If you've been following this blog, you'll know I've become a big Ann Aguirre fan over the past year. I fell in love with her Sirantha Jax books and can hardly wait to get my hands on the third installment, Doubleblind, due out in September. What's even more exciting, though, is the release of the first book in Ms. Aguirre's new Corine Solomon series. Here to celebrate the upcoming release of Blue Diablo, I'm tickled pink to welcome Ann Aguirre!
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“Bacon is not a snack food”, and other truths
Read that title. Do you agree? Or would you fry up a skillet full of bacon if you had the munchies? (If that’s true, I can only say, dude, you must’ve been a trip when you were stoned.) But I digress.
The only person (is my a dog a person? She occasionally wears a sweater, so you decide) I know who thinks of bacon as a snack is my dog, Daisy. And she doesn’t get actual bacon, but treats that look and smell like bacon and come from the pet food section of our local grocery store. And yet, my dog will do damn near anything for a bacon treat. I think she would bark the Star Spangled banner for a Beggin’ Strip.
Where are you going with this, you might ask, and rightfully so. See, in some respects, writers are an awful lot like my dog. We will do damn near anything to get our books in the hands of readers. For most of us, it’s not about ego or getting to swan around conferences with our “professional author” badges on. We just love to tell stories, but if you don’t have anyone to read your work, it’s… lonely.
Writing harks back to the oral tradition that came before. Once, bards were very honored in our history. They carried the news from place to place; they decided what stories would be remembered. Gradually, as we developed more sophistication as a society, we started jotting our best tales down. And a new tradition arose. In the old days, a writer needed a patron to keep from starving while he worked.
Now, the system functions a bit differently. But we are still eager for patrons. We are still eager to hear from readers that we touched or moved them. Heck, I would settle for knowing that I made someone smile with something I wrote. I cherish every email I receive because it took me so very long to get my books in the hands of readers.
With the release of Blue Diablo, I’ve achieved another dream—publishing in the genre of urban fantasy, like Charles de Lint, Simon Green and Jim Butcher. I don’t claim my work is on par with theirs, but perhaps you will be kind enough to let me entertain you. So in conclusion, maybe bacon (the bacon of getting our books in your hands – it’s a metaphor! Work with me, people) is not a snack, but it’s definitely a treat.
What are some your favorite books? And why? Which ones do you reread for comfort, and which ones would you never reread, despite your enjoyment? A random commenter will win a free copy of Blue Diablo.
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Thank you so much Ann! Please make sure to leave a valid email address in your comment so we can contact the winner of the giveaway.
As I sit in another snow storm, comfort rereads is a good topic. I love Nora Roberts/JD Robb to reread. I also like Jayne Castle, Dick Francis, Robin Owens, Sharon Shinn's 12th house stories, Lois McMaster BuJold, Ann McCaffrey and WEB Griffin. It is a bit eclectic. I need a story though that has a happy resolution if it is a comfort read.
ReplyDeleteTotally agree with many of your choices!
ReplyDeleteLOVE Jim Butcher. His world is so complex without being complicated.
ReplyDeleteRuth named some good ones..Nora/JD Robb, Jayne Ann Krantz..all good reads.
If I want a "comfort" read, I'll reach for historical sometimes (E. James, Lisa Kleypas, etc). Or I'll grab a sweet contemporary (Rachel Hauck). If I want some lusty thrill, I'll grab Roxanne St. Claire. If I want to read some damn fine writing, I'll grab Robert Crais or Berry Elser.
Like Ruth, I'm all over the place with authors!
(AND my dogs will do ANYTHING for Begging Strips)
LOL! I love your bacon analogy, Ann. ;)
ReplyDeleteLike Angie, I'm a fan of your Sirantha Jax series and cannot wait to read Blue Diablo. From what I've read of your work so far, I imagine that writing UF will be a great medium for your story telling voice.
Patricia Briggs' Mercy Thompson series is one of my favorites and although I have not reread any of the books yet, I do think about them all the time and know there will be a time when I do reread them.
Best wishes on your upcoming release of Blue Diablo, Ann! :)
A couple of my comfort reads (and reading is a definite stress release for me!) are anything by Diana Wynne Jones and Charles de Lint, or if I'm feeling particularly nostalgic, I like Barbara Michaels/Elizabeth Peters. Tam Lin by Pamela Dean is another one I keep re-reading and re-reading; a newer one which will probably be a popular re-reader for me is A Certain Slant of Light by Laura Whitcomb. I can't really think of any books I enjoyed but wouldn't re-read---maybe The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova or Susannah Clarke's Jonathan Strange and Mr. Morrell, but only because they are so long! But even the most depressing books are worth a re-read, if they are good and I am in the mood to wallow. I'm a big re-reader, I guess!
ReplyDeleteL.M. Montgomery's "The Blue Castle" is a once-a-year reread for me. I've probably read it 12+ times and it never gets old. :)
ReplyDeleteAs for books I enjoyed but wouldn't reread..."Gone With the Wind" comes to mind. Kimberly B. nailed it when she said it's just because the length of the book can be intimidating, even when you know how good it is.
I already have my copy so no need to enter me :)
ReplyDeleteI have been re reading Magician by Raymond E.Feist for 8 years now every summer. I also enjoy to re-read Dune by Herbert and the Farseer books by Robin Hobb.
I guess I do like to re-read fantasy :)
For comfort I'll just pick anything nice and Harlequin from my shelves that I know will end happily.
I did love Daughter of the Forest by Marillier, but dunno if I will re-read it when it made me cry.
I LOVE the Sirantha Jax series and am so excited to see what you have to share with this new book, Blue Diablo.
ReplyDeleteSome comfort reads for me are "The Witch of Blackbird Pond" - my copy is literally falling apart, "Persuasion", The Mercy Thompson series, and anything by Steinbeck.
Thanks again!!
mmillet at gmail dot com
I would have to say that your Sirantha Jax are some of my favorite. Just two weeks ago I finished the second. Awesome! Some of my other favorite authors are Maria Snyder,Diana Peterfreund, Julia Pomeroy, Charlaine Harris, Agatha Christie and the list goes on. Ones I can go back to...I would have to say Janet Evanovich, mostly because they are really fast reads for me and in essence satisfying the itch to escape for a little while and give me a laugh. I love books that have a good woman heroin. With some kicking butt and layin' the smack (be it verbally or physically) Probably because I wish I was more that way. Oh well, the few hours of escape it great at least. I wish I could reread more of my favorite books but there is too much new stuff. The list is never ending. Also life ticks on.
ReplyDeleteI love hearing what everyone else reads when they need some good comfort! I share many of them. Sharon Shinn and Patricia Briggs are both definitely on my list. Other longtime ones are Juliet Marillier's Sevenwaters books, anything by Ellen Emerson White, Mary Stewart, or Robin McKinley. Newer comfort reads include Diana Peterfreund's Ivy League Novels, Deanna Raybourn's Lady Julia Grey books, and Megan Whalen Turner's Queen's Thief series. I've been recommending those like a crazy woman.
ReplyDeleteI'm trying to think of a book I loved but will probably never read again. Not coming up with much. Like Kimberly B., I'm a big re-reader. Although, now that Dave's True Story song is running through my head. "And I'll never read Trollope again..."
Comfort books are those that I read first, back in the day when I was just discovering romance. There are about five of them that I could read every day of the week. Consequently, they're all by Rebecca Winters. The friend who loned me my first romance novel was a huge RW fan, needless to say I cut my teeth on that author. And just like drugs, the first hit was free, afterthat, I cleared the used bookstore out of RW books.
ReplyDeleteBooks that I will reread because I just like them and like the mood they put me in when I'm finished include Night Play by Kenyon and Craving Beauty by Singh. I'm sure there are others, but I can't think of them at the moment. I'll definitely be thinking about them for my piece on Keepers. :)
Some of my favorite books are THE BOOK THIEF by Markus Zusak, THE BLUE GIRL by Charles de Lint (although it's hard to pick; I love them all), FARENHEIT 451 by Ray Bradbury, and a lot of the new urban fantasy series stuff, like Rob Thurman's, Kim Harrison's, etc. And of course, the Samantha Jax books. :)
ReplyDeleteI keep my favorite books, but I don't reread because there are always so many more new books I want to get to!
karenwitkowski @ aol. com
What are some your favorite books? And why?
ReplyDeleteI love the Jeaniene Frost Night Huntress novels. I'll just start thinking of a scene and I'll go to look at just that scene and end up re-reading the book from that point. She's a hard author to put down.
Which ones do you reread for comfort...
I wouldn't say I re-read them for comfort, but whenever I'm looking for a book to read and nothing is catching my interest, I'll pick a random book from the Anita Blake series. She was the first author that really got me into Urban Fantasy and she's one I keep going back to. Regardless of my mood, I can find something with Anita. Whether it's a shapershifter novel (Blue Moon is one I've constantly picked up) or strictly vampires (Circus of the Damned) or simply a mystery with supernatural elements (Micah), I can find it all with Anita.
...and which ones would you never reread, despite your enjoyment?
I honestly don't know if I could answer this. The only book that really comes to mind is Cheryl Brooks' Warrior. The story was okay, but it was unbalanced in my opinion - too much romance (aka sex) with little action at the beginning and too much action with little romance (in any form) at the end. But I just read that one within the last couple of months. Other than that I can't think of a book I have said that I would never read again.
I have to agree with Heidi about Maria Snyder. I love her study series. I seriously hope that there will be more in this series because I really want more Valek. I so want to see more with these two.
ReplyDeleteJanet Evanovich is another good re-read for me. Like Heidi said, she's a fast and easy read and I can generally get through one of her novels pretty quickly.
Oh! I did forget that whenever I've been in a reading lag lately, anything by Lauren Dane has been getting me back in the mood. I loved her novel, Undercover, which was a SciFi menage. The sequel is coming out in a month, Relentless, and I can't wait for it.
Were we suppose to leave our email address? Here's mine: myjaxon AT gmail DOT com
Great post. Some of my favorite authors to read/re-read are Nora Roberts/JR Robb, Simon Green (I just got into his Nightside series), JIm Butcher, Rachel Caine, Terry Pratchett, Christopher Moore, Anne Bishop. I could go on for a while here. I dont re-read a certain author, I re-read more of a certain mood. If I want to read a certain type of book, mystery, vampire, whatever. I will choose a book that I liked that also fits that mood for me.
ReplyDeletebacchus76 at myself dot com
Thanks for all the great comments. The winner is Christine!
ReplyDeleteEmail aztleclady1 at gmail dot com with your mailing info.
Oh, yes!!! Thank you so much!! I'm very excited to read Blue Diablo. Emailing azteclady now... =)
ReplyDelete