10 Favorite Authors
(In No Particular Order)
1. Diana Gabaldon - The absolute best at combining history
and fictional storyline. No one draws me into a story as deeply as she does.
2. Jennifer Donnelly - She has an incredible gift for
creating multiple storylines and drawing the reader in emotionally.
3. Cassandra Clare - A true master at world-building and
creating characters you root for and believe in.
4. Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl - Their ability to
subtly infuse the Beautiful Creatures novels with such ambiance, you
feel as if you're really there, in Gatlin, South Carolina, even if you've never
visited the south.
5. Charles Todd - Historical mystery/detective writing
doesn't get much better. The characters are multi-layered and endlessly intriguing,
while the history interweaves and connects as the series evolves.
6. Brian Selznick - I don't know which is better - the
writing or the illustrations. The fact that he does both so well, and that one
can't exist without the other, is a little sickening.
7. Alan Bradley - Kudos to Mr. Bradley for creating one of
the most original and lovable detectives in recent memory. His Flavia de Luce
novels are a tour de force in the traditional British mystery genre. Absolutely
brilliant!
8. Anna Godbersen - A writer who brings out the subtle
nuances and underlying emotions and motivations of even the most heinous
characters. She does this so well, you find yourself empathizing with the
"bad guy". At the same time,
she crafts a cliffhanger ending that leaves you gnashing your teeth, begging
for more.
9. Lauren Willig - History. Modern-day romance. Intrigue.
Humor. Suspense. All skillfully interwoven in a remarkable series. What's not
to like?
10. Kate Morton - I can't think of anyone who crafts such
powerful novels that connects the past with the present. Outstanding character
development with a mystery that builds and builds until the emotional turn of
the last page.
10 Things Readers Would Be Surprised To Know About Me
1. I don’t drink coffee. It literally makes me sick.
2. I like snakes and reptiles. They're fascinating.
3. I like to visit cemeteries. It's a phenomenal lesson in history and humility.
4. I lived for several months at an elevation of 10,152 feet. It was cold.
5. I can read upside down. And that doesn't mean standing on my head.
6. I own close to 2,000 books. I stopped counting after 1,000.
7. I can move my ears without touching them. Really.
8. I've lived in Colorado most of my life, but have never gone skiing or snowboarding. A fan of snow? Not so much.
9. I play classical piano and flute. The flute's a little rusty.
10. I have two tattoos. But I'm not going to tell you where.
Excerpt
“Let me see your hands,” he says, moving towards me.
“What?” I exclaim, surprised by the request.
“Let me see your hands,” he repeats.
Confused, I hold out my hands, wondering what his intentions are. He turns them over, spreading my palms flat, while his thumbs trace slow tracks across the surface. Tingling tremors shoot through my wrists and up my arms. Resisting the urge to pull back, I stand there stiffly, watching the gentle, gliding movement of his fingers.
“You have gifts other than music,” he says.
My brows draw together in puzzlement. “What do you mean? How can you tell?”
“Look. See this mark?” He points to a small line on the side of my palm. “It’s called the Line of Mars. It means you have great courage.”
I stifle the urge to laugh. Me? Great courage? You should have seen me the other night, I think, jumping out of my skin at the touch of my cat. Then I immediately sober. Maybe he did.
His finger moves lower, towards my wrist. “And you have a voyage line. It means you might abandon everything. To go on a journey. Or for love.” He looks up at me.
“Hmm,” I reply nonchalantly, hoping he can’t feel the racing of my pulse. “Not likely. Where did you learn this, anyway?”
“A Hindu priest in India taught me. A long time ago. I’ve never known it to be wrong.” He bends his head back to my hands. “And this is interesting.”
“What?”
His finger traces what looks like an ‘X’ right below my ring finger. “You have the Mystic Cross.” His eyes move back up to mine, holding me with their blue intensity.
“What does that mean?” I ask softly.
“It means you have strong psychic abilities.” His middle finger glides across my palm and a shiver runs down my spine. “Not everybody has that, you know. It makes you special.”
My heart starts to pound in my chest, and my breathing becomes shallow and uneven. Get a hold of yourself, Kat. He’s probably just making it all up.
“So…what? I can, like, predict the future or something?” I try to keep my voice neutral.
“Yeah. Something like that.” The words are simple, just a casual statement. But the way he looks at me when he says them gives them more meaning. As if he knows what I see.
I snatch my hand away and step out of the booth. I’d known all along coming here with him was a bad idea. But I’d done it anyway. “Whatever. I don’t believe in any of that stuff.”
