Hello Readers! Today I bring you mystery author Shirley Wells. Shirley was born and raised in the Cotswolds (England) and after time spent living in Cyprus and on the idyllic island of Hoy in the Orkneys, she’s now lucky enough to live in the beautiful rolling hills of the east Lancashire Pennines. It’s no surprise then that her mystery novels are set in the area as it saves on research trips.
She’s a dog person and her husband is a cat person. They have two of each which means chaos rules in their house. It also means Shirley has plenty of company during the day. She says that the cats’ computer lessons are coming on well. They now know all there is to know about the fun to be had with the delete key…
Shirley is here today to talk about what types of books she does (and does not) like to read. In addition, Shirley is offering TWO prizes to some lucky commenters. There’s one digital copy of Carina Press Presents Editor’s Choice Volume 2 and one digital copy of her Dylan Scott mystery, Dead Calm, up for grabs. Details for GIVEAWAY are below.
Please help me welcome Shirley to That’s What I’m Talking About. Take it away Shirley…
A huge thank you to Jen for letting me take over the blog!I ‘met’ Jen through Twitter and she generously offered to review the first book in my Dylan Scott mystery series, Presumed Dead. Was I nervous? Hell, yes. You see, I knew she was a paranormal romance junkie. Not only did she love my book though, she asked (yes, asked!) to read more in the series.
Me? I read mysteries, mysteries and more mysteries. When I need a break from murder and mayhem, I read contemporary romance. But we readers are strange creatures. I’m often heard to say “Oh, I read anything. Well, except science fiction. I hate science fiction. And fantasy. I hate that too. Oh, and paranormal. Can’t bear that.” Then, when asked for a list of my all-time favourite books, The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul by Douglas Adams is always in the Top 5. Yes, The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul is a fantasy detective novel featuring holistic detective Dirk Gently.
I think it does us good to have a change of reading diet now and again but, more often than not, we have to be forced into taking a risk on reading something out of our comfort zone.
My latest novella, Dead Calm, a Dylan Scott mystery, has been published as a single title and as part of an anthology: Carina Press Presents Editor’s Choice Volume 2. There are four titles in the anthology. Dance of Flames by Janni Nell, No Money Down by Julie Moffett and Pyro Canyon by Robert Appleton are included along with my own Dead Calm.
Dance of Flames features paranormal investigator Allegra Fairweather and her gorgeous hunky friend, Casper the ghost. Right, I know what you’re thinking. You’re thinking I don’t like paranormal. Well, I’ve been a huge fan of Allegra and Casper since the first and I couldn’t wait to read Dance of Flames. I wasn’t disappointed. It’s a fabulous story. (And trust me, Casper really is gorgeous!)
No Money Down is a Lexi Carmichael mystery and is pure action adventure mystery. Lexi is SWFG: Single, White, Female, Geek. I read the first Lexi Carmichael story and I’ve been a fan ever since so I was really excited to read this latest installment. Finally, the anthology features Pyro Canyon by Robert Appleton which is science fiction/space opera. Now, I don’t like science fiction (sorry, Robert), but as it was part of ‘my’ anthology, I had to read it. Let me tell you, I was hooked from the first page. The writing is wonderful and Robert is hugely talented at building a whole new world. I loved Pyro Canyon so much that I had to buy a couple of Robert’s other books, Alien Velocity and Sparks in Cosmic Dust.
So if I ever tell you what I love (or hate) to read, take no notice of me. For me, a good story with strong characters will grab me every time – no matter the genre.
What about you? Are there genres you won’t touch or do you read pretty much anything? Do share – I’m curious.
Oh yes, and I have prizes. There’s one digital copy of Carina Press Presents Editor’s Choice Volume 2 and one digital copy of my Dylan Scott mystery, Dead Calm, up for grabs. All you have to do is leave a comment. Easy-peasy!
Thanks for having me on the blog, Jen!
You can find Shirley on line:GIVEAWAY: Thank you Shirley for stopping by That’s What I’m Talking About. As Shirley mentioned, she’s got prizes! Thank you to Shirley for graciously giving away one (1) one digital copy of Carina Press Presents Editor’s Choice Volume 2 and one (1) digital copy of her Dylan Scott mystery, Dead Calm. To enter, leave a comment telling us what is your favorite genre to read. Please leave your comments for Shirley by Tuesday July 10, 2012, at 10:00 PM EDT to be eligible for the contest. There will be two winners. One entry per person, the winners will be selected from eligible entries using random.org. Contest is open internationally; please leave your email address so the author can send you the book. Thank you to Shirley for this awesome giveaway!
AND… Be sure to stop back later today to read my quickie review of Dead Calm!
Purchase Info:
Hey Ms. Shirley! Just dropping by to show some love. I adore Dylan & can’t wait for the next in the series. I’ve got to get the DoF too, find out the latest goings on w/ Allegra. My favorite genre depends on my mood. Don’t enter me.
Congrats on the new release! Thanks for such a fun post!!!
I read pretty much anything, but I read a lot of PNR so that must be what I lean toward 🙂
Hi Shirley
It was great being in the anthology with you. I’ve been a fan of Dylan Scott since the beginning of the series.
What genres won’t I read? Horror and anything with excessive violence.
Hi, Shirley and Janni: It was such an honor to be in the anthology with such amazing writers! I loved all the novellas! Dylan Scott rocks!
I can’t think of a single genre I won’t read. I have my favorites, but I’m always open to try anything!
I’m an equal opportunity reader and never say never. I do steer away from horror – I like to sleep at night – but I did try a couple.
The anthology sounds awesome. I really need time to catch up on my reading!
But this is the joy of anthologies, IMO! The chance to try new authors and see if their style appeals to you as well as those you already know. Plus if an editor and publisher have done their work well (!) the stories will blend well together, so that the antho as a whole is a treat as well.
I’ve submitted to several anthos, and it’s been an opportunity to expand my author networking and my reading list.
I say quite genuinely that I will read *any* genre / length / style so long as it’s well-written and captivating. I like to mix short stories and novels – I will read some authors *whatever* they write because I love their style – I like genre fiction and also edgier themes – I like sweet / non-romantic / erotic … depends how the day goes!
Of course people have their favourite genres, but I just hope they keep an open mind for all the wonderful new books that are out there. I write m/m erotic romance, both contemporary and paranormal, and one of my loveliest comments once was from someone who’d never read m/m before and assumed it wasn’t for her – but liked one of my books!
I’ve read books from all the authors in the antho (*waves* to Robert from the Old Days at another publisher!) and it sounds marvellous. I wish you success and hope you find lots of new readers!
Shirley has me hooked on her books I really enjoyed my first Dylan Scott mystery. I even asked her not to be too hard on him ,haha. Don’t enter me in the draw as I have dead calm and I’m now off to download the book with Casper the ghost, it sounds good.
I love Dylan and Lexie. A fabulous collection.The ghost sounds, er, spiritual. A great collection!
I love to read just about anything put in front of me. I’m not a genre snob, it there are printed words on the page, chance are good I’ll probably read it. I will stop reading though, if the story isn’t well written. There are just too many out there to choose from that are. LOL
Carina Press does publish some of the best stories, so you definitely can’t go wrong with any of them, and this collection is great.
Great post, Shirley! Thanks for giving one of your least fave genres (sci-fi) another try–so glad you enjoyed Pyro.
I’d always steered clear of contemporary romance until I tried a couple of Carina books this year, and ended up liking them. If an author’s voice clicks for me, it doesn’t matter which genre it’s in, I’m going to carry on reading. The trick is knowing which ones to try in the first place, which is partly why Angela and Deb put this anthology together, for readers to discover genres/authors they might otherwise not have given a chance. I love that idea.
It’s led me to all sorts of talented writers in the past, :waves to Clare:: and now three more!
Shirley, I love (and sympathize with) Dylan; the anthology sounds fabulous! I read pretty much anything, but I do tend to avoid horror. Like I need more to thing about in the middle of the night…
The anthology sounds like great reading!
I read across genre lines, but I’m also in the not-a-horror-fan clan.
Sounds like a winner. I read any and all genres but mysteries are high on my list.
@Ivy – Dylan says thanks for showing love. So do I! 🙂
@erin – Thank you. Another PNR fan – you and Jen have a lot in common!
@Janni – Thanks for the kind words. I love being in the anthology with you talented people. Actually I used to read a lot of horror, but haven’t read any for ages. Hmm.
@Julie – Dylan says thank you. 🙂 I must be more open to try stuff too.
@Shelley – Yes, the horror is not good bedtime reading. As for the time, tell me about it. I’d love another couple of hours in the day just for reading.
@Clare – You’re right, it is the joy of anthologies and, IMO, the stories in this one blend wonderfully well. I would say that though wouldn’t I? 🙂
@Anne – You will love Casper, believe me. He’s gorgeous!
@Wendy – Thank you. The ghost is – okay I’ve already said this – but he is gorgeous.
@Kathy – I agree about Carina Press. I’ve read so many and they’re all excellent.
@Robert – I loved Pyro. You pulled me in from the first page! Like you, I love discovering new authors.
@Marcelle – Thanks – so glad you like Dylan. Hey, he can do without the sympathy. 😉 If my husband’s away for the night, you can bet I end up reading the bit where the axeman gets into the house, LOL.
@Cathy – Hmm. It does seem that horror is out of fashion at the moment.
Dylan Scott mystery, Dead Calm I would love to win the e-reader copy of this, as this type of book is most definitely not my normal genre of reading. I am always open to new authors, so thanks for the introduction.
Kretch1 – So pleased you’re open to new authors/genres. Good luck!
Dead Calm sounds awesome – thanks for this give-away. I love to read paranormal romance and love stories – especially crazy, train-wreck love stories. Can’t get enough of them.
Megan – I love a good old train-wreck love story too. 🙂