Read Widely and
Well
Penguin’s Book
Country website—a place where authors seeking publication can post bits of their
books—has a nifty map
showing all the genres they think are out there. According to them, I write Comic
Fantasy. Huh. Who knew?
And when I click on the little button for Comic Fantasy,
it does feature authors who have influenced my writing over the years:
Christopher Moore, Sir Terry Pratchett, Piers Antony, etc.
My latest book, FEW ARE CHOSEN, features two young
“Chosen Ones” sent to slay a rogue demon. At first they clash, but then find
they work well together. And then they
discover they do other things well
together. First kill, first kiss, first time. It’s funny, but also poignant; it
will take you back to your own awkward first time.
Genre-wise, it’s m/m, humor, urban fantasy, YA and also
interracial. A little something for everyone. And since it falls into five
different genres or sub-genres, it’s a good thing I read outside my genre.
At a recent meeting of my RWA chapter, one of the
speakers asked the room of about 60 attendees if they read outside the romance
genre. I raised my hand and looked around, shocked, at the small percentage of other
hands up in the room.
Then she asked if people read outside their chosen
romantic SUB-genre, such as paranormal romance, romantic suspense,
contemporary. Again, few hands went up.
I understand that it’s important for an author to
familiarize herself with her chosen genre—even to immerse herself when writing.
But one should also read outside that genre—you never know what you could be
writing next. Or where your next ideas and influences will come from.
Me? I read across genres looking for humor. I can’t wait
for the next Discworld (Terry Pratchett) or
Stephanie Plum (Janet Evanovich) novels to come out. I
love Mary Janice Davidson’s Queen Betsey series, and anything by Christopher
Moore.
Oddly, since I got the e-reader, I've read more
mainstream books than ebooks.
So how ‘bout you? Do you tend to read widely outside a
chosen genre? Do you read any m/m that strikes your fancy, from historical to
paranormal? Or exclusively within one category? Do you then also read m/f or ménage?
What were the last few books you read?
---------------
BLURB:
FEW ARE CHOSEN by Storm
Grant
Sparks fly between virgin teenage demon
hunters when the Chosen One turns out to be… the Chosen Two?
Apprentice warrior Blake St. Blake is the Chosen One,
raised by an ancient order to defend the world against evil. Well, maybe not
the whole world, but at least his neighborhood in downtown Detroit.
When a dreaded reflux demon is sighted in a local
cemetery, Blake is sent off to his very first battle, armed with his sword, his
super-senses, his black leather duster, and a few well-rehearsed one-liners.
But another Chosen One gets in Blake’s way—an apprentice
wizard named Shadow. While the boys argue about who’s the more chosen of the
two, the demon escapes.
Blake wants to be angry, but it turns out he and Shadow
have a lot in common. Besides, Shadow’s pretty cute, and Blake can’t help but
think that the wizard’s skills (and hands and lips and other bits) might make
the perfect complement to his. Blake and Shadow are brave enough to challenge
the reflux demon in a second battle, but will they have the courage to tell
each other how they feel?
Title Details
Publisher: Riptide Publishing
ISBN: 978-1-937551-22-3
eBook release: Feb 20 2012
eBook formats: pdf, mobi, html, epub
Word count: ~12,000
Page count: ~40
Heat Wave: On-screen, mildly explicit love scenes
Type: Standalone
eBook $2.99
Contest:
Play The Name Game
for FEW
IS CHOSEN and win a copy of ALL THREE of these entertaining books
from Storm Grant’s backlist: Gym
Dandy, Shift
Happens, and Tart
and Soul. (Two full-length novels and a novella!)
1. What is Shadow’s real first name? ___ ___ ___
___
2. What is Shadow’s mentor’s first name? ___ ___ ___
___ ___
3. What is the name of the Order that raised and trained
Blake? The Order of the ___ ___ ___
___
How to enter: DO NOT POST YOUR ANSWERS! Instead, to
qualify:
1. Email your
answers to the three questions, above, to storm.grant@gmail.com.
2. Then post a
comment to this blog stating that you’ve emailed your entry.
You may enter once for each stop on the blog tour,
thereby increasing your chances of being the grand prize winner!
One grand prize winner will be selected March 5th.
Blog tour, details
here.
