The first author who resonated with you, made you want to rush out and read the rest of a series, the author who made you care?
For me, it was Anne Rice, during the fall of ’92 at the
Vampires were cutting edge at the time. My friend Shay handed me a copy of Interview with the Vampire and an obsession was born. I missed every one of my classes that week as I read Interview, and then The Vampire Lestat, Queen of the Damned and The Tale of the Body Thief. I couldn’t put those books down. And my friends, like the enablers they were, ate it up.
Now, sixteen years later, I don’t remember much about Economics 51 or Calculus (thank goodness), but I can still call up that giddy feeling I had when I discovered a new series, heck a new genre, that I knew I’d read again and again.
Do you remember the first time you discovered a new genre? Or a series that made you the reader or the writer you are today? Share with us and one lucky commenter will win a copy of The Dangerous Book for Demon Slayers!
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11 comments:
Way way back in 8th grade my first author obsession was Jules Verne. I inhaled every book by him I could find. A precedent was sent and now I tend to glom onto an author and read everything released. I love being able to find back lists released in ebooks.
I can't remember. I do remember the first time I picked up a romance though. My daughter had been sick and I had just escaped the house alone for the first time in over a month. I went to Target to buy school clothes for the kids or something and wandered into the book section. I bought Jennifer Cruise's Fast Women and Susan Donovan's Take a Chance on Me. I'd never read romance, and I had no idea that these books were romances. Those two books and those two authors changed my life.
If I go way back it was Trixie Beldon. That started me on enjoying mysteries. Then later it was the gothics which combined mystery with a bit of romance. Then there was Rosemary Rogers and Harold Robins which were more spicy. But I really got hooked and fell in love with romance with Kathleen Woodiwiss - me and how many others lol!
I was handed a book by Robert Heinlein in grade 6 and had to read everything he'd ever written after that. That started my sci-fi/fantasy reading, which morphed into paranormal, urban fantasy, and futuristics. But I'm really not happy unless they have some romance in them :-)
My first Sci-fi obsession was the Dune series by Frank Herbert. I've read and now own every single one of the original series and almost all if the 'prequels' written by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson. I also LOVE the Dune movie by David Lynch, even though it is hardly faithful to the book. And my first romance author obsession was Jennifer Crusie, when a friend of mine leant me a copy of Agnes and the Hitman. I have since read almost everything she's written and own probably 90% of those.
In the very beginning, it was Nancy Drew, then Judy Blume, but my first romance favorite was Kathleen Woodiwiss. The imagery and characters had me longing to live down south with all the genteel ladies and gentlemen. Then I discovered John Sandford and Lucas Davenport, and became hooked on complex mysteries with very dark humor. My favorites are thrillers with a little (or a lot) romance thrown in for good measure.
I was handed Gone with the Wind back in my early teen years and I fell in love with romance books after reading it several times. I also did a book report on it in High school. Last your I got a hold of Kaki Warner's Blood Rose Series and I got hooked on the western romances, I have read everything of hers so far.
Julie Garwood was the first author that made the list of "I don't care what it's about I have to read IT!". Before that it always depended on the jacket covers and synopsis. But Garwood was the must have. I still reread her historical titles about once a year.
She isn't my first author obsession, but she IS the one that sounds like your Anne Rice obsession: J.K. Rowling.
I didn't want to read about a wizard or read a "kid" book, but when I saw the first movie, I was enchanted. I hunted out the book. I thought, "Maybe it'll be decent." I bought the first 3 paperbacks. No way would I buy hardback. I read them within the first week. I thrashed around, wanting to read the 4th book, but waited. For about a week, then I bought it. Then I read it in 2 days. And for the rest of the books, I stalked them and went to the midnight releases of them. All well worth the obsession. :)
Obsession is good! I really enjoyed reading about your "firsts!"
And the random number generator picked #1 - Mo! Just email me at angie@ angie fox.com and let me know which one of the Accidental Demon Slayer books you'd like. :)
I remember two huge moments in my reading career...
The first was in the first grade when the librarian had spread out all of the recommended books on the table for us to pick from (my school took us to the library once a week). I picked up one with a yellow cover and a castle called Nancy Drew and the Moonstone Castle Mystery. It was all over. My mom would bribe me for good behavior with Nancy Drew books for YEARS after that.
The other life changing moment was when I picked a book out of the Scholastic sales flyer in the 6th grade called "The Hero and The Crown" by Robin McKinnley. I had no idea that fantasy books even existed. That book blew my mind and started me on the path as a lifelong fantasy reader.
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