What do I read? That was one of the first questions I was asked when I pitched my first book. That worked out really well, because my new favorite author was represented by this particular agent.
However, this is not the reason I read. Mostly I read to escape. Maybe that’s why I read across genres. Currently, besides Andre Norton (my all time favorite), I read Tess Gerritson, Robert Dugoni, Roxanne Snopek, Susan Clayton-Goldner and Neil deGrasse Tyson. I also use the books of Angela Ackerman and Becca Puglisi. This might sound like a strange combination, but it is working very well for me. The fiction books are character driven. The non-fiction are research information and a source of interest.
Another reason to read is that it helps me understand what others are looking for. I write Soft Science Fiction with elements of Romance. Listening to the characters others create helps me create and understand my own better. It also helps me build my worlds.
So, reading and sharing helps me build the worlds my characters live and travel through, as well as giving me direction to escape my somewhat boring life. I love that there are multiple ways to use my love of reading.
Sometime in the not too distant future, I hope that you will be able to use my writing to escape your world and your problems. When that happens, together, we will benefit from the worlds and lives of the characters who draw us in and let us escape.
I will continue to read and enjoy the books of others as I write my own.
Keep the coffee flowing.
Respectfully submitted,
Jodi