the truths and fictions we tell ourselves and others as we teeter on the tightrope between love and desire, meaning and mortality, guilt and redemption, terror and courage, hope and change.

Maybe You Should Talk to Someone is revolutionary in its candor, offering a deeply personal yet universal tour of our hearts and minds and providing the rarest of gifts: a boldly revealing portrait of what it means to be human, and a disarmingly funny and illuminating account of our own mysterious lives and our power to transform them.

Best Sure Thing

An Offer From a Gentleman and Romancing Mister Bridgerton by Julia Quinn

Julia Quinn is one of those authors I can go to when I need a sure thing, when I don’t want to risk starting a book that might let me down. Her books are always fun, romantic, and bingeable. I know when I pick one up that I won’t be able to put it down until I’m done. And after I read these two, I heard that The Bridgertons series is going to become a TV show via Netflix and Shonda Rimes. SO. EXCITED. I can’t wait to continue on with the series.

About the book:

Will she accept his offer before the clock strikes midnight?

Sophie Beckett never dreamed she'd be able to sneak into Lady Bridgerton's famed masquerade ball—or that "Prince Charming" would be waiting there for her! Though the daughter of an earl, Sophie has been relegated to the role of servant by her disdainful stepmother. But now, spinning in the strong arms of the debonair and devastatingly handsome Benedict Bridgerton, she feels like royalty. Alas, she knows all enchantments must end when the clock strikes midnight.

Who was that extraordinary woman? Ever since that magical night, a radiant vision in silver has blinded Benedict to the attractions of any other—except, perhaps this alluring and oddly familiar beauty dressed in housemaid's garb whom he feels compelled to rescue from a most disagreeable situation. He has sworn to find and wed his mystery miss, but this breathtaking maid makes him weak with wanting her. Yet, if he offers his heart, will Benedict sacrifice his only chance for a fairy tale love?

Best Advice That Most of Us Need to Hear

Burnout: The Secret to Unlocking the Stress Cycle by Emily and Amelia Nagoski

I think the title says everything you need to know. Great advice on how to relieve stress and deal with burnout.

About the book:

This groundbreaking book explains why women experience burnout differently than men—and provides a simple, science-based plan to help women minimize stress, manage emotions, and live a more joyful life.

Burnout. Many women in America have experienced it. What’s expected of women and what it’s really like to be a woman in today’s world are two very different things—and women exhaust themselves trying to close the gap between them. How can you “love your body” when every magazine cover has ten diet tips for becoming “your best self”? How do you “lean in” at work when you’re already operating at 110 percent and aren’t recognized for it? How can you live happily and healthily in a sexist world that is constantly telling you you’re too fat, too needy, too noisy, and too selfish?

Sisters Emily Nagoski, PhD, and Amelia Nagoski, DMA, are here to help end the cycle of feeling overwhelmed and exhausted. Instead of asking us to ignore the very real obstacles and societal pressures that stand between women and well-being, they explain with compassion and optimism what we’re up against—and show us how to fight back. In these pages you’ll learn

• what you can do to complete the biological stress cycle—and return your body to a state of relaxation
• how to manage the “monitor” in your brain that regulates the emotion of frustration
• how the Bikini Industrial Complex makes it difficult for women to love their bodies—and how to defend yourself against it
• why rest, human connection, and befriending your inner critic are keys to recovering and preventing burnout

With the help of eye-opening science, prescriptive advice, and helpful worksheets and exercises, all women will find something transformative in these pages—and will be empowered to create positive change. Emily and Amelia aren’t here to preach the broad platitudes of expensive self-care or insist that we strive for the impossible goal of “having it all.” Instead, they tell us that we are enough, just as we are—and that wellness, true wellness, is within our reach.

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WRITING WORKSHOP ANNOUNCEMENT

Fellow writers, my How to Write Love Scenes That Readers Won’t Skip class is now open for enrollment! Spaces are limited, so grab a spot if you’re interested. Click the link or the pic for more details.

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What’s been your favorite summer read so far this year?

The "Done" Planner: Combating the Dark Side of the Traditional To Do List

Earlier this month, I did my annual post about what planners I’m choosing for the upcoming year. In that post, I mentioned that a new thing I’ve added to my system is a 90-Day “Done” planner, meaning a place where instead of marking down my To Do list (which I do in my main planner), I mark what I’ve done separated out by category.

Since I’ve done that post, I’ve had a number of people ask follow up questions about the details of this planner, so I’ve decided to do a post to explain how I’m using it.

The Concept: Overcoming the Dark Side of the Traditional To Do List

I got the inspiration for a 90-Day Goals planner from author Sarra Cannon. She has some great videos on her site explaining how she sets and keeps track of her 90-day goals. So when I was putting together my 90-Day planner, I grabbed a Happy Planner Teacher Planner because that’s what Sarra was using. But then when I put it all together, I realized that I didn’t need those pages to mark To Dos. I already have my Day Designer that houses that kind of list. So what could I use this shiny new layout for?

Well, the beauty of the teacher planner is that it’s divided into columns so that teachers can have separate lists for their different classes. But I realized it was the perfect set up to break down the different areas of my work and home life to visualize where I’m making progress. This made sense to me because the dark side of a traditional to do list is that you can check off a lot of things and wow look at all those check marks! But you may be checking off lots of inconsequential things that don’t really move the needle on your big goals. If I have a day where I’ve checked off ten things, but those things are like “mailed something”, “emailed someone”, “did laundry”, and I didn’t write any words on a book I’m drafting, have I really been very productive? No, I’ve probably been procrastinating the hard stuff.

So the idea behind the Done Planner is that not only can I see what I’m getting accomplished, I can see if I’m doing things that work toward those big 90-day goals. This has been a huge help. And on the flipside, it’s also given me a different view at the end of the week because sometimes you feel like you haven’t gotten anything done. But now I can look at my Done Planner and see ”Oh, hey, I wasn’t so great at social media this week, but that’s because I’ve really worked hard on these other two important goals.” It’s a clear picture of where I’ve spent my time, and that’s very rewarding. It gives me more a sense of peace at the end of the day or week (and gives me mental permission to take a break that evening or weekend.)

So are you interested? Let’s talk about setup and how I’m using it.

Setting Up the Planner

I’ve put everything in a Happy Planner hardcover discbound system. You can find this stuff at Michael’s and some Targets still have teacher planners on clearance. Amazon also still has a few left in stock. (29.99 is the standard price, so beware if you see any marked up.) The teacher planner does not come with this kind of cover. You can buy the hard cover separately, but it’s not necessary to have if you’re happy with the flexible cover the planner comes with.

Inside the teacher planner looks like this to start:

So here’s where your customization begins. See those blank spaces at the top of the columns? This is where you’re going to choose the buckets you want to focus on. You can simply write the title on top of each column (especially if you have better handwriting than I do), but I love the way the Avery stickers look colored with my mildliners (highlighters that aren’t so bright.) I use the Avery removable 3/4 inch circles (which are cheap on Amazon right now with their included coupon) and the Avery 5424 small removable rectangles. I usually color these all in one sitting while I’m watching TV or something and they last forever. I’ve had all these for probably a year now.

The Columns

Once you decide what you’re going to use to label your columns, now it’s time to decide what you want to name your columns. Really give this some thought because you don’t want to be tracking useless things. For my first three, I used my three main 90-day goal areas:

1. Writing - This is where I mark down word count and anything that has to do with moving my story forward. That means some days I may be marking down brainstorming/thinking time because I can’t write without thinking a lot. Thinking is work and counts as being productive as long as I’m actively focusing on the book. (Can you tell I had to do a mindshift to accept that a while back? lol)

2. Readers - This is where I mark down social media posts, blog posts, and newsletters. Anything that involves me interacting with readers goes here. So if I was going do a booksigning, it would fall under this category.

3. Business - This is the place where I mark down anything I’m doing that doesn’t fit under the two previous columns that is work-related and helping my business. If I’m taking a course. If I’m reading a book about marketing. If I researched something business-related.

The next four columns don’t directly deal with my 90-Day goals but are general life things and mental/physical wellness things that are very important to me.

4. Yoga - This is where I mark down which video I watched and how long the routine was. I’m doing the videos from Yoga with Adriene. Love them.

5. Input - This term comes from the Gallup Strengthsfinders system, which is a personality framework. But if you’re not familiar with that, this is basically my “refill the well” column. As a writer (and a writer with my particular personality), I need vast amounts of input to refill the creative well. This means reading, TV shows, movies, podcasts, audiobooks. When I let this slide, this is when I get writer’s block. So I’ve made it a priority to make sure I’m refilling the well. I mark down what I’m reading that day, if I watched or listened to something, etc. This is a good example of stuff that wouldn’t be reflected in my traditional To Do list. I wouldn’t write down “watch tv show”. But this done planner let’s me see if I’ve neglected this during the week and worked too much.

6. Budget - Simply where I record anything I spent that day outside of ordinary expenses. (If it’s a lot, it’s often a sign I’ve been surfing the internet too much and avoiding working lol.) I may change this one in the future, but for now, I’m testing this one out.

7. Home - The catch-all category for anything I did for home: laundry, groceries, meal planning, stuff for kidlet. I also usually mark what I’m cooking for dinner there.

So those are my seven categories, but the beauty of this system is that you can choose whatever categories that work for you and your life. What are you working on that you want to pay attention to and track?

Tracking

Remember, this is not a planner to write down what you hope to do that week. It’s what you’ve done. So it’s probably going to be something you need to keep open on your desk or easily accessible because if you wait to record what you did later, you’re going to forget. Plus, it feels good when you’ve done something to go mark it down. And hey, if stickers are involved, even better in my opinion. ;-) I’m currently using tiny icon stickers from FayeCreates on Etsy, but you can use whatever works for you. It may just be a bullet point you make with your pen or a colorful little dot sticker. But this is what mine looks like after a week.

And here’s a close up of the icon stickers if you want to see the variety.

Because this is a 90-day plan, I’m only keeping three months at a time in the binder. I’ve found this helpful because it makes the planner less bulky and also keeps me focused on the plan. Like hey, there’s only one month left to go, where am I on these goals?

I’ve been using this system since August, and I can say that I’m loving it. I’ve felt much calmer at the end of the day because I can clearly see what I’ve accomplished. Or I can clearly see which areas have fallen through the cracks. And hey, sometimes that’s okay. Like the week pictured above, I sucked at doing yoga that week but I got A LOT done in many other areas, including starting a book, so I was okay with yoga taking a backseat.

And really, if you’re not a planner fanatic like I am and don’t want to maintain more than one planner, this could easily be modified to be both. You could hold-punch (or disc-punch) a sheet of paper with your To Dos for the week and insert it into this system. There are lots of options because this system is so flexible.

So that’s how I’m using it. I hope you found this helpful! Please let me know if you decide to give it a try!

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Resource LIst

Here’s the round-up of supplies and resources if you don’t want to pick through the post to find them:

• Happy Planner Teacher Planner

• Big Happy Planner Hardcover

• Mildliner Highlighters

• Avery round stickers

• Avery rectangle stickers

• Colorful tiny dot stickers

• Icon stickers from FayeCreates

• Sarra Cannon’s 90-Day planning videos

See you next time!

April Read & Watch Picks with Author Maggie Wells!

How is it April already? March was a blink. But you know what the first of the month means, a new Read & Watch theme and a guest with recommendations!

April's theme word is TIME. And I invited author Maggie Wells to join us and give us her picks for this month's theme. If you haven't seen this challenge before, each month has a new theme word that you can interpret however you'd like. You can join in at any time and can get all the details on the challenge here.

First, a little more about Maggie:

Maggie Wells is a deep-down dirty girl with a weakness for hot heroes and happy endings. By day she is buried in spreadsheets, but at night she pens tales of people tangling up the sheets. The product of a charming rogue and a shameless flirt, this mild-mannered married lady has a naughty streak a mile wide.

Fueled by supertankers of Diet Coke, Maggie juggles fictional romance and the real deal by keeping her slow-talking Southern gentleman constantly amused and their two grown children mildly embarrassed.

All right, now I'll turn it over to Maggie and let her tell you her picks!

Maggie's Picks

BOOK:

I admit it, my instinctive response to the word “TIME” is Outlander! But I shall refrain and travel a less obvious path. Not that choosing to spend time with James Alexander Malcolm Mackenzie Fraser is ever wrong…

The book I want to share this month was once my least favorite book from one of my favorite authors. It wasn’t until I read The Sugar Queen by Sarah Addison Allen a second time, that I truly came to appreciate all of its glorious nuance.

For those who haven’t read it yet, I’ll share just this one quote:

“It feels like he's taken your heart, doesn't it? Like he's reached in and pulled it out from you. And I bet he smiles like he doesn't know, like he doesn't know he's holding your heart in his hand and you're dying from him.”

If you have read The Sugar Queen, it may not seem like a good fit for this month’s theme at first glance, but to me, this book is all about time. Each character has a different relationship with time. Josey is waiting for her life to start. Margaret is holding her breath until enough time passes for scandal to fade away. Chloe has put her own life on hold. Jake destroys everything he loves in a rash moment. Adam is simply killing time because he doesn’t quite know what to do next. And then, there’s Della Lee, who has just enough time left to show them all how they are wasting their most precious commodity.

Movie:

For this one, I chose one of my all-time favorites: Big Fish.

Again, this may not seem like an obvious choice for the theme, but bear with me. Will Bloom has only a brief window of opportunity to mend his strained relationship with his dying father. But unlike other movies with the same sort of theme, Big Fish takes us, and Will, along on the epic adventures of his father, Ed Bloom’s, life.

Let’s face it, most of us think our parents are frozen in time. Our time. They are simply Mom and Dad. The rule makers. Those ever-present forces that shape our lives for better or worse. I think many us don’t really get an opportunity to know our parents as people with hopes, dreams, and adventures of their own. I know I didn’t, and now it’s too late for me to ask them to tell me their version of their story.

So, yeah, use your time wisely. Watch Big Fish with one or both of your parents, if you can. If you’re lucky, you may be able to use it as a springboard to pry a few of their fish stories from them.

TV:

Okay, fine, I have to say it—Outlander!

A time-traveling woman from the 20th century.

A Scottish highlander from the 18th century.

Love. War. Desire. Jealousy. Kilts. Greed. Shenanigans.

I’m usually not a fan of book-to-screen adaptations, but I think Ronald D. Moore and the gang are doing a bang-up job of adapting the books for the series. If you haven’t given it a peek yet, take the time!

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Thanks so much, Maggie! And I'm totally with her on Outlander. I haven't read or seen the others, but Outlander...yessss.

Now that you Maggie has excellent taste, you should check out her book!

A BOLT FROM THE BLUE by Maggie Wells

Available April 4th from Kensington/Lyrical Press

True love, like lightning, never strikes twice—or does it?

As a free-spirited young woman, Hope Elliot was desperate to escape her snobbish high society family. So she ran off to Paris, where she lived for twenty-five years. Now widowed, she’s come home to settle her family’s massive lakefront estate. But before she can put her mother’s house on the market, it needs a major renovation. Enter master electrician Mick McInnes, a traditional guy who’s about to turn her life upside down . . .

Aside from the fact that Mick is hopelessly attracted to his latest client, Hope represents everything he doesn’t want in a woman. She’s ridiculously rich and adventurous, yet she doesn’t seem to know much about the real world. Besides, his policy is to never get involved with clients. But he can’t seem to resist the Chicago heiress’s sizzling advances—and soon enough finds himself in her bed, feeling like a teenager once again. And like teenagers, the two of them will just have to convince their families that opposites can not only attract, but they can also make the perfect match . . .

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Roni's April Picks

Here's what I'll be reading and watching this month for the challenge!

Book:

Maybe In Another Life by Taylor Jenkins Reid

This one takes one event in a woman's life and then branches off into two possible storylines, what happens if she makes one decision and what happens if she makes another, so it will be dual timelines/fates. I loved her book One True Loves, so I have high hopes.

About the book:

From the acclaimed author of Forever, Interrupted and After I Do comes a breathtaking new novel about a young woman whose fate hinges on the choice she makes after bumping into an old flame; in alternating chapters, we see two possible scenarios unfold—with stunningly different results.

At the age of twenty-nine, Hannah Martin still has no idea what she wants to do with her life. She has lived in six different cities and held countless meaningless jobs since graduating college. On the heels of leaving yet another city, Hannah moves back to her hometown of Los Angeles and takes up residence in her best friend Gabby’s guestroom. Shortly after getting back to town, Hannah goes out to a bar one night with Gabby and meets up with her high school boyfriend, Ethan.

Just after midnight, Gabby asks Hannah if she’s ready to go. A moment later, Ethan offers to give her a ride later if she wants to stay. Hannah hesitates. What happens if she leaves with Gabby? What happens if she leaves with Ethan?

In concurrent storylines, Hannah lives out the effects of each decision. Quickly, these parallel universes develop into radically different stories with large-scale consequences for Hannah, as well as the people around her. As the two alternate realities run their course, Maybe in Another Life raises questions about fate and true love: Is anything meant to be? How much in our life is determined by chance? And perhaps, most compellingly: Is there such a thing as a soul mate?

Hannah believes there is. And, in both worlds, she believes she’s found him. 

TV:

Thirteen Reasons Why on Netflix

This is a brand new series on Netflix and is based on a YA book I read many years ago and really liked. It's been long enough that I don't remember much about the book, but I remember that it was good enough to keep on my shelf. I DO remember that it flashes back in time to show the things leading up to a certain even, so it goes perfectly with this month's theme.

Oddly enough, both my book and TV show picks have heroines named Hannah.

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Utterly Shameless Promotion

If you need another suggestion for the TIME theme, may I also suggest Off the Clock, which is the first book in my Pleasure Principle series and a current finalist in the RITA Contest (!), and By the Hour, book 2, which comes out April 25!

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Now, it's your turn! What will you be reading/watching? Or if you have any suggestions for the theme, let us have 'em! :)

Reader Style: Does the First Line Matter to You?

All of us have out own reader style. How we choose books. How we consume books. What makes us stop reading (or if we allow ourselves to give up on a book at all). All these things form our unique reader personalities. And I always find it fun to hear how other people go about their reading. (Yes, that's probably a nerdy thing to find fascinating but I am comfortable with my nerdy status. :) )

So I thought I would tackle a few different reader styles/quirks in some posts to hear about your reading style and to share mine.

First up: First lines 

As a writer, I angst about first lines of books. I often can't start a book without knowing it. Some writers can put a placeholder line there and plan to change it later, but I need mine to set the tone in my head right from the start. I just went through this last week because I'm starting a new book and I couldn't land on a first line. Finally, one came to me when I woke up out of a dead sleep before my alarm one morning. It's like my brain had been working on it overnight, which is always a strange feeling. But I immediately knew that was the one.

But I think one reason why I obsess over my own first lines is because as a reader, I pay attention to first lines when I'm deciding if I want to read a book. I have other things that play into the decision of course--back cover copy, cover art, if it's been recommend to me, if I've read the author before etc. But I also see a fantastic first line as a harbinger that the writer is going to deliver a good story. The opposite doesn't necessarily hold true. A book can still be good without a fantastic first line, and I've written books where the first line isn't outstanding because I saw the opening scene a certain way in my head and a standout first line would've been wedged in instead of natural for that scene. But I've found that a great first line is often an added thing that gets me excited to read a book and can help tip me over in the to buy or not to buy decision if I'm wavering.

Here are some examples of books on my shelves:

One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid

I am finishing up dinner with my family and my fiancé when my husband calls.

We already know from the back cover that her husband went missing in an accident years ago and was presumed dead, so this line vaults us right into the hook of the story.

11/22/63 by Stephen King

I have never been what you'd call a crying man.

It's enough to intrigue you to keep reading. Why not? And is he saying that because it's about to change?

American Girls by Alison Umminger

My first Manson girl was Leslie Van Houten, the homecoming princess with the movie-star smile.

Dead Until Dark by Charlaine Harris

I'd been waiting for the vampire for years when he walked into the bar.

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Because I write erotic fiction, I tend to go with first lines that let you know you're going to get a sexy story. Here are a few of my first lines:

Loving You Easy

I know how to recognize dangerous men.

Caught Up In You

"You know, picturing someone naked this early in the morning isn't good for your health."

Call On Me

"Are you touching yourself?" The voice in Oakley's ear sounded labored and overeager--like a St. Bernard attempting phone sex. He was probably drooling too. Lovely.

Okay, so that a little more than first line, but this one tells you the box is going to be sexy and funny.

By the Hour (coming soon)

Maybe she was a masochist after all. God knows what else could’ve compelled her to attend someone else’s party on her birthday.

So hopefully with this line you already know a) the heroine is not in a happy place and b) something had to make her attend someone's party on her own birthday.

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Overall, what I'm trying to do with my writing and what I'm trying to get when I pick up someone else's book is a juicy hint of what I'm going to get in the book to come. I love when the first line invites me in and doesn't let me not read the next and the next. : )

All right, so I'd love to hear your thoughts on first lines? Do you have any that have stuck with you? Do you pay attention to them at all? 

Finding Your Next Favorite: Where Do You Go for Trusted Book Recommendations?

Most of you reading this are probably big readers. Your TBR is probably teetering already, but if you're anything like me, that doesn't stop you from seeking out new book recommendations. In fact, I hope you find some here with my Friday Reads feature and the tastemaker choices in the Read & Watch Challenge 2017. I always find it interesting to trace how I found out about a book and why I decided to read that particular book at that particular time. I have hundreds of books in my TBR and on wish lists so why THIS book?

This will vary for each person, but for me, there are a few sources that more strongly compel me to read a book than others.

1. Someone who has similar taste in books says that I MUST read this. - There's nothing like finding a book twin who you know lines up with your tastes. So when they say read it, you know there's a high likelihood you're going to like it. Strangely enough, I don't have a book twin among my friends. My friends tend to read different genres and subgenres than I do. But I do have a few trusted blogs that I know usually line up with my tastes.

2. Book of the Month Club - I've been a member for a while now and I have yet to be disappointed with the books I've read from the club. They are usually outside my normal reading zone but wonderfully written. Dark Matter, The Sun Is Also a Star, All the Ugly and Wonderful Things were all BOTM picks. (If you want to check out a subscription, click here.)

3. Podcasts - I've been getting into podcast listening lately (see some of my faves here). I find it soothing and interesting. But what I didn't expect is how many books I'd want to buy based on the podcasts. There are book-centric podcasts like Modern Mrs. Darcy's What Should I Read Next? (general fiction and literary picks) and Smart Podcast, Trashy Books (romance picks), but even non-book-related podcasts have gotten me reading. I picked up The Dorito Effect, which I'll blog about tomorrow, based on a podcast. (Maybe it's something about the voice of a person saying THIS IS A MUST READ that's more compelling than simply reading it on twitter or something.

4. Buzz - I'm not always trusting of buzz, but when I see the same book raved about from multiple trusted sources, I usually can't resist. This is why I picked up Amanda Bouchet's A Promise of Fire.

5. Blogs - I mentioned this in the first category. But besides the certain book bloggers whose tastes line up with mine, I also can be swayed by a review by someone I don't know. If they give a thoughtful review that doesn't just say "loved the book" but gives me compelling reasons why they enjoyed it and who it would be right for, it can work on me. 

6. Best of Lists - I'm a sucker for a good book list. At the end of the year, I can't resist clicking on all those Best of lists. And if I see the same book popping up regularly, I'll probably at least check it out.

So those are my main sources. I'm curious to hear yours? Where do you go for trusted book recommendations? What makes you pick up one book over another?

2017 Read & Watch Challenge: January's Word & Recommendations

Happy New Year, everyone! 

It's time for the start of the 2017 Read & Watch Challenge. Yay! If you missed the initial post that explained how this works, check it out here. (There's also a free checklist and reading journal you can download.) But the basic premise is that each month there will be a theme word. You can choose how to interpret the theme word, but the challenge is to read a book and watch a movie/TV show each month that match the theme.

Also, each month, I'll be posting recommendations here if you're having trouble deciding what to pick. I'll offer my own recommendations and what I plan to read/watch for the challenge BUT I'll also be featuring tastemakers (authors, bloggers, editors) who offer recommendations AND a Reader of the Month who will offer her choices. So lots of reasons to stop by! :)

So, this month's word is BEGIN. I think this one is perfect for January and I hope you'll have fun with it.

Possible interpretations of the theme (but interpret how you like):

• Begin a series
• A story about beginnings
• A book or movie that has the word BEGIN in the title
• A non-fiction book about a habit you want to start
• A YA story because teens are beginning their adult lives
• A prequel
• A story about the beginning of an era

TASTEMAKER OF THE MONTH: Julie Cross

Author Juile Cross

This month's tastemaker is my friend and NYT Bestselling YA/NA author, Julie Cross. She's got some great suggestions for us. But be sure to also check out her latest book, Chasing Truth, which also fits the theme of BEGIN. Kirkus reviews calls it, "An enjoyably twisty, romantic, and thoughtful prep-school mystery." 

Now, on to Julie's picks!

Novel: Sex and Violence by Carrie Mesrobian

Julie's Thoughts: Open your mind a bit and let this very real, very BEGIN story inside you and I promise you will feel all kinds of things. After Seventeen year old, Evan is severely assaulted by the ex-boyfriend of a girl he hooks up, his father pulls him out of boarding school and the two escape to a family cabin in Minnesota. Evan must begin to mend--inside and out--begin to trust, and begin to love himself while learning to let others in. Lovers of romance, there is a love story here, but be aware, it doesn’t follow the traditional patterns however if you come prepared for a real and emotional journey, you’ll find that love story right alongside the hero.

Recommended for lovers of realistic teen stories, male narrator's, family drama, small-town quirks, friendships, and characters who make dozens of mistakes but grow tremendously throughout the story.

 

TV Show: Veronica Mars

Julie's Thoughts: I watched this entire series just last winter (free via my Amazon Prime membership) so don’t feel intimidated by the “Marshmellows” who were devoted to the series since it’s birth. Unlike the hero in my YA book recommendation, Veronica doesn’t have the luxery of moving to a new place despite the BEGIN she is forced embrace. Her best friend was murdered, her father was booted from his job as town sheriff, her mother has run off to God knows where, and Veronica has gone from popular cheerleader to daughter of the town outcast. She may be stuck in Neptune until graduation, but that doesn’t mean Veronica has to sit quietly and accept her new fate. She’s fierce, witty, hilarious, and very loyal to her father. The two of them have a great relationship and run a damn good P.I. business too. Veronica’s drive and constant curiosity will make you want to get up and BEGIN something of your own. After you binge watch all three seasons plus the follow-up movie, which is also fantastic.

 

READER OF THE MONTH: Dawn Alexander

Next up, we have recommendations from my friend, fellow writer, and avid suspense reader, Dawn Alexander. Dawn likes things with a mystery and a bad guy/gal, so she'll have some different picks for us. Also, be sure to check out her blog! :) 

On to Dawn's picks...

Novels:

One for the Money by Janet Evanovich

The first of the Stephanie Plum series, an all time favorite.

Naked in Death by JD Robb

First of the In Death series, also an all time favorite.

Things We Wish Were True by Marybeth Mayhew Whalen

For a little bit of a twist on a theme. It's a women's fiction about the beginning of summer as well as the beginning of everyone's secrets unraveling. 

A is for Alibi by Sue Grafton

My choice for my challenge is. I'm cheating a little here. It is the beginning of a series. A is the beginning of the alphabet AND it's the beginning of my Follow the Clues reading Challenge. 

Movies:

Rogue One

It's the beginning of the Star Wars Trilogy I grew up with. Not the prequels.

Hope Floats

The beginning of a new life.

Stand By Me

The beginning of adulthood.

 

 

Roni's Recommendations 

Books:

Because January is all about beginnings, I find myself reaching for a lot of non-fiction, self-improvement type books. So if you’re looking for a fresh start, here are a few options:

The Happiness Project or Better Than Before by Gretchen Rubin

These are great books to reboot at the beginning of the year if you're looking to start new habits or to find some joy this year. I find myself picking these up for rereads in January.

Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert

This is all about beginning a full, rich creative life without all the “artistic suffering”.

Organizing Solutions for People with ADHD by Susan Pinsky

Not just for those with ADHD. Super helpful organizing solutions that really resonated with me and I still use years after reading the book. So if one of your goals this year is to get yourself organized, this is a great place to begin.

Shameless Self-Promotion:

You know what would also make excellent choices for BEGIN? Beginning one of my series. :) Here are my two series starters:

Crash Into You

First in the Loving on the Edge series (kinky Texas men, BDSM, angst, romance)

 

 

Off the Clock

First in the Pleasure Principle series (smart and sexy therapists and doctors, Grey's Anatomy of mental heath meets erotic romance)

 

 

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TV Show:

My So-Called Life

This one is an easy one to start because there is only one season—one perfect, ended-too-soon season--and you can get it streaming. This is about the beginning of high school, adulthood, and contains ALL THE ANGST and super hot Jared Leto. If you grew up in the 90s, you’ve probably already seen it, but there’s a reason that it was picked as one of the top 100 shows of all time by the authors of TV (The Book.)

Movie:

When Harry Met Sally

This is the perfect movie for New Year’s but is also about the beginning of a very long relationship. Plus, you get to see Carrie Fisher in a great role (she plays Meg Ryan’s sassy best friend.)

What I'll be Reading/Watching

Books:

The Sun Is Also a Star by Nicola Yoon

A YA about the start of a relationship that only lasts one day (at least that’s what I think it’s about.) This was a Book of the Month Club pick, so I’m looking forward to it.

One True Loves by Taylor Jenkins Reid

The is about beginning love again after a woman loses her true love in a helicopter disappearance. But after she finds a new love years later, her husband is found. Hello, conflict.

 

TV:

OJ: Made in America

I’ve already started this one after hearing so many rave reviews about it. It goes with the BEGIN theme because it’s not just about how OJ ended up but where he started, bringing in the history of America and the influences that shaped him and what was to come. My husband and I watched The People vs. OJ, which was fantastic, and I didn’t think we needed to watch something else on the same topic, but so far this is a different angle on it and compelling.

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So that's what I've got for you this month. Any of these suggestions spark your interest? I'd love to hear what you'll be reading and watching for this month's challenge! Leave a comment or use hashtag #readwatch17 to join the conversation on Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, etc. :) 

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Thank you to our monthly tastemaker!

At Holden Prep, the rich and powerful rule the school—and they’ll do just about anything to keep their dirty little secrets hidden.

When former con artist Eleanor Ames’ homecoming date commits suicide, she’s positive there’s something more going on. The more questions she asks, though, the more she crosses paths with Miles Beckett. He’s sexy, mysterious, arrogant…and he’s asking all the same questions.

Eleanor might not trust him—she doesn’t even like him—but they can’t keep their hands off of each other. Fighting the infuriating attraction is almost as hard as ignoring the fact that Miles isn’t telling her the truth…and that there’s a good chance he thinks she’s the killer. Grab a copy!

My Deep Love for Book Mail: The Book-of-the-Month Club

I don't have to state here that I'm a book nerd. There's not much I love more than a new book. But recently I realized that there is something super comforting and nostalgic about certain book acquisition methods.

First one that clearly comes to mind is going to the library. I would venture to say that most of us who love books discovered this love in the library first. We were the kids who would beg to go pick out new books every week or two. I can still remember browsing the shelves and desperately hoping they had the next installment of the Wrinkle in Time series but then also finding three other things I HAD to have too. I still get that warm fuzzy feeling walking through stacks in the library. 

Next is bookstores. I grew up with Waldenbooks and B. Dalton like I'm sure many of you did. No trip to the mall was complete without a trip to the bookstore (and the record store, lol.) And I still love walking through a B&N or small bookshop. It's just comforting to be surrounded by so many books.

But in addition to library visits and bookstores, I realized this week when kidlet came home with his Scholastic Books flyer from school that those book orders were where I first fell in love with book mail. I would skim through all those colorful pictures of new books and want them all. My mom would always buy me something even when I know her budget had to be super tight, and then I'd have that lovely wait until they came in. They used to stack the orders on the teachers desk but wouldn't give them out until the end of the day. I can remember being so excited that one of those packages was mine. New books!

Book mail was special. It was the promise of new stories, new worlds, new adventures. 

And though I get book mail constantly now with my Amazon Prime membership, that doesn't feel the same. I still get excited when a book arrives, but it's packed in there with my Lara bars and coffee filters or whatever, lol. It's less of an experience, more of a utilitarian method of receiving something.

But then I discovered the newly revamped Book of the Month club. It's been around for almost 100 years but was recently acquired by someone new and they changed a lot. Instead of mail order catalogs, everything is handled online with a very simple and streamlined process. I saw it mentioned on a blog somewhere and they had a discount code for a trial period. Even though it was books that are normally outside my typical reading zone and I rarely buy hardcover books, I thought--what the hell, I'll try it out.

And you know what? I LOVE it. It's brought back some of the ritual of book mail for me. You get to anticipate which books they're going to select each month (there are 5 picks each month and you can also choose from previous picks). It's like--ooh, it's the first of the month, I get to see what they've selected! And then you choose your book (or more if you want, which you get at a significant discount) and then they arrive in lovely packaging with a notecard from the judge describing why they selected it. Usually there's some little extra in there, too--a curly straw for summer, a wine koozie, etc. It's special. And I realized it has brought back that book mail feeling I used to get from the school orders. Plus, I've discovered this new love for hardbacks. Weird.

Here are this month's picks. I chose the Amy Schumer book and I added All the Ugly and Wonderful Things from the previous month because I've seen it recommended by a few people and need to read it.

Now, if you're interested in this, I do have a referral link that will get you a 50% off discount. I'm passing that along. If you want to get in for the September selections, they let you choose up until Sept. 15. Here are the details:

As a BOTM member, you'll choose from 5 new literary gems each month - powerful,  immersive books that you might not have heard of otherwise. We'll deliver your choice right to your doorstep. Use invitation code REFER50 for 50% off a 3-month membership. Join today and discover a better way to read.

And yes, that is a referral link which earns me extra books, but as I've mentioned before, I don't promote anything here that I'm not genuinely enthusiastic about. Plus, this one is a win-win because you get a great discount. :)

So now I want to hear from you. Anyone else nerd out about book mail? And what rituals/memories do you have near and dear to you about getting books? I'd love to hear them!

*In case you missed it, I have a new release this week! Grab your copy of Loving You Easy! :) 

Managing the Ebook TBR Pile - An Impossible Task?

Okay, folks, usually I try to blog about recommendations or solutions to things, but today I need your help with something because I haven't figured out a good answer. If you're here, that probably means that you love books like I do, which also probably means that you have a big to-be-read pile.

Mine is ginormous both in print and even more so in ebook. Hundreds and hundreds of unread books. It's both a blessing (yay, my own library!) and a curse (so many books, so little time.) And yesterday I mentioned on Twitter that lately I've found myself obsessed with hardcover books (which I've typically hated all my life) and have leaned more toward reading print this year than ebook. And I wasn't sure why.

Now, that's not to say I have problems with reading ebooks. Obviously I don't because many of my books that I put out there are ebook only. I love the convenience of ebooks and the sales. However, after thinking on it, I realized that the reason I'm reading more print lately is because I can SEE my print TBR pile. I can grab books off my shelves, flip them over, remind myself what it's about and choose one. With ebooks, that is really hard. Scrolling through hundreds of books on my Kindle with tiny black and white covers (because I prefer e-ink) isn't overly inspiring. And then it's not a quick process to read the back cover. So unless I just bought the book and remember what it's about, it languishes there. 

Part of this, I think, goes back to how my brain works. Y'all know about my love for paper planners. They have saved me because electronic calendars don't work for me. If it's out of sight, it's out of mind for me. I need hard copies of things in front of me to remind me. So when my ebooks go off the first page of my Kindle, it's like they're dead to me. And that's frustrating because I know there are amazing books on there that I wanted to read. 

So, I need a solution. How do I organize my ebooks in a visual way that works? I've tried separating into folders based on genre. That made it worse because then they were two steps away from being visible. I've tried Calibre, but it's not automatic and I'm not good at keeping stuff like that up. And a spreadsheet won't work because I need to see the covers, not just the titles.

I'm not even sure that there IS a solution, but I figured I would ask if any of you have any ideas that have worked for you? I'd love to hear them!

Thanks!

And anyone else having this same issue?

Reader Poll: Which of My Characters/Series Do You Want More Of?

Hi there! I know it's been a little while. I'm still in recovery mode from the RT Booklovers Convention. It was a fun, fantastic, and super busy trip, but I'm paying for all that fun now, lol. And how can two hours time difference be such a big deal? I feel in constant need of a nap.

Buy anyhoo, I wanted to pop in today and get YOUR input on some things. Right now, I'm in a transitional time with my writing and series. That's both scary and super exciting. All the possibilities! But as I was thinking through my plans for the next year or two, I realized, hey, I should ask you guys what you think. You're (hopefully) the ones reading my books and probably have some opinions. So here I am, seeking your input!

First, let's talk about what's definitely happening:

1. Wanderlust - my rockstar romance (loosely tied to Loving on the Edge) will be out in July! This is a novel near and dear to my heart and I'm super excited to put it out there. It's up for pre-order for 3.99 if you're interested. (And this is 65k words, so not a novella.)

2. Loving You Easy (Book 9 in Loving on the Edge) - This will be out in September and I can't wait to introduce you to Hayes, Ren, and Cora! The heroine is a hacker and the two heroes own a tech company that runs a kinky online game. Oh, and Hayes just got out of prison so ALL the angst. :) That one is also up for pre-order everywhere and has a purty cover.

3. Novella Boxed Set - This will be available in October and will include FOUR previously released Loving on the Edge novellas. Check out the details here.

4. By the Hour (Book 2 in the Pleasure Principle series) - My Fearless Romantics FB group just helped me with the title for this one, yay! This is Lane and Elle's story. Yes, Elle. :) I'm writing this one right now and having so much fun with it. The title will give you a hint at the plot. This one is tentatively scheduled for January 2017. 

So lots to come! In addition, I have some super secret projects I'm putting together that aren't tied to either of my main series. More on that when I know more.

But, here's what I want to know from you. I have the tendency to leave a lot of open doors for side characters in my books. Sometimes I do that on purpose, but most of the time it's my own writer curiosity at work--hmm, I wonder what that character's story is... So I know there are characters floating out there with stories that I haven't told yet. And I want to hear which you're dying to read. 

Here are some initial suggestions, but maybe you have ones I haven't thought of yet. Throw them out there in the comments. I'd love to know!

*More in the NICE GIRLS DON'T RIDE world? Updates on the main characters, stories about some of the side characters?

*More of Hunter and Devon from YOURS ALL ALONG or more m/m romance stories in general?

*More stories in LOVING ON THE EDGE series? Any characters in mind?

*Other characters in PLEASURE PRINCIPLE series besides Lane and Elle?

*Another serial?

That's the ones I think of off the top of my head, but like I said, I'm here to find out what you think. :) So give a shout for what you want in the comments. :)

Thanks!

Introducing the #ListifyLife Spring Challenge!

I love a list. There's something about that little itemized structure that does it for me. It's neat, efficient, and gets to the point. When I'm brainstorming a new book, all my thoughts are in bulleted list form. Maybe the hero has this in his background. Maybe the heroine met the hero when she was a kid. Maybe the hero has a dog. 

And when I plan, lists are my go to structure, too. That's why the Day Designer works well for me. Half the page is dedicated to a long To Do list. 

So, when I bought a beautiful new gold Leuchtturm journal, I had a plan to keep lists in there. BUT I am a notoriously failed journal keeper. And this felt a lot like keeping a journal. So that got me to thinking--what if there was some structure to the lists I keep in there? A challenge to keep me excited and focused. I started chatting about it with my friend and fellow writer Sierra Godfrey and the Listify Life Challenge was born.

What is it?

There are lots of lists type challenges out there, but maybe are daily and most seems to focus on heavier topics like goal-setting and deep thoughts about life or yourself. That's cool but not what I was going for. I wanted this to be fun, a little silly, something to look forward to. No therapy needed! ;) So this challenge is going to be a WEEKLY list challenge where there is one topic a week. You write down your list on any day that week and take a photo of it to share (or you can type it into a blog or FB or whatever works for you.) Use the hashtag #ListifyLife if your chosen social network uses hashtags and join up with others. :) This is meant to be a fun way to document your year and meet others without being too time-consuming.

When is it?

It starts next week. We're going to divide by seasons. So this first challenge is the Spring Listify Life Challenge and will run March 20 (first day of Spring) through June 19th (last day of Spring). If things go well, a summer challenge will start after that.

What are the topics?

Here's a beautiful graphic designed by Sierra Godfrey. Sierra has also made free printable cards with the individual list topics if you want to print and write your lists on those. (And feel free to post this graphic on your site or instagram to spread the word.)

Where to post your lists?

This is the flexible part. This isn't going to be tied to a certain social network. Blog your lists, Instagram them, tweet them, Facebook them. Post in one place or five. It's whatever works for you. I'll be posting the photos of my lists across my networks. And I will blog them as well with added commentary.

Who can join?

Anyone! This isn't just for writers or a particular group. Two of the topics lend themselves more to people who love to read, but other than that, the topics should work for anyone.

Why should you join?

Um, because lists are awesome. And you get an excuse to buy NEW OFFICE SUPPLIES. That should be reason enough. AND you get one free day a week where you don't have to think about--what should I blog about? Or post on Instagram or FB? You have a built in idea. And did I mention the office supplies? New pens, people. Pens.

***

I'm really excited about this challenge and am looking forward to seeing everyone's answers for the different topics. I hope you'll join us and be a fellow list nerd with me. :) 

So, are you ready to play along?

Which Books Made You a Romance Reader?

Today in the Author Life Month Instagram challenge, the topic was "A favorite book outside of your genre." I ended up picking the books that made me want to become a writer: A Wrinkle In Time by Madeleine L'Engle and The Neverending Story by Michael Ende.

I read both around 4th or 5th grade, and though I was already an avid reader by then (there was much Babysitter's Club consumed), those were the first books I remember sweeping me away completely. I felt transported to a new world and experienced that unique magic only books give you access to. And I knew then--I need to do this. 

But this week I also saw this Harlequin ad that made me smile.

Go ahead and watch, but it's the journey of a girl discovering her mom's romance novels and then getting hooked for life and passing that addiction along. Really sweet. And very true for many of us. Most romance readers I talk to have had similar experiences of stealing their mother's or another relative's books and "sneaking" them. Is there really anything better than a kid sneaking books? Sure, maybe some content is a little older than our parents wanted us to read. But being unable to resist reading is a pretty awesome thing.

For me, my mom wasn't a romance reader per se. She has always read more suspense and mystery, though many of those were romantic suspense. But I do distinctly remember what books I "stole" from her. The Flowers in the Attic series by V.C. Andrews. I still have the actual copy I stole because I haven't ever given it back, lol.

They are not romance. They are family saga and tragic and gothic. BUT there was romance in there and love scenes. That was very eye-opening to me at an innocent fourteen years old. "They can write this in books?!" Of course, I was hooked, lol. I think I read every series V.C. Andrews had at the time after that. And my mom, to her credit, let me read what I want. I mean, I was already reading Stephen King at that age so I'd jumped to adult books anyway.

But that opened the door to reading romance for me. I bought a few teen romances. Here's one I found in my mom's attic from 1993. :)

In adult books, I stuck to more romantic suspense and the occasional vampire book. I honestly didn't know there was this whole enormous world of romance. But in adulthood, I discovered the richness of the romance genre and how many subgenres were out there. The obsession was born. So I've been playing catch up ever since. :) 

So now I want to know yours. What book made you a romance reader? Or what book made you fall in love with reading?

Breaking Out of a Reading Slump: It's Not You, Book. It's Me.

Normally, Fridays are reserved for Friday Reads. This isn't going to be a Friday Reads post. Why? Because I'm afraid I might be in that dreaded zone we readers hate: The Reading Slump. But...I'm not sure.

Anyone ever go through that? Where you can't tell if you're truly in a slump or it's just that you've picking books that don't grab you?

I've read some non-fiction lately, and that's been fine. But I've been uninspired when it comes to picking up the fiction book I'm about 100 pages into. There's nothing bad about the book. And I LOVED the author's previous book. But I find myself putting it down and not going back. And I haven't moved onto another book because I feel like I'm still "reading" this one and I don't jump around with fiction books. I read one then move on (or decide it's not for me and move on.) A serial monogamist. ;)

But I think I've been reluctant to move on with this one because I can't tell if it's the book or if it's just that I'm in some sort of reading slump. The last book I read and loved (Land of the Beautiful Dead) was back in November. That's a long time for me not to find a book that I'm excited about (especially when I'm on a writing break and have the time to read more.) So that's what makes me wonder if I'm in a reading slump. 

Signs of a reading slump

1. You keep putting down the book you're reading.

2. You browse through your TBR pile and nothing really grabs you.

3. You're not thinking about getting back to a book when you get a minute to yourself.

Ugh. Reading slumps are no good, right? It's depressing. Reading is one of my favorite things to do and I don't want to feel meh about it. So I've come up with a plan to get myself out of the slump. 

 

Getting Out of The Slump

1. Move on to another book, even if you think there may be nothing particularly wrong with the one you're reading.

Maybe it really is the book. Put the book you're reading aside. You may go back to it one day, but right now it's back on the shelf in limbo mode. Life is too short to force yourself to read a book that isn't working for you (no matter the reason). <--This is something I have to tell myself constantly. I have a hard time walking away from a book unless I outright HATE it. 

2. Pick something in a different genre or subgenre than what your current read is.

Maybe it's the wrong genre for you at the moment--like it's a sweet contemporary and you really need something darker right now or something with explosions! Or maybe life is chaotic and you need something quieter to read than the thriller or whatever it is you're reading.

3. Get a recommendation from someone who has book tastes you trust.

Find that friend or book blogger that is your reading twin. They usually love what you love. Get suggestions from them on the last book that blew them away.

4. Reread an old favorite.

Sometimes you need a sure thing. Pick up that book that you know is going to make you happy. (This one doesn't work as well for me because I'm not a re-reader, no matter how much I love a book. Weird, I know.)

5. Pick an author who usually doesn't let you down.

This is when favorite authors can come in and save the day. Your odds for liking the book are higher if you've read and loved their other stuff.

6. Commit to picking up another book.

Sometimes I find that when I'm in a reading slump, it takes a lot of energy to go and pick out a new book to read. It's like I'm reluctant to get into another disappointing relationship. But just like in life, you've got to put yourself back out there, lol. So make yourself pick up something else and something else until you find that book that grabs you, woos you, and takes you to bed. Wait, we're still talking about books, right? Maybe I took that metaphor too far. ;)

Okay, those are some tactics to help. For me, I'm going to take my own advice and put down this current book and move on. Maybe it's me and not the book, but it's clearly not the right book for me right now. We shall see if the next one fixes this. :)

So, have you ever been in a reading slump? What did you do to get out of it? Any tips to add? And what book have you read lately that was amazing and is sure to get someone out of a slump? 

The Push Your Boundaries 2016 Reading Challenge

Happy New Year's Eve! Hope everyone is having a great holiday break!

I turned in a book at the beginning of December, so I've been taking a much needed writing break these last few weeks. But that doesn't meant I haven't been getting up to things. If you missed it earlier today, I put together a free reading journal specifically designed for romance readers (yay!). All you have to do is sign up for my newsletter to get the download. (And if you're already signed up, check your inbox and spam folder if you haven't gotten it.)

So after that, I got to work on this next thing--putting together my reading challenge for the year. Since 2008 or so I've been doing annual reading challenges. But in 2015 I was so busy with other things that I never got around to setting a specific goal beyond "Read 60 books", which I did meet.

But what I noticed when I was going through my list to choose my Best Books of 2015 was that I'd gotten kind of homogenous in my reading choices this past year. Not necessarily a terrible thing. I love what I love and read what I want. BUT there are also a ton of great books out there outside of my beloved subgenres that I know I'm missing out on. AND as a writer, it's important for me to put all kinds of fodder into the creativity pot. If I only read within a narrow scope, it's going to affect my writing. I need to read widely and out of my comfort zone.

So I pulled out a challenge I created in 2014 (The Push Your Boundaries) and revamped it. Because when looking back, I found that I read a much bigger variety in 2014 because of the challenge. This is a challenge specifically designed to encourage you to read widely and to step outside of your normal reading zone (though not to give up what you love--there's a column for your favorites too!)

So, I thought I'd share it with you guys in case any of y'all want to join in. The key to this challenge is that it is PERSONALIZED. Other challenges are pretty specific: Read 5 Classics or 10 Mysteries or whatever. This is a lot more flexible. You know which categories you need to venture out in.

Below you'll find my chart that I've filled out, but then I'm also including a download for a blank chart. This is a Word doc that you can download and either print to fill out by hand or use electronically. What I do is type in my categories on the computer, then I print it out and use that sheet to either X out boxes as I read books or I'll write the name of the book in the box under the genre. Do what works for you. 

In the doc, I've also included a list of possible categories to put in your columns. These are only suggestions. Feel free to add whatever you want or to make up your own categories.

If you decide you want to join in the challenge, leave a comment below! If you want to keep track of your reads online on a Pinterest board or something, feel free to leave a link to it. Here's my Pinterest board where I'll be keeping track.

Okay, ready to join in?

Here's my board.

Here are BLANK CHARTS FOR DOWNLOAD along with a list of category suggestions. Click links to download:

• Word doc (Note: If you have different fonts from me, this may format a little off in your Word. Adjust as needed. Or download the PDF.)
• PDF download

And if you just want to see the category suggestions. Here they are:

So who's with me? And if you're not doing this challenge, do you have any other reading challenges planned?

Tackling the TBR: How To Organize and Choose Books From Your Out of Control To-Be-Read Pile

I have a problem. I suspect it's one a lot of you reading this have as well. The epic TBR pile. I have had this problem for many years and it only seems to get worse with time. In most aspects of my life, I'm a minimalist. With books, I'm a gimme-gimme, more-more-more person. And now that I'm an author, not only do I have to deal with my own out of control book purchases. Now I get FREE books at conferences--lots of them. Lots of bright, shiny new books just brimming with stories. That kid inside me who used to think trips to the library were better than trips to the mall can't resist. Books, books, everywhere! And that's only the print books. The ebook one-clicking is out of control, too, because Awesome Looking Book + Sale = Roni having a twitch in her index finger. Click!

So what has that left me with? A TBR pile that stands at about 500 e-books and 300 print books. Yeah. It's a problem.

And I'm a visual person so if something is not in front of my face, I forget about it. That ebook that is 7 pages in on my Kindle? It may as well not exist. And even if I go scrolling through, then I've forgotten why I bought it. What's it's about again? And my Kindle doesn't make it all that quick to get the blurb. So that book gets passed by for the newest, freshest in my mind book. Meanwhile, great books languish in the pile. Same with print books. Once it's on a shelf, I kind of forget about it. 

So last weekend, I decided to do some research on how to tame the beastly TBR pile. The most obvious solution touted everywhere is "Get rid of most of your books since you probably won't get to them anyway." Yeah, let's not talk crazy now. I am all for doing a yearly culling of print books. There are libraries and Goodwills that happily take books. But the only ones I part with are the ones I've read that didn't make it onto my keeper shelves and ones that I've accepted I'll never read (maybe I got it free, maybe it was an impulse buy, maybe I read another of the author's and didn't love it.) But the ones I still have good reason to read, I keep those.

So the next obvious advice you see everywhere is "Stop buying new books." Uh, yeah. That's not going to happen either. First, I want to support the industry I'm in and the authors I love. Buying books helps the health of booklandia and helps insure that those authors I love keep writing and those series I adore continue on. Plus, books are my main indulgence. A girl has to impulse buy something, right? ; )

Which meant--I still didn't know how to handle this outrageous TBR pile. And the articles I read didn't really give me any tips that resonated with me. I did like the idea of the TBR jar, where you write all the titles down on slips of paper and put them in a jar then randomly pull one out. But I promise you, there's no way I'm sitting down and writing out 700 slips of paper. Not gonna happen. This is probably a solution for someone who has a TBR pile of say--30 books.

So where did that leave me? I wanted a way to randomize my choices. I have my books tracked in Goodreads, but that doesn't help me CHOOSE what to read. Which means, I inevitably choose the newest thing. I wish my e-reader or Goodreads had a "Surprise Me" or randomizing feature, but it doesn't. So I wanted to figure out a way that helped me randomize things but also left a little flexibility for choice/mood. 

Enter the concept of multi-level categories and a few office supplies. And if you know me, you know I love office supplies. : ) 

This is going to be personal to everyone because we all read different things. But here's what I decided to go with for my little random Pick-a-Book game. I made three levels of categories. 

1.  Genre or sub-genre
2.  Format
3. When I purchased the book. (Current year or Before current year)

I made color-coded index cards for each of the three categories and wrote one index card for each of the sub-categories. 

Pink cards (genre) : Erotic Romance, Contemporary Romance, Non-Fiction, Thriller, New Adult, General Fiction/Women's Fiction, Historical Romance, YA Contemporary, YA Paranormal/Horror, Suspense, Paranormal/Sci-Fi/Fantasy, LGBTQ, Horror

Orange cards (format): Ebook, Trade paperback, Mass market paperback, Hardcover

Purple cards (age): Old (pre-2015) and New (2015)

So now when it comes time to read my next book, I'm going to pick one card from each category. That gives me what I need to read next: New Suspense Ebook or whatever. And if you're crafty, I'm sure you can get decorative with this. I didn't need fancy just functional so mine is pretty bare bones.

But what about the organization?

You may be thinking--yeah, category cards are great but then I'll have to cull through all my books to find that. No. That's where the organization comes in. This takes a little work upfront but will make things loads easier once it's done. You'll need to organize your books by whatever your Top-Level Category is. Your top level is the one that is most important to you and ideally has the most subcategories. My top-level category is genre. So I needed to organize my books library-style by genre.

For print: I grouped together the genres, often giving them each their own shelf. This will make it easy to grab, say, a YA Contemporary if that's what I pick with my cards.

For ebook: Do the same thing on your e-device if yours has the ability to make folders or categories. I made a category/folder on my kindle for each of the genres I listed. Then, one night while watching TV, I went through all 500 of my books and sorted them into the correct folders. Yes, it took time. But no, it wasn't hard and it's a relatively passive activity while you're hanging out. Also, it helped categorize books whose genre I couldn't pinpoint based on cover alone (and God knows, I didn't remember the blurb.) Now, instead of everything organized by New and Shiny first, I have genre folders, which is nice and feeds my visual self. And if your e-reader or phone doesn't allow for categories, you can do this on one of the book sites like Goodreads or Booklikes. 

Now you're all set. And it's up to you whether you remove cards from rotation each time. Like if you want to give each genre a fair shake, you can put the suspense card aside once you've read a suspense book. Or you can even shuffle and pull 10 different combos in a row. Then you can make a list of the next ten books you're going to read. Whatever works for you.

What if my categories don't fit you?  For instance, what if you only read thrillers or only read ebooks? Then you can come up with different randomizing categories.

Some suggestions for alternative or additional categories:

• Year of publication
• Length (short story, novella, novel, doorstop)
• Alphabet as the random factor (then you have to choose a book or author that starts with whatever letter you pulled)
• Color (This works better for print but you could pull random colors and then have to find a cover that has that color.)

What if you don't want to go through the organizing but still want to randomize your choices? Here are a few "hacks":

• Choose a random page in your e-reader and select a book off that page or sort by author to rearrange the order and get new books on that first page.
• Find a Reading Challenge that gives you a list to tackle. For instance, the Push Your Boundaries challenge I created last year is an easy place to start.
• Sort your TBR pile by a random category like ISBN number in Goodreads. Just go to your list of to-read books, click settings, and it will let you sort by all kinds of things. Then you can select the book that comes up first. (This, of course, assumes that you've entered your TBR already into Goodreads. If you read ebooks from Amazon, it does sync with your account and you can load the books automatically, which is how I did mine. So this captures my ebook TBR more than print.)

One extra tip: Don't be a chronic finisher. If you have hundreds of books in your pile, don't waste your time with one that isn't working for you. I find that when I force myself to finish reading something I'm not feeling, it slows down ALL of my reading because I keep putting it down and won't let myself move on to something else. I try to give books 3 chapters or about 50 pages. I know that's more generous than some, but I've found books that have been slow starters that have turned out to be great. However, if I hit page fifty and am still not feeling excited about it, it goes into the donation pile. Life's too short and my TBR pile is too long.

So that's what I'm going to be using to see if I can be more systematic in my reading selections. I know there are some fantastic, amazing books languishing in my pile, and I'm hoping this will bring them back to the front of the line. I'll let you know how it goes.

How do you handle your TBR pile? Are you as overwhelmed as I am? Any tips to share? I'd love to hear from you! 

Ebook or Print: When Do You Buy One Over the Other?

Photo by welcometolearn via Flickr CCSo yesterday Agent Sara put the question out to Twitter about book buying habits, and I briefly butted in on her convo with Miranda Kenneally. Miranda had said she buys print because she loves to put books on her shelves but buys ebooks when impatient. And that got me to thinking what makes me buy one over the other for a particular book.

I'm a reading omnivore both in genre and method. I have a Kindle Fire and love it. I also have a wall of bookshelves in my office that are so packed with print books that I have books stacked on the floor and stuffed around other places in my house. So I don't necessarily favor one over the other.

But then why do I buy book A in print but book B in ebook? Here are some of my reasons. But I'm really curious to hear yours, so I'd love for y'all to let me know in the comments.

When I Buy Ebook:

• If it's a new to me author, I'll usually try them first in ebook IF the ebook is cheaper than the print.

This is an untested author. I don't have room on my shelves for books I'm not going to want to keep. Plus, I'm going to risk less money on an author I haven't tried before.

• If the book is probably something I'm only going to read once.

This is not saying anything bad about the book. There are just some that are a great ride but not ones I need to go back to necessarily.

• I'm a sucker for Daily Deal ebook sales, so I buy the crap out of those.

I'm a girl. I'm an obsessive reader. The ability to resist a sale, especially on books, is against my genetic makeup. Of course, I do this selectively. I only purchase ones I truly think I'll read or that come recommended.

• If a book is only available in hardback, and I don't want to wait for the paperback to come out.

I don't read hardbacks. It's not even about the price so much as the bulkiness. I don't have room and they're not as easy to tote around.

• If the book is only available in ebook, obviously that's the version I'm buying.

This happens a lot, particularly in my genre. There are so many fantastic digital first publishers out there, plus there's lots of great stuff available in the indie market these days.

When I Buy Print:

• If it's an auto-buy author, who I already love. I'm buying the print, often pre-ordering so that it arrives the day it release.

This is a good risk. They've proven that I like their writing. And for books I love, I want a print copy so I can go back to and read again or reference. This is especially true if it's in my own genre because I like to "study" what other authors do well and why that story worked.

• If the cover is gorgeous.

So I can pet it and stare. Duh.

• If it's a series I plan to stick with.

I've even been known to buy an ebook version, fall in love and then buy the print as well so that I can start buying the series to keep on my shelf.

• If it's non-fiction.

Unless it's a memoir or something, I want to be able to use it as a reference, to be able to flip forward and back with ease, etc. All of my writing craft books are bought in print.

• If the book is LOOOONG, I'm torn.

For some reason, I like seeing progress in a long book that isn't just a percentage on my e-reader. I remember reading Diana Gabaldon's Outlander on my old Kindle and I loved the book, but I remember it feeling longer because of reading on the device. I felt like I was running and not getting anywhere. BUT I've heard the newest e-readers give you more info about time wise how much longer you have, that'd be nice. On the flipside, buying a giant book in print is a pain in the ass because you have to carry this brick around and if it's paperback, it's harder to hold open when it's so thick. 

As for the reading experience...

I love a paper book--the feel of it and such. However, more and more I find myself attracted the convenience of e-reading, especially now that I have an I-phone and can pick up where I left off in a book when I find myself stuck somewhere out and about with nothing to do. So honestly, in my ideal world, there'd be a set up to where you could buy the print and add on the ebook for a dollar or something so that I can read it in print at home but have access to it if I'm on the go or traveling somewhere. Maybe one day that will happen...

But in the meantime, those are some of my convoluted reasons for purchasing one or the other. But regardless of why or when, one thing is for sure. Since I've bought an e-reader, I buy more books overall. I basically haven't changed my print buying at all--I always purchased a lot, but I've added in the ebook buying. So it's probably twice as many books as I used to buy. :)

Now it's your turn: Tell me why you buy an ebook or a print book for a particular story. What makes you pick one over the other? Are there situations where you prefer one format but other times where you prefer the opposite? I want to know! :) 

13 Steps to Creating an Author Website Readers Will Love

Last week I posed the question--what do readers want from an author website? Thanks so much to those of you who chimed in! :)

So after reading your responses, I decided to update an older post I did on Fiction Groupie on this topic and add in the new information. 

Photo by NNECAPA Photo Library (cc)

13 Steps to Creating an Author Website Readers Will Love

1. Make sure a drunk monkey could navigate it.

Please, please, please make it easy for me to find whatever I'm looking for. I don't want to have to dig. I will move on.

2. Have a clean and quiet design.

Make the design eye-catching but clean. No black background with white text please (okay in the title just not in heavy text areas) because it's super hard on the eyes. And DO NOT HAVE MUSIC that auto-plays. 

3. Make it easy to read about and buy your books.

I'm amazed at how many author websites bury the info about their books like they're some sort of prize at the bottom of the cereal box. I want to be able to see the following:

a) Available Now - The books you have out now with blurbs AND covers

b) Coming Soon - The books that are upcoming and their blurbs and covers once available

c) Buy buttons where I can choose which store I want to purchase from.

4. Label your series and provide an organized view of your backlist titles.

 If you write series, LABEL them and put the books in order so that I know which comes first. It's sometimes hard to tell on bookstore sites what the order of a series is. Please help your readers with this. And even if you don't write series, have your backlist listed in date of publication order. If you have a lot of books, provide a printable/downloadable list.

5. A photo of you. Not your avatar or cat. You!

Get over your I-hate-all-pictures-of-myself thing. EVERYONE except maybe those kids on Jersey Shore hates pictures of themselves. It's normal. But I as a nosy reader want to put a face with the author name. And I don't care if you don't look like a supermodel. But believe me, if you have no pic, I will imagine you as a wart-covered troll. Just sayin' Also, a bio that rocks is a necessity. (Tips on that here.)

6. Provide links to all the ways I can stalk you.

Have links on your contact page with your twitter, facebook, goodreads, google +, email, etc. links. Recently, I've discovered a few authors have Tumblrs but I stumbled on that fact, it's not listed on their website. Don't make people track down their preferred way of connecting with you.

7. Don't have your blog be a replacement for your website.

This doesn't bother me personally, but readers mentioned it in the Dear Author post. Readers wanted a dedicated website, not just a blog to find information. Though I suspect if you use the pages feature in blogspot or wordpress where you have tabs, most readers would be okay with that. They just don't want to have to dig through blog posts to find information.

7. If you blog, don't phone it in.

If you hate blogging, we'll be able to tell. So if you are going to do it. Really do it. And for the love of all things good and holy, please attempt to make it interesting. And it's not about YOU, it's for the reader. I'm going to quote from a fabulous post over at Author Tech Tips: "Yes, yes, you’re a big famous author. But people still don’t care about you. They care about themselves. Think that is selfish? Take the plank out of your own eye before you can point the finger. If you offer something of value, your readers will want to come back. Photos of your kids will not bring them back." 

If you hate blogging, just have a news page (see tip 10) or do a less time intensive blog like Tumblr and feed it into your website. (See: Blogging solution for those who a hate to blog.)

8. Be addictive.

Give your readers a reason to want to come back. Do you offer something they can only get on your site? Contests? Super secret snippets from your current project? Deleted scenes?  Pictures of your characters? Playlists for your books? Think of takeaways that would excite a reader.

9. A website is not like a cactus--you can't water it every six months and assume it's going to thrive.

Going to an author site who has an update from months ago is like getting served stale chips at a Mexican restaurant. It makes your image feel stale. Like, wow, nothing exciting is happening with his books right now. Even if you don't blog, make sure that your release dates and such are up to date. Don't say coming soon and the book release date has already passed.

10. Be newsworthy

Have a News & Events page so that readers can quickly access what's going on (and not have to sift through blog posts). Are you going to speaking somewhere or did you win an award? Did you just find out you're going to be able to write a book about so and so character? Put that in your news section. It's a good addition or even alternative to having an active blog. Just make sure you keep it fresh.

11. Pimp Out Others

On Author Tech Tips, they quoted a survey that said a third of readers like to see what books your recommend when they visit your website. I think one way to do it is having other authors stop by your blog and do interviews and contests. You can also put a Goodreads widget somewhere on your site (like mine over there on the right) that shows what you're reading right now. That's a form of recommendation.

12. Be likable

Please do not use your site for rants or whining. It should be a positive, happy place for people to be--even if you write about serial killers. You want people to leave your site thinking that they could enjoy being friends with you.

13. Interact with your readers

Everyone is pressed for time and if you're Ms. Super Duper Hugely Famous author maybe you have an excuse, but try to respond to your readers. If they send you an email, try to respond. If they leave a comment on your blog, comment back. (I've not been perfect on this, but I'm working on it.) Show readers that you do appreciate them and are listening.

Alright, so those are my tips. What are some of the things that you like to see on an author website? What are some author sites you visit regularly--why? What did I forget on this list?

Author Websites: What Do Readers Want?

Photo by goXunuReviews

I referenced this post on Dear Author about author websites on Fiction Groupie yesterday when I talked about Can You Know Too Much About an Author, but I want to touch on a separate issue today:

What do readers most want from an author website?

In the comments section of that Dear Author post, hardly anyone talked about blogs (except to say they don't like the blog to BE there in place of a website). Most of the things people focused on were pretty straightforward:

• Have a clean, user friendly design (No flash, autoplay music, etc.)
• Make your books easy to find and buy.
• Make series lists and backlist titles available and clear so that people know the order of your books.
• Keep things updated.
• Provide a Current Release and a Coming Soon page.
• Have an FAQ and Contact page.
• Excerpts.

Basically people want to be able to find information easily and quickly. Period. If they have to hunt for your book information, you've lost them.

One of the commenters, KKJ, offered this list of those she thinks have good websites:

The good:
- http://www.philippagregory.com/ 
- http://julialondon.com/ 
- http://tessadare.com/ – book trailers!
- http://macleanspace.com/ 
- http://mayabanks.com/
- http://www.elizabethhoyt.com/

 These are good examples and I recommend checking them out. (And interestingly, many of these don't have blogs at all, but simply a news page.) But this left me wondering, beyond these basics, what makes an author website stand out? What do readers want to see when they go to an author website?

So I'm asking you guys...what kinds of things do you want on your favorite author's website?

Do you want a newsletter option? 

Do you prefer to have a news page separate from a blog?

Do you want "extras"?

If so, what kind of extras do you like--playlists, cut scenes, stories about how the stories came to be, interesting research tidbits, downloadable bookmarks, videos, live chats?

What would make you come back beyond just looking up the next release?

And I'm sure there are more questions I'm forgetting, but I really want to hear from y'all. So I'd love for everyone to let me know in the comments what your thoughts are on all these things.

What Makes the Chronic Finisher Stop Reading

Photo by Rennett Stowe

So up until about a year ago, I had this problem when I started reading a book. Once I peeled back the cover of one, I was compelled to finish it. No matter if I was fully enjoying the book or not. It felt like starting a book was like signing some contract. I bought this book. I've chosen to read it. And now I must read it all. I was the Chronic Finisher.

But then a lot changed in my life. I got a book deal and started writing on deadline. My then angelic two year old turned into an intense three year old. And my reading time shrunk to this minuscule sliver of time. So I found myself putting down books that didn't capture my interest. And then I wouldn't get any reading done because I felt like if I was going to read, I needed to finish whatever book I had started. But I wasn't into that book so didn't pick it up at all.

Well, finally, I came to the conclusion that I had to put the Chronic Finisher in rehab. I was missing out on good books by forcing myself to read ones I didn't love. My reading time is too short and my TBR pile too big to be doing that. So lately, I've been giving myself permission to give up on a book if it hasn't grabbed me by page 50 or so. (I know many of you are less forgiving than that, but three chapters or 50 pages feels about right for me. I give it a shot in case it's a slow starter.)

And each time I put down a book in the DNF (did not finish) pile, the writer in me wants to evaluate WHY I didn't feel compelled to finish it. What was bad enough to defeat the chronic finisher? Here's what I've discovered.

What Makes Even the Chronic Finisher Put Down a Book:

1. Didn't connect with the characters

If I can't relate to the hero or heroine at all or if I don't like them, I find it next to impossible to get into the book. I must be emotionally connected by chapter 3 at the very latest.

2. There was no chemistry or not enough build-up between the hero and heroine in a romance.

Obviously, I write sexy romance and enjoy reading it. But nothing will bore me quicker than throwing two people together when there hasn't been any tension or chemistry set up beforehand. This doesn't mean you can't have the characters get together quickly, but the author better have done a fabulous job building up that tension. (Liberating Lacey by Anne Calhoun comes to mind for a great example of how to do this right. The characters have a love scene very quickly, but the setup and chemistry are FABulous so it feels like the right time.)

3. This feels familiar...

Tired plots and clichés. Lately, this has happened most in the YA paranormal genre for me. If a book is going to have a girl meeting dangerous, mysterious new guy--there better be a helluva twist to make it different from all the other stories out there like that. (Good example of how to twist a popular trend: Richelle Mead's Vampire Academy.)

4. The BIG secret is the only sense of tension in the book.

I am fine with a secret in a plot. That can be great. (And by secret, I don't mean twist we don't see coming. That's something different. I mean we, the readers, know there is a secret.) But what I will not put up with for long is a book that drags out revealing what the BIG secret is to the reader for no apparent reason but to pull you along. This is when characters keep almost revealing what the big, bad thing is, but then someone walks into the room and interrupts them. Gah! I'm much more a fan of where the reader may know the character's secret early on, but the hero or heroine is keeping it from another character for good reason.

5. *Yawn* Boring....

This one is obvious I'm sure, but I need a book to hook and excite me. If I'm at page fifty and I don't give a crap what happens, then you've bored me. You should have me by chapter one. If the book goes on and on with description and setting up characters and not giving me any true action or conflict, I'm bored. Maybe that's a result of our fast-moving culture, but it is what it is. A book is entertainment, so entertain me. Dance, monkey, dance. :)

All right, so those are my top five reasons for putting down a book. What are some of yours? How long do you give a book to hook you? Are you a chronic finisher?

Seven Things That Make a Book 5-Star Worthy

Credit: NASA

Like many authors, I have chosen not to post negative book reviews. I believe every reader has a right to an opinion (including me), but I also know that writerland is small and it's not worth burning a bridge or creating awkwardness just because I may have not liked someone's book. 

However, if I enjoy a book, I will post or tweet about it and give it a rating on Goodreads and/or Amazon. And sometimes the hardest part about doing that is deciding between a 4 and 5 star review--or finding the difference between "really liked it" and "it was amazing". I noticed that I rarely give 5 stars to anything because apparently I have a really high bar set for that, even though pinpointing where the bar was set wasn't so clear.

Then I read an advanced copy of Tiffany Reisz's The Siren this past week and immediately knew I would give it five stars (and no, not because Tiffany is my agency mate.) Why? Well, I realized I DO have certain criteria that launch a book to a five-star rating. Here's what I came up with...

A Five-Star Book...

1. Is a story I cannot put down.

This means I will forgo things that I love to do just to keep reading. I was on my anniversary trip in New Orleans this past week. I should've been walking around the French Quarter and eating beignets, but instead I had to take a midday break just to get in a few more chapters of The Siren. (Hubs didn't seem to mind since this gave him the chance to check in on the golf tournament.)

2. Has characters I will remember long after I finish the book.

Terrific exciting plots are great. Love that. But without richly developed characters that I can connect to, a story will fall flat. I want to finish a book and feel like I've just read about real people that exist somewhere in some alternate universe. 

3. Requires a period of reflection (or a grieving period) after I'm done.

This means that I cannot immediately jump into another book the next day. I need time to absorb, reflect, and appreciate what I've just read. If I pick up another book too soon, the book automatically pales in comparison--not because it's not a good or even great book, but because I'm not ready for a new relationship yet.

4. Makes me want to buy the author's next book or backlist RIGHT NOW even if I have a TBR pile that is threatening to bury me.

A five-star book makes me forgo all plans to read whatever I planned on next. I need more from the author and I need it now.

5. Is one that I must have a hardcopy of.

I love ebooks. I was a pretty early adopter with the Kindle and buy ebooks regularly. However, when a book turns out to be a 5-star-er, I want to have a hardcopy I can keep, flip through, and see on my shelves. 

6. Compels me to tell everyone I know about it.

Ah, that lovely word of mouth all authors want. These books are the ones that start that forest fire. You want to tell anyone you meet about this great book you just read. You turn into a book pimp.

7. Is re-readable

I'm not a big re-reader. I think this has something to do with my pantsing mentality--once I know a story, I don't want to read it again. But there are a rare few that even if I don't sit down and reread the entire thing, I will go back to favorite scenes and chapters and read them again. Some of this is because, as an author, I like to analyze what made the scene so compelling. But often, as a reader, this is just for my pure enjoyment.

Now, having said this, I don't want anyone to think a 4-star rating doesn't have some of these qualities. After all, 4-stars means "really liked it."  But I think when a book has all of these, it launches it into the rare air of the 5-star rating. And all I can say is I sure hope I've written some books that will end up on people's 5-star radar one day. :)

Oh, and if you want to find me on Goodreads and see what I've rated, here I am.

So what criteria do you use to separate the "really liked it" from "it was amazing"? Do you find you're very selective about the high ratings or give most books you enjoyed a five? Am I the only one who has a book grieving period or who buys a hardcopy even if I have the ebook?

What Do READERS Want From an Author Blog?

Photo by Terence S. Jones (creative commons) - Click pic for link
 Writers know they are supposed to have a social media presence. Writers know that ideally they should blog so they can connect with people (and eventually their readers). But there seems to be a big mysterious question floating out there in the writer blogiverse: what exactly do readers WANT when they go to an author's blog?

Yes, connection. I get that. That's what we're all looking for. But how exactly do they want to connect? Most of us have figured out how to blog for other writers. This isn't something that should be underestimated because the enriching experience of meeting other writers and finding people who become great friends is priceless. However, connecting with other writers and connecting with readers are not the same thing.

Yes, I know, writers are also readers. That's obviously true. But here's the thing--one we have a book out there, we don't want to be excluding non-writing readers by constantly jabbering about writing and publishing. Sure, some of that may be interested to a reader in doses, but not all the time.

So okay--channeling Kristen Lamb a bit here--we know blogging about writing indefinitely isn't really a practical long-term career goal (unless of course you're writing books about writing.) So once you've got your blog footing, have built your writer support group, how to you expand upon that to put up the "welcome" sign for readers?

Jody Hedlund has covered this topic before on her blog as well because, like me, she also has a blog about writing. Her conclusion was that most (non-writing) fiction readers aren't reading author blogs. From her observation, most readers go to author websites just to get info about the author's books. And frankly, that applies to me as well. I don't read my fave authors blogs regularly because most of the time it's just book updates and such. Not something worth reading daily/weekly.

But does this mean readers wouldn't be interested in an author's blog if it were um, interesting and engaging? Obviously people like Neil Gaiman, Meg Cabot, and Jennifer Cruisie have figured it out (of course, they've also written wildly successful books that attracted a lot of readers FIRST). But really, there aren't a lot of stand outs that I can think of off the top of my head.

So what's an author to do?

Kristen Lamb would suggest not doing a writing-only blog, to find other interests that you like to write about. In her workshop I went to she gave examples like an author who focuses on wine and books on her blog, so she's tapped into the wine people (and who may become people who want to buy her fiction.) And the lovely Tiffany A. White has a fabulous blog called the Ooo Factor where she reviews TV shows and keeps us up to date on what's new in TV world. 

But here's the thing--those examples are still niche-oriented. Just like a writing blog is. Niches are what work if you want to build a blog audience. People know what to expect from you and go there because they are interested in whatever that niche is. That's why I was able to build Fiction Groupie (my writing blog) to almost 1k followers before I even had an agent or book deal.

Niches WORK. But they also alienate those not in the niche. For instance, I'm not going to go to a wine blog because I'm not that interested in wine. I go to Tiffany's because I love TV and she does the work for me so I know which shows I should check out or not. But if someone else isn't a big TV person, they'll probably not stop by and visit her.

So where does this leave an author strategy wise? Build a niche blog so you can get a big following relatively quickly, but then be restricted by that niche when you do get a book published? Or be too random trying to appeal to everyone and have your blog will float off into the unread ether?

I have given this A LOT of thought, probably way too much. But here's the conclusion I've come to: Blogging for the unpublished author and blogging for the published author are DIFFERENT things.

Before you have a book out there, your main goal is to build a network and presence online and to meet other people like you. This is where a good solid niche blog comes in. You don't have to be so restrictive that you only talk about writing or whatever, but make sure people know what kind of content they are going to get when they go to your blog. 

However, once you are published, you have to realize that people who read your books or hear about your books from someone are going to get online and look you up.

And readers are looking for certain things from an author blog (as May talks about here at Smexy Books and Author Tech Tips talks about here.)

1. Easy to find book info including buttons to buy, the blurb, its placement in the series, if applicable.

2. Excerpts and teasers. 

3. News - Where you're going to be, what books are coming soon, etc.

4. Book recommendations from the author

5. To get to know the author and "see behind the curtain" but that does not mean boring posts about what you ate for lunch yesterday.

So here's what smacked me over the head when reasearching for this post--readers are a niche. Their niche is BOOKS. They come to you to learn more about the books they love and to get to know you a little bit.

Therefore, I think the published author's challenge is to write engaging post that show off you and your voice and entice the reader to come back. You don't necessarily need a big blog theme like you did pre-publication. The theme is YOU and your books. (As my friend Steena Holmes suggested on Twitter the other night, it's a shift from blogger/author to author/blogger.)

So all of us need to write posts that:

1. Are fun and entertaining.

2. Show off your voice.

3. Offer readers some insight into your personality.

4. Engage the reader in conversation.

5. Relate to your "brand." --KNOW what would appeal to your readers.--You write funny? Probably should have humor in your posts. I write romance so things like Boyfriend of the Week relate back to who I am as a writer.

And don't forget about why readers came to you in the first place--books! Don't be afraid to talk about what you're reading or what books you love or what books you can't wait for. My author friend Suzanne Johnson does a fabulous job on her blog Preternatura connecting with readers over books in her genre.

So all of this still makes my head hurt because I maintain two blogs and don't plan on getting rid of my writing blog anytime soon because I heart my writing community peeps (and I can't merge the two without losing all my blogger followers so that's not an option either). But I also don't want to have my book come out in January and not have a reader-friendly blog for people to come to if they want to stop by. It's a lot to figure out.

Alright, I know this was a LONG post. But I'm curious to hear what you think of this whole reader/writer blogging thing? Take off your writer hat for a moment and tell me, as a reader, what do you want on an author's blog? How do you feel about niche blogs?