With great pleasure, I welcome PatriciaStoltey to my blog. We've all met bloggers who we identify with from the very first post you read. Patricia was like that for me. You'll notice when reading her blog that she is one of the most supportive bloggers of her fellow writers of anyone you'll meet. She covers a variety of topics on her blogs and has very interesting posts from her guests. I'm thrilled to have her here and believe you will feel the same when you meet her. Here's Patricia:
I love to read, and I’m a creature with a lot
of interests, so I read all kinds of fiction and non-fiction. I even sample
books starring vampires, zombies, and werewolves, though most of those give me
nightmares so I don’t indulge too often. I hop from cozy mysteries to women’s
fiction, on to thrillers and back to noir mystery, then jump to a lovely
romance (like Wedding in Provence by Ellen Sussman) before
grabbing something by Anne Lamott (I’m anxious to read Small
Victories: Spotting Improbable Moments of Grace) or a
bit of World War II history (recently finished We Band of Angels: The Untold Story of
the American Women Trapped on Bataan by Elizabeth M. Norman).
I was over
fifty before I finally bought and read the entire Lord of the Rings collection.
I loved them, of course, but still was reluctant to spend a lot of time with
new fantasy authors trying to understand the complex plots lines and world
building process, both very important to understanding the genre.
One popular
fantasy writer, Carol Berg, lives in my town in Northern Colorado, so when I
had a chance to chat with her recently about her many novels, I discovered she
had a standalone called Song of the Beast, written some time
ago but recently reprinted.
Hmmm. A standalone.
And not a really long one, either. I can manage that, I thought.
And when I
found out Song of the Beast had won a Colorado Book Award, I bought a
copy from Carol on the spot.
You’ve
probably guessed by now that Song of the Beast opened my eyes to
the wonders of amazing fantasy novels from contemporary authors. It’s
beautifully written. I fell in love with the characters. And I’ve discovered
dragons. Oh, my. What magnificent creatures exist in this novel, and they are
able to communicate with our main character in mysterious ways.
Is it any
wonder I then scanned Susan’s list of titles to see if she had one that
included dragons? Or that the novel, First Dragon, jumped right onto my
Kindle with hardly a moment’s hesitation?
It’s true.
That little
story leads me to the real point of this blog post. As readers and/or writers,
we limit our world and our experience when we restrict ourselves to one or two
favorite genres. I believe it’s important to read in the genre we write, but I
think it’s equally important to read in the genres we’ll never write. There are
secrets to be learned there.
And for
non-writers, becoming an eclectic reader is educating oneself in the most
delightful way.
~~~~~~~~~
Patricia
Stoltey is the author of two amateur sleuth mysteries (The Prairie Grass Murders
and The
Desert Hedge Murders) plus her new release, a standalone suspense novel
about a woman on the run (Dead Wrong). She lives in Northern
Colorado with her husband and the extremely demanding Katie Cat.
A Goodreads
giveaway for U.S. residents for signed hardcover copies of Dead Wrong is scheduled
to end January 18th. )https://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/show/120958-dead-wrong)
You can learn
more about Patricia at her website (http://patriciastoltey.com).
Visit her blog (http://patriciastoltey.blogspot.com)
to check out her frequent guests, including Susan who will be there on February
26th. Patricia can also be found on Facebook, Twitter, Goodreads,
and Google+.
Do you know Patricia? Are you an eclectic reader like she is? Did you enter her Goodreads giveaway? Are there genres you recently discovered that you found you like?
35 comments:
Nice to meet you Patricia!
I also regard myself as an eclectic reader... of both fiction and non-fiction.
I've learned that, to grow as a writer, one should be open-minded, and at least TRY to read across genres. As a result, I've extended my reading to include other genres, and to date, the only genre I haven't read YET, is steampunk... oh, and high fantasy. But I intend to rectify that. Soon.
Hi Susan! *waving*
Glad you finally got into fantasy! One of my favorite genres. And thanks to my blogger buddies, I've really many genres I never thought I would enjoy.
There are may great genres out there, just have to be willing to give them a go. Fantasy and Sci Fi are sure favorites indeed
I definitely have preferred genres but I'm always open - if it sounds like a good story, I'm in. :)
Susan, thank you so much for the kind words. As readers who love great stories, it only makes sense that we should also love the authors. Featuring them, especially debut authors, on my blog is my way of celebrating their hard work and creativity.
Nice to meet you too, Michelle. I was introduced to steampunk when I helped judge entries for the Rocky Mountain Fiction Writers Colorado Gold Contest. I had to study up on the genre before I could do my job, but found the ideas intriguing. I'll be reading more there as well.
I get a lot of help there, too, Alex. I've found some wonderful YA novels through the bloggers I've met during the A to Z Challenge.
Hi Pat....I will admit to favoring crime fiction, but just lately I developed an interest in short stories, so now I'm cruising through a bunch of anthologies. There's always something new to explore.
Hi Madeline -- you should see the mix of genres I have strewn across my coffee table right now. There's something for every mood. :D
I so enjoy reading the posts on your site. The authors all seem to have something interesting or educational to share.
Hi Patricia. I didn't expect to run into you over here.
When people ask my what I like to read, I answer, "books". I'm not trying to be funny, I really do love all different kinds of books. I agree with you, it would be a loss to limit ourselves to one or two genres when there are so many great stories out there.
Hi, Patricia! I completely agree. In fact, it was about two years ago I decided I'd read anything, and have I ever! Come to find out I'm not the hugest fan of Contemporary or Sci-Fi, but even then I've found titles that I thoroughly enjoyed. It really comes down to the author and their style. (And dragons, who can NOT love dragons?!?)
Sure, Patricia is one of those I discovered early in my blogging and so good to see her at your site, Susan.
Patricia, I agree about not only eclectic reading but living eclectically to get the greatest experience out of life. I find myself leaning more toward non-fiction and books of a spiritual nature, but I guess I've read just about every genre including Romance. I think as a writer the reading of many genres helps me to improve my craft. As a reader I become more informed and attain a wider world view by sampling books of many kinds. I can get bored if I just stick to the same thing all the time so I like to rotate my reading.
Excellent topic for us all to consider.
Lee
Tossing It Out
Good to see you here, Patricia! One of these days I will write a for real stand alone novel. These stories can't help but bleed into more. :)
Hi, Patrica! Being an eclectic readers is fun. I enjoy reading books in all genres and have found many treasures that way.
I've been popping up in all kinds of interesting and fun places lately, LD. And Susan will be guest posting at my blog on February 26th, too. The blogging network is alive and super supportive.
I'm hooked on Sci Fi too Crystal, thanks to the movie 2001, a Space Odyssey, and love post-apocalyptic and dystopian thrillers. No matter what I read, an author with a great voice will hold my attention (which is probably why I keep going back to Stephen King in spite of the nightmares I still have about Cujo). :D
HI Lee -- and thanks to you for being the guy who drew me deep into the world of blogging with that first A to Z Challenge. I'm seriously depressed that I'll miss the challenge this year because of this stupid knee I need to get fixed, but maybe I'll pre-schedule an A to Z list of whines on my blog .......just for fun. :D I do plan to fill in my time with reading and writing short book reviews, though, so I'm open to suggestions for great reads.
I know a lot of writers progress from short stories to novels, but I found short fiction much harder to write than longer works. My short stories always look more like vignettes. I'm determined to master the art though so while you're writing longer, I'll be writing shorter. :D
Do you read YA books as well, Chrys? There are some really good YA authors in my town as well as throughout blogging world -- I like to visit the teen shelves at our library once in a while to see what's new. The writing is so good, and the plots are unique, and the characters open up that world of young people I don't have in my life these days because my own kids are in their 30s and 40s. My most recent favorite YA authors are Maria Sharif (another blogger I met through A to Z), Todd Mitchell, Aaron Michael Ritchey, and Amy Kathleen Ryan (the last three are Coloradoans).
Wise words, Patricia. I do read a lot in the genre I write, but I also love reading just about everything else. For me, it's all about the voice. If the voice is good, I can read (almost) anything.
Great advice. I read romance mainly but all of its sub genre. Sci fi, fantasy, contemp or historical. If there's an HEA I'm there :)
I agree, Jenn!. Voice is so important. And some writers find theirs right away while others struggle for years. I believe you know if it's there by reading the first ten pages.
Hi Michelle. Cross-genre novels, the kind that agents and publishers eye with suspicion because shelf placement is difficult, are one of the most fun parts of this new world of publishing. I like romantic suspense sometimes, and if it takes place in a future dystopian world with a new breed of dragons, all the better. :D
Congratulations, Patricia! And, I agree, it's nice to hope around the genre spectrum. I have a tendency to read fantasy and scifi, but I try to make some room for mystery, historical fiction, contemporary,and even (gasp of surprise) romance. :)
I read a variety and as a result, I've written in three different genres.
Congrats, Patricia!! I read a ton of different genres, too. There are very few I don't like!
Nice to see you here, Pat. I shouldn't probably say it here, but I haven't read much fantasy either. Still, I love it that you're such an eclectic reader. I think that makes a person a better writer.
Thanks Tyrean! Yes, romance can be a mood lightener. I'm even a sucker for those holiday romance movies on Hallmark Channel.
Branching out is good, Diane. I have a historical manuscript, too, but it still needs a little work.
I remain wary of novels with vampires, werewolves, and zombies because of the nightmares, Liz, but when a member of my critique group submits that kind of thing for review, I dig right in. If the writing is really good and the plot a little unusual, I'm hooked.
Margot, we meet in some of the nicest places, don't we? Susan's blog is wonderful. And yes, I hope reading a wide variety of books will keep me growing and getting better. It's a fun way to get educated, that's for sure.
Hi Pat and Susan. I admit to being pretty tight in my reading selection until I started writing and met Pat soon afterward. Her blog and being with other writers and reading their work has opened by world to many new encounters. Thanks to you both, and everyone else who writes their stories.
Hi Dean! That's an added joy of being part of a large writing group, isn't it? I love reading my friends' books, and they write in so many genres and cross-genres that there's always something new to try out.
I love it when a good book just drops into my lap :) I'll have to check out first Dragon; I have been disappointed with the new fantasy authors also.
Ahem, haven't read any of your novels Susan so that comment is not aimed at you.
I am also challenging myself to read in more genre's, though YA anything will likely be the last I seriously try. Nice to meet you Patricia.
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