Do you read in various genres? Or just one or two?
I’m an eclectic reader. First and foremost, I read science
fiction romance. I didn’t used to. I was afraid I’d inadvertently use someone
else’s ideas in my own work. Then an author I admire told me to read more
in the sub-genre I write so I would know the tropes, the language, the
abbreviations that writers use and readers expect. I can’t tell you how many
new (to me) authors I’ve discovered and enjoyed.
I read sweet romances and gritty suspense. I find Young
Adult books intriguing. Where were those books when I was a teen? When I was in
my twenties, my girlfriend suggested I read Georgette Heyer’s Regency romances.
Loved them. Recently a friend, Alyssa Alexander, began writing Regency
suspense. Way cool. A perfect combination.
I’ve always read mysteries, starting with Nancy Drew when I
was a kid. My mom had a whole set of them and I read everyone. I love mysteries
and romantic suspense that include humor. Slapstick comedy like Stephanie Plum
or situation comedies like M.C. Beaton’s Agatha Raisin. I like Bob Mayer’s
military suspense novels and Nancy Gideon’s vampire and shifter stories.
So many books to choose from . . . so little time.
Since I love mysteries, I decided to write one. A story
about a private investigator who sometimes takes chances she shouldn’t. I set
it in a fictitious resort town on Lake Michigan, a place similar to where I
live.
Small town . . . big case.
After taking over O’Hara & Palzetti, Confidential
Investigations from her dad and his partner, Alex O’Hara’s bottom line has
taken a plunge. So when a femme fatale offers her the case of a lifetime along
with a huge advance, Alex sees her finances on a definite upswing. She might even be able to change her
diet from ramen noodles to prime rib.
But someone doesn’t want her to find the long-lost brother.
Complicating matters is the return of Alex’s old heartthrob, Nick Palzetti. Is
he really there just to see her or does he have an ulterior motive? The Lake
Michigan resort town of Fair Haven is abuzz with the news that O’Hara &
Palzetti are together again.
Diane
Burton writes romantic adventure . . . stories that take place on Earth and
beyond. She blogs here on the 8th and 30th of each month and on Mondays on her
own site: http://dianeburton.blogspot.com/
