What I Read and What I Write

If you looked at my reading lists, you’d see a lot of diversity. You would see books I’ve relished and a few I’ve tried but didn’t care for. Likely there were some I found so absorbing I forgot to input them.

I like stories about relationships, a bit of romance, a hint of mystery, more than a bit of family drama, and I don’t mind a touch of philosophy. In short, it would be difficult to name the genre.

This is also true of what I write. If you like to stick to a particular genre, one where you know what to expect (even if the expectation is a twist at the end), my books might not all be to your taste. But if you’re prepared to try something different, I hope you will.

I write a lot from personal experience, but also a lot from my imagination. About half of my upcoming books are largely nonfictional, though written like novels, while the other half are mainly fiction.

Because my books are so diverse, you might find you like some of them but not others. When I find an author I enjoy, I tend to read all, or most, of their books. When I was a teen and I discovered Jane Austen, Herman Wouk, Louisa May Alcott, Fyodor Dostoevsky, and the Bronte sisters, I loved everything they wrote (yes, that’s quite a diverse list).

More recently, I have enjoyed some books by Chris Bohjalian but not all. I read The Good Mother by Sue Miller years ago. I didn’t like it at the time. During the past year, I decided to give her books another chance, and I quite enjoyed some of her work. I think how we react to a book is often a function of our frame of mind and stage of life. When I was a kid, I loved The Witch of Blackbird Pond. As an adult, I started it again and had trouble really getting into it.
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Over the next few weeks, I plan to share information on some of my upcoming books, about seven in all. These are nearing completion but have yet to be released for public viewing. I’m hoping that will follow soon after…