Romance authors' keeper authors: Jane Austen, SEP and L.M. Montgomery
Today's featured authors: Alexandra Ivy, author of Blood Assassin; Amy Lillard, author of Courting Emily; and Lin Stepp, author of Makin' Miracles. They're sharing some of the books on their keeper shelves.
Alexandra Ivy, author of Blood Assassin
Three of my favorite books:
• Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen introduced me to the delightful pleasure of a comedy of manners. I was fascinated by the wit, the charm and the glimpse of a past where the glittering ton swirled through ballrooms. Sigh. Like millions of other women I tumbled into love with Darcy, which was why I started my career writing Regencies. This is the one book I re-read every single year.
• The Eye of the World (Wheel of Time) by Robert Jordan. I started my love for fantasy with Tolkien, but it was the Wheel of Time that really sucked me into epic fantasies. The sheer scope of the world he created was awe-inspiring, as well as his ability to take a huge cast of characters and make us care about each and every one of them. There was nothing I loved more than re-reading the books before the next one came out. It felt like visiting with old friends.
• Guilty Pleasures by Laurell K. Hamilton. I was blown away when I read this book. It was dark and sinful and so deliciously wicked. For once the hero wasn't entirely good. In fact, he bordered on evil. It was … decadent. Even more impressive, it kicked off the tidal wave of paranormal books that I was fortunate enough to be a part of.
About Blood Assassin:
Out of the shadows
At six-foot-three and two-hundred-fifty pounds, Fane is a natural born guardian. A flawless mix of muscled perfection and steely precision, he has devoted years of his life to protecting a beautiful necromancer. But after she found love in the arms of another, Fane has been a warrior adrift. He swears allegiance only to the Sentinels. And no woman will ever rule his heart again…
Into the fire
Not only a powerful psychic, Serra is that rare telepath who can connect to minds through objects. When the daughter of a high-blood businessman is kidnapped, Serra agrees to help. But when she stumbles onto a conspiracy involving secrets sects and ancient relics, her life is in mortal danger—and Fane is her only hope. Is the warrior willing to risk his body, his soul, and his heart, for Serra? Or will one last betrayal destroy them both?
Find out more at www.alexandraivy.com.
Amy Lillard, author of Courting Emily
I love books, real// books that I can hold in my hands and touch the pages. Don't get me wrong, I love my e-readers — both of them — but they don't give me the joy that I get from letting my gaze roam over my bookcase and the colorful spines of my favorite tomes.
Here are a few of my keepers …
• The Harry Potter Series. My obsession with Harry Potter is almost shameful, though I won't further embarrass myself and tell you how many times I've read them (seven). However, I can't read them while I'm working. They totally block my creativity, yet I love them all the same.
• Everything by LaVyrle Spencer. Though I am constantly picking and choosing what books I can keep, LaVyrle is on my keeper list. I can re-read these books one after the other and find more and more to love about them.
• Everything by Susan Elizabeth Phillips. Again, she's an author I can read again and again. When I get one of her books, I can't read it until I know when the next one is coming out. I may be the first one in line to buy it, but I have to savor it. She is my all-time-favorite romance author.
Unfortunately my house is cozy (read small) and I have to be choosy about my keeps. That just shows how much these books truly mean to me.
About Courting Emily:
Return to Wells Landing, the close-knit Amish community in Oklahoma, where a hopeful young woman struggles to find true love while staying true to her faith…
Emily Ebersol is the bishop's daughter, and everyone—including Emily—assumes she'll marry a faithful Amish man and live out her days within the community. But her childhood sweetheart, Luke Lambright, fell in love with racing cars during his rumspringa and decided to leave Wells Landing. Emily prays for his return, but as the months go by, she begins spending time with another young man—a man who may not be as exciting as Luke, but perhaps he's exactly what she needs…
Elam Riehl knows that Emily has always been in love with Luke—but he is certain he could be the loyal, steady husband Emily deserves. Then, just as Emily begins to fall for him, Luke returns and complicates her feelings. Now, they all must learn that the greatest love requires the greatest sacrifice…
Find out more at amywritesromance.com.
Lin Stepp, author of Makin' Miracles
Nothing has impacted my writing career more than being a reader.
• L.M. Montgomery's book Anne of Green Gables was one of the first books of my girlhood to impact me — to show me a "kindred spirit" who loved to read, loved to learn and who yearned for a life beyond the norm of most women of her era. Anne fanned the longings within me to accomplish and excel.
• In my late teens, I discovered Catherine Marshall's book Christy. Like Christy, I wanted to serve, to teach, to give — and was searching for my way to do so. Marshall's book made me desire to make a difference in the lives of others, caused me to hunger to teach and to dream of sharing, through writing, about the beauty of the Smoky Mountains.
• A non-fiction book, Og Mandino's University of Success, discovered in my college years, also influenced my life and thinking. Here I learned that the world pushes all softly toward mediocrity, does not encourage forging ahead after high dreams and visions, and that to rise to one's highest destiny would always demand courage and an independent walk, not always celebrated.
I think all my favorite books have always urged me to reach for the brass ring, to rise to my highest self and to my highest abilities.
About Makin' Miracles:
Set in Tennessee's postcard-perfect Smoky Mountains, Lin Stepp's Makin' Miracles is an inspiring tale that reveals why love and forgiveness are most important just when they seem most impossible…
Zola Devon has always been a little different. Half Tahitian, with long black hair and dark eyes, she's especially distinctive in the mountain town of Gatlinburg. She even stocks her gift shop, Nature's Corner, with items that reflect her island heritage and tantalize tourists. But it's her spot-on intuition that truly sets Zola apart. When she gets a hunch about a person, she's almost always right. And when the surly photographer who owns the gallery next door starts meddling in her business, she can only hope that, for once, her instincts are wrong.
The one thing Spencer Jackson loves more than his camera is the majestic scenery of the Smoky Mountains. Reeling from his painful past, he's settled in a cabin in the woods to train his lens on the breathtaking landscape. A woman as uniquely beguiling as Zola could only throw his simple, uncomplicated days into chaos—and force him to lay bare his darkest secrets. But as their lives become unavoidably intertwined, they both may discover the beauty of the truth, and the joy of the unexpected.
Find out more at www.linstepp.com.