Guest Post & Giveaway - Amy K. McClung

Things I love to hear my Readers Say

                
The most obvious thing I love to hear is how much a reader loves my books. A young woman who is an avid reader, left a message on my Facebook page one day.  It said, " I just finished reading the second book, and I have to say that it was awesome. I can't wait for the third one to come out. This is an awesome series. I thought I loved the Twilight saga but this series is so much better."  I about flipped my lid when I read it! I am a TwiHard and hearing someone say they enjoyed my series better was like a total "OMG" moment. The young woman remains a loyal fan and I absolutely think the world of her, she is a total sweetheart.  When I finished the last book of the series, I decided to show her my gratitude for her kind words.  I sent her the trilogy in a set of signed paperbacks.

 She was so excited and thanked me on Facebook which made me happy that I made her smile and was able to surprise her.  About a week after I heard that she received them, I checked my mail and had a letter waiting.  She had sent me a handmade 'Thank You' card with a picture of her holding the three books. I cannot even describe the emotions that small gesture evoked in me.  It may not seem like a big deal to some, but to me it meant the world!

A reader telling me how much they love one of my characters is especially wonderful to me.  One of my fans, who has since become a friend of mine, absolutely adores Mitchell.  She even convinced me to write a novella from his perspective because she wanted to hear things from his perspective and just wanted more Mitchell time in general.  To have someone feel a connection to a character like that is an amazing feeling!

When someone tells me I surprised them with my plot twists and reveals.  I try to be tricky and word things in a way that make it hard to figure out the outcome in a story.  It's hard, when you know the secrets,  to determine for yourself if they are obvious or not. I absolutely love when people tell me that I surprised them.  Up to this point, most have said they can figure out parts of what happens, but still find that they are ultimately shocked at some point.

                
Another great compliment is when someone tells me they're reading my books for the second, third or even fourth time. It's very rare for me to find books that I can read over and over again.  To have people email and tell me they are reading for the third time, blows my mind!  I never get tired of hearing it! 

Lastly, I love when people tell me that they can tell I've grown as a writer. I'm proud of my first book because of the fact that I put it out there and let down some of my own walls by doing so. However, my first book is nowhere near perfect.  After I finished the second book though, I could tell a real difference myself and then readers started to tell me they saw it too. To me, there is no greater compliment. 

The wonderful Amy K McClung will be spending all of August with us as our Author of the Month. We selected Amy, not only because she's an amazing writer, but she's such a beautiful, kind-hearted woman. Both Justine and I decided a while back that she deserved something special.

Be sure to stop by our Facebook Page regularly to learn more about this awesome author and look out for the weekly posts and reviews on our blog.Oh and of course, be sure to enter the giveaway and return for the daily entry shares. 

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