I’m excited today to have as a special guest, Cherry De, a new friend from Facebook.  She is posting today about what she, as a reader, likes.  This is important for all authors to know so we can tailor our work to the readers. 

I enjoy reading paranormal romance. So the authors whose work I worship are that of Anne Bishop, Sherrilyn Kenyon, JR Ward, Karen Marie Moning, Jim Butcher, Angie Sage, Joseph Delaney, Buffi BeCraft-Woodall and many more. Why? Because the story-telling quality of their work is absolutely superb! It does only transports you to another world, it grabs-the-reader-and-runs-away-with-you kind of book. Makes one forget that it’s lunchtime. That to me is serious business indeed! There are some books where you find your mind wondering while reading it though it should have all the good fantasy or romance elements. That story-telling quality I would call mediocre. Not bad, but not that good either.

Another quality I look for in a book as a reader is that the story needs to make sense. Sherrilyn Kenyon’s story-telling quality is superb with the gritty, fast-pace, kick-ass heroes/heroines. But with her Acheron book, there were a few “snags”. The story did not flow very smoothly because a couple of the scenes did not make sense. Like, how did Tory knew that Talon can’t shoot hoops, when the “explanatory line” that Talon can’t shoot hoops was written a page after the comment… It lost me there for a second while reading it. That is irritating!!

I also like a good ending. Let me quote Jim Butcher (http://jimbutcher.livejournal.com/3447.html) where he says that a story is like sex, you gotta give a reader a good climax or they will thrash your book. That is very true. L Fosters’ story-telling quality is five out of five, but her Servant: The Awakening ends in a cliff hanger. I would never buy another L Foster ever again. I called that a “reader-learned-her/his-lesson-experience” (RLHLE).

Another RLHLE is reading Ian Irvine where he cuts-up his story in three or four different threads. Ends a thread in two chapters and begins another in the next chapter. By the time the book goes back to the first thread, I have forgotten what the story was all about in that thread so I have to go back and read it again. Took me positively ages to finish the book! Avoided Ian Irvine ever since.

So, what does a reader wants from a reader’s point of view? A superb story-telling quality, has to make sense, an ending that gives a good climax and a book that does not give a reader a RLHLE. I know, I am a demanding reader. But, then, there are writers out there that delivers me these. So what do I do? I buy them. I tell my friends about them. I look forward to their next release.

~ Cherry De