Maureen Morrissey

When I was young, I was obsessed with sci fi. Asimov, Bradbury, the Dune series, you name it, I gobbled it up. I also loved books by Judy Blume, Beverly Clearly and anything with a strong girl character; think Harriet the Spy and Jennifer, Hecate, Macbeth, William McKinley, and Me, Elizabeth, as well as Mixed Up Files by EL Konigsburg. As a teen and into college age, I got into Stephen King. My first book was Salem's Lot and I got bit hard. Literally. Now I enjoy historical fiction and narrative nonfiction like The Mayflower. So interesting to think about my journey as a reader! What has yours been like?

Summer is coming, and when I was teaching, that meant time to read a ton of books from my TBR pile. Now that I retired and am writing full time, I still plan to make sure I do a lot of Summer reading, outside on a chaise lounge in the lovely warm sun. I do love Winter reading, too; fireside with a mug of tea...What is your favorite season for reading?

I am enjoying a book I'm reading, even though it is not the best-written thing I've read. The story shines through and is fascinating in spite of its issues. Has this happened to you?

I am reluctant to admit this, but before I wrote my first novel I did not read prologues, poetry and quotes, and end matter like Notes from the Author. Now I realize how important these features are to imparting the deeper meaning of novels. Do you read these, or skip them?

Have you ever not finished reading a book? It's called a DNF in GoodReadspeak, and I rarely do it, especially now that I have written two novels and know how much work goes into it. I believe every writer of novels has an important message to impart, and that every book has gems hidden in it. Sometimes I pick a book back up that I could not wade through and find I enjoy it after all.

What makes you DNF a book?