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The Joy of Discovering a New Author
 By Elizabeth Hoyt I’ve been reading Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files books lately. But slowly. One at a time. Pausing in between books and making myself wait for at least a week before I dash off to the bookstore and buy the next. Oh, my God, they’re just like Doritos! Or is it Pringles? Anyway, you can’t read just one. This got me thinking about other authors I’ve discovered and glommed over the years. There was the winter of Jayne Ann Krentz. I’d finally figured out that Amanda Quick had all these other pen names, and after I bought the books I could in the local stores, I started reading JAK’s backlist from the library. She had three shelves on the paperback books section. Only three shelves. I knew I had to pace myself and I did. Oh, that was a lovely time, knowing I still had two shelves to go. But then JAK’s shelves ran out *sob!* and I had to wait for her to write new books. In the meantime, I glommed Suzanne Brockmann, Lisa Kleypas, Elizabeth Lowell, and Linda Howard, to name only a few. Lowell and Howard were particularly great finds as they had these long backlists going back over several years. I learned out to search my local library’s database and order books from other libraries. These tattered paperbacks would arrive for me at my neighborhood library, sometimes held together only by a rubber band. I’d chortle and rush off home to read my treasure, completely forgetting to make supper for my family. So, here’s my question to you: Who was the last author that made you forget supper? Which author made you go back and read her entire backlist? Is there someone I should be reading besides Mr. Butcher? Let me know, and I’ll pick one person to win an autographed copy of The Leopard Prince! Cheers! 32 Responses to “The Joy of Discovering a New Author” |
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September 14th, 2007 at 6:10 am
I glommed Sandra Brown - loved all her oldie romance books and when I read the last one was so sad; then I discovered Debbie Macomber, and Linda Howard; then Barbara Delinsky. I found a used book store that had tons of Delinsky’s older books and bought them all. I was in heaven.
Two of my favs which I always mention are Three Wishes by Delisnky, and Sarah’s Child by Howard. Love Macomber’s Knitting series - The Shop on Blossom Street, A Good Yarn and Back on Blossom Street.
September 14th, 2007 at 7:19 am
J.D. Robb/Nora Roberts. Love her books! And then there’s Sharon Sala, Maggie Shayne, Karen Whiddon, David and Leigh Eddings…
September 14th, 2007 at 10:58 am
I’m not entirely sure who’s the last one becaus I don’t have my journal in front of me, but I know I’m giddy that I only have three or four Amanda Quick books to get one of these days — and it sure too me a while to get to this point! LOL :)
Lois
September 14th, 2007 at 12:14 pm
If you like Jim Butcher, you’ll love Rachel Caine’s Weather Warden series. To me, it is THE perfect series. I love everything about it, the characters, the plotlines, the action, the romance, they are amazing books. She just gets better and better with each both.
I’m a huge Gena Showlater fan also. I’ve read everything she’s written.
Michele Hauf is also big on my list. Her Nocturnes rock, but I fell in love with her writing when I read Seraphim a fantasy from the LUNA line.
September 14th, 2007 at 12:14 pm
It had to be the last book I read Spirited Away by Cindy Miles. Once I start reading a book I find I like I tune out all around me, I get really into what I am reading. My husband has come up to me and has just touched me on the shoulder and I came right up out of the chair, I was so into the book. He does that to me all the time I should be use to it.
September 14th, 2007 at 12:16 pm
Kim Harrison. I tend to forget everything else going on in my world when I pick up one of her books. My family knows it so my husband takes over the running of the house for the time it takes me to finish the book. Did I mention how much I love my husband?
September 14th, 2007 at 12:24 pm
Sherrilyn Kenyon and Kresley Cole, I seem to get lost in the worlds they’ve
created everytime I read them. :grin:
September 14th, 2007 at 12:30 pm
I’m not angling for the book but I am laughing at this blog. After reading The Leopard Prince just last week, I’ve actually been looking for YOUR backlist. LOL
But if you’re looking for an author (new to you) you might enjoy Deborah Smith (When Venus Fell, The Crossroad Cafe, Sweet Hush). She’s a Southern writer whose books are much more than just romances. All the characters have depth and many are quirky. None are cardboard cutouts. She makes me laugh and cry within a few pages - a real wordsmith.
September 14th, 2007 at 12:58 pm
The last author I got hooked on and read her entire back list was Lisa Gardner. That woman can write suspense! A lot of her books have some awesome ovearching storylines, too, and most of them have some sort of romantic subplot. If you haven’t read her, I recommend starting with her first suspense novel, The Perfect Husband. It has the creepiest villain ever…
September 14th, 2007 at 1:30 pm
Sandra Brown’s books can do that for me. I love her writing and story telling.
Her Texas Trilogy was what got me started on her books; Texas Sage, Texas
Chase and Texas Lucky. When reading those I got into bed and didn’t stop except
for bathroom breaks, lol.
September 14th, 2007 at 1:40 pm
I love Sherrilyn Kenyon’s Dark-Hunter series. I’ve also discovered Colleen Gleason, she’s a fabulous writer.
September 14th, 2007 at 2:10 pm
Oh, dear! All the books I haven’t read, but should be reading!
I’ve heard great things about Rachel Caine’s Weather Warden series, Vivi Anna. I’m thinking about trying her, but as I don’t usually read much fantasy, I’m hesitant. I think part of the reason I like the Dresden Files so much is that they’re part detective stories, which I love. Colleen Gleason is also a new-ish writer I’ve been meaning to try!
September 14th, 2007 at 2:20 pm
I adore all the books written by Emilie Richards. Cannot put them down.
September 14th, 2007 at 2:49 pm
Nora Roberts/JD Robb, Bertrice Small, Sherrily Kenyon, Christine Feehan,Mariah Stewart, Lucy Monroe to name a few.
September 14th, 2007 at 4:17 pm
That would be Sue Grafton.
September 14th, 2007 at 5:21 pm
Oh, I so love discovering an author that I want, not I need to get all her books. The last one for me was J.R.Ward. Her books are totally adictive, and for me similar to what I experienced before with Suzanne Brockmann, Mary Balogh, JAK-Amanda Quick, Georgette Heyer, Liz Carlyle, Julia Quinn (but only with the Bridgerton), Lisa Kleypas, Heather Cullman, Lucy Monroe, Lorraine Heath, Pamela Morsi, Susan Elizabeth Phillips, Kathryn Shay to name some. The more I read by them, the more I wanted to read, and it was also fun to look for some backlist titles. I also just finished a YA book by Stephenie Meyer, Twilight and I found another author to gloom.
September 14th, 2007 at 5:24 pm
I see a sentence that sounds strange in my post *lol*… I wanted to say that is great to find authors that you not only want to read their books, but you need to read them.
September 14th, 2007 at 6:30 pm
Mary Balogh and Jenna Peterson. I loved reading the Raven Prince. :mrgreen:
September 14th, 2007 at 7:56 pm
Yes to what Laidybyrd said! If you have never read Deborah Smith, you must do so immediately…if not sooner!!
But Kristen Hannah was my last major glom. I cant believe I went so long not reading her. She was one of those authors I always meant to read , but picked up an auto-buy instead. I am so glad I finally read her!
September 14th, 2007 at 8:20 pm
I’ve read over 900 Romances since my retirement, almost 7 years ago, but, I had never heard of Kathryn Shay until one of my Celebrate Romance! cohorts requested one of her STs for its Advanced Book Trade several years ago. I found the book for her & read it lst. So, immediately, I spent a month glomming her backlist. She writes STs for Berkley & HQ SuperRomances, & I love that her books frequently educate me about how to reach & teach adolescents, as well as entertain with love stories for the H/H. My fave of hers is SOMEONE TO BELIEVE IN, but, all of her books are great. She writes stories that have “more of an edge”, but, are always fascinating. I can’t recommend her highly enough.
September 14th, 2007 at 9:38 pm
Hey, I am reading Jim Butcher too. I love the cadence of his writing. I got hooked when I read an anthology and immediately ran out and bought all the books. I watched the series and put off reading the books. Now I reading through them all. Only one more to go and the next one is not out until April :cry:
September 14th, 2007 at 10:26 pm
I just read Slave to Sensation by Nalini Singh in August and am now hooked to her books. I have beeen getting books from her backlist litle by little and I also am cureently reading Caressed By Ice, her latest release. If you like paranormal, I highly recommend this psy/changeling series. She also has some contemporary Silhouette Desires that I plan on trying little by little.
September 14th, 2007 at 11:20 pm
Oh gosh I have read so many! Carly Phillips HOT series, Stephanie Bond all her books, and a lot of Harlequin books I love. Vicki Lewis Thompson’s Nerd series is another favorite. One book that I read that I couldn’t put down but wasn’t a romance book was the last one by J.K. Rowling in the Harry Potter series. The last book was my absolute favorite! I am addicted to reading and absolutely love so many books! I am leaving out so many but will add a statement to all the authors out there that your books are terrific! All of us fans just love your books and can’t wait for them to hit the shelves so we can devour them and read them to our hearts content along with skipping supper sometimes!
September 15th, 2007 at 4:18 am
The last author I read that made me forget about dinner was Robin D Owens. I read her “Heartmate” book and that was it. I was hooked on her Heart series and needed to go buy all the other books. Jim Butcher was the same way with me. That man can sure write and I have every single one of his books. “Small Favor” is definitely on my wish list. Some other authors/books I love are Karen Chance, Yasmine Galenorn’s new paranormal series, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Christine Feehan, Kim Harrison, Kelley Armstrong, Kresley Cole, Julie Garwood, & Kinley MacGregor to name a few.
September 15th, 2007 at 5:35 am
Besides several of the other older authors already mentioned I’ve loved Heather Graham, Catherine Coulture, Julie Garwood, Judith McNaught and Karen Robards.
More recently I read all of Victoria Alexander, Alison Kent, Jill Shalvis, Kat Martin , Susan Mallery, Margaret Moore, VLT, SEP and Susan Anderson.
OOPS almost forgot Julia London , Linda Francis Lee ,Cheryl Holt and Lauren Royal.
September 15th, 2007 at 6:54 am
The last author that totally sucked me in hook, line, and sinker is JR Ward/Jessica Bird.
Her writing is amazing and I immediately felt that I knew her characters as close friends. Putting her books down, be it the Black Dagger Brotherhood series (JR Ward) or her contemporary line (Jessica Bird) is a no can do.
September 15th, 2007 at 7:11 am
The last author I believe was Carrie Vaughn with her kitty series…love it. A few other authors whose books I have a tough time putting down until I am finished are Christine Feehan, Charlaine Harris, Kim Harrison, Sherrilyn Kenyon, Nalini Singh, Jenna Black and JR Ward to name a few.
September 15th, 2007 at 9:41 am
Thank you all for giving me some great ideas for new authors to try!
Tammy G. please contact me via my website (www.elizabethhoyt.com) and I’ll send you an autographed copy of THE LEOPARD PRINCE!
Cheers!
Elizabeth
September 16th, 2007 at 1:19 pm
WOW!!! Thank-you!!! :grin:
September 17th, 2007 at 6:50 pm
Congratulations Tammy G Happy Reading.
Hugssss
LindaH
September 17th, 2007 at 7:31 pm
Congrats, Tammy G.
September 24th, 2007 at 5:18 am
I’ve just glommed on to Jillian Hunter’s historicals featuring the Boscastle family. Historical romances with lots of rakes and independent woman!