Most of us aspire to leave some kind of legacy behind. Authors, I think, hope their stories in some part, are the legacy they leave behind, characters that will linger on readers minds long after they are gone.
Having a holiday (Memorial Day) this past weekend, reminds me of how people impact our lives in various ways.
This past week the writing world said goodbye to Christina Skye. After the initial shock that even authors are indeed mortal...her passing came as a reminder.
I have on my keeper shelf--you know, those books you read and re-read when you simply can find nothing else that satisfies--Christmas Knight. I believe it may have been one of her first books, if not her first and I immediately fell in love. Its pages are worn and a bit dingy form re-reading, but isn't that what we all as authors hope for our stories?
On this journey of writing, I've met many people in this industry-from agents to editors, publishers to authors (on all levels )-- the listers, award-winners, international best-sellers....and some who have none of those attributes associated to their names, but whose storytelling is as impressive, just undiscovered, yet.
So, now it's YOUR TURN...
Leave a comment or a picture of your "keeper books"
NAME YOUR FAV
NAME YOUR FAV
"keeper" book
to enter to win a $50 Gift card from Amazon!
(*that ought to help the TBR summer reading pile!)
to enter to win a $50 Gift card from Amazon!
(*that ought to help the TBR summer reading pile!)
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| Coming 2018 |
Roan by Jennifer Blake, Colony by Anne River Siddons, Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis, Christmas Knight by Christina Skye, Pink Moon by Stef Ann Holm, Your Wish is My Command, by Donna Kauffman, Chesapeake Bay Saga Trilogy by Nora Roberts, and many , many more-past & those in my TBR pile that have made an impact on me on this writer's journey. (* I highly recommend any of these books to your summer reading pile!)
I asked the authors here at GLIAS what are some of the books on their keeper shelves?
~*~*~*
Angi Morgan
My 1970 Harlequin Presents given to me by my grandmother. The very first western historicals I ever read. Books from authors who are close friends. The Suzanne Brockmann Navy SEALs TROUBLESHOOTERS series. And SEASWEPT by Nora Roberts which changed how I looked at writing characters. Honestly, this barely scratches the surface. I have more than a dozen boxes of books I’ve kept for my eventual library. Oh yes, there will be a library with floor to ceiling shelves!!Avril Tremayne
First and foremost, Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. It's the book that hooked me on passionate romance and I've read it about 50 times. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte joined the list this year after an engrossing re-read! All 12 of the Poldark novels are there, as are all the Georgian and Regency romances by Georgette Heyer. Nobody's Angel, by Karen Robards; Lawless, by Patricia Potter; Devil in Winter, by Lisa Kleypas; This Time Forever, by Kathleen Eagle; See Jane Score, by Rachel Gibson; Dream Man by Linda Howard; and Clandara by Evelyn Anthony. Now, I think that's enough to be going on with!Tina Susedik
I have several authors on my keeper shelf: Kathleen Woodiwiss, Lavyrle
Spencer, Jude Deveraux, Ann Simas, Janet Evanovich, just to name a few.
Who inspired me? There are too many authors to name and I'm still
finding more that when I read them, I wonder, 'how did they do that?' I
think the first author, though, was Kathleen Woodiwiss. The Flame and
the Flower was the first romance I'd ever read. I was hooked.
Paty Jager
Nicole McCaffery was the author who saw my potential and helped me hone my writing craft. She believed in me before I even believed in myself.
Jacqui Nelson
Marguerite Henry's Peter Lundy & the Medicine Hat Stallion is on my keeper shelf. It's a copy I've had since I was young. It inspired me to love adventure stories with horses. It also inspired my story Following Faith which is part of the Journey of the Heart anthology released last year. Following Faith features Eagle Feather (a character from Between Heaven & Hell, book 1 in my Lonesome Hearts series) and a Medicine Hat horse that helps Eagle win the love of a schoolmistress who's been expelled from her teaching position in a remote logging camp. E.E.Burke
Two authors who have had big influences on my writing style: Jill Marie Landis and LaVyrle Spencer. I have most (if not all) of their American historical romances on my keeper shelf.
Linda Broday's Men of Legend novels are my current favorites in the Western historical genre. Her grit and determination (which show through in every story, by the way) inspire me to reach for the stars. Her books line my keeper shelf.
There are so many more and I wish I had time and space to list them all.
A.C. Wilson
Of course, I have favorite authors some of which are Amanda McIntyre, Jacqui Nelson and E.E. Burke (only to name a few). I was reading long before I was a writer, but I am inspired most by the reasons authors choose to enter this industry. I admire their tenacity, their perseverance and their willingness to share the spotlight with fellow authors. It makes me proud to be an author and part of WDR!Ginger Ring
The author that inspired me is LaVyrle Spencer!
Since I have at least one bookcase in most rooms of the house you can safely assume I have a lot of keeper books.
ReplyDeleteI am not entirely to blame though as everyone else in the household holds onto beloved books too. Going back to childhood.
Just looking around this room I have everything from A: Jane Austen, to Z: The Legend of Zelda (my son owns these).
The problem is, not really a problem, we never get rid of books just buy more bookcases.
marypres(AT)gmail(DOT)com
I recently just got my books unpacked from moving and realized 30+ years of collecting books from preschool to research to Crichton and Roberts...and then some...is a lot of books.I can't get rid of books either, unless I pass them down to my now adult children for their homes...hum thats a thought!
Deleteoh so many, Carolyn Brown, Linda Lael Miller, Katie Lane, Vicki Lewis Thompson, and many others!!
ReplyDeleteMy keeper shelf includes basically every book by Toni Morrison
ReplyDeletePqcolletti@gmail
Very Cool !!
ReplyDeletemine are the books from Ann H Gabhart the first one is Angel Sister i also have A Game of Deceit by K.A.Davis also several westerns by Lynn Winchester i have 4 book shelves and at the top i display my fav ones i have read many people come in and look and they said it looks like a library i said the ones at the top are my keeper books. peggy clayton
ReplyDeleteI have four keeper shelving systems that are overrun, LOL! My top two fav keeper books are The Sherbrooke Bride by Catherine Coulter, the first book that got me hooked on reading, and Scarlett by Alexandra Ripley, that poor book is falling about because I have read it so many times!
ReplyDeleteThat's how my Christmas Knight by Christina Skye looks, too Colleen! Well-loved!
DeleteI have six bookcases full. I may have to move to a larger house soon because I'm not getting rid of my books. Some of the keeper books are by authors Kathleen Woodiwiss, Judith McNaught, Jude Deveraux, Danielle Steel, Catherine Coulter and Nora Roberts. Love books.
ReplyDeleteKit3247(at)aol(dot)com
Jane Austen
ReplyDeletebn100candg at htomail dot com
Keeper shelf? Every book I own and almost every one I have ever owned (only because they were borrowed and never returned). I have many, many books which have been read over and over again.
ReplyDeleteTo name a few, my shelf includes books from authors such as Louis L'Amour, Zane Gray, Mary Stewart, Victoria Holt, Johanna Lindsay, Sandra Brown, Amanda McIntyre, Angi Morgan, Christine Feehan, Brenda Novak, Deborah Grace Staley, Katee Robert, Catherine Mann, Suzanne Brockman, Cherry Adair, and Rebecca Zanetti.
A book with an autograph is a keeper, always. My family doesn't get to touch those.
I have so many fav authors. I do keep Eloisa James, Eloisa James, Brenda Novad ad Heather Graham Pozzessere readily available lol
ReplyDeleteWow. Thank you A.C. I can't tell you how honored I am to make your keeper shelf! I kept so many books for so many years. I recall when we were finishing our basement, my husband asked me when I planned to get rid of some of those books. NEVER! It's like burying a friend!
ReplyDeleteAll of Julie Garwood's books are on my keeper shelf, all The Maiden Lane series by Elizabeth Hoyt, To Kill A Mockingbird, Tony Hillerman's books, Zane Gray's books, and many, many, many more.
ReplyDelete