Are you looking for interesting authors?

Have you ever started reading a book so far away from your normal genre and then been unable to put it down? Become so captivated with a new, interesting author you’d rather keep reading their story than sleep?

I never read any fiction that isn’t contemporary romance. Well virtually never. Perhaps if I was locked in a room with a bunch of books but no romance stories I might cave in and begin reading them eventually. But I acknowledge what many might see as a shortcoming and admit to having very narrow tastes when it comes to reading for entertainment.

Some years ago my husband discovered a story by Kathleen O’Neal Gear and W. Michael Gear featuring per-historic life in North America. Why I picked it up and began reading it too, I’ll never know, but I did. And wow, I loved it. After a little research we realised there was quite a series written by this archaeology trained couple called “North America’s Forgotten Past” as well as other books. We have a few of their books on our “keep” shelf and look forward to growing that number.

Last week, the day before we were heading away for a week’s break, I discovered “People of the Black Sun” in the library. What luck. I had to slow myself down to spend at least a couple of days reading it, when I really wanted to crawl into a corner and not be disturbed until it was finished. I find them strange stories. Having no real knowledge of Indian folklore or myths/legends, and struggling with many of the characters’ names, I often find myself referring to earlier text to confirm I have the right character or situation, but surprisingly, this never distracted me. It only made the story more captivating and enthralling.

I know these writers have written a multitude of books, are New York best sellers and don’t need my endorsement at all, but I would still like to sing my praises for the few books of theirs I have managed to read to date. And to thank them for showing me there are some stories out there that appeal to me almost as much as a contemporary romance does.