This would be how I’m feeling at the moment I’m writing this. Except, I have had at least one cup of coffee. I’m going to be nursing a second here shortly. I only tend to drink one cup in the morning, of course it’s not the recommended 6oz cup, but more like double that… And then drink an iced coffee in the afternoon. Today though, multiple cups in the morning.

And lots of water. It helps with the headaches and not enough sleep and the caffeine overload…

The title of this post I imagine might have you wondering what I’m thinking. No, I’m not going to take y’all back to school. I home school, but that’s not what this post is about. It’s about writing. It’s about reading. And it’s a little tiny bit about math.

It was being discussed on an author loop about sales and genres and what sells and writing to the market, etc… and someone brought up the idea that perhaps as authors we should conduct polls once in a while, get an idea of what our readers are wanting from us, what our readers like best from us, what they’d like to see, or if we’ve hit it right on head of what they expect/like/want. I like this idea. I’m a little scared of it, but I like it.

I have ten books out. I have three more to come this year that are definite. Two are contemporary, one is a shifter. The shifter is a new thing for me and one I am completely terrified of. As I told one friend, I’ll be holding my breath for a month when it comes out.

I have received comments from readers on what they like about my books…my heroines are not skinny or by any stretch of the imagination, perfect; my kink is just kink enough and perhaps could be more so; my characters are real; in general, they just really like the story. What readers have said they didn’t like; my books weren’t/aren’t long enough. That’s a complaint I can live with. Grins… And something I’m trying to work on.

So, aside from what you’ve said, readers, on my books…what else do you want to see? What don’t you want to see me do in my books? I want honesty. I might go on a chocolate binge for a while, but we’ll be okay. I am really interested. Do you want another menage? I know a couple readers have emailed me and said that they do. Do you want another male/male? I have a free read on my website that is a male/male and I have had readers ask for more. More race car books? More Cougar books (not the animal cougar)? More erotica like Simple Need and Carnal Ecstasy? More kinky erotic romance like Sweet Caroline and Pink Buttercream? Talk to me, readers…what do you want? More books? Less books? What keeps you coming back and what will keep you coming back, keep you recommending me?

I’ll just sit back with my third cup of coffee and take in what you say… You might say nothing at all which will drive me to the chocolate all the faster…

I am a visual writer. I see it in my head and I do my best to write it. I feel it, I see it, and I want to convey that. It’s not easy sometimes, and other times it flows. I try to be a clean writer, and by that I mean, books that make sense, are consistent, and don’t leave a lot of questions. You might want more of the story, but I want and try to leave you very satisfied. And if that leaves you wanting more, I’m good with that too and will try to give that to you…

I don’t write to trends though. I write what’s in my head. I write what I want to write, I write the books that come to me. It sometimes is rewarded in nice royalties and it sometimes isn’t. And you know, they don’t call artists, musicians, writers, and other creative types starving for nothing. I write what I think works for my voice and for what my readers have said so far that they like in my books. Hence, why I’m asking for additional feedback… I’m curious. Very curious.

Do you as readers expect authors to stay in just one genre? Do you like the ones that hop genre’s better? Do you get hooked on an author and how she tells a contemporary story and just stick with those, even if she writes a paranormal? Or do you try everything she writes?

And…where do you buy? Do you buy from publishers? Do you buy from distribution sites like All Romance eBooks, Fictionwise, and Amazon? Are you more loyal to one publisher in ebooks than another? Does price figure into your purchase? For me, as a reader, I buy from publishers and from Amazon. I buy from publishers because, as an author, I know that for the time being, the author is going to get a bigger chunk of the price. I’m good with that and some publishers are still delaying distribution to third party sites. If I want the book and I know it won’t hit Amazon or someplace for a few more months, I’ll go ahead and get it from the publisher, but I also know readers that want the books all at Amazon or ARe or Barnes and Noble immediately. They want one stop shopping… I can agree with that. I buy from Amazon because I love that ‘Buy with 1-click’ option, though that’s dangerous. Amazon also has a lot of the variety of books I prefer reading and honestly, their prices are good. If I am there, I will buy 4 or 5 books at a time and price is a factor for me.

I write as a writer. I write as an artist and creative type and have stories in my head that won’t leave me alone until I write them. I write in the hopes that readers will buy my books and love them. I write to make money as well, but I know it’s not a get rich quick thing. It might be for some if they hit the market with just the right thing at just the right time, but, I haven’t done that. I do see it as a job, otherwise, I wouldn’t sit up until 3am doing edits trying to make a book the best it can be. I give it my all and then some. I think most writers do. We do this because we love it, because we have to, and yes, even to make money.

I’m also a reader and I read as a reader. I like strong men, strong whole women that might have been hurt but that aren’t damaged beyond repair. I read a lot of male/male and I don’t like the men to cry like little girls. I want something more from them, something deeper… I want the characters to talk in the books I read. I want to be treated like an intelligent human being when I read, not like I can’t understand the simplest of things, and not like I’m an idiot. I don’t like repetitious books. And I happen to like and prefer most of the time, reading novellas.

So, there you go. I’ve posed some questions and I’m interested in the answers… What I’ve said here is only a reflection of my thoughts, some of which are skewed I’m sure compared to others.

Oh and I almost forgot, which is like so wrong of me and I should be flogged severely, but… Look. At. Him. He’s my newest bit of inspiration…

~lissa