Sometimes when it’s slow at work I look at the books on the shelves, daring one to grab me. The other day while browsing through the mystery section I came across ‘The Prophet Murders’ by Mehmet Murat Somer. Here’s the summary from Amazon:
“The first in a new Turkish detective series. A killer is on the loose in Istanbul and killing transvestites. Our protagonist—fellow transvestite, nightclub owner, and glamour-puss extraordinaire—turns into an investigator in the search for the killer. It’s a tough case—can she end the slaughter without breaking a nail?”
The summary on the back of the book goes into a little more detail, but the point is after reading the back my first thought was ‘How could I not read this?’ And as I thought that, something clicked in my mind.
This must be how agents and publishers feel when they come across something fresh and exciting, something so different that not reading it is not an option. Sure there are lots of books where I’ve thought ‘I should read this’ or ‘This looks good,’ but only a few times have I felt something as strong as ‘I can’t not read this book.’
This hooky-ness, this feeling that there would be a certain book-shaped hole in your life if you don’t read this novel, that’s my new goal. I’m planning out a novel right now and as I explore the world and the characters my new aim is to make it all so weird, wonderful, and enticing so that even jaded reader will read the back and think ‘How can I not read this book?’
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On a totally unrelated note, last week I talked about rejection and how I believed that I was due for an acceptance any day now. I was right! A romance story of mine will appear in the July 5th issue of Woman’s World magazine.