This week I had the thrill of seeing one of my favorite new authors, J.R. Ward, speak and sign books at Borders. You’ve heard me mention Ward before. She’s the former corporate attorney-turned New York Times bestselling author of a series of books called The Black Dagger Brotherhood, the latest of which is LOVER AWAKENED. Ward turned up in high heels and a black pantsuit with a long jacket that wasn’t quite a duster but was still way cool. The black was the perfect touch; I’d ‘ve been unspeakably disappointed if the creator of all those attitudinally-challenged, super-sexy bad boy vampires had turned up in a flowered dress and Crocs. Anyway, Ward is as hip, edgy, and energetic as her books. She talks enthusiastically and lovingly about ‘the Brothers’, who, she says, just turned up one day in her head, and says she sees the books as vividly as she’d watch a movie. She also stresses how hard the novels are to write, how complex the plotting, and how long the hours, which was a tremendous relief to me and, I’m sure, writers everywhere. I can, and do, work really hard, just like she does. Now if only I could think up a brilliant idea like the Black Dagger Brotherhood. Best of all, she promises big surprises and satisfying stories in the books to come - sorry, she wouldn’t get into specifics and, BELIEVE ME, I asked her - and says she wants to write these books for the next thirty years. That’s great news for me, because I’ll certainly be reading about the brothers for as long as she’s writing them.
October 15th, 2006