Reading and Buying Habits. And Kittens.

You can tell me it’s perspective, but Jackson really *does* have huge paws.

So, first off – well, second, since cute kittens ALWAYS come first – Rogue’s Pawn is up for a Reader’s Choice Award here. If you feel like voting, you can up until 8pm Pacific Time on September 29, 2012.  (I added the year because, you know, blog posts live forever on the interwebz. Wouldn’t want some poor soul in 2015 trying to vote!)

I really this really good book recently, by a new-to-me author. Touch of Power by Maria V. Snyder. The description, etc, didn’t really compel me and I doubt I would have picked it up on my own. But fabulous Agent Pam used it as a comparable for the book she’s shopping for me, so I thought I should check it out. And I loved it – not just because I got to read the kind of story I write, though that was a big piece of it. When I finished, I eagerly looked for the sequel and was disappointed to find it’s not out yet, and won’t be until December, even though Touch of Power came out nearly a year ago.

What is UP with that, Maria??

Yeah, yeah, I know. I’m one to talk.

At any rate, sad that the book was over and not ready to move on, I looked at her other books, wondering which I’d like. But – I think you all know this feeling – I didn’t *want* another world or set of characters. I wanted more of THOSE characters. Right now!

~stamps tiny foot~

Undecided, I ultimately bought none of the others. (I’ve since been reliably informed that the Poison Study series is a good bet, so I might do that, but now I’m off on a different reading jag.) Observing my own reading and buying habits gave me food for thought, however.

See, I get frustrated sometimes when readers who love one of my books, don’t then go read one of the others. I should say right off that I know a lot of you are fabulously loyal readers who read everything I’ve put out there. And I love you all! I’m coming to learn, though, that this is not always the case. Some people read only the Blood Currency books. Others are fans of Petals and Thorns and the Facets of Passion series, but would never pick up Rogue’s Pawn. I’ve seen some reviews of RP where readers say they hesitated to pick it up, because they knew I wrote sexier books, too.

So, sometimes, there’s this urge to reach out through the interwebz and grab a reader and say, “wait! you loved this book of mine, why won’t you read that one, too???”

As a general note? Feeling this kind of urge is a sign that you need to step away from the keyboard. Just saying.

When I realized I did this with Maria, it made sense to me. Though I’ll sometimes get on a kick and read *everything* an author has written, I do this less and less. It’s particular worlds and characters I attach to. Of course my readers do the same thing.
 
More. It’s all good.
 
Happy weekend everyone!

6 Replies to “Reading and Buying Habits. And Kittens.”

  1. Funny thing is that I’d never have picked up Poison Study by myself. A friend bought it and made me read it and I fell in love with it. I also read the first two books in the Glass trilogy, but those aren’t as good imo, too triangly. I also loved Touch of Power and should go pre-order the next book.

  2. He’s going to be a huge cat I’m guessing? So far I’m still the kind of Reader who works her way thru an author’s entire set of books (unless the first book or two doesn’t really light the fires for me)…but time is a huge issue, between day job and writing my own stuff (too slowly LOL).

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