When it comes to streaming movies, I have a very strange habit, and it’s not your usual binge-every-season-of-a-show, although I occasionally do that, as well (SEALTeam, The Unit). For me, it’s all about the actors. When I find an actor whose work I particularly love, I will search out his/her filmography and watch every single thing they’ve ever done, most currently Newfoundland actor Allan Hawco (his Republic of Doyle is to die for) and Allan’s mentor Paul Gross (I remember watching him WAY back in the day as a Mountie in Due South). I have found the most wonderful movies this way, shows with weird titles or back cover copy I would never have considered watching were it not for this peculiar habit of mine.
Authors are the same way. When I discover an author whose work I particularly love, I’m all over her/his books. I will read absolutely everything that the author has written, even if they are in genres I don’t usually dabble in or have weird titles or back cover copy. Again, I’ve found the most wonderful stories by reading everything an author has written.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on the subject. I know many of my readers will make sure they catch the whole series when it comes to my books, but I’ve written many series over the years. I wonder how many of you read all the way through every one of a favorite author’s books when you find someone you especially like. Thoughts?
~~Love Courageously~~ Publisher's Weekly Bestselling, award-winning author of 30 novels, Deb Kastner enjoys writing contemporary inspirational western stories set in small communities. She feels especially blessed to be able to include faith as a natural and genuine part of her characters' lives. Deb lives in beautiful Colorado with her husband and a pack of miscreant mutts. She is blessed with three adult daughters and two grandchildren. Her favorite hobby is spoiling her grandchildren, but she also enjoys reading, watching movies, listening to music (The Texas Tenors are her fav), singing in the church choir, and exploring the Rocky Mountains on horseback.
I also try to find all the books if I like one book from an author.
I am similar with authors I will read all books by an author I trust. On the other hand, this extends to the contrary, if an author loses my confidence I will not read anything he publishes as a general rule. So when I find out that a spicy romance author has written some clean sweet romance I raise an eyebrow and feel skeptical about how clean it really will be since the author has other writing habits.
But sometimes I’m wrong…for example, there are Christian or sweet romance authors who have secular/hot books in their past. There are also authors of spicy romance that surprise! they’ve written something sweet really good a spicy fantasy romance author wrote a really beautiful young adult retelling novel, without spice.
On the other hand Mimi matthews or Melanie Dickerson can write UFO/alien romance if they want and I’ll read it hahah.
I will often start working my way through an author’s backlist when I find one who’s writing I enjoy.
I have!!!! There are quite a few that I’ve read everything they’ve written, and read their books as they come out! I don’t do the same with actors and actresses, though!
I agree. There are several authors that I will read anything they write or get their books to put in my TBR stack to be read at some point. I should live so long! I am reading a series now by Valerie Bodden.
I adore Paul Gross! I have the whole DVD collection of Due South. But I’ve only seen him in one other movie. I can’t remember the name of it, but it was totally opposite of his character in Due South. Now I have to go google him.
I agree, when I fine a new writer I enjoy, I will try to read as much of their work as I can. I think a lot of the writer I like tend to write in the same genre so I know infills enjoy the stories. It’s so easy to do now with ebooks and especially kindle unlimited, but I remember it used to be so exciting finding a book I hadn’t read by an author I loved in the library or a second hand shop!
That’s a great point. If an author or actor loses my trust, that’s it for me. I do understand that some authors have spice in their past…we all have pasts. But I don’t care for authors who only write sweet romances because they think that’s what’s selling.
I will go ALL the way back!
I’ve been publishing for over 30 years, so I know what it feels like to be determined to find them all!
I don’t know if you stream movies or not, but if you do, watching a full filmography of an actor can be really eye-opening.
Paul Gross is an amazing actor. He’s currently doing King Lear at the Stratford Festival in Canada. I’m planning a girl’s trip with my best friend to go see him live. Crossing my fingers to get an autograph and a picture with him.
I remember those days when I would pour over a library sale, so excited to find an author or line I loved! Now with Amazon and eBay it’s a little easier.
I go a couple ways with this. I do tend to buy the backlist of an author I truly like. These authors often become what I call “auto-buys”. When they publish a new book, I automatically buy it, without even reading the blurb.
I, also, have had the unpleasant experience of discovering sweet & sour authors. One in particular writes one genre under one name and the other under the same name with only the addition of a middle initial. I don’t feel comfortable reading “Christian” fiction by this author knowing she also writes semi-porn.
Even if an author is an auto-buy, I will sometimes wait until I have all but the last book in a series to start reading the series. Saves me from having to go back and re-read to remember what happened previously.
One of the reasons I love freebies is to discover new authors to go nuts about. 8-D
I love your “sweet and sour” authors. That’s a great way to put it. I enjoy being able to read a whole series at one time, too. My own series are all stand-alones but are also intertwined (Rocky Mountain Family is six siblings). It’s so exciting to find new authors!
That sounds like a fun trip. Hope you get a picture. Tell him I said Hi. Like he would know who I am!! 😂
I had that with a Susan May Warren series last year. It kept referring back to characters from a previous series, so I tracked down which series that was (it wasn’t easy to find out either, and I’m still waiting from a reply to my question to the author – 12 months later). Find that series led me to another and another and finally back to one I already had read with all the connections to various characters in her other series. It then led to spin-off series that she had allowed other author’s to use her settings as she mentored them through the writing process.
Some of the books weren’t easy to find as I only read print books and some of them were from at least a decade ago.
It can be a real rabbit warren (pardon the pun, Susan if you happen to read this) as you travel through the stories of the characters that you learn to love, and others who you meet along the way.
There are some authors that I have been able to do that with. There are others that I cannot keep up with their writing as well as others who I follow. Thank you so much for sharing. God bless you.