Reading to Write

If you're an aspiring author, you've probably been advised a thousand times to read voraciously, especially in your chosen genre or subgenre, if you've chosen one yet.  (((Tip: It's probably the one you like to read the most.)))  Well, I'm here to testify that I took this advice and it worked.  In fact, I'm still taking this advice, which is why you see cover art for books by Lori Devoti and Lisa Shearin here.  More on that later in this post. 
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Reading a lot helped me figure out what genre/subgenre my own stories belonged in.  This was very hard, because when I first started my path to publication four years ago there weren't many books like the ones I write.  I found I loved Science Fiction Romance and Young Adult novels the most, also Historicals.  This resulted in two YA space operas, one YA Time Travel, and one earthbound YA SFR which I call YA Paranormal.  The YA Paranormal, Sugar Rush, is the one, as you may know, that scored a publishing contract. 
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There are other reasons to read voraciously on the path to publication, but I'll tell you just one more.  It puts you in touch with authors who've already achieved the dream. 
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Harsh Reality:   Almost None Of Them Will Have Time to Mentor You. 
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This is because they're expected to write a novel or two a year and possibly short stories, promo them what seems like constantly, and all on top of their day jobs.  (I have four children!  That's a day AND night job.)  Only bestselling novelists like J.K. Rowling and Stephanie Meyer get paid well in this line of work.  The rest of us have to scratch out a living like the rest of you.  So, it's not that they don't love you, it's that they really and seriously do not have the time. 
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You can still learn a lot from these exhausted authors, just by reading what they wrote.  It drives the writer's craft into your subconscious mind.  Some aspects of writing come naturally and some don't.  For example, I had to learn the hard way how to structure a story and I still have to work very hard at it.  Also, some of these authors do have excellent writers' resources on their websites and/or write blogs.  So, they might not have time to personally mentor you, but they can provide general help.
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And they can lead you to someone who can provide specialized guidance.  I repeat this story all the time, it seems.  I stumbled on Susan Grant's Blog four years ago.  I learned about  Linnea Sinclair  from her.  I followed Linnea to the Alien Romances blog, which is where I found Jacqueline Lichtenberg who was able to provide me with specialized guidance by email,, the Alien Romance blog, her Sime-Gen  website, and her blog, Editing Circle
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Having said all that, now I can explain the cover art.  I'm gearing up to polish a short story set in the Ophelia Dawson universe, Bianca and the Blood Sucking Dead Guy.  It's written in First Person, which is a Point-Of-View I've never seriously tried.  Bianca demands it though, and so I'm doing my best.  Also, I'm gearing up to write the next novel in the Ophelia Dawson Chronicles, which is Sugar Baby.  And I have a lot of heavy world-building to do.
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Lori Devoti and Lisa Shearin both write in excellent First Person Point of View AND they are both awesome world-builders.  I know because I've already read their books.  So, now that I need to write stuff I feel very unconfident about I can go back and reread their books for inspiration.  I suggest you check them out too.
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Seriously, if you're going to read to write, you might as well start a book review blog.  Pretty soon, you'll be hip-deep in FREE advanced readers copies.  Hey, it worked for me.
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