I know, I know, it’s barely April, but it’s time to start planning this year’s Authors from A to Z event, which will take place in the month of June. This is the second year of the event, and I hope more people will join me in celebrating some of their favorite authors. My original purpose was to highlight new(er) authors, rather than touting those who’ve established themselves. This year I’m just focusing on favorites – especially those who are new to me.

Before I get any further, let me take a step back and explain – give credit where it’s due. In April of 2011, I participated in an A to Z Challenge on my other blog. This challenge is actually hosted by many blogs, but Tossing It Out was my go-to blog for all things A to Z Challenge. As I did my posts, at one point I was kinda stuck, and decided to highlight some of my favorite authors. Then I thought, I shoulda done that for the whole challenge! At that point, it was too late, but I briefly thought about doing that here. But, I didn’t want to do the challenge on both blogs simultaneously (one at a time is enough). Once that challenge came to an end, I decided that I definitely wanted to do an A to Z author challenge. And June is perfect. So, there we go. For last year’s posts, check HERE.

How it works

• Posting begins June 1 and continues through June 30, skipping Sundays.
• Each day corresponds to a letter of the alphabet, in order. (Example: June 1 = A, June 2 = B, and so on through June 30 = Z; remember, we’re skipping Sundays)
• Pick an author whose last name begins with the letter of the day and share him or her with your readers. (If you cannot think of someone for a particular letter, get creative: first names, series names, book titles, etc. – anything related to books/authors will work.)
• Come back to Proud Book Nerd to link up with the daily posts (I’ll have a linky each day).

Post ideas

Share your favorite authors with your readers. That’s pretty general, isn’t it? So, I’ve come up with a short list of ideas to help inspire you.

• Write a post about the author, what books you’ve read, and why you’re such a big fan.
• Contact that author (ASAP, as the earlier you make contact, the more likely they’re able to participate) and ask for a guest post, interview, etc.
• Write a letter to your favorite author and post it on your blog.
• Graphically show your appreciation for the author(s) – create a graphic using book covers, photos you think represent the characters, or whatever else works.
• Write a poem about the author(s) for the letter of the day.
• Anything else you can come up with. Be creative!

In May I will have a linky set up for you all to join in on the fun. Even if you can’t post every day, any participation is encouraged. The point of this is threefold:

1. To show appreciation for awesome authors.
2. To share awesome authors with others, thus supporting them and their work.
3. To challenge yourself to post daily – outside memes and reviews.

I hope you’ll join me in this fun event. As the event draws closer, I’ll post a list of who I have lined up to help with this great event!

Note for authors

If you’d like to be highlighted with a guest post, interview, or something else here on Proud Book Nerd, please contact me!
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Z = Ziegler & Zusak

Irene Ziegler wrote Ashes to Water, a book that I really enjoyed reading last year. It was very interesting, and I still remember it in surprising detail. I definitely will be looking to read more of her writing.

Who in the book-blogging world hasn’t heard of Markus Zusak? (NOTE: I am not in any way implying anything about anyone who hasn’t yet heard of him! If you fit that group, I am happy to introduce you! ) I am sorry to say that I have not yet read The Book Thief. An Australian book-blogging friend of mine even sent me a copy! Believe me, I WANT to read it. Perhaps during my next reviewing break I will.

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And there you have it! The final post in the Authors from A to Z challenge here on Proud Book Nerd! I hope you enjoyed reading about all of these fabulous authors.

HUGE thanks to every author who participated! THANK YOU! This event ROCKED because of you! I had a blast working with you, and hope to have the opportunity to do so again in the future! Best of luck to you all in your future bookish endeavors (and everything else, too)!

And if you participated, THANK YOU! I have discovered many, many great new authors. (As if my TBR list needed to be longer! LOL) I have tried to at least read everyone’s posts, and comment when I felt I had something to say. If I missed you, please let me know and I’ll come check it out.

Look for a wrap-up post sometime in the first week of July! (And, yes, I will do this again. Probably next year – same time, same place! )

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W = Wardell

This was another easy letter for me, as I recently discovered Heather Wardell. She’s not new, but she’s new to me. And she’s a great writer. Earlier this year I got to read Planning to Live, a powerful book about living in the now. She recently released A Life That Fits, which will be reviewed here soon.

Heather wrote us a post for today. Enjoy!

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Why I don’t write paranormal

by Heather Wardell

As you’re all well aware, paranormal is hotter than Edward Cullen is cold. Vampires and werewolves and angels and demons and shapeshifters, oh my! But in all six of my novels to date, I haven’t written about anything more other-worldly than a house cat. (Incidentally, I have a theory that cats are actually aliens come to observe us. Stare into a cat’s eyes for a bit and see if you don’t agree.)

I could probably reach a much bigger audience with my books if I did write paranormal, or if I alternated paranormal with my women’s fiction, and I’ve even had a few paranormal book ideas. So why don’t I write them?

Because, frankly, I’m not a paranormal being and I don’t want to read about them. I love to read about real people, people like me. Marian Keyes, one of my favorite authors, does such an amazing job with her characterization that I believe wholeheartedly in those people. They live and breathe and carry on with their lives even when they’re not on the page. I want to do that with my books too, and I’m so happy when a reader tells me, “I feel like your characters are my friends.”

I have no doubt that this level of connection could be achieved with paranormal creatures as well, and I’m certainly not suggesting that authors who write paranormal don’t care about making their characters believable. For me, though, I would rather write about true-to-life situations, about things that I or the people around me have faced, and explore the depth of happiness and sadness in our regular lives.

I’ve written about:

• choosing between a husband and a returned first love (my free-to-download novel “Life, Love, and a Polar Bear Tattoo)
• deciding whether your art should be a hobby or a career (“Go Small or Go Home”)
• letting go of resentment and anger so you can move forward in life (“Seven Exes Are Eight Too Many”)
• learning to live in the present rather than obsessing over the future (“Planning to Live”, which was reviewed right here on Proud Book Nerd)
• choosing between a man and a career (“Stir Until Thoroughly Confused”)
• listening to yourself and doing what you need (my newly released “A Life That Fits”)

I enjoy putting my characters into these difficult, but still normal and everyday, situations and watching them learn more about themselves and who they are as they extricate themselves from the mess I’ve made for them. I enjoy it more because they’re real people to me. I can understand them and get into their heads, and even when they don’t do what I would have done (which happens surprisingly often – one of the big things I’ve learned in my years of writing is that the author is not remotely in charge once the story gets rolling!). I can learn things about myself from what they do and how I feel about it. I’m not convinced I could learn as much from the struggles of a paranormal being who is nothing like me.

Readers of Proud Book Nerd, I’d love to know what you think! Do you prefer to read about real people? Or is it more fun to read about the vampire or werewolf you’ll (with any luck!) never meet in real life precisely BECAUSE you’ll never really have that encounter? Or do you read both at different times, and if so what makes you pick one over the other?

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Thank you, Heather, for a great post. And now for me to answer your questions …

For me, I tend to read both. I enjoy paranormal and fantasy because sometimes it’s fun to suspend reality for a little while. With fantasy, the appeal is delving into a whole new world that I never would’ve dreamed of on my own. With paranormal (which for me means fantasy-type characters in today’s world), the appeal is having the real world without all of the rules. Exceptions to the rules. Unexpected exceptions to the rules. New experiences in parts of the world I could visit myself. For the more realistic stories, I like how very easy it can be to relate to the characters. Their day-to-day lives (especially when the books feature a bookworm or someone in the publishing/newspaper industry), their relationships. It’s neat to get inside someone else’s head, and examine things from different perspectives. Consider life in ways I might not have done so on my own. And sometimes, yes, the characters are almost friend-like by the time I’m done reading. (I hate when those stories end, but visiting with my new “friends” is one more incentive to read the book again!)

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