Tammi
asked
Kristen Ashley:
What books do you recommend for someone who loves your writing? I have literally read everything published since 1982- Goodreads has been recommending 1970's romance novels to me with all those lovely Joan Collins do's on the cover :( I am stumped, and unless you need me to be your number one beta reader, and can pump out 3 novels a week, I have no idea who to read from here?
Kristen Ashley
Well, I don't know about books for people who love my writing but I can tell you what I've enjoyed reading:
Judith McNaught. If you've read everything since 1982, you've read her. But she's worth (a gazillion?) rereads.
Joanna Lindsey, Jude Deveraux, Julie Garwood as well. Back in the day when I read like you do, they were always but always my go-tos.
For recent reads I very much enjoyed, I read the first two in Jenn Bennett's "Roaring Twenties" series. I loved the first one. The second one is even better. I haven't had a chance to read the third but I've downloaded it. She's got a great voice and her characters are WONDERFUL.
Jill Shalvis is awesome. She's funny and she's real. It's been years since I've stopped reading to laugh out loud at a book. But I do with hers. As much as I enjoy Jill's humor, I enjoy more her honesty. Her characters to me seem honest. I don't know how to explain that feeling, you just have to read her books. She's fabulous.
I read Alessandra Torre's BLACK LIES and if you haven't read it, read it. It's exceptional. You might wonder why I'm saying that as you get into it but trust me. Just keep reading. And reading.
I recently discovered Joey W. Hill's erotica and lost myself in it for days. NATURAL LAW was my first. I then read ICE QUEEN and MIRROR OF MY SOUL. She's an extraordinary artist with words. I'm humbled by her talent. But she doesn't pull any punches with the erotica. However, she handles her readers with great care, almost an embrace, so I, personally, never felt unsafe even reading things I'd never read about in my life.
As a side note, Joey's NATURAL LAW is the inspiration behind my upcoming Honey series. I'd been wanting to write a BDSM with an alpha-sub, and playing with a certain story I never published for probably 6-7 years. She gave me the courage to go for it.
Annie Anderson's SCATTERED ASHES is an awesome ride. I finished it and wanted to read the next in the series immediately (there are now three). It's fantasy. It's kick butt. It's funny. It's full of action. Alas, my life and schedule doesn't allow for me to finish a book and immediately pick up the next. But like Jenn Bennett's last in her "Roaring Twenties" series, I'll definitely be following Annie's "Ashes to Ashes" series.
I also fell in love with Mia Sheridan's ARCHER'S VOICE. I won't say much about this because I don't want to spoil it for anyone but (like with Alessandra's BLACK LIES) the courage it took to write a hero like Archer is extraordinary. I love how romance is expanding so we writers can share with readers such unusual, beautiful, heart clenching tales. And ARCHER'S VOICE (as well as BL) are two standouts for me.
I'm going to be writing a book for 1,001 Dark Nights and so grabbed a couple of their novellas. I haven't read a lot of novellas but discovering 1,001 DN, I've found I love them. They're perfect for those times when you don't have a lot of time to lose yourself in a book like you want or to fall into something to make a plane ride seem shorter. My favorite so far is Rebecca Zanette's TEASED.
I hope that gives you something to go on...and opens you up to a lot of good things!
Judith McNaught. If you've read everything since 1982, you've read her. But she's worth (a gazillion?) rereads.
Joanna Lindsey, Jude Deveraux, Julie Garwood as well. Back in the day when I read like you do, they were always but always my go-tos.
For recent reads I very much enjoyed, I read the first two in Jenn Bennett's "Roaring Twenties" series. I loved the first one. The second one is even better. I haven't had a chance to read the third but I've downloaded it. She's got a great voice and her characters are WONDERFUL.
Jill Shalvis is awesome. She's funny and she's real. It's been years since I've stopped reading to laugh out loud at a book. But I do with hers. As much as I enjoy Jill's humor, I enjoy more her honesty. Her characters to me seem honest. I don't know how to explain that feeling, you just have to read her books. She's fabulous.
I read Alessandra Torre's BLACK LIES and if you haven't read it, read it. It's exceptional. You might wonder why I'm saying that as you get into it but trust me. Just keep reading. And reading.
I recently discovered Joey W. Hill's erotica and lost myself in it for days. NATURAL LAW was my first. I then read ICE QUEEN and MIRROR OF MY SOUL. She's an extraordinary artist with words. I'm humbled by her talent. But she doesn't pull any punches with the erotica. However, she handles her readers with great care, almost an embrace, so I, personally, never felt unsafe even reading things I'd never read about in my life.
As a side note, Joey's NATURAL LAW is the inspiration behind my upcoming Honey series. I'd been wanting to write a BDSM with an alpha-sub, and playing with a certain story I never published for probably 6-7 years. She gave me the courage to go for it.
Annie Anderson's SCATTERED ASHES is an awesome ride. I finished it and wanted to read the next in the series immediately (there are now three). It's fantasy. It's kick butt. It's funny. It's full of action. Alas, my life and schedule doesn't allow for me to finish a book and immediately pick up the next. But like Jenn Bennett's last in her "Roaring Twenties" series, I'll definitely be following Annie's "Ashes to Ashes" series.
I also fell in love with Mia Sheridan's ARCHER'S VOICE. I won't say much about this because I don't want to spoil it for anyone but (like with Alessandra's BLACK LIES) the courage it took to write a hero like Archer is extraordinary. I love how romance is expanding so we writers can share with readers such unusual, beautiful, heart clenching tales. And ARCHER'S VOICE (as well as BL) are two standouts for me.
I'm going to be writing a book for 1,001 Dark Nights and so grabbed a couple of their novellas. I haven't read a lot of novellas but discovering 1,001 DN, I've found I love them. They're perfect for those times when you don't have a lot of time to lose yourself in a book like you want or to fall into something to make a plane ride seem shorter. My favorite so far is Rebecca Zanette's TEASED.
I hope that gives you something to go on...and opens you up to a lot of good things!
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