Idol Worship by Jennifer August

On this day of thanks, I am grateful and thankful for so many things – my family, my health, my job, my friends and my ability to craft stories that people enjoy.
I’m also very grateful for those who came before me and those who are currently writing. I was very young when I read my first romance novel. At 12, I only read comic books. My mom despaired that I’d ever crack open a real book. She bribed me (all the comics I could read) into reading The Flame and The Flower by Kathleen Woodiwiss.
That was the beginning of my addiction.
I read everything she put out for a very long time. Then I discovered other authors, other genres. As I grew older, I devoured books like potato chips. I loved the stories, the heroes, the heroines. Everything about how they interacted, the scrapes they got into, the love they found appealed to me.
Soon enough, I was tempted to try my own hand at it. I sucked. Really, really sucked!
But I kept working at it and kept trying. Most of all, though, I kept reading.
Oddly enough, I discovered that reading my favorite authors and finding new ones actually helped my creativity. I fed off of the joy their books gave me and found that same joy in the characters I was creating and the twists and turns I was leading them through.
So today I’d like to take a few minutes and give some thanks to authors past and present without whom I don’t feel I would have ever succeeded in achieving my dream. And thank them for continuing to help me with every book they put out. On that note, special thanks to:
Kathleen Woodiwiss – her books set me on my current course and the earlier ones (Shanna, The Wolf & The Dove, Ashes in the Wind) are still great reads.
Johanna Lindsey – wow, I don’t think anyone has every captured my heart like she did. And she was equally awesome writing westerns and Regencies and Vikings.
Lindsey McKenna – Red Tail is still my favorite category book ever. I have enjoyed watching her career and reading each book she puts out.
Joan Ellen Pickart – Hers were the first “real” heroines to me. The women who did what they wanted and weren’t afraid to stand up for themselves. Plus, her humor is awesome.
Diana Palmer – Rugged cowboys, alpha heroes. Diamond Girl remains one of my top ten books.
Amanda Quick & Jayne Ann Krentz – I was reading JAK when she was writing as Stephanie James for Silhouette Desire. I still have all of those books.
Julie Garwood – This was a turning point for me. As an adult, a mom and a wife, I found her books deeper, more engaging and definitely sexier than anything I’d read previously (although JAK pushed the boundaries very early on!)
Julia Quinn - She hooked me with Splendid and I never looked back. Would you believe I actually cried when the last Bridgerton book came out?
Lisa Kleypas – Her characters always drew me and held my attention. I couldn’t read fast enough and I was always sad to close the book.
Sabrina Jeffries – A relatively new find for me. Her heroines are spunky, fun and totally demanding. I love them. Her School For Heiresses series is one of the best.
Suzanne Enoch – Read the Sin series. ‘nuff said.
Stephanie Laurens – I’m ecstatic she’s so prolific. I’m working my way through her Cynster series at the moment and savoring every single book.
Karen Hawkins – I don’t think anyone has written Scottish books as well as she has!
Susan Gable – This one is a little personal since she’s my critique partner but her talent for emotion is unparalleled. Every book makes you laugh, cry and yearn for more.
I could go on (trust me!) but these are my elites, my automatic buys, my keepers. Most of all, these ladies are my inspiration. When I doubt myself and my writing, I pick up one of their books and lose myself in the worlds they’ve created. When I emerge, my inspiration well has been refilled and I am ready to start again.
So thank you, ladies, write on!