What makes you pick the stories you choose to spend time reading?
Does the art on the front of the book draw you in and make you want to know what story lies between the covers? Is imagining the story through the eyes of those depicted on the cover something that pulls you in?
Are you enticed by the back cover, the first hint of what you’ll experience when diving into the book? Is it the summary that pulls you in, making you want to spend time in this world, with these characters? Or, are you one who reads the first page to get the flavor of what is to come?
For me, it can be any or all of the above. I want a cover that sets my imagination roaring, making it hard to think of anything other than reading that story. I need to be seduced by the back cover and the promises of what the story will include. And, the front page needs to be enough to make me want to dive in and see where the adventure takes me. I like many different story types and find it is less about the flavor than it is about the characters being full bodied and interesting. I need the excitement, the thrill of wanting to know and spend time with the characters. I want to discover the setting of the story and what makes the place interesting. I need something to captivate my attention and imagination and pull me through to the next scene or chapter. I need a full story; get me excited about someone or some idea, present it to me in a way that makes me want more, satisfy my curiosity, and finish with a great ending that ties all the surprises and flavors together.
I can be forgiving, but only to a point. In a Romance, I want a story to be primarily a happy journey, and I absolutely require a happy ending. I have been known to send a book flying if I end up with a story that breaks its promises. If the romance was great until a weird twist ending tears the characters apart, I will be upset. Or worse yet, if the main couple are not together at the end, then the story becomes a bust. If you make promises throughout your story, I expect you to follow through on those promises. If you violate my trust, I may not read another story from you again.
Stories and books need to have something that grabs you and makes you want more. There is no right answer as to what this is as we are all different with varying tastes, different likes and desires as well as unique needs. The story is best when not predictable; I am looking for the surprising yet inevitable. I want the story to bring me on a full journey and keep me interested through twists and turns. Keep me wanting more and keep me guessing.
The worst sin a writer can commit is to make the story boring and lifeless. Characters should be people, and people are not perfect. They all have flaws and issues, needs and wants. Everyone makes mistakes, has desires, and faults to overcome. They experience victories and stumble through defeats. Show me these things in your story, give the story life, and let it live and take me on an extraordinary adventure.
When I finish a book, I want to feel like I am saying goodbye to a good friend. I want to feel like I am returning from a place that I know, a place that became like a second home. Maybe a place so fantastic that I want to share it with others. If the story is great enough, I will seek more adventures, and a return to visit with old friends. Stories should not feel like completing an equation. They should not give an abrupt ending that throws you back out into real life, stealing the comfort of a satisfying ending. I always want to be left wanting more; more of the place, more of the people.
I want to end on a high note with a happy heart.
I look forward to seeing what adventures we can have together. Where are you going to take me? Who am I going to travel with and what are we going to experience while love is happening, and the magic is being woven in the world?