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I’d like to extend a warm Jaunty welcome to Roxanne Rustand. Roxanne is the award-winning author of twenty-two warm, emotional romance and romantic suspense novels. You can find her at: www.roxannerustand.com
www.shoutlife.com/roxannerustand and
http://roxannerustand.blogspot.com/
Today she comes offering prizes! Three, yes that’s THREE, winners will be drawn from those who comment on her blog. What will they win? Each will receive a copy of one of her fabulous books!
Writing is such an interesting business–literally! I loved being in school. I spent many years in college, changing majors several times along the road to a Master’s Degree in nutrition. Ahhh, you say. Nutrition—an ideal background for a romance writer–not!
But it was, in a way. All that studying was helpful for becoming a writer, because with each book I write, there’s a whole new world to research while I try for accurate, evocative settings. Ranch settings, the Rocky Mountains and the Northwoods of the upper Midwest are some of my favorites, and our travels often end up as settings for my books.
Writers not only strive to get their settings right. There are also the details and vernacular of different professions and hobbies. Believable behaviors of pets, and children, or of someone slipping into the murky mental depths of Alzheimer’s. I love using a variety of pets and other animals in my books–but that “research” often comes from our family menagerie. In fact, our son’s favorite slithery pet had a key role in my very first SuperRomance. I still wish I’d gone to vet school (a lesson in ‘following one’s heart’ that I’ve reiterated to our children many times over!) But now, I can still slip into that world for months at a time if writing about characters who are veterinarians and vet techs, and enjoy a taste of that world.
Speaking of that–I have a new blog, where I hope readers will stop by to read and share amusing or poignant stories about the animals in their lives. It’s called “All Creatures Great and Small” after a line in an 1800′s hymn. It’s at: http://roxannerustand.blogspot.com/
My May, 2009 Love Inspired Suspense, Deadly Competition, is set north of New Orleans, and it’s a definite departure in locale from what I’ve done before. The lush, mysterious, dangerous element of bayou country captured my heart from my first moment there, back when RWA (Romance Writers of America) held a national conference in New Orleans. The ornate, crumbling elegance of the oldest parts of town, the wonderful old cemeteries, and the dark depths of the bayou are a perfect setting for suspense! This book takes place a little farther north than that, but spending time there (if only in my imagination!) last year makes me long to visit that beautiful place again.
When you browse through books at your favorite bookstore, or online, what do you zero in on first? Author names, eye-catching titles, back cover blurbs or cover art? The type of story? Do any particular story settings intrigue you–or conversely, make you put the book back on the shelf? Let’s talk! I’ve offered free books to three winners here, so good luck to everyone!
Filed in: Jaunty Guests
May 16th
2009
6:59 am
Booklover1335 Said:
For me it is a tie between cover art and the author’s name that grabs my attention first.
I only have a few authors that I buy no matter what it is about or where the setting is, because I know it will be a good read no matter what.
For everyone else once the cover or name makes me notice, I look more closely. That is when the title and back blurb will make a difference on whether I decide to read the book or not.
I read all types of books so setting isn’t usually a deciding factor, unless it leans more towards fantasy/sci-fi romance. I don’t really get into those so try to avoid those. I’m pretty open to anything else.
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May 16th
2009
7:01 am
kristan higgins Said:
Welcome and congratulations, Roxanne! Twenty-two books, holy guacamole!
I usually get hooked by the back cover copy, then read a few sentences of Chapter 1. What makes me put a book back is the feeling that the plot is too neat…he’s a real estate developer, she’s an environmentalist trying to preserve the land he just bought, that kind of thing. My term for this is “plotsy,” and while those books tend to sell very well (!), I’m drawn to stories that are more emotion-based (like your books, Roxanne!).
A question for you…do you find that writing gets easier as you go along, harder, or does each book have its own challenges, no matter how many books you’ve got under your belt?
Thanks again for joining us!
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May 16th
2009
8:41 am
Maureen Said:
Hi Roxanne,
For me, the first thing I look for is the author’s name because if I enjoyed an author’s books before I usually like a new story. I also read blurbs to see if the plot is one that looks like a good story to me. I might buy the book if it’s a storyline that I have never read before but looks like it would be a great story.
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May 16th
2009
8:43 am
eap Said:
I find sometimes when I browse online–I buy some of the authors that are suggested by what I’ve liked in the past–plot liness are similiar (at least according to Amazon)then I read the reviews if the cover catchs my eye. I buy books online all the time. I never bookshop any other way now.
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May 16th
2009
10:43 am
Teresa W. Said:
When I go to a bookstore I usually have several authors that are auto buys for me. I look them up first and then I check out my favorite genre section and see what new reads I can find. The new releases that come out a cover or blurb on the back cover can catch my eye.
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May 16th
2009
10:47 am
Margo Maguire Said:
Hi Roxanne – Thanks for blogging with us today. And wow! 22 books?? I’m in awe and I also want to know if it gets any easier.
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May 16th
2009
11:16 am
EllenToo Said:
The author and/or title will get me to pick up a book but what gets me to buy the book is the back cover blurb and the snippet inside the front cover. The cover itself had no effect on whether I buy the book or not.
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May 16th
2009
11:53 am
Quilt Lady Said:
Hi Roxanne, for me it would be author’s name and then covers that catch my eye. I love suspense books and historicals so they draw my attention first. The blurp is what makes me buy the book. Glad you came to see us here today!
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May 16th
2009
12:02 pm
Shana Said:
Welcome, Roxanne! As a writer, I look for the author’s name. I know who I want to read–mostly my friends and the ladies from the JQ blog…but others too. Before I was a writer, I looked at the cover art and then the back cover copy.
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May 16th
2009
2:34 pm
Jane Said:
Congrats on the new release, Roxanne. I usually start searching for books by my favorite authors and then I search by genres(romantic suspense, historical and contemporary.) An eye catching cover usually gets my attention, but it’s the blurb that is most important.
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May 16th
2009
2:42 pm
Crystal B. Said:
Hi Roxanne. Congratulations on your new release. Sounds great. The first things I look for are authors names, then cover art, then I read the back cover blurb. If the book sounds good, I want to read it.
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May 16th
2009
3:41 pm
Fedora Said:
Hi, Roxanne! Congrats on so many titles! How exciting!
As for browsing, I think my in-person habits are slightly different than my online habits. In person, I’m slightly more likely to pick stuff up just because the cover’s pretty or the title catches my eye. When I shop online, I tend to be a bit more focused and have titles/authors in mind before I begin. And once I pick up a book, the blurb, excerpt, and first few pages usually tip the scale for whether I buy or put it back on the shelf.
As for plots or settings I enjoy, I really tend to avoid secret-baby stories (unless I’ve read the author before and enjoyed their writing), but love friends-to-lovers or second chances or stories where the “plain” heroine wins the hero. And a good redemption story will also get me every time
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May 16th
2009
7:03 pm
Shirley Karr Said:
Hi Roxanne! Wow, has it been 22 books already?!? I was the coordinator of the Golden Rose contest for several years and I remember reading your winning entry and thinking it wouldn’t be long before we’d see you in print. How far you’ve come in just a few years! Congratulations!
As a reader, I find cover art and blurbs are often very misleading so I tend to open the book at random and read a few passages to see if I like the writer’s style and voice.
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May 16th
2009
8:42 pm
catslady Said:
I think it varies for me. Sometimes I look for known authors but there are times when a cover may strike my fancy and then I’ll read the back blurb. Sometimes I look by genre depending on my mood. I’m a big animal lover so that’s always a nice bonus.
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May 17th
2009
7:21 am
Roxanne Rustand Said:
Hi, Shirley!! How nice of you to remember back to my contest days!
To anyone here who is an aspiring author, I highly recommend contests (there are many, sponsored by RWA chapters) as a way to polish your work and to make contacts with editors and agents. Of course it’s impossible to know, but I think contests, like the one Shirley mentioned, shaved a lot of years from my efforts to become published.
Margo, in some ways it does get a little easier after one has written a lot of books…but then sometimes, a person can just hit a wall out of the blue, and that can be tough!
That happened to me after I’d been on a roll, selling one book after another–then around book #13, I received three rejections. Well-deserved, I’m sure, but I floundered for a long while, unable to produce anything! A wonderful friend, Lyn Cote, helped me a great deal…and another boost was an online class by Jill Barnett, on struggling to change gears in a writing career.
It’s fun to see the process you all use while selecting a book in the store!
Roxanne
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May 17th
2009
9:30 am
Frana Said:
Hi, Roxanne! Congratulations on so many titles!
Cover art is a very important for me, especially when I’m looking for something to read before doing some kind of research before.
Once I pick up a book, the blurb and the excerpt are the things that decide about buying a book.
And when I’m shopping on-line, I always do a research before buying.
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May 17th
2009
12:50 pm
Minna Said:
Cover art, because that’s what I usually see first and it makes me want to take a look at the blurb. Second come the author names. If they are familiar to me and I’ve liked what I’ve read earlier I might buy the book no matter what it says in the blurb or what the cover looks like. Eye-catching titles, not so much. Back cover blurbs helps me to decide whethet to buy it or not.
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May 17th
2009
4:42 pm
chey Said:
Hi Roxanne!
When I’m browsing for a book it’s usually interesting sounding titles and back cover blurbs that sell me. I really like it when the first page after the cover is a short excerpt. Kinda lets me know if this is a book I want to read.
I dislike the covers that have no blurb but a bunch of quotes from reviews. Sometimes you’
re expected to either already know what the book is about or just buy it because of the author’s name. Well, some authors write many genres and sometimes I’m not in the mood to read a vampire story, I want to read romantic suspense! (or something else!) And if there’s no blurb on the back, how do I know what the book is about?
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May 19th
2009
11:58 am
Kathryn Said:
Well, I have a list of authors that I buy no matter what (unless they disappoint more than once, which doesn’t happen often). Otherwise I buy on recommendation or if the cover catches my eye. If the author is totally new to me I will make a judgement based on the back cover blurb, for the rest I prefer my tried and true list.
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May 20th
2009
9:29 pm
Cindy Kirk Said:
We have three winners!!!
Maureen, Minna and Frana– you’ve each won a book from Roxanne!!
I’ll be contacting you privately on how to claim your prize.
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