Hi there,
Today I’m talking to Gill Jackson about her taste in reading.
Hi there, Gill. I know you’re an avid reader.
Gill: Hi Trish. You’re right! I can’t imagine being without a book. On average, I read about 2-3 books per week. I do suffer with insomnia so that’s when I do most of my reading. In the past couple of years, I’ve read hundreds of books. Last year I set myself the challenge of reading 130 books and managed 148.
Trish: Wow! I’m impressed! What kinds of books do you read?
Gill: Generally, I choose romance which can include witches, vampires and shifters. I like something that is easy to read and grabs your attention quickly. I can’t be doing with laborious detail and I soon lose the plot if there are a cast of thousands.
Trish: What makes you choose a book?
Gill: A blurb may catch my attention but I usually go to authors I already know or those that have been recommended. I use my Kindle to read from so I generally don’t pay attention to the cover. I trawl through the recommendations firstly by authors I know and then I’ll read blurbs from new authors to see what catches my eye.
Trish: Do you go for a longer book or a shorter one?
Gill: Many of the books I read are short reads of about 250 pages but it’s not what I focus on when buying books. I’ve read some books that should have been condensed but I was determined to finish and then there are other that you never want to finish because they are so good.
Trish: I know exactly what you mean! I love it when I find a book I just can’t put down, but then there's that hollow feeling when it’s finished! Though, if it’s one of a series, you have the next one to look forward to. Do you like a series or a stand-alone book?
Gill: I like a good series but much prefer if it’s already completed rather than waiting for the next one to be finished. Sometimes I will go back and re-read a complete series when I have all the books. Stand-alone books are great – I just like to read a good book.
Trish: It’s like waiting a year for a follow up film in a series, very annoying. Does the size of the font used affect your choice?
Gill: With my Kindle, this is not a problem because I can alter the text to the size I want. Reading books generally means I have to get my reading glasses on. I’ve just grown used to using my Kindle and prefer it to books.
Trish: Do you think there are enough good books that interest you?
Gill: Most of the books I read are from Independent authors and there is generally something new coming out from one of them, but if there is a book drought that’s when I go back and choose a favourite to re-read until something new catches my eye.
Trish: Mmm, I’m not really into re reading books once I know what happens! What kind of books would you like to see more of?
Gill: I love books centred on a family/group who have their own stories to tell. You know when you have finished reading one story there is more to follow.
Trish: How do you find new books to read?
Gill: Usually friends on FB will share good books or promote authors that they like and that’s what I use as a starting point. Also, I use Amazon and see what they recommend from my previous purchases.
Trish: What books would you recommend others to read? Have you an all-time favourite, or does your favourite change as time goes on?
Gill: These are my two favourite adult authors:
Dannika Dark – The Seven Series, Crossbreed series and Mageri series
Deborah Harkness – A Discovery of Witches is a great trilogy
In YA books there is:
Tillie Cole – A Thousand Boy Kisses
Dawn Sullivan – Blayke
Susan Ee – Penryn and the End of Days series
RJ Anderson – Faery Rebels series
Aprilynne Pike – Wings series
Maggie Stiefvater – all her books
L A Weatherly – The Angel trilogy
Trish: Quite a selection! Is there anything that really puts you off a book?
Gill: Repetition in vocabulary is a pet hate and using words that you normally wouldn’t use but it looked great in the thesaurus! I’m not over keen on when authors describe everything that a character is wearing – for every character in the book – I tend to switch off and gloss over those parts. Too much detail puts me off books. I want action and a fast pace to make the story move along.
Trish: Is there a book or books that have made an impact on your life or opinions?
Gill: No not really. I like a book to take me away from reality, to be able to escape from normal everyday life.
Trish: I find reading and writing is a great way to escape. The world in my head is often a lot more interesting than the real world.
Gill: I’m looking forward to the third book in your Clones series. I think it’s time to do a re-read of books 1 and 2 to refresh my memory.
Do you have any plans for your next book or series yet?
Trish: I hope you enjoy book three! There’s plenty of action and romance! I really enjoyed tying up the ends of the story, with Greg, my editor keeping me on track. I have actually got plans for a spin off, moving more into AI, but it’s in note form only at the moment.
I’m also editing a YA paranormal novel and writing the first in a series of a paranormal /fantasy, with a new twist on Merlin!
Thank you so much for sharing your ideas with us today, Gill.
Happy reading!
I’ll be looking up some of your recommended titles on my kindle later today!
That’s all for the moment, everyone. Let me know if you would like to tell us about the books you enjoy.
