Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Welcome to the world, little bookie


Last week my sixth novel, Eternal Kiss of Darkness, was pushed out into the world. Don’t worry, I’m not going to do that cliché thing and say that my book is my “baby” in this post. A book is not the same thing as a baby. I know this because I’ve seen my two sisters give birth, and while producing a novel is a long, sometimes painful process, there’s (usually) a lot less blood, pain killers, and screaming involved ;-).

Still, a book release is a time of excitement, nervousness, exhilaration, and a few pangs of letting go, too. For the past year and a half (yes, that’s about how it takes from when I start writing a book to when it hits the shelves) these characters and this story was exclusively mine. It started out as an idea about two people that I kept churning around in my head until it became more than a few abstract scene fragments with Mencheres and Kira. Then once I started writing their book, the real growth spurt began. I’ve admitted before to being more of a “pantser” than a plotter, so writing a novel for me consists of about 30% pre-conceived plot and 70% “whoa, I didn’t know that was going to happen! I love you, subconscious. You’re much more interesting than I am!”

By the time I’m done with the novel, I’ve delved far more deeply into existing characters I *thought* I had figured out, plus I’ve met new characters who tease me with interesting glimpses into their pasts, too. Then, once the first draft is completed, I go back and smooth out the spots where I can more clearly see that I’ve gotten off track with the story. Once that’s done, I send it to my critt partner, who is wonderfully blunt in pointing out what’s still off track. After that’s done, it goes to my editor, who will point out yet more ways that I can improve the story. A copyeditor takes her crack at it next, then a managing copyeditor, and finally, back it goes to me for one more set of fine-tuning. Throughout this entire process, the book is still – ultimately – mine. Yet something amazing happens on release day: the book morphs from something that was mine into something that – ultimately – belongs to others.

My little bookie, all grown up, doesn’t need me anymore. My only function at this point is to step back and leave it to the people that it belongs to from now on: readers. I hope you enjoy it, readers, but if you don’t, you won’t catch me screeching “how can you say something bad about mah bay-bee??!” because really, it’s not mine anymore. It’s yours :).

And to celebrate the changing of the guard on Eternal Kiss of Darkness, I’m offering a giveaway. Grand prize, a hardcover edition of the book (if you didn’t know it, EKOD is available in hardcover from Rhapsody Book Club) shipped to anywhere in the world the winner lives. Second prize, two winners will receive the mass market edition of EKOD, also shipped wherever in the world they may live. Winners will be chosen by Randomizer. To enter the contest, simply leave a comment telling me what you enjoy most about reading. Contest opens now and closes on Saturday the 7th at 11:59pm EST.



Good luck!
Jeaniene Frost

98 comments:

Sue S. said...

What do I enjoy most about reading - it has nothing to do with housework/dishes/laundry/cooking dinner/regular work at work . It is my own time - I can start reading when i want too and stop (or not in my case) when I want to.

Crazy for words said...

That's probably the most interesting way anyone has put the process. ^_^

What I enjoy most about reading is putting myself in someone else's shoes. Reading gives me a much needed escape from dishes and sisters and cats that don't listen. Lol. It's like a mini, exciting vacation I can take whenever I peak at the pages.

-Em
megan[DOT]salgado[AT]gmail.com

Renee said...

I love the escapism of reading. Falling completely into a different world and falling in love with the characters. I think that's why I love series so much, I get to know them and follow them for a multiple books, it's like we're pals. God, I love reading!!!

Lea @ The Yearning Mermaid said...

Entering different worlds is what I enjoy most about reading.
-Lea-

Emmi said...

What I enjoy most about reading is the fact that it can occupy you many hours and distract you from all the bad things that happen in your life - and afterwards you don't feel taht the time was wasted. :)

Vivi Dumas said...

I love the fact the I can delve into a whole other world outside of my real life and the fact that it's so much more exciting:)

Unknown said...

Reading is the ultimate escape for me... you can get lost in so many different worlds and lives without moving an inch and that is priceless =D

larissa@larissaslife.com

Unknown said...

I enjoy reading at home, early in the morning before the demands of motherhood and my day job consume all of my time. I get up an hour before necessary to read. My husband thinks I'm crazy, but for that one hour I can be anywhere that an author can take me. It feels good to have someone else drive my brain and I consider it totally release from the angst of my average day. 3/4 of the way through the new book and I'm so happy that I have yet to be dissappointed. Keep pushing out such truly wonderful stories.

Apey said...

There are a million and one reasons why I love reading but the biggest one is probably the characters. I love reading about how characters react to situations, how they respond to different feeligns and emotions, and I love hearing about their past and the hardships they've been through that have made them who they are. It's very cool to find a character that resembles me or is maybe the complete opposite and i get to see how they think. It may sound odd but each person (whether they be fiction or not) teaches me something new.

Debi Murray said...

Reading is an escape for me. I love to read a good story about others that takes me out of myself and my daily life. Some of those stories make me want to join in that world, others make me glad I have the life I have. Reading enriches my world and makes it easier to live in it gracefully.

Jennifer Mathis said...

what i enjoy is I sit down and pretend it's quiet and go to places my otherwise boring laugh would never see

meandi09@yahoo.com

Bethany said...

what do i enjoy most about reading?? well, there are the characters that stay with you even after you've finished the last page. there are the plot lines that just make you sit back and smile and wonder how someone could have thought of it. and then, in romances, there's always really great kissing.

Hmmm, i love it all!

And i love jeaniene!

cjanet said...

My favorite part of reading is the escape. I go from my life, stress, whatever - and I lose myself in someone else's world. I can escape and enjoy the ride. My favorite place to read is in the tub - but I take my book everywhere I go and will read at anytime. Reading, to me, is pure bliss. :) :)

Crystal @ RBtWBC said...

I just LOVE reading and there are a ton of reasons why. I think everyone so far has put down at least one reason that I love reading too. =)
I guess the main thing is just falling into a different world then your own and experiencing life through someone else. The good, the bad, the sexy & exciting...
Sometimes it's done for relaxing, sometimes for escape and a lot of times because I just can't put the dang thing down - I need to see what happens next! LoL

Please don't enter me in the giveaway, I already have this great book and had it signed at RWA. Thank You!!!!! Loved Mencheres & Kira, thanks for the Cat & Bones teaser at the end. Can't wait till Feb. About to read One for the Money now. =D

Candace Blackburn said...

Before answering this, I glanced over at the monster bookcase which is literally filled with what I have read over the last year and a half. At last count, there were 500 books (and the shelves are moaning). There is an escapist element here. Sitting with my son at Duke while they tested him for cystic fibrosis (thankfully negative), I read I Hope They Serve Beer In Hell and somehow managed to laugh. When I, to my utter dismay, figured out that the wing seat was the loudest damned seat on the plane, I dug Sundays at Tiffanys out of my bag and distracted myself from the fact I was sitting on a glorified bus with wings. On the way to Orlando last week on I95, I read about a 4000 year old Egyptian vampire and laughed myself to tears at him in Disney clothes. And then I did a little fan girl sigh at a certain Eastern European vamp who fuels fantasies in my brain. I started writing seriously two years ago and needed to read for research and found out that this is the best damned research on the planet. So, I have a small library in the corner of my bedroom...BFD. As far as addictions go, mine ain't so bad. I read for enjoyment, escapism, fan girl swoons and a little bit of research.

Candy Revolinski said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
sam camp said...

Mine is a simple comment really. I love the escapism. Losing myself totally in the story, zoning out my surroundings and just living the story with the characters. thats what i love about reading a good book. ;0)

Candy Revolinski said...

First of all, thank you, for the great entertainment.

Reading, for me, is a way to broaden my horizons. I love to learn about new ideas, and different perspectives. I also love the escape into the author's and my imagination.

Ashley said...

Reading is my escape. It helps me to relax and it's the one thing I love that is exclusively mine and I don't have to share with anyone else ;)

Sharon S. said...

Reading is my own little vacation. I get to go where ever the characters take me ;)

Katie said...

What I love about reading is that I get to go places that I would probably never go on my own and do things that I would never do. I guess you would call it escapism, but it is just good exercise for my brain.

Bethany C. said...

I love being able to submerse myself in new creative worlds. It doesn't help that I have wanderlust and have never been able to travel.

Kendra said...

What I love about reading....escapism!

Van Pham said...

what i love about reading is that it lets me escape the everyday reality and is a great stress reliever. I ran read for hour and time flies by.

KerrelynSparks said...

What I love about reading-- diving into books like yours!
Wishing you tons of sales and great booksignings!

Sweet Rachel! said...

The sound of a new book cracking, the warmth it spreads within, the smell and the sight of new story reading, and the joy i'm about to begin. What with wonders and life of of a new world resounding, the breath of a new book is ever astounding.

What I love most is every feeling in my poem and more! Reading is my vice, my crutch, and my love!

Edwin said...

What I love most is the ability to suck in a new story, to get away from Biochemical Engineering for a while

Sullivan McPig said...

What I enjoy most about reading is when a story completely captures me and draws me in. When the real world is lost to me and the only 'real' thing at that moment is the story. When I read about a cold, dark place for example and when I finish reading I'm surprised to see it's sunny and warm.

Aleana said...

I love the ability to take the story anywhere! except maybe the shower. You can read on an airplane, in bed, wherever you have your wonderful story you have another world!

Jessica @ a GREAT read said...

Ooh that's a loooong answer!

I've always loved reading and the best way I can explain it is that I love getting lost in another world. I played games as a kid where we created our own little world where anything is possible, which I actually wrote into a short story back then--it's hilarious because it doesn't make sense!

But anyway, I basically love the escape from reality. Yet the settings and everything else in urban fantasy leads you to believe you're in reality, just a different kind of reality where anything is possible! I love the possibilities that reading can hold for you.

I love getting lost, I love the possibilities, I love the characters, the worlds that are like our real one and yet not.

Reading is my passion, just as writing is. I love the sense of possibilities!

Hopefully that answers the question in a coherent manner. :)

Audrey Coley Photography said...

Reading is a way for me to escape, and also let my brain rest. Jeaniene, your books are my savior! I want you to know how much you really do make a difference in peoples lives with your books. I have been more inspired, more creative, and happier since I started reading. I am a stay at home mom with a portrait photography business. Those who say they don't have time to read are wrong. Reading is everything for me! Thank you Jeaniene!!!

CrystalGB said...

What I love most about reading is that you can "travel" to places you might never get to visit in real life and meet amazing characters that draw you into their story where you get to experience their adventures, and witness their journey to finding love.

Anonymous said...

I really loved the story. I was caught up in the history of Mencheres. I think you weaved that so well! I really believed it!
Kira was a believable character that really complemented Mencheres. Gutsy and still compassionate.
Thank you so much. I have to say I'm waiting with bated breathe for Ian's story. Hint, hint!

cheesecake.thief59 said...

I love reading because it can take me ANYWHERE. It can take me to the past to fly with dragons or it can take me to the future to fly in a spaceship with a robotic werewolf. With reading, anything is possible.

Victoria said...

Thanks for the wonderful contest.
What I love most about reading is that it takes me away from the boredom that everyday life can become. With your books I so enjoy the characters having real flaws and realistic life encounters. Thanks.

e.carodiaz said...

why i enjoy reading books?

i think i enjoy the book because is a different world where you can imagine yourself as the main character and them once you are sleep you can dream and start something new in your head with all this character that you like and in the end what really important is that you use your imagination to see more that just what is infrom of you and that what book are for me a form of Art that let you see things that you can never see on tv is open to everyone i want i see is not the same as anyone else.
book let you explore new worlds new ideas and it let you be ANYWHERE in the world in a different world or even let aliens be free in earth or vampire be open in the world is just let the author give you the idea and you would meet someone in the other side of the book.
for book there is no posibility is just a open for what ever way you would like to go.

e.carodiaz said...

why i enjoy reading books?

i think i enjoy the book because is a different world where you can imagine yourself as the main character and them once you are sleep you can dream and start something new in your head with all this character that you like and in the end what really important is that you use your imagination to see more that just what is infrom of you and that what book are for me a form of Art that let you see things that you can never see on tv is open to everyone i want i see is not the same as anyone else.
book let you explore new worlds new ideas and it let you be ANYWHERE in the world in a different world or even let aliens be free in earth or vampire be open in the world is just let the author give you the idea and you would meet someone in the other side of the book.
for book there is no posibility is just a open for what ever way you would like to go.

Stacey said...

What a deep question if we want it to be :)

What do I enjoy most about reading....it's the escape. being able to explore new places on a small budget, be someone else for awhile, make a new friend! There are so many positives!

Nicole BV said...

What I enjoy most about reading is that you can escape into that world. I especially love it when you forget about everything around you and just get lost in the story <3

Dani said...

Lo que más disfruto de leer libros es desconectarme del mundo y poder entrar a otro. Lo mejor de leer es poder distraerte un rato y olvidarte de las presiones de la vida real, del trabajo estudios familia... Leer renueva el alma :D

Jaz.parks

dani(dot)prmr(at)hotmail(dot)com

mischievousmaya said...

The thing I love most about reading is being drawn into a new world, losing myself in the words of the author and letting my imagination take over. There's something exciting about opening a new book and reading it for the first time - a new adventure and new people, or visiting with characters that you've known for years... There's such expectation when you read the first page, such optimism about where the story will take you. Reading is an escape from the doldrums and tediousness of real world life and just for a while, you can be someone else.

Jenny and Aaron's Baby Blog said...

what I love about reading is getting to "meet" new and interesting characters and getting to see where their world takes them.

Jenny

Ginxfile said...

What I love about reading? I love to the escape from reality. No matter what is going on in my life at the time, I can pick up a good book and relax.

Anonymous said...

As a reader I enjoy the idea of escaping from reality for a couple of hours. I don't have to worry about everyday problems. I just love the fact I can immerse myself in a world that an author has created. Ms. Frost has done just that, created a world where you can totally escape to. Sometimes I wish I could be one of the characters in her books. Thanks for the great writing.

Jenn said...

I enjoy the escape that reading offers me. I work 14 hour days sometimes, and reading gives me a mini-vacation in the middle of the day. I take my hour lunch, find a cafe and set back in a booth to read while I wait for my lunch. I've also noticed that I sleep more soundly through the night if I've read a chapter or 3 right before bed.

Jackie Uhrmacher said...

It's all about escape. I have a toddler and two jobs, so anytime I can turn off my brain and just enjoy something is a good time indeed!

Lori B said...

I love reading because it takes my mind to a place with more possibilities, intrigue, and drama than a real day to day can supply. I like placing myself in the heroine's shoes and trying to figure out where the plot will take me next. It's a release from the everyday grind and routine based society we live in today. So thanks for the escape!!! Lori B

INCiDeNT (Kayleigh) said...

Characters I can root for, put myself in peril for (aka. putting off dinner and remaining awake in the ungodly hours of the morning), engages and/or rips emotion from me and submerges me in a plot and world I would love to be a part of.

They act as an escape from reality, something we can delve into within the relative safety of our own homes. Something I adore.

donnas said...

I like all the different worlds and characters you get to meet though books. Plus its fun to escape and pretend for a little while.

Danielle said...

What I love most about reading is that no matter what is happening in my life, good or bad I can read and escape to another world.

Melissa (Books and Things) said...

I love getting lost in a new world, or learning about something new.

I can't wait to read this book!!!

Regan Hinson said...

I love getting away from "everything" and going to a new life within the books. It's something I can do without involving anyone else, unless my daughter read it too and then we can chat about it. Good bonding with the girls.

mullen said...

I love picking up a book and losing myself in another world.There's nothing that a book doesn't offer. I don't think there's a book out there that doesn't make you feel something about it.I've had books that have had me in tears until I couldn't read anymore and I've had books that have left me smiling for days.Nothing will compare to what books do for me.Escapism is the perfect word for books and one of the many reasons I read.But really, who doesn't want to fall in love?Who doesn't want to go to a world that reflects nothing from where you are to where you'll go. Thanks for such great stories!

Alicia0385 said...

What I love about reading is that it allows me an escape from the everyday world. Since all I read is paranormal then it allows me to explore a different more exciting world!!

aliciahall0605(AT)yahoo(DOT)com

Cheryl McInnis said...

I definitely love reading as a way to escape from reality for awhile. It's the perfect way to get some "me" time :-)

Patricia Lynne said...

I love the worlds created. I get so sucked into them, that the world around me literally disappears. And when authors really get into those worlds and create languages (JRR Tolkin for example) and histories I fall even farther. =D

Nicole said...

What I enjoy most about reading...hmm, only one? ;). First, I love just being able to get away from real life (which is partly why I've switched genres that I read...prior to law school...mystery, criminal fiction, psych thrillers...post law school...UF/Paranormal :D). I've been an avid reader since I was young. I've always enjoyed books. I love the creativity of the authors, it's something I just don't have. So many things I love...but I'll end my rant here.

Oh and Jeaniene...I really don't understand how someone could *not* just love your books! Looking forward to my copy of DEV (One for the Money) and TSOTG!

Brandy B aka Brandlwyne said...

It is hard for me to say just 1 thing that I like about reading... I love that reading takes me to another place and time, I can go anywhere and forget my problems and concentrate on someone elses, lol It is just magical to me and if I couldn't read I'd loose my mind =)

-Brandy
brandyzbooks@yahoo.com

nymfaux said...

Congratulations!!!!!! That's so AMAZING!!!!!!!--And I don't think you'll have to worry about people not liking it--There was a blog hop meme last week, where the question was "Which author are you most excited about?"--There were over 100 blogs on the list, and I heard your name by far the most often!!!

As for what excites me about reading...EVERYTHING!!!! The stories, the places, the adventures, the characters...When I read a new (or old) story, it's like going on the most exciting rides and hearing the juiciest secrets...it's the sense of awe and wonder and magic, or love and heartbreak, or sometimes just a time-out from (my) reality...I love everything!!!!

And congrats again on your book release!!!!

CaitieScott said...

what i love most about reading is the places it can take you, they can take you place you could never go. Take you on adventure that you didn't think possible. Best of all you can actually know the characters in way you could never really no a person. When i need to get away a book can take me miles and miles away to a place where i am free and happy and strong and powerful. i love reading because of where it takes me and how it can make me feel when i find the right author and the right book. reading is my life as obsessive and sad as that may sound that's all i do and one day i hope to be an incredible author so i can give others have that feeling as well. there's just to many good things about reading to name them all. that's why i mainly read fiction, ya, paranormal, supernatural, ect. i love to get away into whole other world. like i said just to much to name i could go on for hours.

Deana H. said...

You know what I enjoy most about reading is the escapism. I can leave my totally boring life and have adventure. Simple as that.

Trader Mare said...

Thanks for sharing your baby with us Jeaniene!

Reading can take you to places you will never go, make you feel things that you might never feel, and show you a different point of view than your own. there's nothing like a good story that draws you in with plot and characters! I've been reading since I was a young child, going to the library with my mom every week.

Unknown said...

What I love most about reading is the escape from my daily like and issues. I get to take a mini vacation each time I open a book. I also love getting involved with the characters to the point where it feels like I know them personally.


Stephanie G
sgradel(at)gmail(dot)com

heatwave16 said...

I love to be able to leave all of my worries behind and escape into a new world. It refreshes my mind and let's my imagination exercise.

heatwave96(at)hotmail.com

TracyW said...

I really enjoy reading because it gives you a chance to escape into this new world with interesting new people!

Kt Clapsadl said...

The thing I enjoy most about reading is being able to escape from the everyday demands placed on me. I love being so submersed in a book that all the emotions are real. I love laughing and crying with the characters.

Lisa said...

Like so many others, I just love the escape! Working mom of 4 children...it's the only *me* time I have all day long. And I love it!

Nicole said...

I love that when I read a book, I can get away from my life and escape into crazy and wonderful worlds. It lets my imagination run wild and I love it!

Tori [Book Faery] said...

I love being able to escape via a good story. Also, it's always so much fun being able to daydream about being a character in the story--assuming said story pulls me in--and start imagining different scenes happening because I'm there :)

JenM said...

Reading is the one activity in which I can totally occupy my brain and turn off the rest of the world. In addition, I've learned so much from the books I've read. My friends are always amazed at the number of useless factoids floating around in my head and it's all due to the books that I read.

A'lina said...

What I love about reading is the escape. I'm a daydreamer and when I get pulled into a story it's like watching a movie in my head. I love it!

Ash Wolf said...

What I love about reading is being introduced to new characters. Or in the case of series, finding out new information about characters I love. (In your series, I want to learn more about Vlad. He's my fav.)
I love that it doesn't take more than my imagination and reading ability to make the story come alive. I'll stop in the middle of scenes and picture myself there and what I would be doing in that scene if I could be there.
I love that I can't put it down, or am reluctant to put down and HAVE to do something else, (like work)when I'm really into it.
And I love that the characters seem to have more pressing or serious problems than the ones I'm dealing with in my own life.

Helen Lowe said...

That's a great way of looking at the process, Jeaniene--& may 'Eternal Kiss' sell a million!

mariska said...

oh, I WANT THIS ! I WANT THIS !
I've been enjoying my time diving into your world Jeaniene. So lucky when i won the first 4 books of Night Huntress series here. That's why i want EKOD so MUCH !!

what you enjoy most about reading, i can BE where ever THe book Ask me To be !
Escape to another world, even i'm reading the book in my bedroom, or while waiting my 4 yos son at his school :)

Shari C said...

I love to read and sometimes escape the normal every day routine of work and life. Reading can take me to wonderful places I will never actually get to see or places that don't exist, but I can picture in my mind and feel like I am there. I also find when I read I can have 'happy' times and endings instead of the sad and awful realities in listening to the news and reading the paper. I need to have these 'happy' times to make me feel better and keep a smile on my face when I come back to 'my world'.

Violet said...

I love immersing myself in books about phenomenal adventures, inspiring heroines, and delicious heroes because having a great book on hand is like having a mini-vacation awaiting you in the middle of a hectic day. Love it! :)

Sue S. said...

I like reading because it helps me relax. It takes my mind away from the stress of daily life and for just a few minutes I can be absorbed in the story.

Lena said...

what i love most about reading is... *drum roll*... completely diving into a story, forgetting my surroundings for a short time and resurfacing with new knowledge. Not many books can meet these requirements, but no worries, Jeaniene, your bah-bee is doing quite well. :)

Raven said...

What I enjoy most about reading is being able to visit other worlds in my mind.
Sometimes life is hard and a good book can take you away to another place, even for a short while, where fantastic things happen to amazing people.
Occasionally, their problems are bigger and badder than ours and it puts life into perspective or make us appreciate our own reality that much more.
Books feed my imagination and let me forget my troubles. THAT'S what I love most about reading, in a nutshell.
Thanks, Jeaniene.

RFTC Blog said...

I enjoy being able to escape. To be able to go into another world that is completely opposite of mine.

Melissa said...

I love to read because it transports me to different places - some real and some not. I get to use my imagination because in my job I don't get to use that part of my brain.

The book is on my next in my TBR pile.

Elizabeth Kolodziej said...

What I enjoy most about reading is getting away from reality for a little while. I like loosing myself in another persons life. Also, its the magic and romance involved that I desire and wish I had more of in my life. But in a way I live vicariously through the characters life.

Liz Kolodziej ^_^

Elizabeth Kolodziej said...

What I enjoy most about reading is getting away from reality for a little while. I like loosing myself in another persons life. Also, its the magic and romance involved that I desire and wish I had more of in my life. But in a way I live vicariously through the characters life.

Liz Kolodziej ^_^

Brenda Hyde said...

Congrats on the new release-- your books always rock:)

I love reading for so many reasons-- it allows us to kick evil's butt through the character's...it takes me to awesome worlds where magic is real, and supernatural beings have awesome kick-ass powers. Books are escapism, but at the same time good books are comforting too. I like to whip out favorites and read a chapter or two that I especially love. (Like the first time Bones & Cat dance.)

wayfaringwriter at gmail.com

felinewyvern said...

I love reading because it enables me to be someone else or somewhere else for the length of the book.

Who wouldn't want to be riding a dragon, fighting vampires or any other exciting adventure instead of standing at an ironing board doing housework?

Carrie S. said...

Books are a great way for escaping reality! I love getting lost into other worlds where the impossible is made possible!

Unknown said...

Everything! I love going into a different world for a while. I love the characters, *cough* Bones *coughs* I love the connection between the characters. If the authors have a funny streak, I always enjoy reading funny things *cough* Ian.

OMG Hi Kerrelyn! Your WAY up there!
I cant wait till your next books! <3 your series!

Thanks Jeaniene! Did I mention I got my mom into your books as well, though there is no way she loves your books more than I do....which is with with my whole heart!

Leilani
vampiregirl813 @ Gmail . com

katsrus said...

What I enjoyed most about reading is the surprise of finding a great new book or author. And just being about to imerse yourself in a book. Like it's just you and the book. Just for a little while.
Sue b
katsrus(at)gmail(dot)com

Unknown said...

I enjoy the escape into another reality! It lets me leave the madness of this world behind, and join a magical world.

Thanks for the contest!
ferretvamp14[at]live[dot]com

Laura said...

Reading keeps me sane. Good times or bad, books are there for me, for everyone. I can escape, I can travel, I can experience things that I wouldn't in my daily life. It opens up my imagination to possibilities and, maybe, impossibilities... (is anything really impossible?). Reading makes me question, makes me feel, makes me think, makes me wonder. Reading makes me happy.

Laura said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Rachel said...

I actually struggled to answer this question, so major kudos for making me really think and delve into myself.
The simple answer of course is the escape. I haven't always had a good or easy life and reading has been a way for me to feel something other, be something more, go somewhere else for just a little while.

But like most things in life my love of reading has evolved into something more. Something that is now close to spiritual. The words the rhythm of the prose. All of it has more meaning. The better the story, the more interesting the charaters and the truth hidden in the lies (what else are books and movies but creative lies?) the more touched I am.

When I am able to truely fall into a good book and lose myself I live the chracter's struggles and feel what they feel and when I finally close the book and take thyat deep breath- I can breathe easier. Something inside has loosened and the pain I carry with me feels lessened.

To make a really long ramble short. I enjoy reading because it is a cathartic experience.


rachel(dot)coldsmom(at)gmail(dot) come

Carrie S. said...

It's been said, but books are just a great escape from reality to me! I love leaving this world behind and getting lost in a good book!

Carol L. said...

Who doesn't love to escape with new friends and worlds. I started reading very young and I am definitely a book addict. :)I love escaping into other worlds and meeting all these new characters and hanging out in places like beautiful Scotland in the past and present.
Carol L.
Lucky4750@aol.com

Lisa B. said...

I love the escape reading brings. You can take off and enter another world, feel what the characters feel, experience everything they do, but in the end you can come back to your favorite comfy chair, waiting for the next adventure.

nymfaux said...

@Lisa B.--I was just reading your comment, and thinking, "I wonder if that's what Captain Picard thinks?" ;)

Unknown said...

Love all your books please keep writing.

Katie Dalton said...

Enjoyed the book, cant wait for more! Can we get an Ian spin off book? Please! Or Vlad? extra please!
Anyone whos interested can check out my review http://ismellsheep.blogspot.com/