What Started it all....

What started it all... Well, I loved reading all through middle school... My first 'adult' book was Flowers in the Attic by V.C. Andrews. I was thirteen at the time... I read the next two books after that... But, I just thought there was a little too much incest in there for me... My mom gave me A Lion's Lady by Julie Garwood and I fell in love... I consumed books after that... Julie Garwood, Jude Deveraux, and Johanna Lindsey were like a drug to me... I didn't read my first paranormal book until I was seventeen. Blood and Chocolate. Now, I must say the movie industry did nothing for this book. The book blows the movie out of the water... They didn't even follow closely to the plot of the book.
After that I didn't really read any more paranormal until 2008... Charlaine Harris. She pulled me back into the whole paranormal scene. Yes, I have read the Twilight books, but they don't really do a whole lot for me. I'm not trying to disuade anyone from reading them or insult them for loving them but I just don't think they are all that. I find them somewhat boring.
Now, you give me a Larissa Ione, Caris Roane, Keri Arthur, Kresley Cole, Gena Showalter, J.R. Ward, or even Charlene Teqlia and I'm on board. Give me that steamy stuff with a touch of paranormal and I'm all in.
WHen you're writing, reading is a very important tool. You have to give yourself a break from the world inside your mind and dive into someone else's for a while. I remember I wrote my first cool story my senior year of high school. I loved it. I had tried writing in middle school, but it wasn't any good. I just didn't have a good grasp on it, yet.
Then, when I got married I attempted it a couple more times. It takes a few tries to get the hang of it. I finally made another attempt in 2009. I plotted and outlined my story to death. I have learned that while this may work for other writers this just doesn't work for me. Everytime I try to make my characters do something, they decide to take a totally different route. Finally, in 2011 I had a completed novel. I was so proud of myself. Now, in 2012 I have started two more novels and still haven't gotten anyone to take my first one. But, I haven't given up hope. Somewhere out there is the right agent for me... We just haven't found each other yet...