Boldly Going Where Others Have Gone Before

Have you ever discovered an author you'd never heard of and went wow -- then discovered that this author had an entire body of work -- an "undiscovered country" -- of entertainment that beckoned you like a siren on the rocks of the bookstore?

This happens to me all the time. Every time I go through this experience, I am all the more delighted by it. I love knowing that even as I type this, there are at least a dozen new authors out there for me. Authors who could have been around for twenty years, but I've never read their books.

They are out there, just waiting to be discovered.

So Many Books, So Little Time

When I was at the RWA National conference this year, I discovered more great authors and rediscovered older authors that I had loved once upon a time.  One of those authors, Meagan Hatfield, wrote the novel Shadow of the Vampire. A friend was enthusing about the opening of the novel, how it was different from other books -- the kind that most editors wouldn't let you hang onto -- but that it was so classic and perfect for this book.

Of course, I was curious. When I passed through the Harlequin signing, I saw Meagan and made a beeline for her table. I really wanted to check this book out, these first few paragraphs that were just so outstanding, so gripping and so different from what one might expect.  Meagan laughed and even signed the book "Hope you like the first paragraphs," because we had discussed it.

After the signing, I flipped open the book and started reading.  I was enthralled - completely.  I couldn't finish it there, but as soon as I had my schedule going at home again (I read at the gym) - that was the book I grabbed to take with me. I read it over the course of two days (I read while riding the recumbent bike).  It was a fantastic book, hard to read in some places -- but only because you really come to care about these characters.

I love to read new books, new authors and discovering new loves from others who have already found them.

So I will leave you with the opening line of the book. I think you'll find it's definitely a book with bite:

She made certain they didn't have bodies to bury. Looking for a new author --- definitely check her out.