It's a weird feeling to read other people's thoughts on a book you've written. Weird and wonderful, even if not all the thoughts are positive, because it makes the whole experience come alive in the way that only happens if multiple people engage with the idea and the characters and the story.

And sometimes, a reader will see things in your writing that you didn't consciously intend, or will make connections you didn't make as you were writing--and that's even more amazing. Because whether I intended it or not, those connections are there, in black and white.

Take today's Heroes & Heartbreakers article about Too Hot to Touch by the fabulous Marisa O'Neill of RomanceNovelTV. Reading that post gave me chills, because everything in it is absolutely true and her observations are keen and insightful--but the way she thinks about Max and Jules isn't a precise echo of the way I thought about them as I was writing them.

But I'm not writing them anymore. Max and Jules have their own life now, and as more and more people read their story once it comes out next week, I'll relinquish more and more ownership of those characters. Sure, they belong to me in a legal sense. But in the way that matters, they belong to you, to everyone who goes with them on their journey towards their happily ever after. They belong to the reader.

Read Marisa's article if you want a sneak peek at what's going on with Max and Jules and all their kitchen drama. And if you want Max and Jules to come alive for you? Read Too Hot to Touch when it comes out August 2nd, and they're all yours.

Posted by Louisa Edwards at 11:01 AM  

Labels: Too Hot to Touch