Saturday, June 28, 2008

I've created a monster!



I have this really, really wonderful friend who for today, we'll call T. T never really read much romance. She read chick-lit kind of stuff from time to time but not a lot of romance or erotic romance. When I became published, being the amazing friend she is, she picked up my books and read them. She realized how much she loved reading. With a husband, three girls and a foster boy she's very busy and had let her reading suffer because of it. She decided to make time for reading again since it brought her so much pleasure. She'd go to the bookstore, call me, and I'd give her names of some of my favorite authors that I thought she might like. I knew she liked comedy and light stuff so I started her out with authors like Rachel Gibson and Erin McCarthy (she's the HUGEST Erin fan now :). After she made her way through most of Erin's contemporary romances and books by a few other authors, I mentioned paranormal romance for the first time. She was hesitant. She didn't think they were something she would like. I told her I felt the same way until my local bookstore friend finally talked me into reading one and now its one of my favorite genres. After a great deal of begging and pleading by me (I even went to Amazon, ordered the first Dark-Hunter book and had it delivered to her house) she read her first paranormal. Guess what??? She loved it! Could this be a fluke or did she really like paranormal? She'd never been a fan of paranormal shows on TV or anything like that so we weren't sure if this was a one shot kind of thing or if she was like me and she found that she had a love for paranormal books.

To put her book reading preference to the test, since shes such a huge Erin McCarthy fan, she picked up her darker paranormal book, My Immortal. I'll say it again, guess what?? She not only loved the book but its one of her all time favorites! We just got of the phone, she's totally jazzed because Erin's second book in her Seven Deadly Sin's series, Fallen, just showed up in the mail. After that she tells me she has books 1-9in the Dark Hunter series! Holy cow! When did that happen? She's become a die-hard paranormal fan right under my nose! T's wondering when and how it happened as well and I'm sitting back with a smile on my face because I brought her over to the dark side with me. Muahahaha! Hopefully I'll never catch her hubby on the phone because he might not think this is all such a good thing, LOL. She now buys more books than I do!


My question for today is, have you ever had something, books, movies, hobbies, anything, that you just KNEW you'd hate but found out you really LOVED? Have you created any book buying monsters? I think its something we should all do at least once in our lives :)

I love ya, T :)

10 comments:

Cindy said...

Hey Kelley,I actually didn't think I would like paranormal when I started reading,but like you, with your friend,someone talked me in to trying one,& I have been hooked ever since.
On to creating a monster,I was showing my Father-in-law(who I call Pop's) my e book reader & how it worked, well,I was reading Tasting Candy,well Pop's hit the open book button,& there was Tasting Candy,he started reading it & read about 30 pages before he handed it back,then proceded to ask me about buying the book for him so he could read the whole thing,I did & he stayed up the whole night reading it, then told me he wanted all of Anne Rainey's books.Now he's asking me for other authors that write like her too.
But, he also ask me not to let the boys know that he was reading romance books.I think it's great,& who knows, maybe it will even spark a fire for him & Mum's. LOL
thanks,Cindy

Regina Carlysle said...

Oh Cindy! That's hysterical. I love it. I've heard lately about lots of men who are closet romance freaks and it always just tickles me silly!

Yes, Kell. I've turned on LOTS of friends to different writers. There was a time friends would call out of the blue to ask who I'd recommend and they'd end of buying the whole series and start looking for MORE. Little MONSTERS...hahahaha...Romance eating BOOK MONSTERS.

I was hesitant about paranormal but after urged by a friend, I gave them a try. Kind of like trying to take one of your kids into trying a new food and then their eyes get big...the LOVE IT.

Great POST!!!

Tonya said...

Very funny post Kell....and thank you for dragging me into the darkside. =) It's so much fun and without you I really wouldn't have tried a lot of things!!

Regina you made me laugh as well when you compare it to having a kid try a new food....that's what I felt like.

I'm working on converting a couple friends too....we'll see if they take the bait. LOL!!

Anne Rainey said...

Kelley--I have to say this: TONYA YOU ROCK!!!! LOL! I'm so glad Kelley brought you over to the dark side. lol

Now, onto the questions. I have created one monster, my mom. She doesn't buy ALL the romance books, but she does like Erin McCarthy's new series and also some Lori Foster, as well as the Drake Sister and Ghostwalker series by Christine Feehan. I love converting the mystery lovers! hehe!

As to books I thought for sure I'd hate. Guess what the author's name was? Erin McCarthy. LOL Don't throw the tomatoes just yet, because now I"m one of her biggest fans. Why did I think I'd hate her writing? Partly because of the cutesy, cartoony covers. Sorry Erin, those covers just aren't my thing. Also, I generally don't read romantic comedy. Well, guess what? Erin holds the honor of being the ONLY author I've read and actually laughed out loud while reading. If an author can make me literally laugh out loud, then they're a keeper for sure!

Cindy--again thanks SO much for reading and enjoying Tasting Candy, and from all us romance authors, THANK YOU for showing your FIL the light! hehe!

Kelley Nyrae said...

Cindy- Yay for getting your FIL to read romance!!

Regina-Love creating little book eating monsters! LOL!

Tonya- You know I love you, girl :)

Anne- I've tried with my mom and she SO won't go for it.

Laura J. said...

I was kinda of the same way. I am very picky about what I read. I actually started out with a paranormal book when I started reading again and then I slowly ventured out.

For years I wouldn't read romance at all, so my first books was a romance paranormal. Then I didn't want to read books with too much sex in them so erotica books were out. Now I love them. I still am pretty picky about my romances (paranormal, erotic, regular) but I am branching out more in to the romance genre and trying books that were out of my original comfort level.

(btw Kelley--I LOVED Trenton's Terms!!! Very good story, very hot and well Trenton--VERY NICE hero. Anyone who hasn't read it needs to pick it up NOW!!).

Kelley Nyrae said...

Laura-
Thank you SO much!! I'm so glad you enjoyed Trenton! You made my day.

Erin McCarthy said...

LOL, Kelley! Thanks for making my books part of your plan to lure your friend to the dark side. And I'm glad I didn't fail you... that would have been totally embarrassing if Tonya had hated My Immortal! LOL.

Tonya, thanks for taking a chance on my books and I'm thrilled you're enjoying them!! :-)

Anne, awww, that's such a huge compliment! Humor is so subjective, and I hear you... I'm not a big fan of cartoon covers either.

I missed seeing you guys at Lori's weekend... can't wait to be back next year.

Oh, and I forced my aunt to read Lori's LL Foster book, Servant. She was skeptical and kept saying when she started reading how 'weird' it was, but by the end of the book, she asked me if I could get an early copy of the sequel because she can't wait until Sept to read it. ;-)

Anika Hamilton said...

My sister turned me into a book buying monster. I never liked reading growing up, and now I am never without a book. When the wonderful world of ebooks opened its doors to me, I was in pig heaven. It was so amazing to be able to carry around hundreds of books at a time. Holy smokes!

Now I'm about to have my first book released and I couldn't be happier. Life is funny that way.

:-)

P.S. I have everything written by Sherrilyn Kenyon/Kinley Macgregor. So I am a dark-hunter fiend as well.

She said...

I'm the monster. All I have to do is pick up a book with a great cover on it and I'm buying it. I don't care what genre it is. I have discovered so many new (to me) authors. Once I've discovered an author and liked her or him I buy all that person's books. My house rivals the local library. I also subscribe to on-line reviews, pick up the Book Sense flyers at the book store, and listen to the clerks at my local book store as to what they like and why. I belong to 3 book clubs where we read literature I wouldn't pick up on my own but have discovered it's great. Since we all need at least one vice, I figure books and reading is the best one to have--it's not illegal, immoral, or fattening.

Sheila