A Reader's Dream

What's your biggest dream as an avid reader?  Maybe to meet your favorite author in person?  Have an autographed copy of one of their books?

I recently got to live one of my dreams as a reader.    In August 2011, I was looking for something to read as usual.  I don't know about the rest of you but I don't just pick a book at random and read it.  I have to figure out what kind of book I'm in the mood for and go from there.  This one book kept popping up on my recommended list on Amazon, Blood Wager by Connie Suttle.  The cover caught my attention more than once but I don't buy my books based on the cover.  I read the synopsis and was a bit intrigued.  I really thought it was gonna be one of those fluff vampire books and a quick read.  I downloaded to my Kindle but for some reason didn't read it right away.  Fast forward to the middle of September and I finally started reading, and reading and reading.  I was totally hooked on the Blood Destiny Series. 

I do most of my reading at night after the hubby hits the sack.  Since I'm a book junkie, I limit myself to reading after 7 pm.  If I didn't, I'd read most of the day and nothing else would get done.  There will be the occasional book that I even though I want to, I can't finish due the eyelids closing of their own volition.  I'll usually polish it off the next morning after breakfast.  When I finally started reading Blood Wager, Ms Suttle had already released the next two books in the series, Blood Passage and Blood Sense.  I would think about the books most of the day.  Kinda like a song you can't get out of your head.  I was ready to send my husband to bed with his dinner so I could read. 

This series is not a quick read for me.  There are so many different things going on and so much information that I didn't want to miss ANYTHING.  Plus, I wanted to make them last.  When I got to the end of Blood Sense, I realized I was gonna have to wait two whole weeks for the next book.  Oh, the horror!  Readers get antsy waiting a year and I was craving the next installment, Blood Domination.  I did something I haven't done very much up until that point, I left a message on Ms Suttle's blog.  She was more than gracious and through some means or another, we began to send an email here or there.  Me, cheering for her success and she, thanking us for reading her books.  I felt like I had a bit of a connection and hoped she didn't think I was stalker.  No, not really.  Anyway, through whatever reader fairies there are, I ended up with a "Thanks" in the dedication of her last book, Blood Queen.  Just a few words that meant the world to me.

I actually thought things couldn't get any better in my reading life but I was wrong.  I began blogging for Pure Textuality.  I could talk about books anytime I wanted.  Jena wanted to know if there were any authors that the reviewers wanted to interview and I immediately thought of Connie.  I contacted Connie to see if she was interested and found out I was going to do her first (and mine) interview.  Excitement could not be contained!!  Jena helped me with some of the questions and we were off and running.  Jena, then threw me a curve ball.  Connie has a new series release coming up on the 1st of February and Jena wanted to see if I could get an ARC and do the review for release with the interview.  I should have been ecstatic, but I wasn't.  Connie's next book release, Bumble, is the beginning of a young adult series.  If you read my bio, I don't do young adult books.  Tried, couldn't get into them.  Connie sent the ARC and I was afraid to even start reading.  I shouldn't have worried.  When Connie writes, she must write with folks like me in mind.  By the end of the first chapter, I was in love with Ashe.  Gotta stop there on the book.  Review coming the 1st of February.

If you're wondering, I liked the book on it's own merit, not because I'm a devoted fan.  I was concerned about that coming through in my review but, no worries, the book stands on it's own.  Now I wonder if I shouldn't go back and try some other young adult books.  We shall see. 

My Reader's Dream came true in more ways than one.