ClassicAndCozy: Cindy's Prince

Tuesday, April 1, 2014

Loving the Story.. With Your Eyes or Your Ears?

Lately, my life has been amazingly busy, and that has drastically cut down on my “reading for enjoyment” time. My TBR pile had been hovering in skyscraper proportions.
Sometimes it takes desperation for me to make changes in my life. Feeling withdrawal from the joy of reading good stories, I finally investigated the world of audio books. What a thrill! Maybe this is not new news to you, but it was a new discovery for me. While I love the feel of a book (or my Kindle) in my hands, audio books has become a great alternative in those busy days.

I can listen to a story while on the stationary bike at the gym. I can enjoy a chapter while sorting the bottomless basket of granddaughters’ socks, or folding towels, or scrubbing pots. The time flies by while sitting in the car pickup line at school. In truth, I love the feel of a book (or my Kindle) in my hands. But when time is an issue, it is a great multi tasking solution to these mundane tasks, and I love it.

But I am discovering two things. First of all, many of my favorite authors do not yet have books available in an audio format. I hope that changes. I am also exploring issuing some of my own stories as audio books.

Secondly, I’m finding that the narrator/ reader of a book is key to my enjoyment. Some are male, some are female, some young, some old. It’s hard for me to decipher what exactly makes the book work. What do you think? I’d love to hear your opinion of audio books. Do you prefer a male or female voice? Or multi voices? In a series, is it important that the voice be the same in all of the books? Do you have a favorite reader? Does this format work better for you in some genres vs. others?

Audio books? What do you think?

Christine Bush is the award winning author of many books and novellas of sweet romance and light mystery. She also writes Middle Grade Fiction. When she isn’t writing, she can be found working with clients as a Marriage and Family Therapist in private practice, or teaching Psychology at a local college. She lives with her family and two crazy cats in northeastern Pennsylvania, and loves to hear from readers and aspiring writers.

Her latest book “Cindy’s Prince” can be found at

http://www.amazon.com/Cindys-Prince-Christine-Bush-ebook/dp/B00IFSRVJ2/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1393781746&sr=1-1&keywords=christine+bush+cindy%27s+prince

www.ChristineBush.com

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Christine-Bush-Author/213919128638762

http://www.amazon.com/Christine-Bush/e/B001KHSLRG/ref=sr_tc_2_0?qid=1392688497&sr=1-2-ent

Christine Bush

Writing has been an important part of my life for as long as I can remember. My Avalon and Wild Rose Press books celebrate love, family and happy endings. Personally, as mother of five, grandmother of fourteen, I celebrate those things too.

Tuesday, March 4, 2014

Puppies, Kittens and Ponies

What is it about puppies and kittens and ponies (and even hamsters, though I have never had one) that we love? Every jaunt through Facebook includes adorable pictures of friends’ furry loves (my own included), heartwarming stories of pets reunited with their pet people, or passionate pleas for adoptive homes for animals in distress.

Most of my friends have pets. Most of my family and extended family are pet lovers, too. I have two rescued cats and two noisy and happy parakeets. Pets are like members of the family. I like people who like and respect and protect animals.

So what does that have to do with romance novels?

I love to read sweet romance and light mysteries. I also like to write them. I feel that a large part of the joy of our stories is directly related to the ability to identify with.. and LIKE the characters. Though it may sound corny, in a good book, they actually feel like friends to me. Real. The kind of people I like.

I am seeing how the memorable characters in my favorite books (both romance and mystery) often have a pet that matters a lot to them. Like Stephanie Plum and her hamster, Rex. Or Jesse Stone and his big lovable dog. Jessie. This can also been seen in sweet romance movies, like Tom Hank’s adorable dog Brinkley in “You’ve Got Mail.”

In many of my earlier books, my characters have pets too. In “Daring Hearts”, my heroine helps a sad little boy get a puppy. In “Love, Julie”, my heroine saves and trains a wild horse that people have given up on. In “Noah’s Bark”, my heroine is a veterinarian who fights for animal rights and cares for a bevy of animals, usually with no pay. In “Patient Heart”, it’s all about an errant pony.

There is a certain kind of sweet loving heart that is open to loving a pet, and that trait is very attractive to me in a romance novel, as well as in real life. In our sweet romances, the emphasis is on heart and character and story. The inclusion of pets often makes the story richer, more realistic and heartwarming to me.

What do you think? Do you have a pet? Do you find stories richer with characters who love their pets?

Christine Bush is the award winning author of many books and novellas of sweet romance and light mystery. When she isn’t writing, she can be found working with clients as a Marriage and Family Therapist in private practice, or teaching Psychology at a local college. She lives with her family and two crazy cats in northeastern Pennsylvania, and loves to hear from readers and aspiring writers.