I hate when a good book ends.

Have you ever read a book that pulled you so far into the story that you were sad the further you got into it because you didn't want it to end? Those books are truly a gift.

I've read several books in my life that had that lingering effect on me. I know if I name them, some of you might or might not agree because it remains with perception as to how a book or novel will affect the reader. Some of my favorites (in no particular order):

White Fang by Jack London
Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
Rebel of the Sands by Alwyn Hamilton
A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah Maas
Lady of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley
Nightseer by Laurell K Hamilton
Sati by Christopher Pike
The Great Gatsby by F Scott Fitzgerald
The Vampire Diaries by LJ Smith
The Black Ship by Diana Pharaoh Francis

All of those books (and others) left an imprint on me in some way or another. They're all very different with different approaches to writing, character building, etc. But they're all books that I found myself returning to at one point or another to reread a passage or the entire novel (or series) because I didn't want to only experience it once. There are others I could add to that list, but those were the ones that first came to mind -- some from looking around my office and some because they immediately come to mind no matter what. 

I'm lucky to have found books like these and experienced the personal attachment to them that I've had. This is why I write. At one point, I picked up one of these books and told myself, "I want to affect someone in the same way that this book affects me." I could have listed nothing but classics, or fantasy novels, or science-fiction -- but it isn't one book, one author, one style that creates a reader. I also could have listed nothing but books from my childhood, but books continue to influence me -- drive me to shift, change, and think.

Maybe you read this blog because you love my books. Maybe you're reading it for writing tips or to glean some insight into what someone else does in writing. Maybe you read this because you need a reminder to write. No matter the reason you're here, I hope you read and can find the joy that I'm trying to describe in the reading you do.

I have this great mug. It says: "When you cannot sleep: Write; When you cannot eat: Write; When you cannot think: Write; When you cannot write: Read."