Not In So Many Words

I have mixed emotions when people say my books are “quick reads.” Part of me wonders if the phrase is used to imply that they wanted more to read? More from the characters? More of that story? But the other side of me knows that my word count is just the same as everyone else in the genre, if not more than some, so the fact that readers are devouring a book in one sitting is a definite compliment to me as a writer. It means I held your attention the entire time. I’ve attained my goal as a writer.

I’m a fifty-cent writer. And by that I mean I follow Mark Twain’s famous saying, “Don't use a five-dollar word when a fifty-cent word will do.” I don’t fluff. I don’t stretch sentences. I don’t do anything to pad the word count. I say what I mean and I mean what I say. Well, the characters do. And they do it succinctly. This results in quicker reading, and your brain processes it faster. Win-win, I say.

And while I may be the Queen of the Slow Burn (a self-appointed title, thank you very much), it’s only because I want the payoff to be that much sweeter when you get to it. I think I accomplish that. In the Near Miss series, Ryan, Matt, and Jude are all flawed, some more than others. There isn’t easy anything when it comes to relationships with these guys. So dragging out the HEA any more than I already do to make a book longer would make readers (and me) go absolutely mental. I would like to avoid that, if possible. To be fair, slow burns aren’t for everyone, and that’s fine. To each his/her/their own. Everybody’s got their something.

So, quick reads? Absolutely. Will I ever change? F*ck no. I mean, probably not. Am I okay with that? You bet.