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Authors-What would you like to ask your readers?

As I was preparing our annual "BC Year in Review" survey this morning, it occurred to me that some authors might be interested in asking our readers some questions. Large and diverse, our club not only appreciates the generosity of the authors who have made themselves available for our questions but our members also enjoy sharing their own opinions about Christian literature.

If you would like to pose a question to our group, reply to this post and I'll include it in the survey that our group will fill out at our August 17th special event. After the results are compiled and tabulated, I'll post the results here later in August.

Thanks,

Sandi

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Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Phred St Laurent on July 26, 2010 at 5:41pm

This is a great question Sandi, and I took the liberty of sending it out to everyone :-)

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Permalink Reply by Susan Page Davis on July 26, 2010 at 5:46pm

Hi, Sandi! I'd like to know which story elements do your readers find most important--in other words, if a book is a historical but has no romance, will you read it? If it's a romance with no mystery or suspense? So, what's a deal-breaker for you? Must your books include:
Romance
Mystery
Suspense
History
Faith Thread
Humor
Or something else? (Example: must include contemporary issues).
Hope you're having a great reading summer.
Susan

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Permalink Reply by Amanda Stephan on July 27, 2010 at 12:28am

I'd have to say the books I love to read (and write) have to have a happy ending. I feel things are too sad as it is and prefer to feel encouraged when I'm finished reading a book. I'll read romance, mystery, suspense, well-written history, faith based, and love the humor, but anything that has adultery in it is taboo. I refuse to touch those!

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Permalink Reply by Sandi Andrews on July 30, 2010 at 8:40am

Amanda-I join you in always hoping for a happy ending. Sometimes in a series, an author leaves unresolved issues, but for me to pick up the second book in a series, there must be an element of hope for a satisfactory conclusion. This question will be part of the survey as well as the inquiry about adultry in books. Our group has never voiced an opinion about that topic.

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Permalink Reply by L.D. Alford on August 2, 2010 at 10:31am

I really like series novels as long as the author gives me a complete novel in each part of the series. I want each novel to be whole so that if I like the characters, themes, and author, I can read for the next novel. This is how I write my series novels.

In novels all themes should be fair game. It isn't the theme, it's what you do with the theme, plot, and storyline that makes the difference. Some people need to read a redemptive theme in a character overcoming incest, adultery, murder--the darkest of human evil. I recently wrote a novel with rape as the theme. Rape was shown as horrible--it cascaded through the lives of the characters like a wrecking ball, but because of the theme, there had to be a redemption for both the victim and the criminal. It wasn't one of my prepub readers favorite novels, but some human interactions are horrible--it is up to the art of the novel, not to make those interactions less horrible, but to give hope to those who are the victims and the criminals. That is what redemption is about, after all.

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Permalink Reply by Sandi Andrews on July 30, 2010 at 8:31am

Susan, Thanks for this question. I personally pick books in all genres and keep reading as long as there is a well written good story. I conducted a reader interest survey along these lines a few years ago and biographies placed last. I'll pose this question again now that our group has grown larger. It will be interesting to see if the percentages for each category haved changed in light of the club offering a varied selection. A few members grumbled when a particular genre was first offered but ultimately enjoyed the book. The results from your question will reveal if the group has been stretched to enjoy more than one or two types of books. I hope so.

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Permalink Reply by Kasey Beebe on December 3, 2010 at 4:47pm

Hi Sandy,
I love to read books with lots of description so I can feel the wind, taste the food, see the colors of the sunset, and smell the pines. I really enjoy books with romance, suspense, history, humor, and faith all in one. If a book's characters are not realistic or the chronological order in the plot is messed up, it ruins the book for me.

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Permalink Reply by Bonnie Kaiser on September 22, 2015 at 1:09pm

Wow! I really like books with all the elements you listed in one book: history, mystery or suspense, humor,

faith , romance. I really like historic Christian fiction, but I like it to be well-researched and accurate.

Thanks for asking.

Bonnie

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Permalink Reply by Bonnie Kaiser on November 11, 2015 at 1:41am

I definitely like a faith thread, especially using scripture. If it's a romance, I do like some other element. I like humor, but I can't remember reading a novel with humor. I don't like fantasies or characters that are too good at everything.

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Permalink Reply by Grace Bridges on July 26, 2010 at 5:54pm

I'd love to know what proportion of your members are interested in reading science fiction and fantasy, as that is what I write and publish.

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Permalink Reply by Sandi Andrews on July 30, 2010 at 8:46am

Grace, I'll ask specifically about science fiction. My husband and I enjoy Christian Sci-fi, but the choices are limited as opposed to other categories. I'll be looking for your work in this category.