Books and Again

The Killer Hobbies theme this week is about books we read over and over again.

When I was young, I read my first romantic suspense novels, by Mary Stuart, Victoria Holt and Phyllis Whitney. Those I read more than once, and it’s no wonder that I now enjoy writing both romance and suspense myself, usually combining them.

When my kids were young, I enjoyed reading to them at bedtime. They always had favorites, and those would get read over and over.

These days, most of my reading, although also for fun, is most often a form of research. I read in the genres in which I write to get insight as to how others approach them. I read genres in which I aspire to write for the same reason. Seldom do I read a story more than once.

Then there are my own novels. Yes, I read them again. And often yet again. Most of them are in a series these days, and even though I try to keep track, as I write, of characters, locations and everything that may carry over into future stories, I want to do all I can to ensure consistency and continuity.

Besides, I get a kick out of reading my own stuff. I attempt to recall what I was doing when I started a story and when I ended it. Was my character’s development based on something in my own life at the time? Not necessarily, but sometimes real life sparks a scene or comment or even, occasionally, the villain.

I’m going to give one lucky Killer Hobbies blog reader the chance to win my latest Kendra Ballantyne, Pet-Sitter mystery FELINE FATALE, autographed by me, if you comment on this post. Since I’m mostly talking about myself, let me know if you’ve ever read any of my books, whether a Kendra story or a Harlequin Nocturne, or my earlier ventures into Harlequin Intrigue or time travel romance. If not, which of them would you be most interested in reading? Are you interested in ALASKAN WOLF, my upcoming Harlequin Nocturne about Alpha Force shapeshifters, to be a December 2010 release? How about my spinoff series from the Kendra books--the Pet Rescue mysteries--the first of which will be BEAGLEMANIA, in March 2011? And if you say no to all, beware. I’ll have my dogs do nasty stuff to your entry, rather than choosing it from the stack of names!