Into the Fire

3 responses to “Those authors . . .”

1. 

   Brenda S. Anderson

   December 14, 2018

   Good questions!
   Q1 – What makes me love an author
   A) Intelligence is high on my list:
   Does the heroine rush into a dangerous situation instead of calling the authorities? And ignoring the advice of everyone around her? Annoys the heck out of me! The action isn’t brave, it’s plain stupid! And it happens all. the. time. in Christian fiction.
   Does the hero (often a cop or soldier) start thinking about how attractive the heroine is while they’re rescuing the heroine? Sorry, but I don’t want that person trying to save me! I want their mind on the rescue!
   Does the storyline challenge me? Does it make me think? Does the prose sound juvenile? Do the H/H consistently do stupid things? (In a book I read recently, I remember cheering when the heroine was captured toward the end because she kept making stupid choices. She deserved getting caught!)
   B) Author writes well-rounded characters which means they’re not the perfect Christian.
   C) Author tells a compelling story. I don’t need a jackrabbit start, but I do need a reason to keep turning the pages. I need the H/H to have goals they’re attempting to reach and I need to see changes along the way. The story can’t be static.
   Q2 – What inspires me to try a “new” author?
   A) Word of mouth.
   For example, C.C. Warrens is an author I kept hearing about recently, so I had to give her books a try.
   B) Writes stories dealing with current-day issues
   C) The back cover copy intrigues me
   D) The cover captures my attention
   What about you, Nicole?

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2. 

   Debra

   December 14, 2018

   I love an author who consistently
   – writes stories that make me want to keep reading. They are interesting, often imaginative.
   – has a good main character
   – has an amazing way with words. You and Sibella Giorello come to mind. Sometimes authors are “trying too hard” and it comes across rather silly.
   – doesn’t do explicit sex scenes or profanity. You great authors know how to portray people using profanity without actually putting those words in the dialogue.
   – doesn’t over-use dialogue. I guess that kind of goes with the good story in my first point.
   I try a new author based on recommendation – these days only yours!
   I used to also try a new author if the cover caught my attention. Then I would proceed to the back cover. I was quite disappointed when back covers started to give away the whole plot and I had to quit reading them. When I got my e-reader several years ago, I stopped browsing the books at Sams Club. That was the only place I bought books.

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3. 

   Nicole Petrino-Salter

   December 14, 2018

   Bren and Deb, these are compelling and legitimate answers. Great answers as a matter of fact.
   Okay, for me, here goes:
   Question 1 – I love an author who makes me fall headlong in love with the hero and/or heroine. I have to be engaged with them in order to enjoy the story. I can definitely tolerate mistakes in either/both but not arrogance, stupidity, and/or too much “fragility” in the female and too much undue/illogical emotionalism in the male. I like emotional men but not feminine emotion in men. I mean, c’mon. Nothing spells “male character written by a woman” like a man who’s worrying about female stuff. Nope.
   And I’m with Bren: tough heroes focusing on their attractions during a rescue/extraction? Get real.
   I love an author who writes well – and that’s totally subjective. I know it when I read it. And I love it. And they can be all over the map – it’s just something that touches my writing soul when I read it.
   Yes, Deb, explicit sex scenes. Just why? Adults know all about explicit sex. Why oh why does it have to be written in graphics? It detracts not enhances. Are there prurient interests in who does what to whom? I. Don’t. Get. It.
   Question 2 – I will read the back cover copy until it starts to reveal too much. And, yes, the cover will attract my interest, but something in the copy has to intrigue me. And anything described as “sexy” will definitely not pass the test. That translates to graphic descriptions. No thanks. Ruins some otherwise good stories.
   Some recommendations from those (like you two) who pretty much know what/who I like. Sometimes I’ll listen to suggestions but know from how the books are described that I probably won’t try them. It’s kind of an intangible element that’ll lead me to a new author and really only after I’ve exhausted reading the authors I know will I venture out to find a new one which I’ve done more in the last year just to see if the secular market had anything worthwhile – there’s some good writing but usually lots of graphic sex and language to ruin it.
   Hope that answers those two questions. If not, ask me something specific, and I’ll try to answer.

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