Author collaboration continues with 6 authors answering 2 questions. Today we talk about motivation and reading habits. Enjoy!

Motivation

What keeps you motivated and why?

When it comes to motivation, I’m a little like I am about writers’ block. There is always something I want to do that hits me on the head when I wake up in the morning! – Carolyn Howard-Johnson – Author of The Frugal Book Promoter |Imperfect Echos

My sanity. I think I would go mad if I just stopped writing. As it is, if I can’t write for long periods of time, I go into what I call “writer’s withdraw,” which basically feels like this: – Kelsey Ketch – Author of the Descendants of Isis Series 

Motivation seems to change. With the Rain Trilogy, one of my biggest motivations was to help shed some awareness on abuse and human trafficking. With Ash to Steele and Feel, the motivation was entirely different – just as personal, but in other ways. One constant motivation for me, is how writing is a form of therapy. If the day has been really trying, throwing myself into my characters is the best stress reliever. – Karen -Anne Stewart – Author of The Rain Trilogies | Ash to Steele 

The Legendary Women of World History biography series started in March 2014 when an informal poll showed that fewer than 10% of those surveyed could name even five women from across history whose lives still touch ours today.  Changes in the education systems in the United States, Canada, and United Kingdom have dramatically reduced history literacy, especially among teens and young adults.  Not surprisingly, this correlates with political losses to women’s rights and cultural changes that increasingly sexualizes women and downplays the positive achievements women have made across world history.  The only way to fix this is through education.  So I am driven every day to do my part to make the world a better place through the sharing of these inspiring true tales that are the Legendary Women of World History biographies. – Laurel A Rockefeller – Author of Queen Elizabeth Tudor: Journey to Gloriana | Catherine de Valois: The Legendary Women of World History

I’m motivated by many things: The draw of the characters I’m writing or the plot that I get to explore in the story. The challenge of trying to tell a more complex narrative than what I’ve done before. And, also, it’s so often about the connection with readers who’ve been encouraging of my writing. They’ve asked for more stories (especially in my new “Mirabelle Harbor” series, where the books are standalone novels but there are some overlapping characters) and have written notes to me about how a particular book made them laugh (like On Any Given Sundae) or made them think about their relationships/friendships (like Friday Mornings at Nine) or just kept them intrigued and entertained for a few hours when they needed an escape. I’m always so honored when a reader tells me that something I wrote was meaningful to him or her, and that motivates me to keep at it! 🙂 – Marilyn Brand – USA Today & NY Times Best Selling Author 

I am naturally motivated, NOT. My love for what I do keeps me motivated. Sometimes when I get under motivated, I do things I enjoy and that tends to re-energize me. – Gillian Felix – Author of The Family Portrait Series | Blog Tours: A Win-Win For Authors and Bloggers  

Reading and Writing

When you are not writing do you read? Do you read novels outside of the genre you write?

Absolutely! This is one rule I don’t think can be broken for anyone who wants to continue improving their craft, continue moving ahead in their writing career. Here it is: READ, read, read. And here’s something else. Read in you genre. Read outside your genre and borrow liberally. Read more than one book on any given topic. Example: You’ll need several books on marketing, editing, grammar, etc. to even begin to know what you need to know to be the professional you strive to be. – Carolyn Howard-Johnson – Author of The Frugal Book Promoter |Imperfect Echos

I try to read when I can. To be honest, it’s been becoming more difficult finding the time between writing, publishing, and having a full-time a job. But when I can squeeze in a book, it’s definitely either young adult or new adult, the two genres I write. This is how I stay fresh on the latest concepts and writing styles. It also keeps my head in the age group which I’m writing for. – Kelsey Ketch – Author of the Descendants of Isis Series 

I adore reading! One of my favorite childhood memories is my father reading the Chronicles of Narnia at bedtime. Romance is my favorite genre, but I also love to read psychological thrillers, suspense, action, and some paranormal. – Karen -Anne Stewart – Author of The Rain Trilogies | Ash to Steele 

Due to sight loss I rarely read books for pleasure.  Instead, I prefer reading newspapers and online articles about topics of interest, especially history, science, politics, and current events.  On the top of my list are The Guardian, The New York Times, NBC’s Meet the Press, and the Huffington Post. – Laurel A Rockefeller – Author of Queen Elizabeth Tudor: Journey to Gloriana | Catherine de Valois: The Legendary Women of World History 

I read A LOT. And, yes, I read quite a bit outside of my writing genres. I do love romantic comedies, contemporary women’s fiction, and mystery, which is why I’ve written stories in them, but reading new adult romance also led to my writing one of those (All About Us). And, even though I have no immediate plans to write Regency romances, I’m a long-time Jane Austen fan, so I enjoy reading books in that style sometimes. I’ve read several very emotional women’s fiction books, which deal with subjects that I wouldn’t typically choose to write about — such as Me Before You or Everything I Never Told You — not to mention psychological suspense stories — like Gone Girl or The Girl on the Train. But different narrative styles are really interesting to me, and I’m always curious about the way an author can masterfully handle a character who’s an unreliable narrator or maneuver a very tragic plot turn. – Marilyn Brand – USA Today & NY Times Best Selling Author 

When I’m not writing I usually read non-fiction, thrillers, selective romance from authors I know. I am a huge fan of Jackie Collins and J.F. Penn. My reading range is very wide, I’ll read something if the topic interests me. I love strong, witty characters either male or female, I love a good drama hence why I write in that genre.  – Gillian Felix – Author of The Family Portrait Series | Blog Tours: A Win-Win For Authors and Bloggers