Back in 1996, my boyfriend (now hubby) needed a new car. A friend of his dad's was a service manager at a local Nissan dealer. So he checked out what they had on their used car lot. We knew we could trust whatever he said. Hubby found a 1987 fully loaded Maxima. It had 120,000 miles, but it was a good price and his dad's friend had given it his seal of approval.
We've been loyal Nissan buyers ever since. That first Maxima we had was awesome. We drove it 70,000 miles over the next three years. (Hubby was downstate for a while for work and traveled 750 miles round trip most weekends to come home.) It became my car and hubby bought a small Nissan pick up truck.
Since 1996 we have owned an 87 Maxima, 97, 99, and 02 Altimas, an 88 truck, an 07 Quest and a 2010 Rogue. We still have the 02 Altima and the Rogue.
My point is, we've found a brand we know and trust. We don't need to do research on vehicles...we know we will love whatever Nissan comes out.
When it comes to writing, authors are kind of a brand. Most people I know, once they've found an author they love, they tend to stick with them and will buy their new releases without even knowing what they're about. I hope to find fans like that!!! I want my readers to trust me and trust in my work. I want them to expect great things from me and I never want them to be disappointed.
Now I know you can't please all the people all the time. I'm not looking for every reader on the planet to adore my every word. And I know I will have fans who will love some of my work more than others, but I do want that trust. I want readers to know that when they purchase my books, they won't be wasting money. I know some people will think that, regardless, but I hope to never disappoint my fans who have loved my work in the past.
And I want to give a huge THANK YOU to Laura from Chick Lit Love for bestowing this award on me!!
And here are some of my favorite new blogging friends:
The perverted minds of the ladies at Dirty Birdies!
Creepy Query Girl is so so hilarious!
Shannon Whitney Messenger...love her!
The cutest blogger on the planet! Teenage Bride
Awesome writer, awesome photographer! Heidi Willis
Posts
I feel that way about Hondas. Although it's strange...my first experience was with my water pump busting at 100,000 miles. Of course, I was in college and nobody told me I had to have that and the timing chain changed at that point in the car's life...so it was a ticking time bomb. I had a few Fords in between my next Honda...and all of them were certified pieces of crap. My Honda was at 135,000 miles with ZERO problems ever when the flood got it a year ago (exactly a year, actually!).
ReplyDeleteThat's what I mean!! You need a car you can depend on...our first Nissan, we drove it to 190,000 miles!! You can't argue with that!!! Thanks for stopping by!!
ReplyDeleteYou're totally right. When I love an author I count down the days to their new book--and I buy it whether I know what it's about or not. That's the ideal fan. I want some of those someday. ;)
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with this. Each writers style is different and there is rarely a medium between love and hate. :)
ReplyDeleteJust remember that it's usually the vocal minority who will try to make you feel bad. Most people love ya.
Very true, Kindros...people will very easily voice their opinion about something they don't like...but things they do like...not so quick to profess their love.
ReplyDeleteOnce we discovered Nissan we felt the same way. I also aspire to be that writer people will keep returning to. Good luck to you on your journey!
ReplyDeleteI was let down by an author whose brand name I trusted. To me the work was self indulgent, words for the sake of words -- and I'm really forgiving in these things because I understand writers are craftsmen creating an art not specifically designed to please my particular tastes. Oh well.
ReplyDeleteWill I buy that author in the future? Maybe, but not on name alone any longer. It's almost like starting from scratch.
I loved Karma and look forward to reading your other work.
a car could reveal one's feelings/tastes...
ReplyDeletelovely car.
bless your marriage.
Ohh, this touched a nerve. :) I have this favorite best-selling chick lit/romance author...who I started buying religiously. And then I got this total dud. I mean, it was obvious it had barely been edited (many mechanical errors such as grammar, spelling, missing punctuation), zero conflict or sexual tensuion. It's like her editor either decided "meh. People will buy it because it's hers. I can take this one off." Or the author said, "People will buy me because I'm me. Do not mess with my perfect baby. Who do you think you are?" to her editor.
ReplyDeleteEither way, right then she went back on my Library-Borrow Only List. Sorry, but money is too hard to come by, for me to invest it in crappy books!
Thanks Erin!!!!!!! Yay!! I'm so happy you liked it!!!! I know what you mean.....it really breaks your trust in an author. And just like trust with anyone in your life, when its broken, it's hard to come back.
ReplyDeleteThanks Bluebell!
Totally see what you mean Piper!!! I vow to never become a diva!! Or become lazy! And yes, money is tough to come by and if I buy something, it better be good!!
Thansk for stopping by everyone!!!
It's interesting to me that most people seem to want to read everything (or listen to every piece of music, try every cupcake, whatever) that their favorite artist has created.
ReplyDeleteI don't, and here's why:
It has nothing to do with loyalty for me; I'll try to enjoy most of an author's/artist's output. I will. But most of the writers, musicians, chefs, painters I admire have this crazy habit of pushing new creative boundaries for themselves. Approaching new territory, and trying on different hats, as it were. This means, for me, I've often found that one thing or another of theirs, or even one creative phase or another, doesn't appeal to me. So I leave it alone, and check back in with them later. I trust that they are growing in their artistry, even if I dislike the products of it just then.
On the other hand, I almost lost my admiration and enjoyment for The Great Gatsby, by reading a bunch of other F. Scott Fitzgerald stories... too many similar images, too small a metaphorical room he was working in... the writing was excellent, but the other stories didn't resonant the same way. Instead, they washed out my interest in Fitzgerald, leaving me with an impression of lazy satin-clad rich people whining about how awful their sumptuous lives were, and doing silly or horrible things to ruin them.
Luckily, some years later I had to read Gatbsy again for a lit. class, and I vowed then to keep it pure and unsullied; I may check out his short stories here and there, but I won't be reading Tender is the Night again, I can tell you that.