The Alchemy of a Good Book

I love the word alchemy. It’s one of my favorite words actually, and I’m pretty sure one day I’ll either have a character who’s an alchemist or a book title named that in some fashion. So what is alchemy exactly, and how does it relate to books?

Here’s one definition of alchemy I found:

any magical power or process of transmuting a common substance, usually of little value, into a substance of great value.

All books are valuable, I think. But a book’s true value is in its enjoyment. Not everyone likes the same thing, so of course, not everyone enjoys the same books. What you find icky might get me all hot and bothered, or vice versa. But to me, it requires a certain alchemy for a writer to compose a story and a reader to find such resonance in letters on a page that they cry, or laugh, or get turned on – or maybe even all three! That’s definitely magic. To be transported from whatever your life’s circumstances are to another place, maybe another time, and for you to walk in the shoes of another...wow, powerful stuff.

When you get sucked into a story, sometimes you stop seeing the parts. You don’t see an author’s clunky sentences or how the hero’s eyes were blue on pg. 10 but now they’re green on pg. 30. You believe in the story this author has crafted. Writers are readers first, and I know I definitely wanted to give the gift of belief to someone else with my books. It’s such an amazing thing, and rare too, because all too often the alchemy doesn’t happen. You’re NOT sucked in for whatever reason, and you just don’t buy into the world the author’s created. But when you are...gosh, it's just like falling in love. You don't see the flaws, you only see the good things.

I just finished Just My Type by Erin Nicholas. It's my second book of hers and I've loved them both. What's the latest book you've loved?