Ever wonder what authors read? It's not always someone who is well-known. Of course, reader recognition is the goal of all authors. Getting your name and your work to be known is a must. Readers are comfortable having books in hand from authors whose works they have grown to love and it produces a nice reader/author relationship. I have my favorite authors too but there are times when I want to add the names of some new authors to my list, to shake up my "reading regulars."
It's good for readers and authors to venture outside their comfort zone and find new authors whose work we may not know but will be pleasantly surprised to read. I am a voracious reader; most authors are including Anne Rice, Stephen King, and the prolific Charles Dickens. I am always on the lookout for an author whose books I haven't read and whose works I don't know.
Browsing on my Kindle I chose three genres, YA (young adults), crime, and history/fiction, the type of books that I enjoy reading and found several new authors. In the YA, listing of books, one in particular caught my immediate attention because I am interested in reading about the mystical, magical, paranormal world. After reading the description of the story I downloaded it into my Kindle.
The book I chose is The Psychic Circle ~ Souls Entwined by author D. L. Cocchio and I was pleasantly taken with the characters and the story. D. L. Cocchio is a woman who was born and raised in New Jersey and taught elementary school for five years. Having been a World Language teacher in high school myself, I found that we share something else in common; both she and I have been writing stories since childhood.
She is the author of six books; five fiction in the paranormal genre and one non-fiction. Her writing is geared to the YA market, ( she definitely knows her genre well and writes the story compellingly), but this book isn't just for teens; it is an excellent read for anyone who enjoys a good story coupled with a mysterious world composed of a shaman, a healer, a psychic, and a witch. Teens will relate very well to the characters of Rachel and Billy; they are realistically portrayed and deal with normal teen problems made more intense because of their involvement in the paranormal. The Psychic Circle these teens form is an exciting adventure into the unknown. D. L. Cocchio has written books that not only entertain but also teach life lessons especially how to cope with being different.
The second book I chose, Silent Scream, is a gritty, crime novel. Many characters take on the identity of their authors and in this one, written by author Angela Marsons, it is her tenacity and determination that we hear in the voice and visualize in the persona of homicide D.I. (detective inspector) Kim Stone.
Angela first discovered her love of story-telling while in junior high school. She would watch other people and quietly make up her own stories about them. After years of writing relationship based stories Angela turned to writing crime and has never looked back. Silent Scream is a dark journey, sparked by a recent murder that uncovers past disturbing secrets unearthed at a former children's home where a horrible crime had been committed. If you like edge-of-your-seat thrillers, this is the one for you.
Like history mixed with fiction? I do. The Vintage Club by Darin Gibby poses the question Can wine really make you live forever? The answer is yes, if the grapes are an ancient varietal, possibly the same vine whose grapes produced the wine for the Last Supper or so the members of the Vintage Club believe. A patent attorney by day, Darin Gibby found time to pen this highly engrossing tale of greed and deception all set in a modern world looking for guidance from the ancient past.
These authors' names may not be as well known as Dan Brown, Sara Paretsky, or Charlaine Harris but their work is solid and entertaining. I enjoy mixing up my reading pleasure and find that I discover authors whose work I will seek out again. Try a new author and you may be pleasantly surprised.
Happy reading (and writing)!
Grave Misgivings, book 2 in the popular Cate Harlow Private Investigation series is now available where all books are sold.
Copyright 2015 Kristen Houghton The Savvy Author all rights reserved