Reader Spotlight! Aubrey Davidson

Today marks my first “Reader Spotlight” post that I hope to have at least once a month.  What this is, is I will choose a reader from my Twitter or blog followers and after PMing them and getting their approval, have a little Q&A session with him/her about reading – what your likes, dislikes, habits are and such.  I think it will be a fun way to develop a more connected relationship with my fellow readers and of course, we get to chat about what we all love – books! 

My alpha Reader Spotlight is actually my beta reader, first-ever supporter and very good friend, Aubrey Davidson.

Without her encouragement and notes of “More please” on random pages of quickly written chapters, none of my Arethane books would exist.  She has helped create and develop the characters and probably knows them now better than I.

Anyway, welcome, Aubrey!  Tell us a little bit about yourself.

Age, Hometown/Where you live:  Hi, Kelly!  Thanks for having me on your blog (I feel like a guest on a teevee talk show)!  Editor’s aside: you’re a dork.   I’m 28 and my hometown is Arlington, Texas, but I’m living in Aurora, Colorado now  (as you well know).

Welcome to the first ever Reader Spotlight!  First off, tell us a little about your readerness (yes, it’s a word, I’m making it one.)  Meaning, where are you favorite places to read, how often do you read, what genre is your “go-to” when you need to fill that reading hunger?  Readerness, huh?  Okay, I don’t know that I really have a favorite place to read… I’ll read anywhere, but I suppose the most common place is in my bed or curled up on the couch.  Editor’s aside: And sometimes you fall asleep sitting up with the book still open.  Preferably with a cup of tea.  I read a lot.  Every day, multiple times a day, usually.  Especially on the weekends when I don’t have to worry about going to work the next day.  I don’t think I have a go-to genre either… I’ve been reading quite a bit of fantasy lately, but right now I’m reading a series of non-fiction journals. 

In order for least to most, what would you say your top three books are? (Ugh, I think you’re trying to make this difficult for me)  Top three books… can I count the Arethane series as one book or do they count as three?  Editor’s aside: Top three Number Ones!  And I don’t think I could choose an order – it’s hard enough to pick three favorite books.  The first other two that come to mind are American Gods by Neil Gaiman and The Arm of the Starfish by Madeleine L’Engle.  EA: I knew you’d pick that.

Favorite author? Those are some favorite authors too… Neil Gaiman, Madeleine L’Engle, and you. EA: Yay!  I’ve also been reading quite a bit of Terry Pratchett lately.  By the way, have you read Dodger yet?  If you haven’t, go pick it up – you’d like it.

What do you look for in a main character?  Do you want him/her to be some butt-kicking badass, a level-headed pacifist, a hot-tempered hero? In a main character, I mainly look for someone who has some quality I can relate to… they  might be a badass or a pacifist or a hot-tempered hero – that part changes, but if there’s something in them that feels like me or how I wish I could be, I generally keep reading.

What are your character pet-peeves?  I hate whiney characters.  I don’t like whiney people in general (and don’t you dare say anything about me being whiney!) and if they annoy me in real life, I certainly don’t want to spend my free time in their head with all of their self-pity.  EA: You had a big hand in keeping Emily from being whiney when she had plenty to be whiney about.

What do you look for by the time you finish a book?  What expectations do you have going into a book? I like books that make me miss the characters.  If I finish a book and I wish there were more because I don’t want the characters to leave my head, I’ll probably read it again… and again.  I try not to have expectations going into a book… that’s an easy way to disappoint yourself.  If I ever expect things from books, it’s usually sequels.  If the first book was amazing, I expect the sequel to live up to it.

I agree.  I love and hate when a book won’t leave my mind.  On one hand, I want to move on, but on the other, I know that it was then a really well-written story with strong characters.  What are you currently reading? I’m currently reading The Summer of the Great-Grandmother by Madeleine L’Engle

What kind of story would you love to read, but just can’t seem to find? This last one is hard… and I don’t think I can answer it… I’m sorry.  I’ll think about it and get back to you.

Okay, fine.  Then to ease the girly-girl in me, which of my characters is your favorite and why?  I’m partial to Emily… I love her and since she reminds me so much of my baby sister (and a little of you), I really like her being in my head.  But then Jarrad and Dafne and Karawyn are all wonderful too… and Shelly cracks me up every scene she’s in so she’s lots of fun… and I think Jabari is an awesome character.  I’ve loved him and hated him and felt betrayed along with the characters in the story… I really like when a character blind sides you like that.

A great big thank you to Aubrey for participating in my pilot Reader Spotlight and for helping me with all my books and for generally just being awesome.  

Until next time!