Where did April go?!

This month has gone by in a blur. Between work, writing deadlines, children, and a house in mid-renovation, I feel like I haven’t had a moment to breathe. Truth be told, I’m scrambling to finish this only a few hours before it goes live.

Despite the madness of life, I really enjoy these Read Around the Rainbow posts. When there is too much to do, it’s good to have something that forces you to sit quietly and take a moment for yourself. And these monthly posts force me to do just that. Something I would probably not do otherwise. And I love to read everyone else’s thoughts on each subject—though I still haven’t managed to finish reading the posts from the last time around. :(

This month Read Around the Rainbow is talking about what works for us as readers. Specifically, if story or writing plays the biggest factor when it comes to enjoying a book.

This is actually a conversation I’ve had many times, with many people. And, I think, despite writing changing me as a reader, my answer is mostly the same as it ever was.

I’ve always thought of myself as a laid-back reader—it’s one of the reasons I probably make a terrible beta—as I tend to take a story as I find it. When I’m reading, I’m there for the story the writer is telling. Would I have written the same story? Would my characters have made the same choices? Of course not, but I’m not here for that. I’m here to enjoy someone else’s tale.

I can love characters who are complete assholes just as much as can I love ones who are likable and sweet. Whether it’s a story of first love, or a story of revenge, for me the story always trumps.

When you have good writing and a good story?! Hell’s bells! Joy of joys!

True, it can be a delicate balance, and I’m sure that reading widely and writing have likely caused my definition of a good story to evolve, but it is still the story. I’ve read plenty of well-written, boring stories. And, while I can appreciate the skill, I’ll return to the flawed but creative author over a skillful author whose stories I don’t connect with, again and again.

For me, it’s as simple as that.

Make sure to check out all the other Read Around the Rainbow author posts to learn each of their thoughts on reading. I wonder if I am in the minority.

**You can check out the other Read Around the Rainbow authors by clicking their names below!**

Addison Albright • Holly Day • Lillian Francis • Fiona Glass • Ofelia Gränd • Nell Iris

• A.L. Lester • K.L. Noone • Ellie Thomas

See you in May!

Hello, and happy spring!

I’ve been overwhelmed these last few months—both with my day job and three writing deadlines that are rapidly approaching—and have missed every Read Around the Rainbow post this year. 😫 So, today I’m shaking off the guilt of that, and diving in head first.

This month’s topic is blurbs! Do you love them? Do you hate them? When do you write them? What are your thoughts on blurbs?

I doubt you could find an author who doesn’t have an opinion on blurbs. Readers have them as well.

As a reader, I rarely read more than a line or two of a blurb. Sometimes not at all—yeah, I am a book-by-its cover kind of girl. I blame my background in photography and being married to an illustrator—but that is not to say there haven’t been times when it took the entirety of a blurb before I decided to pick up a book. The thing is, I hate spoilers, and blurbs always feel like spoilers.

As a writer, I’ve had an evolving relationship with them. When I first started writing, I was always at a loss. Afraid to say too much—that hate of spoilers thing—and, in fact, I think the original blurb for Cold Fingers—the first story I wrote that was truly mine, and not dictated in some way by someone else—went something along the lines of…

The good ones are either married or straight. Or they're necrophiliacs.

Ha! That terrible blurb still makes me laugh. And Cold Fingers is still maybe my favorite of all my stories. It certainly feels the most me.

My feelings on blurbs changed in the process of writing That Rat, Carter Janson. The publisher I was working with had me work with a blurb coach and it changed my relationship with them and, I think, made me better at writing them. It certainly made me feel more confident in my abilities.

Where before That Rat, Carter Janson, writing blurbs were like pulling teeth, now, they mostly just come to me. Sometimes within the first few thousand words, sometimes closer to the end. Whenever they do come, they are a perfect reminder of the tone and the feel I’m striving for, and an excellent tool when tackling a second draft.

Sometimes I’m lucky enough to know my blurb going in. It acts as a near-pantser’s outline. Because, if I have a more fleshed-out outline, you can bet dollars to donuts, that story’s never getting finished.

So, yeah. I ‘m probably in the minority. But for someone who rarely reads a blurb, I kind of love them!

Shocking!

Make sure to check out all the other Read Around the Rainbow authors to find out how they feel about blurbs. I know I will. I’m curious if any of them use them as a tool while writing, as I do. And how many of them fall in the I loath them category.

Addison Albright • Holly Day • Lillian Francis • Fiona Glass • Ofelia Gränd • Nell Iris

• A.L. Lester • K.L. Noone • Ellie Thomas

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Read Around the Rainbow • Reading: Story vs. Style #RAtR

See you in May!

Read Around the Rainbow • Thoughts on Writing Blurbs #RAtR

See you in April!