There are several authors whose work I never miss. You know the kind, the ones that offer guaranteed hours of continued friendship with their make-believe people.

I look forward to those publication dates, even mark them on my calendar. I’ve been known to take a day off work, lock myself in a darkened room under a single lit lamp with snacks and beverages and the newly arrived parcel of pages.

Over the years some of those authors have passed away and I mourn anew when the time for a new offering comes and goes without another installment. I’m going to be mighty disappointed if I arrive in the hereafter, only to discover they’ve been too busy to write. I’m counting on all those years in between for them to build up a backlist for my personal consumption.

Yes, I’m selfish that way. Of course I hope they’re having a good time too, but wouldn’t that mean also writing? They are writers after all.

Enough with the existential quibbling…I have some good reads to mention. I’m always on the lookout for new authors whose work I can look forward to enjoying in the years to come. Lately I’ve stumbled over or been directed toward a few that I thought others might also enjoy. Some of these you probably already know, but just in case…read on, please.

Chelsea Cain’s Archie Sheridan & Gretchen Lowell series. These are quick-paced fun reads with enticing characters. The story line begins in Heartsick, gets ultra uh-oh in Sweetheart, and temporarily winds down in Evil at Heart with one of those WTF moments that makes you run back and forth on either side of the see-saw. Too fun! I just finished the fourth installment, The Night Season (another enjoyable story) and am irked that I now have to wait for book number five….c’mon August!

That’s the problem, I need authors with huge backlists so I can keep reading for months.

Another author of note, especially for the writerly folks in the house, is Chuck Wendig’s numerous tough-talk offerings on writing craft. If you’ve got tender ears, then you’d best give these a miss but you’ll be losing out. He offers up an eclectic mix of writing advice with a delicate turn of profanity that would make Granny proud of the blue streaks. Check out his website for a plenitude of offerings and don’t miss his newest novella featuring Atlanta Burns, Shotgun Gravy.

Since I’ve rapsodized a bit longer than I intended, let me close with this lovely gem by Misty Provencher.

Misty has written an intriguing novel called Cornerstone which has seen the inside of many an agent’s office, has been petted and stroked and prepared for publication several times. Limbo happens. Deals fall through. Ideas and expectations don’t always intersect at the same place. Fortunately for the reading public, Misty got fed up after her latest encounter and decided to share her book via her website. Wow!

I lucked out and read the first eight chapters – delightful. After much coercion, Misty became convinced that the best way to get Cornerstone out there for all our eyes to enjoy, was to publish it herself. Available now. Huzzah! Rejoicing!

Check them out. Clever folks and good words….just waiting for you. If you’ve got something good to add, drop a title in the comments. Promote yourself and drop the title of YOUR book in the comments. C’mon, we’re all looking for good reads. Pony up.

Tags: terribleminds.com, Nothing Cannot Happen Today, good reads, good books, I need more books to read