Tuesday, November 11, 2008

A Half-Eaten Author

No, I'm not talking about me. I'm talking about Jayne Ann Krentz. Whenever I think about her books, I think about how I tend to gobble them up. I only discovered her within the last three years, and there are over 45 of her books on my shelves. I think I might have discovered her historical romance pseudonym, Amanda Quick, when I was younger, but it was the Krentz and Jayne Castle books that I purchased in armloads and frenzies. Just ask Cody. We couldn't go to the used bookstore for several months without me coming out with stacks.

I'm currently reading White Lies. This book impresses me on two levels. One, Krentz has become so popular that she doesn't have to use her pseudonym, Jayne Castle, to include paranormal elements to her romance--they sell just fine under her most popular name because everyone loves her books. The second reason it that it's so well written. I've been hunting as I read for the exact reason why I think it's well done, and I'm finding it rather hard to pinpoint. The characters are good, but let's face it, they're a bit similar to several other characters that she's written. The dialog is good, too. Maybe it's the pacing. Maybe it's the plot. Maybe it's the very familiarity of the characters. Is it the depth of the characters that's shown, not told? Is it the way she mixes information with action? Or is it the tension between the lead characters? Yes to all of the above. Now how do I do that, too?

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