The best feeling in the world for me is when I am reading a book and fall so completely into the story that I feel like I'm there. That feeling of being transported is why I wanted to be an author from a young age. I loved that sensation and want to create it for others.
I work hard to suck my readers in, and some of the best compliments I receive about my books is readers telling me they didn't want to leave the world I've created, or that the book can't be long enough for their liking. Or that they read through the night and ended up going to work in zombie mode. Winning! :)
I started out writing historical fiction, and while the times and places I wrote about really existed, as we don't (yet) have the ability to travel back in time, it is still a foreign landscape. The world-building was just as intricate and challenging for my historicals as the worlds I create for my fantasy and science fiction romance novels. I think that's why I was able to move from historicals into fantasy and science fiction so easily. The world-building skill-set was the same.
The problem with becoming an author, however, is that I've found it harder and harder to truly be immersed in the story, because I can see the scaffolding, the brickwork, and the finishes, so to speak. It's harder to let myself go because I'm more aware of the craft and the story structure than I was before I started writing as a career.
However, there are still plenty of books that really suck me in and make me feel like a reader, rather than a writer noticing the author's techniques. Some of my favorite series, where I am always happy to spend some time, include:
The Hidden Legacy Series: BURN FOR ME by Ilona Andrews
The Alpha and Omega Series: CRY WOLF by Patricia Briggs
The Psy-Changeling Series: SLAVE TO SENSATION by Nalini Singh
The In Death Series: NAKED IN DEATH by JD Robb
***
Verdant String #4
Flying the head-of-planet around isn't a job for the faint of heart. Especially not on Faldine, the planet in the Verdant String whose magnetic fields actively fight against technology, bringing down the ships of the unwary or the incompetent.
Hana thrives on the challenge, though. Thrives on everything about her job. It keeps her from thinking too much about what happened to her during the war, and what she is becoming. A relationship with the head-of-planet himself, though, is more than she wants to deal with.
Iver Sugotti feels like he fell into the role of head-of-planet by default. He knows he's good at the job, and he's enjoying the challenge of making tech work on a planet that eats tech for breakfast, but the one thing he really wants--Hana--seems out of his reach.
His pilot has made it clear she's not interested, and he can only respect the boundaries she's set. But when someone wants him dead, he and Hana are plunged into an all-out race for their lives. Iver discovers those closest to him have betrayed him, but also, that his pilot is not as disinterested as she seems.
As they try to outwit their enemies, they discover they are far better together than they are apart, and that Hana really is at her best when she's flying high.
Science Fiction Romance [Self Published, On Sale: July 24, 2020, Paperback / e-Book, ISBN: 9780648536833 / ]
Pilot and planetary head must thwart a space corp plot and smugglers too
Michelle Diener is the bestselling, award-winning author of historical fiction, fantasy and science fiction. Having worked in publishing and IT, she’s now very happy crafting new worlds and interesting characters and wondering which part of the world she can travel to next.
Michelle was born in London, grew up in South Africa, and currently lives in Australia with her husband and children.
When she’s not writing or driving her kids from activity to activity, you can find her online at Twitter, posting pictures on Pinterest, and interacting with readers on Facebook.
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