Ever curious to know what my readers are interested in, I decided to try my hand at interviewing one. Here is the response I received from one reader, a college student from Iowa and probably one of my biggest fans, Emily. Thanks, Em! I'm always looking for new interview subjects. If you think you might want to participate in an interview to be posted here, please contact me.
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SP: What genres do you like to read?
Em: Horror, Sci Fi, Mystery, and Thrillers.
SP: What is it that you like most out of your favorite genre?
Em: I like the suspense. Any book is good if it keeps you wanting to come back for more. The more suspense that builds up, the more I want to read it....
SP: Why did you pick that genre to fall in love with?
Em: Well, I've always been a sucker for sci-fi, suspense horror kind of things. It just kind of happened, I never have really been into the romantic type of stories. I've read both romance and horror genres, and the horror always interested me more. Of course, a story that has both romance and horror can be good as well.
SP: When you read a story, do you like to identify with the main character?
Em: Sometimes....
SP: If you can't identify with at least one of the characters, does that turn you off of the story?
Em: No
SP: Is there anything you would definitely not want to read?
Em: Call me crazy, but I love the gore aspect. I hate reading anything about animals being tortured. I have always loved animals, and I hate to see or read about them getting hurt....
SP: Would you continue to read a story if the main character was killed off, or furthermore, read other stories from the same author afterwards?
Em: Yes, I would, just to see if it turns out good. However, I prefer for the main character not to die, considering a lot of times, it destroys the story in my opinion.
SP: How often would you say you do any reading for enjoyment?
Em: To be honest, not very much. Books I have read lately haven't been good...I just can't find the right one....I like to read books that start out with a hook and continue to interest me all the way through. Books that are so good that I don't want to put down.
SP: What factors influence whether or not you want to pick up a book?
Em: Definitely the description they put on the back (or inside cover). I always read those, and ones that sound interesting I read. That's my number one reason for buying a book. If the book was really good after I am done reading it, most likely I would then look up other books by that same author.
SP: What, if anything, are you reading now?
Em: A little of both -- fiction and non-fiction.
SP: Do you prefer strong male leads or strong female leads, or does it not matter as long as the story is good?
Em: Doesn't matter to me. Any story can be good with either a male or female lead.
SP: Tell us a little about yourself.
Em: Um, okay. I'm 19 and currently going to college over in Iowa. Taking courses in speech, english comp II, american government and math this semester. I like hockey and Supernatural. My favorite book (I believe is a biography actually), is A Child Called It. Really sad story, a little graphic, but really well written. I have read it a couple times already.
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A fan is a fan, no matter where they come from. :-) I have several fans roaming around differing parts of the galaxy.
ReplyDeleteI even remember when I sent in my first short story to be published, it apparently got lost on its way there. I received a phone call from some guy saying he found my manuscript and loved the story. He claimed he found it in a parking lot somewhere and was going to forward it on to the publishing house it was addressed to. That story was my first one ever actually published and I was thrilled that I had one fan already, although that circumstance was a bit strange. But that was eons ago and when I look back on that story, I still can't believe it was ever published.