For those who don’t know, Sandra Brown is my favorite author. Her writing conveys everything I’ve ever wanted for my own writing, and I found her in my teen years when I was only dreaming of writing romance. Every year, I wait patiently for her newest novel and esteem how she publishes one bestseller a year when the world now urges authors to publish, publish, publish.
I’ve gone to writer’s conferences just to hear her speak. Went to the Austin Book Festival just to have her sign my book and get a picture with her (unfortunately, that picture is long lost by now). Entered contests (cat caught reading contest won one year).
I haven’t reached stalker status, I promise, but even the other day my husband said “Oh, you must be reading the new Sandra Brown novel”. Her newest book came before finishing the last minute touches on a kitchen remodeling project we’ve spent months working on.
So why am I always depressed after reading her novels? Here are a few reasons:
The story is over
What will I do now? I’ll have to wait another year, unless I bring out the old ones. Which I’ve been known to do throughout the year. But right now I’m remodeling, and all my books are packed away somewhere I’m not even sure where to start searching. Thank God for libraries, Kindles, and bookstores, huh? One can never have too many Sandra Brown novels.
Her writing is better than I can ever dream of emulating
Okay, so she does inspire me to write better and think outside the box, but her years of experience and pure creativity seem like a distant dream to me. I do feel like I’m a better writer after reading her novels, along with a few of my other favorite authors, because their strong writing helps remind me to not be lazy in my own. But…who am I kidding? I’m a small pebble in a very large sea, drifting and weaving through an ocean of bestsellers and fighting to stay afloat. Bobbing for that next big story idea, and to be noticed.
Okay, it’s a bit overdramatic, but still.
I’ll never have a chance to sit down with her just to bask in her presence
I told you I’m not a stalker, and that is true, but just to have a conversation with her would be a dream come true. Maybe not quite as exciting as say, meeting Chris Hemsworth, but it’s close. I did meet her one year at a Dallas Writers Conference. She was the keynote speaker, and I approached her after her book signing (when she and her personal assistant were trying to pack up and get away) to let her know I enjoyed her speech and she was the reason I was there at the conference that day. It was a conference I’d never heard of until her posted schedule, and her speech was phenomenal. So were the things I learned in the classes.
She hasn’t gone so suspenseful that I can’t stand reading
That’s nothing to be depressed about, but one thing that could depress me (if I let it) is how some of my favorite authors have just gotten way too gritty and suspenseful, with very little romance and lots of blood and guts and gore and plot-driven detail. I love how Sandra Brown keeps the balance, even with some of her more thrilling novels, and I love how her stories are character-driven. I sometimes wonder if the (plot-driven) thriller romances are one of the reasons romantic suspense has been declining over the past few years. Genres go through its popular stages, but so many of the bestsellers are barely romance anymore. There are still lots of good romantic suspense stories out there, but Sandra Brown’s books really do have the perfect balance and is one reason I fell in love with romantic suspense so long ago.
What did I like about Sandra Brown’s newest release, Friction?
Hello? A Texas Ranger for a hero, and a judge who has the control of whether or not he gets his daughter back? What’s not to love? I especially loved this one because it is set in Texas, and because I have worked in criminal prosecution for 17 years as a legal assistant/office manager. I have met many Texas Rangers and many judges, and I love how she plays these two characters in such a realistic way. Her stories are always raw and edgy no matter what she does, and this one did not disappoint!
So I’ll get over my depression that the book is over and will eagerly await the next, as I always do. But if you haven’t read her yet and love a good suspenseful romantic thriller, what are you waiting for?