I Couldn't Put The Book Down

Good Afternoon everyone,

Most people have at least one. You know, that book that you've read, loved, fantasized over the possibilities of what happened to the characters after "The End". Books that inspire, touch our hearts, leave us wanting more. Or even books that leave us perfectly satisfied after the last page.

For me, there's several on my list that fit several of those descriptions.

I've read Jane Austen's Pride & Prejudice at least 3 times. Mr. Darcy...awesome, awesome. And I do like the BBC's miniseries that did a good job of portraying the book.

I read Maureen Daly's Seventeenth Summer over and over again as a teenager (well at least twice, but I wouldn't be surprised if it was more than twice LOL).

I've devoured Lurlene McDaniel's books, particularly Don't Die My Love, reading and re-reading them over and over; particularly A Rose For Melinda.

I've read Georgette Heyer's The Grand Sophy at least twice, if not more, as well as Friday's Child more than once. (Still love both books). Also, Sylvester Or The Wicked Uncle at least twice. (Just laughed reading The Grand Sophy, Sophy was a funny character). Or, of course, These Old Shades (also excellent).

I've read Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Saga twice all the way through (especially in preparation for The Twilight Saga: New Moon movie coming out in November). I thought the series was fun, and one of those that has the power to pull the reader into the story.

Of course, there's the books that we read once, but we love every single of them so much, that when another comes out in the series we have to rush out and buy them.

For me this includes Laura Childs' Tea Shop Mysteries. I simply have to know what's going to happen with Theodosia and I own every one of the Mysteries up to the most recent published one (Oolong Dead).

Or there's ones that you enjoy because the characters grab your attention and the dialogue is witty. Kerrelyn Sparks' Love At Stake makes me laugh out loud.

Ciara Gold got me to decide that I could read a Sci-Fi novel when I picked up Celestial Dragon. (I liked the elements of futuristic being weaved with more historical type significance).

Or take me on a ride through different possibilities in Historical England when I read Kim Lenox's Night Falls Darkly. (I found her work quite imaginative).

Of course, there's Nicholas Sparks' A Walk To Remember, that I just can't get over. I've read several of his novels and so far that one is my favorite. I even own the movie starring Mandy Moore and Shane West.

There are just some books out there that grab you and hang on. There's ones that I sit there and think "That was just a gentle read. Just a nice story with a nice ending." Richard Paul Evans' Christmas Box series and several of his other novels have done that for me. He writes gently--everything is just heartstrings and pure human emotion.

There's several other books I could mention, but that would make this post super long and I don't want to bore anyone LOL.

But I can only hope that one day--if I'm so blessed as to be published (and even before being published) people will say that about my novels, "I couldn't put it down!" things like "I loved it." Or even "So and so character cracked me up." Or, "I want more, what happens now???" I have some people saying that when I let them read (or read aloud) any of my manuscripts to tell me what they think...and every time it makes me smile...I feel like I'm glowing. It's high praise and I'm extremely delighted every time someone says "I really liked thus and so character" or "That part where thus and so thing happened was great." Or "This scene was fabulous." Of course, constructive criticism in order for me to improve is always a good thing, but I do like those nice compliments, too. I wouldn't mind having a novel out that people couldn't put down. I'd consider it a great gift.

So tell me, what are the books you read that either you read over and over again or you just love so much you can't help but gush over the story, characters, et cetera? What about your own writing? Whether published or unpublished has someone said they just loved your work?

Have A Marvelous Monday!

It's Worth A Fortune

Happy Tuesday Everyone, Does anyone remember the song If I Had A Million Dollars by Barenaked Ladies ? I can't remember when or how I was first introduced to this song, but it's a fun song. So, how about if you had a million dollars? What would you do with it? Of course there's the responsible things to do with a million dollars--pay off debts, and such like that. Then there's the question of whether or not you give to charities, and how much. But, suppose you answered all those questions and you still had quite a lot left; what would you do with it? Maybe I'd go to Disney World. I've wanted to go, and I've never been able to. Or, perhaps I'd go to Germany and England, and Belgium (three of the countries my ancestors are from). Travel around seeing family and friends I don't see often. There's all kinds of possibilities. So, what about you? What would you do with a million dollars? Have A Tremendous Tuesday!

Spotlight On Author: Loretta Wheeler

Happy Tuesday Everyone, There's a gem of an author I've had the privilege of coming across...I'm talking about my friend, Loretta Wheeler. She's a sweetheart and very talented author. I enjoyed her YA Paranormal novella, The Pan Man immensely. And, she also writes Romance. So without further ado, come into my parlor and meet Loretta Wheeler: Me: In your YA novelette, The Pan Man , you mention Pan's looking for his long lost soul mate. What made you choose Pan out of all the Greek/Roman gods and goddesses? Loretta: I chose the Greek god Pan, because of the connection with the music. I found later on in the story, (my stories take over and write themselves usually) it applied even more than I realized because of the band's name. I won't mention the name of the band in here, because it's part of the surprise ending. Me: You're mostly known for your Romance stories. How would you describe your writing style? Hot, suspenseful, sensual, sw...

Myths About Writers

Afternoon Folks, I thought we'd do a post to dispel some of the myths people seem to have about writers. I'll put the ones that first come to mind then y'all can chime in. Myth: Writing is a great way to make a lot of money. I'm not sure exactly how this one matriculated. Probably in the wake of some of the big best sellers (i.e. Stephen King, Anne Rice, Stephenie Meyer, JK Rowling, and the like) but most of the time writers put in more money for their writing than they do get out of it. Generally a writer doesn't make a ton of money unless somehow his/her book is a blockbuster hit and blasts through what the author owes in the advance (which is paid back to publishers through royalties). Most writers I've met and talked to are not millionaires. I'm not saying it can't happen, I'm saying it's not one of those things that's automatic. Myth: Writing Is Easy Anybody Can Do It. Okay, granted this isn't entirely a myth, but it's not ent...

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